Spring Brings New Life

// April 10th, 2013 // No Comments » // Afghanistan, TCD, TCD Income

Preparations for spring begin in the laboratory

Afghanistan

We’ve posted previously on the promise that mushroom cultivation can have for a struggling family in Afghanistan.  Here’s a little insider on the process for the project’s success in GHNI from local leaders:

“The mushroom project has been quiet due to the cold winter in Afghanistan. However, with warmer weather on the way, our project manager has begun working in the laboratory again, preparing mother culture for a new batch of mushrooms.

“He has also begun putting together a list of about 40 families who are in need of help and who may be candidates for growing mushrooms. In the next few months we will choose several families from this list in order to expand the project in the spring. He also hopes to set up some ‘model’ projects to demonstrate the benefits of growing mushrooms.”

Music Benefits Women

// April 3rd, 2013 // No Comments » // Afghanistan, GHNI Partners, GHNI Partnerships, GHNI Volunteers, Nepal, Nepal-Kailali, Syria, Syria-Refugees

Hal Jones, GHNI President, and his wife, Lana, thank musicians with flowers

Friends of GHNI in California were recently invited to a Piano and Cello concert featuring Pascal Salomon and Pauliina Haustein.  Organized by volunteers, Scott and Vicki Gillis and Monique Newman, the concert was to benefit women and children in areas where GHNI is putting much attention:

• Impoverished women and children in Afghanistan
• Syrian Refugees
• Victims of Human Trafficking in Nepal

Commencing on March 14^th, 2013, the concert included arrangements from composers Schubert, Sibelius, Bloch, and Schumann.  GHNI’s President, Hal Jones, also addressed the attendees, sharing stories from these areas.  The event was enjoyed by all and additional funds were raised for the woman and children in Afghanistan, Syrian Refugees, and victims of trafficking in Nepal.  The generosity of these donations will reach far in these communities!

Inspiring Young Afghans through Art

// February 25th, 2013 // No Comments » // Afghanistan, Afghanistan-Garden of Hope and Peace, TCD Education

Artistic creations rendered by students at the Garden of Peace and Hope

Mariyem, like many young women in Afghanistan, shouldn’t have much hope to succeed in a culture dominated by men.  However, this vibrant 20 year old is overcoming those odds.  Studying at the Professional Art Institute in Kabul, she was recently invited to attend a winter workshop at the Garden of Peace and Hope, one of GHNI’s projects in Afghanistan to help young artists develop their education.

The winter workshop: “Colour Conference: Using Colour and Developing Hues,” was attended by ten students, including Mariyem. Led by a Professor from the Faculty of Art at Kabul University, the aim of the workshop was to inspire and motivate the students and to teach them more about matching colours.

Mariyem told us,

 “I am so excited to be able to attend this workshop and learn more about matching and understanding colours, how to paint, and the meaning of painting. We all feel very lucky to be here. Originally the workshop was only meant to last two weeks, but we are learning so much, we hope it can be extended to four weeks! It is great how much the Professor is teaching us. We have good teachers at the [Professional Art Institute], but we lack the resources we need, such as computers and a library. Here, we have everything we need and we are learning so many different things. In future I hope to become a famous painter and paint a lot of pictures.”

The enthusiasm of the students was evident and we are sure that this workshop is going to be a great help for Mariyem as she works toward her dream.

Did you like this article?  Afghanistan is the Country of the Month for February.  Read more!

Country of the Month: Afghanistan

// February 1st, 2013 // No Comments » // Afghanistan, TCD, TCD Income

Berea Mothers Empowered by Mushroom Cultivation

“In Berea there lives a 3-year old boy called Kemal. He has nine brothers and sisters between two and twelve years old.  He and three of his other siblings have poor vision. His father is disabled and earns up to $2 a day. The family eats just once a day – usually dry food such as bread or rice, and never meat or vegetables.”

This heart breaking story came to us in a recent report directly from one of GHNI’s TCD trainers living in Afghanistan.  Fortunately, a solution is beginning to bear fruit! GHNI leaders work with a local Champion in Transformational Community Development (TCD) to generate Food and Income for these families using local resources.   Read more…

Country of the Month: Afghanistan

// September 21st, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Adopt a Village, Afghanistan, Afghanistan-Sheldon, TCD, TCD Water

 

Sheldon women gather safe drinking water from the new water pipe.

This is a very important moment for the poor of Afghanistan and our work amongst them.

Imagine being a little girl fighting weather and animals for fresh water. Here’s what Fatima has to say:

“My name is Fatima and I am 9 years old. In my village, high in the mountains, it gets very cold in winter. I help my mother, and one of our jobs is to get water. In the past, we carried the water from a stream a few kilometers down the valley from our house, or from a spring almost two kilometers up the valley from our house. In winter, the spring was buried by snow and the narrow track to the stream was very icy. I didn’t like walking on it. Now we have a pipeline that brings water from the spring to our village year-round. I am glad that we don’t have to go so far for water anymore. Also, the water is clean. Before, animals would stand in the pool by the spring and make the water muddy and I did not like to drink from it. Animals also walked in the stream, and people washed their clothes and dishes there. Old people and children got sick from the water. Now we draw water from the pipe and it is much better. We are healthy, we don’t all get sick, and my mother and I don’t have to walk so far. It is a big change!”

Sheldon Village Project Results:

• People in the village have access to water all year -round from the mountain via the pipeline
• Incidences of waterborne illnesses have decreased
• A separate watering hole for animals has been completed
• One woman trained to teach women BLiSS (Birth Life Saving Skills) which is effective in reducing infant mortality rates
• Nearby villages have been surveyed and are ready to partner

More on Sheldon, Afghanistan…

Afghan Village Sees Huge Drop in Child Illness

// May 17th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Adopt a Village, Afghanistan, Afghanistan-Sheldon, TCD Water

Remember the story about a Clean Water for Remote Afghan Village? Well, one of our GHNI staff members in Afghanistan recently spoke with the leader of this village. The leader said that before the chashma (pipeline) project, 80% of the children were sick. Now it is down to 5%! It’s one thing to know the critical importance of clean water, it’s another to actually see the health impact in less than six months.

It’s not only children who are benefiting from clean water. The leader shared about an old couple who live by the pipeline. They are thrilled because the wife doesn’t have to struggle all the way up the valley to collect water anymore. For this elderly woman it is almost as good as having running water in the house. It has had a huge impact on her life.

Read more stories from Afghanistan here.

Clean Water for Remote Afghan Village

// February 17th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // Afghanistan, Afghanistan-Sheldon, TCD Water

By Leslie Kahihikolo

High up in the dry mountainous terrain of central Afghanistan nestled on the slopes of Koh e Baba (Father Mountain) is the village of Sheldon. The air is thin and winters are long and brutal.

The people here are Hazara. For centuries they have suffered as a minority group looked down upon by many Afghans, persecuted from the time of Genghis Khan to the more recent Taliban. Now in a time of reconstruction they are often overlooked as aid groups reach out to people in more troubled areas.

The people of Sheldon were forced to walk almost 2 hours up the valley to collect water from a spring – a spring shared with animals.  There was no adequate source of clean water near the village except a small ditch that had water in it after the winter snows melted.

Using techniques from Transformational Community Development, GHNI is working together with the overlooked and forgotten people of Sheldon by helping them pipe the spring water to the village.

Carrying the pipe up the valley. Notice the hand-dug trench to the right.

Through generous donations, GHNI was able to provide the piping materials while the villagers did the hard work of digging trenches and laying pipe.  Responsible for different sections of the trench, groups of men dug through rock and gravel to make a trench 1 mile long and 3 feet deep, below the frost line.

Building the spring box

Digging in this harsh environment was no easy task, especially when the men encountered a rock table 3 feet below the surface of the spring.  To complete the installation of the spring box, an impact hammer had to be rented and lugged up the valley to dig down an additional 3 feet.

It works!

With the spring box installed, pipe laid and buried, a hydrant was then installed in the village.  The people of Sheldon now have clean, safe water to drink!  Since the people and animals now drink from separate sources of water, it is expected that the incidence of waterborne diseases will lessen.  The lives of the Sheldon people have been transformed now that they have easy access to clean drinking water.

News Behind the News
October 2011

// October 17th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Adopt a Village, Afghanistan, China, Disaster Relief, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, Sri Lanka, TCD, TLD

Kids in Camba Berua, Indonesia

A summary of news and reports from the field staff and interns of GHNI, Geneva Switzerland.

HORN OF AFRICA FAMINE REPORT

We’ve just received a report from our field partners working in Somalia. First of all, thank you so much to all of you who donated to help with this relief! Because of your generosity we were able to distribute food in the northeastern part of Somalia in an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp. There are approximately 700 families in the camp and we had enough funding to provide food to 250 of the most needy families.

GHNI is sponsoring aid for communities that are starving, but also ones we believe will be open to their own development through Transformational Community Development (TCD). TCD provides coaching and training in drip irrigation, sustainable agriculture and public health so that many families can have a future of less famine and more resilience. Donate to Food Relief.

AFGHANISTAN

The region where we work was recently turned over to the Afghan Army. Taliban signs have shown up and the area is becoming more dangerous. We are thankful one of our local staff was a former commander and has the respect and following of the local population. The situation for security in Kabul continues to worsen, but our director, Pat Lightbourne, continues on. The Adopt a Village Program is also continuing as a Swiss Company, Rimuss, has adopted a village of Pushtun people and we are getting regular reports of progress and change, one life at a time.

ARMENIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

GHNI staff, Jeff Latsa and Hal Jones, are currently on their way to Armenia where the rural poor are largely neglected. Armenia is one of the poorest countries in Central Asia and has had very little economical strength since the fall of communism. GHNI is having our first Transformational Community Development Conference for Central Asia and more than 20 delegates from several Central Asian countries are attending.

LIBYA

The National Transition Council is very close to being in control of the whole country. They come from many mixed backgrounds, but the majority have told us they want democracy in Libya. A recent powerful group of oil buyers was told they must wait until the legitimate government is in place before any contracts are made. This is a good sign. We have friends who have been involved in our work there now, working to help give leadership to the new country. We are seeking to send top consultants from free countries to advise many of these leaders.

JAPAN

Relief efforts continue to reveal the extent of the damage to both infrastructure and human lives. We are helping a counseling center and will then transition to help some of the poorest of the poor. We are very excited about the expertise of our partners.

NIGERIA

Northern Nigeria is one of the most neglected areas of the world. Almost no aid organizations provide this area with help for solving endemic poverty. A team lead by Hal and Lana Jones flies there this November with doctors and volunteers to help in several villages of the Dukawa people. We still need funding to drill a well and for medical supplies. Click here to help and type in “Nigeria” in the special instructions box.

SRI LANKA

In the wake of the end of the 26 year civil war, Sri Lanka is getting very little aid to help rebuild the country, especially for the rural areas. Our Director, Celeste, and his wife Jayrani have done a great job of getting Transformational Community Development going in some villages. Then Celeste was hit with a heart attack in India at a GHNI Conference just a few weeks ago. He is recovering and back home now. Thanks so much to those of you who contributed towards his medical bills!

MYANMAR

Recent events in Myanmar include over 200 political prisoners being released from prison. We are hoping more peace and opportunity will return to help the poorest of the poor. Orphan care programs abound now in the country as a result of Cyclone Nargis. GHNI is teaching many community-based orphan care programs how to become self-sustaining through agricultural programs.

INDONESIA

Technology and hope met in the community of Camba Berua as our team taught a lesson about self respect and believing in yourself. Two of our team-members, John and Julie, set up a Skype phone-call with one of their friends from the US. This friend of John and Julie’s is disabled with limited movement in her arms and upper-body.

The participants stared in amazement at the computer screen as John and Julie’s friend sat in her wheelchair smiling and talking to the participants. Julie translated for her friend, “Even though you may look at me and feel sorry for me, I believe (there) is so much to be thankful for. I am able to work, I’m able to attend college and one day I hope to get married to the man of my dreams.”

SYRIA REFUGEES

Thousands of families from Syria have fled to the relative peace of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. GHNI Jordan Director, Jamal Hashweh, has found many families in the northern desert of Jordan and is presently gathering a partnership of aid organizations to reach out with tents, food, clothing and medical help.

EGYPT

Ezbet El Nikhil is a slum inside the poorest part of Cairo’s suburbs. The majority of the people there collect and sort garbage for a living. They are so poor they often have their children work instead of going to school. With the insecurity in Cairo, many of the poor have been directly affected and often go without food. A short-term team of GHNI leaders went to help our partners with a food distribution. While there, the mostly illiterate women who stood in line for food said, “Please teach us how to read!” We are presently planning to teach community health to the families, as well as literacy.

IRAQ

As I write we have two leaders from GHNI helping the Ministry of Education in Irbil with a series of training programs called Transformational Leadership Development led by Mike Shea. Mike’s team is comprised of business men and women who teach and also spend time with the various leaders. The relationships that develop through the TLD programs are amazing! Contact Mike.Shea@ghni.org for more info.

INDIA

Transformational Community Development is exploding in India. Mike Parks and his team have trained leaders of a group of 700 village workers.  In the next 30 days we will launch in the first 17 villages across the country. Over the next few years the plan is to help up to 80,000 villages learn how to help themselves. We need partners to help us adopt village clusters. Please contact Dan.Emig@ghni.org if you’re interested.

JORDAN

Villages of ancient Moab will soon be helped by our Transformational Community Center in Ma’in, Jordan. The Center will benefit five villages in the area and partners are helping us renovate a building to provide training for poor women, youth, and host short term teams! If you would like to help click here.

CHINA

GHNI is partnering with a great group of partners in China, working from Cheng Du and the surrounding area. They will be training young business entrepreneurs in how to start a business that they can also use to train others in some of the poorest small towns in the rural areas, where much poverty still survives. The motivation and drive of these trainers is so exciting. The program we have engages top successful small business people from many countries to help them learn how to teach the poorest of the poor.

GENEVA INSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC POLICY

Our next conference is scheduled for June 2012. The theme is Post Conflict Leadership and Public Policy and we are planning on bringing together leaders from the Arab world, Africa and Asia. The world is changing and we are so encouraged that emerging and existing leaders want to hear experts from all over the world to provide counsel and model legislation for building stronger countries. It cost us almost $3,000 to bring each law maker. If you would like to help one, contact Jessica.Marchand@ghni.org, Senior External Relations Officer.

The Engineer

// July 23rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Afghanistan

Original GHNI solar cookers

I recently attended a family reunion where my wise dad gave an impromptu speech to the “young folk”.  He challenged us to really pursue what we’re passionate about – that there is fulfillment in doing what we love.  As I read the story below from the village of Yakawlang, Afghanistan, I thought of my dad’s words. In a country full of struggle, there is a man who is helping his village and providing for his family while doing something he truly loves. And it all started with a few GHNI solar cookers. He writes:

I  live in Yakawlang and am a metal worker. People call me an engineer, but I’m not really. I just like working with metal and making things. I really enjoy being able to help people.

I have seen the solar cookers that GHNI brought to my town. One day when I was looking closely at them I thought that I could make these, so I began to experiment making the different solar models that people had bought.

I found different kinds of metal in the bazaar. Because of my skills I was able to cut and shape the metal, then weld the stands for each model. I made three different solar cookers.

The cooker that worked the best was made from lots of long segments that I joined together, like the model that came from Germany.

People saw what I was making and liked the cookers. I have sold five for $77 each so I am very happy.

News Behind the News
July 2011

// July 11th, 2011 // No Comments » // Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Libya, Nigeria, Yemen

GHNI staff member Richard Holt in Burkina Faso

A summary of news and reports from the field staff and interns of GHNI, Geneva Switzerland.

Burkina Faso
French GHNI staff member, Richard Holt, arrived in Burkina Faso in the midst of an attempted coup and was almost shut in for his own safety the whole time. At the last minute the door opened for him to visit a village community 500 km from the capital. This village is now in the beginning stages of Transformational Community Development.

Libya
The continued civil war has caused greater need for medical supplies, especially for burn and war wounds. Another GHNI team has gone in with over 20 bags of medical supplies. We continue to receive requests for surgeon specialists and nurses to go with us to serve in Benghazi.

Geneva
The Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy convened this week with 20 delegates from 13 countries. We are thankful that through some generous donors we were able to provide scholarships for the delegates. The theme of the conference is Sustainable Solutions for Rural Poverty.

Iraq
Professor Mike Shea and his team traveled to Irbil for a second time this year to continue a series in Transformational Leadership Development for top national and emerging leaders. The conference was a success and they were also invited to enjoy some of the local food and culture of northern Iraq.

Egypt
Courageous young leaders and GHNI volunteers took to the streets to pass out fliers to help educate subway passengers in Cairo. With freedom comes the challenge of tolerance and commitment to obey the law, vs. vengeance and retribution. We are thankful for these young people and the many others seeking to build a safe and better Egypt.

India
Several GHNI Field Staff went to Bangalore, India for another TCD training of some of 700 village community workers in our partnership. We are thrilled with the results of the first series of the training and we look forward to launching TCD in 11 states in India this July and August.

Ethiopia
Hunger and starvation may soon be facing many in Ethiopia. Jonathan Ahlschwede is heading up a volunteer team this July to work in some of our key Transformational Community Development villages. The villages have responded well to partnering with us as we strive to teach skills for sustainable independence, not dependency.

West Africa
Sokoto, Nigeria is in one of the poorest areas of northern Nigeria, with little humanitarian development. This coming November 6-13 we are seeking people to come who can help with conversational English, construction of a youth center, medical assessments in the villages and general volunteer work at our Agricultural Training Center. Let us know if you would like to come! Contact hal.jones@ghni.org.

Yemen
Riots and violence are rocking Yemen, the largest country in the Arabian Gulf and also the poorest. A few years ago we completed our assessment there and we are ready to start a project in a coffee growing area.  We are taking steps to start work amongst coffee workers and to conduct training. We still need more staff and funding to start. To help contact Jeff.Latsa@ghni.org.

North Korea
Right now there is renewed famine due to floods and another year of bad harvest. We are able to get food in via some key partners to families that really need it.

Indonesia
Makassar is one of the poorest and yet most influential cities in Indonesia. Our eyes were filled with tears as we heard the reports from young GHNI volunteers from Switzerland who were in Makassar last month. Their lives were changed as they worked in an orphanage and on various TCD projects in the slums of Camba Berua. The next team is headed out in the fall. For more info contact Bill Morin, European Director GHNI, at Bill.Morin@ghni.org.

Japan
A disaster-relief volunteer team is preparing to go to Japan with Senator Dave Matsuura and GHNI staff member Leslie Kahihikolo. Although the disaster is out of the news, the horrendous challenge of rebuilding lives and families and homes remains the major challenge of millions of Japanese. The recovery period will take years. To help with outreach and compassion we are trying to raise funds to send professional psychologists there to train existing relief workers and counselors in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress.