Afghan Village Sees Huge Drop in Child Illness

// May 17th, 2012 // No Comments » // Adopt a Village, Afghanistan, 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.

Country of the Month:
Myanmar

// May 8th, 2012 // No Comments » // Adopt a Village, Myanmar, tcd

It’s hard to overstate how historic these days are for the people of Myanmar. After decades of hardship, there is now much reason for hope. Cries for freedom and transformation are finally being answered – so it appears. As Myanmar (also known as Burma) moves toward a more democratic society with international economic sanctions easing, GHNI is continuing to branch out into different areas of the country to help poor villages transform themselves.

We would love for you to become a part of this journey! Learn more about how you can help the people of Myanmar rise above the traps of poverty and into sustainable development by clicking here.

Here’s a clip from one of our posts in April that tells you a little more of GHNI’s story in Myanmar, and a ‘person of peace’:

GHNI has been working in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis killed close to 140,000 people and left many children orphaned in 2008. Though we have primarily been working in Thar Yar Kung through orphan care, this year marks a new turning point. Just this last January, the village of Thar Yar Kung has decided to take steps toward their own development through our Transformation Community Development (TCD) program.

Before GHNI enters a village, we look for what we call a ‘person of peace’. U Than Win is that person for Thar Yar Kung. He is the village president who is loved and respected by his people. Thanks to him, we have been able to work in this community. He is very enthusiastic about seeing development and transformation strengthen his village.

A lot of what GHNI does through TCD is education through knowledge transfer. It is not building something for the sake of building. Any project we do, we want to do in view of long-term sustainability.

Thar Yar Kung is a model village as GHNI looks to replicate its success elsewhere in Myanmar. In July, a GHNI team will be returning in order to help develop the capacity of our local staff and partners to effectively engage with the hidden and hurting peoples of Myanmar.

We are excited by the prospect of branching out to areas of the country that have remained isolated and inaccessible for so long. We invite you to join us in this journey and become a partner and friend to the people of Myanmar. Contact us here to learn how you can “adopt-a-village” or partner with us!

Read more GHNI stories on Myanmar here.

News Behind the News
April 2012

// April 26th, 2012 // No Comments » // News Behind the News

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

Photo: One of the families in Afghanistan who received winter food relief.

Afghanistan

Through the generous gift from a donor, GHNI was able to distribute winter food aid to 117 families in the Yakawlang region. The communities in this region experienced a summer drought in 2011 which limited the wheat harvested in the autumn. Each family received 9 liters of cooking oil, 25 kg of rice and 50 kg of flour. The distribution was done with the blessing of the Governor of Yakawlang, with whom GHNI has a very good relationship.

Armenia

Poverty levels have risen 7% in the last two years. Rural Armenians are moving by the villages to Russia where free or cheap housing is offered along with employment opportunities. This is causing Armenia’s small business sector to decrease even further [1]. GHNI has conducted Transformational Community Development training in rural Armenia that will help villagers become more self sustainable.

Bangladesh

Kalpana Rani Pal is a rural woman in Bangladesh who enrolled for a three-month pottery-making course through the Noakhali Rural Development Society. She has since started her own pottery business is that is modest, yet bringing in about $72 a month. It is small enterprises like these that are helping to reduce poverty in Bangladesh [2]. GHNI recently trained village leaders form Bangladesh and we are hoping this will spark a movement of transformation in rural areas.

Burkina Faso

GHNI staff and volunteers just returned from helping launch community based projects in rural Burkina Faso. The villagers were thrilled as they joined hands with the Geneva based team to repair a flood prone road and learn how to do basic public health care.

Burkina Faso has become the host nation for over 2000 refugees from Mali since March 22. These refugees are entering the country at a rate of over 400 people per day [3].

Chad

The people of Chad are beginning to encounter serious food shortage across their country. Since October, a deadly combination of drought, failed harvests, high food prices, and poverty have unleashed a food crisis across Chad and its neighboring countries [4]. GHNI is recruiting village workers and volunteers to help rural poverty in Chad.

China

GHNI workers in China are focused in some of the poorest hillside villages in the West. Women are many of the leaders in our work as we seek to train children and women in skills for work and education. GHNI is helping build a school library for one of the poorest schools in the region.

Egypt

Nasser Ali Hossan Morsy, who worked as a porter in central-northern Egypt, knew he needed another source of income when he suffered lower back problems last year. So he decided to take a loan. Before he could repay the loan the protests erupted. Now he and his family are fighting a serious battle against malnutrition and rapidly increasing poverty [5]. GHNI Geneva is sending in a team of staff and partners to view the results of our first year of working in the “Garbage City” with the poorest of the poor. Community Health, literacy and an effort to bring real hope is changing lives there.

Ethiopia

GHNI Ethiopia has just been granted permission to work in another impoverished area of the country. Villages are responding with leaders taking initiative to help their communities. The members of the communities are being trained in lessons on health, water and sanitation, elementary education and micro business.

India

GHNI Computer Center for the lowest castes changing lives, one person at a time. Here is a first-hand account from one of the students, Raj Kishor Mandal:

I am Raj Kishor Mandal from a village in Dumka, Jharkhand. The computer theory and the practical classes are being taught by an experienced teacher. That is why I learned many things about the computer in a short time. It’s hard to believe this for me because I had been learning in other another centre but failed to lean. But now I am very much satisfied in the GHNI computer institute. I am very thankful and grateful to GHNI, who helps to change my life.

Thanks to all of you who purchased from Coffee Without Borders in February and March! A well is being funded in a poor village because of you!

Indonesia

Indonesia has made large strides in its effort to educate the rural poor. This month a rural school in Sarmi, Papua enrolled its students in an early education program that blends local culture with traditional subjects to make it relevant to their lives[6]. The government of Makassar has welcomed the work of GHNI amongst the urban slums as well as rural agricultural villages. An international food company has recently adopted a village under the Transformational Community Development program of GHNI in rural area that is trying to grow cocoa.

Kenya

Tribal conflict continues in the North, outside the town of Isiolo, where GHNI is working. Yet the staff continue on as the villagers have hope and keep returning to their village after each security threat. A partnership in Shambani is producing a solar powered water pump for the village. Hope continues to transform these villages.

Libya

Fierce fighting between militias from the northwestern towns of Ragdalein and Zwara broke out earlier this month. At least 22 people died from the fighting that included the use of tanks and artillery [7].

GHNI is assembling several partnership teams who will go to Libya this summer and help with children’s sports, medical education and teaching English as a Second Language.

Myanmar

The Huffington Post released an article stating: “The international community is coming together to help Myanmar improve the lives of its 60 million citizens. One-third of these people are mired in poverty. Several national and international conferences on economic development were convened in recent weeks to establish a starting point. These gatherings identified priority areas for ensuring that the country’s poorest communities and varied ethnic groups share in Myanmar’s coming prosperity”[8].

GHNI now has pilot projects in several villages that are focused on teaching the community members how to become self-sustainable. The response of the village leaders has been tremendous.

Nepal

GHNI Staffer Jessica Marchand recently returned from Nepal and will be working with our partners to help villages prevent human trafficking. Transformational Community Development will not only help villages escape poverty by way of income generation, clean water, adequate food security, wellness training, and education for every boy and girl, it will also reduce the risks of human trafficking.

Sri Lanka

GHNI has launched knowledge transfer programs in a number of villages as we would rather teach people to fish, than just give them a fish, so to speak. We are now seeing the results in healthier people, clean water and education increasing. The villages are also improving their agricultural output so the increased income will pay for the children’s education.

Syria, Jordan and Lebanon

GHNI staff in Jordan and Lebanon are now working with others to help the more than 120,000 Syrian refugees with food, tents, and counseling (we hope to soon bring Arabic speaking counselors). We desperately need help for these refugees who have lost everything in the fighting and now live in camps. Click here to give now.

If you have an interest in or would like to donate to any of the mentioned countries or programs, please contact us here!

Syrian Refugees Impacted by Your Generosity

// April 20th, 2012 // No Comments » // Disaster Relief, Syria

As the violence continues in their homeland, thousands of Syrians are fleeing south, to Jordan, seeking peace and safety. Bringing what few belongings they can carry, they are finding it difficult to survive in unfamiliar surroundings without work, without income, without resources. The winter has been cold with dustings of snow and overnight temperatures dipping down into the 30’s, making it difficult to find enough heat to stay alive. Displaced from their homes, unable to get to their places of employment, many are grieving family members and friends lost in the conflict, fearful of what the future holds. . .you can imagine their sadness and desperation.

Your Gifts Bring Real Help and Hope

Many of you have responded to the plight of these Syrian refugees through gifts and donations – thank you! One example is a congregation in a neighboring Arab country that donated 250 blankets specifically to help the refugees from Syria. The GHNI office in Amman was piled high with thick, new blankets, which were then loaded into vans and driven north to be delivered to refugee families now residing in border villages. We stopped in a number of places, visiting homes our local partners identified as refugee families in need.

This multi-generational group of Syrian women demonstrates the kinds of families we often meet – women struggling to provide for their children, having lost a father or husband, or having had to flee, leaving their men behind who are still involved in the conflict. Receiving bags of food, warm blankets or heaters provided because of donations from people like you, is an enormous encouragement to families facing an uncertain future. In a time when life has handed them many difficulties, we are glad to hand them gifts that bring comfort and help. You can see the shy smiles on their faces in response to our aide.

Thank you again for your kind and compassionate response to the lives of these refugees. Your gift is truly helping to clothe them with warmth, and provide immediate food aid and assistance.

The need is still great. If you would like to help a Syrian refugee family, you can make a donation here or click on the button below.

Country of the Month:
Sri Lanka

// April 13th, 2012 // No Comments » // Sri Lanka

The island nation of Sri Lanka is a beautiful land of beaches, mountains, wildlife, and history that draws people from around the world to come and visit.  But not far off the tourist path many people are living in abject poverty with chronic illnesses, insufficient education, and malnutrition.  Most men and women work on the tea and rubber plantations making $1.50 – $2.00 per day.  This is enough to feed their families one scoop of rice each day and a small portion of meat once a week.

Many children do not finish primary school due to child labor, family instability, and difficulty in getting to school because of distance. In these families there is seldom anyone who is educated, so the children have no one who can help them with their school work. This leaves them at an educational disadvantage and the cycle of poverty continues.

GHNI has been working in Sri Lanka since the 2004 Tsunami that devastated much of the island nation. What began as a major relief effort, has transitioned into Transformational Community Development (TCD) in villages such as Gulugaha Kanda, Lelwalla and Udaragama. Families and villages have taken steps forward in regard to the five areas of TCD: clean water, income generation, food security, primary education, and wellness.

Our TCD programs help our children’s assistance projects become self sustainable and free from outside dependency. This happens through income generation projects in agriculture, animal raising and other creative methods that are locally developed and locally sustainable.

Thank you to all who have been a part of helping the poorest villages of Sri Lanka transform themselves!

Toward a Healthy Burma, One Village at a Time

// March 30th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Myanmar, TCD Wellness

If you venture outside of the city of Yangon, Myanmar, maybe in one of these typical public transports:

You’ll make your way to Thar Yar Kung, a small rural village in Yangon division, where the average person lives in a house much like this one.

GHNI has been working in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis killed close to 140,000 people and left many children orphaned in 2008. Though we have primarily been working in Thar Yar Kung through orphan care, this year marks a new turning point. Just this last January, the village of Thar Yar Kung has decided to take steps toward their own development through our Transformation Community Development (TCD) program.

Before GHNI enters a village, we look for what we call a ‘person of peace’. U Than Win is that person for Thar Yar Kung. He is the village president who is loved and respected by his people. Thanks to him, we have been able to work in this community. He is very enthusiastic about seeing development and transformation strengthen his village.

Before the village started Transformation Community Development (TCD), most people were doing their ‘business’ in the bushes. This can have a serious effect on the health of the village.  Since the use of latrines is extremely important in the prevention of many diseases, the first TCD effort of Thar Yar Kung has been the construction of latrines. In the past couple of months our Burmese staff together with the community members constructed three latrines using the readily available resources in the village.

A lot of what GHNI does through TCD is education through knowledge transfer. It is not building something for the sake of building. Any project we do, we want to do in view of long-term sustainability. Once the toilets were built with the villagers’ participation, our staff have been educating the village in how to maintain clean toilets, the importance of hand washing and how the community itself can help others in building toilets. Health lessons on TB, Hepatitis and HIV are also being taught.

U Than Win, the village president, has seen the issues that challenge his community and has expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards GHNI and their concern to help his people. And we express our heartfelt gratitude to many of you who partner with GHNI to help the poorest villages of the world transform themselves.

We’re currently looking for individuals, families, civic groups, churches or businesses to “adopt” Thar Yar Kung. Click here if you’re interested or want to learn more about what this means.

World Water Day!

// March 22nd, 2012 // No Comments » // Indonesia, TCD Water

If every drop of water in the United States had the worth of liquid gold, water waste management campaigns wouldn’t be necessary.

But the reality is, for many people in this world, every drop of water is more than liquid gold, it’s life or death.

Today is World Water Day – a day to celebrate the advancements made in water access, and a day to rally action to answer the pressing call for clean water and sanitation for the billion people who don’t have it.[1] Three and a half million people die every year due to water-related diseases. A child dies every 20 seconds all because she was thirsty and drank contaminated water.[2] These are all preventable deaths.

Women worldwide spend more than 200 million hours a day collecting water – the same number of hours needed to build 28 empire state buildings, every day.[3] Imagine how else these women could be spending that time if they had access to clean-water in their communities.

But there’s hope! Organizations and people around the world are making this challenge a priority, including GHNI. Clean-water access is one of GHNI’s five core aspects of Transformational Community Development (TCD).

And because of your awesome involvement, moms and dads and children are getting clean, disease-free water. Take, for instance, the water project in the village of Tanah Keke in Indonesia. Check out this awesome photo-journal by GHNI’s Phil Costello.

Here are a few more stories about Water TCD!

Clean Water for Remote Afghan Village

Well of Peace

Clean Water into a New Village!

 Thank you for all of your support and generosity to bring water and life to these communities!

News Behind the News
March 2012

// March 21st, 2012 // No Comments » // News Behind the News

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

A new well in Sri Lanka

BURKINA FASO

Pressure is building against the poor as refugees enter Burkina Faso. At least 8,000 Touaregs have fled fighting in neighboring Mali and are finding refuge in Burkina Faso.  The government stated that they are arriving “in a dire humanitarian condition.” This is putting strain on an already struggling region. In the last quarter of 2011, GHNI  identified three key people who will help launch Transformational Community Development in Burkina Faso to help villages overcome acute poverty.

CHINA 

After years of steady growth we are so excited about our invitation to start Transformational Community Development in a village deep in the hills of Western China. So we are calling this our Hillside Village TCD project.

This minority group, living in the rugged mountainous region of West China are notoriously scorned for being the “lowest of low”. Their reputation is that of thieves and scoundrels. The rate of single-parent homes is extremely high. Young women are encouraged to leave the village to go to the cities and often get trapped in the sex trade in order to send funds home for survival.

EGYPT

During the revolution many of you responded financially to help GHNI’s team and partners feed 1000 families who live in the “Garbage City”. Thank you! GHNI has continued to serve this community and the response has been very positive. One woman living in desolation told us that it is the first time in her whole life that someone came and cared about her and asked about her health. Thank you for allowing us to bring help and hope to the people of Egypt.

ETHIOPIA

In the village of Mudiyambo there has been some exciting progress in the income generation aspect of TCD. There are two women’s groups each with 15 members and 3 men’s groups. In total we have 34 members working on different activities to support themselves by creating income generation activities.

GENEVA INSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC POLICY

GHNI will host its third Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy (GILPP) conference this upcoming June. Through discussion and guest lectures from several leaders with experience in post conflict rebuilding of their countries, this conference will provide attendees with proven examples of public policy in a changing world and legislation that is already showing pragmatic and fruitful results. The program sessions will help leaders return to their nations with transformational ideas for shaping public policy goals, as well as more effective strategies in implementing policy.

INDIA

In Bangalore, India, two million impoverished citizens live on the margins of this city. Life is a daily struggle for survival. Finding solutions to the nations poor while sustaining economic growth is a growing issue for India.

Up to 30 new villages want help toward becoming self-sustainable. Many of these villages will become models of transformational and begin to attract likeminded partners from their regions and states. Our vision is to help many partners learn how they can do what we do via training in these model villages. We are seeking help to fund seed projects that partner villages will seek to match with labor or loans.

INDONESIA: Multiplication in Community Micro-enterprise

For next three months, our TCD team in Indonesia has hired a professional seamstress and experienced teacher named Bunda Osly to teach sewing from “A to Z” the women from the TCD Sewing Enterprise Program. Bunda explained to the group that only in the third month of the course will they actually be using their sewing machines. The next two months will be an intense training, laying the groundwork for taking measurements, cutting patterns etc.

KENYA

Severe food shortages continue across Kenya as lack of food production is accompanied by a lack of protective agricultural policies. “We may be facing starvation as a country in the next few months,” the Prime Minister informed parliament in part of his statement about food security in the country.

GHNI is helping farmers meet this challenge with sustainable activities. One of the villages GHNI is working with, Ola Nagele, will plant drought-resistant fruit-bearing trees. Ola Nagele has been a stark, barren village, with no shade or plant life. Our team has been teaching them about strong, drought-resistant, fruit-bearing trees like avocado, papaya, mango, etc. We recently purchased and gave out many hundreds of young trees, several to each family, and trained them how to plant and nurture the trees.

LIBYA

A short-term team of professionals in the areas of English, sports and medical support recently returned from Libya. Among the highlights of the trip was meeting with the Libyan Olympic Committee.

MOROCCO

GHNI’s partner team in Morocco was able to restart literacy classes and health lessons for the women in Bir Sfan, and made good progress toward starting an agricultural training for the men of this same village.

MYANMAR

Assistant Field Director, Richard Holt, went to Burma last May to train some 20 nationals in principles and practices of Transformational Community Development. Many of those we trained are part of a like-minded organization who have been actively involved in the community for several years now. He was so excited and encouraged to see that they had already taken the lessons they had learned and started implementing them in some of the remotest rural villages across Burma. Some of these villages are only accessible by river and the nearest available clinic is a full day’s travel away. They see that the training we provide, which incorporates community-based ownership and preventive healthcare, is a tremendous resource to their lives.

NIGERIA

GHNI is responding to help victims of the recent terror attacks in northern Nigeria through food relief. Read more about it here. Coffee Without Borders is pledging to give $2 of each bag of coffee sold on their website to GHNI’s relief efforts in Nigeria. http://www.coffeewithoutborders.com/.

SOMALIA

GHNI continues to help with food relief and development efforts in the midst of the continued food crisis. About 43 per cent of the population lives on less than $1 per day. Extreme poverty is more acute in the rural areas, with 53 per cent of people living on less than $1 a day.

SRI LANKA

On the 27th of January, two wells and a water catchment were completed and opened to the communities of two different villages in Sri Lanka. These wells were the villagers primary concern as they did not have access to clean water year round. They are ecstatic to have enough clean water for their use, as well as their animals and agriculture!

SYRIA: Refugees Pouring into Jordan and Lebanon

The U.N. High Commission for Refugees and the Higher Relief Council in northern Lebanon estimated that 7,000 Syrian refugees have crossed into Lebanon since the uprising in Syria started a year ago.

GHNI staff in Jordan and Lebanon are poised to help with food and blanket relief. Your gift today will help a family receive warmth and food!

Country of the Month: Nigeria

// March 6th, 2012 // No Comments » // Nigeria, tcd

Nigeria is an incredible place with stark contrasts and beautiful people. The South is lush and tropical, the North is dry and desert-like. The South is primarily Christian and animist, the North is primarily Islamic. There is both tremendous wealth and acute poverty. Nigeria boasts the most populous African country, where one in four Africans are Nigerian (1).

Last year GHNI started working in the northern village of Dogon Gada that lays nestled among the dry brush and scattered baobab trees. The people in Dogon Gada are a peaceful people from the Dukawa tribe, a minority group that has been overlooked and neglected for years.

Poverty in every form persists and weighs as a heavy burden upon the village. In the last year 20% of the families migrated away due to lack of water in this arid area – and that is not clean water, that is just ANY water. Water borne diseases are prevalent and children run around with bloated bellies due to lack of nutrition. There is not a single school in the village. Children work in the fields and attend to animals with little hope of ever getting an education.

GHNI is excited to partner with the people of Dogon Gada through our local staff couple Martins and Shade and Atanda. Already we have seen some major strides forward not only in Transformational Community Development, but in hope! The villagers have hope again that their lives can be marked by change and growth, that they can lead healthy lives, grow nutritious food, drink clean water and see their children get an education! It’s amazing what a little effort and hope can do.

Here is an interview of Martins and Shade and their work in Dogon Gada:

If you’d like to help Dogon Gada, please visit our donations page. Thank you!

From Shame to Leadership, Leah’s Story

// March 2nd, 2012 // No Comments » // Indonesia, tcd, TCD Income

By Phil Costello, GHNI Indonesia Director

Daeng Leah was born and raised in Camba Berua and is the daughter of the local village leader. She met her “sweet heart” outside of Camba Berua, fell in love and got married. She and her husband rented a house in Camba Berua right after getting married and began their new life together.

Soon after their marriage, Daeng Leah and her husband found out that Leah could not get pregnant. They both were devastated. In Indonesian culture, not being able to conceive has numerous implications, one being that you are “cursed.” Leah began to withdraw from the community and became a very quiet person, keeping to herself most of the day.

When our TCD program began last July, one of our team members, Tiffany, began to develop a close friendship with Leah and discovered that not only was she a bright person with a great sense of humor, but she also had a lot she could teach the other women of Camba Berua. With all of Leah’s time at home, she had become an excellent seamstress.

Tiffany asked Leah if she would be willing to teach the other women in the community how to sew and Leah emphatically responded positively. As Leah began to teach the other women on a weekly basis, she began to transform from a shy woman, to a confident entrepreneur who had lots to teach others.