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.
A summary of news and reports from the field staff and interns of GHNI, Geneva Switzerland.
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.
High up in the dry mountainous terrain of central Afghanistan nestled on the slopes of Koh e Baba (Father Mountain) is the village of Sherdosh. 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.
Merry Christmas and a joyous Holiday Season to you! We are so thankful for your friendship and partnership that is helping villages transform out of poverty!
Here is our latest News Behind the News and we invite you to contact us if there is any particular country or project you are interested in learning more about, or contributing towards!
On October 23, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the homes and lives of thousands throughout Eastern Turkey. Currently the death toll stands at 520, but hopes of finding more survivors fade and the nighttime temperatures fall towards freezing.
Shukria is a 9 year old girl in the village
of Qala e Nadir, Afghanistan. Along with the other girls in her village,
Shukria doesn't go to school.
GHNI has been working together with the
village of Qala e Nadir in Transformational Community Development (TCD),
where one of the expressed needs of the village is education for their
children.
In one small step toward education, GHNI
provided notebooks and pens for 40 children in the village - both girls
and boys. Shukria got her own set and was thrilled knowing that the older
Jamal Hashweh, Field Director for Egypt,
shares this first-hand report of GHNI's work among the poor affected by
the recent revolution.
Currently, the situation in Egypt is
very difficult. Imagine 20 million people in Cairo without a police presence.
It is a mess. People are torn between hope for a brighter future on one
hand and fears and instability on the other.
Poverty has increased. Hundreds of thousands
are crying out for help. Is there anyone who hears their cries? Is there
anyone who cares? Let them come!
Mike Parks, GHNI Director of Disaster Relief,
is currently in Pakistan assessing the situation and working alongside
in-country partners. GHNI partners have been working tirelessly to bring
food, medical aid and vital items to victims of the flooding. So far, nearly
3,000 families have received immediate food aid (about 18,000 to 20,000
people). These families were selected on the basis of critical need. They
had received no aid whatsoever before the arrival of our teams.
Mike shares, "With all of the high
profile news regarding tensions in Pakistan, I want to ask that you think
It's summertime in the Otash Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in South Darfur. The oppressive heat hangs
on the more than 80,000 men, women and children cramped in makeshift tents.
Their futures are bleak with no homes or land to return to. They sit, as
time ebbs away and the violence continues around them.
This spring GHNI was authorized to work
in the Otash IDP Camp and are working with an amazing group of women. We
partnered with a Sudanese NGO, Children's Development Foundation (CDF),
and built a new women's center where there will be livelihood and income
Afghanistan suffered a great loss in
2008. A man of monumental service, Gordon Magney, passed away on October
5th. He and his wife, Grace, have devoted 40 years to the Afghan people,
either in Kabul, Afghanistan or in Peshawar, Pakistan. Pakistan is where
they assisted the 3 1/2 million Afghan refugees fleeing first the Soviet
Invasion, then the destructive civil war, and finally the oppression of
the Taliban. For the last five years they have been back in Kabul, where
their love for the people continues to deeply affected many. One of their
"Note the difference in the bags"
one of our GHNI staff in Afghanistan commented. "We had to pack the
food in different bags while we traveled through Taliban country."
We go to the hard places.
The World Food Program estimates that
9 million Afghans face famine this winter. Afghan Members of Parliament
are seriously warning the government and the international community that
catastrophe is looming if nothing is done. GHNI anticipated a difficult
winter and met with the Afghan Department of Disaster Preparedness to get
GHNI invites you to join our international
partnership initiative to "chip in" and help the helpless!
GHNI has been actively involved since
the beginning of the crisis in Gaza, bringing in more than 37,000 doses
of antibiotics and medications to hospitals in desperate need.
Right now we have a new opportunity to
send 700 "Boxes of Hope" to suffering families in Gaza. Each
box will contain non perishable items such as rice, beans, cooking oil,
and flour. As of now these boxes lay empty, waiting to be filled.
Now is the time for action! Will you
help us fill them?
Jeff Latsa, GHNI's Middle East Field Director
is in Cairo, Egypt and reports about GHNI's progress in Gaza. Jeff and
our Jordan Director, Jamal Hashweh, arrived at a town 25 miles from the
Gaza border. The UN Headquarters had been hit that same day and due to
heavy raids, all access into Gaza was cut off.
Able to assess more of the situation
and visit some hospitals treating the wounded, Jeff and Jamal found hospitals
lacking even the most basic of supplies. They organized a shipment of life
saving antibiotics and medicines to be sent into Gaza through two channels.
As the crisis in Gaza continues, GHNI is
on the ground with in-country partners assessing and responding to the
most pressing needs. Regardless of ethnic or religious background, GHNI
is committed to help civilians caught in the crossfire. Right now the top
two urgent needs are medical relief and food supplies.
Hospitals and clinics in Gaza are overwhelmed
by the number of civilian injuries. GHNI is working with a prominent hospital,
launching an effort to provide medicines, supplies and teams of medical
volunteers. If you are in the medical profession and would like to join
Months after cyclone Nargis devastated
Myanmar, the situation remains grim and dangerous. With few able to reach
the worst-hit areas, Global Hope Network International is in a unique position
to help the most vulnerable and helpless. Here are some of the activities
from the last couple of months:
Medical Team: GHNI partnered with
International Medical Relief to bring a medical team (with members from
Brazil, Korea and the US) for two weeks. They provided primary medical
care for hundreds of people suffering from the cyclone and extreme poverty.
A few days after the May 12th earthquake
devastated southwest China, GHNI and partners were on the ground distributing
food, clothing, tents and medicines to the disaster area. Medical teams
from Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong soon joined us and conducted stationary
and mobile medical clinics.
Our qualified teams also conducted one-on-one
counseling, taught children, and distributed school bags and supplies.
The response from our volunteers, partners, and many of you who donated
generously was remarkable. Survivors and local authorities expressed great
