Aug
30
2007
I have planned a really ambitious Fair Trade Festival for this year including bringing one fantastic band from the D.C. area to join the Hampton Roads performing artists, and workshops to be held concurrently with the festival, with a shuttle bus to bring people back and forth from Sacred Heart to the Downtown Farm Market site. In order to do this cool stuff, I am pretty much doubling the budget for the festival from last year.
One way I want to meet the budget is to get at least 500 people to contribute $10 to the festival. If you have gone to the festival and loved it and you want to see it expand and want to participate in its expansion, you can give $10 to the festival! If you’d like to send a check, you can go ahead and make it out to the Fair Trade Festival and send it to my address: 413 W 38th St, Norfolk, VA 23508. Or if you’d rather, you can wait for my new festival Paypal account which will be up and running soon. I’ll send inform you about it when I complete the arrangements.
Also, if you or someone you know would like to be a major sponsor of the festival. I’m pleased to let you know that the festival has been accepted for fiscal sponsorship by the International Humanities Center, which means that within a few weeks we will be a part of a 501(c)3, and thus donations to the festival will be tax-deductible.
And if your business would like to advertise in the festival program, please contact me for rates.
Thanks you and I’ll see you there!!
Susan Posey (fairtradefestival@hotmail.com)
Aug
24
2007
Sponsored by: “Convoy of Hope”
Held August16th through 22nd 2007
Profile of Target Area:
Village sahlian, Tehsil Dhirkot District Bagh, AJK. Village sahlian is a distant village in hilly areas of Azad Kashmir 400 km North of Islamabad. The population is nearly five thousand people. The area was severely damaged from an earthquake in 2005. The earthquake caused the collapse of the majority of health care facilities and other structures in the vicinity. Almost all of the people are living in self-made stone houses and struggling to meet basic needs. We received a detailed report from , Country Director of Morning Star Development Trust (MSDT) – a partner organization of HRO Pakistan already working in Mansehra, which hosted the camp. The report revealed the extreme need for free medical camp in his working area due to the lack of healthcare facilities. The nearest basic health unit is about one hours walk away. The majority of the population is malnouraished and suffering from diseases but cannot afford proper treatment. In a meeting held at Islamabad it was decided after complete discussion that in spite of the lack of resources, HRO-Pakistan will organize the free medical camp in Mansehra.The team consisted of: Shaista Mushtaq (Country Director), Dr. Ahmed Ali Soomro, Dr. Mrs. Cristy Munir, Dr. Babiker Ibrahim, and Dr. Zeenat K.M. Mohsin The team gathered in the Protestant International Church on August 16th, 2007. The Country Director delivered a short lecture explaining the rules and regulations as well as the target and need of the medical camp to the inspired medical team. prayed for our success and the journey began that morning. We reached our destination at 1:00 pm after a 4-hour continuous drive.HRO-Medical team started checking patients immediately after its arrival at the camp premises located at sahliani. The place was arranged in a primary school by team members sent two days before camp by HRO-Pakistan. Patients had been waiting for doctors and staff as the HRO free medical camp had been announced several times a day in the local community for the previous three days. Most of the cases reported were anemia, acute and chronic diarrhea & diarrheal diseases, malaria, malnutrition and resulting diseases, upper & lower respiratory tract infections, skin diseases, and obstetric & gynecological problems. A total of 618 patients (including men, but majority of them were women & children) suffering from a variety of diseases were medically assessed by the HRO-medical team and medicine was given to all of them free of cost. In future medical camps, HRO will take a local pastor and a team from the local church to stay with the HRO Medical team during the medical camp and share the faith and give a “Message of Hope” to the sick and disconsolate in the communities. This will allow us to treat them phyically and spiritually as well.Future Plan:In future medical camps, HRO will take a local Pastor and a team from the local church to stay with the medical team for the duration of the camp to share the faith and a ”Message of Hope” with the sick and disconsolate in the communities. This will allow us to treat them physically and spiritually as well. Problems Encountered:
* Lack of transportation
* Lack of medical equipment (ECG machine, mobile x-ray machine, mobile ultrasound machine, mobile laboratory, stethoscopes, blood pressure apparatus, lab instruments and other materials)
*Lack of availability of proper food – one of the doctors contracted food poisoning.
*Camera was not functioning properly – Preventing the photo journal of the important events of the camp.
To make a donation to help earthquake victims in Pakistan through free medical assistance, please visit: www.humanrelief.net/donate
Thank you for your continuing support.
-The HRO Team
Aug
08
2007
Background:
India is the second most populous nation in the world with more than one billion people. There are manifold problems and vital areas which need immediate and long term attention and support from world organizations.
The Saratha Nursery and Primary School was established and registered in 1985. It has more than 200 students enrolled in nursery and primary divisions with age groups 3-10. The teachers are well qualified with experience.
The school owns land with an area of 1,000 sq ft, including buildings and a playground, etc. located in the district of Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu, which has a population of more than 56 million people.
The school has estbalished a good name and respect from parents, community leaders, and administrators. They strive to raise the moral caliber of the students. Helping them to become well-disciplined and hard-working.
The foremost goal is to serve a large segment of the population in Kanyakumari district and Tamilnadu. The school needs a good learning environment, dedicated teachers, and equipment such as computers, book, audio-visual, and other tools of education.