Helping End the Cycle of Disease in Africa

“We are helping educate children about hygiene & sanitation at a very young age. Along with the drilling of water wells, this will help stop the cycle of disease.

Today, 25,468 villagers (including adults) have been trained.

Any thoughts?  How can you help us end the cycle of disease?”

Africa - every day, 2,000 children die...

Every day, 2,000 children die from diarrhea in sub-Saharan Africa. Four out of 10 people do not have access to safe water, while seven out of 10 do not have appropriate sanitation facilities.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=94241

Check out the link and give us your feedback.

A Request For More Hope

Borana woman carries burden no one should have to

“Most of my life we’ve had plenty of food and everything we needed...,” shares Adi Boro, “...but lately we have had nothing.” 

At the age of 55, Adi struggles to make ends meet. 

All of her animals have died and there is no food for her eight children. 

Regarded as the worst drought in the last 60 years throughout the Horn of Africa, the lives of Adi and the other 2,500 Borana people in her village have been deeply affected. 

With no cattle to herd, 12 clans decided to settle together in the southern Ethiopian village called Gadhamoji; many experiencing shame and a profound loss of their identity.

Categorized as a “highly affected area” by the government, the majority of this group resolved themselves to dying in this one spot. 

“Humans beings have been trying to pull the plough like oxen...and even with the little we planted in this area in the short rainy season, we don’t even know if the land will give us food,” shares Adi. 

Bearing this heavy burden, Adi decided to try and sell bundles of firewood; a job which most men in her village wouldn’t even consider doing. 

Finding and chopping wood as well as carrying the bundle for ten kilometers or more took up several hours of her day. Not to mention, Adi only made approximately $1.00 US per bundle. 

Combined with a 60% rise in inflation throughout the country, it was next to impossible for Adi to purchase enough food for her family of ten. 

But, this is where Adi’s story changes. 

In search of helping those that were struggling with the drought in Ethiopia, Global Aid Network (GAiN) and their local partners came across the Gadhamoji village. 

After seeing the need, talking with the various clan leaders and witnessing the nutritionist’s results, it was apparent that GAiN could come alongisde this group of Borana people in a significant way. 

As a result, since the beginning of September 2011, GAiN and their local partners conducted three separate food distributions for the 2,500 people. Maize, beans, sugar, cooking oil as well as Fafa and powdered milk for the malnourished children and elderly individuals were all items included in the distributions. 

“Since the time you gave assistance to us...it has been very good,” Adi shares. “When you came for the first time, we were in a very bad state. Many people were about ready to die.” 

GAiN shared their desire to provide the nourishing food she and the others needed for the next six months so that no one would die from starvation. 

“We are thankful for the help,” expresses Adi. “My only hope is that God can bring more hope to us through you.”

Too Close For Comfort

Borana woman dreams of being old

At the age of 45, Loko Jarso finds herself asking for prayer for a long life. For Loko, death is not uncommon among her surroundings.

“We have lost our livestock; our cows and goats. They have all died except for one,” shares Loko.

With the cattle she once depended on for her family’s livelihood dead and their nomadic lifestyle impaired, Loko and the remaining 364 Borana families (totaling 2,500 people) made the difficult decision to stay in one spot at the ceremonial land in the Gadhamoji village in southern Ethiopia. 

Some of the villagers just waited to die, while others tried to pick up the pieces of their shattered identity. Loko was one of many that struggled daily from the devastating drought that troubled not only her country but the rest of the Horn of Africa. 

Adding to the complexity of her situation, two of Loko’s eight children, Abdub (two years old) and Kus (three years old), suffered with diarrhea and were severely malnourished.

“My husband is not well; he is weak and can’t work,” shares Loko. “All of the responsibility for taking care of ten people - my children, my husband and my mother - falls on me.” 

Like many of the Borana women, Loko tends to the kids, cooks for her family, fetches water, searches for what little grass she can for their one remaining cow, and cares for their makeshift shelter. 

Since there is no work in her village, Loko also searches for a ride to Moyale, a town located approximately 80 kilometers away, to try and sell a few things in order to make some money. 

“I cannot continue doing this alone,” states Loko. “It is hard looking after the younger children.” 

But on September 11, 2011
Loko experienced the first 
sign of hope in a very long time.

Global Aid Network (GAiN) and their local partners distributed 8,500 kilos of maize, 2,000 kilos of sugar and 400 litres of cooking oil to the 2,500 people as well as Fafa and powdered milk to the 106 malnourished children and 50 elderly individuals.

Three weeks later, more Fafa and powdered milk were distributed specifically to the malnourished. 

Soon after, another six truckloads containing 20,000 kg of maize, 10,000 kg of beans and 4,000 litres of cooking oil was distributed. 

“If it was not because of your help, many would have not lived,” states Loko.

GAiN reassured her that they will not forget about her, they love her, and they are committed to providing the nourishing food she needs every month until the people from the Gadhamoji village are self-sustaining. 

Today, the nutritionist from the government no longer finds Loko’s children malnourished. Their diarrhea is gone and their energy has started to return.

Loko expressed her gratitude and rejoiced in GAiN’s commitment to her people.

The Girl In Orange

Team Leader Relieved To See Baby's Face

Some of you may remember the story of Rosemile, a twelve week old girl had been brought to Global Aid Network (GAiN) Canada’s medical clinic in Chambrun, Haiti in May 2010. She was extremely tiny and with no response to a stimulus rate, Rosemile was immediately evacuated to a large field hospital in Port-au-Prince.

In the end, she had made it to the hospital but when the team returned a few days later to check on the baby, Rosemile’s 15 year-old mother, Isnadin, had not been there to check on her child.

Unsure if she was going to be abandoned, many of the team members left that trip
wondering if Rosemile would even live.

Not too often do people on short-term projects get closure from an incident like that. Instead, one would suspect that GAiN would never encounter her again, especially in a country where people are highly transient and where several young mother’s often reject their children because they can no longer care for them.

“I just resolved myself to the fact that we did all we could to help save her life” shares Lindsey Schacter, GAiN Canada’s LIFE Team Manager, “and I had no other option but to leave the rest up to God.”

Just nine months later, in January 2011, GAiN USA sent out a recent story. To Lindsey’s amazement, it was all about Rosemile. Wearing the same orange top, this was the same little girl that they had helped.

“We were so surprised to receive this story and see her face. I was encouraged to see God’s hand on her life and that she was still alive,” Schacter comments.

Today she is ten months old and weighing nine pounds. When Kacie and Aubree, the two team members from Nehemiah Vision Ministries, a partner of GAiN USA, found Rosemile in September 2010, she had weighed just a little more than four pounds and her mother was still not interested in taking care of her. Instead, Yolynn, the same woman that was helping with Rosemile back in May, was still taking her in and keeping a close eye on the young mother.

Kacie and Aubree began the long journey of feeding this malnourished baby with the baby formula that was sent by GAiN. From September until January, Rosemile has battled many different infections and illnesses, but still has managed to gain about five pounds.

But that’s not all.

Because Yolynn had children of her own to take care of, Yolynn would sometimes feel the burden of Rosemile because of her already cramped home. To show appreciation for the amazing care Yolynn gave this child, GAiN donated a large tent to her and her family. When asked what she thought of this large, blue tent being set up, Yolynn smiled and said “I love it.”

Yolynn’s act of kindness was helping change the course of Rosemile’s life but, GAiN was having the chance to do the same. At two separate moments, GAiN had the opportunity to demonstrate the love of God, in word and deed, to Rosemile.

Hope was not only given to Rosemile and Yolynn, but hope was also given to the team members from the May trip. Shocked and amazed, many members were encouraged to
receive closure on what was a heartbreaking event.