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Challenges in Haiti - 24/12/2010 11:18

Almost a year has passed since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. This horrific disaster killed over 230,000 and left over 1 million homeless. Rarely has there been a more fatal earthquake in our recorded history. Rebuilding has appeared to progress at a snail's pace to the eyes of the But despite facing these huge challenges, we and our partners continue to work with both earthquake and cholera victims. We will continue working with vulnerable children, and finding ways to work around these obstacles. In our House of Blessings for children with disabilities in the north of Haiti, we recently Nicolas* is 8 years old, and unfortunately became infected with cholera in the recent outbreak. Thankfully he was able to get to our partners' hospital in time to receive treatment. Seeing his difficulties with both walking and speaking, and the struggle of his parents to care for him, we were Due to the cholera infection, Nicolas hasn't yet been able to come to our House of Blessings. Undaunted, our staff will continue to support Nicolas and his family from their own home. It can seem as if these challenges are too great, that we are fighting a losing battle, but, *Name has been changed....

He will wipe away every tear - 08/12/2010 15:52

Unfortunately today I am the bearer of bad news. Patsy Graham, one of our trustees, sadly passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. She was a lady so full of life; an inspirational woman after God's heart. We are so thankful that she is now pain-free and at Please join us in praying for her husband, John, and the rest of the family at this time. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Rev...

World AIDS Day - 01/12/2010 11:23

Until fairly recently HIV/AIDS was not considered a priority in humanitarian worlds. Adequate guidelines for combating the epidemic were non-existent and provision of life prolonging anti-retroviral drugs (ART) was considered ‘inappropriate’. The latest figures by UNAIDS show that 33.4 million people are living with HIV globally, illustrating the utmost seriousness HIV/AIDS is highly prevalent in Uganda with 1.1 million people infected, equating to about 6.4% of the population. The epidemic continues to spread at an alarming rate with 110,000 infections reported annually. Due to the high population, the planning and management of the disease is highly difficult. The Pader district The conflict with the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda lasted two decades and has caused widespread psychological damage. Many Ugandans were forced to witness or participate in severe violence, torture or murder of their family members. During this period, the government forced the population into refugee camps, where it Gender-based violence and rape are rife amongst those psychologically traumatised by their experiences. This, alongside the scenes of war, has resulted in high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder which lowers the immune system further, hence speeding up the progress of HIV/AIDS. Our Youth Centre in the Pader district is providing This World AIDS Day, remember our friends in Uganda, many of them victims of HIV/AIDS used as a weapon of war. Please help us to support them... Donate now >>...

Somalia: Children and youths on the frontline of violence - 29/11/2010 09:42

Britain had cause to celebrate recently following the release of the British yachting couple held captive for over a year by Somali pirates. Their rescue, masterminded by members of the London Somali community, was a wonderful thing. But piracy continues to be a huge problem in Somalia, especially for its Caused partly by extreme poverty and by disputes over international fishing territories, piracy in its modern form arose in Somalia in the early 1990s. Now there are fears that children are under increasing threat of recruitment by pirate gangs and other armed militias. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative of the • the rise in forced marriages of very young girls to child soldiers, • the use of radio and schools to spread propaganda in regions controlled by the militias, • harassment of children at checkpoints between regions, • the detention of children alongside adults suspected of piracy in Bosasso Central Prison, allowing abuse to She says that it is now teenage youths who are being sent out on the frontline of pirate raids while their adult masterminds exploit the profits, a situation made possible partly because children and teenagers "...have a less developed concept of death and tend to be fearless fighters. Children are Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, the very new Somali Prime Minister sworn in on November 1st of this year, has expressed a commitment to ending the recruitment of children as soldiers. Plans are underway to work with government allies and the UN towards the release of those already recruited. But it is A government determined to challenge the problem is a step in the right direction. How far in that direction will Prime Minister Mohamed be able to go? We will have to wait and see....

Haiti: Riots! - 18/11/2010 16:15

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself" These words of Franklin D. Roosevelt's could have been written for the current situation for NGOs in Haiti. Fear is currently the driving force dictating everyone's movements. With the majority denied a decent education, the Haitian people are struggling to make sense True or false, at this stage it doesn't matter. Pointing the finger of blame makes no difference in the face of this seemingly unstoppable biological force. And in this case, their fear becomes self-perpetuating as the violent riots prevent the UN and other aid agencies from treating those who are Our partners in the north, Haiti Hospital Appeal, have also been victims of the violence, with their ambulance attacked as they help those who needed urgent medical attention. With staff prevented from getting to work, our partners can no longer even distribute cholera prevention packs amongst the families that we It has been rumoured that the riots are at least partly politically motivated and, if true, we can expect violence to continue as we lead up to the election due on November 28th. As soon as at least some modicum of stability is returned to the country and fear's death...