The equipment and tools supplied by National Directorate of Employment and Ministry of Women Affairs were given to graduants in groups to allow for Team work and security of tools. Incedentally MTN Foundation were not ready with what they intend to add to the graduants that time.

Arrangement is on the way to give them tools and equipment by MTNF to support the efforts of others and to give enough for easier work.We could not continue with the idea of Getting shop for them for at least one year due to lack of resources.Because we worked with their Parents and relatives who know what our objectives are, we asked them to procure the shops/convenient places to work in with the tools provided. We are not very comfortable with this and hope to improve on this with the settlement of the present students.

We make frantic efforts to monitor what they do and how it is serving  the purpose of training.

* Six of them are our employees now in Welding, fish farm and tailoring. 

* Sunday Ohagudo from the Eastern Zone of Nigeria got settled last month in a Primary school to teach Sign Language to  Club members of children that hear and speak in addition to sewing their school uniform because he graduated from tailoring section. Learning Sign language  is compulsory in our Centre during training because most of our students are hearing and speech impaired.We have discovered that those in tailoring section who hear and talk and can sign, have double advantageof being settled in school  with sign language and sewing school uniforms.

* Sunday Chidinma Williams graduated  maily from our Education section with minor interst in shoe making and welding. He sat for GCE in December 2011 and made a total of seven Credits including English, Maths and Biology.

He now works with St. John's Ambulance in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idiaraba Lagos State.He joined FOTD in 2006 from JSS One.

Mr. Wasiu Arioye has settled with a Turkey farm in Offa, Kwara State Nigeria.

We made a promise of involing them in trade and product exhibitions to help them sell thir products monitoring  them is very necessary.

.

We were able to witness almost all the IDP population being resettled in areas sometimes unknown to them throughout their lives. This created a situation for family breadwinners having to re-train and start a new life from the scratch. We are seeing many orphans, widows and vulnerable old people still unable to carry on with their normal lives following the war even after three years. we are working with many front line volunteer organisations and NGO’s  engaged in providing livelihood programmes and rehabilitation projects to meet these challenging demands.

 Beginning of this year in January, the entire Eastern province experienced severe flooding following unprecedented downpour almost never seen in this part of the world before. SCOT responded swiftly and sharply to alleviate the suffering of our people in the East by contribution £8500 within days of the outbreak, channeling the funds through YMHA (Young Men’s Hindu Association) and EHED (Eastern Humanitarian Development of the Bishop of Trincomalee and Batticaloa).

Due to the war many of our past beneficiaries themselves are displaced. We are contacting many of our past beneficiaries directly in Sri Lanka with a view to understanding their current needs and how we support their current projects. This will see us effectively directing our resources at the most urgently needed areas in the North and East affected by the war.

Greetings to you in a sparkling new 2012!! 

It is definitely the "wake up!" year, I think. No more can we continue in the aggressive, bully-boy, winner takes all manner which is continually exampled (while often saying the opposite) by our world political and business "leaders". 

But we don't need stupid violent people's revolutions either, destroying everything and forcing us backwards.

So thank you , again, for your ongoing and generous help and interest in "the Gentle Revolution" - see my previous posting for more info.

Please take a look at our latest Friends Newsletter # 38 on www.abalimi.org.za . It focuses on how the youth are really starting to come in to the micro-farming movement. 

This week a lighthearted update from Ecuador, project manager Zoe shares some news from the field covering the three communities we work in:

‘At Larcacunga, 1st grade were learning different types of tastes and the senses – so, of course, we tried the “Marmite, te gusta o no te gusta” test! They pretty much universally hated it, but we may still send the results into Marmite anyway – here's a picture of little Estrella “enjoying” her first taste!

At Muenala, music lessons included an introduction to music theory and scales, and some fun with “push/pull forces” in second grade

And at Huayrapungo, the 5th grade had their first lessons in tectonic plates. A world map jigsaw was made out of polystyrene, which the children then had to piece together again. They also had to depict how plates were pushed together to form mountains, and how the continents were formed, using plasticine.

On top of this, the team were preparing themselves for the 2nd Ecuador Challenge started this weekend – mentally and physically, as they prepare to climb 4 volcanoes to raise funds for the project, including Cotopaxi, higher than Kilimanjaro and -22c on the summit! Good luck guys!’

Dear Supporters!

First we believe that the year 2012 has just begun well on your side as you continue with your daily duties.  We would like to THANK YOU for all your continuous donations towards Vijana Amani Pamoja's project.  It's in this regard that i would like to share with you the progress that our project has so made and and what we are still doing as we strive to make a change in our communities.  Attached you will find more details of what we have achieved and what we are still striving to achieve.  It's our hope that with your continued donations,we will achieve our goals.

Again thanks you so much and enjoy reading!

Aravind Eye Care System would like to thank our Global Giving donors for their support for restoring eye sight for many children suffering from retinoblastoma or eye cancer.  The funds received for the year 2011 were allocated to fund eye surgery and treatment for 44 children covered under the Ring of Hope program in the Madurai area(Tamilnadu -India). 

Established in 2004, the Ring of Hope Program helps patients, most often children, who have life- threatening cancers like retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is the most common cancer of the eye among children and is responsible for over five percent of the blindness among children in India. With a rate of incidence of one in 15,000 infants, India has one of the largest numbers of retinoblastoma patients in the world. If left untreated, the disease can cause permanent blindness and death. If diagnosed and treated early, children with retinoblastoma have an excellent prognosis. But the treatment is complicated, involving surgery, radiation treatment and multiple cycles of chemotherapy and blood replacement – treatment which is too expensive for most Indian families. Aravind doctors volunteer their time, but your support help us to pay specialists and provide blood replacement and medication.

Under this program Aravind provided free treatment and surgery to all the patients and restored sight for most of these children  who would not be able to afford this treatment with our your support. 

HATW volunteers on placement with Athi school have now returned, with positive feedback on their experiences working with the children and in the school, and the warmth of their welcome. A new year has started, but many of last year’s issues still remain to be resolved.

One fundraising focus which the volunteers have set themselves as a target is to finance the installation of an electricity supply to the school dormitory and dining hall – can you help them to achieve this target? Donate here

The local disability centre, in the nearby town of Maua, would like to initiate a 2 year project with partners to improve the dignity, independence and mobility of disabled people in the area, by providing suitable wheelchairs. Physically disabled children at the school in Athi would be some of those who would benefit from the scheme. You can help with a donation towards the cost of a locally made and easily reparable wheelchair for a disabled child at Athi school. Each £130 raised would finance a wheelchair. Donate here towards raising wheelchair funds.

Not everyone can spare the time to visit Athi school children, to bring specialist expertise or  to help in the school. There is something life-changing that you can do, however – make a donation towards helping achieve their project targets. Reach out and give a hand…and make a lasting difference.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

We would like to share the most recent trustee report from the GVI Charitable Trust. This report covers the six month period from July to December 2011.

This has been by far the most successful period. In six months we have raised nearly as much as we did the whole previous year. This increase in funding has brought a corresponding increase in the impact we have been able to create on our programs around the world.

During this period we have invested in sustainable education across Latin America. This includes support for the elderly in Guatemala and income generation schemes to support education in Honduras and Ecuador. In Mexico we have worked with a community to establish a recycling centre and in Kenya our partners in Mombasa will now see impoverished students complete primary education to earn qualifications for the first time.

These are just a few highlights of an amazing, productive and rewarding six months. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and played a crucial role in these achievements.

APOPO ranks 24 in Global Top 100 Best NGOs list!

This month, The Global Journal published its inaugural “Top 100 Best NGOs” list, the first international ranking of its kind. An initial group of 2,000 non-governmental organizations was researched, edited, and eventually cut to 400, before the final group of 100 was selected – and APOPO came in at No. 24! 

The Global Journal is a print and online publication based in Geneva and New York that covers the issues and players shaping global governance today. All organizations considered for the Top 100 were assessed based on five key criteria in relation to their humanitarian efforts: impact, innovation, transparency, sustainability and efficiency.

Recognizing the role we play as influential agents of large-scale change, “The Global Journal has sought to move beyond outdated clichés and narrow conceptions about what an NGO is and does. From humanitarian relief to the environment, public health to education, microfinance to intellectual property, NGOs are increasingly at the forefront of developments shaping the lives of millions of people around the world.”

APOPO is excited to have made the list, among an incredible group of worthy organizations. With this validation, we will continue to strengthen our impact and further our efforts to provide solutions to global humanitarian detection challenges. You can take a look at the full list of Top 100 Best NGOs here. 

Wrapping up 2011 with a Win

For creatures that live and work so close the ground, the HeroRATs definitely finished their year on a high note with the news that we had been declared Second Winner in McKinsey’s Social Innovation Video Contest! Thanks to the tireless voting and promoting of our friends and fans (that means you!), the good news came as an early holiday gift to APOPO’s HeroRATs, when the contest winners were announced on December 13th, 2011.

Our video entry, “Training HeroRATs to sniff out TB,” received 709 votes throughout the ten-day voting period and placed us Second out of 11 Finalists. We were honored to be included with First Winner, “Embrace,” and Third Winner, “The sOccket,” whose videos (along with the Fan Favorite Winner submitted by “Duto:IRIS”) can be watched here.

The top three winners will be included in a print edition of McKinsey’s publication What Matters (out this month!), will be featured in a special TV program co-produced by Link TV and Viewchange.org, and will be honored at a networking reception in New York City. Winners have also already been featured on the Huffington Post’s Impact Blog!

We’d like to send our gRATitude to everyone who voted for our video in the contest. Thanks for your support! 

TB Workshop a Top Success

In December, APOPO held a successful TB workshop at our headquarters in Tanzania. Representatives of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Program (NTLP) were invited to take a behind-the-scenes look at our TB Detection Rats, in order to better understand the processes and importance of our collaborative efforts to increase the rate of new case findings in Tanzania. 

There were 27 in attendance, including Regional TB and Leprosy Coordinators (RTLCs), District TB and Leprosy Coordinators (DTLCs), and lab technicians from collaborating DOTS Centers. Professor Kazwala, from Sokoine University of Agriculture, was also present, along with members of APOPO’s TB Detection team. 

The workshop started with a demonstration of the TB Detection HeroRATs, followed by a video clip explaining how detection rats technology works as a diagnostic tool. The 2011 data was then presented, showing the total number of samples screened by rats during second-line screening, the total number of patients screened, and the additional cases identified by rats, from each of the DOTS centers APOPO partners with. The floor was then opened for discussion. 

A newly developed reporting system was adopted, which is designed to assist the DOTS Centers in calling back patients with new cases identified by the rats. A consensus was reached for all involved to continue working closely to ensure diligent patient follow up. With the new system in place, it is hoped that the NTLP will gather strong evidence that highlights APOPO's contribution to the TB control effort in Tanzania. 

HeroRATs hit the newsstands in Germany

Extra, extra! The HeroRATs found their way onto newsstands in Germany on the first day of the new year, when popular women’s magazine Brigitte published an ode to our heroes in their opening issue of 2012.

Beginning with the encouragement to “Forget everything you know about rats. One day they will save the world,” the article paid homage to the human-and-rat-team of APOPO through its detailed description of our work, and by spreading the word about our furry heroes throughout the country. Its publication resulted in new adoptions and donations from over 130 German supporters, all of whom referenced the article as how they heard about APOPO – now that’s some influential liteRATure!

The HeroRATs thoroughly enjoyed their moment in the journalistic spotlight of writer Claudia Münster (an adopter of HeroRAT, Tyson!) and under the flashing lights of photographer Ulla Lohmann. We would like to send many squeaks of thanks their way – and of course, to the adopters and donors who took an interest in our work after reading the magazine. If you haven’t had a chance to catch the article yet, be sure to download a PDF of it here.

APOPO in attendance at the 11MSP in Cambodia

From November 28 to December 2, the 11th Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty convened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The annual meeting – also known as the MSP – not only includes the 159 States Parties, but also representatives from States Not Party, civilians, landmine survivors, and delegations of experts from organizations such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). In attendance were Håvard Bach, APOPO’s Head of Mine Action, and Andrew Sully, Program Manager for APOPO’s Thailand Mine Action Program.

Attendees were greeted with a keynote address by Song Kosal, a Cambodian ICBL Youth Ambassador and landmine survivor. Her address implored attendees to follow the theme of this year’s meeting and “Push For Progress” by accelerating mine clearance, sustaining funding and cooperation, destroying existing stockpiles of landmines, and ensuring the rights of survivors, among many other crucial goals.

Cambodia’s well-known struggle with landmines – deadly reminders of past civil war – causes many to feel that, as Ms. Kosal stated, “the heart of the mine ban movement is in Cambodia.” Bringing the 11MSP to Phnom Penh allowed visitors to take note of the progress that has been made, but also to take stock of the remaining work to be done in a country that lives daily with landmines.

In 2010, APOPO found our way to the region when we launched our Thailand Mine Action program with the help of a grant from the Lien Foundation. The team is currently at work in the Thai province of Trat, surveying land along the Cambodian border. To learn more about our work in the Southeast Asia, visit our Thailand Mine Action page.

KKNH Sponsors “Elvis” the HeroRAT

The mission of German NGO Kriegskindernothilfe (KKNH) is to provide emergency aid for child victims of war, and for many years, the organization has supported Elvis, a young landmine survivor from Sarajevo. KKNH have paid for Elvis’ operations, financed his new prostheses, and supported his social and professional development. 

Now, in a fitting and heartfelt gesture, the team of KKNH has connected with APOPO to fund the full training program of one landmine detection HeroRAT, named – you guessed it – Elvis! In doing so, they endeavor to provide support not only for victims of war, but also for preventative measures which aim to reduce the landmine impact in other affected regions. 

The work of the HeroRATs was first introduced to Kurt Amert of KKNH through a friend and fundraiser, Luise Zempel. Luise, together with her knitting group, had initially raised funds for APOPO in order to support Ziko the HeroRAT as part of our shared adoption program.“This commitment, which we now begin with APOPO, strengthens our work, because with you we now can also act preventively,” says Luise. “And – we think this is an important emergency aid, which is deeply rooted in the name Kriegskindernothilfe.”

APOPO is grateful to Kurt, Luise, Elvis & the KKNH organization for their important advocacy work, raising awareness and support for landmine survivors. We have no doubt the young trainee rat, Elvis, will carry his name with pride as he goes about his daily detection missions, sniffing out mines and preventing the loss of lives and limbs. 

Elvis shared his story and his thoughts on his HeroRAT namesake with APOPO! If you would like to read it in his own words, please click here. 

***

The HeroRATs thank you for your interest in our work, and wish you a prosperous start to 2012!

Best wishes,

The HeroRAT team

herorats@apopo.org
www.apopo.org
facebook.com/herorat
twitter.com/herorats

Dear friends,

In seedtime learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.  (William Blake)

It is striking to me that the new year, the time to begin again, occurs midwinter when nights are longest and feast days have just passed.  In this season, the daylight hours are a promise of what is to come as they are only beginning to lengthen again toward the balance of equinox.  It is in this quiet space that we consider both the past year and the year to come. 

In seedtime learn

Each year has its seasons of learning, its seedtime.  This year we brought Alya, our Armenian Country Director, to the United States.  We wanted to see the daily routine and management of various group homes in order to strengthen our own ability to manage difficult behaviors and residents with complicated diagnoses.

While I missed going to Armenia this year (we couldn’t manage both) and seeing our dear residents, it seemed fitting to allow her the extraordinary chance to see other group homes.  Because ours was the first - and only - long-term group home in Armenia, she had never had the opportunity to see another.  Our time together here was rich and sparked a renewed commitment to bring Anna and Sassoon home from the clinics in the spring.  (Read more on page 3 of the attached Annual Report.)

While observing different group homes, we felt validated in that the most important components of a loving group home are in place at Warm Hearth.  We were exposed to new ways of caring for individuals with particular behavioral challenges.  We were reminded that the struggles we face are by nature part of this work and are not endured by us alone.

In harvest teach

In 2011, we enjoyed the gifts of each particular season and helped our residents do the same.  As in any endeavor, and in any human life, there were unexpected losses and surprising bounties along the way.   We - resident, staff, donor, volunteer - experienced both, as did each of you, I imagine.

Many of our residents began their third and final year of study at Yerevan State Humanities College.  They have thrived in this setting and we look forward to their graduation day in 2012.  We continue to think of ways in which we can achieve movement toward further integration into the community after graduation - whether in work, service, art or play.  We look forward to how this will enrich and strengthen our residents’ lives. 

In winter enjoy

I spoke with our residents an hour ago. It is the eve of the Armenian New Year and they are staying up late, reveling in the celebration with its tasks and merriments, talking about their gifts, enjoying one another.  It bring me so much joy to hear their voices full of anticipation, full of hope. 

As Blake urges, winter is a time to enjoy the work of the year, the bounty of the harvest.  They are doing just that.  In this spirit, I want this report to do the same.  We have so much to be grateful for, in large part because of each of you.  So in these pages, I want to share with you our seeds, our harvest, and our winter that you might also learn, teach and enjoy.

Blessings to you and yours,

Natalie Bryant-Rizzieri

Rainbow Trust supports families like the Khans.  Daughter Anisah was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was nine years old.  Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker Linda has supported Anisah's brother Ismael and four sisters Sameena, Maryam, Humayra and Zahra through Anisah's chemotherapy treatment and life changing operation to remove the tumour from her leg.

Her parents Zafar and Sarfraz explain the difference Rainbow Trust makes to their large family.

"The cancer wasn't just Anisah's illness, it affected the whole family.  Every one of us has changed as a result of the experience.  Rainbow helped us go through this ordeal as a family, together and stay as strong as possible.

"All of Anisah's siblings help with her care.  They go to hospital appointments with her and help support her around the house.  Her older sisters have been especially busy with her care over the holidays, putting her to bed during the day if she feels tired and making sure she is never alone in case she faints or falls.  We know it impacts on their social lives but we need their help to look after Anisah.

"Anisah's sister Maryam has just finished her A-levels, but she hasn't done as well as we thought she would.  Maryam used to love college and she was predicted really high results and wanted to be a pharmacist.  The stress and emotion of Anisah's illness meant that she didn't want to go to classes and struggled to concentrate on college work.  She's so close to Anisah, and struggled to deal with what was happening to her and what could happen in the future.  She'd sit in the library day after day, not knowing what to do.  She needed our help and support and because we were away at the hospital with Anisah, we just weren't there for her.

"Linda provides the best kind of support for Maryam and Anisah's brother and sisters, she laughs with them and takes their minds off what is going on for a couple of hours.  She listens to any concerns they have.  Linda is just trustworthy.  We're always wary of talking to outsiders about Anisah and what we're going through but both of us and the children feel very comfortable talking to Linda."

Rainbow Trust supports families like the Khans.  Daughter Anisah was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was nine years old.  Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker Linda has supported Anisah's brother Ismael and four sisters Sameena, Maryam, Humayra and Zahra through Anisah's chemotherapy treatment and life changing operation to remove the tumour from her leg.

Her parents Zafar and Sarfraz explain the difference Rainbow Trust makes to their large family.

"The cancer wasn't just Anisah's illness, it affected the whole family.  Every one of us has changed as a result of the experience.  Rainbow helped us go through this ordeal as a family, together and stay as strong as possible.

"All of Anisah's siblings help with her care.  They go to hospital appointments with her and help support her around the house.  Her older sisters have been especially busy with her care over the holidays, putting her to bed during the day if she feels tired and making sure she is never alone in case she faints or falls.  We know it impacts on their social lives but we need their help to look after Anisah.

"Anisah's sister Maryam has just finished her A-levels, but she hasn't done as well as we thought she would.  Maryam used to love college and she was predicted really high results and wanted to be a pharmacist.  The stress and emotion of Anisah's illness meant that she didn't want to go to classes and struggled to concentrate on college work.  She's so close to Anisah, and struggled to deal with what was happening to her and what could happen in the future.  She'd sit in the library day after day, not knowing what to do.  She needed our help and support and because we were away at the hospital with Anisah, we just weren't there for her.

"Linda provides the best kind of support for Maryam and Anisah's brother and sisters, she laughs with them and takes their minds off what is going on for a couple of hours.  She listens to any concerns they have.  Linda is just trustworthy.  We're always wary of talking to outsiders about Anisah and what we're going through but both of us and the children feel very comfortable talking to Linda."

Recent donations to this project have funded the sponsorship of 9 novice monks from Wat Pasa Viet for 12 months of English lessons in 2012. 3 of the 9 monks will be progressing onto their second year of study at the Mekong English Centre in Luang Prabrang. The other 6 monks will be commencing their first year of study.

Each sponsored novice was selected by the Abbot of the temple who considered the qualities of a hard working student and their disadvantaged background. The beneficiaries of the sponsorship come from families who would not be able to fund the cost of further education for their sons leaving them at a disadvantage.

English language is an important requisite for further education opening future opportunities for gainful employment. As such these funds will make a tangible difference for these monks and their families.

In addition, recent donations have been used to tile the floors of classrooms at the centre, a request from our partners. This simple improvement will create a much comfortable environment in which to learn.

Thank you very much for your support for this project.

Rainbow Trust supports families like the Khans.  Daughter Anisah was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was nine years old.  Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker Linda has supported Anisah's brother Ismael and four sisters Sameena, Maryam, Humayra and Zahra through Anisah's chemotherapy treatment and life changing operation to remove the tumour from her leg.

Her parents Zafar and Sarfraz explain the difference Rainbow Trust makes to their large family.

"The cancer wasn't just Anisah's illness, it affected the whole family.  Every one of us has changed as a result of the experience.  Rainbow helped us go through this ordeal as a family, together and stay as strong as possible.

"All of Anisah's siblings help with her care.  They go to hospital appointments with her and help support her around the house.  Her older sisters have been especially busy with her care over the holidays, putting her to bed during the day if she feels tired and making sure she is never alone in case she faints or falls.  We know it impacts on their social lives but we need their help to look after Anisah.

"Anisah's sister Maryam has just finished her A-levels, but she hasn't done as well as we thought she would.  Maryam used to love college and she was predicted really high results and wanted to be a pharmacist.  The stress and emotion of Anisah's illness meant that she didn't want to go to classes and struggled to concentrate on college work.  She's so close to Anisah, and struggled to deal with what was happening to her and what could happen in the future.  She'd sit in the library day after day, not knowing what to do.  She needed our help and support and because we were away at the hospital with Anisah, we just weren't there for her.

"Linda provides the best kind of support for Maryam and Anisah's brother and sisters, she laughs with them and takes their minds off what is going on for a couple of hours.  She listens to any concerns they have.  Linda is just trustworthy.  We're always wary of talking to outsiders about Anisah and what we're going through but both of us and the children feel very comfortable talking to Linda."

On July 20, 2011, the United Nations took the drastic step of declaring parts of southern Somalia in famine. In so doing, it recognized that hundreds of thousands of people were at imminent risk of starving to death. As the crisis spread to more regions, the number of people in famine zones eventually reached 750,000. An estimated 13 million people were in critical need of food aid. Suddenly the Horn of Africa, a region seemingly so often in crisis, was in the global spotlight again. The world finally took notice of a dire situation.

In reality, the emergency in Somalia – and neighboring countries including Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya – had been long growing. Drought, a recurring phenomenon in this part of the world, has become increasingly devastating, due to factors including climate change, population pressures, new limits on access to water and pastureland, conflict, and poor or non-existent governance in some places. Six months later, the same number of people remain food insecure, in what remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The relief effort faces sobering new challenges, particularly in the area of security. Several national and international military forces are now involved in the conflict in southern Somalia. Escalating violence, suicide bombings, attacks on civilians, kidnappings and killings of aid workers, and the wholesale expulsion and looting of 16 U.N. agencies and other humanitarian groups by militants are leaving hundreds of thousands of desperate people without help, at a time of enormous need.

And yet we have made important progress. In the six months since the famine declaration, the situation has become marginally less critical. Today, “only” 250,000 Somalis remain in a famine situation, thanks to rapid humanitarian response and resumed rains in some areas. CARE and our partner agencies continue to scale up our emergency aid and longer-term efforts to help people become more resilient in the future. But the challenges remain huge, even as global attention has shifted elsewhere.

This will not be the last or the worst crisis of its kind. Traditionally, nomadic herders have responded to periodic drought by migrating to fresh sources of water and pasture. As climate change and environmental degradation continue their grim march, these age-old coping mechanisms are no longer sufficient. The only question is when, and how severe, the next drought will be. And the only solution is long-term adaptation.

The winds of change are blowing across the Horn of Africa, and its people critically need assistance adjusting to a new age.

CARE has scaled up our response in the worst affected countries. Currently we are reaching over 1.8 million people with crucial assistance including food, safe water, sanitation, health, education, livelihood assistance and protection for the most vulnerable people, including survivors of gender-based violence.

In addition to immediate relief, we support a number of long-term responses to the reality of recurrent drought – including innovative livelihood approaches to help vulnerable people earn a living in ways less dependent on the unpredictable rainfall.

Some examples of CARE’s most recent emergency operations, by country, include:

Djibouti

The most recent expansion of CARE’s response in the Horn of Africa is to Djibouti. This small country bordering Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia faces a disproportionate burden from the effects of drought, not just on its own people, but also due to the influx of refugees from neighboring countries. After six consecutive years of drought and erratic rainfall, more than 200,000 of Djibouti’s 800,000 people – two-thirds of whom already lived below the poverty line – are considered in need of humanitarian aid. The country has absorbed more than 22,000 refugees.

After conducting an assessment of the most critical needs, CARE determined that the best use of our resources is in Ali Addeh district, which hosts most newly arrived refugees but struggles with poor health, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation conditions.

Our approach, focused on refugee camps, will reach both refugees and host community members with health and nutrition services, including the opening of a health center with a target population of about 19,000.  The emergency response will focus on providing first aid, nutritional screening, vaccination, referral to secondary health care. As well, the activities will include ensuring access to safe water and improved hygiene practices.

CARE will pay special attention to the most vulnerable refugees and host communities affected, including women and children, and will provide psychosocial support to survivors of trauma and sexual violence. CARE’s intervention will have an emphasis on building local capacity, in order to ensure sustainability.

Ethiopia

As elsewhere in the region, CARE’s long-term objective in Ethiopia is to promote resilience in the face of future food emergencies. In the meantime, to meet immediate needs, we are continuing relief operations, reaching more than 709,000 people to date with interventions in four sectors: food assistance; water, sanitation and hygiene; nutrition; and support to livelihoods including agriculture and livestock rearing.

CARE’s emergency food distributions, in cooperation with the government and our humanitarian partners, are in their seventh round, reaching a total of about 450,000 people in Oromia Regional State, East Hararghe, West Hararghe and the Borana and Dewe zones of Afar region.

Other recent activities include:

Nutrition and Food

• In urgent cases of malnutrition, especially involving children, CARE supports emergency treatment through stabilization centers, outpatient therapeutic programs and supplementary feeding programs. Each month CARE reaches more than 3,800 individuals in East and West Hararghe and Borana with these lifesaving services.
• We distribute about 300 cartons of Plumpy’nut, a fortified peanut-based paste used as a frontline treatment for severe acute malnutrition, each month.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

• Each month, health education programs focusing on nutrition and hygiene in West Hararghe and Borana reach over 3,700 people.
• More than 2.3 million packets of water purifying chemicals were transported in late 2011 for delivery to East and West Hararghe.

 Livelihoods

• The three livelihoods projects run by CARE in Borana and East and West Hararghe zones of Oromia region had reached a total of 107,180 individuals as of December 13, 2011. Through these projects, CARE provided nearly 50,000 individuals with seed and planting materials, while the rest were assisted in maintaining the health of their animal herds by reducing herd sizes. Animals are slaughtered when they still have value, rather than waiting for them to starve, and when possible the meat is distributed to families. Herders receive cash compensation and feed for their remaining animals.

• In addition to direct food assistance, CARE is providing water purification and treatment products to pastoralist families and others, and supporting the construction or rehabilitation of water points and ponds.

Kenya

1. The Dadaab refugee camps

CARE distributes lifesaving aid, including food and water, to more than 460,000 refugees in the Dadaab camps in Kenya, the largest refugee site in the world.

The operating environment remains complex due to ongoing security concerns. In recent months escalating conflict between the Kenyan military and militants has been accompanied by fatal attacks on camp residents, threats to community leaders and the discovery of landmines and explosive devices within the camp area. The flow of new refugees into the camps has declined dramatically due to the conflict and Kenya’s official sealing of the border with Somalia.

As a result of the tense situation, many CARE activities and those of our humanitarian partners remain suspended. However, all lifesaving interventions, including regular food and water distributions to the all of the camp’s registered residents, continue uninterrupted. Furthermore, CARE’s dedicated team of 1,600 refugee workers, who live and work in the camps, continue to provide services including education and psychosocial support even in locations that are inaccessible to non-refugee staff.

CARE’s work in Dadaab falls into the following sectors:

• Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH): CARE’s work providing safe drinking water and sanitation is more crucial than ever given a recent outbreak of cholera. Our system of boreholes and tap stands provides an average of 18 liters of water per day per person in the three main Dadaab camps – more than the international humanitarian standard of 15 liters. Monitoring staff continue to test the water quality twice daily.

• Public health promotion: In response to the steadily rising number of cholera cases, and unabated rains, CARE is scaling up our hygiene promotion activities, and taking the lead in mobilizing WASH and health partners in coordinating our response. Activities include soap distribution, jerry can cleaning, household hygiene visits, and disinfection of latrines with 1 percent chlorine solution. CARE is distributing sanitation tools in collaboration with WASH committees, constructing solid waste collection points in Hagadera camp, and overseeing the collection of animal carcasses under police escort.

• Food security: CARE is the primary distributor of food donated by international humanitarian partners to registered camp residents. Every day our logistics team oversees the distribution of 389 metric tons to 45,000 people. Due to security concerns and the sharp decline in the arrival of new refugees, immediate distributions of food to unregistered new arrivals remain suspended. 

• Education: CARE operates five schools serving 15,000 students in Dagahaley camp at Dadaab. Some services, and registration of new students, remain suspended for security reasons. Refugees who workfor CARE are a vital support in keeping classes operating, and Kenyan national primary and secondary school examinations were successfully conducted in November. School buildings remain severely overcrowded, with overflow classes held in tents and courtyards, and more space is urgently needed.

• Gender-based violence and psychosocial support: Newly arrived refugees have consistently reported an extremely high rate of violence, rape or abduction, and women and girls always face an elevated risk in refugee camp situations. Although the security situation currently prevents CARE from operating our regular system of psychosocial counseling through drop-in centers, we are continuing door-to-door campaigns, focus group discussions and road shows on sexual and gender-based violence and psychosocial support services. Our recent campaigns, with the crucial participation of CARE refugee workers, have reached over 34,000 people in Ifo and Dagahaley camps. 

2. Other affected areas in Kenya

In addition to hosting large numbers of refugees, parts of northern Kenya are themselves severely affected by drought. CARE maintains a broad range of programming in water, sanitation, hygiene, and longer-term efforts to help communities become more resilient. To date almost 477,000 people have received CARE’s help directly or indirectly through family members. Examples of our recent activities include:

• In Garissa, CARE scaled up emergency animal health interventions including mass treatment and vaccination, de-worming, active disease surveillance and training of disease surveillance committees.
• CARE and our partners in the Arid and Marginal Lands Recovery Consortium supported the district veterinary offices of Garissa, Mandera West and Wajir South on mass treatment, vaccination and de-worming and disease surveillance. A total of 208,351 livestock were treated.
• We identified vulnerable families, including those in Dadaab host communities, to receive emergency cash transfer payments – which have been demonstrated to be effective in addressing immediate food insecurity, while supporting local economies.
• A baseline survey on sexual and gender-based violence is currently ongoing in host communities.
• Water, sanitation and hygiene activities in the area included cash-for-work projects to improve infrastructure; training of community members as borehole pump attendants; and community hygiene training.
• ·         Drought emergency and resilience projects have included cash-for-work activities designed to rehabilitate range land and de-silt and expand rainwater harvesting pans. Members of the most vulnerable households are targeted as cash-for-work participants, with an emphasis on equal opportunity for women.
• CARE is working with community members to begin constructing latrines and hand washing facilities in six schools, benefiting 3,214 students including 1,737 girls.

Somalia

Despite the critical security situation in south central Somalia, CARE continues to scale up our humanitarian response. We operate both independently and through local partners in various parts of the country. Our priority regions include relatively stable parts of northern Somalia that are struggling to accommodate displaced people from the south.

Our emergency work in Somalia covers the sectors of water, sanitation and hygiene; food security; livelihoods; health/nutrition; and the distribution of other critical supplies. Our longer-term objectives include a variety of approaches to help communities build resiliency and sustainable livelihoods.

Recent activities include:

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene:

• In the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland, CARE continues to conduct water quality tests on new and rehabilitated water sources and storage facilities completed under the recently completed Puntland Emergency Response Project. Communities took part in the work and are responsible for the long-term maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure.
• In Galkacyo and Berbera, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities in schools including training to primary school teachers are ongoing.
• In Lower Juba, we provided clean, safe water, and aqua tabs for water treatment to 8,400 families.  
• To date, CARE has reached 63,000 individuals through WASH projects in Somalia.

Other activities:

• CARE’s distribution of essential non-food items kits, including kitchen and hygiene necessities, is reaching 2,400 people in Burao, Somaliland, who have been displaced from other parts of Somalia, as well as members of the host community.
• An additional 1,400 non-food item and 4,200 hygiene kits are destined for affected drought-affected households in Lower Juba.
• Given the crucial role played by CARE’s local partner agencies, especially in areas highly affected by insecurity, we continue to provide training in areas such as CARE's principles and procedures, quality and accountability, cross-cutting issues such as conflict sensitivity/do no harm, gender and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.                   

Social Performance Management at MicroLoan

What is social performance management?  It is about improving the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of what we are already doing, at all levels of the organisation, in order to meet clients’ needs more effectively and fulfill the social mission, that being to work with the poorest women and enable them to move out of poverty.

Why is social performance important to MicroLoan?

It is a clear way to understand how we are performing against our social goals or what steps may need to be taken in order to improve social performance, to ensure we are on track in fulfilling our social mission. We need to look at if we are in fact reaching the poorest individuals and making a difference in their lives.

Consequently innovative products, that meet client’s needs, such as Chiyambi (product aimed at the poorest) and Makwelero (monthly repayment product) have been successfully piloted.

How is Social Performance improved?

Social Performance can be improved in any number of ways, depending on the needs of the organisation. In MicroLoan’s case for example, we have been focusing on improving our client training to ensure that it is more structured and participatory, so that clients form well functioning groups and are well equipped with the necessary skills to run a successful business. We’ve also been working on integrating client protection principles into our day to day work to ensure our clients are not over-indebted, understand their rights and are given regular opportunities to feed back their thoughts to management so we can continuously work to improve our products and services.

Your donations and support are greatly appreciated; it truly helps us reach the poorest women in Sub-Saharan Africa and gives them the opportunity to receive a hand up from poverty.