1000 Hills Benefits from Clinton Global Initiative

Milli Ready, a South African Fulbright Scholar who is completing a PhD in Pharmacy Administration at the University of Texas, Austin, has gained funding for a project to set up a library in the 1000 Hills Community Center in South Africa.

The Clinton Global Initiative and Pat Tillman Foundation announced in May that the funding for the library and related programs for the community in the KwaZulu-Natal region will be provided for the initiative proposed by Ready.

Besides the library in the community center, Ready has also worked out plans that brought Nelson Mandela Medical School neurologist Dr. Anand Moodley to the center for a talk about epilepsy on June 11.

Ready is also working with “We-Cycle,” a recycling group located in New York, and “Common Vocabulary,” a Joseph Sachs initiative, to provide education about the importance of re-cycling and global issues.

2009.07.21 by Harmony Trevino

Update from Clinic

Here is an update from the clinic Giving Children Hope helped send supplies to:

Running our clinic sees much sadness but we also have had our joyous moment with Sister Dlamini delivering our first baby that was nearly
born on the side of the road. It is always a blessing to watch the beginning of a new life. We are happy to report that it was a little girl
weighing 3.5 KG’s. Both mom and baby are doing well. Thanks Sister for doing such a good job. We would like to thank all our dedicated
volunteers and nursing staff for all their hard work.

Statistics for people seen in our clinic from April to December 2008:

• Birth – 5 years: 1469
• Adults: 3568
• Bunny Hop Registrations: 34
• Family Planning: 44
• Deliveries: 1
• In Labour to Hospital: 2
• Motor Vehicle Accidents: 2
• Sent by Ambulance: 11
• Support Group members: 1470

2009.02.18 by Harmony Trevino

Container Arrives

Today we received photographs of the container that left the GCH Distribution Center, arriving at the Lily of the Valley Medical Centre in South Africa. YOU were a part of making this shipment a reality so this ‘Thank You’ is really to everyone associated with Giving Children Hope. You are truly changing the world through your time, your treasure and your talents:

These pictures are to show you that our container of donated medical equipment and supplies arrived… when one sees the sheer magnitude and value of the generosity, these things fade away and one is truly humbled. When we first dreamed of the Lily Medical Centre our aspirations did not envisage items such as an X-Ray machine, a Cardiograph machine, a Dentist’s chair, examination tables, and simply hundreds of other related medical items. It will take some time to decide how we can appropriately express our heartfelt gratitude. Right now we are somewhat overwhelmed.

Please forward this email to the folk at Godaid [Giving Children Hope] and anyone else who should know that all their considerable efforts, generosity, fundraising, and prayers have been fulfilled. On all the cardboard boxes from Godaid [Giving Children Hope] is a quote from Proverbs 14 – I think verse 31: “Those who help the poor honor God”. I think that all our friends are “storing up treasures in Heaven”.

Just to let you know: there are two medical teams from the U.K. with us from next Monday and for the entire month. We will keep them extremely busy. We have a pediatrician coming to us for ten months from January. She comes through the missionary organization “AIM” and is fully funded. We received this news today – what incredible timing!!

With kindest regards and deep gratitude,
Noel and Pat Wright

Due to your efforts, a countless number of individuals in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa now have access to healthcare. Many of these individuals are HIV positive and most have been left orphaned to AIDS. So thank you for your involvement with Giving Children Hope! Together we CAN help change the world!

This container was sent in partnership with Union Rescue Mission.

2009.01.29 by

Medicines to South Africa

In partnership with Union Rescue Mission and the CareNow Foundation, Giving Children Hope is sending $400,000 worth of pharmaceuticals to Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

The pharmaceuticals will be going to the 1000 Hills Community Helpers-Ikhaya Lo Thando clinic, where primary healthcare services provided are for the treatment of HIV/AIDS related illnesses, tuberculosis, diabetes, malnutrition, diarrhea, otitis, scabies, and respiratory infections. The HIV/AIDS infection rate is 82 percent.

The clinic serves a population of approximately 300,000 people.

Giving Children Hope and the CareNow Foundation partnered in Fall 2007, sending a 40-foot container of medical goods and medicines to the Lily of the Valley Medical Center in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

To give to our pharmaceutical program, and help us bring more medications to developing parts of the world, click here to send a donation.

Here is a “Thank You” Letter from those who received the shipment

God is great and fruitful! Thank you for your prayers (most importantly!) and all your help to get these life saving medicines to where they can serve people who have nothing.

We are humbled by the goodness of God. Please share this story!

Looking forward to working with you again.

Ed Bjurstrom

Read About Our Work In…

• Africa

2009.01.29 by

Making a Difference in South Africa

2007-08-17

Giving Children Hope shipped out a container to Mapela, South Africa in conjunction with the CareNow Foundation in Westlake Village, CA. The shipment contained all of the necessary items to establish a community health clinic in a region where there is very little access to health care. The medicines, supplies and equipment, totaling 16,733 pounds of humanitarian aid, arrived into port on October 1, 2007.

CareNow is partnered with Lily of the Valley Children’s Orphanage and is under the direction of Dr. Noel Wright, Executive Director. A full needs assessment was conducted and this clinic will provide basic medical services to the local community as well as the children at the orphanage.

South Africa is often called the “Rainbow Nation”, a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then President Nelson Mandela, metaphor used to describe the country’s newly-developing multicultural diversity. The spread of AIDS (acquired immune-deficiency syndrome) is now a pandemic, with an estimated 38.6 million people now living with the disease worldwide. In 2007, an estimated 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and it killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. According to AVERT an international AIDS charity, the spread of AIDS is an alarming problem in South Africa with up to 31% of pregnant women found to be HIV infected in 2005 and the infection rate among adults estimated at 20%. Most deaths are people who are also economically active, resulting in many families losing their primary wage earners. This is resulting in many ‘AIDS orphans’ who in many cases depend on the state for care and financial support. It is estimated that there are 1,200,000 orphans in South Africa.

This project has been especially important to our Director of Advancement, Program & Administration, Jenise Steverding, as she was recently living in South Africa and became aware of Lily of the Valley last November. “I feel that God brought me in contact with board members of LOTV last year specifically so GCH could partner on this project. It was an exciting day for me when the container left our facility and I can’t wait to see pictures of its safe arrival to South Africa! Thanks to every single person who participated to bring this project to fruition!”

2009.01.29 by