Stories from the Field

This year, Human Concern International embarked upon an ambitious project to asses the needs of a particularly disadvantaged Beirut neighborhood, Nabaa. Working alongside our local partner, Dar al-Amal, and twenty local youths, we have conducted a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) research which maps out the challenges faced by Nabaa residents. It is the first phase of a wider Youth Impact Project intended to train and empower youth in development practices. Throughout the PRA’s development process the lead was taken by the youth, all from the affected area, who conducted field research in coordination with specially trained development professionals to produce a comprehensive PRA research. The research engaged local residents, giving them ownership of the development process, as opposed to a traditional needs assessment made by those who do not reside in the affected area. As a result, it is a more accurate, inclusive, and effective picture of the challenges currently facing the residents of Nabaa.

Nabaa is a mixed, multi-confessional Beirut suburb which faces chronic unemployment, a lack of social services, and suffers from high levels of insecurity. Local residents are at risk of criminality, drug use, and sexual exploitation. The local youth who conducted the PRA were both male and female, Christian and Muslim, reflecting the diversity of the neighborhood in which they reside. Despite poverty, Nabaa has avoided inter-sectarian violence and as such is an example for others to follow. It was an ideal candidate for a PRA research. Our local partner, Dar Al-Amal, is one of the few non-governmental organizations which operate in the area. They are determined to improve the lives of local youth, and prevent them from entering into lives of crime or prostitution. Despite their dedicated efforts, one organization alone cannot change the fate of a community, and they need assistance. The PRA, developed by and for the people of Nabaa, will boost their capacity and be of significant help for all of those working towards community renewal and prosperity.

The first phase of the Youth Initiative Project has now been successfully completed; this phase included Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) training for a diverse group of twenty young men and women from Nabaa carefully selected to reflect the diversity in the area. The general purpose of the training was to provide the participants with conceptual knowledge and skills on Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) techniques thus enabling them to utilize PRA techniques in determining local community needs and introducing community-oriented interventions and initiatives.

The ten-day training conducted by HCI’s experts in the field of development workshops presented participants with PRA theory and practice and was balanced between field practicum and in-class sessions that included brainstorming, working groups, interactive exercises, and reflections. The course began with basic concepts and principles of PRA and was complemented with field practicum where participants were provided with opportunities for hands-on experience in the targeted community guided by a multidisciplinary group of team leaders having backgrounds in social work, development and activism.

During the 5-day field practicum, participants used the PRA approach which utilizes different tools in order to reach the most accurate results on what the needs of the community are. The research team/Participants were disbursed among the targeted area and represented the different ethnic/religious groups residing in the community. The PRA team met with households from different parts of El Naba’a. In the meetings, open discussions were held on health, environment, economy, education, and social life. The meetings were convened in varied ways through focus group discussions, home visits, and open general meetings. Community members were given the opportunity to identify their perception of the challenges that most affect their lives and the needs that should be fulfilled to help their community move towards a better future.

On the last day of training, the main findings of the field were discussed comprehensively and summarized, and as a result the main problems identified by community members were as follows:
- The deterioration and insufficiency of health care services; especially for patients with chronic or critical health problems
- The poor quality of education at official (government) schools and the high cost of education in general (school tuitions, extra assistance classes, private tutoring, and other costs)
- The prevalence of illiteracy among married women (especially those with children)
- The lack of awareness among women about support services provided by official and civil society organizations in and outside the area
- The ineffectiveness of current institutional committees
- Increasing living expenses of households
- Weak economic contribution of women
- Population increase and lack of reproductive health awareness among married women in reproductive age
- Domestic violence and gender-based violence
- Absence of security in the community and existence of conflict between residents and foreign workers residing in the area
- Ineffectiveness of garbage collection mechanisms and environmental pollution
- Drug addiction and prostitution among youth
- Absence of safe open spaces and leisure activities for children and families

The development of a PRA is the first step towards brightening the future of Nabaa. Before a problem can be fixed it must first be recognized, and the PRA does just that by setting out clearly what the challenges are, and providing practical information to those who seek to alleviate them. This research reflects the work of development professionals, devoted local youth volunteers, and residents, all of whom have a stake in the future of the community. It is the first such appraisal to be performed in Nabaa, a place too often ignored and marginalized by traditional centers of power. Though a PRA cannot solve every problem, it is a powerful tool for those who work in the development field, and will help them to focus their efforts on the problems most acutely felt by local residents. By building capacity it will make HCI, and all those working towards the betterment of Nabaa, more effective community developers. We can be sure that it will serve HCI’s development interventions for many years to come.

HCI has made the PRA report available free-of-charge upon request for everyone, and as part of the Youth Impact project more young people from Nabaa are in the process of joining the initial youth group to have their capacities built in the field of developmental thinking, proposal writing and fundraising through a new series of workshops organized by HCI. The youth are using the newly acquired skills and the findings of the PRA report to design a group of youth-led/run interventions with the purpose of improving their neighborhood. HCI and a special committee made up of community leaders in Naba’a are evaluating the submitted proposals and selecting winning interventions, which are funded by HCI.

Last Sunday the streets of central Beirut were transformed by the Beirut International Marathon. For one day they were devoid of traffic, as people of all ages, religions, ethnicities, and nationalities walked and ran side by side. They turned the streets into a sea of people, all of them willing to sacrifice their time and energy in support of a cause. On that day HCI spread its message of healthy living to the more than 33,000 people in attendance. We sponsored underprivileged children to run in the marathon, encouraged them to exercise, and inspired their peers to do so as well. The HCI team made up of children aged 9 to 17 from rural Lebanon, many of them orphans, ran together to promote our campaign. The spirit shown by these children, who participated with boundless energy un-dampened by the rain, was perhaps the best advertisement for a healthier lifestyle.

This year’s Beirut International Marathon saw more than 33,000 participants, including, among others, the Lebanese President, Prime Minister, four government ministers, and many other Members of Parliament, brave the cold and the rain to come together and run or walk in support of a good cause. More than 4,000 volunteers also took part, including members of Human Concern International, a testament to the strong sense of community often displayed by the Lebanese. The marathon was truly for everyone, not only the professional athletes and victors. It was an event which gave many people the rare opportunity to run and exercise in a city where the absence of parks and public space makes it often very difficult to do so. For one day the sounds of car horns and the fumes from exhaust pipes were replaced by thousands of people singing, laughing, walking, and running. It was a demonstration of what can be achieved if we make the very simple choice to live healthier.

The Beirut Marathon provided HCI with a unique opportunity to spread our message to literally thousands of people. It was an opportunity that we did not miss. Before, during, and after the marathon participants and visitors received HCI’s awareness materials which encouraged Lebanese to take a second look at their diet, and, combined with our website (www.hcime.org/sahetna), provided them with all the information they need to start eating healthier. A 34-pages manual was produced to address all requirements for a healthy diet. “Food pyramid” posters were given to local schools, and placed in classrooms to let children know how much vegetables, fruit, grain, milk, oils and beans they should eat everyday. Children must know the importance of eating healthily, and these posters give them the knowledge they need in a colorful and engaging way. In the days and weeks leading up to the Beirut International Marathon, HCI utilized a booth in the heart of Beirut to distribute printed materials, and meet face to face with both marathon participants and members of the general public. By doing so we were able to reach a large number of people, promoting a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet. Through our website we were able to bring that same message to countless others.

In Lebanon and from the start we have encouraged healthy activities, as seen by our sponsorship of Beirut’s first ever Terry Fox Run in 1997. The Terry Fox Run, an event in which people of all ages come together for one day to run and raise money for cancer research, was only the first step. More recently we also implemented the national “Farm to School” project, which promoted healthy eating habits among school-aged children, along with many other objectives. Information is the key to combating the obesity epidemic. Better informed people make better decisions, and will lead happier, healthier lives.

The Beirut International Marathon happens only one day of the year, and reaches out to tens of thousands of people. On that day HCI did what it could to promote a more active lifestyle and a healthier diet, but in order for our advice to be effective it must be followed the other 364 days of the year, and reach millions of other Lebanese. Obesity is a serious problem that deserves serious attention. We must all pay more care to what we eat, and start to exercise regularly. HCI can provide the information you need in our online healthy eating guide, including ten recipes for specially developed nutritious meals which use ingredients easily available throughout the region, but only you can make the choice to change your lifestyle. Doing so will give you a longer, healthier, happier life, and help prevent what may soon become the most serious epidemic on earth.

The “Farm to School program brings healthy food from local farms to thousands of poor school-aged children in low-income remote villages. Moreover, the program teaches students about healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. In addition, the use of local products in school meals and educational activities provides a new direct market for local low-income farmers. It also provides local women with temporary jobs in food preparation,” explained Abdo Raad — the director of Saint Saveur School and Orphanage. The school, located in the city of Joun, south of Lebanon is home to 70 orphans and vulnerable children and hosts 150 school children.

“It is a win-win situation for everyone,” he concluded during the inauguration ceremony of the kitchen supported by the German Embassy in Lebanon, as well as the opening of the third Lebanese-Palestinian youth summer camp which hosts Palestinian youth from camps in Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.

“We thank HCI for this important initiative which is vital for the revival of low-income remote areas,” commented H.E.M Brigitta Eberly, the German Ambassador to Lebanon who attended the ceremony.

The German Embassy in Lebanon contributed over $16,000 to equip the kitchen at the premises of the school/orphanage which will help HCI’s Farm to School project expand its scale and scope to reach out to other schools and orphanages in nearby villages, which is expected to benefit more than 700 children during the summer of 2009.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by H.E. Mrs. Bahia Hariri, Minister of Education and Higher Education and H.E. Mr. Mario Aoun, Minister for Social Affairs.

“Cause and Identity” is the theme of this year’s Lebanese-Palestinian youth summer camp which coincides with the celebration of Jerusalem as the 2009 Arab Capital of Culture. The 40 Lebanese and Palestinian youth come from different regions in Lebanon and from Palestinian camps in Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories.

“Building bridges and trust and creating a platform for dialogue and sharing among Lebanese and Palestinian youth is the main objective of this summer camp,” H.E. Mrs. Hariri, the President of the Hariri Foundation for Human Sustainable Development (HFHSD), explained during a discussion with the participants. HFHSD is sponsoring of the summer camp.

The Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education has been actively working in the past two years on integrating health and wellbeing topics into the Lebanese school curriculum, especially for elementary school students. “HCI’s successful Farm to School project which promotes healthy eating habits for school-aged children is a significant initiative that the Ministry of Education should consider adopting to improve student health,” suggested, Rabih Yazbeck, HCI’s Regional Director, during a conversation with the participants. “We hope that the summer camp’s attendees will benefit from our initiative, and take what they’ve learned back to their families and help bring awareness in their surrounding environment,” Mr. Yazbeck concluded.

The Farm to School Project was launched this March in two regions in Lebanon. To this date, thousands of school-aged children have learned about the path from farm to fork and healthy eating habits.

The program desires to support community-based food systems, strengthen family farms, and provide jobs for vulnerable women and nutrition for poor students hence contributing towards their health and well-being.

The family farm owners will have a chance of securing a steady income, the students will be motivated to get an education, and the unemployed women will have the opportunity of working and generating income. These benefits are not limited to economy and education, but also affect the overall morale of the residents.

On the long-term, the program will introduce waste management programs like composting, and experiential education opportunities such as planting school gardens, cooking demonstrations and farm tours.

What we are witnessing here are the combined efforts of the public and private sectors, and the civil society, local and international. These initiatives transcend all national, religious, and racial differences and have one aim in mind, the well-being of our children and families. At the end, humanity is the bridge that connects us all, and it lies ahead in anticipation of the courageous many who will attempt to cross it.

At a time when Nobel Peace Laureate, Mairead Maguire, and former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney are detained for attempting to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza, at a time when toys, food and medical supplies are lingering elusively at the gates of the city, and the imposed blockade continues to exacerbate millions of lives, the residents of Gaza continue to live their daily tragedy in silence, in face of a world that has grown weary and apathetic to their cause.

The malaise following the December war continues to haunt millions of people, who have become desperately poverty-stricken. Devastated homes and neighbourhoods have become typical scenery, scarcity of food common, unemployment the norm, and increased rates of disease an inevitably which even if curable, lacks the necessary medical supplies and treatment.

Gaza has become synonymous with wars, destruction, and poverty. No wonder only a few are aware of the rich history and culture buried beneath decades and centuries of rubble so eloquently detailed in “Life at the Crossroads: A History of Gaza” by Gerald Butt recently re-published in 2009.

It has not been an easy task for HCI to reach out to the residents of Gaza. HCI’s resources and effort this year have been dedicated to this challenging task. The arduous journey however, has been rewarding and possible due to the perseverance of our team and supporting partners both in Gaza and the West Bank. Most recently a developmental initiative has been launched in support of families suffering from the now ubiquitous food-shortage and unemployment.

OFFERING CAPABILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

After extensive research and inquiry, and in spirit of HCI’s aim to offer sustainable developmental solutions, poultry keeping presented a feasible and manageable project, one that also plays an important socio-cultural role in Gaza. Poultry keeping makes use of family labour, mainly women, who are major beneficiaries.

The Agricultural Support for Smallholder Farmers and Food-Insecure Households initiative is currently assisting families in setting up small poultry-keeping businesses. Areas and direct beneficiaries have been screened and selected by HCI and its local partners, the Aid and Hope Centre for the Care of Cancer Patients and the Vocational Rehabilitation Workshops Society for Girls NGO. The designate areas comprising most of Gaza, share the same characteristics: elevated poverty, gravely affected by the war, high unemployment rate especially among the women population and finally suitable environmental and physical conditions for backyard production.

Each of the beneficiary families is provided with a flock consisting of approximately 100 birds. These flocks are managed by the individual farm families in order to secure food, income, and provide a form of employment mainly for women. Each farm family is provided with the necessary equipment, livestock and technical assistance required to implement the project. In addition, a local team of semi-volunteers consisting of veterinarians and agricultural engineers has been formed to assist in the distribution of livestock, equipments, technical assistance and follow up to ensure the success and sustainability of the individual businesses.

For many of these families, the poultry business is the sole means of livelihood, contributing to the overall well-being of these food-insecure households.

The small business also presents one of few opportunities for low-income, food-deficient families to save and invest, hence securing them from many unforeseeable risks. In addition to being a major income-generating activity (the sales of birds and eggs), the occasional consumption of either meat or eggs provides a valuable source of protein necessary for a healthy and nutritious diet which is generally lacking.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERTISE: THE TRAINING

Representatives from each family were invited to attend the training workshop for the Agricultural Support for Smallholder Farmers and Food-Insecure Households initiative that took place in Gaza. The training was a prerequisite for running the poultry business.

The purpose of the workshop was to familiarize the prospective business owners with the technical, medical, and managerial skills necessary to run and sustain a poultry-keeping business. The training underlined the importance of development as an alternative to aid. In addition, it was intended to help the trainees, particularly women, acquire the knowledge and expertise needed in setting up small businesses.

IN DEPTH: THE LIVES OF THREE GAZAN FAMILIES

“Living below the poverty line”, is a phrase no longer representative of the reality it once aimed to depict. It is insufficient, impersonal and ambiguous–a statement that generates nothing more than statistical controversy nowadays. Unfortunately the reality itself remains–uncontroversial and unaltered. Hunger and unemployment continue to govern the lives of millions in Gaza.

The story of three families in particular comes to us as a reminder of the true meaning of war and sanctions, of their repercussions, suffered by none other than innocent children and families who alone bear the brunt of conflict, destruction, poverty, hunger, and disease.

HOPE IN DESPAIR: THE MOBAEED FAMILY

Poverty is not merely a state of deprivation. It is a process that compels those implicated to redefine their priorities. In such cases of extreme poverty, nourishment and shelter take precedent while health and general well-being very rarely are considered. Sometimes however, the perpetual stress of survival takes its toll, exacerbated only by negligence and lack of awareness.

Last March, 37 year-old Nidhal Al-Mobaeed, mother to seven children, stumbled upon representatives from the Aid and Hope Centre for the Care of Cancer patients at the Women Affairs Centre bazzar in Gaza during their awareness campaign for the early detection of breast cancer sponsored by Human Concern International.

That day she was duly briefed about the mammograms test which is among the best early detection methods for breast cancer among women. Few days passed before Nidhal decided to go for her free examination. She and her husband recall that day with much sorrow, the day when Nidhal was informed she is suffering from a malignant form of breast cancer, one that warrants surgery and the complete removal of her breast.

In addition to her serious medical condition which hinders her from working, her husband Saleem suffers from cartilage damages in six of his spinal vertebrates deeming him also unfit to work. As a result, the family was left with very little or no income, equally overwhelmed by the urgency of Nidhal’s medical condition.

As such, the Centre proceeded to make all necessary arrangements in preparation for the surgery and designated doctors to follow up her condition. Coordinators from the Centre were also asked to visit Nidhal frequently to offer moral and psychological support. Upon their last visit, the coordinators informed the family of their selection to the poultry keeping program.

The news brightened up an otherwise bleak reality, one that this family was made to endure as a result of disease, hunger, devastating wars, and extreme poverty. They were relieved to know that all technical and medical assistance pertaining to the poultry keeping business will be entirely taken care of for the first six months to allow for the business to flourish. Their two youngest daughters, 7 and 11 year-old Shrooq and Amal, were certainly delighted at the thought of playing with the birds and caring for them.

According to Saleem, the business will set out to be a source of nutrition for the family. The unconsumed surplus, such as eggs, will be sold to secure a steady flow of income. This in turn will allow the family to purchase lacking necessities, contribute towards Nidhal’s medical treatment, and restore their war-damaged home.

The story of the Mobaeed family might be laden with sorrow and hardships but it also paints a bittersweet picture of hope and resilience amidst poverty, war and disease.

INSPIRED BY LIFE, THE GOOD AND THE BAD: THE AL-SAMEERE FAMILY

It is difficult to imagine how life can possibly be a source of inspiration for those who are besieged by so much misery–when poverty is aggravated by disease, when disease is exacerbated by hunger, and hunger by devastating wars. This is the story of Fayaad Al-Sameere, a man who despite life’s every attempt at breaking him, remains high-spirited, hopeful, and determined, undeterred by poverty, hunger, or disease.

Fayaad lives in his modest home in the outskirts of Gaza, along the border, with his wife, six children and one grandchild. Fayaad was introduced to the members of our team when he came in one day declaring that he is “not here to beg or ask for money”. Fayaad came in that day asking that his elder son, Hussein, be treated for a malignant case of cancer as the family have lost all source of income and were unable to proceed with treatment.

Twenty-year old Hussein was forced to discontinue his education due to his illness where he suffered from untreated tumours in the neck. Fayaad, unable to help his son due to his dire financial situation, turned to the Centre for support, and our team duly obliged.

It is important to note that Fayaad, this vigorous 40-year old man, full of life and hope is himself a victim of cancer. His tumours extend from the neck to his chest, and he has undergone seven different surgeries. Despite his passion and love for life, though, Fayaad has grown weary, especially after he was banned from travelling to complete treatment. The reason is the overwhelmingly high expenses that according to the authorities suffice to treat fifty patients. As such, Fayaad’s treatment came to a sudden halt leaving him with one wish, to live in peace.

Peace however, was not granted to the Al-Sameere family. A plot of agricultural land along the borders of Gaza, once a source of income for the family, is now forbidden territory. Every morning through a pair of binoculars, Fayaad gazes at his land on the horizon. Each day he hopes that they would return to harvest the land and restore the damage caused by the war, whose bulldozers destroyed decade-old Almond trees, a war that left numerous landowners and their families deprived and landless.

Their home was not made an exception. During the December war, the family had to flee their house in the outskirts of Gaza in search of a safer place in the centre of the city. Despite their already overwhelming expenses they had no choice but to pay rent for their safe haven. Incessant bombing did not spare their house, and it too suffered severe physical damages.

It is clear why Fayaad’s family were most suitable for the poultry keeping project. They have suffered the malaise of war, poverty, hunger and disease all together, and though they do receive aid on a quarterly basis, it is insufficient.

Upon our team’s visit to Fayaad’s home, they noticed that a small piece of land adjacent to the house was already cleared out in anticipation of the flock of birds. In Fayaad’s words, the business represents a lifeline for the family and an opportunity to once again lead a self-sufficient and dignified life.

This source of income will go towards Hussein’s treatment, food, clothes, an oven and other necessary missing furniture. In addition he aspires to expand the business in the near future to include cattle which would generate more income for the family.

Fayaad’s steadfastness and optimistic outlook, is not merely admirable but inspirational. When everything else seems to fall apart, his love and passion for life remains undisputed.

A DOOR-LESS HOME: THE QUEEDER FAMILY

As the title suggests this is the story of a family too poor to even afford a door to conceal their modest home. There lives Mariam Queeder 70-years of age, a widow and mother to three children and seven step children most of them suffering from mental disorders, a condition that has become all too common in Gaza. Mariam’s daily strife for food and income is heart-wrenching, mainly relying on the kindness of a few charitable individuals.

Maysoon, the youngest and only child with a high school diploma, bears the brunt of this everyday battle. The responsibilities are cumbersome and the pressure of being the only high school graduate means that she is possibly the only family member with a slightly better chance of employment. Her siblings see in her a leader, indeed she is the family’s sole caretaker.

Unfortunately, her daily struggle to secure some form of sustenance for her siblings is undermined by the lack of income, and she like the rest of her family and indeed the majority of people in Gaza, is left without any form of employment. In her words, sleep is impossible when the mind is constantly buzzing with images of her hungry mother and siblings. One thing is for sure, hunger in Gaza is a pandemic spreading wilder than forest fire.

Maysoon was elated to hear the news about the poultry keeping business yet similarly perplexed, debating where to keep the birds and instantly worrying about feeding them. She was reassured that all technical and medical assistance will be at their disposal in addition to the chicken feed which will be provided for six consecutive months at the beginning of the project.

The poultry business instilled a sense of rejuvenated hope for the Queeder family, who now have the opportunity to be self-sufficient and finally generate the much needed income that will safeguard them from hunger and disease and ensure their overall-wellbeing.

This source of income will contribute towards the family’s medical expenses, food, and clothing and allow them to purchase basic commodities they were previously deprived from.

ONE STEP AT A TIME

Behind images of war and poverty rests a reality unfathomable only by immediate experience. Even flamboyant words and images become superfluous at times, desensitizing many, if not most outside observers. With the end of each article and news briefing, most will return to the comfort of their mundane life, perhaps with a momentary sigh of relief, perhaps in an ephemeral state of despair. Eventually the majority of us tend to forget almost instantaneously.

Human Concern International’s firm belief that no innocent child, woman, or man should be the forgotten victims of such extreme poverty and devastation motivates us to pursue the most challenging yet most rewarding of tasks. HCI’s involvement in Gaza might not reach out to the whole of Gaza, but it aims to offer sustainable developmental solutions to as many families in need as is possible. We aspire to continue and expand our initiatives in hope that the good that is reaped will multiply and tip over the injustice of this status-quo.

In May 2009, the HCI team launched two projects in Sudan that will provide credit capital and the necessary training and coaching to two new communities in two settlements in the south and the north of the capital Khartoum as well as a project which will promote entrepreneurial spirit among impoverished Sudanese orphans, and giving them the proper training in setting up and managing their own small businesses. Human Concern International has always made an effort to work with poor communities in Sudan; with 2 million Sudanese at risk of death, in addition to those who have been injured, displaced and have lost all of their support and care networks due to the continues civil unrest, poverty and lack of proper infrastructure, one should feel concerned. The living conditions in these settlements are extremely unsafe; while visiting the community leaders, we witnessed the cruel effect of poverty on people; in these two settlements people had built their houses from scrap metal, water was insufficient and unclean, sanitation services were nonexistent and the scarcity of food was visible on the children, someone even pointed out those dying from malnutrition.

This difficult image that we witnessed will soon be changing with these projects that were launched in partnership with several local long-time partners in Sudan, including Peace and Development Volunteers (PDV) and African Charity for Child and Mother Care (ACCSOM). One project will assist the rebuilding of Sudanese lives through micro credit, and provide access to finance programs for low-income Sudanese widows. The second project aims to unlock and unleash the economic potential of Sudan’s orphans that HCI has been sponsoring since 2003. Through the micro-credit initiative: 100 widows will receive loans for income generation and small businesses, 2 revolving loan programs will be established and will be operated by local communities, 2 local credit committees will be established at two targeted communities, and 16 people at two local credit committees will receive training in basic credit provision.

The second project’s objective is to assist orphans shift their mindset from being passive receivers of donations to active income generating entrepreneurs. Instead of being drawn into a passive cycle of receiving charity and relying on the kindness of others, 30 orphans will receive the training and materials necessary to embark on their own business ventures. They will also be given the opportunity to test their ideas under real-life circumstances, and take part in the “Business for a Day” program, in which they will operate a business for one day. An investment club, run by the orphans, will be set up. The club will be endowed with a trust fund, which will be invested towards implementing club activities. Thirty orphans, fourteen years of age and older, will take part in the first phase of the program.

The implementation of these two projects will provide the solid ground on which these widows and orphans can build their lives on, where the knowledge and the technical assistance will be provided by the project’s workshops and volunteer trainers and the revolving funds and loans will be in the hand of their own community to make use of, nurture and pass on to other needy members of their community to slowly but effectively reduce poverty levels within these two settlements.

Our field visits were not only to launch new projects, but to also follow up and connect with other local partners in these two settlements, where HCI has long been implementing relief and development projects that offer Sudanese orphans economic security through the child sponsorship program; where devastated, left out and marginalized orphans are given access to food, security and education throughout their sponsorship period. Our local partners took us to a library that HCI helped establish, where many of the sponsored children are able to have access to knowledge and information.

During the same visit, HCI and the Canada-based International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) launched a new interesting initiative in Sudan, related to International Water & Sanitation (IWS) and targeted in the first phase at building the capacity of Canadian international institutions in this area of technical assistance. To have a better understanding of the situation, HCI will prepare a comprehensive country analytical report in partnership with HCI local partner, Peace and Development Volunteers (PDV). The result of the report should formulate the ground in which HCI and other Canadian based organizations can implement large-scale interventions in Sudan to ensure water sufficiency, and opportunities for related income generating activities. Projects like these are vital and have the potential to fundamentally change many lives, especially in impoverished settlements like these ones. HCI also witnessed the launching of a new civil society-public partnership for the provision of family-based health insurance that our partners are engaged in.

In the last part of our very dynamic and productive field visit, we also got the chance to visit the health clinic that was established with the help of HCI to serve the new settlements in northern Khartoum. The health clinic has outstandingly been operating autonomously, self sufficiently and effectively to serve the population with a professional team of health experts that are semi volunteering to cover the health needs of the area, from treating chronic illnesses to dental care. During our visit at the clinic, we came across a group of young boys in the process of being circumcised; our local partners explained the importance of having such traditional operations take place in a clinic by the hands of medical practitioners, instead of having them done the traditional way in an unsanitary environment that often yields harmful outcomes. Wandering around the clinic, we were content to see the staff operating professionally; taking care of the patients and maintaining the medical equipment to make sure that as many people as possible are able to benefit from it.

It was a busy week in the field in Sudan, but those few days have made us more confident after seeing the efforts of our local partners to sustain themselves and sustain project impacts and use all the available opportunities to help their communities. As the humanitarian situation in Sudan is deteriorating, HCI feels obliged to double the efforts to provide immediate relief to those who are in need, especially those that are most vulnerable; orphans and widows.

Jordan hosts around 500,000 Iraqi refugees among which about two thirds are children and youth below the age of twenty four. A large number of them are known to be physically, psychologically, and/or economically vulnerable. In the poor neighborhoods of Amman deprivation and the limited availability of resources create tensions between low income Jordanians and poverty stricken Iraqi refugees. This dynamic often leads to the stigmatization of these refugees and makes their struggle to survive even harder. Children are especially vulnerable to the negative mental health outcomes and general social disadvantage that may result from this. HCI believes that young people’s voices, perspectives and participation are all necessary and critical resources that are able play a key role in shaping their communities’ future, so since 2007 together with our longtime local partner, New Development, we have been working to bolster social cohesion and empower these vulnerable communities to unleash their potentials in order for them to establish themselves and help their families and their overall communities, while securing much needed necessities through relief aid.

A group of underprivileged Iraqi and Jordanian children have been meeting after school to rehearse for a play called “The Happiness Forest”; this play is one of the many projects HCI’s multifaceted Aid for Change program plans to implement. The play serves as a safe and effective space for the children to learn lessons on peaceful coexistence, pluralism, gender equality, tolerance and non-violence. Research has shown that having groups of children cooperating and working together towards a common goal is one of the best ways to break down negative stereotypes and stigmas, and build a sense of community. This is very evident in our group; during rehearsals we witness these children from different backgrounds interact with each other like one big happy family. Although they are still young, with their efforts they are already changing the way that their society functions; they represent a new generation of Jordanians and Iraqis, coexisting and supporting each other in a community where everyone is in dire need of help. This is the essence of what Aid for Change aims to accomplish. “The Happiness Forest” will debut on the 15th of June on the prestigious Royal Cultural Center in Amman.

“Aid for Change” is unique because it is specifically designed to help impoverished refugees and their neighbors while taking into consideration the reality of their situation; when every day is about finding enough food, water and other basic necessities to survive: widows cannot afford to send their children to school and pay for their learning materials, when they can barely manage to survive on occasional in-kind assistance from their neighbors; farmers cannot afford to risk trying new agricultural methods, when they can barely manage to survive on a small patch of land; the unemployed never have a chance to learn new skills if they spend all day making a living on the black market; and, poverty-stricken communities are too busy looking for food to rebuild infrastructure vital for redevelopment. This consideration is key to the philosophy of Aid for change; we cannot expect a person that survives day to day to give up his daily work to attend a workshop; imagine a group of mothers and widows learning about first aid and hygiene, unsure about how to secure food for the day, yet determined to lift their families out of misery and offer them a decent life by gathering much needed life skills. This is not the case with the workshops conducted by HCI; these women do not need to worry about basic necessities since they are provided with essential supplies individually selected for each family based on their actual need.

Since the first phase of the program was launched in February, 300 vulnerable families have received basic aid supplies, such as food items, first aid kits and basic hygiene kits that they would normally be unable to afford yet are in need of. In addition workshops that address several issues such as first aid, food safety and child care have also been offered to 150 women. “The information from the classes was as helpful as the items they later gave us; I discovered a lot that I wasn’t aware of; things like the vaccinations my children needed and the proper way to prepare and to store food” Marwa a young Iraqi mother of two tells us during a coffee break at one of the food safety workshops. “I am glad I came, I think it is a good idea to offer aid items after the classes; I was a bit reluctant to come to the workshop at first, I have to work… but I was motivated when I heard that food and supplies would be offered afterwards, as you know, we need all the help we can get”.

In the next phase of the program 50 widows will be assisted to develop viable home-based businesses. They will be compensated with basic necessities to devote time and energy to develop such businesses, 100 Iraqi children will be given much needed educational materials and 50 people with special needs will be taught new skills in a series of workshops to put them on their way towards developing viable micro businesses that will help them build sustainable futures for themselves.