Orphans on success train

We had a great visit this morning with Angela, Mwansa, and Abel, HEC scholarship recipients,  learning about their experiences in 8th grade since graduating from our Young Peacemakers school last December.  Even though they are doing well in school, they all agreed math was tough and an introduction to algebra in 7th grade would have been helpful.  All 3 are orphans living with their grandmothers along with numerous siblings and cousins.  Mwansa said there are 16 persons living in her home, Abel 8, and Angela 6.  The grandmothers in this area have huge responsibilities raising grandchildren since so many parents die of Aids.

Also in the picture is the head teacher, Mr Milimo, and GU students, Tara Sheehy, Natalie Sherer, Hannah Henson, Lindsay Harmon and Karl Bradford.

Graceland in Action

The Graceland team teaching funky chicken surrounded by admiring children at Chipulukusu.  We've been without Internet for 4 days which hampered our blogging but didn't slow the program down. The GU students have taught in the classroom, visited in the homes of orphans, taught songs, talked to the gardening group, and made friends everywhere!

Tires to the rescue

Battling heavy clay soil and scarce water, recycled tires are now being used as gardening containers at the Chipulukusu School.  The vegetables are thriving (thanks to the fence which keeps goats and chickens at bay) and have already been harvested to supplement the school lunch program. This is the second Good Life Garden project.  The first was the incredibly successful Moringa trees which grew to over 8 feet in less than 6 months!   Somehow we'll have to convince the Kafwa to share the fun of planting and weeding with the children :-)

Nepal Needs

Tent city adjacent to Pinkey's house

HealthEd Connect health workers in Kathmandu

We received an email from Pinkey today saying she just became aware of a village about 70 kilometers from Kathmandu that is in deperate need of help.   Dhansing, a village in Nuwakot District, is located in a remote area that has received no assistance.  The village was badly damaged by the first earthquake but the villagers managed to collect materials from destroyed buildings and cobble together temporary shelters.  Then along came the second earthquake and destroyed even the make-shift shelters.  Pinkey is working with Balaram Poudel, a young man in the village, to deliver desperately needed tents.  Since it is a rural area, food is available from their fields but tents are crucial since the rains have already started.

Thanks to generous HealthEd Connect supporters, we have raised over $12,000 and  were able to send additional funds to Pinkey to aid this village.  Pinkey and her husband, Binod, are continuing to live in a tent adjacent to their damaged house.   She and the volunteer soyamsabika health workers are running their aid operation from a "tent city" they created for various individuals without shelter.  If you'd like to help Pinkey and her team just go to our website www.healthedconnect.org and Donate Now.  

We're off!

Karl Bradford measuring height of a school girl at Chipulukusu in 2014

Team Zambia will lift-off at 9:42 a.m. May 22.   What an awesome team with Karl Bradford (second trip), Tara Sheehy, Hannah Henson, Natalie Sherer, and Lindsay Harmon accompanying Jac and Sherri.  Keep tuned for the unfolding stories that we will share along the way!

Nepal recovery

Pinkey and Gaetri (health worker from Nuwakot)

There is no rest in sight for Pinkey and our Soyamsabika health workers in Nepal.  Many people are living in tents and struggling day-to-day just to find food and survive.  Many are also suffering from diarrhea due to the polluted water.  Pinkey said she and her husband, Binod, are planning to visit the villages of Deurali, Tupche, and Dumre by motor bike this week "to meet villagers to give sympathy and share our pain [with] each other."  HealthEd Connect supplies that have been distributed to date include:

296 bags of rice (66 lbs each)
30 tents
Electrolyte packets
Tylenol
Antibiotic ointments

Elderly lady receiving rice and tent

Never ending Earthquake

Arrival of Supply truck

Happy smiles to have rice!

Pinkey distributing and recording supplies

Team HealthEd Connect in Action

Devastation in villages

Pinkey and her team returned about midnight on Monday from distributing much needed rice and other supplies to the 6 rural villages of Koshi Khola, Jalkini, Deuraalichap, Bhuwaniikharka, Bhorle and Gorkhali Gaun. As you can see from the pictures, it was a very organized and orderly distribution with records kept of supplies provided.  The only aid the villagers had previously received was a few tents dropped by a government helicopter.  Around 300 people walked into a central location to receive the aid.

Within hours after Pinkey and her team reached home, the last big quake struck on Tuesday morning.  Pinkey reports everyone on the team is safe but terribly shaken.  As she said, ".I don't know what is going on in Nepal. It is very different experience ever in my life."

Mothering Day!

We would like to give a huge Shout Out to all of the women in the world who Mother children whether it's their own or not.  So much good is being done thanks to their hard work, kind hearts, and love of kids. 

Please join us this Mother's Day in thanking the women who have spent their lives mothering by cooking, applying bandaids, doing laundry and giving hugs!!

Share a meaningful Mother's Day gift by making a tangible difference in the world through a Donation to HealthEd Connect in honor of those who are changing the world through Mothering. It's easy and so needed!!!       Donate Now

Supplies for Nepal

Pinkey (red sweater) and team packaging rice

Supplies are reaching those in need!  HealthEd Connect supporters have been awesome!!  Over $9,000 in donations for Nepal have been received this week.  Banks are now open making it possible to wire funds to Kathmandu for food and supplies.

Pinkey packing medicines for distribution

Pinkey says 2 or 3 aftershocks plague Kathmandu every day but the health workers ignore them and continue to package supplies to distribute to those in need.  Many challenges still ahead as we enter the recovery phase...

Precious rice!

Pinkey and Binod reflecting on the challenges ahead

We have been receiving regular updates from Pinkey, our HealthEd Connect representative in Nepal.  She and her husband are living in a tent due to the damage to their home.  Now that the banks have reopened, however, she has been able to access the money we wired to their account.  All of our health workers are safe but most are homeless.  Pinkey and her husband Binod have been valiantly working long hours to reach those in need.  Bags of rice, tents, medicines, masks, and electrolyte packets have now reached our health workers in the remote villages at the epicenter of the quake.  Everything is appreciated but the rice is greeted with jubilation!

Men taking supplies by motorbike as far as possible

Rice carried for hours beyond bike trails.