Reflecting on 2020

As the sun sets on the year of 2020, we want to recognize the amazing work that has been accomplished in spite of the unique circumstances of this year. This is all possible thanks to your support! 

70,484 infants and children have been weighed and monitored

51,609 mothers were educated about nutrition and sanitation

35,124 babies have been immunized

4,715 books were checked out from the school libraries

1,415 orphans and vulnerable children are in school and receiving lunch each day

26 new health workers were trained in Malawi (doubling their numbers!)

12 scholars of the Girls Achievement Program (GAP) and general scholarship

graduated high school! 

6 sewing machines and supplies were provided, collectively making thousands of masks

this year (and will transition to income generating and teaching opportunities in

the future)

We feel truly grateful for you. You are supporting efforts that uplift and empower women and children, and that is a gift that lasts long-term! 

We look ahead to 2021 with hope and anticipation to continue implementing health care and education to those most vulnerable or lacking access. 

 

Celebrating students!

Students in Zamtan enjoying their celebratory lunch

December is a busy time for our Zambian students as their school year comes to a close and Grade 7’s face their exams. As a celebration of all their hard work, the Kafwa and teachers make sure to have a special meal on the last day of school! This celebration meal includes treats rarely on the menu, such as flavored drinks and meats. Each one of our sister schools prepares something special that the kids love! 

At our school in Kasompe, students were surprised and ecstatic to receive fried chicken as part of their celebration! Kafwa leader, Ireen, reported that most of the children have chicken only once every 4 or 5 months, or just on Christmas day. More than that, the process of making fried chicken from scratch (starting with live chickens) is quite a task in the best of kitchens...much less over a charcoal fire! Even still, the Kafwa lovingly began cooking at 5 am so that 60 chickens and sides would be ready for the students who so rarely receive such a treat. 

When you give to HealthEd Connect as an act of love, you recognize special celebrations like this one, but even more importantly, your gift provides long-lasting blessings of health and education for those who would otherwise lack access. Thank you for supporting our heroes and our friends - the community health workers, teachers, and students!

 

Seeing Double in Malawi!

 

Sinkhani in training! Weighing babies regularly allows health workers to track growth and identify malnutrition early on to prevent stunting. 

The Sinkhani health worker volunteers in Malawi have doubled their numbers! They’ve added 28 new volunteers to expand their ability to equip mothers and caregivers with health and nutrition education. Over the years, the Sinkhani have made it their primary goal to reduce the national rate of childhood and maternal malnutrition. The good news is, they are making progress! Ten years ago, the rate of stunting (children too short for one’s age, often linked with other developmental concerns) was 48%.[i] Today, the rate of stunting in children under five is 39%.[ii] Certainly an improvement, but malnutrition remains a serious issue leading to preventable child deaths. So, the work of prevention continues!

Recently, the new Sinkhani gathered for their first official health worker training, facilitated by the current Sinkhani volunteers, local government health officials, and community development instructors. Training topics included: sanitation, nutrition, immunization, oral rehydration therapy (to treat diarrhea), growth monitoring, and community health interviews. Training started immediately following the grand opening of the new Sinkhani Community Center and Under Five Clinic in Kazomba, Malawi! Sinkhani training was the perfect inaugural activity for their community center!

---

[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6111268/

 [ii] https://globalnutritionreport.org/resources/nutrition-profiles/africa/eastern-africa/malawi/

Grand Opening in Malawi!

 

Grand opening of the Sinkhani Community Center in Malawi!

Sinkhani Community Center - Kazomba under five clinic, women and youth advocacy

After several delays due to the pandemic, the long-awaited day arrived for the Sinkhani community health worker volunteers to officially celebrate the opening of the Sinkhani Community Center in Kazomba, Malawi. You may have followed this journey with us, from the donation of land from the village chiefs, to the ground breaking of a community center for the purpose of health education, weighing and monitoring infants and children, basic health care, and group gatherings, such as support groups for orphans and vulnerable children. You may have even donated to HealthEd Connect to help with the project! We're so happy to share with you this news! And so happy for the Sinkhani and the community to celebrate this occasion and the many opportunities that the center will provide for the community! 

The opening ceremony included welcoming speeches by members of the Sinkhani board of directors, the village chiefs who donated the land, district health officials, and singing (of course!) by the Sinkhani volunteers and women from the community all welcoming this development. The district health official, as guest of honor, cut the ribbon opening the doors of the center for all! 

Stay tuned next week for an update on how the center was used immediately following this ceremony to host health worker training for new and veteran Sinkhani volunteers!

We empower women and children because...

 

Everything we do revolves around our mission to empower women and children through evidence-based health, education, and advocacy. We’re passionate about this mission and believe we’re on the right track. A wealth of research has shown that gender equality and women's empowerment are essential to ending extreme poverty and promoting strong communities. Why? Because empowered women and girls share valuable knowledge and act as agents of change in their communities. That means better health and wellbeing for all.

Take Sangeeta Poudel for example. Sangeeta saw the needs around her, knew the health worker shortage and lack of access to care for so many in her community, and had a deep desire to serve. She became trained as a volunteer health worker with HealthEd Connect to provide basic health care in her community, but she wanted to do more! Sangeeta applied for a professional nurse training scholarship available through HealthEd Connect, and through this investment in Sangeeta’s education, everyone has benefited. When Sangeeta isn’t working as a nurse at the local hospital, you can find her volunteering to share valuable health education and front-line care within communities in Biratnagar, Nepal. Girls are watching and making plans to follow in Sangeeta’s footsteps.

Your contribution to HealthEd Connect empowers girls to reach their full potential and be agents of change, like Sangeeta. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, the biggest donation day of the year, and we’re asking for your help to ensure that girls not just survive but thrive!

We have a match opportunity available through tomorrow – a perfect way to double your impact! Please help us reach our dollar-for-dollar goal of $25,000 by midnight PST on Giving Tuesday, December 1^st.  

Click this link, or paste in your browser, to make your empowering gift and double your impact today! >>  http://weblink.donorperfect.com/hec-givingtuesday

This sweet woman is crying because she's deeply touched that Sangeeta reached out to show compassion and care

Survivng to Thriving!

These beautiful sisters are thriving now thanks to the efforts of the Sinkhani! Many children in Malawi face circumstances that lead to malnutrition and stunted growth. Our Malawian volunteer health worker colleagues, the Sinkhani, teach moms about nutrition to support infant and child development, conduct routine weighing and monitoring to ensure children are growing, and emphasize the importance of immunizations to keep children healthy!

The Sinkhani have recently doubled their numbers! They’ve added more volunteers to expand their ability to equip mothers and caregivers with health education to not just survive, but to thrive!

 

You have an opportunity to double your numbers, too! Between now and midnight on Giving Tuesday, December 1^st, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000! And we’re already halfway there! We hope you’ll help us reach our goal, so we can continue uplifting the important work of the health workers.

 

Click the link below to double your numbers and double your impact today! 

>> http://weblink.donorperfect.com/hec-givingtuesday

Do you give thanks for your toilet?

How often do you think about your toilet? Or your sink? Do you only consider soap when you are running low? Today is globally recognized by the UN as World Toilet Day, a day when we recognize this critical convenience that often gets overlooked.

Around 60% of the world’s population – 4.5 billion people - either have no toilet at home or one that doesn't safely manage human waste. And nearly 900 million people still practice going into fields, forests, open bodies of water or other spaces instead of using a proper sanitation facility. This practice carries serious health and safety risks, as contact with human waste can cause diseases such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, diarrhea, worm infestation and malnutrition. Every day, more than 700 children under age 5 — about one every two minutes — die from diarrhea due to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation or poor hygiene. ^[1] Without access to these basic services, poverty and disease abound. Poor sanitation is also linked to social and economic issues, along with negative environmental impacts^[2].

This is why we are so thankful for our supporters and volunteer health worker colleague, Ramprasad (“Ram”), in Nepal! Ram has been one of the biggest proponents of building latrines in the remote Gorkha region. Ram facilitated a lot of education and awareness about the importance of using latrines for safely managing waste and reducing disease, paving the way for community acceptance and involvement in the building of 25 latrines (and counting)!

Today, as you drink tap water without fear, wash your hands with soap, or flush your toilet, we invite you to be mindful of these conveniences that also play a vital role in healthy living!

---

^[1] https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/saving-lives-one-toilet-time/35145  

^[2] https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/67/291