Mission Statement: "To help save lives and provide hope for refugees and underdeveloped communities in Africa by improving provisions for healthcare, clean water, education and socio-economic development.”
Think Humanity is celebrating its third anniversary on Dec. 27.
---December 27, 2010 is the third anniversary for Think Humanity. It has been an amazing three years. I can't begin to tell you the positive impact we have made together in the life's of refugees. First, I thank you for your support, but also there's so much still to do. That's why I am asking you for your support towards a clean water well this Christmas in honor of Think Humanity's third anniversary.
We are raising donations to build our third well and we are already half way to our goal. For example, with a $10 donation you can help us provide clean water for three people in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp in Uganda.
If you wonder how badly clean water is needed, I can personally tell you that you can't even imagine the water situation in the camp. Women and children travel by foot for many miles to fetch water and the containers can weigh close to 40 pounds each. The time spent walking and resulting diseases keep them from school, work and taking care of their families.
The good news is that we are changing all this by providing wells. The wells we are building are located in the villages where water is most needed.
So please check out Think Humanity's anniversary wish, spread the word and make a donation if you can. Thanks so much! We are passionate about providing clean water and want you to be a part of this wonderful mission.
Thank you and God bless you,
Beth, Founder/Executive Director
Board of Directors; Jim, Aimee, James, Cindy, Will, Joe, Ray and Kim.
---
You can donate at this link: Water is Life on Razoo
Handmade in Uganda by Acholi refugee women in the Acholi Quarter Camp, these coiled earrings were made using the traditional basket weaving technique. They are made from yucca fibers and then dyed bold and vibrant colors.
By partnering with refugee women in Uganda and creating a global business model through which they can sell their handcrafted goods, Think Humanity provides these women with a means for economic empowerment.
Not only do we buy from refugees, but 100 percent will go back to help refugees in both IDP and UNHCR camps. Visit our website for more information and how you can help us with healthcare and education.
Think Humanity uses the Fair Trade model-
1) Fighting poverty
2) Building sustainable businesses
3) Empowering women
4) Supporting education; and
5) Helping the environment by recycling and using natural resources available.
These one-of-a-kind earrings make unique and excellent gifts.
Earrings come vary in size from 2.25” – 2.75” in circumference.
Other sites sell hand woven African earrings for $50 a pair. Handwoven jewelry made from yucca fibers can sell for $200-$300.
The earrings are a work of art. Our earrings are only $15 each.
Think Humanity is a nonprofit organization 26-1635429 whose mission is to make a positive change for refugees in Africa. http://www.thinkhumanity.org/
Think Humanity was asked to be a part of this Thanksgiving #endmalaria Gives Thanks video clip.
We are honored to be a part of the fight against malaria in Uganda. Special thanks to Global Healing, Red Empress Foundation, Joe and Deb Bergholz, Eric and Kim Paulsen, Americans For Philanthropy and all the others that donated towards long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets in the past three years. Happy birthday Think Humanity December 27, 2010. More than 13,000 bed nets have been given to refugees.
Still a lot more works needs to be done. According to their statistics:
Overview
Malaria is endemic in 95 percent of Uganda. It is the leading cause of illness and death in the country and responsible for up to 40 percent of hospital outpatient visits, 20 percent of hospital admissions, and 14 percent of hospital deaths. Nearly half of hospital inpatient deaths among children under age 5 are attributable to malaria.
The Net Need
Long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs)
Total Nets Needed to Reach Universal Coverage Before the end of 2010 20,607,510
Total Existing Nets Currently in Country 5,107,329
Total Nets to be delivered by the end of 2010 15,500,181
United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria Social Media Envoy Group
United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, announced the formation of a Social Media Envoy group chartered with inspiring and activating social media audiences throughout the year in support of malaria control. The Social Media Envoys are dedicated to utilizing their social profile to keep online and offline media audiences focused on the movement, milestones and resources required to achieve the Secretary-General’s goal of providing all endemic African countries with malaria control interventions by the end of 2010.
“In our efforts to reach the Secretary-General’s 2010 goal of universal bed net coverage, and to reach the longer term goal of near-zero deaths from malaria by 2015, it is critical that acceleration continue in the malaria control movement,” said Ray Chambers, United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria. “Social media content and user driven syndication have proven to be exceptional media assets in generating action behind, elevating awareness of, and increasing resources for global malaria efforts. With our malaria-related objectives within sight, this influential group of Social Media Envoys will help us exceed our awareness goals throughout the year.”
The Social Media Envoys have agreed to take one social action, such as a tweet on Twitter or wall post on Facebook, in support of malaria control each month for 12 consecutive months. The first organized social action from this group will take place on World Malaria Day, April 25, 2010. The Social Media Envoys have been selected by the Special Envoy for Malaria due to the influence, size and engagement of their Social Web and broadcast audiences.
The 2010 Social Media Envoys include:
•Derrick Ashong, Musician, Social Activist & Oprah Radio host; www.twitter.com/ashong
•Veronica Belmont, Host of “Tekzilla” and “Qore” and Internet Personality; www.twitter.com/Veronica
•Ryan Seacrest, Founder, Ryan Seacrest Productions; www.twitter.com/RyanSeacrest
•Biz Stone, Co-founder of Twitter; www.twitter.com/biz
•Padmasree Warrior, CTO of Cisco; www.twitter.com/padmasree
•Jon Wheatley, Co-founder of DailyBooth.com; www.dailybooth.com/jon
•Randi Zuckerberg, Director of Marketing, Facebook; www.facebook.com/Randi
Sub-Saharan Africa is the epicenter of the world’s malaria control activities, with over 90 per cent of malaria deaths occurring on the continent. Over 190 million long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets have been delivered since 2007, covering nearly 400 million people or over 50 per cent of the endemic population, compared to less than 10 per cent in 2005.
“I’m so pleased to be a part of Ray Chambers’ and the UN’s efforts,” said Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post. “Their plan to use social media to keep the spotlight on the goal of eradicating deaths from malaria by 2015 is smart, forward-thinking, and, given the growing reach of social platforms, very pragmatic. It’s consciousness-raising and movement building 2.0.”
For more information on the Office of the Special Envoy, visit malariaenvoy.com
Second Annual Jewelry for Jenipher fundraising event to be held at the same location as 2009 - Holiday Inn Express in Loveland off I-25 near the Budweiser Event Center and Resurrection Fellowship Church at 6092 E. Crossroads Blvd. We will be selling jewelry, purses and handmade baskets all made in Uganda by Acholi women in the Acholi Quarter Camp for Internally Displaced Persons. The proceeds will go towards funding teenage refugee girl education. Visit the Girls' Hoima Hostel Project on our website to learn more.
In memory of the late Jenipher Barega who died November 17, 2009 from complications with malaria and typhoid. These are preventable and treatable diseases. Visit our website to see what we are doing to make a positive change.
Jenipher was the president of our girls' hostel and her dream was to help girls to get an education and to help orphans. Her father was burned in his hut by rebels when she was six year old. In Africa, you ...are considered an orphan when you have lost a parent. Our leader Jenipher had big dreams, but left us much too early. Let's keep her legacy and dreams alive.
Think Humanity will be selling handmade items made by refugee women in Africa. Items for sale are recycled paper beaded jewelry, baskets, artwork and sling purses. We will be raising money to pay one year's rent for 55 teenage girls living at a hostel so that they can get an education. Girls make up nearly 60 percent of the children out of school in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where only one in five girls gets any education at all. Think Humanity wants to change that statistic.
Also it is our desire to encourage women to start their own businesses and to learn a trade so that they can become self-reliant. When we purchase the handmade items from the Acholi women, they can afford to educate their children and to buy food.
Think Humanity has distributed bed nets to their entire community and also provided them with several treadle sewing machines so that teenage mothers can learn a trade.
This cycle benefits everybody! 1) We buy from the Acholi women to help them educate and feed their children. 2) We sell the products in the USA to raise money for TH projects. 3) When you buy the products you can give them as gifts. 4) We send 100% of the money back to help refugees with healthcare, education and self-sustaining projects.
This event is in honor of the late Jenipher. Won't you help us educate and empower girls? Thanks. Beth Heckel, Executive Director
You can also purchase items on Etsy.com anytime at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThinkHumanity
"In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is unprotected and likely to make them sick. Time spent walking and resulting diseases keep them from school, work and taking care of their families. Along their long walk, they're subjected to a greater risk of harassment and sexual assault. Hauling cans of water for long distances takes a toll on the spine and many women experience back pain early in life. With safe water nearby, women are free to pursue new opportunities and improve their families’ lives. Kids can earn their education and build the future of their communities." - Charity Water
In October 2010 Think Humanity built their first well in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp in Uganda. This was possible by a grant from Global Healing. More than 1,000 refugees will benefit. Before people would wait hours for the water to come from the small spring. Animals used the same water and it was unclean. During the day the lines were long so many times people would go to fetch water in the night and sleep near the site with their gerry cans.
Now there is enough water to provide refugees with water for drinking, cooking, showering and to wash their clothes.
The community was so grateful. They are going to maintain the area and keep it clean.
Thank you Global Healing for the well in the Kinyakeitaka Village.
NOW --we want to build a second well in the Muninsa Village. This will provide water for more than 1,000 people at about $3 each person for the life of the well.
Help us build this second well in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp in western Uganda.
On September 26, Think Humanity board members spoke to the
Peace Community Church of the Brethren in Windsor, Colorado.
During our presentation we told the church how Think Humanity
purchases and sells handmade products from Acholi refugees. We
give 100 percent of our proceeds back to our projects in Africa. We
had a display (not for sale), however the nice people from the
church bought out our display!
This was totally unexpected so we gave back to the women that
made the jewelry by sending them money to purchase two more
treadle (manual) sewing machines. The sewing machines will help
refugee teen-moms to learn a trade. Think Humanity has donated
four treadle sewing machines to this project. The goal is to raise
money to purchase eleven more. For $80 each we can help these
young moms become self-reliant. This will give them a step up
from a life of poverty.
Special thanks to Jodi Bell of Peace Community Church.
Follow New Life in Africa Blogspot and watch as Think Humanity makes
a positive change in Kireka, Uganda.
New Life in Africa (LiA) is raising money for a Community Day Care
so that babies can get care instead of being strapped to the mothers’
backs as they learn a trade. To learn more about the day care project
Kanyere Justine is 14 years old and she is in primary six. Her father died from cancer and soon to follow her mother died from HIV/AIDS. Justine has three younger brothers ages 12, 7 and 5.
July 2010 while in Kyangwali Refugee Camp, Jean-Paul called me outside the COBURWAS Learning Centre to listen to Justine's story. I will try to tell it to the best of my memory.
Just two weeks previously to meeting Justine, her mother had died from AIDS. The children were split up in different homes. Justine is living in an unsafe home where there is another 14 year old girl. That girl is pregnant now due to the mistreatment of the caregiver (father figure). Justine was worried that she would also become a victim.
She had no place to go and begged for help with her education so she could move to Hoima to the girls' hostel.
Jean-Paul said that the situation became badly off for the young girl since we left her last July and they moved her into the girls' hostel. She has no money for school, but is away from the bad situation.
If anybody would like to help contribute to help Justine, then we could start her in school for the 2011 school year which begins in February. $150 would help her with the first term for school fees, uniform and books.
As Peter Ndelo said, "It has been a practical day for newly teenage mother trainees. They were asked by their instructor each to make a dress for their babies and most of them managed to do this. It was a special day for them also to get new sewing machines donated by ThinkHumanity.org. Esther Akello, the leader of the women, had to intereact with the ladies and also advised them to use the opportunity of this skill life training."
The Acholi women wish to purchase 20 sewing machines for training. So far they have purchased seven, two of which were donated by Think Humanity. Think Humanity will be donating two more this week. The money was donated from Peace Community Church of the Brethren in Windsor, Colorado.
If you wish to donate to the teenage mothers so that they can learn a tailoring trade, you can donate to Think Humanity and we will see that they receive the donation. Each treadle sewing machine (manually powered) is $80.
Think Humanity Sick Bay - Phase one of Think Humanity Clinic
For sub-Saharan Africa to achieve economic and social development, improving healthcare must be our top priority. In order to highlight opportunities for expanding access to a quality health care throughout Africa, we are identifying practical solutions to those challenges. This October we are opening a three room sick bay across from the Girls’ Hostel in Hoima. Think Humanity purchases medication at a reduced price and therefore we can treat more students and refugees This also allows them to use their time and resources on other things such as education and food. At the TH sick bay we want to take the time to listen and understand; basically quality over quantity. We are fortunate to have Jane as our registered nurse who truly cares about the well-being of our refugees. We would like to be a registered clinic by the beginning of 2011.
Credits-Sarah Bultema, Reporter-Herald Staff Writer for portions of this blog
Loveland Daily Reporter Herald August 28, 2010
Girls at the Girls' Hoima Hostel in Uganda July 2010.
A pen or pencil may not seem like much in America, but for students in Uganda, it's a vital and often hard-to-come by tool that they need to purse an education and enrich their lives.
In an effort to address this basic need, coordinators with Loveland's Think Humanity, a nonprofit that helps refugees in Africa, are asking for donations for writing utensils to be given to students abroad who desperately need them.
"A pen is so small to us here, but we don't really grasp how much something like that is important there. There's a huge need," - Beth Heckel
Students at the girls' and boys' hostels can run run a pen dry in just two weeks and the students aren't always able to afford a new one.
In a country where education can lift citizens from poverty, students need to have all the help they can get to continue learning.
Something as small as a pen or pencil (or lack of one) should not hold them back.
Think Humanity is asking for donations for pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons and markers.
In January, volunteers will return to Africa to hand out the writing utensils.
Other options are to donate money and we can purchase pens, pencils, drawing tables and coloring books there.
For $10 we can purchase 100 pencils in Uganda. We can purchase a dozen drawing pads or a dozen coloring books for $5.
Amanda Kudron: Think Humanity wishes to thank Amanda for all that she contributed while in Uganda.
She stayed at the Girls’ Hostel for two weeks (a first for a visitor) and through that she shared the challenges that these girls are facing each day.
The hostel girls sing a goodbye song to Amanda
"The girls at the hostel live with nearly nothing: poor sanitation, poor safety, poor nutrition, and on and on. The girls at the hostel share everything. As a visitor who was welcomed to live at the hostel for two weeks, I have never felt so blessed and fulfilled in the midst of having so little. The needs are vast, but they understand the basis of real, Christ-like love. I love each and every one of them...my sisters."- Amanda
We brought down groups of 35 people at a time to receive their nets.
3,000 Long-Lasting Insecticide-Treated Bed Nets were given to the entire Acholi Quarter Camp for Internally Displaced Persons on July 14-15, 2010. Those that benefited are Acholi and Bugandans.
Thank you Global Healing and Red Empress for donating bed nets for this community of refugees. Ayo Jennifer, AIDS counselor said, “The family is going to live longer and longer because no more malaria. We have kicked malaria out of Uganda.”
The Acholi Quarter Camp is made up of mostly women and children. The World Health Organization recommends the Olyset Nets, the nets TH provided to the IDP.
Thank you to the children at Brevard Jewish Community Preschool for sponsoring Patrice and Rebecca. Thank you Jackie for re-sponsoring Priscar, Jane for re-sponsoring Peter and Pam for sponsoring little Tedi.
Thank you Red Empress Foundation www.redempress.org for a grant to purchase 1,000 mosquito nets to help refugees in east Africa.
The water storage tank at the livestock project has now been completed. Thank you John Bagisha and other for your hard work to finish the fascia board, gutters and pipes. Thank you donors and Americans for Philanthropy http://www.americansforphilanthropy/ for donating towards this project.
Thank you Birthing Kit Foundation Australia. We received 200 more birthing kits in May and will hand carry and personaly deliver them to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement Camp in July. The kits will be given to the UN Health Workers in the camp who give them to the mid-wives as the time comes for a mother to deliver. http://www.birthingkitfoundation.org.au/.
For each of the "Malaria Kills" t-shirts purchased, Overlooked will donate a life saving mosquito net through Think Humanity.
The shirt reads:
Fact #1 Malaria Kills Fact #2 Mosquito nets save lives. Small print on back says "Stop Malaria" Visit their website to order at http://www.weareoverlooked.com/
If you are interested in a safari African tour, visit Discover Tours at http://www.ditot.com/ and ask for Jackson.
Visit Think Humanity Etsy Store to order Acholi Handmade Products:
Think Humanity works in sub-Saharan Africa to provide refugees with mosquito nets. In this part of Africa a child under the age of 5 years dies from malaria every 30 seconds, but it is preventable when we provide them with an insecticide treated bed net for only $5 each. Most people can afford to help save the life of a child. The net lasts 3-5 years and several children can sleep under it. Just think about it before World Malaria Day. You can donate $5 and make a big difference in the world. Reach out to others. Think Humanity.
One Doctor for more than 16,000 Refugees in Kyaka II
Think Humanity is going into Kyaka II Refugee Camp in 2010 to distribute mosquito nets. Imagine if you were a refugee and you had one doctor for a community of more than 16,000? The camp is 80 square miles - try to get to that one pediatric ward where there are 9 beds and most days 3 children or more to each bed. Two children die from malaria on average per day from malaria in this clinic. We need to give out 4,000 nets to be effective yet we need your donation for this project. If you can donate $5 then we can provide a net for 4 children and potentially save their lives for the next 3 to 5 years. Think Humanity is a 501c3 tax deductible nonprofit organization. To read more about Kyaka II visit the above title link. To read more about Think Humanity visit http://www.thinkhumanity.org/.
Come have a latte, shop for jewelry and help the refugee women of Uganda!
Solid Grounds Coffee Shop will be hosting a night of jewelryand fun promoting beautiful jewelry made by women in Africa. The beads are made out of recycled paper and all the proceeds go to Think Humanity and their work with refugees in Africa.
You can make a difference and help these women and their families.
We should also have handmade Acholi African baskets, sling purses and smaller purses for sale.
By purchasing the jewelry from the Acholi women it allows them to purchase food and to educate their children. We then send 100% from sales back to Think Humanity projects.
January 2010, Jim and Beth Heckel, Joe Bergholz and Charity Watson; Think Humanity board members and volunteers spent time in Uganda visiting projects in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement Camp in Hoima District and the Acholi Quarter Camp for internally displaced person located outside Kampala.
Program Manager, Wereje Benson with other volunteers, demonstrate the proper use of a mosquito net.
The video shows the demonstration.
Joe Bergholz is shown giving nets to the refugees. Most of them were from the village of Rwenyawawa and had to walk several hours to get their $5 net.
Charity Watson, University of Colorado pre-med student speaks to the crowd.
Below, Joe gives nets to the refugees as their names are called from the list.
The children of Sycamore Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina had a variety show in November to raise money to provide Crocs to children in a refugee camp in Uganda. They also donated Crocs at the event. In total there were 342 pairs of shoes donated to children in Africa.
In January, Think Humanity hand delivered hundreds of these shoes to the village of Nyamiganda in the Kyangwali Refugee Camp on the border of Uganda and the DRC.
The children all lined up and we had the parents stand back. Then the children sat down with their legs in front of them. We opened up the duffle bags that we had carried on a bike for 1 1/2 hour on a dusty red dirt road in the 80-90 degree heat.
(In the photo to the left is Janvier, one of the orphans at the Coburwas Learning Centre located in Mukarange Village)
We brought a bullhorn and announced that we had shoes for the children. It wasn't long before many children started to arrive, most without shoes, many without clothing from the waist down.
The Think Humanity managers, Amani Jean-Paul and Nsabimana Emmanuel spoke to the crowd of parents and community. Beth and Jim Heckel, Charity Watson and Joe Bergholz (all from Colorado) spoke to the crowd and it was translated into Kinyabwisha because these refugees are from the North Kivu area of the Congo. We always try to encourage these refugees, give them hope and let them know that people outside of Kyangwali care about them. A pastor lead in prayer and we unzipped the bags and began. We had several volunteers that helped us fit shoes on the children. Thank you Pascal, Joseph, William and Ericson. The children were very patient. If the shoes didn't fit then we would try them on another child.
Most of the children received shoes, however not all of them because the crowd continued to grow and grow as the word got out that visitors had shoes for children. In the video you will see the many children lined up. Many of these children have never seen white people (they call them Muzungu) before so you will see one child run and cry when he sees me with the camera. Additional children in Mukarange, Kasonga and Kagoma villages received shoes too.
We told them that we would be back. Sycamore Creek sent five additional boxes to our P.O. Box in Hoima, but they had not arrived yet.
When the other shoes arrive they will be distributed to those that did not receive and also to other villages within the camp.
Thank you Sycamore Creek Elementary School children for your love and care for refugees in Africa. I will be sending your school mascot,Kirby back soon. He is anxious to get back to North Carolina. He traveled to Denver, to Washington D.C., to Belgium, to Rwanda and to Uganda. On the way back he visited Ethiopia, Germany and then back to Denver. He has been resting for a couple weeks now and misses his school friends.
The children loved Kirby and everybody wanted to hold him! They also loved the shoes so much.
.jpg)
The children of Sycamore Creek Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina had a variety show in November to raise money to provide Crocs to children in a refugee camp in Uganda. They also donated Crocs at the event. In total there were 342 pairs of shoes donated to children in Africa.
