MaNdate 12 Bed Net Distribution in Uganda

A basic purpose -- the gift of power!

My wish is to celebrate my birthday with a purpose. A basic purpose -- the gift of power to Think Humanity!

For the past three years in February, I have asked for your help to raise money for Think Humanity for my birthday. This year is especially important to me.

In May 2011 we opened a health care center in Uganda; the Think Humanity Community Health Centre.


It is registered with the Ministry of Health -- a wonderful place where the most disadvantaged (refugees and underdeveloped rural communities) can receive good, quality health care for free.
In July 2011 while in Uganda I experienced something heartbreaking. While we have a wonderful 24 hour service, the power in this area goes out for days at a time. There was a call late at night so I decided to go along with the doctor to the THCHC.

A young pregnant woman was suffering terribly with malaria. She had a high fever and was crying for her baby to live. She was afraid that she would have a miscarriage. It was pitch dark - no power, only the flashlight that I carried. I had to hold the flashlight for the doctor as he put an IV into the back of this young woman's hand.

While holding the flashlight I was looking around the room with tears in my eyes. First, I will say that I was grateful that we could even have this service to save lives, but secondly I feared for this woman and her baby. Life's challenges are enough in East Africa, but to also deal without power was another unthinkable challenge. I became very frustrated that we did not have a backup power source.

That is why I am fund-raising for my birthday to raise money for a solar panel that will provide electricity to the clinic, but also will keep reagents (chemicals for lab testing) from spoiling in the lab fridge. If we can have a reliable source of power, we can keep immunizations in the lab fridge and help more children.

This week we have had reagents spoil due to a power outage - we have lost enough reagents that could have helped 30 people!

I could tell you more reasons why this alternate power source is necessary, but I believe it stands on its own.

Won't you please donate towards a solar panel for our clinic in Uganda in honor of my birthday?
My wish is to celebrate my birthday with a purpose. A basic purpose -- the gift of power!
"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."


Beth Heckel, Think Humanity Director/Founder

To give to or share Beth Bevard Heckel's Birthday Wish, follow the link below:

http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/439790?bws=email_to_friends&m=1ac83f93

or visit the Think Humanity website http://www.thinkhumanity.org/donate.html

Uganda Recycled Paper Bead Bracelet Africa Fair Trade

http://previewitem.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?PreviewItemV4&SessionId=120887801203&SeqId=5817740&md=1&noPreviewHeader=1


Check out ebay for jewelry sales. Hope to sell all ten of these before we leave for Uganda. It's difficult when we are away because we lose money that we could be earning to pay for medication, doctors, nurses and lab technicians.





Picture credits to Sam Rogers and Iman Woods.
Each multi-colored band bracelet is uniquely made and no two beads are the same. The bracelets pictured may be slightly different than what you receive.The size varies, so please specify whether your wrist is small, medium or large. The band bracelet is made from recycled paper beads with blue, red or black glass beads between the paper beads. Visit the website for more information at www.Thinkhumanity.org.
Note: It is best to keep your beaded jewelry from getting wet. They are water resistant, but not water-proof, which means that splashing when washing will not hurt them, but dipping into water over a period of time can cause them to become sticky. If your items breaks, please let us know and we will make it right. We cannot fix your jewelry because they are made in Uganda, but we will do our best to replace it with something similar.
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Think Humanity has partnered with a group of women from Uganda that live in the Acholi Quarter Camp for Internally Displaced Persons. We personally know these women. We are not simply purchasing jewelry in local shops or at the airport like many do. These women are making beads to help earn family income and sustain a community financed food-aid program for their children. We purchase the jewelry from them and they benefit, but then we sell in the USA at a reasonable profit. 100% of the money then goes back to help with Think Humanity projects. It will then benefit those refugees displaced from war-affected countries living in Uganda in refugee settlement camps.

We are helping to build a small economy in Uganda, but at the same time helping our own self-sustainable projects in refugee camps.

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The jewelry is made out of tightly rolled colored recycled paper. For example, the women receive donated outdated corporate calendars to use for their paper beads.

http://www.thinkhumanity.org/
By purchasing Acholi products you are helping refugees in IDP and UNHCR camps.

How Think Humanity identifies Fair Trade:

1) Fighting poverty;
2) Building sustainable businesses;
3) Empowering women;
4)Supporting education; and
5) Helping the environment by recycling.

or visit the Etsy Store at www.etsy.com/shop/ThinkHumanity
 

Uganda - One Doctor for 16,200 Refugees in Kyaka II

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/.

Jewelry and Java for a Reason

Events - ThinkHumanity.org - A Positive Change for Refugees in AfricaThink Humanity

March 13, 2010

5 to 8 pm

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.

Solids Grounds Coffee Shop

6504 S. Broadway

Centennial, Colorado 80121

Host: Becca Strait

Contact Becca at Becca@Nightlight.org 303-870-8661

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.

www.ThinkHumanity.org

A portion of money raised will go towards helping girls' education by purchasing ground nuts and cabbages to provide them with a healthy diet.

Presently they are eating only posho, porridge made from maize flour.

Thank you for your support.

Video on YouTube of Acholi woman working in rock quarry in IDP camp.