Prayer Bridges Oceans and Cultures
Amazing things happen when you pray with someone. And it really doesn’t matter where you are or even what faith group you belong to. Because prayer bridges miles and a multitude of differences. At our partner hospital, CoRSU in Uganda, we often meet with the caregivers before or after surgery. In some ways, we’re intrusive… foreigners. And we’re meeting...
Read moreNot just another day…
Recently, at a family gathering, my cousin — a year younger than I — told me he had undergone cataract surgery. “What a difference this simple surgery made,” he told me. He was having difficulty driving in the evening, reading and working. His poor vision was gradually creeping into most of his life. It reminded me of the upcoming...
Read moreShe’s a back to school “Miracle”
As I drove to work this morning, I saw a school bus full of kids heading back to school. It reminded me of a little girl I had visited in Malawi, whose name was changed from ‘Lonely’ to ‘Miracle’. It was a miracle she was alive, let alone able to go to school. Let me explain. One morning, ‘Lonely’s’...
Read moreI Want a Hug
A Hope and Healing program officer recently returned from Tanzania. She reported that a recent addition to therapy for non-verbal children was a ‘communications board’. Along with the care-giver, community worker who knows the child, a communications “need list” is designed. These include a picture of food, toilet, and other every day needs. Each board is designed, however,...
Read moreSeeing All Children As Children
Last week a child in a school supported by cbm in Malawi was abducted, killed, and body parts used for traditional medicine. The boy was targeted because he had albinism. A recent article on Reuters refers to the problem of violence towards people with albinism My prayers go out to the family. I can’t imagine the trauma that they...
Read moreToiling on a Foundation
Guest Blogger – Brian Hatchell, Partnership Development Officer at Hope and Healing I recently returned from a trip to Fiche, Ethiopia where – alongside a number of Hope and Healing donors and local residents – I spent 7 days lifting, carrying and dumping dirt, rocks and boulders in order to help lay a foundation for 4 new homes that...
Read moreStanding Up for Stunted Souls
Caroline Abbotts, Hope and Healing Fundraising Field Coordinator Guest Blogger Last month, I had the pleasure and honour to visit Comprehensive Community-based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), a partner of Hope and Healing. A specific experience made a huge impact on me. While visiting the pediatric orthopaedic ward, I sat with a mom and her two children – both who...
Read more4 Concerns with New Global Goals
The Friday before last, (September 25), the United Nations passed the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs). These global targets are meant to drive the development agenda for the next decade. They replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by world leaders at a UN summit in September 2000. Contrary to the MDGs, the new goals (SDGs) explicitly mention disability 11...
Read moreNepal’s First Responders
At Hope and Healing, last week (and I suspect this week and next) will be dominated by the earthquake in Nepal and our emergency response. In emergencies-man made or natural-we need to remember in prayer the people directly affected. The people most obviously affected are those in Nepal who have lost family members, homes-who’ve had their lives shattered. After...
Read moreRemembering the Personal Side of the Nepal Disaster
When a natural disaster hits, like the earthquake in Nepal, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the numbers and the chaos. I find that sometimes the macro view – total number of deaths, homes destroyed, families split – actually numbs me to the reality. To really get a sense of what these numbers mean you have to hear...
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