- International Projects -
- AFRICA -
2009 JULIA BURKE FOUNDATION HELPS BUILD THE JULIA BURKE INFIRMARY IN ZAMBIA
The Julia Burke Foundation has taken great pleasure in partnering with the Woodward Academy to help construct the new Julia Burke Infirmary and staff houses at the Terranova School located on the Terranova Coffee Estate in Zambia.
Woodward Academy in Atlanta GA, has adopted Terranova School in a sister school program and has helped provide Terranova School with much needed text books, computers and reading materials. This year, the combination of fundraising efforts by Woodward Academy and The Julia Burke Foundation grant have helped build a new infirmary. George Dietz, Assistant Middle School Principal at Woodward Academy, recently wrote to us:
“I know you must hear things like this all the time, but this grant will literally change the lives of thousands of individuals in this community more than you can possibly know. The impact for these people would be the same as if you had made a multimillion dollar donation to a hospital in the states. The infirmary insures that we will now have an adequate facility to test the children as well as adults, and treat the people if necessary.”
Obviously, coffee is not the only thing cared about on the Estate. Terranova coffee wouldn’t be around today if it were not for the thousands of folks employed to pick their famous coffee. On the farm you can find a school, and a clinic both dedicated to enriching the lives of these workers. A portion of the sale of Terranova coffee goes to maintaining the school and the clinic. In addition, the Estate contributes heavily to the wildlife management of the Lower Zambezi National Park, as well as Chikankata Hospital run by The Salvation Army. Chikankata is one of Africa’s leading AIDS research facilities.
For more information, visit: www.terranovacoffee.com and www.woodward.edu
Children beam at the dedication ceremony
The building of The Julia Burke Infirmary
2008 JBF HELPS PURCHASE WEAPONS CUTTING SHEARS FOR USE IN ANGOLA
HALO has identified a need around the world – and in Angola specifically – for efficient and permanent disposal of large stocks of unwanted weapons. This is especially important in countries where peace has been established, and the reminders of war detract from that peace.
Currently, workers use shears designed for the scrap metal industry to dispose of weapons. These shears are difficult to transport to the remote regions of the world that need them, and they are also inefficiently designed. To solve this problem, HALO collaborated with a Scottish engineering firm to develop a more efficient pair of cutting shears. These new shears will be powered using a hydraulic feed, rather than by electricity, and have blades designed specifically for WAD.
The Foundation and the U.S. Department of State have given matching grants for the purchase of two pairs of the new mobile weapons cutting shears. This grant has come in time for Angola’s countrywide voluntary disarmament campaign in the first half of 2008.
For more information, visit www.HaloUsa.org
New hydraulic weapons cutting shears
2007 WATER PURIFICATION IN ETHIOPIA
Collecting and treating water near Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo by Daniel Crapper.
The Julia Burke Foundation is pleased to partner with Population Services International for a clean water project in Ethiopia. Currently, there is an outbreak of acute diarrhea in Gondar, and our project will provide free treatment of up to 650 million liters of water to local families. For more information about Population Services International, go to www.psi.org
2008, 2004 PROJECTS WITH THE POLUS CENTER IN ETHIOPIA
The Ethiopian Self-Empowerment Project's goal is to assist grassroots disability organizations in building their capacity to effectively implement their own, individual projects and to identify the common needs of persons withdisabilities in order to allow them to become independent.
Women with disabilities in Ethiopia are very vulnerable from a combination of both gender discrimination and the stigma associated with disabilities. A delegation from the Polus Center traveled to Ethiopia to meet with individuals with disabilities. Using the information gathered from this meeting, the Ethiopian Self-Empowerment Project has been established. The Women with Disabilities National Association of Ethiopia and the Moon Leprosy Cooperative are part of this project. The overwhelming need for immediate assistance by many of the persons with disabilities interviewed is painfully evident.
While the Polus Center remains committed to working with the associations toward addressing long-term needs and implementing demonstration projects, the need for daily sustenance needs to be addressed.
The Julia Burke Foundation grant will help provide emergency, short-term assistance for basic survival which includes food, shelter, and health-care while the Polus Center continues to work toward providing sustainable income-generating opportunities.
For more information about The Polus Center, go to www.poluscenter.org
2006 MICROLOAN PROJECT IN KENYA
Our Kenya project is operated by Kiva (meaning "agreement" or "unity" in Swahili) (www.kiva.org) and the Women's Economic Empowerment Consort (WEEC), and funded loans for 100 of the very poorest women including Masai tribeswomen who traditionally raise cattle and who need to buy cattle for breeding and/or for dairyproducts.
2006 MICROLOAN PROJECT IN MALAWI
In Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa, we sponsored three new "village banks" offering loans to as many as 150 women. These banks offer a safe and profitable place to accumulate savings, group support for personal empowerment, life insurance, and credit cards, and are operated by the Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA). These loans funded new businesses, including tailoring, hair salons, pharmacies, food sales, small-holder agriculture, transportation and crafts. For more information about FINCA, go to www.villagebanking.org
2002 PROJECT WITH THE HALO TRUST IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The funding provided by the Foundation allowed HALO to access areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. The HALO Trust undertook plans to conduct an assessment of the humanitarian mines situation in the Central African Region. Initially the assessment was to focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi. However, in reaction to events during this period, the survey encompassed Central African Republic (CAR) as well. The survey has had a great influence in HALO’s strategic planning for its own operations, and has been extremely useful in the briefings the HALO regularly gives to major mine clearance donors. A peace agreement, between the warring parties was signed on July 30, 2002 and the process of withdrawing troops by Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Uganda has begun.
Over the course of 2002 HALO has been monitoring the situation in the Great Lakes. Given that considerable headway has been made towards peace in both the DRC and Burundi, HALO will be deploying a mission to the Great Lakes Region in order to assess the impact of mines and UXO.
For more information about the above photos, and to see videos and more information about The HALO Trust, go to www.halousa.org
