What Aceh Has Taught Me
By Allison Zelkowitz, PCI Staff in Banda Aceh

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami killed nearly 167,000 people in Aceh alone. Since that time, hundreds of international organizations have worked to repair the devastation and help the survivors rebuild their lives.

Much has been written about reconstruction progress and the impact of international aid on communities in Aceh. Thus, I’ve decided to talk about Aceh’s impact on me, and the simple but important lesson Aceh has taught me: we can recover from anything.

As a Communications Officer, part of my job has been to interview and write stories about people involved in PCI’s livelihood, health, water, and sanitation projects. One of the questions I always ask is, “What happened to you when the tsunami hit?” Every person I’ve interviewed has had an incredible story to tell, and each has told it calmly, without self-pity. Some were knocked unconscious by the terrible wave, carried for miles, and awoke in a tree or on a hill. Others just barely escaped the tsunami’s force, running for their lives and climbing onto rooftops. Each of them was an exception, one of a small group of survivors—in many villages, sixty to eighty percent of the inhabitants were killed.

Everyone in Aceh has lost family members, friends, and neighbors. I’ve spoken to mothers who had their infants dragged from their arms, grandfathers who outlived their grandsons, and children who, in a few short minutes, became orphans.

I remember the day I truly realized the strength of the human spirit. It was a Sunday, and I was sitting on the beach near Banda Aceh, the same stretch of pristine sand where, three years ago, thousands had perished. I’d come to the ocean because I needed to think, to mull over a personal problem that was weighing on my mind. While gazing at the water, I noticed a middle-aged man playing with a toddler on the beach. A few minutes later, he walked over and sat next to me, setting the little girl in his lap. He explained that she was a child from his second marriage—his first wife, and all four children, had died in the tsunami.

My own problems never seemed smaller.

Encounters like this are a common occurrence in Aceh. As the rehabilitation phase nears completion, I continue to feel blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to meet these resilient people. Although they have suffered incomprehensible losses, they are rebuilding their lives with courage, determination, and dignity. Their strength is an inspiration.

Global Focus: Poverty & Hunger

In a world that houses 6.55 billion people, almost half - three billion people - live below the poverty line, earning less than $2 a day. Among this group, 800 million people are suffering from hunger and malnourishment because they cannot afford to provide themselves and their families an essential daily need: food.

Hunger can manifest itself in many forms besides starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger suffer from chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which can result in weakness, delayed fetal development, stunted growth, and greater susceptibility to illness.

Malnutrition is the single most important risk factor for disease. The more malnourished a person is, the more vulnerable he or she is to disease; and the sicker a person is, the more vulnerable he or she is to malnutrition. In addition to the impact on health, the constant search for food consumes valuable time and energy, causing less time for people in poverty to work and earn much needed income.

Better nutrition is a major key in ending poverty and provides the foundation for achieving better quality of life. Healthy children have the capacity to learn better. Healthy people are stronger and more able to create opportunities that gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger.

With countless countries facing food shortages around the world, a global food crisis is upon us. This “silent tsunami” threatens over 100 million people. Addressing the core issues of poverty and hunger is paramount – and the time to act is now.

So do what you can to effect change – whether it’s spreading awareness of the issue or donating to a charity involved in this international work. Each of us has the capacity to make a difference. And together, we’ll have the momentum to plant a seed of change for the next generation to escape a fate of suffering caused by hunger and malnourishment.

Maji Na Usafi Kwa Maisha Bora!
("Safe water for a healthy life!")

By Janine Schooley, PCI Staff

Water has been on my mind lately. This is not only because I am here in Tanzania for PCI’s new Starbucks/Ethos-funded water and sanitation project, but for many other reasons as well. PCI, with its implementing partner, ADRA/Tanzania, and its collaborating partners, WaterAid Tanzania and the Babati District Council, have come together to officially launch and plan for our BAHEWASA Project. (By the way, BAHEWASA stands for Babati Water for Health in Swahili.)
So, what else is making me think a lot about water these days? Water is running through our planning for the project of course. We are learning a lot about the need and demand for water; clean water for drinking, but also water for livestock, for cooking, cleaning, growing food, and overall survival. But it’s not just that. It’s the fact that water here is a microcosm of the contradictions that are Africa. I’m sure you are wondering what I mean by that. I mean that water is both scarce and abundant, important for the poor as well as for the privileged, a symbol of tradition as well as a symbol of our modern times.
Here in Tanzania it is the "wet season". It has been raining almost every day, almost all day sometimes, since I arrived in Tanzania. Sometimes it comes in sprinkles and passes quickly. Other times it pours like I’ve never seen water pour, from the sky, and runs in raging rivers through a town or village.

On the other hand, when you ask anyone in the village of Vilima Vitatu (3 Hills), one of the 11 villages selected for BAHEWASA implementation in Year 1 (total population approximately 31,000), what they most want or need, the answer will come back a unanimous: "water!" Some villages have less than 1 water point per 1,000 population. Imagine what that would be like: have 5 bathrooms and a kitchen in my house in San Diego. That adds up to about 12 water points, not counting the taps outside for the garden hoses. It is mind boggling to think of the difference between that and what the families of Babati are living with.

So, water is critical for the people of Babati who live in villages, as well as for the people who depend upon the tourists who come to the game preserves. Water means livelihood for the cattle herder as well as for the safari guide. It is a common thread running through the traditional societies and the first world visitors who flock to see the elephants of Tarangire in their khaki vests and hiking boots. Water is definitely on my mind.

The World Food Crisis

On April 17th at a joint White House news conference with President George Bush, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Gordon Brown, stated that the globe is facing a worsening food crisis unseen in over 30 years.

The World Food Program (WFP) has recently identified at least 30 “high risk” countries from around the globe that they consider vulnerable to the rising international prices of basic food commodities such as rice, wheat, and corn, commodities which have currently soared in the world markets and, in some cases, jumped to an all-time high at the wholesale level.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that 21 countries likely to be directly and adversely affected are in Africa where food-related riots have already been reported in Egypt, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Haiti. The WFP has characterized this as the ‘Silent Tsunami” warning this may lead to potential catastrophe.

Executive director of the WFP, Josette Sheeran, said this week, that the rising food prices are “threatening to plunge more than 100 million people on every continent into hunger.”

Though the long-term impact is still unknown, there is a way to help support those who will be severely impacted by this crisis. Through PCI, you can help provide not only nutritious meals, but economic opportunities that will enable those living in poverty provide for their families and communities. Learn more at www.ProjectConcern.org/FoodCrisis.

PCI and the Three Bears….

by Janine Schooley, PCI Staff

When people ask me about PCI’s annual budget, or whether we are a small or large organization, two thoughts come to mind: 1) It’s all relative; and 2) Goldilocks and the Three Bears. By “relative”, I mean that, in comparison to many grassroots or local non-profit organizations, we would be considered large, with a $22 million dollar a year cash budget and over 600 employees worldwide. On the other hand, if you compare us with our major competitors, organizations like Save the Children, CARE, or World Vision, with whom we compete for funding in the areas of child survival, HIV/AIDS or food security, we are definitely the “little guys,” working with organizational resources that are a fraction of what the “big guys” are able to muster.

Sometimes we are told “you’re too big,” when we apply for grant resources designed for smaller or local/indigenous non-profits. And yet we have also been told “you’re too small” by funders who are looking for a major, multi-country contractors with the obvious ability to manage multi-million dollar awards. This is where Goldilocks and the Three Bears comes in. We aren’t too small or too big; we are juuuuust right. Well first let me say that we aren’t exactly quite “just right,” yet. We would like to be bigger and better and stronger and more able to bring our programs to more people. But rather than try to be a larger organization, we strive to be the best medium-sized organization we can be.

Why, might you ask? Why not become as large as possible? Well because our particular size allows us to be responsive, nimble, innovative and yes, scrappy. We aren’t burdened by a large bureaucracy. We have systems, structures, and capacity that enable us to effectively compete and manage programs with the best of them, but we haven’t let them get unwieldy or cumbersome. While we can effectively compete for multimillion dollar awards through PEPFAR, for example, we are able to be more integrated and cohesive in our technical/programmatic work than otherwise. In some organizations, the HIV staff and the food & nutrition security staff, for example, are so large and so departmentalized that they don’t even talk to each other, let alone collaborate on integrated programming. Our technical officers interact with each other and actually seek out opportunities to collaborate. Because we aren’t attempting to spend large pots of funding in a relatively short period of time, we tend to seek out opportunities to meet the needs of smaller pockets of people who are particularly isolated and vulnerable. This “off the asphalt road” approach means that we can reach people in great need who otherwise might be overlooked. Our “just right” size also contributes to our ability to stay grounded and grassroots, working with and through local community-based organizations and networks because we don’t have our own large organization to draw upon. Our mid-size helps ensure our “in the middle” position whereby we effectively link the field/communities on the ground with global policy, research, technical resources, etc.

Of course, we must grow in order to stay viable and to expand our impact, and grow we will. But just like Goldilocks, we have been able to appreciate our mid-size and middle position in the meantime. This will help ensure that we retain what is best about our current size while expanding its impact as far and wide as possible.

The Continued Struggle Against Polio

By Dustin Wright, PCI Staff

During the 20th century, medical advancements helped take the offensive against the polio virus, which has plagued and crippled people since the days when Egyptian pharaohs were erecting pyramids. The polio vaccine made its debut in 1955 and was soon distributed in an oral form which made administration of the vaccine easier. People in even the most remote regions were receiving the life-saving treatment.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the last remaining polio endemic countries are Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and India, with the later having the highest number of confirmed cases. Already in 2008, India has confirmed 82 new cases of polio, adding to the 864 cases the country logged last year. The second highest endemic country, Nigeria, has confirmed 18 cases this year, with 286 reported last year.

Obviously, poverty and poor education are main factors that contribute to the tenacity of the virus in these countries. In Nigeria, for example, some Muslim communities have resisted polio vaccination because of the belief that Western countries are using the vaccine to inject Muslims with chemicals that will reduce their fertility or infect them with HIV/AIDS.

War and conflict aren’t helping things either, especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and even non-endemic countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad.

With the largest number of infections, India is the focus of many eradication campaigns. The northern state of Uttar Pradesh experienced a polio outbreak last year and PCI India responded by increasing its presence in the region. Volunteers were dispatched door to door to ensure that local families were taking part in available immunizations. Community leaders were contacted to spread the word and local mosques made announcements. After a century of technological advancements in the fight against polio, spreading the word may well be the weapon that ends the war.

A Glimpse of Life "Behind the Pearly Gates"

By Laurel Kirkland, PCI Staff

I was originally introduced to Project Concern International (PCI) by a new friend upon moving to San Diego. At the time I was looking to get involved with an organization like this. As a matter of fact I was hoping to find one EXACTLY like this. Fortunately enough I applied for and was accepted into an internship with the Program Development department allowing me the opportunity to familiarize myself more with the International NGO world.

I was immediately given projects that conveyed a confidence in my ability and intelligence. Instantly I found myself immersed in the non profit organization lingo, what I think should be termed, Acronymian. As I swam in a sea of acronyms, research, and editing projects I had a chance to learn PCI’s different strokes. I tried to be friendly, helpful and make connections with people from all departments in the office (which isn’t difficult, they are a welcoming bunch). I worked hard and asked lots of questions. Not long after my internship began, approximately one month, a position as Office Assistant/Receptionist opened up and I jumped at the opportunity to get on board this fine ship. I knew this was my chance to get a foot in the door and was given a lot of encouragement to do so.

Now I am continuing to learn more about Project Concern International and am eager to stick with the organization with hopes of moving up. I have had a glimpse of the incredible group that is the machine Project Concern International. I am convinced that every one of the people working here has good intentions. We are a wonderful family who celebrates together by having potlucks and lunch outings. Our VP for Technical Services and Program Development, Janine Schooley cleverly creates appreciative farewell songs for those that leave us which we all sing in unison at a farewell lunch. For Valentine’s Day we all drew Secret Valentines and came in to discover something special in our cubicle. For Halloween we dressed up and trick or treated around the office. We work very hard but there’s always room for a little fun around here too.

PCI from the insider’s view is probably just as amazing as it is from the outsider’s view, this is no mirage folks. These people are dedicated to making this world a better place. We are progressive, innovative and compassionate in our overall work and within our individual office.