Trial and Hope in Africa

Kamren Charpentier

Africa faces the greatest challenges of our time. A chaotic scene of deathly diseases, poverty, starvation, and war – Africa’s issues collide into a mix of desperation and despair. Each day in Africa is a true duel between hope and anguish – a battle of survival for so many it cannot be ignored, even if tried.

Yet amidst these constant struggles, there remains among Africans the greatest hope, warmth, and inspiration. In the past century we have seen some of the greatest world leaders, visionaries, and Nobel Laureates emerge from this vast continent. Africans are a people who do not beg for charity, but for empowerment; who do not cry for sorrow, but for hope; and who do want our pity, but need our support. It is in the nation’s determination that we find the greatest opportunity, hope, and ability to help restore what was once the world’s greatest civilization.

Diseases such as malaria take the lives of over 3,000 children a day in Africa. Combined with HIV/AIDS, the death toll of children, men and women rises to a staggering 3.5 million people each year. Starvation leads orphaned children to the streets to find work and food; poverty diminishes the means for education or medical services; and disease leaves many bed-ridden and debilitated with no way to make a living. When adding into the equation corrupt government and military officials, natural disasters such as drought in Ethiopia, or the genocidal war of Darfur the outcome is devastating.

The cycle of poverty and disease circulating throughout Africa is vicious. There is not one answer to these complicated problems – they require holistic, integrated solutions that lift people out of poverty and provide the access and means to health care, education and economic empowerment.

Project Concern International is working to address these issues and break the unbalanced cycle of poverty. The organization is providing access to health care for victims of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria; nutritional food, education and support programs of orphans and vulnerable children; economic development opportunities for women; and community mobilization that create strong volunteer efforts.

It is only with great conviction, unfounded dedication and unlimited vision that true change can occur. But, change does not happen overnight, it does not strike like a lighting bolt, it takes perseverance and the will to work untiringly day in and day out. It takes leaders and movement, it takes belief, and most importantly it takes each and every one of us.

Project Concern International : Tijuana
Alex Slattery

When I went to Tijuana to photograph Project Concern International’s work, I knew little about the programs there. On arrival in these poor neighborhoods, I met some of the most compassionate people I have ever come across.
I met local promatoras, or health workers, who volunteer in different communities by providing physical check-ups to children, giving vaccinations, and administering Tuberculosis medicine to patients everyday. These women travel far distances without a car or pay to do make sure people receive health care. I also met a couple who opened their home to administer vaccinations and medicine to patients that otherwise could not afford it.
There can be no other gesture of kindness greater than opening up your own home to improve the health and quality of life for others. I was amazed at how little these people had and how much they gave in return. It is important that we raise the quality of living and health for our neighbors (Tijuana) because ultimately it affects us all.
I’m glad I could assist this organization by visually capturing the amazing work Project Concern International is doing in these areas – it is truly making a difference and it showed on the faces of the children, mothers and community members who were there.

Bolivia does not disappoint
By Uli Heine
Just a few weeks ago, I joined eight other women between the ages of 18 and 84 on an off-the-beaten track trip to Bolivia. Joining a group from Project Concern International, a San Diego-based health and development organization, I had the chance to travel 14,000 feet above sea level to see how the amazing work that is improving the lives of thousands of children and families in South America’s poorest country.
The trip certainly was not for the faint of heart. But hours of delay, lost luggage, challenging terrain and traveling in planes, vans and boats to get to some of the most remote places in the western hemisphere did not seem to phase these female travelers.
We were determined to see what can be done to empower families in desperate need of health care, education, clean water and livelihoods. We were not disappointed. Wherever our travels took us to, we were greeted by smiling faces of children, mothers and farmers who proudly presented their home-made flat breads and grits (made out of the local quinoa) to us.
Everywhere we went, children would line up in their best clothes to begin a presentation of local song and dance. When we visited the schools that benefit from Project Concern International’s school feeding program in Cochabamba or Oruro, children were eager to talk to us and we were delighted to see them looking healthy and strong in an area where malnutrition and child mortality is staggeringly high. They were proud to show off their vegetable gardens and clean water sources and to explain how they are working together to improve their lives.
One of the most memorable and visually intriguing moments was when the group arrived in an area of Oruro, a desolate place in Bolivia’s altiplano, often referred to as a moonscape. As soon as we stepped out of the van after hours of traveling over gravel roads, a group of farmers, in their best Quechua garb, starting playing their flutes and led the visitors in a procession to their proud source of livelihood: their llamas. Project Concern International works with hundreds of farmers and thousands of llamas in this area to increase their revenue from South America’s most famous beast of burden.

I will certainly forever keep the faces of the children, mothers, farmers and llamas in my memory.

The Empowering Women of WORTH
Donna Fay Harati

For the past two months, I have had the fortunate opportunity to intern with Project Concern International’s WORTH program in Zambia. I could never adequately express my gratitude and appreciation for having been a small part of such an amazing initiative.

As soon as I learned about the WORTH model, I knew it was something special. The WORTH motto "Dependency is Not Empowerment" signaled to me that this is a program that truly values women. Coming from the United States, I was only familiar with women's development programs that provided some kind of start up money or micro-enterprise loan to begin with. After working with WORTH, I can't imagine such models since WORTH women are taught that they must help themselves to improve their own lives. Every WORTH woman I have met has fully taken this advice to heart. I had no idea women could even be as strong and empowered as the remarkable women I met.

On my very first field visit, I visited a WORTH group composed primarily of elderly women. These women were engaging in building a chicken pen. I remember watching in amazement as they stacked their freshly made bricks row upon row. What impressed me even further was how genuinely selfless these women were. They repeatedly explained that their ultimate goal was to raise money by selling chickens so that they could more adequately care for the orphans and vulnerable children in their communities.

This noble spirit proved to be a common thread among all the WORTH groups I visited: WORTH groups building schools for orphans and vulnerable children, WORTH groups visiting the elderly and sick of their community, WORTH groups rescuing the troubled youth of their area who were dabbling in prostitution and drinking. These women are not satisfied with merely being empowered- rather, they are so thrilled with their newfound voice and strength that they want to touch as many people as possible with good.

I was touched and inspired a million times over by the women I met. I always found myself thinking that American women could learn a great deal about hope, gratitude, and perseverance from these dignified Zambian women. I always felt apprehensive about intruding on their meetings, but each time, they greeted me with lovely songs and passionate dancing, immediately making me feel welcome. I feel unbelievably thankful and privileged to have caught a glimpse of the impact WORTH is having on Zambian women. I'll never forget standing in a circle with other WORTH women and listening to each woman share how WORTH has change her life – that's empowerment in action.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
by Janine Schooley

Everything is interconnected. Everything is vital. The interwoven issues of health and poverty form a cycle that must be addressed as a whole, rather than in separate parts. If we neglect any aspect of development, our program’s success is in jeopardy and there is no chance of long-term sustainability. Isolated interventions can seem helpful, but only as band-aids, with limited shelf life.

There are limitless examples of the connected problems we face. After years in development, I found the concept of "holistic" well-explained by one of our most visionary of funding partners:

• A farmer, even when he has access to irrigation, improved seeds, credit and markets, will make little progress if his soil is being washed away or blown away. So, environmental conservation is vital.
• A man with a potentially thriving farm business will not do well if he is cowering in the darkness of his hut with untreated malaria or AIDS. So, healthcare is vital.
• A good healthcare system will not have the desired impact if the person recovering from an illness is starving, as the drugs will have little effect on an empty stomach. So, economic empowerment is vital.
• A person is less likely to be able to take advantage of new economic opportunities if he or she cannot read. So, education is vital.
• Even if there is a school, a child cannot take advantage of it they keep contracting deadly water-borne diseases. So, clean water is vital.
• Even if there is clean water, a malnutrition child is still at risk of starvation. So, food security is vital.
  

The cycle continues…
Unless this cycle of poverty, ill health, malnutrition, and lack of education and opportunity is broken, the negative impacts will gain momentum and carry well into future generations. Project Concern International understands these critical dynamics and aims to work holistically at the community-level, addressing the complex dynamics of health and poverty in a broad and empowering way.

Unfortunately much of the funding and programming for health and development work around the world is compartmentalized or provided in "silos" and true holistic programming is not as common as it should be. This means that organizations such as PCI must use alternative strategies such as integration, layering or wrapping-around program interventions, piecing together funding from different sources to cobble together a more integrated whole.

Thankfully, the communities we serve inherently understand how the issues they face compound upon each other in their daily lives. It is these local perspectives, issues and priorities, combined with the technical expertise and experience of an organization such as PCI that ultimately leads to practical, appropriate, impactful and sustainable outcomes. This is what we call "community-led social mobilization for real and lasting change" and that is what PCI is all about.