Rose Charities Canada has sent funds for the Rose Nepal Programs Group under Ms Sarala Adhikari to urgently supply around 3000 medical masks, primarily for people in the Pharping area with a focus on kids. While the protective benefits of mask wearing have become well appreciated in the area, simple lack of having them has been impeding their usage. Great work Nepal Group !
Category Archives: Sars-Cov-2
Haiti Children and Y0uth Project: Spring 2021 update
Dear friends and family,
With the start of summer 
and mid 2021 approaching, as always we hope that all is well with you and yours.
We have not written for several months because, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past several months have been fairly quiet for the Haiti Children & Youth Project.
COVID-19 & PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Last year when the COVID-19 pandemic started, our team of volunteer leaders followed the Haitian health authority’s COVID prevention guidelines and temporarily stopped project activities involving group gatherings except for project committee meetings. Miraculously the number of COVID-19 cases were low in Haiti so last summer the Haitian government allowed groups of people to start meeting again with masks on at markets, schools, churches, etc. Even so, our Haitian leaders chose to wait until this past January 2021 to resume group project activities.
Last month, in May, several cases of the COVID-19 variant from Brazil were reported in Haiti with some associated deaths. Consequently, near the end of May the Haitian government requested the population again limit social / group gatherings and wear masks in public. Then on June 1st the government announced a 15 day “lock down” to hopefully stop the virus from continuing to spread. Online news reports that the Astrazenica vaccine may eventually be offered in Haiti.
EDUCATION SUPPORT
Providing financial assistance to support the education of elementary and secondary school students is the only project activity which has continued throughout the pandemic. Haitian schools reopened last July 2020 and students were able to finish the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year from July to October then start the 2020-2021 school year last November. We are extremely thankful that the project was able to help pay the 2020-2021 school fees for 159 students with significant need, orphans and others from single parent or very low income families.
The positive impact this education support has for each student hits home with a recent story from an orphan who received her first education bursary from the project. When talking to one of the project leaders this student mentioned that this year she does not have to worry when the school administration starts following up on unpaid school fees and begins to send students home who are unable to pay the remaining balance. She expressed relief and gratitude that, with her school fees fully paid, she is one of the “privileged” children in the school who will be able to complete the whole academic year.
NEW JACMEL PROGRAM (see photos below)
Last fall the Haitian committee leaders became aware of several orphans in the city of Jacmel which is a half hour drive southwest of the project office and work in Lavalee. Orphans in the city are often originally from a smaller community in the nearby countryside. When a child’s parents die a friend, family member, or another individual in the city offers to take in the orphan even if they themselves have their own children to care for and/or have limited resources. Many of the people who help care for the orphans are motivated to do so by their faith in God.
Our Haitian leaders proposed expanding the project to support orphans in Jacmel as well as other vulnerable children and youth in the city. This past January they started a program with two small groups: one of nine children age 10-15 years old (4 boys and 5 girls) and another of sixteen youth age 16-21 years old (10 boys and 6 girls). Every few weeks the children and youth meet together for social and educational activities. A nutritious snack is always served. The project has had the funds to also provide a full meal on four occasions. Each of the 25 participants in this new Jacmel program received a school bursary for their 2020-2021 school year fees.
A close friend of Jean’s in Jacmel offered a place to hold this new program. The meeting place is a great resource for the program attendees as they are free to visit two project leaders there outside program hours. We are still in the process of raising funds to rent this location but so far two local Haitian citizens have each made a financial contribution towards the rent.
With sincere appreciation for your interest and support,
Jean & Terri Lubin
Rose Charities ‘Haiti Children & Youth Project’
Rose Charities Singapore: Helping with Covid relief right from the beginning
Covid emergency Nepal: Oxygen Unit Support
Rose Charities Canada is supporting the Rose Charities Nepal Program Group in assisting an urgent local initiative, along with other groups and individuals to provide an oxygen unit for the Manmohan Hospital. The program to date has already raised around 50% of the required NPR 60 lakh (appx CAD65,000) allowing equipment already to be ordered (oxygen production, cylinders, beds etc, as well as ambulance refurbishment).
At the time of writing, Sars-Cov-2, having spread in from India is ravaging Nepal. Resources are strained to beyond their limits and at the end of May 2021 there were over half a million cases with some 8000 deaths. One of the essential treatment methods prevent death, the use of oxygen, has been made almost impossible give to to the majority of covid sufferers due to the overwhelming demand depleting supplies. Ref https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/10/hopeless-situation-oxygen-shortage-fuels-nepal-covid-crisis
The Government is doing what it can but itself has limited resources to spare amid the numerous other national demands from the pandemic.
Dakshinkali, in the Pharping community lies on the southern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, an area containing apprximately 2.5 million people or some 8% of the entire population of Nepal The Manmohan Memorial Community Hospital in Dakshinkali town provides a vital role in serving the people both of the local areas and its surrounds. Its services however have been overwhelmed by the current pandemic.
Rose Charities in the covid-19 crisis
As with so man organisations, individuals and groups, members of the Rose Charities network have striven to help where they can. Initiatives include both those in very developing countries which, on top of existing poverty are being very hard hit as well as within problem areas in ‘the west’
Zambia (Malambo-Rose Charities Canada). Food distribution as well as a soap distribution, education and local soap making program. Recently also a protective mask making program has been inaugurated. For Malambo programs see .. Uganda Stand Tall education (Rose Charities Canada) has assisted with food distribution . This has also been implemented in the rural Voset School (Rose Charities Canada supported) . A generator has been supplied and installed in its own hut and this will assist hugely with the increased level of power cuts. Ethopia (PIHA-Rose Charities Canada ) Fund have been sent for food and material assistance.
United Kingdom. Rose Charities UK has carried out the following assistances a) medial mask manufacture by 3D printing. A private initiative was supported to establish and expand a manufacturing facility for medical protective masks to supply at material cost price. The support assisted the organization (along with others) to set up full production and now around a thousand masks a week are being produced and distributed. The program has proven so successful that further support has now been attracted by a large company which will boost production still further b) Reading program support to a school in South London with a high proportion of children from poor families. The corvid-19 crisis has left many unable to socialize normally and this is particularly harmful in in adolescent children in difficult areas where there is a danger of turning to crime, drug trafficking etc. The school initiative is combating this with a Kindle reading program. Kindles are purchased and lent to the children along with eBooks of their choice and all encouragement to read. The very fact that the reading is from a Kindle gives a lot of encouragement in the current age (surprising as this may seem to older generations)
Other programs will be reported on as they occur. Assistances in Haiti, Guatemala and NZ are under consideration