Asia

In a world suffering from too many strong people using their strength to enforce their will on others, its really exciting to find this Pakistani youth group who are using their strengths to listen to their community. These young people from a church in the small city of Jauharabad said they had felt despair about…

In a health crisis, fear can spread faster than a virus, and with that, the potential for hatred and violence. Clear, actionable and trustworthy communication is essential to combat this. It is also essential for service providers and government officials to listen. What have people actually heard and understood from the health messages? What are…

It can’t be done! How often do you hear this said? What does it stir up in you? Disappointment? Or determination? “It can’t be done” is a phrase the New Dawn community services group won’t accept! They’ve heard it said that local women can’t talk on the media about topics that are considered shameful in…

Eighteen months ago, Nanda could not read or write – today she regularly reads stories to her parents! The ADIVASI VOICES PROJECT is changing the lives of Nanda and others in her remote tribal community in Maharashtra, India. Her teacher says, “Thanks to the project there is now 100% school attendance and there are more girls in school than boys. You have helped parents see the value of education.”

Whatever we asked, the reply was: “no, we do not have it”, “no one listens to us”, “no one comes to us” or “no one is willing to help us”.

A community leader told HCR’s Hazeen Latif, “we are 3000 houses and an estimated population of 15000 including children and elderly people there is not a single BHU (basic health unit) or even some private clinic. There is no public dispensary. The list goes on and on.  This is “Sunda Sar” or “skull of bull” meaning a place of prosperity and power.

In today’s tech savvy world, information is just a click away with our mobile phones and computers, or if those aren’t in reach, our televisions and even radios all help keep us informed. But what if we didn’t have any of these available to us? How would we find out important health and community information? HCR has been working in partnership with Seva Social Welfare Foundation in remote parts of India’s Maharashtra state, home to many indigenous groups known as Adivasis.

What a joy to be back in the remote Maharashtran village of Kahandol in time to celebrate the inauguration of their two new wells.  Just four months earlier I had been standing on a dried up riverbed with my Indian colleagues, Shilpa, Sam and Akshay and the head of the village, Patil Ramdas Warde.  Ramdas told us how the drought had brought great hardship to his village, with only 28 days of water, and he had asked us if there was anything we could do to help …

Picture this: a village with around 120 households; men, women, children and elderly all living together in conditions very few would dare to live. As the night falls the world beyond the village illuminates with lights glowing from house windows and on the streets. Cool air wafts from air conditioners and fans are blowing. But this village in KPK looks like a campsite with candle lights getting dimmer and dimmer as night get deeper.

These community volunteers in Majukay are amazing! Despite the intense summer heat and the fasting period, they got out and sprayed mosquito hotspots in their community to prevent Dengue fever infections. Has it made a difference? This year we heard people saying, more people are gathering together again in the places where community happens. In…

Change is happening and its infectious! The development changes we have seen in the last few months in Majukay, a community in Charsadda, Pakistan, were almost unimaginable 4 years ago when the community members set ambitious goals for being a healthy thriving society. It feels like a corner has been turned, and the change is gaining momentum.