 Community Development
JAKARTA, INDONESIA- HISG staff recently visited a Trash
Recycling Plant in Jakarta, HISG's newest project in
Indonesia. This project is a vibrant example of Holistic
Integrated Sustainable Transformation (HIST) in a society.
The recycling plant is located in a slum of North Jakarta,
where the rivers are totally polluted with discarded plastic
bags. The people there are mostly unemployed, poorly
educated and without hope. The workers at the
plant gather trash out of the rivers, then wash and bundle the
plastic to be recycled. There are ten people who had no formal
training but are now gainfully employed and able to assure a
quality of life for their families that was previously not
possible. They can afford education for their children
and medical care for their entire family. The families
have also formed a strong bond and a new sense of community as
a result of the work they do together. In addition, the
workers collect about 330 pounds (150 kg) of trash out of the
rivers each day, which benefits the environment and the entire
community. The proceeds from this operation will
pay off all operational costs and capital purchases within the
first year of operation. HISG is exploring possibilities
for duplicating this community development model in other slum
areas of the city as well as in other cities all across
Indonesia. The Trash Recycling Plant is a striking
example of how the HIST Model can achieve sustainable results
that are lasting, life-changing and transforming a
community. Please click here
to see more pictures of the plant and read more about the
recycling process.
|
 Community Development
NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA- HISG is offering sewing classes
in Nouakchott, Mauritania to help the women of that city earn
money for their families. Nouakchott is the capital and
largest city in Mauritania, where most of the people earn less
that $1 USD per day.
Women in the classes are first
taught to sew by hand, then on a sewing machine. After several
months of instruction, students can purchase their own sewing
machine on loan for $50 USD. They then have one full
year to repay the loan, with the money being used to buy more
machines for more classes. The women sell their products in
the markets or to retailers for export to Europe. They
are also taught to save money and are asked to deposit a few
coins each week into a fund to care for other families during
emergencies.
The women involved in this sewing
enterprise are grateful for the new skills and income the
classes have provided. This project is offering families the
means to provide for themselves, and the hope of a better
life.
|
 HISG Operations
One
of the orphanages that HISG supports is in an especially
dangerous part of a large city. At one point a local
government official had threatened to evict the orphanage from
the property. One week before the eviction date, a mob
boss intervened on behalf of the orphanage and the orphans,
telling government officials "I'm a bad man, I'm a mafia [man]
and nobody makes me leave. But why do you make trouble
for them? They take care of the orphans. They care
for the orphans, but you want to make them leave. Leave
them alone, for humanity's sake. If anyone should dare
touch this orphanage, they should walk on my dead body."
The facility is still operating after 15
years.
HISG
was founded to care for the least cared-for portions of
society. This vision involves a number of different
operations, but reaching
out to the most vulnerable and neglected portions of
society
is still at the heart of the vision. In many countries,
it
is orphaned children
who are the most neglected.
HISG's
Orphan and Vulnerable Children Initiative is described briefly
in a previous Pulse
Report. This initiative can be broken down into four
main points:
- Preventing
children from being abandoned
- Protecting
children from traficking and expoitation
- Programs
to help orphans integrate into society
- Promoting
adoption and foster care as alternatives to
orphanages
HISG's
warehouse has shipped medical supplies, school supplies,
clothing and furniture to orphanages all over the world.
HISG
staff have visited orphanages in Indonesia and Ethiopia in the
past month, connecting with caregivers and identifying more
ways to care for the children. There are 143 million
orphans in the world, and there is much work to be done.
If you would like to partner with HISG in meeting the needs of
these children, please contact
us.
|
 Department Focus
HISG has grown significantly in the past year,
essentially tripling in size. The new staff gives HISG a
much larger capacity to better serve the needs of people
around the world. One of the key components of this growth is
the International Operations team made up of Tom Jennings,
Charlene Jennings, and Norm Brinkley. These three have
added a wealth of personal experience and expertise to the
organization.
Norm Brinkley is HISG's International
Director for Africa and the Middle East, having spent most of
four decades working in that area. As a business man,
Norm has partnered in multiple entrepreneurial ventures.
As a humanitarian, he distributed over $1 million in equipment
and supplies into the Arabian Peninsula in 2005 alone. He has
also trained hundreds of workers from North Africa and the
Middle East in business operations and cultural
issues. We feel Norm is uniquely qualified to face the
relief and development challenges in this developing
region.
Tom and Charlene Jennings bring over 30 years
of teamwork, business management and development experience to
their roles as International Directors for Asia. While
living in Hong Kong from 1987-1996, Tom and Charlene founded
an import-export business that was recognized with an award
from the Chinese government. They have also started
numerous charities focused on helping the people of the Far
East. Before joining HISG they operated a private consulting
firm that helped individuals and businesses manage change,
adapt to foreign cultures, and increase team productivity
through personalized training courses.
The
International Operations team opens up many new possibilities
for HISG to promote sustainable community development and
transformation around the world. Watch for HISG to
extend operations into more countries and touch more lives as
we connect even more resources to
needs.
| |
