GYVN launches its membership program!

A Global Membership allows you to shape and create GYVN as it continues to build generations of young leaders. Your membership benefits include: receiving quarterly newsletters eligibility to sit on the board of directors, an invitation to the annual general meeting and to other events and gatherings, plus more! A one-­year membership donation of $30 to the general fund can be done via http://en.gyvn.ca/?page_id=21

Photos of Ugunja's current situation as a result of the flooding

Our partner Ugunja Community Resource Centre (UCRC) has been hit by extreme flooding and the conditions are extremely bad. http://myglobalyouthnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/12/ugunja-community-resource-centre-needs.html.   Please see the photos below sent by UCRC's Executive Director of the current situation.

 

At this time, any assistance whatsoever is welcome and appreciated. If you would like to donate to assist with this crisis, GYVN  can offer a tax receipt for donations over $15. There are 2 ways you can donate: online through Canada helps (select the Ugunja project) or through the mail by sending your donation to our P.O. Box: 

Global Youth Volunteer Network

Waterloo Square PO 40053
Waterloo, ON N2J 4V1

The Ugunja Community Resource Centre Needs Our Help!

This letter is to let you know that our friend and partner organization in Ugunja Kenya – Ugunja Community Resource Centre (UCRC) - is in the midst of a crisis.

There has been extreme flooding in the region from heavy rains.  At this time, 40,000 people have been affected by the floods. The large torrents have swept away homes and farms along the riverbanks and have displaced many families. To make matters worse, there is a national Doctors strike so there are no doctors willing to assist with the urgent needs. The floods have forced people from their homes as well as damaged homes beyond repair. The high waters have also increased waterborne diseases like cholera and the number of mosquito related diseases like malaria. More than 100 families are camping in schools and other institutions, waiting for supplies. UCRC has been visiting these people but currently have no resources to offer.

Here are some statements from Aggrey, the Executive Director of UCRC.

“We are hit by heavy floods and in our community houses are submerged and people camping outside.  Deaths are occurring both from the impact of the floods and doctors strike.  The situation is bad.”

“The need is great but the response is slow coming from relief agencies.  Red Cross has not reached many of the places despite desperate calls to assist even infants and old men who we found shivering from the harsh cold.”

“We have immediate needs for cash for medical services (already people are dying out of malaria and water borne diseases), foodstuff, blankets and beddings, etc.  The situation is so bad that any assistance is welcome.”

Global Youth Volunteer Network would like to respond to the needs of our friends in Ugunja but to do so we also need your help. If you would like to donate to assist with this crisis, we can offer a tax receipt for donations over $15. There are 2 ways you can donate: online through Canada helps (select the Ugunja project) or through the mail by send your donation to our PO box listed above.

If you would like to talk further about this please feel free to contact me at dave@gyvn.ca or 1 (250) 516-6210.

Thank you for your consideration,

Dave

GYVN Projects in Mizoram, India

 Malaria Detection Clinics 

Mizoram is a remote, mountainous state located on the southernmost tip of Northeast India. It is nestled in-between Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma), where malaria is the number one killer. In these remote areas, there are no nurses or doctors. Sometimes it takes many days to get to the road, often leading to prolonged symptoms and further health deterioration. It is this delayed in treatment that there is such a high rate in malaria deaths, especially in rural areas. If detection and treatment can be caught and administered early, then malarial death rates can be decreased.

Malaria detection clinics currently exist in 49 villages. The first established clinics were equipped with second hand microscopes donated by Canadian universities and Global Youth Volunteer Network (GYVN). These initial clinics are now self-sufficient. Low cost, high quality microscopes can now be purchased within the country. However, there is a need to open more clinics to effectively combat the increasing instances of malaria. Every year, about 4000-5000 blood samples have been collected and tested for Malaria. The total number of malaria tests performed currently stands at 14,512.

GYVN is continuing its partnership with the Relief and Development of the Baptist Church of Mizoram (R&D BCM) by providing funds for the expansion of these malaria clinics. New clinics are now being called ZoClinics. This expansion includes the building of more ZoClinics in other towns and villages within Mizoram, where the testing of blood pressure and diabetes will be included. The existing 49 clinics are being upgraded to include these additional services. With these added services, there is a need for training local technicians and an upgrade in equipment, such as microscopes.

Benefits and Impacts of ZoClinics

• A total of 49 villages populating about 51,498 people have greatly benefited.
•  In 2010, malaria deaths decreased by 50%.
• Villages where ZoClinics are operational, malaria deaths have been reduced by more than 90%.
• Expansion on testing for other health issues - typhoid, diabetes, and blood pressure.

 Farmers’ Sponsorship Program 

In Mizoram, 65% of the people are partially or fully dependent on agriculture. As the population increases within the state, the “slash and burn” shifting agriculture no longer allows lands to properly fallow and therefore dampen crop production. This greatly reduces farmers’ incomes, making poverty an inevitable reality as 30% of people are currently living below the poverty line (with an annual income below Rs.36000 or just under $900 CDN).

The Relief & Development of the Baptist Church of Mizoram (R&D BCM) hopes to implement a 3-year SALT Farming project where they yearly acquire 50 new slope hill farmers and assist them with farmland development using a sustainable, agricultural system through the education and training of SALT farming. SALT or Slope Agriculture Land Technology is an effective and economic farming solution. It minimizes soil erosion and increase crop yields. Farmers plant nitrogen-fixing trees to bind the soil, generate fertilizer, and provide food for livestock. Food crops grown annually and perennially can be planted in-between the hedgerows. SALT farming is an innovative agricultural technique as fruits and vegetables can grow on the farmer’s own lands, phasing out rice production on different plots of lands and increase a farmer’s to profits by 30%. The intended outcome of this project is for each farmer to establish environmentally stable and economical farms to ensure a sustainable livelihood.

Global Youth Volunteer Network (GYVN) has partnered with R&D BCM to help financial support this program which will support 150 farmers annually for 3 consecutive years. GYVN is launching the Farmers’ Sponsorship Program where donors will financially support one farmer participating in the SALT Farming Program and their family for $20/month for 3 years. A monthly donation of $20/month will go towards the farmers’ education and training on SALT farming, purchase of planting seeds, seedlings, and tools for maintaining a farmer’s plot of land.

Benefits and Impacts of SALT Farming in Mizoram

•  Access to Legal Land entitlement
•  Land entitlement chances will be created to poor farmers
•  Restoring the environment, reducing the soil and tree destruction
•  Labor cost for farming is reduced
•  Improve the quality of seeds and seedlings to provide crop variety
• Food security with regular source of income
• Soil fertility will lead to improvement of socio-economic conditions for farmers
• Income from farming can potentially increase to about 30% in third year and even up to 50% after 10 years

Global Youth Network has now officially become Global Youth Volunteer Network!

Global Youth Network has now officially become Global Youth Volunteer Network!

Global has recently gotten a new bank account which does NOT allow cheques written out to Global Youth Network to be cashed. This is because our legal name registered with the Government is GLOBAL YOUTH VOLUNTEER NETWORK, as when there was originally an attempt to register the name, it was already taken. Sticking with Global Youth Network has never been a problem until now, so please help us to spread the word!

Thanks for your support!

Engaging the World!

Hi Everyone,

    I would like to invite all of you to join us this Thursday, October 13th at the 1st Engaging the World session at U of T's Multi-Faith Centre at 12pm!

  

    This one hour session will be exploring how faiths are engaging the world, including how students are making a difference. The topic for discussion focuses on Overseas Programs and Opportunities. Father Terry and the Scarboro Interfaith Department are hosting this session in collaboration with U of T's Multi Faith Centre.

    Mateen will be our Global representative during the panel discussion. We would love to have other Global Alumni present at this event to meet with some of the attendees after the panel discussion and perhaps share some of your personal experiences with Global.

    

    If you are interested in attending this event, here is the address for the venue: U of T Multi-faith Centre, 569 Spadina Ave, Toronto ON M5S 2J7 or visit their website: www.multifaith.utoronto.ca. For information, the poster for this event is attached to this email.

    We hope to see you all there! Please extend this invitation out to other Global Alumni and your friends!

    Thank you and hope you all have a great Thanksgiving Weekend!


--

Christine Suiza and Peggy Hulley

Global Team Program Co-coordinators for Southwestern Ontario

swontario@myglobalyouthnetwork.org 

Staffing Changes

Hello everyone,

As most of you know Global has been going through some staffing changes. As of Aug 31, Gilad and Dawna are finishing up their commitment with Global. They both have been great to work with and I am sure they will be around at Global activities in the future. They have taken Global through some tough times especially some very difficult financial times. They have worked hard  to create some stability and consistency in Global. We have really appreciated the time they have given to Global!

We would like to introduce you to the new Global staff. Peggy Hulley and Christine Suiza will be co workers running Global Teams in Southern Ontario. Peggy was with Global at the University of Guelph in 2006-2007 on the First Nations and Guatemala team.  Christine was with Wilfrid Laurier University in 2007-2008 on the Mizoram and Sao Paulo Brazil team. She also worked with Dawna in 2008 as the Toronto regional coordinator. They will be contacting all those interested in becoming regional contacts and team leaders this coming week.

We would also like to welcome Kevin Field, Katie Keats and Lisa Prince who are now Globals’ Admin team. Kevin will be looking after most of the National administration and pay role. This is his first experience with Global so wish him luck. Katie will be connecting with all national locations working through budgeting and other administrative duties. She has been around Global for a long time traveling to Central America, Thailand, Kenya and was on Global’s First Nations team. Lisa who is still at the University of Guelph will be processing finances for Southern Ontario.

We also have created a new national leadership structure to support all the locations in Canada. JP. Morris who is on the Global Board, Dave Skene co founder of Global and Elise who has been the regional coordinator at Guelph will make up this leadership group. Their goal is to create a cohesive national Global team. To do this we will need to develop a strong communication network which this team will be responsible for.

We are having a staff retreat Sept. 2-5 after that there should be more news coming out on whats going on in Global!