happy christmas!

On Christmas Eve, it’s good to be reminded that even the greatest gift appeared small and unassuming. During this Advent season we’ve unwrapped inspiring stories from those most in need whose gifts and talents may have gone unnoticed if they didn’t have your support. 

We want to say a massive thank you for all your support throughout 2021 and hope that you have enjoyed unwrapping this Advent calendar with us. It’s because of you that we can share these stories of transformation and hope.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at Hope Health Action!

STORIES OF HOPE: MATERNITY

HHA believe every mother and baby deserve the right to life, with the help of safe and dignified maternal health. Each year we support thousands of women through a range of community and hospital-based activities, as we fight to reduce maternal mortalities globally.

In the picture above we have have baby L, born in our maternity ward at HCBH at only 28wks and 6 days. During delivery, Doctor Dorsanvil (who is also our head OBGYN) noticed that the newborn didn’t have any movement in the chest area, so he quickly handed over to Doctor Barbara (the head Pediatrician) and she started assessing baby L. After thorough examination, baby was quickly admitted to the Neonatal ward for further assistance. L had difficulty breathing and was treated for APNEA (a serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts) where she was quickly placed on a C-PAP machine to help with the treatment. Nurse Louis who was on call during that night said “baby L did good last night but (the next) morning baby was not looking the same, the NICU staff had to work hard to gain recovery.” This was the mothers third child born at HCBH who said she feels her baby is in safe hands with our Doctors. Thanks to the fast thinking of our healthcare staff, L is stable and doing well in the NICU unit where she is still being closely monitored.

STORIES OF HOPE: FOOD INSECURITY

Across Uganda and South Sudan over 22 million people are affected by food insecurity and malnutrition each year. Extreme chronic hunger brought on by severe poverty will mean these people are likely to go days without eating.

When HHA's CEO, Carwyn Hill, visited Uganda in February 2017 he met a boy with special needs called Modi who was tied to a tree in one of Uganda's refugee settlements. Modi’s mother had no option but to tie him up as she’d previously lost him in the refugee settlement when he went looking for food. Modi was malnourished, lying on the dusty floor, lifeless and with sores on his body. 

HHA started providing support for the family and he soon joined the Plumpy’Nut programme. Plumpy’Nut is a ready to use therapeutic food for children and can treat a child with severe and acute malnutrition in just 6-10 weeks. Modi received a course of Plumpy'Nut to treat his malnutrition and his life has been transformed. He is no longer tied to a tree and now enjoys playing football with other children in his community. HHA's CBR team continues to support this family and many others around BidiBidi camp.

FUNDRAISING IDEAS FOR 2022

Looking for some simple ways to raise money in 2022? Celebrate HHA’s 15th anniversary with a fundraising idea for each month of the year. Take on any type of event and become part of our team of #HHAheroes. Here are some ideas to get your imagination running...

January can be a long month - it’s chilly and the days are short but it’s also a great opportunity for a cosy night in. Throw a dinner party in exchange for a donation from family and friends. 

Change your commute in February - choose to walk, cycle or run to work and donate the money you save on your commute.  Encourage your colleagues to do the same. Start your day on the right foot (literally!)

March means pancakes! Hold a pancake themed competition at work or school with a donation to HHA to enter. Who can flip a pancake the highest? Who can create the most delicious pancake meal? The possibilities are delicious! 

The HHA team will be taking on the Brighton Marathon once again! Taking place on the  10th April, you can still join us for this fantastic event and fundraise for us. 

Feeling adventurous? Become a HHA Hero and take on a sponsored skydive this May!

Fete’s are a timeless way to raise money. This June, organise a fete through your church or school with cake stalls, games, competitions and more!  

Time for a clear out? Take part in a car boot sale during July, sell your unwanted treasures and donate the money to HHA. 

The school holidays are in full swing in August. Why not fundraise and entertain the kids with a rounders tournament? Tea parties, BBQ’s and garden open days are perfect fundraising opportunities for lovely warm days. 

Back to school - or work - after the summer? Arrange a dress down day in September to lift the spirits with a donation to take part

Christmas is creeping up quickly and businesses are often making preparations in October - could your business support HHA by donating a small percentage of sales? 

Remember, remember the 5th November...Celebrate Guy Fawkes Night by holding a guy competition. Charge £5 to enter a guy and provide a prize. Afterwards display all of the guys at a local firework night and ask the public for donations.

It’s time for the annual Christmas Party in December! Host a quiz or raffle for colleagues to enjoy and donate to take part. Easy! Many organisations have a Matched Giving scheme where they can double what you raise from your fundraising activity. Ask your employer if they have this scheme and give your fundraising a huge boost!

What’s your next challenge? Get in touch with our Fundraising team at info@hopehealthaction.org and we can chat to you about the type of event you're looking to sign up to and how we can support your fundraising efforts. .

STORIES OF HOPE: EDUCATION

Since HHA first started responding to the refugee crisis in Uganda in 2017, education has consistently been cited as a critical need. Many children were meeting under trees, in schools that had no toilets and a teacher to child ratio, in some schools, of 1 teacher to 360+ children. HHA continues to support refugee and Ugandan children whose education and childhoods were curtailed by war to learn and play in a nurturing and safe environment. Thanks to your support, we have been able to build and furnish Amazing Grace, a primary school block consisting of three classrooms, an office and store which is all fully equipped with solar power and brand-new textbooks. As a result, 628 pupils now attend this school and receive quality education.

Over the next few years, HHA has ambitious plans to expand the school and further improve the quality of education offered to these children. HHA’s planned new building works will enable an increase of pupil enrolment, a higher quality of teaching and conditions for teachers, as well as improve facilities offered to the children. Take a sneak peak of our proposed expansion, including three new classrooms, two offices, an external veranda and sports field. 

FAVOURITE FESTIVE FILMS

In the last few years, the Christmas movie has made a real comeback. Netflix has made a cottage industry of the season, following in the well-polished shoes of Hallmark. The HHA team particularly enjoys watching festive films throughout December with a mince pie and hot chocolate (not forgetting the marshmallows!). But what are the greatest Christmas movies of all time? As a gift to you, the HHA team have assembled their favourite festive films below. Not every title will be for everyone, but there should be something for everyone here, whether you are looking for a traditional and nostalgic classic, a comical festive laugh, or superhero cartoon lego, there’s plenty of options to add to your line-up. 

Elf

The Santa Claus (with Tim Allen)

White Christmas

Lego Batman (obviously)

Love Actually

Home alone

The Holiday

It's a Wonderful Life

The Christmas Story

A Christmas Carol

Now grab a duvet, some festive chocolates and enjoy!

HHA'S YEAR IN NUMBERS

As the year draws to a close, we have taen some time to reflect on 2021 and celebrate our key achievements that have only been possible from your support. Since 2006, we have invested more than £XXmillion and supported over 30,000 people in communities around Haiti and East Africa and these numbers continue to grow everyday. But what have we been up to in 2021? Here’s our year in numbers below:

828 wheelchairs have been distributed in Haiti 

2,700 people supported through emergency food distributions in Uganda

668 babies admitted to the NICU at HCBH Haiti

33,000 patients visited HCBH

22 children enrolled at Maison de Benediction

220 vulnerable people supported through sustainable agriculture production in Uganda and South Sudan

793 kilometres run to fundraise for HHA

360 Covid-19 vaccines administered by HCBH staff in Haiti

11 new staff running the New Hope BidiBidi rehabilitation centre 

We couldn’t have done any of this without you - our incredible supporters. Whether you’ve donated your time, your money or your crochet skills in 2021, you are a #HHAhero! Thank you for your continued support and we’re looking forward to a bright 2022.

meet this staf member...

TExt...

STORIES OF HOPE: MALNUTRITION

Uganda currently hosts 1.3 million refugees and asylum-seekers, most from war-torn South Sudan and DR Congo. It’s the largest refugee crisis in Africa and there are significant challenges in the refugee settlements, including nutrition. HHA started providing malnutrition support for the families in 2017 and has since joined the Plumpy’Nut programme - a ready to use therapeutic food for children and can treat a child with severe and acute malnutrition in just 6-10 weeks.

This young girl received a course of Plumpy’Nut this year to treat her malnutrition, and her life has already been transformed. After her mother first heard about the programme, they both travelled 50km to reach our health facility where the therapeutic food was being distributed. This mother and baby are very happy to have travelled so far to receive this life-saving help, which will aid the mothers hope and dreams for her child to become a teacher in the future. 

HHA TURNS 15!

Next year we celebrate 15 years since HHA (which was then Haiti Hospital Appeal) began in the UK and started fundraising for a brand new hospital in Haiti. Since then, we have hit some amazing milestones and expanded our work and reach into other countries including Uganda and South Sudan. 2022 will be a year packed with celebrations to mark this incredible achievement thanks to your support. Mark your calendars for some exciting events and fundraising opportunities coming next year…

Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, hosted by Hope Health Action - We are so excited to host Night to Shine, sponsored by TimTebowFoundation on Friday 11th February 2022! Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience, centred on God’s love, for people with special needs and will be held at our respite centre in Haiti, the Maison de Benediction.

Cocktail evening - to celebrate our 15th anniversary we will be hosting a cocktail party in Autumn 2022. Get your black ties ready and keep an eye out for a ‘save the date’ coming soon!

Brighton Marathon - The Brighton Marathon is one of the most picturesque marathons and a major event in the HHA calendar! To continue our celebrations, we are looking for at least 15 runners to take part in this challenge for 2022 and raise £15,000. Want to join our team? Let us know!

As we quickly approach the new year, may we take the opportunity once more to thank you for your amazing support and we look forward to you joining us in another exciting year of HHA’s history.

RECIPE FROM HAITI

Try making this traditional dish. Usually served on 1st January to celebrate Haitian independence day, it’s ideal for a chilly day. There are no quantity rules and you can swap veggies depending on your taste. This recipe will feed 6 - 8 people. 

Step 1 - seasoning. Take olive oil, 2 spring onions, a pepper, 2 sticks of celery, parsley, a garlic clove, salt and pepper and pulse with a hand-blender until you get a rough, salsa-like consistency. 

 Step 2 - meat. You’ll need 450 grams of beef, chopped into cubes. Massage with lime juice, mix in the seasoning and leave to marinate – the longer the better! Then brown in a pan with oil.

 Step 3 - veggies. Roughly chop an onion, a leek, 2 sticks of celery, a garlic clove and spring onions. Cook until golden brown. If you spice, you can add a scotch bonnet pepper. Add chopped butternut squash (swap for sweet potato or a small pumpkin), 2 chopped carrots and enough vegetable stock water to cover everything in your pan. Simmer until the squash and carrots are tender.

Step 4 - puree. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper! Then puree with a hand mixer to make your soup.

Step 5 - mix. Add the beef into the soup mix. Simmer for another 45 mins until the beef is cooked through.

Step 6 – traditional extras. For a traditional experience, add chopped potato, malanga (swap for turnip) cabbage and pasta. Rigatoni works best. Simmer for another 15 minutes until the potato is tender. 

 Step 7 - serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve with a squeeze of lime juice.

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!

Today we would LOVE to give something back to you - our supporters!

In collaboration with the amazing artist Signs and Wonders we are going to give away a 2022 Calendars to TWO winners! These easy hanging calendars are filled with 12 inspiring Bible verses surrounded by hand painted artwork. A perfect Christmas gift to build others up and share some encouragement throughout the whole year.

Want to win this festive gift? All you have to do to enter is:⠀

1) Like our Facebook or Instagram post

2) Follow us and Signs and Wonders

3) Tag your friends (as many as you like, one tag = one entry!)⠀

UK only. Winners will be announced on our stories on 23rd December ⠀

Thanks for entering!

This giveaway is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram.

Explanations of acronyms that HHA use

Have you ever wondered why you can't read a doctor's note or the letters and numbers on a prescription? Or have you ever seen an acronym used on HHA’s social media and wondered what this meant? 

Our healthcare professionals often use acronyms and medical terminology for many conditions, healthcare technology and instructions to their patients. We thought it might be helpful to share a list of the acronyms that are used the most across HHA and what these mean:

NICU - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

SCI - Spinal Cord Injury

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

CRADLE - Community blood pressure monitoring in Rural Africa & Asia: Detection of underLying pre-Eclampsia and shock

A&E - Accident & Emergency

HCBH - Hopital de la Convention Baptist d’Haiti

M&E  - Monitoring & Evaluation

OPM - Office of the Prime Minister

P&O - Prosthetics and Orthotics 

PWD - People/Persons with disabilities

CWD - Child with disabilities

IDP - Internally Displaced Person

CP - Cerebral Palsy

GAM - Global Acute Malnutrition

SAM - Severe Acute Malnutrition 

STORIES OF HOPE: MAISON DE BENEDICTION

Children with disabilities in Haiti face severe discrimination, making them some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in Haiti. It’s a sad reality that we’re passionate about changing, which is why we opened the Maison de Benediction (now the leading disability centre in northern Haiti, providing life-transforming care for children with disabilities and their families) in 2009. This centre offers day and overnight residential respite care for children whose parents find it hard to provide the full-time specialist care their children need.

Due to a shortage of funding from the impact of COVID-19, we were forced to make the heart-breaking decision to shut the Maison for 50% of the year, significantly reducing the level of life-transforming care these children receive. 

Thanks to your support During our Beni Summer Appeal earlier this year, we have generated enough funds and re-opened MdB to full time! This is fantastic news and something to be celebrated! Watch this video to see the MdB Foster Mum’s reaction when being told this exciting news...

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN EAST AFRICA

Have you ever wondered how other countries celebrate Christmas? Here's the opportunity to find out what celebrating Christmas in East Africa is like…

In Uganda Christmas is called Sekukkulu, and it is celebrated on the 25th of December. In the lead up to this day, families start preparing for the big day and look to buy new clothes, clean their houses, and the women in the house go to get their hair and make-up done. After all these early preparations, on 24th December is when animals and chicken are slaughtered for their meat for the main meal on Christmas day. 

On 25th December, the day starts with church services; and often people who never go to church attend on this day. Everyone loves to get dressed up and show off their new finery that they have made themselves or is a traditional family dress. After the church services, everyone is eager to return home so the cooking and feasting can begin. Everything stops for Sekukkulu. Hospitals start discharging patients to go home except for those who have serious conditions. Most government bureaucrats take their holiday break from almost the middle of December to the second week in January.

On 26th December, they celebrate Boxing Day with many activities such as football tournaments, dancing to music, and performing drama pieces. From 27th-30th December, this is a time to drink and relax in anticipation of new year celebrations.

STORIES OF HOPE: WHEELCHAIRS

This summer, our incredible local partners, For You Haiti, gave this young lad a brand new wheelchair from our HHA Walkabout Wheelchair Distribution Centre that we built together with Walkabout Foundation.

At a young age, he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and AIDS (both of which are progressive). About 5 years ago he lost the ability to walk and has been dependent on a wheelchair ever since. Then in 2020, the footrests and breaks on his wheelchair broke which led to his feet getting Plantar Flexion (a movement in which the top of your foot points away from your leg). He was beyond excited when our partners showed up with a new chair which he has been praying for for months. He says his new chair is way more comfortable and also supports his legs and feet well. 

Just look how happy he is! We look forward to continuing our partnership with For You Haiti and Walkabout Foundation and changing many more lives throughout 2022. 

IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!

Today we would LOVE to give something back to you - our supporters!

In collaboration with the amazing artist Hope and Ginger we are going to give away a Christmas Tea Towel to TWO winners! This festive tea towel will make a wonderful addition to any kitchen this Christmas. It has been screen-printed with a hand drawn paper cut style design featuring the words of Isaiah 9:6 - His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Want to win this festive gift? All you have to do to enter is:⠀

1) Like our Facebook or Instagram post

2) Follow us and Hope and Ginger

3) Tag your friends (as many as you like, one tag = one entry!)⠀

UK only. Winners will be announced on our stories on 15th December ⠀

Thanks for entering!

This giveaway is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram.

STORIES OF HOPE: REHAB

From 'back of the net' to becoming bed bound... ⚽♿

Meet M, a soccer player from Bourne (North East Haiti). In 2019, M was in the Dominican Republic coming back from a soccer match and was in a car accident with 7 other people. 6 of these passengers tragically lost their lives, and M was the only one that survived the accident. When he woke up he was in a hospital in St. Domingue and couldn't feel or move anything from the waist down due to his spinal cord injury. He stayed in the hospital in the DR receiving medical treatment until February 2020 but then had to return to Haiti due to financial reasons. He heard about the Rehab Centre at HCBH (our partner hospital) from a friend who had been in a motor accident and came to the centre for therapy. M has been at our inpatient rehabilitation centre for 3 months now. He has numbness and tingling in his legs and very delayed reactions due to the severity of his injuries.  With therapy, M is now independent with in bed mobility - able to transition from laying in bed to sitting up without assistance. 

Thanks to your support, M is continuing to receive the very best treatment at HCBH and has recently received a new wheelchair! Our professional team continue to aid M and are currently working on being able to transfer from the bed to his wheelchair independently. Please continue to keep M in your thoughts and prayers as he continues his recovery journey 💙

meet our new disability team

After months of construction and hard work, our New Hope Bidibidi Rehabilitation Centre is almost ready to be opened! We are most grateful for our partnership with SwissLimbs on this project, in which this centre will provide holistic services to people in Bidibidi living with disabilities, residing both there and in surrounding settlements.

We are pleased to introduce the talented new team who will be staffing our centre! 

Check out this short video and meet our incredible new team who will make this happen.

Our favourite Bible verses for Christmas cards

As a Christmas gift for you, we've collected our favourite Christmas Bible verses to inspire you in whatever you are doing at this busy time. Whether you’re taking a moment to reflect in the lead up to Christmas day, or searching for verses for your Christmas cards, we hope these Christmas Bible verses will help you to celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world at this joyful time.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). – Matthew 1:23

"In his name the nations will put their hope." - Matthew 12:15-22

"The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command..." - Hebrews 1:3

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” - John 1:5

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah 9:6-7

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. - Isaiah 61: 1

Still need to order your Christmas cards? Our brand new packs of cards this year have been designed by the incredible children that attend the Maison de Benediction, our respite centre for children with disabilities in Haiti. All our cards are 100% recyclable and 100% of the profits from every purchase goes towards helping provide health and disability care to the world's most vulnerable across Haiti and East Africa. Click here to order yours today!

HHA'S FAVOURITE FESTIVE TUNES

Unlike any other music genre, Christmas songs never seem to get old. Every December (or November for some…!) we guiltlessly wheel them out. The HHA team particularly enjoy singing and playing along to festive favourites. 

But what are the greatest Christmas songs of all time? As a gift to you, the HHA team have assembled their festive favourites into a Spotify playlist to get your Christmas senses tingling.

Start listening here:

RECIPE FROM UGANDA

Luwombo is a traditional Ugandan recipe. It is both a royal dish and a fairly common dish cooked especially during the holidays and can be prepared with beef, chicken, pork or goat (a very popular meat in Africa). Want to get stuck in? Here’s how to make it:

• 2 lb beef , diced

• 1 cup unsalted peanuts , ground

• 2 onions , chopped

• 4 tomatoes , chopped (or 1 (14 oz) can of crushed tomatoes)

• 1 cube chicken bouillon

• 1 cup mushrooms , sliced

• 1 piece smoked fish , or smoked meat (optional)

• Salt

• Pepper

• Banana leaves

• 6 plantains

Instructions

1. Sauté the meat in a lightly oiled pan until browned on all sides. Set aside.

2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, then add the onions and cook for 2 minutes before adding the tomatoes, chicken bouillon cube, salt, pepper, peanuts, mushrooms and smoked fish (or smoked meat ). If necessary, add a little water to form a smooth sauce. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add meat and mix.

3. Cut banana leaves to form 10-inch wide rectangles. Remove the mid rib. Place the banana leaves above of a fire for a few seconds to soften. Then rinse with water.

4. Place a portion of the meat mixture in the centre of a leaf. Fold the leaf on the sides, then fold the other two ends to form a small pouch. Tie with a string then repeat with the operation with the rest of the mixture.

5. Place a rack in the bottom of a large pot and add water to the bottom. Place the pouches on top of the rack and cover.

6. Add the plantains over in the pan. Bring to a boil and steam for at least two hours.

7. Take plantains out of the pot and mash with a fork.

8. Serve luwombo with mashed plantains.

Enjoy!

STORIES OF HOPE: NICU

This year, our NICU unit celebrated its 9th anniversary and the team celebrated this fantastic milestone with some well-deserved cake and bubbles. Even after 9 years, the situation across Haiti for mothers and babies is still often more painful than we could imagine. Yet, your support is generating great hope for many communities, and providing a new opportunity for many thousands of women and babies in the future to receive the support, love and care they require.

In April 2020, a mother-of-two came into HCBH at around 2am with severe lower stomach pains and minor bleeding. Overcome with worry about this bleeding whilst pregnant, a specialist nurse was called to assist the young woman. This nurse had faced situations like this before, and she immediately attended to the mother and started the procedure to get the baby out whilst it was still safe to do so. After calling for help from additional healthcare care professionals on duty, the team managed to stop the bleeding and deliver the baby safely. After many hours of stress and worry, the new Mum (to a baby girl) said she felt 'relieved and blessed to have a new born amongst the family. Thank you HCBH and maternity nurses'. 

We can't explain how grateful we are that you continue to support us, so that we can share life-saving stories like this and keep these vital services available to HCBH.

We hope this update will inspire you, and remind you of the real difference you have made to mothers and babies in some of the poorest communities in Haiti. Here's to the next 9 years!

CHRISTMAS TRADITONS IN HAITI

When it comes to Christmas we each have our own family traditions, and the countries where HHA works are no exception. Here’s a small insight into how HHA-supported families celebrate Christmas around Haiti…

At the beginning of December (usually from the 1st), Haitians start looking for Christmas Trees. They might cut pine branches or go to the market and get trees brought from the mountains. The trees are decorated with bright ornaments and a nativity scene at the bottom of the tree - sometimes the trees and scenes take up a lot of the living room! Churches and other organisations also have trees on display outside their buildings (with artificial trees also very common as they last longer!) on Christmas Eve, children place their newly cleaned shoes, filled with straw under the tree on the porch. They hope that Santa (called 'Tonton Nwèl') will remove the straw and put presents in and around the shoes. Traditionally, Haitians will go to a midnight mass church service and then come home to participate in a meal called ‘reveillon’ (meaning ‘to wake up’). This meal normally starts in the early hours of Christmas morning and lasts until sunrise. Christmas Day is much quieter with most sleeping off the celebrations of the night before! However, there will be plenty more eating and playing with the toys from Tonton Nwèl.

In Haiti they say ‘Jwaye Nowe’ which means ‘Happy Christmas’ in Creole/Haitian. French is also commonly spoken in Haiti where they would say 'Joyeux Noël'.