Christmas message from Carwyn

 

2022 has been a mixed year! Whilst it’s been a year of celebration as we celebrated 15 years of HHA, it’s also been an incredibly challenging year.  The escalating violence, political instability and economic crisis in Haiti has left the country on the brink of a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’.  In Uganda, our team battled against the consequences of the worst drought in East Africa for 40 years and in South Sudan, on-going armed conflict and climate challenges continue to hamper progress.  The headlines are stark and can often seem hopeless.

 

Yet, despite the challenges we’ve faced this year, thanks to your on-going support and prayers, HHA have bought light into some of the darkest of places and a resolute, powerful hope to some of the most desperate situations.  Here’s just a few examples...

 

Keeping our partner hospital open: Many hospitals and clinics in Haiti had to reduce services or even temporarily close this year due to the instability and lack of fuel.  Thanks to your response to our Summer Solar Appeal and hours of hard work, our partner hospital managed to remain fully open, caring for an estimated 30,000+ patients.  Not only did we keep it open, but we also carried out a number of major improvements, including installing additional solar panels, a new clean water system and laboratory upgrade.

 

Night to Shine:   We held north Haiti’s first Night to Shine, an incredible gala that gave 77 children with disabilities a night they’ll never forget!  Alongside this, our respite centre for children with disabilities received a make-over with a new garden and sensory room; and the new HHA Walkabout Wheelchair hub distributed over 1,200 wheelchairs across 32 partners all over Haiti.

 

New Hope Rehabilitation Centre Opened:  We opened our brand new outpatient rehabilitation centre in the heart of Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, northern Uganda, that has already gained a national reputation and provided care to thousands of persons with disabilities.

 

5,500 people provided emergency food aid and livelihood support:  Perhaps one of the most ambitious projects we’ve ever undertaken, this year we secured 1000+ acres of land and provided livelihood agriculture training, tools and seeds to 1,100 vulnerable households (mainly those with disabilities), alongside emergency food aid to sustain their families through to harvest time.

 

Plumpy’nut saves lives:  Another container of Plumpy’nut was distributed across Uganda’s refugee settlements.  It’s amazing to think that over 6,500 children with severe and acute malnutrition across all UNHCR refugee settlements in Uganda,  have now benefited from this life-saving project that we started several years ago.

 

South Sudan dreams come true: After years of praying and dreaming, this year we held our first mobile clinics in South Sudan and hope to have a permanent health centre there in 2023!

On behalf of everyone at HHA, thank you so much for your incredible support enabling these life-saving and life transforming projects to help thousands of people in 2022.  Under such challenging circumstances, it’s an incredible achievement.

 

Yet, as we approach 2023, we know it will be another challenging year.  Not only for the countries we operate in where this is great uncertainty, but here in the UK as well. We’re very conscious that the current cost of living crisis is going to hit the charity sector incredibly hard.  Despite these challenges, we will hold onto that resolute, powerful hope and look forward to another year of bringing light and hope to the most vulnerable…the essence of why we join together to celebrate Christmas.

 

On behalf of all the team, we send our love and heartfelt thanks for your support and wish you a very blessed Christmas,

 

Carwyn and all the HHA team