Hargeisa (SL Times) - Chris Hassan, a British teacher at Endeavour High School in Hull, Yorkshire country, has handed over $3362 to Hargeisa Group Hospital’s Committee. The money was donated by the Endeavour school children for the children’s ward in the Hargeisa Group Hospital.
Mr. Hassan came first to Hargeisa last February, and it was during that trip that he visited the Group Hospital, the only public medical facility in the town. Upon his return to England the same month, Hassan saw a documentary film on Hargeisa Group Hospital aired by BBC1 Television.
In March, Hassan started a fund raising campaign at his school and returned earlier this month to Somaliland with $3362 collected from Hull’s Endeavour school children. The target of the campaign is to raise $15000, with the money planned to be spent on covering some of the basic needs of the children’s ward in the hospital.
Chris’s father, Hassan, immigrated into Britain from Somaliland in 1937. Hassan never came back to his country of origin. Chris left Hargeisa Thursday, on his way back to England, after re-establishing his family roots in Somaliland.
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Nonprofit Group to Undertake Public Health Program in Hargeisa
Courtney Essary
The International Health Awareness Network (IHAN), based in New York City (USA) and headed by Dr. Sorosh Roshan, is planning to undertake an immunization and public health program this summer in Hargeisa. Dr. Roshan and her team are coordinating with the Somaliland Minister of Health and the Hargeisa Group Hospital to complete this endeavor.
IHAN is a nongovernmental organization affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information and accredited by ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations). The organization was conceived in 1987 by Dr. Roshan at the "End of the Decade Women's Conference" in Nairobi, Kenya, during the United Nations' Third World Conference on Women and has been building momentum ever since. IHAN is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations. The organization’s mission includes advancing women's and children's health at local, national and international levels through education; collaborating with the United Nations and other organizations to design and implement programs and policies that improve women and children's health and quality of life; and educating, empowering and providing health care to women and children with a focus on socioeconomic disadvantaged groups.
Every year IHAN supports at least one program or field project in collaboration with the host country. This year’s project will be undertaken in Somaliland and will focus on primary health care. Stage I of this project, to be completed in July, aims to renovate the Hargeisa Group Hospital and vaccinate approximately 30,000 children in the area against common childhood diseases.
In November 2002, IHAN participated in a fact-finding and need assessment mission to Somaliland. IHAN determined that the Hargeisa Group Hospital, the only public hospital, is in dire need of renovation. The hospital infrastructure, medical supplies, and equipment require dramatic improvements in order to meet the basic health care needs of the community. The needs of the Hargeisa community are great as the majority of women examined during this assessment mission suffered from the consequences of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). There are many cases of pelvic inflammatory diseases, vesico vaignal and rectal fistulas that need to be attended to. IHAN would like to adopt the Hargeisa Group Hospital and its constituents to ensure that their needs are met on an on-going basis. The project team will include U.S. trained doctors, nurses, and support personnel. This team will partner with the Ministry of Health of Somaliland and the local healthcare providers through the Hargeisa Group Hospital.
In order to ensure the most sustainable outcomes, the Somaliland Project is determined to undertake two more Stages with the Somaliland Project. Stage II is scheduled to take place during the summer of 2004. The Project Goals for this stage include a complete renovation of the operating room and of the medical library. Stage III should occur during the summer of 2005. The main goal of this stage will be to revitalize the medical school in Somaliland and ensure that the medical staff is as well-educated as possible according to the rigors of modern medicine.
The estimated cost of Stage I will be approximately $25,000. This figure includes the cost of updated technology and equipment, new linens and windows, and the replacement of the Hospital’s windows. IHAN has been soliciting funds from individuals and appealing to grant-making organizations, but there is still a need for most of the funds. If you or anyone you know would like to donate your time or resources to this project, or would like further information, please contact Dr. Sorosh Roshan at 212-721-0119 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 212-721-0119 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or soroshr@hotmail.com. The mailing address for IHAN is 160 West 66th Street, Suite 57B, New York, New York, 10023, all checks should be made out the International Health Awareness Network with the phrase ‘Somaliland Project’ written in the memo space.
Source: Somaliland Times
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Payment ward, Hargeisa Group Hospital
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Ambulance funded by Comic Relief for the Group Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland
This ambulance was shown on BBC this evening as part of their Comic Relief effort. It is housed at the Hargeisa Group Hospital in Hargeisa, where I was born and was provided by funds raised by Comic Relief. They also showed film of the hospital wards, patients and staff, showing how the money raised helps people in Africa. It was Billy Connolly who was there, wandering around the ward, saying that Somaliland was not the healthiest country in the world. Hmmmm... maybe not the healthiest place, and it coukld certainly do with better medical care but it is certainly not the unhealthiest country in the world. So great to hear the name Somaliland being mentioned.
It is a great effort by the comedians of the UK to raise money for good causes in the UK and Africa and there are many great comedy moments created during a long evening if fund raising on BBC. We had Catherine Tate serving coffee and biscuits to a busy Tony Blair in 10, Downing Street as a young job seeker and later we can look forward to the cast of Little Britain.
One less nice aspect of Comic Relief is the way they use images of sick Africans to boost the amount of money being pledged, combined with the promise that the money raised will help these people get better. To a certain extent it will, but these images encourage the idea that that everything in Africa is bad and that Africans are waiting for our help to make them better. A more balanced approach would, of course, be better.
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Somaliland Forum Donates to Hargeisa Hospital
Hargeisa, 11 May 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Members from Somaliland Forum donated a sum of money to Hargeisa Group Hospital yesterday. In an event attended by the regional health board of Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland, Eng. Ali Abdillahi, the newly elected chairman of Somaliland Forum gave $7,600 US Dollars to the board.
Eng. Ali said Somaliland Forum carried out a fund raising during the suicide attacks in Somaliland so that the hospital can assist the victims in the best way. He mentioned that after the hospital received some other assistance from other sites, the forum decided to give cash to the hospital so that they it can use it to cover their needs.
“The money is not only from Somaliland Forum but it is also a contribution from others like SSE, Somaliland community in UK, and so on” Said Eng. Ali. “It will not cover all the needs but at least it is something that could help” he concluded.
The Chairman of the Regional Health Board, Mr. Mohamed Hussein Aabbi thanked Somaliland Forum for the financial support. He said the hospital is doing a great job with the minimum income and this will cover some of the hospital’s development. Mr. Aabbi said the money will be used to rehabilitate some wards and if possible to increase the number of the payment wards so that the hospital will get some income to cover some costs. He said Somaliland Forum is doing a wonderful job by assisting their country and putting money where it is needed.
A member of the Health Board also expressed his gratitude towards the donation and said it will help the hospital keep functioning for the future. He said such financial aid will position the hospital to do more assistance to the Somaliland citizens living in the country.
Somaliland Fourm is an independent organization that brings together the Somaliland Diaspora and believe in a sovereign, prosperous and independent Somaliland. They believe working together with Somaliland Communities and Somaliland friends around the globe can contribute to the betterment and development of the Republic of Somailand.
Source: Somalilandpress
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