I just found out that Holland is working on a protocol for Nigeria... with http://www.pharmaccess.org/ It's great to find out this idea has been started ... It has been on mind for two years... but daily life sucks me in all the time...
I am curious how they promote local people to join in... anyone who knows more? I will continue to look into this... just from interest... I have no idea if I could be helpful in this, but am just interested in this aspect of development. Geertje
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Medical Insurance as sustainable relief work
Dear friends,
There is something that has been on my mind for a while...It seems like charities all do relief work, that is aimed towards bringing health care, emergency aid, financial sponsoring, mirco-enterprice development etc. All very good, but I am wondering in which developing nations someone (organisation or government) is working on a good system for medical insurance as a form of relief aid. I know there are some projects, but would like to find out more. Who knows more and would like to dive into this with me? Please write me at: geertje.vanderpol@mercyships.org
Geertje
There is something that has been on my mind for a while...It seems like charities all do relief work, that is aimed towards bringing health care, emergency aid, financial sponsoring, mirco-enterprice development etc. All very good, but I am wondering in which developing nations someone (organisation or government) is working on a good system for medical insurance as a form of relief aid. I know there are some projects, but would like to find out more. Who knows more and would like to dive into this with me? Please write me at: geertje.vanderpol@mercyships.org
Geertje
Thursday, July 12, 2007
I care
My friend Miranda Tollenaar just initiated a new project called "I care". It's aimed towards helping people in developing nations with optometry (eye care).
In 2005 she took a team to Liberia to work alongside Mercy Ships (the Anastasis) and help loads of people with new glasses. Now she wants to work on this longterm and got a core group together to plan this. Great initiative. If you want to learn more about it, write Miranda (on her blog, click on the title of this post) or me. Blessings, Geertje
In 2005 she took a team to Liberia to work alongside Mercy Ships (the Anastasis) and help loads of people with new glasses. Now she wants to work on this longterm and got a core group together to plan this. Great initiative. If you want to learn more about it, write Miranda (on her blog, click on the title of this post) or me. Blessings, Geertje
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Media to Liberia
Two media teams from Holland will come to Liberia and possibly Sierra Leone to report on the work of Mercy Ships in those countries. I am planning these trips with them and together with the international media coordinator. It's great fun to work on. Geertje
Newbornlife
A lady in the north of Holland started a project to raise money for VVF victums. She asks new mothers to put savings jars into their house while they have visitors to see their new baby. After a few weeks the lady comes and picks up the jar, counts the money and sends it to Mercy Ships... Mercy Ships uses it to pay for the vvf surgeries. That lady now also found four other ladies who are doing the same thing. So the work is growing. I am her contact person in the office. They even made a website.. made by her daughter.
Geertje
Geertje
Health for Life
In 2005 we started with Health for Life, a project where we developed the Life Guide, a health bible for developing countries. It's being distributed by Mercy Ships right now in Liberia. I will meet again with the partners in august. We are working on a children's, french and spanish edition! All at the same time. I will let you know how this developes. Geertje
40 volunteers
Since 2 weeks the number of Dutch volunteers has grown to 40! In a year time, so that is good group. Corrie has left to do a bible school, so I am coordinating by myself, but do have help from collegues. It's great fun. We will plan an Dutch alumni and co-workers event in March 2008. I am exited about that. We are also planning some pr activities where volunteers can join in more. That's the challenge right now. It's cool to see how exited the volunteers are themselves. They slowly start organising things more and more from their own initiative.
Hopefully that will grow more and more, so Mercy Ships will become a household name in Holland and we can help more of the forgotten poor... especially Sierra Leone is on my heart. I read another article today and the poverty is horrible. I am praying that my two cents help...
Geertje
Hopefully that will grow more and more, so Mercy Ships will become a household name in Holland and we can help more of the forgotten poor... especially Sierra Leone is on my heart. I read another article today and the poverty is horrible. I am praying that my two cents help...
Geertje
Life Guide and Volunteer Network
Below the English version of a newsletter I wrote aug. 2006. It will give you an impression of my job... hopefully I can put some less outdated info here soon... I am still working on the projects mentioned in the letter. Happy summer. The weather is not great here :( Geertje
Rotterdam, June 2006
Dear Friends,
After a busy week a quick hello from Holland (Rotterdam) before the summer holiday.This week the ambassador of Ghana Mrs. Grace Amponsah-Ababio received the first Life Guide of the 5000 which will be distributed via Mercy Ships this coming year. In the last two years I had the privilege to work with the directors of the two partner organizations in development of the Health for Life project and I was the contact person for Mercy Ships in this. I was responsible for compiling parts of the text and field information as well in co-planning the development of the project. A funny moment was when a new helper joined us. He was called Harry, a doctor with Africa experience and when I asked about the surname I realised that it was the husband of Namkje Kanis. Namkje was the first missionary who was sent to China from my homechurch in Sneek, so that way you discover that it is a small world after all!
Nervous
On behalf of the three partner organizations I had invited the ambassador of Ghana to receive the first copy of the Life Guide. This resulted in a few kind of ‘tense’ days because I had only invited her a few weeks prior because we didn't know the exact date of when the Life Guides would be printed. Normally VIP's don't come when the invitation has been sent on such a short notice a few weeks before, but we thought we would try. I was a bit nervous and praying that she would come as we could really use the publicity and…. she came together with assistant and driver!
Volunteer network launched
I also have been very busy to restart our Dutch Mercy Ships volunteer network because earlier attempts of others years ago to keep the old program running died a silent death so to speak. 24 June we organized an Orientation Day for the first 20 interested people. Corrie (my collegue who works here on Monday's) and I coordinate this network and we have now 10 new definite new ‘helpers’ who join Mercy Ships Holland in PR work, like manning info booth or doing presentations in school or churches, collect goods or motivate people to help with finances or to help in joining us.Corrie and I strive to have these volunteers in every provence of our country.It is fun to do because everybody is our office is involved with this, so I get to work with all of my collegues and all of the new volunteers. So, that was it for now. Wishing all of you a very good summer, thank you for supporting me.
Love, Geertje.
Rotterdam, June 2006
Dear Friends,
After a busy week a quick hello from Holland (Rotterdam) before the summer holiday.This week the ambassador of Ghana Mrs. Grace Amponsah-Ababio received the first Life Guide of the 5000 which will be distributed via Mercy Ships this coming year. In the last two years I had the privilege to work with the directors of the two partner organizations in development of the Health for Life project and I was the contact person for Mercy Ships in this. I was responsible for compiling parts of the text and field information as well in co-planning the development of the project. A funny moment was when a new helper joined us. He was called Harry, a doctor with Africa experience and when I asked about the surname I realised that it was the husband of Namkje Kanis. Namkje was the first missionary who was sent to China from my homechurch in Sneek, so that way you discover that it is a small world after all!
Nervous
On behalf of the three partner organizations I had invited the ambassador of Ghana to receive the first copy of the Life Guide. This resulted in a few kind of ‘tense’ days because I had only invited her a few weeks prior because we didn't know the exact date of when the Life Guides would be printed. Normally VIP's don't come when the invitation has been sent on such a short notice a few weeks before, but we thought we would try. I was a bit nervous and praying that she would come as we could really use the publicity and…. she came together with assistant and driver!
Volunteer network launched
I also have been very busy to restart our Dutch Mercy Ships volunteer network because earlier attempts of others years ago to keep the old program running died a silent death so to speak. 24 June we organized an Orientation Day for the first 20 interested people. Corrie (my collegue who works here on Monday's) and I coordinate this network and we have now 10 new definite new ‘helpers’ who join Mercy Ships Holland in PR work, like manning info booth or doing presentations in school or churches, collect goods or motivate people to help with finances or to help in joining us.Corrie and I strive to have these volunteers in every provence of our country.It is fun to do because everybody is our office is involved with this, so I get to work with all of my collegues and all of the new volunteers. So, that was it for now. Wishing all of you a very good summer, thank you for supporting me.
Love, Geertje.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
News in English coming up soon
On http://nieuwsvangeertje.blogspot.com/ you can see and read my news in Dutch, but I also would like to share with my English speaking supporters and friends about my daily work/life. You will find that soon here..
On http://nieuwsvangeertje.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html you can read some parts in English..... for now this is all I have, but hopefully more can be put on soon (september hopefully)
God bless, Geertje
PS Write me if you are interested in reading this!
On http://nieuwsvangeertje.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html you can read some parts in English..... for now this is all I have, but hopefully more can be put on soon (september hopefully)
God bless, Geertje
PS Write me if you are interested in reading this!
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