Dear friends,

We hope the first month of 2012 finds you well – we at Health In Harmony are gearing up for what promises to be a year full of change and growth.  Let us not get ahead of ourselves, though! 2011 was an amazing year for Health In Harmony and our partners, thanks to you.

Here’s a snapshot of what you made possible this past year:

Preparing seedlings for this past year's reforestation effort

Planted 21,800 seedlings, reforesting seven hectares of key rainforest habitat (the equivalent of 16 football fields!) Provided medical care to 5,798 patients, including critical care to infants and children Conducted 11 well-attended organic farm trainings in local Indonesian communities Provided 8 goats to widows, providing means of livelihood  And much more! Those are not trivial results. We are so grateful for your support during the past year – and are excited to begin the next.

In the upcoming months, we are already planning to:

• Complete the 5-year follow-up to the baseline health survey of villages near Klinik ASRI conducted in 2007 (read more about the preparations from volunteer Thomas Lazzarini here)
• Welcome our new U.S. Managing Director, Michelle Bussard
• Finalize plans for Hospital ASRI!!

As Health In Harmony and Project ASRI continue to work toward a fruitful relationship between humans and the environment, we are so pleased to offer conservation and reforestation, healthcare, and the livelihood programs such as organic farming and goat-raising that make it possible for communities around Gunung Palung National Park to thrive without logging.

Want to know more about what’s going on with these programs? Read more about organic vegetable farming success, clinic stories, and the first year of the Forest Guardians program.

(For these detailed program updates, see below)

By working together, Health In Harmony and the local communities in West Kalimantan, Borneo are re-growing rain forest, critical habitat for orangutans and an essential watershed for the surrounding villages – ensuring healthier communities locally and a healthier planet for us all.    But all of this is only possible with your help! Please consider a donation to Health In Harmony. You will save lives and save rain forest, helping make a healthier planet for us all.

Thank you for all you do. We are lucky to be able to do this work, and to have your support. 

- Kinari, Nichol, Toni, Kari, Rosevan and the HIH team

~~~

News from the Field: Detailed Program Updates

Preparing for the Survey - Organic Vegetable Farming – Klinik ASRI stories – Forest Guardians program

About the Baseline Survey – Round 2

from volunteer Thomas Lazzarini; photo also by Thomas

On an unassuming day during the fall 2010, I stopped to help a man who appeared lost and was wandering around the courtyard in front of my college dorm room. After a quick conversation as I guided him to his destination, he introduced me to the colleague he was meeting, Dr. Kinari Webb. I was easily convinced to attend her Master’s Tea later that afternoon, and following the presentation I knew that I would end up in Borneo.

Since arriving in Sukadana in early November, I have been preparing for the 5-year follow-up Baseline Health Survey. As you may know, five years ago, Dr. Webb conducted an initial health survey to assess the health, sanitary, and environmental conditions in the communities surrounding Gunung Palung National Park before the founding of the ASRI clinic. Over the past couple months I have been working with her, Dr. Hotlin Ompusunggu, many members ASRI staff as well as past volunteers to prepare and translate the survey questionnaire, coordinate with alumni from a local nursing school, and organize the logistics of the survey.

Preparing for the 2nd survey

In 2007, 1348 households representing 6300 individuals in 25 villages were interviewed. In the 2012 follow-up survey, we will interview at least as many households and will return to the same villages that were visited five years ago. We will ultimately compare the survey results with the data from five years ago in order to assess the role that ASRI has played in the health of the environment and the communities surrounding Gunung Palung National Park, and also to help in the development of future ASRI programs that can further benefit the area. For example, the survey will provide information on the prevalence of common diseases in different villages, where people get their drinking water during the dry season and how long it takes them to obtain it, and how the economic situation of families involved in illegal logging compares with their neighbors who have alternative sources of income.

The latest draft of the survey form will be tested next week with
neighbors of the clinic and patients in the waiting room. With the
survey questionnaire ready to go, a start date of 30 January, and 47 nurses on board to interview, everything is set to go according to plan. (Which is not trivial in Borneo!)

Organic Vegetable Farming A Hit

Recently, we got wonderful news from the village of Pangkalan Jihing, which felt like a culmination of a year’s work on many fronts. First you have to understand about this village. It is the most remote village we work with, a full day’s travel from our clinic over terrible roads. We go once a month on a mobile clinic visit and the illnesses there shock even our unflappable docs — years of daily fevers never treated, 8 months of diarrhea, going blind from easily treatable eye infections. Furthermore, this village is one of the worst for illegal logging – and even more shocking, there are no vegetables in this village. That sounds strange but it is totally true — no vegetables at all. People eat rice, fish, and chilies — no vegetables.

So by the request of our wonderful forest guardian there, Pak Ngalim (our sustainable agriculture teacher) conducted a training in organic farming for a huge group of loggers and rice farmers.

Then this week, after going back to the village, Pak Ngalim brought the wonderful news. Vegetables are already being sold in the village and are bought within minutes of being put out. People are delighted, the farmers are excited, AND logging has dropped based on a repeat logging survey we do monthly. I also have to think that this will help the health of the people in this village. Clearly the local market for vegetables is far from saturated but the village is also situated on a river and can market vegetables all along its course.

This is truly win, win, win. Healthier people, saving rain forest, healthier land not using chemicals, more income for people, and a three-way partnership between the community, ASRI, and the government. We are delighted and hope you will also enjoy this news to end the year on. Thank you all for helping make it possible.

Best wishes from Indonesia,
Kinari

Stories from the Clinic

1) Buried Alive

During morning meeting, as we discussed a triage system, a motorbike pulled up in front of the clinic, and off jumped a man, with a 3 year old boy slung limp over his shoulder. The boy had been running across a denuded slope that had become unstable with the recent rains, and a landslide came down. He was buried in that landslide for approximately 20 minutes as his family dug him out. They brought him to the clinic as fast as they could, which was within in about 10 minutes. On arrival, he was barely breathing, with a Glasgow Coma Scale was 4 (a normal, awake and alert person has a score of 15, and a dead body has a score of 3). He needed to be intubated, but we had no IV access, and the typical medications and equipment were not available. We used a 14 gauge needle to put an intraosseous line in his leg, attached oxygen tubing to a 60ml syringe for suction, rearranged bulbs on laryngoscope blades to give us a working pediatric scope, and used a piece of heavy gauge electrical cable for a stylette in an endotracheal tube as we prepared to intubate with valium on standby as our only available sedative drug.

Fortunately for him, in the 5-10 minutes it took to get all this together, he started to respond to painful stimuli, and his GCS began to climb. By all was ready, his GCS was 10 and he was protecting his airway and breathing at a normal rate, with a relatively normal pattern. As the idea of bag mask ventilating him during the bumpy 2 hour ambulance ride to Ketapang is really only a choice of last resort, we held off on the intubation. He was log rolled, with crepitus felt in the process, so we strapped him to a backboard, his head and neck stabilized with rolled towels as there was no pediatric C-collar and we waited as the family debated whether or not they to have him taken to Ketapang for x-rays. The wisely decided yes, and he was loaded into the ambulance. By the time he arrived, he had a GCS of 15. His C-spine films were negative, a chest x-ray was positive for aspirated soil, and he returned to ASRI where he received treatment for pneumonia and stayed overnight. All things considered, he did remarkably well, and his family took him home the next day on antibiotics.

2) An Atypical Heart Attack

A 98 year old female came into the clinic one afternoon complaining of “stomach sickness.” She had been experiencing nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain for the past 3 days. She felt weak, and had some shakiness, sweats, and palpitations. She was given an antacid on arrival, and her symptoms began to resolve. However her workup included a prophylactic aspirin and an ECG, as she was old and female. The ECG showed poor R wave progression and ST elevations throughout the precordial leads, consistent with an ongoing heart attack.

We discussed management and prognosis with the family. One has to think seriously about quality vs. quantity of life in situations such as this. She was 98, which beats the odds for life-span not only in Indonesia, but in any country in the world. She was weak and frail, and had not walked for the last 5 years, being carried by family members to the toilet and wherever else she may have gone. The nearest cath lab is in Kuching, in Malaysia, which would require the family to sell all of their worldly possessions to take her there. They decided that medical management only would be in her, and everyone’s best interests. We offered for her to stay at the clinic for a few days as her medications were optimized, but she wished to go home. They were given a number of medications, with instructions as to their appropriate use, and with a plan to bring her back for re-evaluation the following day. She did not return. The following afternoon, a large group of people was seen gathered at her house, which was several blocks from clinic. She had died early that morning, at home, surrounded by her family, as she had desired.

Forest Guardians Program Anniversary

Project ASRI co-founder and Whitley Award winner, Dr. Hotlin Ompusunggu tells us about the first year of the Forest Guardian Program…

Thanks to my Whitley Award, the Forest Guardians Program is off to a great start! Just seven months ago, Project ASRI trained 30 villagers to help protect Gunung Palung National park through a combination of monitoring illegal logging and community outreach. The core element of this project is that the Guardians are respected and trusted members of their communities who have known their fellow villagers since birth and who speak the local dialect. This enables the Forest Guardians to function as a communication bridge between Health In Harmony’s Project ASRI and the community discussing logging and its dangers, peer to peer.

The Guardians have connected us with loggers in 14 villages and continue to work with these communities to identify and design alternative livelihoods strategies. Thanks to the Forest Guardians, we are now helping villages set up sustainable agriculture projects that will improve local health, protect the Gunung Palung watershed, and give villagers an income that does not destroy the rainforest. The Forest Guardians have also been key in setting up a regular monitoring system that enables ASRI to keep a finger on the pulse of illegal logging, and to target logging communities for outreach and strategizing to identify sustainable alternatives.

Thank you for supporting the Forest Guardian Program, we are making remarkable progress and saving trees… one village at a time.

Healthy children, clean water, and healthy forests

Imagine holding your third child in your arms and panicking. She has the same illness that killed your first two babies – diarrhea. Your baby is floppy and looks like she also might not make it but you rush her to the best health care anywhere around, Health In Harmony’s Klinik ASRIin Sukadana, West Borneo. There the team immediately rushes your baby in, recognizing she is really sick. Your newborn gets an IV, loving care, and oral rehydration. Within one day she is laughing and giggling again, and you breathe a huge sigh of relief.

A mother and her baby at Klinik ASRI

But at this strange clinic, it doesn’t stop there. The nurses come and talk to you about boiling your water, and ask you where you get your drinking water. Two hours from the village you answer. “Wow, no wonder you sometimes have to make do with river water.” Then the nurse checks with the baseline survey which measured health statistics and attitudes about the rainforest. “Hmmm,” Wilfrimus says, “Yes indeed, we measured high rates of diarrhea in your village and it is one of the villages which we recently got a grant from Water Hope to put in some wells.”

But a well is not enough – a well needs a pump. Because Health In Harmony believes in sustainability and health for the whole planet, they have been working with a volunteer, Patrick Ryan, on developing foot-powered treadle pumps that can be fixed and maintained right in the village. These pumps also do not require expensive, polluting gasoline.

“Wow,” you think – “This is great, not only was my baby’s life saved, but I can look forward to a well going in in my village soon to prevent diarrhea in the first place!”

So now, you are ready to pay. The cashier sits down with you and explains about payment at the ASRI clinic. You can pay with cash if you choose but you can also pay with seedlings or manure. “Are you kidding?” you ask. Nani, the cashier explains why the clinic accepts such strange items. “We use the seedlings and manure for reforestation. This year we planted another 17 acres of destroyed land in the National Park with over 25,000 native tree seedlings. We have now reforested a total of 45 acres over the last three years!”

(For even more detailed program updates, see below)

By working together, Health In Harmony and the local communities in West Kalimantan, Borneo are re-growing rain forest, critical habitat for orangutans and an essential watershed for the surrounding villages – ensuring healthier communities locally and a healthier planet for us all.

But all of this is only possible with your help! Please consider a donation to Health In Harmony. You will save lives and save rain forest, helping make a healthier planet for us all.

This holiday season we wish you all Health and Harmony. 
- Kinari, Nichol, Toni, Kari, Rosevan and the HIH team

More Detailed updates from our programs in Indonesia:

Reforestation – Klinik ASRI – Water Hope partnership

REFORESTATION

Year 3 of Forest Reforestation Plantings is completed! Over the past six weeks, reforestation efforts have focused on the planning, land preparation and plot layout for the planting of over 17 hectares of reforestation plots in the Imperata cylindrica (highly invasive exotic grass) dominated lands inside Gunung Palung National Park. The seedlings have been planted adjacent to our 2010 and 2009 efforts and brings the grand total of plantings to over 45 acres, half of which incorporate experimental trials and monitoring to determine the most cost effective and successful methods. As plantings took place, we took a look around to see how the seedlings were doing from the past 2 years.

Cam Webb admires the 2011 stock of native tree seedlings before planting commences.

Seedlings from 2009, now 2 years old, are towering above the invasive grass we are trying to combat. Once shaded, the grass can no longer thrive. A forest is taking root!

Tim Treuer, long term reforestation volunteer, surveys an experimental plot of Sungkai (Peronema canescens) pole plantings from 2009. The cut poles, less than 1 meter tall when planted, are beginning to create a canopy taller than Tim's 2 meter height!

KLINIK ASRI
David Karam, a recent medical volunteer, comments on his experience at Klinic ASRI.

‘Six weeks ago I was graciously welcomed into the ASRI family. In that time I’ve met fascinating patients and encountered incredibly interesting and diverse diseases.  Some fall into the category of “tropical medicine,” though most of the diseases we treated during my time here were cases of “bread and butter medicine” — diseases affecting all people of the world, regardless of their latitude.  Here are a few recent cases I have found noteworthy.

- We had a 32 year old father came to the clinic, who ten hours before arriving at clinic ASRI was, by his own account, entirely healthy. His symptoms started suddenly with paroxysms of flank and pelvic pain, so severe that he lost consciousness twice while at home.  For ten hours he was unable to urinate, except for a few drops of bloody fluid.  His symptoms suggested some kind of a urinary tract obstruction, but if you were to look up the causes of such an obstruction in American medical texts (I’ve checked several) the etiology of his ailment would likely not be found.  Even so, his diagnosis was suspected immediately by the Indonesian doctor on call, and confirmed with a single question.  ”Did you recently eat djenkol?”

Few foreigners are aware of djenkol (also spelled jengkol), a bean commonly eaten this time of year in the region. Nor are they aware of it’s potential toxicity, a well described phenomenon which occurs sporadically and, for unknown reasons,  disproportionately affects men more than women.  Djenkol toxicity involves precipitation and crystallization of djenkolic acid, found in the bean, within the kidney tubules and urinary tract. Untreated, this can rapidly lead to
renal failure.  In this man’s case, with prompt placement of a urinary catheter and aggressive intravenous hydration his symptoms improved with time.  He remained at ASRI for a few days before returning home, and when seen in clinic for follow-up one week after discharge he was feeling well, already back to work as a driver.

- Then we had a 36 year old male, new to ASRI, who presented with a chronic cough. He sought medical attention for this problem four months before in a larger city, where a workup yielded no answers. We observed he was notably thin, with wasting around the areas of his temporal bones – both potential signs of chronic illness. Though his symptoms may seem minimal, an isolated cough, he was incredibly sick. Luckily he brought with him a chest x-ray taken four months before, which showed that the upper portion of his right lung was heavily diseased. The left lung appeared normal, though upon listening to his chest, we noted abnormalities in both lungs – in all likelihood, his disease was spreading.

The x-ray findings, coupled with a chronic cough, were strongly suggestive of TB, though cancer and many other infectious and non-infectious processes can have similar radiographic findings and clinical features.  He tested negative for tuberculosis in a special staining of the patient’s sputum, but our suspicion for tuberculosis remained high.  Though he was initially reluctant, we convinced him to return to ASRI the following day with a first morning sputum sample, which he would collect at home and bring to clinic. Such samples typically have higher diagnostic yield when searching for TB. Though he had to drive a great distance to clinic, he did return the following day, and our suspicions were confirmed when microscopic
analysis of his second sample showed heavy tuberculosis burden.

There is nothing strange about this particular case:  the way he presented or the way in which his infection was identified.  Many cases of TB are diagnosed and treated at ASRI every month. The story highlights something even more poignant. Frequently patients come to Klinik ASRI for a second opinion after not improving or not knowing what ails them. In many cases we are able to identify the ailment, and in this case it is fortunately a treatable one. ASRI is a fully functioning clinic, capable of urgent care needs and equipped for long-term, longitudinal care. In this man’s case we were not only able to make his diagnosis, but also arrange for him a DOTS worker to help coordinate his antibiotic therapy. Lastly, this case speaks to the quality of the Indonesian doctors working at ASRI, who knew that one negative test should not affect one’s search for a particular disease when clinical suspicion for that illness is strong.’ 

THE HOPE OF WATER

Through a Water Hope grant, funds have been earmarked to help provide rural communities improve water quality and accessibility. Thanks to the efforts of numerous people, and the perseverance of a dedicated volunteer, Patrick Ryan, the first prototype is complete! The pump works hydraulically with one person “walking” on two boards, similar to the elliptical at your local gym! Recently we showed of the modified Treadle Pump to our Forest Guardians, who were impressed on how easily clean water can be pumped to a high storage tank. They discussed the issue of keeping water supplies potable and were eager to both try the prototype and provide suggestions on how to perfect the model. Once we tinker with the design, the forest guardians will be implementing a pump in each of their villages to replace the present open wells.

The pump utilizes hydraulic force to draw water up the cylinder as the operator stair steps. Genius!

Forest guardians test out the prototype pump.

Thanks everyone for your continued support.

We wish you and yours a Happy Holiday Season,
The Health In Harmony Team

Consider a gift of Health this Holiday Season. Donate online at www.healthinharmony.org.

Outside Magazine published the article A Year of Giving Adventurously in their November edition, listing their Top Choices for Citizen Philanthropy. Ranked as the 30 best — smartly managed groups with transparent financials, efficient spending, and track records of on-the-ground success — Health In Harmony is proud to have made the list!

Thanks to those of you have funded our program and helped make this work possible, kudos.

And for those of you looking for a charity where your dollars (or donated goods) are put to good use, donation information can be found here.

Happy Holidays!

Health In Harmony – Managing Director – Job Description

Application forms can be downloaded here:

Health In Harmony – Managing Director – Application

Job Title: Managing Director

Report To: The President and Founder of Health In Harmony

Job Purpose: Coordinate growth and development of Health In Harmony

Location: Portland, OR (other location will be considered for the right candidate)

Founded in 2006, Health In Harmony (HIH) — a 501(c)3 non-profit organization — has developed a sustainable, long-term model to address the challenge of global environmental conservation. HIH’s mission is to affirm the powerful link between human and environmental health, with a practical focus on providing quality healthcare as both a safety net and an incentive for local communities to protect irreplaceable natural resources. HIH’s annual budget of $350,000 currently supports the operation of the ASRI Clinic in Indonesia, an organization of 70+ employees that administers an innovative, community-based human and environmental health program. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, HIH employs five full-time and part-time staff. HIH’s Board of Directors has committed to growing the organization, by raising funds to build a teaching hospital in Indonesia and, ultimately, to support replication around the world. The Managing Director position will provide critical coordination to achieve and manage such dramatic growth.

The Managing Director reports directly to the President and Founder of HIH, Dr. Kinari Webb. The position will be full-time, with occasional travel within the U.S. An initial visit to the ASRI site in Kalimantan, Indonesia, will be an essential part of the orientation process.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Major responsibilities:

Strategic and Operational Leadership

a) Oversee administrative matters for the organization (e.g., developing and implementing effective organizational structures and financial administration policies and procedures)

b) Coordinate with Development Director to create and implement annual budget

c) Provide leadership for development and fundraising plans

Support Board of Directors

a) Develop capabilities and contributions of board members

b) Identify and recruit new candidates to be considered for invitation to the board

c) Assist in board development activities including retention, training, and effective communication between staff and board members

Manage and Develop Staff

a) Maximize the potential of all staff members and set high quality performance standards

b) Recruit and hire staff in conjunction with President of HIH

c) Train and supervise HIH staff members

d) Delegate work effectively to achieve organizational goals

e) Empower staff to deliver assigned responsibilities and manage their functions

Administration

a) Coordinate administrative functions, including payroll

b) Prepare operating budget, working with staff to track and report revenue and expenses

c) Provide regular progress reports to Board of Directors

d) Ensure compliance with all federal and state regulations

Marketing and Communication

a) Publicize HIH activities, initiatives, programs, and goals

b) Establish relationships and cooperative arrangements with partner organizations (e.g., conservation groups, medical schools, and foundations) and represent HIH programs and philosophy to agencies, organizations, and the general public

c) Oversee content, production, and distribution of all marketing and publicity materials

d) Manage press development

Job qualifications and specifications

1. At least five years non-profit work experience

2. At least five years fundraising experience

3. Excellent grasp of English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation

4. Proficiency in using computer databases, internet, and social media, as well as Word and Excel

5. Financial management experience

6. Excellent organizational skills and an ability to prioritize competing goals

7. Interpersonal skills to build harmonious working relationships with supporters funders, co-workers, and the general public

8. Public speaking experience and outstanding communications skills

Please email completed application, CV, and cover letter to rosevan@healthinharmony.org.

HIH is looking to fill this position as soon as possible, and applications will be considered as they arrive.

Follow this link to read the article.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/sep/13/healthcare-costs-kill-forests-alum-says/

Health In Harmony on Tour

Health In Harmony Founder, Kinari Webb and Director, Nichol Simpson will be touring the United State this September and October talking about the link between human and environmental health. We hope you can join us!

September

8-11       San Francisco Bay Area

12-19     New Haven, CT / Yale Campus

20-22     Northampton, MA

23           Cambridge, MA/ Harvard Campus

24-30     Washington D.C. Greater Metro Area

October

1-2      White Plains, NY

3-5      Washington D.C.

5-25    San Francisco Bay Area

For more tour schedule information see New and Events on www.healthinharmony.org,.  If you are interested in scheduling a talk, please contact nichol@healthinharmony.org

For More News and Ways to Support Our Work…

We can only do this amazing work with your support.View our Amazon wishlist, find out how to volunteer, or contribute what you can through our donationspage. And  for the most up-to-date news and events, check out our main website.

A Sneak Peek into Reforestation Success

We have an exciting find to share from our reforestation work.

This pioneer tree locally known as Sungkai (Peronema canescens) in the Verbenaceae family, is only 20 months old and already supporting new life! Pat yourselves on the back for helping with this little eco-success!

New Life. A bird’s nest in one of our reforestation seedlings. In order to photograph this nest, Cam Webb is standing UNDER the seedling, already over 2 meters tall! Forest Guardians Help Seek Solutions

Our Forest Guardian Team, representing 30 villages surrounding Gunung Palung National Park. Photo by Agus Supianto

It has been only two months since our first Forest Guardians training, and the program is already producing exciting results.  Our conservation monitor, Adi Bejo,  returned after a week long survey trip visiting the thirty Forest Guardians’ sub-villages. He reports the logger are welcoming and want to work with us to find alternative income options. We learned all they want is one thing: a way out of illegal logging!

Of the 30 hamlets we work with in the Forest Guardians program:

• Nine want help with agro-forestry to reforest logged and burned land that now has only saw-grass on it. They want training in planting tengkawang (a fast-growing tree for wood), durian (a delicious and profitable endemic fruit) and karet (rubber, highly profitable).

• Nineteen want training in sustainable agriculture that does not use expensive and dangerous chemicals. The training will be tailored to local conditions based on soil types and specific needs.

 Across the region, our forest guardians are actively working to move their villages away from illegal logging.

We at Health In Harmony are overjoyed by this progress, and hope to have more stories of success like these to share in the future. This is all made possible by your support! Thank you, from us, and from the future organic farming, ex-loggers. Now we are working toward raising funds to increase the number of trainings we provide for the communities, making dreams reality, and saving precious orangutan habitat.

Above, Durian ? this delicious garlic-infused, sweet custard-like fruit is a highly prized, and profitable, delicacy native to Borneo.Photo by Kari Malen.

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Global Giving Challenge Met!

Health In Harmony is participating in an on-line Global Giving Challenge. In just 25 days of this 30 day challenge, over 60 donors contributed monies totaling over $5,000 dollars allowing us to be permanently featured on this well renowned fundraising sitewww.globalgiving.org.

Now we forge on to meet the $10,000 target! ]]> http://www.healthinharmony.org/2011/08/05/august-2011/feed/ 0 http://www.healthinharmony.org/2011/08/01/global-giving-challenge/ http://www.healthinharmony.org/2011/08/01/global-giving-challenge/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 06:00:32 +0000 Kari http://www.healthinharmony.org/?p=803 Global Giving Challenge Update

Health In Harmony’s project ASRI met the initial 30 day – 50 donor – $4000 Challenge!

We are now a permanent participant on the well renowned fundraising site. Thanks to everyone who contributed to make that possible.

Now we forge on to meet our $10,000 programmatic fund goal.  It is as easy as a few mouse clicks.

Start here:

———————————————————————————————————————–

Health In Harmony’s project ASRI has been accepted to participate in a 1 month Global Giving Challenge!

30 days
50 donors
$4,000

In the next 30 days we need 50 or more donors to help raise $4,000 towards program efforts. If we reach this benchmark, Health In Harmony is awarded a permanent spot on the well-renowned Global Giving fundraising website where people all over the world can learn about what we do and how they can help. All that in just a few mouse clicks.

This Challenge is for the month of August only, deadline is August 30th!

Help us make our 50 donor and $4,000 in contributions benchmark, today.

Click here to do your part!

When women in the Gunung Palung area get pregnant, most elect a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA), many of whom come from long lineages of birth attendants. Others choose to work with midwives, whose government training may be minimal. Despite the best efforts of these caregivers, the rate of complications and deaths associated with childbirth in our area is unacceptably high. ASRI is dedicated to decreasing the infant mortality rate.

Recently, Health In Harmony, with the help of the Osborne Foundation, hosted Karen Ruby Brown CNM, MSN, to run a training for local midwives. A Yale-trained Certified Nurse-Midwife, Karen studied the midwife system in Indonesia, investigated low-tech solutions for remote areas, and prepared lesson plans based on the needs identified by the volunteers and physicians at Project ASRI.

Karen brought crucial equipment with her, like baby-sized ventilator bags and sterile birthing tools, critical to the trainings. The program attracted over 90% of the local midwives and 20 TBAs. The training covered sterilization techniques, handling obstructed labor, bleeding, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for babies who weren’t breathing, and kangaroo care for premature infants.

Global Change on a Local Level

The Forest Guardians program, funded by the prestigious British Whitley Award presented to Dr. Hotlin Ompusunggu, began with an amazing five-day workshop focused on the forest, the impending dangers of illegal logging, and creative solutions to the deforestation problem. The participants, all carefully-selected village men concerned about illegal logging, learned about the state of the rain forest, and how it connects to the well-being of the people who live near it; the intersection of human and environmental health. After two intense days in the classroom, the group headed for the forest. The men were taught to identify trees, animals, and other plants and how to share this information with local communities. In addition to our ASRI volunteers, Gunung Palung National Park staff members also participated in the training- illustrating, once again, our dedication to partnering with local governments and communities to create global change.

Planetary Health Begins with You

Health In Harmony realizes we are running out of time to save the precious natural habitats and resources that hold the key to human health around the globe. Every day, we take steps to improve human and environmental health. Join us on our path to global health, chose one of these easy steps:

Donate today at www/healthinharmony.org. Your donation works toward saving trees, lives, habitats and, yes, planet earth. Thank you!

Become a volunteer. Visit us at www.alamsehatlestari.org

Give a gift of need. Visit our Amazon Wish List to see what is most needed at Project ASRI: Wishlist

Thanks to all of you, the HIH family, for tuning in and keeping up with our program tales.

Enjoy the summer,

The HIH team

For the past 4 years, Kinari Webb has spent the majority of her waking hours focused on the operations of HIH’s ASRI program on the ground in Indonesia. This September, however, she will return to the States to tell us about the program’s successes, trials, milestones and plans for the future. Join an event, or schedule Kinari as a keynote speaker at your event, to learn about the innovative approach HIH is taking in rural Borneo to reverse the depletion of natural resources through efforts that target the link between human and environmental health.

For more information, or to check Kinari’s availability as a keynote speaker, contact Nichol Simpson at nichol@healthinharmony.org

Please check back for scheduling updates. There may be an event planned near you!

US Tour schedule:

September 2011

• 6 – 12 San Francisco/Bay Area

• 13 – 19 New Haven, CT/Yale Campus

• 20 – 22 North Hampton, MA

• 23 – 30 Washington DC/Greater Metro Area

October 2011

• San Francisco Bay Area & TBD

Dr. Kinari Webb stands proudly by HIH forest restoration efforts in Borneo