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April 8,2008 HHI Saves Lives! When I talk to people directly about the impacts of HHI's work in orphanages, one of the things I tell them is that several orphanages I have visited have reported that, "after HHI training, children die less often." This is an amazing and almost breathtaking claim. It means that HHI’s training empowers orphanage caregivers to provide nurturing and simple acts of love and kindness, resulting in the difference between life and death for a baby! I was asked by a friend recently why I have never really publicized this profound outcome of HHI and I admitted that I was afraid that it might make HHI look too grandiose, that we were making outrageous claims and that we could somehow lose credibility. She looked at me with a bit of confusion and again asked, "yeah, but you have heard orphanage directors - several of them - tell you that babies hadn't died since HHI's training?" My answer, "Yes".
Then, Saturday's NY Times ran a story about orphanages in Sudan that yet again showed demonstrable proof that teaching and supporting orphanage caregivers to show love to the children kept children from dying. A clip from their article reads, "Nurses are trained to hold and play with the children as they feed and care for them. Medical care has vastly improved. In 2001, 479 children died. In 2006, 186 did, according to UNICEF."
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This is exactly what HHI teaches and the reason why we are saving lives!
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***To learn more about HHI's Early Childhood Development Curriculum, see the Table of Contents and Excerpts.
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See the whole article at NY Times article at: Overcoming Customs and Stigma, Sudan Gives Orphans a Lifeline, April 5, 2008.
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Great Gratitude & HHI's New Groove
Melissa Jones has been HHI's volunteer web designer for more than three years! She gifted us with her talents, time, creativity, and energy - all while working full-time and raising her own young children. I have leaned on no other volunteer so hard, so often! She has been tireless in her commitment, generosity and patience. She created the face of Hands to Hearts. Melissa's efforts resonated around the world and introduced thousands of people not only to HHI's, but its essence as well. I am deeply grateful for all that she has contributed to HHI and now the time has come for me to let her off the hook with a resounding THANK YOU MELISSA!!!!
HHI has just hired a new staff member and the title and grand tasks of "web diva" have now been been put squarely in her lap. I am delighted to introduce our newest employee and HHI Team Member, Liz Kimmerly. I love to tell people that, "Liz was good enough for the UN, she is good enough for HHI!" Liz comes to HHI with years of experience working in international development. She worked for the UN in Afghanistan and East Timor and has been involved in social action since she was 15 years old. She brings a wealth of expertise, talent, insight and an abundance of energy to HHI. Stay tuned to see her recreate HHI's website and our entire way of communicating with the world.
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Soroptimist International of the America's Northwest Region has awarded HHI's Founder, Laura Peterson, with their 2007-2008 Making a Difference For Women Award. Laura was chosen for the extraordinary difference Hands to Hearts is making in the lives of other women around the world. She will be officially honored at their Regional Conference in Idaho on April 25th.
Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world. Almost 95,000 Soroptimists in about 120 countries and territories contribute time and financial support to community–based and international projects that benefit women and girls. The name, Soroptimist, means "best for women," and that's what the organization strives to achieve.
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Visit our website to stay up to date: www.handstohearts.org
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"The future depends on what we do in the present." Mahatma Ghandi