Good news roundup: January 2024

A “well-being” day for carers in Ukraine!

Thanks to funding from the European Union, HI's teams in Dnipro have organized a special event for carers, mainly physical therapists, doctors and nurses from local hospitals, intended to reduce their stress and anxiety and help them understand themselves better. Art, breathing techniques and relaxation were just some of the tools offered by HI: tools, but also a little well-deserved 'break' in their difficult everyday lives. Health workers in war zones are particularly in need of strong psychosocial support to help them cope with psychological difficulties and increase their resilience and resources.

In Burkina Faso and Niger, 3,000 impoverished households develop sustainable sources of income

In these violence-ridden cross-border regions, food insecurity and a lack of economic opportunities weigh heavily on the poorest communities. Amina (not her real name), who lives in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso, received help from HI to set up a chicken farm. The RECOSA project, which ran for 4 years, enabled thousands of people like Amina to develop economic activities, receive wheelchairs or walking sticks and benefit from greater access to social services.

The WISH (Women’s Integrated Sexual Health) project is a success!

The WISH project aims to strengthen health services and sexual and reproductive rights in Africa and Asia. In South Sudan, HI's teams focus on improving family planning services for women with disabilities and young women, and raising awareness through community activities. They also train local health staff to promote sexual and reproductive health. Silvia Poni Philip is a student with hearing loss. She says that she has acquired new knowledge about reproductive health and will no longer have to worry about becoming pregnant before she finishes her studies.

In Chad, recovering mobility thanks to physical therapy

Abdellatif is 9 years old. He is being treated in a hospital near a refugee camp in eastern Chad, to which thousands of people have fled to escape the war in neighboring Sudan. At the hospital, everyone calls him "Boss"! The little boy has paraplegia. He has undergone surgery and is now working with HI's physical therapists. During their sessions, the therapists have seen that Abdellatif has some feeling in his legs: a hopeful sign that he may regain some mobility.  HI's teams continue to work on his agility to develop his capacities. Outside of his treatment sessions, Abdellatif does his exercises on his own. He is very determined and optimistic!