The offer was huge: 7,000 brand new toys, including dinosaurs and remote controlled dolls, all battery operated, from a well-known multinational toy company. It was a larger donation than we could immediately handle at our own warehouse, but we knew there might be Hong Kong NGOs in our Global Hand network who would jump at the offer. We started asking our local partners if they could use the toys for children in their programmes, and several put up their hands, including a project that runs school for sick children in hospital, mobile toy library for underprivileged areas, and a group working with children with special needs.

One little boy with special needs was particularly overjoyed with his new dinosaur. He told staff that he had been wanting a dinosaur toy for a long time, even asking for it last Christmas. “My wish has come true!” he shouted joyfully, clutching the toy for dear life.

The ripple effects of these toys are being felt beyond their young recipients. One of the NGOs who received toys runs an evening meal box programme for elderly in poverty, and some of the toys were given out to elderly for their families. Yuk Ching, who attends the programme, is an elderly grandma living on a shoestring budget. She spoke with tears in her eyes of what the gift meant to her and her family: “As a grandmother, I never give any gifts to my grandchildren,” she said. “I don’t know where the toy shops are, and I can’t afford it. This is the first time I’ve been able to give gifts to my grandson and granddaughter!”

Hope after incarceration: Zambia

“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

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Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

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Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

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NGO, ‘Rejoice’, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is committed to supporting people of any ethnicity, religion or age who are living with HIV. They provide medical, social and educational support, counselling programmes and community initiatives. They came to Global Hand because, along with this range of services, they have established the ‘Buddies Society of Ipoh’ with the goal of providing comfort to kids affected by HIV. Whether they are HIV+ themselves, or have lost a parent to HIV, or both, the reality is that their lives will now never be the same. The Buddies Society hand makes bears as a gift to these children, providing them a ‘buddy’ in their pain.  We supported ‘matches’ for these Buddy Bears and saw them reach HIV affected kids (see main photo below) through the NGO, Sevac, in Uganda.

Hope after incarceration: Zambia

“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

read more ...

Educating orphans and training youth

In Zambia, where 80% of rural families are living below the poverty line (UNICEF), this shipment has provided immeasurable support to schools, children’s homes and unemployed youth in rural Zambia. Before the shipment arrived, staff described the lack of resources that is keeping community children in poverty in one of their target schools:

“The room is packed with a sea of small bodies in khaki uniforms, some sprawling on the dirt floor trying to balance their note books and write at the same time. The lucky few who get desks are tightly squeezed together on the on the same bench, elbows touching as they scrawl notes while the teacher talks and writes on the chalkboard. The metal sheet that serves as a roof makes the room hot and stuffy.”

 

When Crossroads’ shipment arrived from Hong Kong, filled with school goods, toys, furniture and other items, excitement at the news spread quickly!

 

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“You should have been here to see the tears of joy trickling down faces,” they wrote. “THANK YOU CROSSROADS!!!! Together we are making things happen. Some kids that came to witness were nervous at seeing what was going on. Some of them have never seen such BIG cars, let alone standing side by side.”

Some of these goods have already been distributed, including:

  • Furniture to outfit the community’s library
  • Toys and educational supplies for school children
  • Baby equipment, toys and supplies for an orphanage caring for 0-3 year olds

 

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Still more of the goods, though, are now waiting onsite to be installed at the project’s most exciting new endeavour: a new school building (right), which will be able to better cater to the community children’s needs with more space, more classrooms and now, thanks to this shipment, better desks and chairs.

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Zambia Snapshot

Zambia Snapshot

Population: 14.83 million

Capital: Lusaka

Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, with a tropical climate.

74.5% of people in Zambia live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day.

40% of children are involved in some kind of child labour

1.1 million people are living with HIV.

map

Community Development

In this town in Central Uganda, people struggle for the basic necessities of daily life: clean water, good sanitation, shelter and even food. Access to basic health is limited and poor health services have resulted in preventable illnesses becoming severe.

Uganda_237.7% of Uganda’s population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Orphans and vulnerable children may find it impossible to break free from the poverty cycle without the kind of intervention that our partners are giving.

 

 

 

Many of the townsfolk engage in subsistence farming, others are market vendors, some are motorcyclist drivers. Everyone finds it difficult to make ends meet. Crossroads is shipping to an NGO that is deeply engaged in community development programmes in this town and broader region, including a primary and secondary school, programmes to reduce HIV/AIDS, poultry farming assistance, financial assistance for complex health care, water projects and supporting the reduction in child abuse.

Shipment includes:

  • Medical equipment to support the local health clinic
  • Books, stationery and basic school supplies
  • School furniture and toys
  • Office furniture for local administration

Potential Impact:

  • Improved facilities to support 800 families in reducing HIV/AIDS
  • 130 vulnerable women and youth to be assisted with the poultry farming project
  • School fees for 450 students to attend primary, secondary and vocational education

Uganda_1Unlike most 18 year old boys, Samuel was unable to enjoy the freedom of being young, fit and able. Samuel could do very little on his own. Daily life was a struggle, let alone making his way to school for study. A complicated heart problem caused Samuel to live a very limited and dependent lifestyle. In his town, near Kampala, Samuel did not have access to health care to treat his heart correctly.

Thankfully, staff from our partner NGO met him. They were able to raise enough support to send Samuel to India for a life-saving heart operation. Today, Samuel attends secondary school without any trouble. Both teachers and staff at our partner organisation are impressed to see Samuel not just get by but excel in all areas.

 

This shipment will provide medical equipment and goods to improve the life of children like Samuel.

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Uganda Snapshot

Population: 37.58 million
Capital: Kampala

Uganda is a fertile, land-locked country in East Africa, in the Africa Great Lakes region, with a tropical climate.

Great progress has been made in fighting HIV in Uganda, but 1.5 million people still live with the disease, and there are 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

39% of girls are married by the age of 18. 37.7% of people in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day.

A6

Care for orphans and vulnerable children

Kenya_1Narok district in Kenya is often referred to as the nation’s breadbasket, rich in natural resources and fertile land. For residents, though, many aspects of life in Narok are not easy, and they see few of the benefits of those rich resources. Many live on less than US$1 a day, barely enough to survive. A lack of clean drinking water, food and housing creates challenges that seem impossible to escape. Crossroads’ partner NGO in Narok is helping their community fight to break free from the web of poverty. They offer agricultural services, distribute food, clothing and household goods, help provide access to clean drinking water and are giving education to children in the area.

Potential impact:

  • Computers will help set up an IT-centre in the school, teaching computer skills to children and young adults.
  • Community-building through the distribution of clothing and other essentials.
  • Establish new professions of vocational training

Shipment includes:

  • Clothing, medical supplies and toys
  • Computers, scanners, printers and more

A90School happens under the trees for these students. Their school doesn’t have the space and facilities to cater for the number of children they want to help.Because the area floods easily in the rainy season, it poses further inconveniences and risks such as increased malaria risk. The school is constructing new classrooms to cope with demand, but needs the furniture to fill them!

The shipment from Crossroads will include furniture and more to equip the newly build classrooms of this school.

 

 



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Joseph, aged 5, is an orphan who lives with his grandmother, together with his brother and two sisters. When their thatched house collapsed, they were left homeless. His grandmother, herself a widow, couldn`t afford to take care of Joseph and his siblings. Thankfully they got some support from our partner organisation who helped his  grandmother to start a little corn selling business which now provides for the needs of the family. 

The shipment will include materials to improve the school Joseph attends, which will care for needs of many more children.


 

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Kenya Snapshot

Capital: Nairobi
Population: 45.55 million. About half of the population is under 18.

Population below international poverty line of US$1.25 per day: 44%

There are 1.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS ,  1 million children orphaned because of AIDS, and 2.6 million orphans in total.
More than a quarter of children are involved in child labour, mostly in agriculture, but also in the mining industry.

A61

Education and job creation for people with special needs

The Philippines is home to some of the most beautiful places on earth. However, 26.5% of the population lives below the international poverty line, and life is particularly difficult for those with disabilities who are living in poverty.

Philippines

Living with special needs in the Philippines makes it difficult to find a job or access proper education. Government statistics indicate that 97% of people across the Philippines living with disabilities are not reached by the public school system. Our consignee in Manila is bringing change to the lives of children, young adults and adults with disabilities like autism. “Due to the high cost of medical, rehabilitation, and educational and vocational training services for youth with special needs, many families cannot afford to avail of quality intervention for them,” they write. Their programmes for developmentally disabled people include job-readiness courses (64 students), life skills and transition education (150 students) and community-based rehab and education (reaching 600).

Shipment includes:

  • School furniture for educational programmes
  • Toys and musical instruments for rehabilitation activities
  • Computers for clerical skills training
  • Household goods and furniture for training in hospitality skills and personal life skills like managing a bedroom or kitchen

A86Aingee (16) has autism. Our partner’s programmes help her learn to cope with normal activities that many of us take for granted. As well as structured learning experiences, Aingee learns to handle daily life routines and activities, from grocery shopping to trips to the dentists and swimming or going to the movies. This gives Aingee the opportunity to learn how to work with others in a safe, caring environment.

This shipment will help more than 150 people like Aingee take life skills training.


A45Louis’ parents were very worried when, at 14 years old, his special school closed its doors and he was left with nowhere that could cater for his special needs. Louis, who has autism and cannot talk, has attended special schools since he was 3 years old. Most of the schools his parents could find would only take young children, rather than teenagers or adults. They worried Louis would never learn the life skills he needed to be independent, or even hope to find a job. Thankfully, they discovered our partner’s school and now at 20 years old, Louis is thriving.

“My son has finally come home,” says his mother.

“He will stay here and develop to the utmost that he can ever be, as a special person.”

Crossroads shipment will help more people with disabilities like Louis reach their potential.

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Philippines Snapshot

Population: 98,39 million
Capital: Manila

Population living below international poverty line of US$1.25 per day: 26.5%

Government statistics indicate that 1.57% of people in the Philippines are living with a disability.  97% of people living with disabilities are not being reached by the public school system.A51

Education and job creation

There are around 2.7 million orphans in Uganda, and for those without someone to advocate for them, meet their needs and see that they stay in school, it’s very difficult to escape poverty. Some children, like Gerald (right), have to work just to survive, even selling drugs or engaging in prostitution. UNICEF statistics indicate that 25% of children in Uganda are involved in child labour of some kind.

A4037.7% of Uganda’s population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Orphans and vulnerable children may find it impossible to break free from the poverty cycle without the kind of intervention that our partners are giving.

This shipment is helping give some of Uganda’s most vulnerable children and youth the chance at a life beyond basic survival. Crossroads’ partner NGO supports orphaned children through school, and gives job training to teenagers and youth who have dropped out of school, as well as helping them find employment.

Shipment includes:

  • Stationery, text books and toys for programmes with nearly 1,000 school children
  • School desks and chairs for under-resourced village schools
  • Appliances, furniture and office equipment to help education and job training programmes
  • Goods to meet the basic needs of elderly and orphaned in the community

Uganda_7Katrina was left abandoned at age 3 when her parents died of HIV/Aids. Today, she’s thriving in Primary Three (right), thanks to the care of our partners, who help more than 200 orphans like her.

 

 

 

 

 

Goods in this shipment will release budget for them to give relief and educational support to more children.


 

A39When Gerald was only 10, both his parents died, leaving him in the care of his 16-year-old sister. Gerald, not yet a teenager, started selling cocaine to make enough money to survive and to go to school. Gerald’s sister found her ‘escape’ by leaving home and marrying quickly, and young, which left Gerald completely alone, living in a 2-bedroomed grass hut that was in disrepair and falling down around him.

Thankfully, when he was 18 years old, staff from our partners met him. They helped Gerald find a better, more secure home, financial relief and encouraged him to finish his schooling. Today Gerald is in his final year of high school and planning to attend university. He wants to become a lawyer who can advocate for the rights of Ugandan orphans, and against early child marriage.

“He is one of the happiest guys around,” write our partners. “He now believes that life can change and have meaning.”

This shipment will include goods to support the programmes that helped Gerald turn his life around.

 

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Uganda Snapshot

Population: 37.58 million
Capital: Kampala

Uganda is a fertile, land-locked country in East Africa, in the Africa Great Lakes region, with a tropical climate.

Great progress has been made in fighting HIV in Uganda, but 1.5 million people still live with the disease, and there are 1 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

39% of girls are married by the age of 18. 37.7% of people in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$1.25/day.

A6

Furniture and Household Goods Mean Hope

Israel_S2789M_1Arriving to make a new life in a country with just a couple of suitcases is a challenge for anyone, let alone if you barely speak the language and have no means of income. It is expected that around 25,000 migrants will have arrived to live in Israel in 2014, a significant increase compared with 2013.

 

 

The government helps newcomers by providing apartments, but the migrants lack the funds to buy basic furniture and household equipment, needing to use all their money just to survive.

A project in Israel receives containers from all around the world and distributes furniture and household goods to people like these migrants, as well as other organisations who work for the benefit of the underprivileged in the country. Crossroads is excited to ship another container to support the work.

Potential impact:

  • Clothing, shoes and babywear for hundreds of adults & children
  • Household items, bedding, cleaning equipment for hundreds
  • Office furniture to help a number of projects to work more efficiently.

Shipment includes:

  • Clothing, shoes, babywear, coat hangers, accessories
  • Household furniture, cleaning equipment, ironing boards
  • Toys, puzzles and games.

These young people live a in a youth village founded in 1952 to serve underprivileged youth. The idea was to allow youth at risk to enjoy greater opportunities in life through educational assistance, enrichment activities, vocational training and emotional support. “We will not give up on any young person entering our village” is the motto of the project.
The 60-year old building with old furnishings was in dire need of a face-lift, and the project distributed beds, chairs and tables, along with furnishings to make the facilities more homely and comfortable. The supplies came both from Holland and from our most recent shipment from Hong Kong.

Israel_S2789M_2

This shipment will include clothing for the poor in the community, and furniture and equipment to suit organisations like this one.

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Israel Snapshot

Capital: Jerusalem

Population: 8.2million. 75% of the population is ethnically Jewish, 21% Arab

Israel/Palestine is tucked into the Middle East at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. Geographic features range from the coastal plain with a Mediterranean climate, to the hot Negev Desert in the south, to mountain ranges where it snows in winter.

With the country’s political instability, it is often the poor and immigrant communities who suffer most.

Israel_S2789M_3

Life’s brighter for Hong Kong’s visually impaired kids, thanks to the rich education they can access  at Ebenezer School for the Visually Impaired. Crossroads was delighted to partner with the school and to bring a smile to scores of little faces, by donating toys for their 2012 Christmas party.

Hope after incarceration: Zambia

“I was doing Grade 7 when my father was sentenced to life imprisonment,” recounts Bodiao. “Life came to a standstill as...

read more ...

Liberia: Youth empowerment

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? Liberia as a nation is still suffering deep social and economic wounds from a civil war that ended...

read more ...

Syria: Aid and empowerment for refugees

Shipment Feedback: The conflict in Syria continues to devastate lives and communities, with thousands of people still displaced and living in flimsy...

read more ...

Cameroon: Educating and rebuilding

WHO IS THIS SHIPMENT HELPING? When we first started working with our Cameroonian partners in 2010, they were planning and working on...

read more ...