HOW is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in the USA, whose staff consists of all volunteers. Its mission is to provide hope and care to neglected, abandoned, and orphaned children in deprived areas of the world with a specific focus on VietNam.

What seems so simple has taken 8 months of a VILLAGE OF HELP! EB DVD translation…

Oh where to begin? Helping Orphan's Worldwide (HOW) Inc. has been involved with EB  (Epidermolysis Bullosa) which is a rare genetic skin disease that causes the skin to be so fragile that even the slightest touch will separate the layers of the skin. The skin literally breaks, resulting in painful blisters and open wounds. A mother may never be able to hold her child tightly because the skin would peel off and bleed. Children with EB may never run or play as other children because even the slightest friction will cause them great pain.

It has been almost two years now since we learned about EB, but we continue to educate ourselves and the nurses and doctors as well as the families in HCMC Vietnam. We have all been overwhelmed and have been trying to figure out how in the world we can get the families some affordable help as well as a better understanding of EB Wound Care.

We have had so many wonderful people helping us, from DebRA , to Brightsky Australia, to Dr.’s and Nurses from around the world not only to come out and provide training but also donations of wound care materials, and the list goes on and on and on!

We were given a DVD that shows wound care treatment and explains exactly how to gently treat each wound and believe me this is a complicated and long drawn out process that is so overwhelming it makes one want to run and hide but there is no time for hiding and running, only jumping in and getting things done to give the children relief. This can take from 3 to 5 hours DAILY and is painful for the children but will help to save their life and give them comfort and healing ability if done correctly.

From Chicago Tribune, read original article here.
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Dr. Donald Liu did not hesitate when he saw the two boys struggling to swim in the rough Lake Michigan waters.

Despite objections from his children, who were worried about the dangerous conditions, Liu raced down the beach in Berrien County, Mich., and plunged into the lake to help the boys, who had fallen out of a kayak, according to Liu's wife and authorities.

An elite pediatric surgeon from Chicago, Liu made it to the swimmers, said his wife, Dr. Dana Suskind. But the rip current surging below the 5-foot waves dragged the doctor underwater, said  Bruce McKamey, a police officer for Chikaming Township.

Emergency responders, who arrived about 10:40 a.m. local time Sunday, pulled Liu, 50, from the water and Suskind, who is also a surgeon, frantically performed CPR on her husband of more than 17 years. The boys he swam to save, who were friends of the family, made it safely back to land. But Liu was pronounced dead shortly after.

"It was horrible," Suskind said Monday. "He had the biggest heart. He was a brilliant surgeon … but what was amazing about him was that he was the best father, that was his priority in life, and he loved me with all of his heart."

This blog was written by Helping Orphans Worldwide, HOW (VIP) Volunteer Immersion Program VOLUNTEER manager. Kerri Galligan has heart and soul, she is giving, loving and caring. Kerri dedicated 3 months out of the summer to work on our programs with the volunteers and to make sure that all details were taken care of with great attention to detail. She has supported our volunteers, organized each trip and made sure to continue a wonderful working program with each of our partners. Please meet Kerri and read her beautiful description of HOW's progress with the help of so many wonderful volunteers, donors, friends, and so much love!

On July 17, the LRS staff encountered Cun Hua and her family. The staff, despite having worked years in the field, was appalled by the extent to which the young gal's heart defect had affected her appearance, education, self-esteem, and family relationships. Cun Hua's story was detailed in this recent update. Although the doctors weren't too optimistic about the future of the 14-year-old, her family desperately sought to give Cun Hua a last chance at life. Below are the ensuing updates on Cun Hua, from the perspective of one of our staffs who cared for her since the beginning of her hospital stay.
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July 25 - Cun Hua’s surgery went very smoothly. The surgery began at noontime, and at around 5pm, she had been admitted into the intensive care unit. Cun Hua’s mother told me that the moment Cun Hua was brought out of the surgery room, she could already see that Cun Hua’s lips had turned rosy red. Was the transformation really this drastic? Well, after seeing these most recent pictures, you may answer that for yourself.

July 26 - While Cun Hua was in the ICU, we had the opportunity to take some pictures. Cun Hua has been successfully removed from the ventilator, but still not fully out of danger. Her lips are now a healthy color, and her fingers are the exact same color as mine! When I asked her if her incision still hurt, she said to me, “Sister, I have to be strong!”. As she was saying this, her eyes were getting glossy with tears. I showed her the pictures I took of her healthy complexion and lips, and it made her very happy. I hoped that doing so would raise her confidence and help her endure through her time in the ICU.

On July 28, Cun Hua returned to the general ward. The photos below were taken on the 30th, as her chest drainage tube was removed, and she could already walk. In picture 1, Cun Hua’s smile is very bright. She often hurries over to the bathroom to admire her improvement in the mirrors. She really likes how she looks now. Picture 2 shows Cun Hua, her mother, and me comparing the color tone of our hands. Cun Hua likes that her skin complexion is similar to ours. In Picture 3, Cun Hua shows me her calves. She said that before the operation, any scrapes on her would ooze out black colored blood. But now, she wants to show me her scars as she tells me proudly that her blood is now red. Picture 4 is Cun Hua happily showing the transformation in her toes.

The Burma Humanitarian Mission supports community based health-care and education projects that improve lives of the Burmese people. In this article, we hear from a founding member how the Mission began. Read more about the Burma Humanitarian Mission here.

Each year, Burma Humanitarian Mission welcomes runners to join the Run for Burma Team.  We put a team into road races around the U.S., but our main event is the Marine Corps marathon in Washington DC.  Sizewise, the MCM is the 4th largest in the US.  Popularity-wise...it's simply the most popular!  It sold out 30,000 bibs this year in 2 hours and 41 minutes.  BHM is honored to have 50 bibs set aside for those wishing to make a difference.

Runners ask family, friends and acquaitenances to sponsor their run.  Some do the minimum amount of fundraising, but most exceed the goal. 

We never know how big the team will be each year.  This year (2012), we're going to have 35-40 runners.  It's awesome!

These folks make a difference.  The Backpack medics shared with us that each year, as a result of the support from BHM, they are able to send roughly 20 teams into eastern Burma.  In looking at just one area -- maternal morality rates -- these 20 teams will allow 28-30 women to survive the delivery of their child who might otherwise not make it.  Toss in child mortality, malaria, dysentry -- the number of children and their parents, relatives or fellow villagers is incredibly high. 

Amazing...truly inspired.  Run a marathon -- save a couple of lives!

The Non-Profit Incubator (NPI) has published their Social Entrepreneur Magazine (社会创业杂志, a project funded by the Ford Foundation. The cover story discuses "Grassroot organizations recount Funding Party" which mentions Transparent Fish Fund's crucial impact in providing funding for growth of grassroot organizations in China. We will have it translated into English. In the meantime, please see the magazine in Chinese.

About NPI: NPI is an aggregation of several NGO Supporting organizations which operate with contributions, both financial and otherwise, from international and domestic charity foundations, government agencies, enterprises and academies. Since its establishment in Jan 2006, NPI has worked to promote social innovation and cultivate social entrepreneurs in China by granting crucial support to start-up and small to medium sized NGOs and Social Enterprises. www.npi.org.cn

The Burma Humanitarian Mission supports community based health-care and education projects that improve lives of the Burmese people. This is an article about religious freedom in Burma. Read more about the Burma Humanitarian Mission here.

The US State Department just released its 2011 report on international religious freedom.  Although religious freedom in Burma does not directly impact the work of Burma Humanitarian Mission -- our humanitarian work operates independently of any religious or spiritual affiliation -- the religious freedom (or lack thereof) in Burma is important for us to pay attention to because the government of Burma does restrict religious practices as part of their overall repression of the people of Burma and the ethnic minorities in particular.

One of the things I love so much about Burma and what drew me to want to work there is that Burma is a religiously diverse country.  In Karen State, where BHM largely operates, there are villages with Buddhists, Christians and Muslims alike -- and the people of these different religions all seemed to me to respect and tolerate one another.  

I am concerned that the government’s attacks on Muslims in the west of the country are subverting the tolerance between people as a means to disempower the ethnic minorities (if Muslims are angry at Buddhists, they’re not necessarily going to work well together).  This increase in violence could be used to pit the ethnic minorities against one another that could spiral toward even more violence, and undermine what little hope there is in Burma for freedom and self-determination for the ethnic minorities.

The report can be read on the US State Department’s website here.