I’ve mentioned before that I am working with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO). Despite the fact that I don’t really know what a steering committee is, I was picked to be a part of their Nurse Anesthesia Steering Committee. Apparently, my reputation of excellent driving preceded me.
Because I am a procrastinating slacker, I never reported back after attending HVO meetings while I was in Seattle for spring break the AANA national meeting. Lest you believe I did nothing that didn’t involve fermented beverages, I’m here to tell you about HVO.
HVO is a non-profit that is addressing one of the great challenges in global health today – the acute shortage of trained health care professionals. They work throughout the world: Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Peru, India, Cambodia, Bhutan, Vietnam, Haiti, to name a few.
Pictures from the HVO website from Various trips.
Their goal is to train and educate national healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc), so they are better equipped to meet the healthcare needs of that specific country. Unlike other organizations who come, fix, and leave, HVO’s goal is to make a lasting impact by training the individuals who will stay and impact their own country.
What does this mean in terms you may actually care about?
It means that pregnant mothers in Cambodia will have access to anesthesia for c-sections if they need one, that people injured in the earthquakes in Haiti will have access to physical therapy, and that trauma victims in Mongolia will have access to emergency orthopedic surgery.
Here is where YOU come in.
I know that you just opened your presents, stuffed your faces with a holiday feast and are now feeling Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa good cheer and are wondering how YOU can spread said cheer to someone else.
Or maybe not. You may hate Christmas, presents, and food. You may also answer to ‘Grinch’. No judgment here.
Either way, have I got something for you! Yes, you guessed it. I’m asking you for money. Have no worries, you can be spared the worry of supporting my shoe habit, by donating directly to HVO. If the thought of saving lives of poor children in Africa doesn’t tug at your heart strings, how about a tax deduction?
Even the Grinch likes tax deductions.
Donations to HVO fund the development of medical libraries at sites, the processing of donated educational materials and equipment, the development of new training sites, the recruitment and preparation of volunteers (more than 500 annually), and many more activities.
I am aware that it may be considered poor etiquette to ask for money. I failed out of charm school, so please forgive me.
I am also aware of how generous you all are, and how sometimes it’s just a matter of knowing how to help. Seeing The Bloggess raise more than $40k for people in need this Christmas, motivated me to write this post and think it might actually accomplish something.
So… Go to HVO’s website, read about them and if you decide that it sounds like something that interests you:
- CLICK HERE and you can reach their secure site where you can give online, mail, fax, or phone. They will be happy with anything you can spare: five,ten, twenty, a hundred, two million dollars…
- In the “In Honor of” box, put Suz Watts or SuzRocks, just so they can keep track of where donations are coming from.
If money is tight, and you can’t spare anything, I understand - But you can still help! PLEASE help by linking to this post or to HVO on your blog or by sharing this post on Facebook or Twitter.
For every five new subscribers to my blog (via email or RSS) or for every five new Twitter followers I will donate $1 to HVO. (Up to a $250 max…because I’m a poor grad student and I’m not gainfully employed.)
Leave a comment if you’ve subscribed to the blog, so I can count it. Due to some charitable-tax-thing that I don’t fully understand, I’ll be counting through the 31st in an effort to get my donation in before the end of the year.
I’m off to take my husband into the Colorado wild for the next few days so he doesn’t read this blog post and find out that I’m giving away more of his our money.
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I subscribed so count me in! Also, yay for your humanitarianism! Suz, you rock.
Little Chicken recently posted..In Case You Had Any Delusion That I Was Normal
Awesome! Thanks
I know how important those medical libraries are to improving healthcare since it’s not just about volunteers doing things but increasing knowledge of people who will be working and practicing in poorer countries for the longterm. Good job steering committee superstar
Alex@LateEnough recently posted..Why Don’t Christmas Decorations Self-Destruct
That is very true- because sometimes you just have to do surgery out of the book. (not so much me or you- but I have known of people to do that…)
We did have friends have to do basically do that during their international rotations. And the medical students had out-of-date textbooks so couldn’t learn everything they needed. I just had never thought about books until then.
Alex@LateEnough.com recently posted..Shaking The Stupid Out Of People Starting With Me
I’ll re-post ASAP :0)
Betty Fokker recently posted..We wish you to Marry Christmas … she’s a nice girl
Thanks!!
Hey Suz, I tried to comment yesterday, but it didn’t show up. Anyhoo, I donated in your name yesterday, thanks for this post and letting us all do something nice during the holiday season. Happy New Year!
Thanks so much!! You’re awesome!
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