After hearing this heartbreaking story, students from UC Riverside decided to organize personal capacity to raise money to purchase a wheelchair for Dona.  Today, Global Brigades was thrilled to deliver the wheelchair, along with other much needed medical supplies to the community, including prenatal vitamins, loratadine, gauze, alcohol, gloves, and more.  Click below to see moving photos of the donations to the health center, as well as the house of this humble woman and the moment when Dona received her new wheelchair.  Dona was overjoyed to receive this gift and could not thank the UC Riverside students and their generosity enough!

Dr. Jenny Najera
Medical Director Global Brigades

The stove was donated to a school in Los Pajarillos, a target community of Global Brigades which has already received a full water project (Water Brigades) and various home infrastructure improvements (Public Health Brigades). The stove will be used to serve food to the school children, and community leader Rigoberto says he will be holding a workshop soon to train the mothers of the children how to cook on the new solar technology.

Global Brigades will be providing updates regarding the functionality of the stove, and in the future we hope to implement a stove in each of the communities where we work. A special thank you to John Grandinetti and his family (Jody, Jocelyn and Tina) for the donation to Global Brigades, and we look forward to a continued partnership in the future!

Lauryn S. Linsell
Director of Public Health

The site was originally intended for just Global Brigades, but then we thought, “this is simply not empowering enough.”  There were just too many other organizations that could benefit and we could indirectly impact so many more lives.  So, let the online social movement begin!  We invite all of our volunteers and supporters to sign up now to take part–visit brigades.org today and click on “join”.

Based on YOUR feedback, brigades.org has developed a variety of features that will allow you to connect like never before.  The platform not only allows for groups and individuals to organize and fundraise for service learning trips abroad, but also allows users to create interactive profiles with the ability to upload photos and videos, manage events, connect via social media sites, and create blogs.  These interactive tools give you full content control in sharing your stories with a wider audience to attract supporters and inspire others to take action.

Brigades.org is a hub for volunteers from across the world to connect and organize their efforts for social change.  While the site is currently in Beta version, brigades.org leadership will be collecting feedback directly from you to continuously improve the site and we will be rolling out new versions that will include a variety of social media tools to document brigade successes and to highlight general issues in the field of international development–all with interactive features that will allow supporters to comment on, share, and participate in dialogue and debate about important global service topics.  New content is being uploaded daily, and brigades.org will soon feature ongoing blogs, photo-journalism projects, video series, and podcasts that will bring these issues to life in a rich and dynamic format.

Whether you’re leading a brigade, joining a service learning trip, supporting a cause, or simply interested in learning about development issues and connecting with others interested in creating social change, we invite you to check out brigades.org today. This website was designed to meet the needs of volunteers mobilizing for social change–we are excited to hear your feedback and to continuing to improve the tools that will support you in your efforts.

*Brigades.org is a registered Limited Liability Company, privately funded for the use of Global Brigades and other nonprofit organizations. Any proceeds are distributed into a social investment fund to be circulated into other social businesses or donated back to participating nonprofits.  For more information, please contact Oisin@brigades.org.

Mac Nichols

Two-Time Global Medical Brigader

Mac’s passion for helping others started early in his medical schooling: he’s actively involved in providing inner city students with physical exams and wellness checks, and he has provided clinical care in rural Mississippi.  Mac believes in sharing knowledge and educating those in need, and he actively seeks out any opportunity to make a difference.

During our trips to Honduras, Mac has proven to be an invaluable part of the team.  His obvious care for the Honduran community and his ability to be a great medical resource for all of our trip participants is impressive.  Mac’s wife, Joli (a fellow two-time Brigader) notes that ”he has an incredible schedule and always makes time for me and others.  His energy is inspiring as is his ‘it can be done’ attitude.  He is one of the most caring, modest people I know”.

Mac Nichols is a special person that has a passion for helping others.  We’re lucky to have him as an active participant on our brigades.  I’m sure Mac would tell you that he’s lucky to work with the great team at Global Medical Brigades and the people of Honduras.

Sincerely, Jeff Hay

NOMINATE A STUDENT FOR NEXT WEEK

Leaders
GMDB – Daniel Truong
GMDB – Ida Shahidi
GWB – Camille Dickerson
GWB – RaeAnn Davis
MFB – Sonja Ardnt

On April 23^rd at 6:00 PM, the doors were opened on the First Annual Global Law Brigades Auction for the Seattle University and University of Washington Chapters. As people showed up to the event, they were greeted by several members of both universities, all of them eager to speak of their excitement for their upcoming service trip to Panama. With a string of tables containing over thirty amazing auction items, several tables beautifully decorated for dinner, and an exciting blend of music in the background, the formality and positive environment for the event was evident from the start. After an hour of socializing and back-and-forth bidding, dinner was served, and soon after, the organized program began.

Along with discussion of the upcoming service trip to Panama, the inspiring Chief Empowerment Officer of Global Brigades, Inc. Steve Atamian, gave the Keynote address for the dinner auction. Dispersed among these speeches, there also occurred a lively, rhythmic tap dance and drumming performance by UpBeat Events as well as an intriguing dance presentation by the Panamanian group Las Molas. As the night came to an end, the success of the event became more and more obvious. People were raving about the performances and had become very inspired to support the efforts of the Brigades’ coming work with an indigenous group of people in Panama.

The idea for this event began about three months prior when the leadership of Seattle University’s GLB decided to put on the event to fundraise for their trip. Through the work of the Seattle University leadership – Michelle de Vera, David Swanson, Sasda Kay, and Rachel Dang – and the University of Washington leadership – Emma Mayberry, Julie Mendel, and Joy Kang – the event was successfully organized and came together in the limited time provided. With catering by Bon Appétit and such donors as Apple, Kaplan, Seattle University Athletics, Seattle Renaissance Hotel, Century Ballroom, local theaters, and student artists, the attendees were provided a very enjoyable and exciting experience that night. As well, after the final tally of around $5,200 raised, both brigades have only a few fundraising efforts to go in order to cover most of the cost for their Brigade members to go on the trip. Stay tuned for next years Auction Dinner!

Successful Alliance with Microfinance Brigades

By Lauryn Linsell, 05/10/2010)

With over 120 students coming to Honduras and more than 65 projects built this past brigade season, the Public Health program commemorated one of the most impactful months seen in the program’s history. It is important to note however, that as each of the programs within Global Brigades becomes interconnected in accordance with the multifaceted approach adopted by the organization, the success of one program depends on its integration with the others. In the case of Public Health, it is the close association with the Microfinance program that converted what we referred to as construction work, to development work.
After months of building projects in the community of Pajarillos, we began to detect a certain complacency and dependency within the community that created an undesirable environment for development. As a development organization, we support the philosophy behind the saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” In our case, we were handing out fish right and left, but the fishing poles were packed away and out of sight. Sweat equity was a requirement for those families receiving the projects we built, but without a high standard of accountability, many families struggled with that small investment.
In effort to increase responsibility, the Microfinance and Public Health programs have reassessed the family’s involvement and established a buy-in requirement for each project. Paying a small percentage of the cost of materials to the community bank (to eventually be used to further the construction of the Public Health projects), creates a higher sense of ownership and responsibility within the family and establishes an incentive for the maintenance of the projects.  At a very low cost relative to the less than minimum wage income, a family is able to provide infrastructure in their homes that improves their health and that of their community, exponentially.
However it doesn’t stop just there – a financial investment does not ensure that families will commit to building the projects with intentions of improving their health. The role of our Public Health Community Liaison, Orlando Osorto, in association with a community health group known as the Committee of Basic Sanitation (Comité de Saneamiento Básico, or CSB), is to awaken community members to the health advantages of the eco-stoves, hydraulic latrines, concrete floors, and water storage units that we build. When families understand the importance and the health implications of these projects, the process of applying for a micro-loan or opening an account to pay for the projects becomes much less daunting.
To encourage the building of all projects in each home, we have established an “all or nothing” requirement for each home that solicits the 4 projects built by Global Brigades. Essentially, a hydraulic latrine cannot properly be used and maintained without a water storage unit that provides the water to wash and flush the toilet. An eco-stove serves no purpose in reducing air pollution if the house has dirt floors that produce dust contamination. The health of a family is contingent on building all 4 of the projects, and not a select few. Access to funds for the projects is no longer an obstacle thanks to the community banks put in place by Microfinance Brigades; instead the responsibility lies on our Public Health program for the proper education surrounding the health implications and importance of our projects.

Lauryn Linsell is the Program Director for Public Health Brigades. She is living and working in Honduras. To contact her regarding the program, click here.

Meeting with MFB students and community members in Joyas to discuss plans for the Caja Rurales. These community banks will help the development of public health projects and other programs.

Public Health Brigaders with the family for whom they built a new pila and latrine. The family members as well as other people from the neighboorhood collaborated with the students to build this project.

Public Health Brigader working with community member in his home to build his latrine. The collaboration between our volunteers and the people recieving the projects is crucial to our model.

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