It’s a New Year and we’ve made a new mark! 10 years: a milestone that has rocked the house here at the Himalayan Institute and at our international hub in Cameroon. We could not have done this without you. To our donors who have given with such an outpouring of generosity over the past year, we humbly thank you. To our followers, our “likers” on Facebook, and all those in between-your positive support has helped us become the organization we are today. With you by our side, and with your continued compassion, we can move forward in serving communities in ways that positively impact our world, both at home and abroad. It has always been our goal to foster community partnerships and invest in local people looking to create better lives for their friends and neighbors. We take great pride in the relationships we’ve cultivated and the amount of work we have been able to achieve within these past ten years around the globe. Cameroon has a special place in our hearts-it’s where it all began.
Now is just the beginning for new ways of innovating sustainable community solutions and alleviating poverty in Africa…just imagine where we can be in the next 10 years! The strength of these partnerships, along with the steadfast collaboration with the Cameroonian people that started back in 2007, will bring us to new heights in 2017. Opportunities to educate and provide for even greater portions of the population would not be possible without this generous backing and lots and lots of hard work. It is our pride and our honor, but most importantly, it is the people of Cameroon, their dedication and drive, that have brought us to now. Without these men and women taking risks, creating communities, and giving all of themselves each and every day, our work would not be successful. So here’s to the people of Cameroon and a look at some of the most memorable moments from 2016 at HIC:
OPPORTUNITY: HIC’s Center for Carpentry and Construction saw an astounding number of motivated individuals hone their craft this past year with over 1000 hours of vocational training completed by professionals, teachers, and students.
ACCESSIBILITY: Finding resources close to home has always been an issue for many Cameroonian communities. In years past, people in neighboring villages would walk 2 hours or more just to get a book out from our main library in Kumbo. Now, our neighbors won’t have to leave their villages to gain knowledge and information crucial for helping their friends and family. HIC has added 4 more library centers across Cameroon hoping to add up to 3 more in 2017.
MEDICAL ADVANCES: Ever wonder where we get all of our medicinal supplies for the total health center at HIC? Well, it’s straight from the source! In 2016 alone 50 local farmers grew over 500 pounds of herbs we used to process into all different kinds of medicine-a truly self-sufficient way of providing health and nourishment to their community. Knowing where and how what you put into your body was made makes a world of difference in the trust and communication we share with the Cameroonian people.
TECHNOLOGY: Expanding how we reach different communities to relate about health and wellness even in the far-most reaches of Cameroon was a major goal in 2016. So how did we manage to reach over 400,000 people in the past year? We kicked it old school with a stellar radio program aimed at teaching people simple effective health habits they can begin at home, along with educating people on greater resources available to them through HIC. Through this work we have been featured on national TV and were even able to create a mobile app for our doctors to use-we can now store, process, and organize patient data all on a smartphone, with a patient right in front of us (now that’s really keeping up in the 21st century!). We’re all about bringing the latest tech advances together with the innovative thinking and collaborative efforts of our Cameroonian cohorts.
EVOLUTION: With the creation of the mobile medical unit, our health consultants have been able to reach groups of people previously unable to access medical care. Instead of having to travel a few hours to the nearest hospital or waiting until a simple cold turns into something worse to seek help, these people can now educate themselves and their families on how to make preventative care part of daily life. This approach to health and medicine helps all of us stay healthy, save on healthcare costs, and lead long, nourished lives knowing we are doing the best for ourselves, and our bodies.
LOCAL LEADERSHIP: Something really incredible happened in 2016. It was the first year that our local Cameroonian teams recruited, trained, and certified new health care professionals for HIC-all on their own! It brings us an immense amount of joy to see such wonderful, compassionate people take up leadership roles so readily and with great enthusiasm. We know that all of our staff at HIC is incredibly proud, and beyond overjoyed, to be able to bring what they know and love to other people in their communities, fostering a new commitment and generation of people willing to go the distance in providing health and happiness to their fellow people.
So what can you expect from HIC in 2017? Well, we are now more efficient than ever, expanding our community reach and investing in even greater technologies that can help push us further into the forefront of integrated medicine, community education, and vocational training. It’s time to reinvest in the foundation grown from the last 10 years and innovate further to reach as many people as we can.
It has been an immense pleasure to work alongside men and women so deeply invested in their communities, and in helping others create opportunities to elevate themselves out of poverty. Join us in growing HIC so that, one day, we can take this individual-focused endeavor to many more in-need communities around the world.
Lets celebrate 10 Years Of Service together. Learn more and take action here.
