Looking Forward—It’s 2018!

Looking Forward—It’s 2018!

It’s 2018! Happy New Year from Himalayan Institute Humanitarian Projects and Himalayan Institute Cameroon! Thank you to all our generous supporters throughout 2017. Without your donations, words of encouragement, advice, and steadfast support of all the work we do, Himalayan Institute Cameroon would not be where it is today. Non-profit (especially humanitarian) work largely depends on an audience like you, and we could not be more grateful to have the continuous outpouring of encouragement received from our vast audience each and every day.

The accomplishments seen in 2017 result from all our hard work, support, and dedication combined. In this New Year spirit of renewing, solidifying, and enhancing all we do in Cameroon, we thank you. Here are some highlights of what your support has allowed us to accomplish in 2017:

  • HIC opened another Public Library Network branch center in Bamenda, Cameroon catering to local schools of all ages, and especially to local college programs centered in health and nursing
  • Our newly redesigned Women’s Empowerment Program attracted a whole new group of women in September who began participating in vocational training and financial planning workshops
  • HIC’s main library in Kumbo facilitated educational classes to hundreds of children who could not go to their regular school because of teacher strikes and school closures, providing students with a continued education even during these difficult times
  • Our Center for Carpentry & Construction became a primary resource for local communities in building for local businesses, churches, government buildings, and special events; the center succeeded in becoming a source of economic stimulus to the surrounding areas, providing a significant amount of job growth to local carpenters
  • Himalayan Institute Cameroon embarked upon a managerial re-structure to create greater opportunities for employee growth, demonstrate best practices in hiring and promoting, and continue working toward creating the best possible structure for an international non-profit
  • A wide-spread Monitoring and Evaluation project was undertaken by all HIC staff to more directly and consistently track every program and service provided by HIC. This project ensures that the communities we seek to empower are being helped and serviced in the most effective ways possible
  • HIC’s Total Health Program branched out into even more hard-to-reach rural communities, expanding the number of individuals with greater access to preventative-based healthcare

2018 brings with it the desire to do even more for these communities. Along with the expansion of our Women’s Empowerment Program (to include greater resources and workshops in financial planning, small business management, and female-focused healthcare), HIC seeks to expand its Public Library Network with the goal of reaching 10 branch centers by 2020. The Center for Carpentry & Construction, now seen as a vital tool for economic growth within rural Northwest Cameroon, works towards replenishing their tool supply, broadening their reach in apprenticeships and internships to even more local villages, and completing even more community work orders in the coming year. The center continues to demonstrate successful job creation and vocational training initiatives as part of our holistic approach to community development and we are beyond excited to be able to cultivate its continued growth.

None of these accomplishments could have been possible without your support!

Within the expansion of our Women’s Empowerment Program lies a commitment to public health services centered on women and girls. This means that even greater resources will be needed to expand our fleet of Mobile Health Units, healthcare consultants and clinicians who specialize in women’s health, and educational trainings in order to support our current staff in meeting the specific needs of this population. At Himalayan Institute Cameroon, we have seen time and again that empowering women and their daughters specifically leads to the exponential growth of families and communities. The investment in women’s health in 2018, along with our commitment to providing public health services to even the most hard-to-reach rural areas, is one of our highest priorities in new practices to establish in 2018.

The foundation we have built together in the past 10 years has proven itself strong, passionate, and determined to see the alleviation of poverty throughout the world. It is with the utmost sincerity and gratitude that we say “thank you” to everyone involved in this process. Only upon such a great foundation of support can we continue to move ever forward—tackling new obstacles, creating greater change, and providing the best we can for our global communities in need. Here’s to making it an even more successful, joyous, and prosperous 2018!