Salvation Army World Service Office Sawso

TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY-BASED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THROUGH THE INTL. SALVATION ARMY.

<RELIEF AND RECONSTRUCTION SERVICES>1) COVID-19 RESPONSE: THE SALVATION ARMY RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY TO THE NEEDS OF THOSE COMMUNITIES OVERSEAS AFFECTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SAWSO SUPPORTED THESE COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING FUNDS FOR AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS, DISTRIBUTING HAND WASHING MATERIALS AND HIRING HEALTH AGENTS TO INFORM AND TEACH PREVENTIVE MEASURES PRIMARILY IN MARKETS WHERE PEOPLE STILL GATHER IN MASS. IN ADDITION, COMMUNITIES WERE PROVIDED FOOD PARCELS AND SOAP AND HYGIENE AND PROTECTIVE ITEMS. GIFT CARDS WERE PROVIDED FOR THE PURCHASE OF FOOD ITEMS AND HYGIENE SUPPLIES. IN INDIA WEST THEY WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE A VENTILATOR AND OTHER MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND PPE MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES FOR THE LOCAL HOSPITAL. IN ZIMBABWE THEY WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT AND PPE CONSUMABLES NEEDED TO TREAT THE INFLUX OF PATIENTS WHO NEEDED EMERGENCY TREATMENT.2) IN AUSTRALIA RESOURCES WERE PROVIDED IN SUPPORT OF THE DEVASTATING RASH OF WILDFIRES, PROVIDING INITIAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND LONG-TERM RECOVERY WORK TO RESPOND TO WEEKS AND WEEKS OF THE WILDFIRES THAT AFFECTED LARGE AREAS OF THE COUNTRY. IN ADDITION, THE SALVATION ARMY SUPPORTED THE ACTIVITIES INITIALLY INVOLVED SERVICING THE FIRE FIGHTERS AT VARIOUS FORWARD COMMAND CENTERS AND RELIEF THE NEXT 5 YEARS.3) FOLLOWING A DEVASTATING TROPICAL CYCLONE WHICH CAUSED SEVERE FLOODING IN MULTIPLE DISTRICTS, THE SALVATION ARMY IN MALAWI WORKED TO PROVIDE RELOCATION PACKAGES CONSISTING OF FOOD AND NFI'S TO MANY FAMILIES TO HIGHER AREAS, MUCH LESS LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED BY SEVERE FLOODING IN THE FUTURE.4) RESPONSE TO VICTIMS OF TROPICAL STORM LAURA IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, THE SALVATION ARMY IN LATIN AMERICA NORTH PROVIDED FOOD PACKAGES AND PERSONAL HYGIENE KITS ALONG WITH BEDDING AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES TO THE AFFECTED FAMILIES.5) IN THE BAHAMAS, FOLLOWING HURRICANE DORIAN THE SALVATION ARMY PROVIDED EMERGENCY RELIEF AND RECOVERY MATERIALS TO THE HURRICANE AFFECTED AREAS IN THE BAHAMAS. COTS WERE PROVIDED AT SHELTERS IN NASSAU AND ABACO WHERE RESIDENTS WERE HOUSED AND CARED FOR ALONG WITH TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO FAMILIES IN FREEPORT. VOUCHERS WERE PROVIDED TO ALLOW FAMILIES TO PURCHASE SPECIFIC MATERIALS TO BEGIN MAKING REPAIRS TO THEIR HURRICANE DAMAGED HOMES, AND VOUCHERS WERE PROVIDED FOR THE PURCHASE OF FURNISHINGS FOR THEIR DAMAGED HOMES AS WELL.

<HEALTH PROGRAMS>ALTHOUGH COVID-19 DOMINATED THE HEALTH HEADLINES IN 2020 - AND SAWSO REMAINED ACTIVELY ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BATTLING THE DEADLY PANDEMIC - OTHER ISSUES REGARDING HEALTH AND ACCESS TO MEDICINE AROUND THE WORLD REMAINED. THE SALVATION ARMY SERVES THE POOR AND VULNERABLE BY IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS THAT ENHANCE HEALTH SERVICE QUALITY AND INCREASE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES AT SALVATION ARMY-OPERATED HOSPITALS AND CLINICS. PROGRAM FOCUS AREAS ARE MATERNAL, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH, NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, COMMUNITY HEALTH AND HEALTH FACILITIES.THROUGHOUT EVERY PART OF THE WORLD SAWSO SERVES, THE SALVATION ARMY WORKED HARD TO DISTRIBUTE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AMONG SOME OF THE MOST IMPOVERISHED COMMUNITIES ON EARTH, HELPING THOSE MOST AT-RISK SURVIVE THE COVID-19 VIRUS. ROUTINE PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES CONTINUED, SOMETIMES WITH SAWSO-APPROVED MODIFICATIONS TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC.A GRANT FROM A PRIVATE FOUNDATION TO SAWSO FUNDED OUTREACH VISITS BY STAFF FROM CHIKANKATA MISSION HOSPITAL TO SMALL, ISOLATED CLINICS IN THIS IMPOVERISHED RURAL AREA IN SOUTHERN ZAMBIA. A SECOND GRANT FROM THE SAME PRIVATE FOUNDATION IS BEING USED TO UPGRADE THE MISSION'S AGING, INEFFICIENT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

<EMPOWERMENT AND LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS>AMONG THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO HELP THOSE IN NEED IS TO EMPOWER THEM TO HELP THEMSELVES, AND THAT IS THE PRIMARY AIM OF SAWSO'S LIVELIHOODS PROGRAMS. BY TEACHING LITERACY, FINANCE, AND BASIC MARKETABLE SKILLS, THOSE WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE STRUGGLE ARE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO LIFT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES OUT OF POVERTY AND, IN SOME CASES, BECOME LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, WELL-POSITIONED TO PASS ON WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED TO OTHERS.IN HAITI, THE SALVATION ARMY RUNS A PROGRAM THAT HELPS COMMUNITIES TO FORM COMMUNITY LEVEL SAVINGS GROUPS. THE SAVINGS GROUP MEMBERS THEN TAKE LOANS OUT FROM THE POOLED SAVINGS, PROVIDING THEM WITH CREDIT NEEDED TO INVEST IN THEIR BUSINESSES OR TO USE FOR MAJOR EXPENSES SUCH AS WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS. THIS MEANS THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO LIQUIDATE ANY OF THEIR ASSETS SUCH AS LIVESTOCK, WHICH THEY KEEP FOR EMERGENCIES OR TO TRADE. ALONGSIDE THE SAVINGS GROUPS, THE SALVATION ARMY RUNS AN AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, TO HELP FARMING FAMILIES IMPROVE THEIR AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. THIS WILL HELP BOTH INCREASE THEIR YIELDS AND SUSTAIN THE NUTRIENTS IN THE SOIL FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.IN WESTERN KENYA, SAWSO CONTINUES TO SUPPORT A WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM THROUGH SAVINGS GROUPS, INCOME GENERATION TRAINING AND LITERACY TRAINING. IN MANY CASES, THIS WORK IS SPREADING SPONTANEOUSLY, WITHOUT THE SALVATION ARMY'S INITIATION BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY SEES THE VALUE OF THE PROGRAM AND THE POSITIVE IMPACTS THAT IT HAS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.SAWSO HAS BEEN WORKING IN NEPAL SINCE THE 2015 EARTHQUAKE, WHICH DEVASTATED THE COUNTRY. THE SALVATION MISSION (AS THE SALVATION ARMY IS KNOWN IN NEPAL) HAS BEEN MOBILIZING COMMUNITIES TO RESPOND TO FUTURE DISASTERS BY PROVIDING TRAINING IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND FIRST AID TRAINING. THEY HAVE ALSO FUNDED HUNDREDS OF YOUTH TO ATTEND VOCATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOLS TO BE ELECTRICIANS, COMPUTER TECHNICIANS OR VETERINARIAN TECHNICIANS. AS LIVESTOCK IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE NEPALI ECONOMY, SAWSO HAS SUPPORTED A LIVESTOCK DISTRIBUTION TO VULNERABLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS SO THAT THEY CAN RESTORE FINANCIAL STABILITY LOST FOLLOWING THE EARTHQUAKE. THOUGH MANY OF THE TRAININGS HAVE BEEN DISRUPTED BY THE ONSET OF COVID-19, THERE IS STILL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND ENTHUSIASM FOR ACTIVITIES TO RESUME ONCE SHUT-DOWNS RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED.