A Ripple

Here in the desert of the Navajo Nation, the weather is turning cold. For the past month, Dr. Suzanne has again worked in Shiprock, part of the largest Native American reservation in the USA. Did you know that in this hospital they have a Navajo Shaman on staff? The modern and the ancient, the medicine woman and the Medicine Man, side by side helping our First Americans. Or did you know how the Navajo interconnects with an eclipse as we experienced a few weeks ago? When the Johanaa’ei (sun) and the Tlehonaa’ei (moon) come face to face,

It can be dangerous here in the province of Tamaulipas Mexico. In fact, the US State Department declares “Do Not Travel” and gives it a category 4, the highest advisory level to US citizens and the same as Syria, Afghanistan, or ...

Please meet our friend Albert and his family, 5 of the newest residents of the USA. We first met Albert this past February at Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda. He was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 24 years ago, but his parents felt unsafe from the many dangers of their country and escaped to Uganda. Albert, his older brother Allen, younger sister Joy, and their parents have lived as refugees in Uganda for 22 years. TWENTY TWO YEARS! During our time in Uganda in February, Dr. Suzanne was teaching the Butterfly ultrasound to midwives as we were teaching WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) classes was when we first met Albert. He was working for Planning for Tomorrow refugee school as their Education Coordinator and instantly became our right-hand man, helping us with organizing classes, securing supplies, and translation.

The Darien Gap. The thick jungle that separates continents and human rights. Only 66 miles of one of the wettest places on earth, but also the “funnel” where the most vulnerable pass through escaping hardship, crime, and war. From the northern tip of Colombia in South America to the southern tip of Panama in Central America, this dangerous jungle exists. This short 106 kilometers of wetlands and mountains is the only area where one can’t drive from Alaska to Argentina. In over 19,000 miles of the Pan American Highway from north to south, this is the only area without a road...

We are all vain. In Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, there are no mirrors. Like it or not, everyone needs a mirror to remind themselves of who they are, and of course refugees are no exception. When living in very difficult conditions, people lose themselves and forget who they are. Here in Uganda at the Planning for Tomorrow school, the Congolese refugee students(and teachers) love the mirrors that we installed with the hand washing stations. On each of our 4 “hygiene hubs”, we attached 3 mirrors each, meaning the P4T schools now have 12 areas of reflection. When the young learners see their beautiful faces, especially in front of a sink, they’re more hygienic and take better care of their bodies. Daily, they wash their hands and faces with soap for a lot longer than they would without a mirror. Laughing, looking at their teeth, making fun of each other, checking their eyebrows, all while washing their hands. It’s a hygiene trick, and it works:) Reflect on that!

“The only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats.” – Albert Einstein – physicist, refugee, humanitarian. “Good morning. My name is Elena, I am asking for aid for 3 people living in Kharkiv, Ukraine. I am writing…

The ocean is awesome, beautiful, and fun, but also commands respect. Many Venezuelan refugee children on the coast of Ecuador do not know how to enjoy the beach, the ocean, or even swim. This is why for the second year…

In Kyangwali refugee settlement in western Uganda, the day starts at 5:30 with the Muslim call to prayer. Soon afterwards and high up in the trees, the Black-Headed herons start their morning ritual of greeting the day. Not very long…

Here in Kyangwali refugee settlement in western Uganda, Dr. Suzanne has been busy teaching the Butterfly Ultrasound to local midwives. In this vast settlement with approximately 130,000 Congolese refugees and no hospitals, Suzanne has been going to rural and crowded…

From the center of war to the center of the world. On September 13th, three days after the city of Izyum was liberated, we helped deliver food, medicine, tourniquets, and water filters to this newly freed area of Ukraine. While…