Training for Community-Based Care Task Force

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Dee

REPORT and PHOTOS

Purpose – To give fair services to our elders, including the home-bound. Because we do not have the staff, we involved these volunteers to cover all areas of the Kebele. Rivers, ravines and sparsely populated farmland characterize the area. This training begins our Community Based Care (one of four components of our work). These volunteers are our tools for skillful transmission of the information (we call that Training of the Trainer – TOT).

Participants were selected by the local committee to represent different areas of the Kebele, known as Got (wider than a village, there are 17 Got under one Kebele). Criteria for selection included being able to read and write – twelve were selected and representatives of the Kebele joined us bringing our participants to 19 total.

The importance and procedure of collecting data and reporting systems such as prioritizing and categorizing the needs of the elders paves the way to fair distribution. In addition, we taught general patient care, with emphasis on the practical aspects of providing home-based care.

Undoubtedly, families are providing care for the elderly with decreased ability to care for themselves, but at what skill level? We want to prevent unnecessary problems that can occur from being sedentary and immobile. Therefore, skillful family care will enhance and improve the quality of life for our home-bound elders.

In conclusion, the twelve selected to visit their area, collect data and report have received the first phase of skill building but will require follow-up and further support as well as materials. In all – a successful training from which we can take the next steps in our Strategic Plan.

In summary, following up categorizing and prioritizing the needs of elders, we will provide necessary support and activities. This is needs your professional and financial support. Please see our Donations page.

Training for Community-Based Care Task Force, May 7, 2012

Group Photo May 7, 2012

Two Instructors – Samson Betru and Tekle Tesfaye

Samson explaining to 3 participants

Training for Community-Based Care Task Force - Bed bath demonstration

Bed bath demonstration – Tekle, the teacher and nurse, Samson as patient

Adult participants adapt to the Primary School Classroom

Donation Box for Noble Cause Elders

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Dee

Noble Cause Elder Care and Support has placed this Donation Box to collect funds for the needs of Noble Cause Elders.

Noble Cause Elder Care Donation Box

The donation box collects from travelers who stop at a beautiful, scenic overlook on the Dessie Road 180 Kilometers north of Addis Ababa. This point allows the viewer to see farms far below, baboons in the cliff and on the mountain as well as sheep and their shepherds grazing nearby. Many travelers stop here and we expect that the Donation Box will gather donations for our needy elders who are nearby.

Please see our donation page for other ways to give.

Samson Betru
General Manager

Together bringing changes into NCECS to improve life for the elderly!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Dee

Today our organization is better than yesterday!

With Help of God (Allah), we brought the three-year Project Proposal

towards the World!

Out of 5 million only 10% of older people are getting a pension but the majority are not; most elders are living where there is scarcity of health facilities (so they are affected by communicable and non-communicable diseases), poor nutrition, lack of basic needs, age-related discrimination and less involvement of older people.

Overall goal - contribute to improved quality of life for older persons in the target area!!

Based on the following components we have plan activities including:

An Age-Friendly weekend activity designed with the local staff – for example instruction, local music, local stories, games and open discussion. Nutritional materials will be provided for the elders to eat and drink during the day. Suggestions will be gathered from the participants at the end of the day in order to improve the next day’s activities.
Community-Based Care for those elders who are bedridden or home bound. Staff are designing the system for training of trainers (TOT) to teach home care and sustainable service of the family. We will empower the family to take over the care and support for their family member. Then we will provide the necessary materials related to the needy person.
Revolving Funds to generate income. Active, motivated elders will be recruited. The organization will begin some loans to match their ideas for income generation. This will help them to increase their income. Because it is a revolving fund scheme, they will pay money back into the fund and then we will transfer funds to other older people!
Health Service concentrates on primary (prevention) and rehabilitation health services. This is an important part of the activities to help the older people and make them productive. As we go through this experience we will link with referral health services and hospitals as well as palliative care.

The plan is to involve all older people in one or the other services according to their need and capacity; however, there are many step-by-step activities, presenting our project in different stages, insuring the community participation then widening the sustainability strategies and expanding our experience to other neighboring districts (regions). These are the major activities for the following three or even five-year plan!

Integration and community active involvement, collaboration towards the activities among all concerned parties will bring us to our goal to improve the life of elders in our project! If you are reading this, you are part of the solution!!!!! Together we can bring changes for our elders. DONATE today.

799,940 ETB (47,055USD) Funds needed to attain our Goal for the next three years. Helping this compassionate mission will go directly to the most vulnerable and poorest elders in the area!

For more detail proposal or Strategic plan or any question feel free and ask!

Samson Betru,
General Manager
Noble Cause Elder Care and Support
www.noblecauseethiopia.org
P.O.Box:21261 code1000
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia

Invitation to Noble Cause Elder Care & Support Annual Meeting

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Dee

INVITATION

Third Annual General Assembly Meeting

To Our Honorable Guests and Members:

Noble Cause Elder Care and Support is a non-profit and non-governmental, indigenous, welfare association, which was established in November 2007. We are designed to give holistic service for the most vulnerable and poorest elders especially in countryside where there are no opportunities. Many have health problems that can be prevented as well.

We would like to invite you to this historical, colorful, hopeful meeting as our special guests!

This important Annual Meeting to be held:

Sunday at 1:30PM (7:30 Ethiopia Local time)

December 18, 2011 (8/04/2004)

Kasanches in Ministry of Labor and Social Affair’s Meeting Hall

There will be reports of the organization’s activities, future Strategic Plan, as well as opportunities to make suggestions for future elder assistance.

Through participation at the meeting, you can show your love and kindness to elders(senior citizens)!

Feel free to invite guests! We thank you in advance. It is also possible to send a representative. Please confirm your presence in advance.

“With your help we can harvest a future for the elders.”

(Contact 0911164231 for more detailed directions.)

Samson Betru
General Manager
Noble Cause Elder Care and Support
www.noblecauseethiopia.org
P.O.Box:21261 code1000
Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
251 911 16 42 31

Age-Friendly Activity Weekend!

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Dee

Welcome to our newest endeavor for our elders – a weekend Age-Friendly Activity! We expect many good things to happen, including sharing of stories and even psychological relief when elders begin to unburden what has been on his or her mind.

In order to carry out this activity, we are searching for financial support. With a total of $260.00, we will reach 80 elders in just one month.

Instead of just asking for your donation, we are giving you an opportunity to select the item that you wish to support. For example, the guard who will keep our compound secure costs only $9 each month. The food for the four weekends, two days each time, is $176. Or maybe you would rather support something in between, such as the office worker’s wages – just $24.

Thank you in advance for helping the poorest of the poor elders here in Ethiopia to experience a new activity and to feel love and care!

Please see our Donations page for ways you can give to this great Activity Weekend. Thank you!

From your Noble Cause Elder Care Volunteer Staff

Elder Day Celebration 2011 Report

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Dee

2011 Elder Celebration banner

: Elder rider in traditional decorations

Board Chair addresses crowd

Many of our elders cannot read

Greetings from Samson, Manager of Noble Cause Elder Care and Support. I come to you to bring awareness of the many concerns of the elderly: their pain, frustration, poverty and need for dignity.

We want to help transfer the stored experience and wisdom of the elders to the next generation, so that the elders will be included in the mainstream of every program! Please catch my vision and my ideas for this and run with us! Help the worthy elders who are served by Noble Cause!

An International Older People Day was celebrated successfully on October 9, with the leading theme of “Age Demands Action” (ADA) and it brought different people together to help the poorest and most vulnerable older people!

Participants from international donors, community based organizations, government officials, board members, volunteers, and health professionals were in attendance.

Elders were able to speak out about their problems, which in turn generated many promises, creating a new chapter for the organization. This has motivated us to continue being a strong bridge connecting the elders with YOU!

One of the participants in the discussion this day said, “Older peoples’ problem is the national, even international problem in poverty reduction. A great concern should be given household (seniors), and helping the household is indirectly helping the street children.”

Discussion, speeches, reports, local office inauguration, lunch, rewards, and promises were all part of the program. However, because of a big wind we couldn’t march this year. Our newly opened office created a shelter around which the 130 guests gathered.

In response to their needs, our plan this year is to start a tea service place for their weekends, so they can come together and play with the peer group on weekends! We also hope to open a medium clinic for palliative care.

Now our organization has a head office and a local office so there are great opportunities for the volunteers, researchers, donors, local and international professionals!

Even though we don’t have funds, we have a great passion to work with/for the poorest and the most vulnerable elders!

Now we call on all our dear friends and all who want to share in these activities, to help any way possible. No gift or help is too small and is valuable to our organization.

Our greatest challenge is establishing fund raising programs!

Thank you for your interest in Noble Cause Elder Care and Support. We hope to hear from you and hope you will join us in this great and important work for the elders!

Samson, Manager and Co-founder

See our donations page for ideas on how you can be a part of this Noble Cause.

2011 Elder Day Celebration A Success!

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Dee

The following is an initial report, with a more thorough one to come.

A very successful Elder Day Celebration took place on October 9, 2011, with more government officials than ever before and two board members in attendance!

Approximately 130 elders and community members attended and all enjoyed the feast of beef and two kinds of bread. Many promises were made for future working together.

Mr Ayela, a very wise, articulate member, recently returned to health by the donation of a compassionate volunteer and Samson's TLC.

Samson and Tekle evening before the celebration proudly display our new banner.

: The Noble Cause Elder Care and Support building on land donated by the local government. We are proud to have completed and painted it. Inside the three rooms accomodate an office, storage and waiting area.

Thank you for your interest in Noble Cause Elder Care and Support! If you would like to know more about this worthy cause, you can read this past article titled “What is Noble Cause Elder Care?” as well as our About Us page, Mission page, and History pages. Please come back soon for a full report on this great 2011 Elder Celebration Day!

International Elder People’s Day

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Dee

INVITATION TO ALL

Honorable Guests and Members,

You are invited to attend the International Elder People’s Day on October 9, 2011, a colorful celebration with our elders in the countryside. This is the fourth year that Noble Cause Elder Care and Support will celebrate International Elder People’s Day outside of Addis Ababa. Each year the celebration is better. Come as our honored guest and make this year very special for all of us.

Noble Cause Elder Care and Support is a nongovernmental, nonprofit, indigenous organization which gives holistic care to the poorest elders in Basso Dengora Kebele, located north of Debra Berhan. We are a bridge to connect or link elders with potential supporters or donors.

Location:
175 Kilometers north of Addis Ababa, beyond Debra Berhan, before Debra Sine
Approximately 4 hours travel time from Addis Ababa

What:
Half day celebration, starting at 8:30am to 2:30pm
with speeches, music, dancing, banners, marching, horses and food
To celebrate the International theme –

“Age Demands Action”

Please confirm with us in advance for the convenience of the arrangement:

Call 0911 164231, Samson Betru, General Manager
or 0911 130274, Dorothy Hanson

On October 9 different organizations and professionals as well as individual members of NCECS are expected to participate. Celebrating this occasion will create opportunities to bring different helpers together. It also will open the elders’ chance to speak out, to share their feelings with the government officials who are expected to attend, and with the community.

An additional activity this year – the inauguration of our office there! It was built by the help of individuals and community participation and is now completed.

Come and help Noble Cause Elder Care and Support celebrate this special time with the Elders on this October 9, 2011 International Elder People’s Day!

Idir (Community Based Organization) Training Report April 2011

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Dee

IDIR Training at Basso Dengora Kebele, April 2011

In Ethiopia the social commitment is very high. Ekob, Idir, and Debo are the best examples of community based organization. This is the system of helping each other and working together!

Every community based organization has its own rules and regulations to govern and explore members.

Kebele (the place where NCECS is established), has 18 Idir (community based organizations), so we gave a holistic awareness regarding the poorest elders and our activities. This took one day with more than 45 individuals participating. It was a great event for everyone concerned!

There were a lot of questions and answers from both facilitators and participants, including:

Who are the elders?
What are their problems?
Who is responsible to help with their problems and challenges?

The general objective of this awareness creation:

1. To strengthen the neighborhood care of elders
2. To creat collaboration
3. To get community and family contribution and help sustain our organization
4. To ensure that older people are involved and their role in the Idir
5. To share the responsibilities between Idir and NCECS
6. To know and prioritize elders needs
7. To expand volunteerism in the organization
8. To help the Idir association modify their rules and regulations in a way to help people while they are still alive instead of only at funerals

Shortage of funds, time, professionals, participants’ expectations, and beneficiaries are the greatest challenges in our projects!

In a nut shell, even though the time was very short because of shortage of resources, we have created the base of common consensus. We learned that continual capacity building and awareness creation are the crucial activities for building NCECS!

Please see our Donations page to see ways that you can help Noble Cause Elder Care and Support and help improve the lives of the elders!

What is Noble Cause Elder Care?

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Dee

Noble Cause Elder Care and Support (NCECS) is a Ministry in Action, according to volunteer Sharon Curry. It is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the neglected elderly and their families in Ethiopia.

Started in 2007, we now have property and a locally constructed building, a beginning for a haven, a safe place. We discriminate against no one and treat each elder and their family members with the utmost respect.

Starting with community-based care, NCECS is attempting to reach the poorest of the poor. We are providing education in healthy living and prevention of eye problems (common among our elders).

With your help we can also provide income generation activities, along with money for food, supplies, and health care.

All the work of NCECS has been done with individual donations of time, money and resources. We have not accepted any grant money. Help us decrease the stress of daily living in a harsh cold environment (elders numbering near 150 in fall of 2009).

Visit our Donations page for ways that you can become involved in this worthy cause - this Noble Cause. Please join us!