25 Years Reaching the Most Vulnerable Mission East Was
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1991-2016 Mission East MISSION EAST MAGAZINE | JUBILEE 25 YEARS 25 years reaching the most vulnerable “We can see a huge difference in our village since we had clean water and latrines.” Kahliha Bahadur Padara, social worker in Duli village, Nepal, 2010. Page 34 ”We can now transport aid “Now we are producing to Armenia in apparently our own eggs, we do unlimited quantities, BY not need to buy them. SHIP.” This has given us better Read about the first major relief nutrition.” operation in the 1990’s. Momasulo Khodyaeva, Tajikistan Page 16 Page 20 Mission East Contents Board of directors 4 Foreword: We give people hope 30 Afghanistan 2001: Food aid for Carsten Wredstrøm (chairman of the board) in a chaotic world a country on its knees David Hermansen Poverty is decreasing all over the world, After two decades of war and as their Ib Alstrup but there are still people who find them- country was collapsing, the population Ib Nørholm selves in seemingly hopeless situations. of Afghanistan could finally receive help Dietmar Roller In Mission East we see it as our task to from outside. But their troubles are far from over. Editorial team extend a helping hand to these people. Kim Hartzner (responsible) Peter S. Bøje 6 Interview: “Aid is our life 34 Nepal 2007: Clean water Line Højland and disaster awareness are Svend Løbner passion!” Kim Wiesener It started with insulin containers in a lifesavers in Nepal garage in Birkerød, Denmark. The remote Karnali region is one of the Grafic design poorest places on earth. But basic things Ole Grønvig Nielsen 9 Flashback: 25 years in the like clean water and knowledge of num- Dorthe Engborg, Kindly world’s trouble spots bers and letters make a world of diffe- We take a look at 25 years of support rence for the inhabitants of small, local Production for the world’s poorest. Read about these villages. Kindly & Clausen Grafisk episodes from our history, and how they are relevant for our work today. 38 North Korea 2011: Food for North Korea’s children 10 Timeline For the past five years, Mission East has Get an overview of Mission East’s history been the only Danish organisation to pro- – year by year. vide aid to poor and isolated North Korea. Mission East is member of 14 World map 42 Iraq 2014: Emergency aid in the chaos of war The world is shaken by stories of cruel 16 Armenia 1992: The first major abuse by Islamic State. Mission East is relief operation Contact providing support for body and mind to When the war between Armenia and Mission East the displaced. Skt. Lukas Vej 13, Azerbaijan was at its height, Mission East 2900 Hellerup, Denmark sent planes and ships with emergency Phone +45 39 61 20 48 relief to the conflict area. 46 Why we support Mission East Fax +45 39 61 20 94 Mission East could not exist without its Giro 773 1566 faithful supporters. But what makes CVR 1472 3692 20 Tajikistan 1997: Central Asia’s reg. 3170 account: 3173089007 ’forgotten’ country people donate money for relief work? [email protected] A collapsed economy, a bloody civil war, a Some of our regular donors explain. www.miseast.org country on the verge of breakdown: This www.facebook.com/missionoest is how Tajikistan was like in 1998, when 48 Futorologist: Fast, hitech aid Mission East started supporting the most can prevent future conflicts vulnerable with food aid. We all know that the world is constantly changing, but what do the experts say? 26 Armenia 1998: “The teachers And what will emergency relief be like in were like prison guards” 25 years? Frontpage photo When Dennis and Jane Loze visited the Kulob District, Tajikistan, 1998. In the Nubarashen no 11 orphanage for the first years following the civil war that ended in time, the children were sitting completely 1997, Mission East carried out large-scale still in cold halls. The couple decided to distributions of food aid targeting the work against decades of contempt for most vulnerable parts of the population. persons with disabilities. Photo: Peter Hove Olesen 2 | MISSION EAST | JUBILEE MAGAZINE 25 YEARS 26 First there was emergency relief. Then came a comprehensive support programme for children with disabilities in Armenia and Tajikistan. Read how a life passion was transformed into emergency relief. 6 A water tap can mean the 34difference between life and death in the mountains of Nepal. 48Future relief work will place new demands on technology and cultural understanding. Mission East supports vulnerable people and helps local communities strengthen and organise themselves. We provide emergency relief and long-term development assistance based on Christian values and help people in need regardless of their race, religion or political views. Mission East operates directly or through local partners in Afghanistan, Armenia, Burma/ Myanmar, Iraq, Nepal, North Korea, Syria and Tajikistan. Mission East is supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the EU and the UN. We have been verified compliant 20When Kenneth Whitelaw of Mission East with the People in Aid Code of Good Practice and have committed ourselves to the Core arrived in Tajikistan for the first time, Humanitarian Standards (CHS). there was fighting in the streets of the capital. JUBILEE MAGAZINE 25 YEARS | MISSION EAST | 3 Iraq, 2015. Due to the conflict in Foreword Iraq, Mission East has established Kim Hartzner centres where displaced children Medical Doctor and Managing Director, can play and learn in a peaceful Mission East environment. Photo: Peter Eilertsen We give people hope in a chaotic world Dear reader, buted emergency relief to Arme- opportunity to survive – by giving lihoods and handle the recurring When I look at the photographs nian orphanages during the ‘dark them water, food or the chance to natural disasters. We should not from 25 years of work at Mission years’ of the war with Azerbaijan. make a living. These actions are an aim to be in ‘cool’ locations, but in East, one particular image stands During the past 25 years, we have expression of love and hope. Yes, the right ones. out. It is a photograph of a girl witnessed huge progress in world we are helping millions of people, called Helena. I met her for the development. Child mortality is but the hope that we give to the first time when she was a small decreasing, education levels are individual makes all the difference. I believe in this kind of child living in an orphanage in rising. More and more people are I see it among displaced children development work.” Armenia where the children were gaining access to clean water and in Iraq: They receive emer- running around like ghosts in the decent livelihoods. But we are also gency relief, but at the Mission dark. The staff did not even know facing new challenges: Climate East centres, they are also able SEE YOU IN 25 YEARS their names. change will lead to more natural to play and learn under peaceful In 1991, the Iron Curtain and the disasters. Population growth – circumstances. These children who shadows it had cast over Europe Helena had a speech impediment. especially in Africa south of the just a few months previously saw was the driving force in our work. Perhaps she also had a minor Sahara – will increase the risk of their parents be killed, are Today, it is the war in the Middle mental disability. She had been conflict. The Middle East has given the opportunity to be chil- East and climate change that rejected, as all children with dis- descended into a spiral of vio- dren once again – thanks to the shape the world – and the areas orders were likely to be in those lence, and nobody knows how it care and comfort they receive. where Mission East works. Then days. We helped stimulate her will end. In all these cases, human as now, our focus remains the through play and a meaningful beings will be caught up in THE SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE most vulnerable people. I hope school education. Ten years later unbearable situations where they In these situations, aid becomes that I will meet the children we I saw her in a supermarket where feel let down, cast aside and sustainable. We cannot save the are helping in Iraq in 10, 20 or 25 she worked as a helping hand, alone. world by doing it all. But by giving years, and that they will give me a placing goods on shelves and human beings faith in themselves huge smile. servicing customers. She gave me we enable them to rebuild their a huge smile! By giving human own societies. I believe in this A very big thank you to all the beings faith in them- kind of development work. people whose support and ARMENIA’S DARK YEARS backing made this work possible! This magazine is a testimony to selves we enable them HELP WHERE IT IS RIGHT the work that Mission East has to rebuild their own Mission East aims to reach the Kind regards, carried out for the past 25 years, most vulnerable people in the Kim Hartzner helping people like Helena. We societies.” world’s troublespots, but we also could not have done this work work in places that do not get without the tremendous support ROOM FOR HOPE much media attention. Tajikistan of private donors, associations, At Mission East, we have made is a good example. We have organisations and states. Much it our business to reach these worked here for almost 20 years has happened since we distri- people. We provide them with an to help people secure their live- 4 | MISSION EAST | JUBILEE MAGAZINE 25 YEARS Kulob, Tajikistan, 2015.