WorldVentures Foundation Partners with Food & Trees for Africa and Botshabelo to Empower Children in South Africa; First Two Service Days in the Country

Plano, TX – May 19, 2014: WorldVentures Foundation™, the philanthropic arm of WorldVentures™, collaborated with multiple South African organizations to help educate and nourish children in South Africa by renovating two buildings and devloping a school’s permaculture food garden. 

“WorldVentures Foundation is honored to support the extraordinary passion of South African WorldVentures Independent Representatives, led by Steven & Tessa Kahn and Devraj & Cassendra Soojay, in assisting local children and communities,” Gwyneth Lloyd, Executive Director, WorldVentures Foundation said. “The excitement and energy of launching the Foundation’s first two Service Days in South Africa enthused volunteers from multiple countries.”

On its first South African Service Day, WorldVentures Foundation teamed up with Botshabelo Community Development Trust, Sizanani Children’s Home and Prettify Your Township to help several South African children, who were orphaned by HIV or whose families cannot care for them financially. Collectively, the organizations revamped two buildings, doubling the initial goal: a day care and a foster home in the community of Olievenhoutbosch, Gauteng.

“The WorldVentures Foundation team brought change and empowerment to children in the community of Olievenhoutbosch,” Michelle Hinrichsen, Funding Coordinator at Botshabelo said. “Both the day care and the foster home buildings were completely transformed, and their new colorful appearance has greatly surprised and inspired the children.”
On its second Service Day in South Africa, WorldVentures Foundationjoined with Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), the first South African social enterprise realizing sustainable development, and assisted to develop Cosmo City Secondary School’s permaculture food garden in Randburg, Johannesburg North. Together, the volunteers planted herbs, vegetables and staple foods to accompany the existing orchard.

“The Service Day was a great success,” said Joanne Carty, Programme Manager FTFA. “Developing the school’s permaculture food garden will help feed local families, donate to the school feeding scheme and sell produce to the surrounding community. The money collected is ploughed back to the school’s garden.”

                                                                                       

WorldVentures Foundation’s first two South African Service Days follow the first ever Service Day in Zimbabwe, held a few months ago, and many other frequent service projects in Mexico, Liberia and Guatemala. The Foundation’s next collaboration with Botshabelo will take place on July 24, in the form of a third Service Day in South Africa. 

International Journal of Palliative Nursing 2014 Awards - Palliative Care Nurse of the Year Award won by Mr. Suresh TP, Nurse Safdarjung Hospital and Secretary, DNipCare, the Palliative Care Unit in Delhi.

Mr. Suresh TP is a Male Nurse (General Nursing Midwifery) working in the Government General Hospital viz., Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.  He has his 6 hourly shift duty rendering nursing support in the Emergency Operation Theatre of the Orthopaedic Department of this very busy Hospital crowded with patients not only from the National Capital Territory of Delhi, but also from adjoining States.  During the six hour shift he hardly gets a time to sit, but has to fully engage in the nursing care for the ailing patients.  The job schedule goes the same way including the night shifts which is of 12 hours and alternates with morning and evening shifts week after week.  He is so ardent with his profession that he seldom feels tiered.


However, the crux of the matter is that this Male Nurse has found his passion in patient care beyond his official duty and as a result renders Palliative Home Care for long term, bedridden, terminally ill patients including Cancer Patients and Geriatrics voluntarily without any remuneration under the Palliative Care organization viz., DNipCare.  Catheterization, feeding tube management etc of bedridden patients are being handled by different teams of Nurses under the overall leadership of Mr. Suresh at the home of the patients.  The time beyond his official duty is utilized for this purpose.  Bed sore management, physio therapy interventions and psycho social support etc are also integral parts of the Palliative Home Care being provided by the organization and are coordinated by Mr. Suresh.

In addition to rendering Palliative Home Care to the patients, thrust is also given for propagation of preventive aspects of chronic diseases including Non-Communicable diseases and life style diseases.  Campaigns for this cause is done among different groups of the community including professionals, students, homemakers and retired senior citizens.  These campaigns are very good occasions to interact with the common people and appraise them about the vulnerabilities and possible issues of life style diseases.  Mr. Suresh is always at the forefront to lead these educational and awareness campaigns.  The potential of common people has always been used optimally to make available the right kind of care and support for patients especially in bedridden status and not in a position to return back to the normal life.  The virtue of Mr. Suresh was very well recognized by the Government of India and was honoured with the National Florence Nightingale Award 2012, the highest award of the land for any Nurse in the public health scenario.

His services for the patients at the time of natural calamities like flood, earthquake etc were also considered along with his contribution towards Palliative Care for debilitating patients, while being awarded with the highest honour of the Country.  Mr. Suresh is associated with the Palliative Care movement under DNipCare for the last five years and his contributions have benefited much number of patients to think positively, receive treatment and care and also to have quality in their lives.  The photographs and reports of his services can be seen in the Events link of website and Blog of DNipCare in the public domain, detailed under:

Website: www.dnipcare.org
Blog:  http://dnipcare.blogspot.in/

The contributions of Mr. Suresh TP, thus, substantiate his winning of the prestigious International Journal of Palliative Nursing Award 2014 in the category of Palliative Care Nurse of the Year (2nd Prize).  It is also pertinent to note that he is the only Indian to receive this international Award in 2014 among the 21 Awardees of 7 Categories viz., Educator of the Year Award, Development Award, Innovation Award, Multidisciplinary Teamwork Award, Service user/Carer/Volunteer of the Year Award, Palliative Care Nurse of the Year Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.  

This recognition comes as yet another feather in the cap of both Mr. Suresh TP and DNipCare as the International Journal of Palliative Nursing Awards 2013 Multidisciplinary Teamwork Award (3rd Prize) was bagged by DNipCare during the last year.

The Award details are available at: http://awards.ijpn.co.uk/2014-winners

Cancer Awareness & Palliative Care Sensitization Campaign in St. Mary's Knanaya Church, Vasanth Kunj, Delhi

DNipCare conducted a Cancer Awareness & Palliative Care Sensitization Campaign in St. Mary's Knanaya Church, Vasanth Kunj, Delhi on 16th March 2014.  Father Bibi Abraham of the Knanaya Church inaugurated the program.  Dr. Anjana Saxena, Dy. Commissioner (Retd.), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare held a detailed class on various aspects of prevention of Cancer and treatment protocols available for patients.  She has also stressed upon the breast cancer and Cervical Cancer commonly seen among the women population and also answered the questions from audience.


On the necessity of Palliative Care not only for Cancer patients, but also for other long term, bedridden, terminally ill patients including Geriatrics and Chronic Kidney Patients was explained to the audience by Antony Cyriac & KV Hamza.  Suresh Thaliyaril coordinated the event and Ajith Kumar, Dr. Joy Elamon, Arun Unnikrishnan, Seema Prasad, Sajitha Elamon & Karan also participated in the program on behalf of DNipCare.  Father Bibi Abraham discussed possibility of including Palliative Care in their already running charity activities involving the youth.