Hope Reaches The Borders
Poverty and exclusion in Peru are very big problems. These situations are worse in rural areas, even more so in the Amazon (accessible only by river) and greater still in border areas (the furthest from the capitals and basic services). Thus, the Amazonian communities on the borders are among the poorest and most excluded that exist.
Among these communities are Alanza Cristiana - Andoas and Santa Rosa. The Andoas district is located in a very remote area of Loreto that reaches the border with Ecuador and has a predominantly indigenous population. For a long time, this area was forgotten by the authorities until its creation as a district in 2005, but to this day it lacks many services and suffers the consequences of being so far from the capital city.
The community of Santa Rosa, a border town with Colombia and Brazil, has an indigenous population of the Ticuna ethnic group and is located in a strategic area for border surveillance. However, access to basic services such as health is limited and the population has to cross the border to Leticia (Colombia) and Tabatinga (Brazil), whose services and infrastructure are better. Added to this is the problem of drug trafficking that drags young people not only into consumption but also into trafficking.
It is very difficult to reach these areas with our clinical boats due to the long distances (many days of navigation) and the small size of the rivers that make access impossible. Given this, we decided to go another way.
To get to Andoas, the team took a small plane from Iquitos to San Lorenzo and then a small boat for 12 hours to the Alianza Cristiana community. A very long and difficult journey but carried out with great pleasure and commitment. To get to Santa Rosa you must take a 10-hour speedboat from Iquitos, traveling through the Amazon to the triple border (Peru, Colombia, Brazil).
In these communities, medical consultations, vision measurements, delivery of glasses, delivery of medications, and workshops to promote healthy habits were carried out. All this was done thanks to the support of the Andoas authorities and institutions such as the Loreto Rotary Club, the NGO Good Friends and the MEPI (Evangelical Pentecostal Movement of Iquitos).
Many people received various health services and showed their gratitude, whether with words (in Spanish and their native languages), smiles, or a simple look of relief. In Andoas one of the authorities gave our Medical Manager a typical necklace from the area as a thank you.
This experience also leaves us with important lessons: look for new ways to reach new places, the importance of getting to the furthest places in borders, where few travel to, and doing so with the support of authorities and institutions committed to the development of communities. And we will continue to carry out these campaigns where it is needed most.
Kiltwalk 2024
* RAISE FUNDS FOR VINE TRUST - KILTWALK 2024 *
Scotland’s Kiltwalk in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.
We would like to invite the Vine Trust community to come together again to raise funds to support our work with partners and their communities in Peru and Tanzania.
Can you help us reach our target of raising £30,000 for the work of Vine Trust by taking part?
You can find out more information about Kiltwalk and register to take part at the website - www.thekiltwalk.co.uk
During the application process you can indicate that you are selecting Vine Trust as your charity to support.
Global Citizenship Conference - May 2024
We would like to invite you to join us for the Vine Trust conference on Saturday the 25th of May 2024, to be held at the Vine Trust Barge in Edinburgh.
The conference will be looking at Global Citizenship in 2024.
We will be welcoming representatives from our partners in Tanzania and Peru who will give updates on their programmes and also how volunteering, both international and in-country, has supported their excellent community development activities.
Keep an eye on social media over the next few days as we announce who are guest speakers are.
To sign up for the conference, please go to our website: www.vinetrust.org/store/gifts
Message from Willie
To all our Volunteers, Supporters, Donors and Friends.
Please see the following message from Willie.
NEW SHIP FOR TANZANIA!
We are delighted to announce that a new ship will be joining the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme to expand the reach of services to remote island communities on Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
This new ship, the MV Lady Jean, will complement the work of MV Jubilee Hope, playing a key role the roll out of anti-retroviral HIV medications to island communities in great need of this new service.
With significant support from Babcock International, the former UK Royal Navy patrol ship has undergone a complete overhaul, including a new generator, rewiring of electrics, servicing of the engines, installation of new seats and air-conditioning and full painting.
David Lockwood, CEO, Babcock, said: “It is a privilege for our teams to come together and convert the now MV Lady Jean, I know how much time and effort has gone into this programme, for that I would like to thank everyone who has been involved.”
A handover of the ship took place at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Hampshire, where Mrs Sarah Lockwood was invited to name this new vessel.
Other companies which are supporting this project include Victoria Quay, UK Docks, SES, International Paints, Caterform, SWJ Maintenance, Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, Sevenstar Yacht Transport and Transeast Group.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has played a part in making this project possible.
Keep an eye out for more details coming up soon from Vine Trust!
Community Health Agents and Holistic Medical Care in the Amazon
In the fifth of his blog posts on the Amazon Hope Medical Programme's mental health component, Programme Director Román Rodriguez talks about the concept of Community Health Agents and how they can support the physical and mental well-being of those living in isolated and vulnerable communities.
For decades, the Ministry of Health of Peru implemented a great idea to promote health in the country’s most remote communities: train some members of these communities in basic health care such as registration and referral of cases, how to maintain contact with health centres, how to take action in disease prevention and how to attend to certain types of emergencies and deliveries.
In remote places that are far away from formal health services, the role of these Community Health Agents has been crucial, especially during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, one aspect that needed to be addressed was mental health. In places where physical health services were very limited, mental health services were practically non-existent. That is why the Amazon Hope Medical Programme (PMEAP), in alliance with CEDRO and USAID, decided not only to provide psychological care to the communities, but also to train Community Health Agents to provide primary mental health care for people.
In this way, coordination began with the Loreto Regional Health Management to summon the agents and provide them with training on topics such as psychological warning signs, impulse control strategies, referral of cases, psychological first aid, and prevention of alcohol abuse.
It was also decided to train the staff of the health centres in these areas since these professionals had not received training on the relevant issues either.
In this way, between 2021 and 2022, 181 people were trained in providing mental health support (123 community agents and 58 health centre professionals).
During these trainings, the community agents demonstrated important knowledge about the problems of their communities and a great desire to improve the living situation of the people who live there.
The fact that these agents didn’t have specialised higher education qualifications was not an impediment when it came to acting as leaders in the search for solutions to various problems that afflicted their family, friends and neighbours in the community.
Even with mental health issues, some already had experience providing emotional support and conflict resolution to loved ones without even knowing those technical terms. They did this guided by their experience, intuition, and desire to help.
These trainings provided them with tools to use in their communities. Unfortunately, the mental health project could not continue in 2023, so it was not possible to follow up on the actions in the communities or to train more agents.
However, this first experience marked the beginning of this type of activity and implementation of mental health support in the area, which we hope will soon be replicated by us, the state, or other organisations.
The PMEAP turned on the light of mental health support in the riverside communities of Loreto and we are sure that it will continue to be lit, on behalf of those who need it most.
Board Announcement
The Vine Trust Board wishes to advise our supporters that after more than 20 years at the helm, Rev. Willie McPherson will be stepping down from his role as CEO of Vine Trust.
Willie has been inspirational and unwavering in his passion to help some of the poorest and forgotten people in the world with the love of Christ in a very practical way.
During his tenure, we have worked in partnership to develop a primary healthcare service for remote village communities in Amazonia, Peru, and on Lake Victoria in Tanzania. In addition, we have supported the building of 8 homes for street children in Peru, 142 family homes in Tanzania, 4 homes for orphans in Tanzania, and developed the village of Kazunzu on the shore of Lake Victoria which now includes a primary school.
Many thousands of people in Peru and Tanzania have been impacted by the work of Vine Trust as well as the thousands of volunteers in the UK who have been hugely impacted by their involvement.
The Board is immensely grateful for his leadership throughout the last 20 years. He will be missed and we wish him well and hope that he will enjoy a slower pace of life in the years ahead. He will continue in his support of the Trust through prayer and advice.
We are delighted to announce that Kenny Holt, whom many of you will know, has been appointed as CEO with effect from October. Kenny joined the staff as manager of the medical operations in 2014 having spent 15 years working with community projects in Bolivia. He has overseen the tremendous growth in our medical provision in both Peru and Tanzania and we look forward to working with him in his new role as Chief Executive.
More information will follow in the next edition of Connections magazine.
Kazunzu: A Place-Based Approach
Kazunzu comes from the Zinza tribal language and means a promontory. It is an apt name for the piece of land that juts out into Lake Victoria, a cape around 20 km west of Mwanza, Tanzania that is in the process of becoming a self-sustainable ‘Village of Hope’ for around 40 families.
Those who have been aboard Jubilee Hope or visited the islands of Lake Victoria will be aware of how tough the living conditions are in this region. The HIV levels are amongst some of the highest in the world, sanitation is almost non-existent and despite being surrounded by water, a lot of it isn't clean enough for safe cooking and drinking. The area’s scenery and sunsets may be idyllic, but this is a harsh environment for raising children and finding food, income, and home security.
The Kazunzu project is an ambitious venture that grew out of a desire by our partners to build a self-sustaining and community-minded village in this region, a neighbourhood that reflected the place-based approach championed by various socially progressive regional governments across the world.
What is a Place-Based Approach?
The theory behind a place-based approach is two-fold.
Firstly, this approach can be a theoretical lens through which to conceptualise a certain town, region, or location.
What this means, in layman’s terms, is that when analysing certain issues with (or future plans for) a place, we should take into account “the specifics of the local context, as well as the personal circumstances of (the) individuals (involved).” The theoretical argument is that some, more “resilient” places can absorb and withstand socio-political, economic, and environmental challenges better than less “resilient” places.
This resilience is built by factors in four key areas: economy (strengthened by factors like employment and vocational training), governance (effective and constructive leadership), society (strong community links), and environment (good basic infrastructure, diverse and healthy ecosystem).
The second part of the place-based approach theory plays much more into the implementation side of things.
When a governing body or project team adopts a place-based approach, its leaders emphasise the need to not only understand and respect the “specifics of the local context” (see above) but also to actually “engage local people as active participants in development and implementation.”
This focus on collaboration and engagement with community members is the defining factor of a true place-based approach: the project team must work hard and consistently to understand the needs of a community when developing proposals and implementing services, buildings, and infrastructure.
How Does This Theory Translate into Practice at Kazunzu?
There are a number of ways in which the project team at Kazunzu has theorised and implemented a place-based approach when drawing up (and carrying out) plans for their “Village of Hope.”
Perhaps most obvious among these is the understanding that our partners have of developing a village that’s “resilient” in several key areas:
Vocation-Specific Training
An important aspect of the plans is the Vocational Training Centre, an innovative space that’s specifically designed to teach valuable skills like craftwork to those who are growing up at Kazunzu, helping them to make the most of their formative years and building a strong platform for future career and life success.
Teachers at Kazunzu’s new school will follow the English Medium mode of instruction, whereby classes are taught in English even though it is not the children’s first language. This method of teaching helps students to pick up a useful second language effectively and efficiently and is normal practice for many non-governmental schools in Tanzania.
More generally, the construction of the village lends itself to generating a variety of potential income streams for residents, from craft-making and crucial vocational training to school fees and teaching opportunities.
All of these plans reflect a commitment by the project team to build an economically resilient space by increasing the qualifications and employability of teenagers and young adults in the area and encouraging internal income production.
Community-Building Spaces
The Kazunzu project also emphasises the importance of creating, maintaining, and prioritising community-based spaces, whether that’s the completed “Boma” (Community Hub) in the centre of the village or the “shambas” or yards where different families can keep chickens and grow crops in a shared space between homes.
This emphasis on fostering community is something that builds the social resilience of Kazunzu by allowing the space for members to build connections and set up networks within the village.
Collaboration and Engagement
It’s also important to note that, in true place-based method style, the spirit of collaboration is at the very heart of Kazunzu “Village of Hope.”
The project itself is the result of an international partnership between Africa Inland Church Tanzania (who came up with the initial vision), the District Commissioner in Sengerema, and Vine Trust.
The plans drawn up by AICT at the beginning of the project included up to 40 family homes. These are now being built in small clusters of three or four: each home accommodates foster parents and up to six children, many of whom are orphans. This system of bringing orphans into pre-existing family units is one that not only enables these children to experience a strong and secure familial connection but also reflects the desire of the project team to create an integrative and tight-knit village community that’s rooted in human partnership and connection.
We’re excited to keep you updated on the progress at Kazunzu over the coming months and years, and can’t wait to follow the development and implementation of this place-based approach in real time.
Relevant Links:
“A framework for place-based approaches” - https://www.vic.gov.au/framework-place-based-approaches/print-all
“Kazunzu.” - https://www.vinetrust.org/about/kazunzu
“What is a Place-Based Approach?” - https://www.ourplace.scot/about-place/place-based-approaches
Dr. Claire Bawn Appointed New Chair of Vine Trust
At the board meeting in June, Dr. Claire Bawn was appointed as the new Chair of Vine Trust.
Dr. Claire Bawn is a General Practitioner who has been involved with the work of Vine Trust since 2011. Formerly a medical practice partner, she now divides her time between locum work across Scotland and volunteering with Vine Trust.
Claire has served on the medical committee since 2015 and has been a trustee since 2019. She has volunteered as a medic in Peru and Tanzania on multiple occasions and recently had the opportunity to visit both Kazunzu and one of the new homes built in Moshi, Tanzania.
She is excited and honoured to be appointed as Chair of Vine Trust.
The Board is also excited to welcome two new members:
James Clark first became involved with the Vine Trust in 2006 when he lead the delivery voyage of Amazon Hope 2 to Iquitos. He works in the Port Marine industry and lives with his wife and two children on the South coast of England.
Alex Currie has served as Parish Minister in Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway for 33 years. He has been a member of four Vine Trust work parties in Tanzania.
We wish Claire, James, and Alex all the best in their new positions and thank Alec Carstairs for all his work as the previous Chair between 2019 and 2023. We also thank Captain Peter Hall for his work with the Trust after stepping down at this year's board meeting.
Explaining Mental Health as a Concept in the Amazon
In the third of the blog posts written by Amazon Hope Medical Programme (PMEAP) Project Coordinator Román Rodriguez, he talks about the challenges faced by project workers in the region when it came to explaining the concepts of mental health and wellbeing to community members who'd never heard of or come across these ideas before.
Blog 3: The Language
In the Loreto region, the number of mental health services is very scarce and, in the rural communities where the PMEAP works, it is non-existent. This is despite the fact that these community members have been living with diverse emotional, cognitive, and sociocultural issues for a long time.
When the decision was made to implement a mental health service in the PMEAP, the first barrier was people's lack of knowledge about what mental health is, what a psychologist does and how they can help. This is because these community members had never received that kind of attention before.
For many people, it was difficult to talk about problematic aspects of their current or past life because they had never done it before.
Another major barrier was the fact that people prioritised physical healthcare because they viewed their emotional symptoms as less urgent or important, that "will heal over time" or "pass away on their own."
Likewise, there is a gender barrier, since many people considered that speaking to alleviate worries or sadness was something “for women." They felt that men do not speak and don't cry, an attitude which in itself generates many cases of family violence or alcoholism.
Because of these pre-existing factors, the team of psychologists could not wait for people from the communities to get on the boat to ask for mental health care. Instead, they needed to go to the communities to promote the service. Thus began the mental health education actions in the communities.
Project workers conducted informative talks and educational workshops in which they did not use technical terms, but instead gave examples of the types of problems related to mental health such as;
** Lack of good-quality sleep **
** Feeling worried, sad, or nervous for a long period of time **
** Having problems at home **
** Having issues with alcohol **
** Experiencing physical pain constantly and for no apparent reason **
** Feeling really upset for most of the day **
** Holding no hope for the future **
They were told that the mind or spirit also "hurt" in this way and, like the body, must heal. They were also told that this healing is done through a conversation, being listened to, and receiving encouragement and advice that can help.
After these initial promotions, community members began to request the service and benefit from it. Likewise, the project team identified people who did not request the mental health service but who obviously might need it, such as;
** Adolescents who were pregnant or had children **
** Those people with high blood pressure **
** People experiencing recurring pain or sleep issues **
** People dealing with PTSD or suffering through traumatic situations **
These people were referred to psychology where project workers informed them of the services and why they might need some mental health. These community members then granted their authorisation to go on and receive care from the team. In all cases, the service was promoted in a respectful and informed manner.
In this way, it was possible to overcome the barriers and stigmas in terms of mental health in the communities:
** Identify the problems **
** Understand the socio-cultural beliefs **
** Provide information to community members **
** Motivate and encourage participation **
** Provide the service in an empathetic and respectful manner **
Medical Ships: Revolutionising Access to Health Care
There are many isolated parts of the world where people live with little or no access to medical services. In response to this need, and in cooperation with local partners, our in-country medical programmes' ships work to deliver primary health care to some of the most vulnerable communities across the globe.
The Ships
There are three medical ships currently providing crucial support and consultations for the communities: these include the Amazon Hope 2, which set sail to the Peruvian Amazon in 2006, and the Jubilee Hope, a former Royal Navy Tender that was repurposed as a floating medical facility and commissioned by HRH The Princess Royal in 2014.
In 2015-16, the Vine Trust bought and fitted the Forth Hope as our first-ever new-build medical ship. This vessel set sail from Rosyth, Scotland to Iquitos, Peru in 2017.
The Itinerant Health Care Model
When it comes to providing a high-quality itinerant health care service to rural, isolated communities, a well-equipped medical ship is a unique and innovative method of provision.
Before going into greater depth on the singular benefits of the medical ship model, it’s useful to explain what “itinerant” means here in terms of health care and treatment.
An itinerant health care service, quite literally, is one that travels from place to place: this reflects the ships’ movement from community to community, whether it’s along the Peruvian Amazon or around the islands of Lake Victoria.
More specifically, the role of our in-country partners’ itinerant health care workers is a fascinating and crucial one: not only do they travel on-board the ships to provide medical care and support to those in rural, isolated communities, but they also work with local groups, leaders, and pre-existing social networks to implement stronger permanent health resources and support structures in these places.
Put simply, itinerant health care helps to:
Provide emergency help and medical consultations to those most in need,
AND
To develop and bolster permanent care systems alongside community leaders.
For that reason, it’s a model of rural medical support that is effective in both the short and the long term.
It’s a model that understands the value of collaborating with existing community systems.
Most importantly, it’s a model that enables medical professionals to give care to wide sections of isolated, rural populations that would likely not be reached otherwise.
The Medical Ship: The Ideal Partner for Itinerant Health Care
The Amazon Hope 2, the Jubilee Hope, and the Forth Hope ships are effective and efficient facilitators for high-quality itinerant health care for a number of reasons:
They revolutionise accessibility
These ships greatly increase access opportunities for locals who are unable to travel to a suitable health care facility on land, instead bringing effective and impactful support directly to communities which would otherwise be too isolated.
Lack of infrastructure and health care facilities in rural parts of Tanzania and Peru means that ships are often the best (and sometimes only) forms of viable transport, enabling medical professionals to deliver skilled services to vulnerable people living around Lake Victoria and along the Peruvian Amazon.
They promote sustainable health care systems
Our in-country partners take great pride and care in running programmes (the Amazon Hope and Jubilee Hope Medical Programmes respectively) that conduct patient-focussed discussions, meetings, and support groups within the communities in these isolated parts of Peru and Tanzania.
These collaborative sessions open up a crucial and invaluable dialogue between the project health workers and community members: these are reciprocal relationships that not only allow the medical professionals to adapt their work to better suit the needs of patients, but also empower leaders to implement higher-quality care resources in their communities.
They’re safe and hygienic facilities
Each of the three medical ships is a safe and hygienic, sanitary facility that’s well-equipped with medical consultation areas, a dental clinic, a minor surgery room, a pharmacy, a laboratory, and accommodation for all in-country staff and Vine Trust volunteers.
They foster unique communities on-board
Our in-country partners employ a number of highly-trained medical workers that live on these ships whenever they are in operation throughout the year. When our medical volunteers head out to join the Tanzanian and Peruvian teams throughout the year, they live on the ships alongside the in-country professionals.
This live, sleep and work situation helps to foster uniquely strong bonds and connections between all those on board. Medical students in their final year can work alongside and learn from doctors, GPs, nurses, dentists, and midwives: this integrative and versatile workforce also creates an environment where everyone is always discovering something new.
"Having a multi-disciplinary team on board is great, all the staff share and learn from one another which is important in an environment like this. Something I didn’t expect was the laughter on this boat, there has been a massive amount of laughter. For me, having students on the boat has been great, I love to teach and think it is an incredible place to learn."
Dr Kathy McAdam
2023 Onwards…
For over 20 years, the Amazon Hope Programme’s vessels have combined to help our medical volunteers and partner’s in-country staff conduct more than two million consultations in one of the most isolated areas of the world.
The Jubilee Hope Medical Programme is a collaboration between Vine Trust and Africa Inland Church Tanzania (AICT) which has been working with the island communities of the Muleba District in the Kagera region of Tanzania since 2015. In that time, the project’s medical workers have held nearly 400,000 consultations with some of the most vulnerable and isolated people in the world.
We believe that the joint itinerant and ship model of medical support is an intuitive, innovative, and uniquely effective way to revolutionise health care access and empower isolated communities to implement longer-term strategies for the future.
Relevant Links:
Eslabão Adriane Domingues et. al “Object and technologies in the working process of an itinerant team in mental health.” https://www.scielo.br/j/rgenf/a/zhfQLD5VtQcDdSBTpDCjtRD/?format=pdf&lang=en
Isely RB, Sanwogou LL, “The itinerant health worker: an experiment in rural health care delivery.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6314792/
“Medical Services.” https://www.vinetrust.org/about/medical-services
An Alliance for Mental Health
In the second of his series of mental health blog posts, Amazon Hope Medical Programme (PMEAP) Project Coordinator Román Rodriguez talks about the Alliance for the Amazon Against COVID-19 with USAID Peru and Peruvian NGO CEDRO, looking at the achievements of this collaboration.
BLOG 2: The Alliance
The Amazon Hope Medical Programme of Peru (PMEAP) has provided health services in many river basins of the Peruvian Amazon since 2002. In 2020, with the support of two volunteer psychologists, an investigation was carried out on the socio-emotional difficulties in the communities and, based on these results, it was decided to include a mental health component in the services.
However, when the COVID 19 pandemic arrived, the programme had to be paused for a few months.
Fortunately, the PMEAP joined the Alliance for the Amazon against COVID-19, a project supported by USAID Peru and promoted by the Peruvian NGO CEDRO, aimed at the mitigation and improvement of the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic in the Peruvian jungle.
USAID provided very important financial support and CEDRO helped with technical support and the mental health professionals in the ships.
PMEAP led community participation in COVID-19 prevention and vaccination. Also, the mental health programme itself was rooted in the 2020 research that made it all possible to offer mental health consultations, socio-emotional workshops with communities, psychological first-aid training to community agents and more research, exploring the socio-emotional state in each basin served by the PMEAP.
The programme has produced intervention protocols as a mean to guarantee quality and standardised consultations. These documents were prepared in collaboration with CEDRO partners.
This collaboration was extended until September 2022 due to the important level of trust developed between the partners and the goals achieved in 2021.
The main achievements between 2021 and 2022 were:
Four mental health maps (one for each basin served) and one infographic compendium.
8,524 consultations.
300 workshops.
123 community health agents and 58 health technicians trained in early identification of mental disorders and psychological first aid.
These are very important goals because mental health services in these communities are almost non-existent and people received social and emotional support that they would not have received otherwise. All this work helped to improve their lives.
Unfortunately, due to financial constraints, the partnership could not be extended to 2023, but we hope to find new partnerships to continue with this important programme.
The Birth of a Mental Health Programme in the Amazon
The following is the first in a series of blog posts written by Amazon Hope Medical Programme Project Coordinator Román Rodriguez. Over the coming months, he'll be writing about different aspects of the groundbreaking mental health component, and this week, he's talking about the crucial role that two young Peruvian psychologists played in setting up the mental health programme during COVID-19.
BLOG 1: The Beginning
The Amazon Hope Medical Programme of Peru (PMEAP) has provided health services in various Peruvian Amazon basins since 2002, but, until 2020, there was no mental health component to this programme.
That was concerning for the PMEAP team because mental and physical health are both inseparable parts of the human being. The team members knew there were socio-emotional difficulties in the communities that were likely to exacerbate pre-existing mental illnesses.
In March 2020 two young Peruvian psychologists, Paula Aljovin and Luna Dannon, decided to join PMEAP as volunteers on a medical expedition up the Ucayali river.
At this time, mental health services were nonexistent in these communities and there was no information about the psychological situation of the people who lived there.
That is why Paula, Luna and PMEAP started a pioneering, in-depth, qualitative study based on interviews to explore these peoples’ social and emotional situation.
This work began almost at the same time that the COVID-19 pandemic reached Peru. It was challenging but possible thanks to the will of these two young professionals and the support of the PMEAP team.
They traveled to many communities by the Ucayali basin and conducted interviews with adults, youth, the elderly and community authorities.
The information was analysed using the ecological systems theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, a contextual framework to better understand human development in different dimensions (individual, family, community and socio-cultural).
The results revealed symptoms compatible with anxiety, depression, stress, and lack of emotional control, while many interviewees suffered from gender-based violence, child abuse, alcoholism, teenager pregnancy, and held poor expectations about the future.
Social difficulties such as extreme poverty, misogyny, lack of basic services, environmental pollution and natural disasters worsened the situation.
However, researchers also found some strengths and development opportunities in these communities, which show us that people in vulnerable situations are not only victims but can also be agents of their own development.
So, a mental health programme in the PMEAP services was more than needed and Luna and Paula designed it for 2021.
This programme had three main components:
- Research (to better understand the socio-emotional situation of the communities in the four basins served by the PMEAP)
- Emotional support consultations/workshops (to give support, help locals to find alternatives to their present emotional situation and prevent psychological difficulties)
- Community empowerment (to make these people the protagonists for their own development and to promote the sustainability of the program).
In 2021, PMEAP joined the Alliance for the Amazon against COVID-19, a project supported by USAID and promoted by the Peruvian NGO CEDRO. This alliance made it possible to carry out the mental health program.
That’s how this programme began: sensitivity, empathy, research, theoretical support, planning, partnership, hope and the will to improve the lives of those in most need.
New Medical Records System for the Amazon Hope Programme
NEW ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS SYSTEM FOR THE AMAZON HOPE PROGRAMME!
During the recent Stakeholders conference, we received a very encouraging update about the progress that has been made on the new Electronic Medical Record system (EMR) which has been installed in the MV Forth Hope in Peru. Initial reports from the medical team have been very positive about how easy it is to use and the benefits that it is bringing to their work.
The EMR system has been developed in partnership with the Institute for Collaboration in Health, with the software being designed by Peruvian company, Doctoc (tinyurl.com/4f4s3uen).
The EMR functions 100% off-line (i.e. does not require an internet connection to work).
With the new EMR system, the Amazon Hope Medical Programme’s staff and volunteers can now:
• Have a fast and agile registration of patients.
• Generate reports that collect relevant data from the information collected from patients during consultations.
• Have security in the use of information.
• Organise patients according to specialty of care.
The Amazon Hope Programme has also developed an alliance with the Universidad Científica del Sur (UCSUR) in Peru, which will allow them to analyse the information and statistics (anonymised) collected by the EMR system in order to carry out clinical studies and improve the health of the community.
Discussions have already started about how this system could be adapted for the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme in Tanzania.
A record year for the Amazon Hope Programme!
A record year for the Amazon Hope Programme!
Congratulations to the Amazon Hope team on their amazing achievement of providing 192,687 consultations during 2022, which is the highest ever annual total in the programme’s 21-year history!
During the month of November, the programme also passed the 2 million consultations total since the services began!
The success of the programme has, once again, been down to the incredible dedication and hard work of all of the Amazon Hope team – medical, marine crew and administration personnel – and through key collaborations with CEDRO-USAID and the Loreto Regional Ministry of Health.
Many thanks also to the 53 medical volunteers who travelled to support the work and contributed greatly to the ondoing development of the work this year.
The Forth Hope and Amazon Hope 2 are now back in harbour for the rest of the year, the former currently in dry dock for some routine maintenance.
The Amazon Hope team will soon be on some well-deserved annual leave, before expeditions begin again in early January.
Felicidades a todo el equipo!
A record year for the Amazon Hope Programme!
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Welcome to Vivian Onyeneke
We are delighted to welcome a new member of staff to Vine Trust, Vivian Onyeneke.
Vivian has joined as key member of the Admin team at the office in Edinburgh, supporting the ongoing development of our partnership programmes and volunteers expeditions.
Welcome, Vivian!
2023 Forth Hope Expeditions Now Available
We are delighted to announce that applications to join the Forth Hope Medical Programme, Peru in 2023 are now open.
An expedition with the Forth Hope Programme not only gives you the chance to learn about local health needs and use your medical skills to support the services. It's also a great opportunity to discover more of the local culture from the excellent Peruvian team who manage and deliver the work throughout the year.
There are a total of 21 trip ‘legs’, most lasting around 10/11 days which volunteers can apply to join throughout the year, and the option to combine these to create longer expeditions from 20 up to 36 days in some cases.
The expeditions will also be focusing primarily on the Ucayali and Puinahua river systems, but there are also opportunities to join expeditions to the Marañon and Amazonas rivers in the second half of the year.
Applications are now open on the website - www.vinetrust.org/trips. Please see the full list of dates via the following link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o56sk6_Ad01G6yHTwg6NwpL1V8pxU6sT/view?usp=sharing
Some important information to note:
* Vine Trust recognises that it has a duty of care to the people in the communities in , the workers in the and to its volunteers. These volunteer trips will only take place after agreement with our programme partners and regional stakeholders, and in full compliance with all national and international travel guidelines
Jubilee Hope visits Goziba Island
After Jubilee Hope's most recent expedition, Programme Manager, Patrick abula reported that "there was great excitedment on the return of the ship to the island of Goziba. There was a huge crowd of patients".
Dr Uzia Mohamad, Head of Medical Services, noted that "there has been great team spirit and team work, with quality services offered to patients".
Connections 40 - Summer 2022
The Summer 2022 edition of our newsletter Connections (including our 2022 Summer Appeal) is now available and can be viewed online here - www.vinetrust.org/media/connections-newsletter
Vine Trust UK Office Team Update
We are delighted that Judy Grace has joined the team as our Expedition Co-ordinator and look forward to her starting on Monday 13th June!
URGENT NEED....
We are still recruiting a Finance Officer and have a need to cover the gap over the summer months. If you or someone known to you might be interested in a part time post over the coming months, please get in touch by emailing finance@vinetrust.org or calling Robert Alexander on 0131 555 5598.
Third Cluster at Kazunzu
Work has just commenced on the next cluster of homes to be built. This will consist of a home for a Head Teacher and the Centre Manager, as well as a Kindergarden/nursery school.
Mrs Luciola
An update from the Forth Hope ship from Dr Ronald Ramirez:
"Mrs. Luciola, 47 years old, suffers from myopia, she couldn't see even the largest letter on the Snellen chart, and she has never worn glasses. Now her life changed because we gave her a free pair of glasses that allows her to see."
2022 Jubilee Hope Expeditions Now Available
We are delighted to announce that applications to join the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme, Tanzania in 2022 are now open.
Over many years we have witnessed the multiple benefits of connecting volunteers with our partner programme in Tanzania through medical expeditions. This collaboration provides a range of opportunities to share knowledge and expertise, working together to develop the medical services for remote island communities.
Volunteers can sign up for trips scheduled to depart from the May through to November via the website - www.vinetrust.org/trips. Please see the full list of dates below.
Some important information to note:
* Vine Trust recognises that it has a duty of care to the people in the communities in Tanzania, the workers in the Jubilee Hope Programme and to its volunteers. These volunteer trips will only take place after agreement with our programme partners and regional stakeholders, and in full compliance with all national and international travel guidelines
* If the trip is cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, your deposit can be transferred to another expedition or you can receive a full refund.
If you have any questions regarding the 2022 Tanzania Medical Expeditions, please contact us by email - health@vinetrust.org
Remarkable Donation to Support our Medical Ships.
We never fail to be amazed by the kindness and generosity of our community of supporters and this month is no different! The good ship “Alexa” is being sold by Michael Schmidt and Partners Yacht Brokers at Inverkip on the Clyde with the proceeds being donated by the owners to support our existing medical ships. More details will follow in the next edition of Connections.
In the meantime, we are grateful to Michael Schmidt and Partners for their reduced brokerage fee in support of our work and to Inverkip Marina for some free berthing during the sale process. Click here for more detail.
We often say there are many ways to connect and support our work!
Main photograph: “Alexa” with James McPhail and Martin Curtis from the Trust's Marine Group.
Below James McPhail Brokerage Manager at Kip Marina.
Vine Trust March 2022 Newsletter
Welcome to the March 2022 Vine Trust Newsletter.
Read about the latest developments in this month's newsletter.
Best Regards,
Vine Trust Team.
Amazon Hope Update
Dr Ronald Ramirez has shared some photos of patients of the Shipibo-Conibo indigenous community receiving reading glasses.
Ronald reports that “they are happy to be able to obtain reading glasses for free! This changes their lives, and especially for women, as it helps them to embroider clothes, which can be for their daily use or to sell”.
Jubilee Hope Celebration
The Jubilee Hope has been visiting islands in the Muleba District of the Lake Zone. During the visit, the ship was visited by the Muleba District Comissioner, Hon. Toba Nguvile, at Chakazimbwe Island, to celebrate the work that the programmes provides to the communities and the new 5-year, multi-partner agreement to continue medical services through the Jubilee Hope Medial Programme.
Hongera sana to all the Jubilee Hope team!
Amazon Hope Working with Indigenous Communities
Dr Ronald Ramirez has sent us a few photos from the first expedition of the year, which has been working with the Shipibo-Conibo and Ashaninka indigenous communities on the Ucayali River. He reports that they have been delighted to receive the ship and the medical services.
As well as the core primary healthcare services, the team will also be providing vaccinations (including COVID-19) and mental health services in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Peruvian NGO, CEDRO.
This extended expedition will continue until the 17th of February, visiting many new communities for the first time.
First Expedition of 2022!
The Forth Hope set sail yesterday afternoon from Iquitos on the first expedition of 2022!
The team will be visiting communities along the upper Ucayali river for the first time on an extended expedition which will return to Iquitos on the 17th of February.
The MV Amazon Hope 2 (which you can also see in the picture) is at the final stages of the installation of the new engine and will return to service soon.
New Edition of Connections Magazine
Our latest edition of Connections is now available online, where you can read updates on the medical programmes in Peru and Tanzania, including:
- * A new cooperation agreement for the Jubilee Hope Programme
- * The new mental health service for the communities reached by the Amazon Hope Programme
- * The latest news on the fish farm project at Kazunzu Village of Hope
- * Plans to support the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Peru
Access the digital edition here - https://bit.ly/VTConnections39
Amazon Hope Team Continues to Deliver
The Forth Hope set sail yesterday on its latest medical expedition but didn't have to wait long before meeting a new patient...
Dr Ronald Ramirez and the Amazon Hope medical team helped with a home birth this morning. Ronald reports that both mother and baby are doing well!
Amazon Hope – Bringing Care To Remote Communities
One of the key features of the Amazon Hope Programme is that it works with communities to provide services where they are most in need.
It travels, often many hours, along winding Amazon tributaries, to reach riverine villages where healthcare is limited at best, and the option of travelling to a larger town is often outwith the financial reach of families.
Dr Ronald Ramirez, Amazon Hope Programme’s Head of Medical Services, shares with us one such example from the most recent expedition, and how the team were able to bring care and comfort:
“In the community of Puerto Auxilio, the first community to be served, we found a 20-year-old man who had been bitten by a highly venomous snake (Bothrops atrox) two days prior to our arrival. He was in great pain. He said that on the day of the accident he was taken to the Santa Rita de Castilla health center where the doctor told him that they did not have anti-venom and that he should go to Nauta for treatment. [Nauta is more than 5 hours away by boat].
His relatives did not have the means to take him to Nauta and could only hope for a miracle. The miracle arrived on board the Forth Hope ship! We went to his house and administered the anti-venom, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. The next day, he found him in a very favourable condition and the whole family was happy.”
Scotland’s Kiltwalk
After the great success of Scotland's Virtual Kiltwalk earlier this year, Kiltwalk will be making its live return with 'Scotland's Kiltwalk' taking place in Glasgow on Sunday September 26 (with Government guidelines adhered to). Once again, Sir Tom Hunter will be topping up all funds raised by an incredible 50%. There are two walks available - The Mighty Stride (16.5 miles) that leaves in the morning from Glasgow Green and finishes in Meadow Leisure Centre in Dumbarton or The Wee Wander (3.5 miles) that leaves from Glasgow Green in the afternoon and finishes at the Riverside Museum.
Please consider taking part in this charity event (and select Vine Trust as your chosen charity). Registration is now open, for more information and to register, click here.
All support would be most welcome and much appreciated.
Vine Trust Team.
Big Developments in the Amazon Hope Programme
In the most recent edition of Connections we shared news of a new collaboration between the Amazon Hope Medical Programme, USAID and a Peruvian NGO, CEDRO which was to introduce a new mental health project as part of the response to the impact of COVID-19 in remote riverine communities.
We’re delighted to announce that the project has also been approved for a second phase to its work which will see a wider variety of the existing Programme’s activities be expanded and also new activities introduced. This extension to the project’s remit has been the result of hard work and dedication of the Amazon Hope team in Peru, with all their great effort resulting in this very important opportunity to significantly enhance the impact and reach of the Programme.
The new funding, which will last until the end of 2022, will see both medical ships reaching full capacity for expeditions, reaching existing and new communities including Atalaya, Datem del Maranon and Yurimaguas.
As well as the full complement of primary health services provided on the ships, counselling care and support will be available to patients and families, and the project will also run more mental health workshops for children, adolescents and adults.
A key element of the project is the building of local capacity to respond to health needs. Phase 2 will see an expansion of the training for health post personnel as well as materials provided for school teachers and community leaders. There will also be an extension to activities which provide training to communities to help them identify underlying causes behind many of the health challenges they face, as well as the development of locally-led strategies to address them.
The new phase of funding will also allow the Programme to bring in a new team member to work with the communities in the areas of nutrition and safe water, providing education and training as well as laying the foundations for the development of further activities in the future.
It’s a very exciting time ahead and, as the work develops, we’ll be providing more updates in our newsletters and social media.
Peru 2022 Medical Expeditions
We are delighted to announce that applications to join the Amazon Hope Medical Programme, Peru in 2022 are now open.
Over many years we have witnessed the multiple benefits of connecting volunteers with our partner programme in Peru with expeditions. This collaboration provides a range of opportunities to share knowledge and expertise, working together to develop the medical services for remote riverine communities.
Volunteers can sign up for trips scheduled to depart from the end of January through to November via the website - www.vinetrust.org/trips. Please see the full list of dates below.
Some important information to note:
* Vine Trust recognises that it has a duty of care to the people in the communities in Peru, the workers in the Amazon Hope Programme and to its volunteers. These volunteer trips will only take place after agreement with our programme partners and regional stakeholders, and in full compliance with all national and international travel guidelines
* If the trip is cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, your deposit can be transferred to another expedition or you can receive a full refund.
* Currently, volunteers will be required to obtain their own travel insurance and book their own international flights.
If you have any questions regarding the 2022 Peru Medical Expeditions, please contact us by email - health@vinetrust.org
The full Terms & Conditions for 2022 Peru Medical Expeditions can be found here - www.vinetrust.org/assets/docs/uploads/Medical_Expeditions_-_Terms_and_Conditions_-_2022_expeditions.pdf
The Important Role of Island Dispensaries
When the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme was launched back in 2014, an important element of its design was that it should complement and work collaboratively with existing regional and local health services.
Although medical services on the islands are limited, a small number of dispensaries mostly run by Africa Inland Church Tanzania, are strategic locations where community members and visiting fishermen can receive medical attention. Whilst the ship has the capacity to visit the islands regularly bringing a team of highly skilled health professionals and specialist equipment, the dispensaries are a permanent fixture on the islands, providing a reference point for the community members for treatment, medication, education and counselling.
Recognising their important role, for the past 5 years the Jubilee Hope medical ship activities have been designed to work closely with the dispensaries in all aspects of the work. Furthermore, the Programme has actively supported activities aimed at strengthening the dispensaries and their capacity to respond to the health needs of the communities and the large numbers of nomadic fishermen that visit.
This support has included capital investment, providing training to the personnel and the incorporation of the dispensaries into the national medical supplies network which has allowed them to receive medicines and equipment from the regional government. Not only has this improved the quality of services they can provide, but has also supported their objective of becoming more sustainable in the long term.
The fruits of this collaboration, combined with the professionalism, hard work and dedication of the dispensary personnel have never been so visible as during the past 12 months.
With many health services being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Jubilee Hope medical ship, the dispensaries have underlined how important their role is in delivering health care to the remote islands of Lake Victoria, providing over 25,000 consultations during 2020.
The Value of Volunteering
At Vine Trust, we are passionate about volunteering. When it is organised through careful planning and coordination with local partners and communities, volunteer support can bring significant value to the programmes Vine Trust supports in Peru and Tanzania.
We asked Dr Uzia Mohamed from the Jubilee Hope Medical Team to share his perspective on the value of volunteering:
“Volunteer support is undeniably valuable as they invest their time, money, skills and knowledge to treat patients and by offering a helping hand in the pharmacy and lab during each voyage. We consider every volunteer part of the Jubilee Hope family.”
"When speaking to our volunteers about their expeditions, we share three key areas which we believe mutually benefit both our individual volunteers, and our local partners and staff - innovation,encouragements and Inspiration."
1. Innovation
In the medical world, skills sharing can be an invaluable method of improving practices and health outcomes. When volunteers and the local medical team work together, they help each other to find sustainable solutions. Knowledge, and teaching methods, can be shared in both directions, as volunteers and staff learn together. Dr Uzia shared more of his thoughts on these benefits,“The teaching approach can be truly remarkable; I remember a volunteer drawing a face on a balloon and attaching it to a pillow, just to illustrate their point! It’s the small things that we overlook and don’t give enough credit for, that have made us gain a lot of experience, knowledge and skills, but at the same time, create a valuable bond with our volunteers.”
2. Encouragement
Alongside knowledge and skills sharing, the participation of volunteers on board our medical ships can be an encouragement to staff involved in the work longer term. Volunteers often act as a catalyst by motivating the team to work collectively. As Dr Uzia shared,“It’s through these interactions with volunteers that we are inspired, feel challenged to go beyond the limits and become better people. We are more resilient, creative and innovative, not just in the work we do, but also at a personal level in our lives.”
3. Inspiration
Fuelling everything is inspiration. Working alongside people with different cultural backgrounds and contexts can encourage individuals to be more considerate, flexible and reflective of their relationships with colleagues and patients: “Volunteering helps you enjoy not endure work and go beyond your expectations". Working with a local team and treating patients from rural communities can be the inspiration for new solutions and perspectives that would otherwise have been neglected. For both volunteer and local team members, working together forms a pool of experiences and knowledge to draw from, during their expedition and for a long time afterwards.
Vine Trust is passionate about the value and impact of volunteering in the communities we work in. From innovation to inspiration, this unique partnership has proven to be an enriching experience for everyone involved.
It’s not just what you do…
In 1939, American Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald released a song which declared that it “'tain't what you do; it's the way that you do it…that's what gets results”. Those words are actually a pretty good summary of many of the discussions that have been taking place at Vine Trust recently.
Understanding that it’s not just ‘what’ you do but also ‘how’ you do things is key to successful development programmes and projects. It’s about recognising that the ‘ends’ don’t justify the ‘means’, but rather the way a project is run is of at least equal importance with what is actually achieved.
The work of Vine Trust has grown significantly since it was formed in 1985, but one constant has been the desire to ‘connect people to change lives’. This ‘connecting’ has been done in a wide variety of ways for thousands of people over the past 36 years. For many it’s been travelling to Peru or Tanzania to participate on a medical, construction or school expedition. For others, it’s been supporting one of the Trust’s partnership programmes by generously donating time or resources, participating in a fundraising event or sharing about the work with friends, colleagues and family. For many people in Peru and Tanzania, it’s been welcoming visitors into their communities and their places of work, participating in activities which allow the reciprocal sharing of culture, knowledge and expertise.
It is this ‘connecting’ which has allowed the work to grow and expand, enriching the lives of so many people from so many different backgrounds – and we want more people to have these opportunities in the years to come. Together with this aim of connecting more people to the programmes, there has also been the strong desire to ensure that these experiences are rewarding, enriching and beneficial to all. This has been the motivating force behind these conversations of ‘how’ Vine Trust works with its partners, supporters and volunteers.
We feel it’s really important for Vine Trust to share openly and clearly the principles which guide its activities. So, over the coming months we’ll be sharing more details about how Vine Trust looks to approach all aspects of its work, including its partnerships, programmes and volunteering opportunities.
Keep an eye on upcoming social media posts and the website for more details.
Medical Expeditions Update from Peru
Although the Amazon Hope Medical Programme cannot receive any volunteer support at this time due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ship is still travelling to the communities on a regular basis to provide vital healthcare.
Dr Ronald Ramirez, Head of Medical Services, writes to share an update:
“The most recent trip in April was successful and we were able to visit communities on the Ucayali River that we have not visited for a year.
We are pleased to report that these communities were apparently only mildly affected by the second wave of COVID-19, according to testimonies from the residents.
Prior to the trip commencing, we were able to coordinate the participation of a Dentist from the Jenaro Herrera Health Centre, who boarded the ship on April 15 and worked alongside the Amazon Hope team until the end of the expedition, providing excellent treatment to all the patients.
On this expedition we were also joined by a team of Peruvian psychologists from the new mental health project, who were able to hold 78 interviews and 13 meetings with community authorities to gather more information about the needs that exist in the communities, mental health workshops with children as well as provide 97 psychological consultations.
The villagers showed their joy at receiving the visit of the ship after such a long time. Patients with chronic diseases were found who had not been taking their medicines, either because of problems of access to existing services or because of the shortage of medicines in health posts, a situation which has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most notable amongst the patients were those with diabetes who were found with very worrying glucose levels and pregnant women without adequate prenatal control.
We were also very pleased to provide care to a 20-year-old woman who had been suffering for a long time with severe swelling and pain in her leg, accompanied by a fever. We were able to diagnose Tropical Pyomiositis which required minor surgery and antibiotic treatment. Over the last few days, we have been receiving updates from the local doctor at the nearest health post who has confirmed that she is doing well and very happy to have been given relief from the pain.”
Alliance for the Amazon Against COVID-19
We are delighted to announce that the medical programme in Peru has introduced a new mental health service in 2021. The project, which will initially run until summer 2022, has been designed in joint collaboration between the Amazon Hope Programme and two Peruvian psychologists who volunteered on board the ship in 2020. Elena Pila, National Director, shares more information on this exciting development:
“The Amazon Hope Medical Programme has recently sealed an important partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an independent agency of the United States federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
The agreement is part of the ‘Alliance for the Amazon against COVID-19’, an initiative led by USAID and a Peruvian NGO, ‘CEDRO’ to mitigate the adverse social and economic impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations in Peru, particularly within indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. USAID, the Alliance and now the Amazon Hope Medical Programme will support the Government of Peru to adequately respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Amazon Hope Programme has become part of the Alliance with an innovative Mental Health proposal that will provide services to the most vulnerable Amazon populations, taking into account their needs and characteristics. The Mental Health project will use an approach that integrates orientation and counselling for adults and children, as well as training for mental health professionals and community leaders/agents.
All activities will take place alongside our other medical services and will be provided from our vessels, Forth Hope and Amazon Hope 2.”
Kazunzu Village of Hope - Progress Update
The development activities at the Kazunzu Village of Hope continue to make good progress with the first two clusters, each with four houses, now complete. These eight homes are the first of 40 that are planned for the village.
The farmland (shambas) connected at the back of the clusters has also been completed. Farming will provide a range of different benefits to the village, including a sustainable food source and income for the families, as well as training opportunities in the local community.
A total of 58 people now live in the homes, with the guardian parents serving as foster families to 4 or 5 orphaned children from the islands or lake zone.
These 8 houses are home to 34 orphaned children, having been identified by the church (AICT) in partnership with local community leaders and social services. Reports from the residents reveal that, since moving into their new homes, a real sense of community has been developed at Kazunzu.
Official Opening Ceremony
In celebration of the progress made at Kazunzu and the families moving into the homes, an official opening ceremony was held. On 18th February, local dignitaries and the families joined with AICT Archbishop Mussa Magwesela as he officially opened the first two clusters (Jerusalem and Bethlehem Blocks).
This was a special day for all involved, in particular for Archbishop Mussa, who had had the original vision of building a sustainable village on the 53-acre site.
Fish Farm
The beginning of the year saw 22,000 tilapia fingerlings being put into the two fish farm cages which have now been installed on the Lake next to Kazunzu.
These fingerlings have been carefully looked after, kept safe and fed by the Kazunzu families. Throughout the development and ongoing care of the fish farm, a local expert has advised and guided AICT and the local families.
The fish produced by the farm will be used to feed the families and also be sold at market. This project is a key component in the self-sustaining goal of the village and we look forward to news of a good harvest around June/July this year.
Community Hub
Progress continues on the community hub with the foundations of the multipurpose facility now complete and walls of the individual sections under construction.
The structure, locally known as the ‘Boma’, will be the focal point of village life, with a meeting place, kitchen, shop and 3 bedroom clusters. These chalet-type clusters will provide accommodation for visiting work teams during the construction stage of the village.
The aim is for the Community Hub to be completed over the next few months.
Connections 38 Summer 2021
The Summer 2021 edition of our newsletter Connections is now available and can be viewed online here - www.vinetrust.org/media/connections-newsletter
The Value of the ‘Little Ship’
There is no better way of understanding the value of any work than to speak to the people most impacted by its activities. Ruddy Rodríguez, the Amazon Hope Medical Programme’s Head of Administration, grew up in one of the villages which the Programme works with and still has family living there today. She shares with us what life was like and the role of the Programme today:
“As a child I lived in the community of La Pedrera on the banks of the Ucayali River. A few metres away from my house was a medical post for a population of approximately 1,500 inhabitants which was manned by a nursing technician. Sadly, there were no medicines available and the nurse technician was often absent as her home was in Iquitos, a full 3 days away by boat. This situation meant getting sick was always terrible because of the lack of services and the restrictive cost of traveling to the city in search of medical care. We felt like a forgotten people.
I got sick very often with stomach infections from the contaminated water I consumed, and because of the poor education that the population received about the use of water. For several weeks each year I did not attend school, which was one of my favorite places. The only thing you could do was to eat some plants that an elderly woman in the community recommended, perhaps with intuition that it might bring some relief.
This was the reality you had to live if you were born far from the city. Motivated by these challenges, one of my older sisters was excited to go to the city of Iquitos to work and study nursing.
As she studied, with her limited knowledge, she would provide my mother with medication so that I could be stable and continue going to school. I lived with these ailments until the age of 11 when we migrated to Iquitos, thanks to the efforts of my siblings to get us out of this beautiful but forgotten village. This is what many in our Amazon aspire to, to improve their situation.
We made a life in Iquitos, my health improved. I went through secondary school and then graduated from university in Accounting. Shortly afterwards I started working with the Amazon Hope Programme. I feel so complete and committed to the fundamental role we play in the Amazon, reaching many communities in which there are no alternative medical services. It is satisfying to see children, adults and the elderly leaving with a smile after receiving their care and medications.
They are always attentive to the talks we offer at school or in the boat. Children are no longer afraid of vaccines and the mothers are aware of how important it is to attend vaccination services so that their children can have a better development. The ‘little ship’, as they call us, is changing lives.
We have achieved something very important with the communities – their trust. Wherever we go we also always receive thanks. They know that they are not alone, we return to them, for the children who are seeing improvements in the health of the Amazon thanks to the Amazon Hope Medical Program of Peru.
I appreciate having the joy of belonging to this Programme and being part of the change so that there are no more children with the childhood that I had. I can say that, with great effort, the Amazon is changing.”
Developing Skills Through Volunteer Expeditions
Over the years, as our strap line says, we’ve sought to ‘connect people to change lives’. This has been done in a wide variety of ways, including many volunteers visiting one of our partner programmes in Peru or Tanzania.
At Vine Trust, we are passionate about volunteering for many reasons, particularly the reciprocal benefits that these opportunities can bring to all involved.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing about how this ‘connecting’ of volunteers with people and communities in the programmes has enriched the lives of so many in a variety of different ways, including testimony from our partners about how volunteers can help and support their work.
Hard and Soft Skills
A core element of Vine Trust’s volunteer programmes is to create opportunities for bi-lateral learning. To achieve this, expeditions are specifically designed with our partners to allow the sharing and transfer of expertise and knowledge on a wide range of areas.
Visiting medical volunteers, for example, work under the guidance of Peruvian/Tanzanian health professionals to learn about local practice and methodology when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases which are common in that setting.
In addition, to gain a better understanding of the situation, volunteers are also given insight into the social, cultural and economic factors which impact health in the region. The expeditions provide opportunities to visit the communities, to see and hear about what daily life is like and some of the challenges that exist. Volunteers don’t just spend time on the ship, but also visit the homes and places of work of the patients who come for medical attention.
Having been part of a multicultural and multidisciplinary team, learning from each other, volunteers return home reporting many positive impacts on their professional and personal lives:
* 92% of medical volunteers in 2019-20 reported that the experience had enhanced their communication skills.
* 88% reported that the opportunity had enhanced their clinical skills.
* 99% indicated that the visit had enhanced their understanding of delivering healthcare to communities with a different context and culture to their own.
* 91% stated that the experience had reinforced their professional capability.
These are just some of the reasons why we’re passionate about volunteering. When done properly, the benefits are reciprocal and transformative.
Learn more…
Read more about volunteering opportunities, including medical expeditions which are currently open for volunteer applications – www.vinetrust.org/volunteer/medical-expeditions
To request further information or to request a phone call to discuss opportunities to join a future expedition, please send an email to health@vinetrust.org
Guild Project Partnership Scheme
With great excitement and delight, Kazunzu Village of Hope Tanzania is one of six projects selected by The (Church of Scotland) Guild’s Project Partnership Scheme for the three-year period, 2021 to 2024. Local Guilds (there are around 750 groups across the country) choose which project(s) they will support, with many choosing to address two each year over the three-year cycle.
As you are aware, development at Kazunzu has started where Vine Trust and Africa Inland Church Tanzania will create a multi-faceted and sustainable Village, on the shore of Lake Victoria. When complete, around 300 people will live in 40 individual homes. Each home will enable young guardian families to serve as Foster Parents to four or five orphan children from across the islands and lake zone. The children will be identified by the church in partnership with community leaders and social services. A community hub, primary school, health centre, vocational training centre, community farm and individual family “shambas” are all in the master plan along with various additional facilities.
Vine Trust has had a connection with many local Guild groups over the years and being selected as one of their partner projects is a great opportunity to raise awareness further. Our partnership with the Guild over the next 3 years will enable us to ‘fact track’ the project with the hope of completing the village over the next 4 years rather than 10 years.
Watch out for future updates.
2021 Peru Expeditions Update
Vine Trust is delighted to be announcing that expeditions to join the Amazon Hope Medical Programme, Peru in 2021 are now open again!
You can sign up for trips scheduled to depart from September to November 2021 via the website - www.vinetrust.org/trips.
Details of 2022 trips will be announced in May.
Vine Trust recognises that it has a duty of care to the people in the communities in Peru, the workers in the Amazon Hope Programme and to its volunteers. These volunteer trips will only take place after agreement with our programme partners and regional stakeholders, and in full compliance with all national and international travel guidelines.
Some important information to note:
* Registration for 2021 expeditions requires a £100 deposit. This reduced booking fee is for 2021 trips only.
* A final decision if a volunteer expedition is going ahead will be made 8 weeks prior to departure.
* If the trip is cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, your deposit can be transferred to another expedition or receive a full refund.
* If the trip is confirmed, full payment for the expedition will be required at this date.
* At this time, only volunteers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to join the expeditions. Approved forms of evidence will be confirmed closer to time of departure.
* Volunteers will be required to obtain their own travel insurance once the trip has been confirmed.
* Volunteers will book their own international flights once the trip has been confirmed.
A Zoom session will be held on 28th April for any volunteers interested in joining a 2021 expedition to ask any questions and receive more information. To sign up for this Zoom session, please contact health@vinetrust.org
In the meantime, any questions can also be sent to health@vinetrust.org
Putting the ‘Fun’ in Fundraising
Every year, charities like Vine Trust depend upon the generous donations and fundraising of its supporters but the ‘normal’ bake sales, marathon events, coffee mornings have just not been possible over the past year or so. However, despite the restrictions, many of Vine Trust’s supporters have used their creativity, sacrificing their time and hard work to look for new ways to raise funds in these difficult circumstances. With spring arriving, the weather (hopefully) getting better and many of the restrictions planned to be relaxed in the coming weeks, we’d like to share one such example with you, in the hope that it may encourage and also inspire you to connect with others about the work of Vine Trust…
Dr Lois Sproat has visited both the Amazon Hope and the Jubilee Hope medical programmes which Vine Trust partners with in Peru and Tanzania. As well as travelling to join the expeditions, Lois has also held events to raise funds over the past few years for the programmes and also to help other volunteers, including hosting summer garden parties at her home.
Rather than allow the COVID restrictions to get in the way, Lois embarked on an ambitious and highly creative ‘virtual’ garden party instead. Invitations were sent out to friends and family to purchase boxes filled with scones, jam, cream, sandwiches and cakes which were available for delivery or socially-distanced collection. Blessed with a beautiful sunny day at the end of June, the many boxes were collected and distributed, to be enjoyed in small groups across the community. Many who took part shared photos of them enjoying the virtual party in their home gardens, and Lois even held a raffle in the afternoon.
The whole event proved to be a wonderful opportunity to connect friends and family, enjoying their own mini garden parties which were also part of a much larger activity – and all with the ultimate aim of raising funds to support the work of Vine Trust.
Later in the year, inspired by the success of this event, Lois decided to organise some virtual tea & coffee catch-up meetings with friends. Emails were sent out to friends to see if they would like to join Lois for a chat over tea/coffee over Zoom as part of a fundraising event. In the end, 9 different small groups of 3-4 people took part in these virtual events, with everyone being incredibly generous in their support.
The hard work, sacrifice, dedication and faithfulness of our volunteers continues to be a huge source of encouragement to all at Vine Trust.
Despite the restrictions, both these events truly did fit with Vine Trust’s aim to ‘connect people to change lives’. What creative ways could you use to share with others about the work taking place and raise funds to support the programmes in Peru and Tanzania?
Peru volunteer Expeditions Update
Vine Trust Chief Executive, Willie McPherson, provides an update on medical volunteer expeditions to Peru in 2021.
Watch the video for more information.....
The Kiltwalk 2021
Please consider supporting Vine Trust by joining the 2021 Kiltwalk.
The Kiltwalk will be an important part of our fundraising this year. Listen to Willie as he explains how your involvement in the Kiltwalk will be great support to the work of Vine Trust.
The virtual Kiltwalk takes place on April 23 - 25 and to sign up, go to www.thekiltwalk.co.uk (During the application process, please select Vine Trust as the charity you are supporting).
Thank You.
Life in a Rural Amazon Community
Roger Dávila now lives in Scotland with his family but for many years worked with the Amazon Hope Programme in Peru in a variety of roles.
In this video Roger talks about the work of the Programme, what the services mean for the people in the communities and the role volunteers can play in supporting the local team.
Families at Kazunzu
Click below to get another chance to meet the 8 families now living at Kazunzu Village of Hope, Tanzania.
March 2021 Newsletter
Welcome to the Vine Trust March 2021 Newsletter.
Read here to get the latest updates from Vine Trust.
An Evening with the Chairman
Would you like to join a Zoom Session with Vine Trust Chairman Mr Alec Carstairs?
Alec will give the latest update on the work of Vine Trust and then take questions.
The session is scheduled for Wednesday 24th March at 7:30pm. To take part, please register your interest to admin@vinetrust.org and a zoom link will be sent to you prior to the 24th.
Hope you can join Alec. .
International Women’s Day
Today marks International Women’s Day - a celebration of the achievements and contributions women make globally.
Vine Trust would like to wish a very happy #InternationalWomensDay to the many amazing women who play such a vital role in the development of the work and in the communities in Tanzania, Peru, and the UK!
First Amazon Hope Expedition of 2021
Despite all the challenges in during 2020, the Amazon Hope Programme was still able to deliver 35,121 consultations during that time. Working closely with the regional authorities, the Programme was able to restart visits to the communities in September, completing an additional 4 expeditions before the end of the year. Much of the success of these trips was a result of strengthening links with the health teams based in some of the remote villages, who worked side by side with the Amazon Hope teams on many of the expeditions.
Building upon the progress of last year’s activities, we are delighted to report that the Forth Hope set sail on Monday the 1st of February from Iquitos on its first medical expedition of 2021.
The ship will travel for 20 days along the Ucayali River, working with the local communities to provide health services, all under the region’s approved COVID-19 protocols.
The Programme personnel, based in Lima and Iquitos, have been working very hard since the turn of the year to put into everything into place to make the trip a success.
We are also incredibly grateful to all who generously supported the Crowdfunder campaign which VT launched at the end of last year. Supporters from many parts of the work, including the UK, USA and in Peru, came together to raise sufficient funds to make it possible for the programme to run 20 medical expeditions in 2021.
KILTWALK 2021
Scotland’s Kiltwalk is to be held from the 23-25th of April.
With it being a virtual event again this year, you can take part wherever you are and all funds raised for charity through your efforts will be boosted by an additional 50%!
We would like to invite the Vine Trust community to come together again to help ensure our overseas programmes continue in this difficult time.
Can you help us reach our target of raising £30,000 for the work of Vine Trust by taking part?
You can find out more information about Kiltwalk and register to take part at the website - www.thekiltwalk.co.uk
During the application process you can indicate that you are selecting Vine Trust as your charity to support.
MV Forth Hope Amazon COVID Crowd Funding Appeal
16th December 2020
YOU DID IT!
Earlier this evening I was delighted to not only receive the total funds pledged on our Crowd Funding Appeal Page, but to add up the total of off line giving here in the UK and finally to include the total of funds raised in Peru.
I am delighted to report that the total amounts to £51,500
(Watch the video and scan down for the rest of Willie's letter).
Eight weeks ago when we were planning our 2021 budgets after a year in which the Trusts income was reduced by 50%, we feared that MV Forth Hope would at best be only able to operate at 50% capacity due to available funds so we launched a crowd funding appeal to replace the lost funding that our volunteer medics would typically bring to the project. Your generosity has made up that shortfall, so that we can ensure full deployment throughout 2021 and aim for our annual target of some 100,000 consultations during the new year to be met.
It is hugely humbling for us as a Trust to receive your support and to recognise the trust you place in us and our overseas colleagues. Thank you so much for your partnership and kindness. So much came together in the last 10 days which makes the result such an encouragement to everybody associated with the project.
On behalf of Vine Trust and our partners Projecto Medico Esperanza Amazonia Peru ( Amazon Hope Medical Project Peru) thankyou.
With warmest best wishes for the festive season, Christmas and 2021.
Kind regards,
Willie McPherson
Chief Executive
Indigenous Group’s Support for Amazon Hope Medical Programme
The MV Forth Hope has recently returned from another expedition, this time to communities along the Puinahua river.
Dr Ronald Ramirez, the programme’s Head of Medical Services, has sent in a report where he highlights some of the medical needs which were most in demand during the expedition, as well as details of an important collaboration with a local indigenous groups and health facilities.
“Most of the communities in the Puinahua river basin are recognized as indigenous communities. Each of these communities has a leader and among them they have organized to form an Indigenous Federation, which is led by Mr. James Pérez.
The Federation of Indigenous People is currently participating in discussions with the Regional Government and an oil company that is working in this area. The dialogue is to obtain greater benefits for the communities in the areas of health, education, electricity.
As part of our recent trip to this area, it was important for me to meet with Mr Pérez and share with him about the Amazon Hope Programme and the work we do. Mr Pérez told me that he already knew of the work of the programme and that in previous years he himself was a volunteer nursing technician at the Huacrachiro health post (Puinahua river), his native community, and that he has good knowledge of the health problems for the people living in the region. He was very supportive of the work that the programme is doing in the region with the communities and will seek to support through the Federation's links with government and corporate contacts.
The recent expedition also saw us working alongside health workers from the Bretaña Health Centre, which is located in the capital of the Puinahua district. The Centre’s newly appointed manager is Dr Henry Cora, who only took office two months ago and is very excited to continue working in coordination with the Amazon Hope Programme. The Health Centre has professional staff hired in response to the current COVID-19 challenges and also through the Directorate of Indigenous Populations of the Regional Ministry of Health. Through this support, Dr Cora has offered to assemble a complete team to accompany us on our next expedition in November and seek the provision from the regional health authorities for medicines to be used in the treatments of the patients.”
During the last trip to the Puinahua basin, the following health needs were found in the communities, many exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19-related travel and work restrictions which limited health care service availability, including access to medication:
• High demand for dental care, both for the recuperative and preventive.
• Increased number of women who became pregnant when unable to stop using contraceptive medicine due to supplies not being available and who now require prenatal care.
• Increased number of children who require vaccination in line with the national vaccination schedule. The need is even greater due to a diphtheria outbreak that is taking place in Peru and which highlights the low vaccination coverage that has worsened during the pandemic.
• Greater number of children requiring growth and development control and iron supplements.
• 100% of patients with diabetes found with glucose levels higher than 400 mg/dl, some of them had values so high that the glucometer only indicated HIGH, so we had to proceed to hydrate them and restart the treatment immediately.
• 90% of patients suffering from hypertension were without medication treatment, with blood pressure values higher than 180.
• Health Centres and health post reported a scarcity of medicines since they were not supplied regularly during the pandemic.”
Further updates on the work will be shared after the next upcoming trip, which will be the last expedition for 2020. To help with the ongoing delivery of these health services in 2021, we would be grateful if you would consider supporting our crowdfunding campaign - www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-support-amazon-communities-affected-by-covid
The Indirect Impact of Covid-19 on Communities
The rapid increase in COVID-19 infections in many European countries has recently seen their respective governments respond with measures and controls not witnessed since the very early impacts of the virus back in the spring. These decisions have often come with great reluctance, primarily due to an ever-increasing acknowledgement that these lockdown-type restrictions have multiple and complex indirect consequences on the population beyond the more obvious impacts on the economy.
And these indirect impacts are being seen around the world. The Amazon Hope (AH) Medical Programme is based in Iquitos, the Peruvian city worst hit at the beginning of the pandemic. Lockdown measures were quickly introduced, which restricted travel between the city and the many hundreds of river communities for all but essential services. Due to the concern of spreading the virus to the villages, all mobile health services were also suspended, including the visits by the AH Programme’s ships.
Thankfully, the local COVID-19 situation has improved and the programme was able to return to service in September under strict protocols and procedures. Whilst the Amazon Hope team were delighted to receive reports from the communities that the impact of virus had been very low, it was also challenged to see how the lack of medical care and support had resulted in exacerbating other health issues.
Amongst these were increased levels of malnourishment and anaemia amongst children. Travel restrictions not only made the trade of food more difficult between Iquitos and the communities, but also the regular vitamin and supplements provided by health services to children had not taken place over many months. The AH team also reported many women being unable to access their contraceptive medication as normal resulting in an increase in the number of unplanned pregnancies, which bring with them a significant additional emotional, physical and economic challenge.
These or similar indirect consequences are being repeated in villages, towns and cities across the world and the legacy of the virus will undoubtedly include an increase in non-COVID-19 related health issues for many months and years to come as a result of restrictions and controls that had to be put in place. Faced with these challenges, Vine Trust is as committed as ever to support our overseas partners as best we can in the development and delivery of vital healthcare services to isolated and vulnerable communities in Peru and Tanzania.
To find out more about the work of the AH Programme, please see the following page – www.vinetrust.org/about/medical-services
VT also has a crowdfunding page for the AH Programme’s expeditions to the communities in 2021. If you were able to support this initiative, please click this link - www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-support-amazon-communities-affected-by-covid/backers#start
Help us support Amazon Communities affected by Covid19
Click the video below and hear Willie introduce this appeal:
It has been over three years since our last crowd funding campaign which helped deliver the MV Forth Hope Medical ship to the Peruvian Amazon where it has proved to be an outstanding resource in serving the Peruvian Amazon and its tributary rivers. Unfortunately, as reported in the press, the Amazon City of Iquitos where Forth Hope is based has been one of the worst affected cities in Peru by the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Since 17th September Forth Hope has resumed its monthly medical expeditions in a Covid secure manner but we urgently need support to continue deploying the ship at this time of emergency whilst health budgets are limited across the Amazon Region.
The ship is now operating in a Covid secure manner and subject to funding will continue to do so throughout 2021.
We urgently require to raise £50,000 to bridge the gap between available funds and the required budget to maintain our full schedule of expeditions in 2021.
If you feel this is something you could help us with, we would appreciate any support and you will find information on the Crowdfunder page which will tell you more about our plans.
Please help us by sharing the link to this page / this email with your family and friends.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/help-support-amazon-communities-affected-by-covid
Would you be willing to consider supporting this appeal and share it with all your contacts to do the same?
We are delighted that crowd funder has agreed to waive all fees for any Covid Appeal and would be hugely grateful for any support you may be able to give.
With our sincere thanks and best wishes at this time.
The Vine Trust Team
Happy Families
Join me and have a wee peek into family life within cluster 1 at Kazunzu Village of Hope. Children who now have a home, a future and a family - Happy Families indeed!
Update from Kazunzu
Join Samuel Limbe as he gives an update on the Kazunzu and shows us round one of the family homes. Many thanks Sam.
Elly visits one of the homes built in 2015
Join Elly as he visits the home of Anton and Emma. The home was built in 2015 by Vine Trust volunteers.
Elly at home with Mama Valentina
Join Elly Kimaro as he visits the home of Mama Valentina. The home was built in 2017 by a workparty from Babcock. Enjoy.
Meet the first children to arrive at Kazunzu
It's a special day. Watch this short video from Samuel as he introduces the first children to arrive at Kazunzu Village of Hope.
At Home with Elly
Join Elly Kimaro as he revists the home build by the Vine Trust 2018 General Workparty in the Moshi Region of Tanzania. Come inside with Elly and see around ...... and don't miss seeing the goats. Click to watch.
Our thanks again to Elly.
Latest News from Peru
Elena Pila, National Director PMEAP, provides an update on the COVID situation in Peru.
Many Thanks Elena.
Elly revisits Home 100.
Elly Kimaro sent a couple of short videos from his visit to the 100th home build by Vine Trust volunteers in the Moshi Region of Tanzania. It's the home of a young girl called Eva Marie and her grandmother Rosemary. The video starts with an introduction from Willie.
Our thanks to Elly.
Searching for water at Kazunzu
Kazunzu Village of Hope, may be on the side of Lake Victoria but the search for water for the village continues. Watch Willie introduce a video update from Samuel Limbe.
Good News! First Families at Kazunzu.
Watch Samuel Limbe welcoming and introducing the first two families to Kazunzu! Click Here
Good News Story - on the way!
Please see the 'Heads Up' video from Willie McPherson about some exciting news from Kazunzu.
A Message from Elly
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in none of our summer trips to Tanzania going ahead. Elly Kimaro, Senior Tanzania Coordinator, who had been looking forward to welcoming all our volunteers sends the following message. Click here to view. With all our thanks to Elly.
Vine Trust Update from Willie
Watch the following update from Willie McPherson. Click here.
Good news update from Vine Trust
A good news story from Vine Trust this week.
I’m delighted to advise you that our Chief Exec, Willie McPherson, is recovering well from a long illness over the last 3 months and is planning a gradual return to work from this week. Please welcome him back !!
There will be more news coming from him in the future but I’m delighted that he is getting stronger each week.
Alec Carstairs, Chairman
International Nurses Day
As part of International Nurses Day on Tuesday 12th May, members of the Royal Family interviewed various charities in celebration of the day. Vine Trust was honoured when our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, had a zoom conversation with Ronald Kebaso (Jubilee Hope Medical Programme Manager and a trained nurse / midwife). Ronald was delighted to be interviewed and was very positive and thankful to our Patron for her continued support. To view the official royal video, click here and watch out for Ronald.
Our thanks to Ronald.
Message from the Chairman
Dear Friends,
COVID 19 has changed our lives and I hope that you are managing to cope with all of the restrictions imposed on us. I hope most sincerely that you and are your family are healthy and safe.
COVID 19 has also made a significant impact on the work of your charity, Vine Trust. As Chairman, I want to update you with the current status as follows:
- All school trips planned for this summer to Tanzania have been cancelled.
- We have an expedition trip to Kazunzu, Tanzania planned for October but it is at risk.
- All bookings of medical volunteers for Peru and Tanzania are at risk for the remainder of this year.
- MV Forth Hope and MV Amazon Hope, based in Iquitos, Peru, have been berthed at the request of the Peruvian Authorities since the start of April. Our key medical team, based in Peru, are working for the Ministry of Health.
- MV Jubilee Hope stopped its work on Lake Victoria last week and is berthed in Mwanza, Tanzania.
- We closed the Barge office in Leith, Edinburgh at the start of the lockdown in UK and 5 of our staff are currently on furlough with the remaining 3 staff working from home.
Although we finished 2019 in a good financial position, we now seek to save costs throughout each of the programmes to get through 2020. The UK government support through the furlough scheme has been helpful for meeting the wage costs of our staff. We continue to plan to construct key buildings and to start the fish farms in Kazunzu, Tanzania, as the resources are available to do so. These plans may change if COVID 19 causes further restrictions to movement in Tanzania. An additional challenge in Tanzania is that they have experienced very high rainfall over the past few weeks with severe flooding across the country making access to the site at Kazunzu more difficult.
Our partners, AICT, TAWREF and ELCT in Tanzania continue with their programmes to provide shelter and care for the vulnerable people in their areas. Tanzania is beginning to show significant increases in positive cases of COVID 19. In Peru, the lockdown is easing but the medical programme will not restart in order to protect the villages in the Amazon. Conditions in Iquitos are very difficult with many cases of COVID19 and a lack of equipment and medical resources.
We remain very concerned for our staff in Tanzania and Peru, especially our frontline medical teams some of whom have tested positive to COVID 19. Much of the work of Vine Trust in UK has paused during the lockdown and we will restart when the restrictions are eased. We thank you for your support during these challenging times and we look forward to sharing further news in the next few weeks. Many of our bookings for this year have rebooked for 2021 which we hope will be another year of significant progress.
Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook sites for news on a regular basis.
Many thanks again for your continued support
Alec Carstairs, Chairman
An Update from Vine Trust
In light of the ongoing and uncertain global health pandemic, Vine Trust would like to keep you informed of our latest developments. Please check back on this page for any updates as the situation develops.
Thursday 9th April
Due to the evolving health situation surrounding COVID-19 and the government response, Vine Trust has been faced with financial and organisational challenges, as have many others across the globe.
With worldwide restrictions on international travel, border closures and lockdowns, our UK team has seen significant changes: our upcoming school expeditions have been postponed until 2021 where possible, all 2020 building expeditions have been put on hold, the Amazon Hope medical programme has had to temporarily suspended its activities due to restrictions on movement within the region and a number of the medical personnel seconded to support local efforts. At the moment, activities in the Jubilee Hope Medical Programme and the Kazunzu Village of Hope are still being actioned by our partners and their national personnel, but this could change in the coming weeks if local COVID-19 responses dictate. In light of these challenges, the decision has been taken to temporarily suspend certain aspects of Vine Trust’s UK-based activities.
From Monday 13th April, our Expeditions Team and Communications & Events Officer will be placed on furlough. In accordance with the UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, furloughed staff will not be able to work during their furlough period and will have no access to emails. Vine Trust will continue to have a core admin team in place who will work to support our partners and volunteers during this period. All emails sent will be automatically forwarded to the admin core support team (or can be contacted on 0131 555 5598).
Friday 27th March
Our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, has written a message of support. Read the message here.
Thursday 26th March
Our Chief Executive, Rev Willie McPherson has written an update on our programmes. Read more here: A Message From Our Chief Executive.
Tuesday 24th March
We are delighted to report that the Forth Hope has returned to Iquitos after the completion of it's latest journey to the communities of the Amazon river. The in-country medical team set out in early March, and have provided the local communties with primary health and dental care; a level of service which they would not otherwise receive due to the remote and isolated nature of the communities.
Last year we marked our 2 millionth consultations provided by our medical programmes. As we look towards an uncertain time of global health, we hope that these ships and local teams can continue (albeit without the international volunteers) to provide this much needed service as safely and cautiously as possible at this difficult time. Both programme national offices will coordinate with their respective regional health authorities for guidance and instruction on these matters.
Friday 20th March 2020
The Vine Trust office is closing and all staff will be working remotely until further notice. If you need to reach one of our teams, please email us at admin@vinetrust.org.
Monday 16th March 2020
In light of the evolving health situation surrounding COVID-19 and government response, Vine Trust are taking every measure available to us to manage the organisation of our expeditions at this time.
As the health and safety of our volunteers is paramount, Vine Trust are working to make contact with all of our building and medical volunteers concerning their scheduled trips. At this point in time, we will not be taking any further trip bookings for 2020. All UK office barge venue bookings will also be suspended until further notice.
As the situation is ever-changing in the UK, Tanzania, and Peru, we know that many of our partners, supporters, and volunteers share in the uncertainty of the future. Vine Trust will be monitoring all developments and we thank you all for your understanding and patience at this time.
If you need to contact our team, who may be working remotely, the best way to reach us is via email. Any general enquiries made to admin@vinetrust.org will be forwarded to the relevant team who will respond accordingly. Please check back on this page for any updates as the situation develops.
A Message From Our Chief Executive
Dear friends and supporters,
As we all seek to manage in extraordinary times, I firstly want to send you and your extended family our best wishes and good health as we all find ourselves in national lock down.
As an international volunteering development charity, we are acutely aware of how fortunate we are in the United Kingdom to have an exceptional NHS and to observe the outstanding national response by over 500,000 volunteers to do all that they can to support our selfless NHS and Social Care Staff.
As a nation our focus is rightly here in the UK, but as a Trust it is also about seeking to support our colleagues in Peru and Tanzania as they too face the coronavirus and all that it will bring to their countries. At time of writing, our team in Peru is in detailed discussions with the Regional Health Directorate in direct response by them to use our ships to support COVID-19 monitoring in the Amazon river communities.
In Tanzania, Jubilee Hope likewise on its return to port will be at the disposal of the Regional Health Authorities to support their plans in support of the island communities and at Kazunzu Village of Hope, funding is already in place to continue construction throughout 2020 subject to any movement restrictions.
The closure of international borders and the automatic requirement for quarantine in both Peru and Tanzania has made our volunteering expeditions for the foreseeable untenable. A good number of schools due to travel in summer 2020 are now looking at postponement till 2021 and our medical volunteers are hugely impacted by the needs here in the UK, quite apart from the closure of airline scheduled services.
As a Trust a huge part of our income will be affected during 2020 and we will be taking all necessary steps to mitigate this for our overseas partners and UK staff and operations.
We are very conscious that many people will be facing huge uncertainty at this time not least financially but would like to invite our community of supporters to consider giving whatever they can, large or small, so that we can maintain core programmes and put ourselves in the best possible place for when this crisis passes.
Our office is operating remotely, post is being received and of course online and telephone is available during office hours, though it may take us a bit longer than usual to respond.
Kind regards and thank you for your connection with Vine Trust and the part you have played in enabling us to reach our 35th year and deliver the programmes we have achieved with our overseas partners.
With sincere best wishes for good health in the coming weeks.
Rev Willie McPherson
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If you can support Vine Trust and our programmes, pelase consider giving here.
Spring Connections Released!
Our latest edition of our Connections newsletter is ready to ready online. Read it here and a message from our Chief Executive here.
Family Homes Almost Completed!
The wonderful fundis (builders) have been working hard to complete painting and the finishing touches on the homes for Filomena and her mother Bernadetta. The construction of the house was supported by volunteers from Inverness Royal Academy in February; Tanzania Senior Coordinator Elly stopped by earlier this week to check out the progress.
In these uncertain times we are humbled by the great work of our partners and the strength of the communities in which they work.
Filomena and Bernadetta's home
Community Empowerment Through Knowledge Sharing and Involvement
By Ronald Jackson, Jubilee Hope Programme Manager
The Jubilee Hope Programme began six years ago on the islands of Lake Victoria and was started as a response to the healthcare needs of the islanders. It followed an in-depth assessment of the community health needs that was carried out before the programme started. The findings included high child mortality, high rates of preventable diseases, lack of access to essential healthcare, lack of safe water supply, poor sewage and waste disposal among many other difficulties.
Looking at the health situation described above, one would easily wonder where to start. The Vine Trust and the African Inland Church Tanzania who are partners in the Jubilee Hope Programme, sought to work with other stakeholders in addressing the situation that the island communities were facing. Key among these stakeholders were the community members themselves and their leaders who were involved in the assessment, diagnosing, planning and implementation of interventions.
One gap identified during the assessment phase was the lack of knowledge on disease prevention and control of preventable communicable diseases. The key intervention in this gap was the sharing of public health information. Therefore, it was considered very necessary to share with the islanders the information regarding preventable diseases. This had to be done in a language and manner that is easy to understand and applicable to the islands circumstances and in respect to their culture.
The Jubilee Hope Programme has been successful in the sharing of public health messages, mostly it has been more informal than formal. This has been because a majority of the islands community have had limited formal education, therefore making it difficult to use formal education system to share the public health information. We mainly used public speaking including the use of pictorial posters to pass on the messages.
In implementing the interventions planned, the Jubilee Hope considers community involvement as key in ensuring empowerment. This involvement ensures that the community makes a contribution in ideas and other means to the intervention therefore fostering ownership. We have been successful in this through meetings with both community leaders and members from the islands that we serve. This has also been successful through participation in community activities like an organised community cleaning day planned for every first Saturday of the month and through sports, particularly, starting a men’s football club (very popular on the islands where we serve). This has led to the programme expanding to initiate other smaller projects like the safe water provision and women’s HIV Support Groups. It is within these groups that we have been able to forge a strong relationship with the islands communities we serve and through this we have seen real changes in the health status of the islanders.
In conclusion, indeed knowledge is power and knowledge shared is knowledge gained. An involved community is an empowered community. This has been true for the islanders and the Jubilee Hope Programme.
The Remote Communities of the Amazon
The Amazon region has the world’s largest river system and is the lifeblood of a complex mosaic of ecosystems as well as home to millions of people who depend upon it for fishing, farming and transport. Whilst sustaining life through its rich resources, these same rivers can be, paradoxically, the biggest obstacle to the health of its inhabitants.
As well as the large majority of the water being unsuitable for safe consumption due to biological components and/or contamination from industry, the yearly fluctuations in river water levels caused by the seasonal changes impacts daily life in dramatic ways. Trillions of gallons of water transform the region during the rainy season, whilst the contrasting dry season can see river levels dropping by up to 10 metres, cutting off some smaller tributaries or making them almost unnavigable by anything bigger than small canoes.
The Amazon Hope Programme has to take these challenges into account when planning its yearly activities. In February, following a request from local community leaders and the Ministry of Health, the Forth Hope visited a remote tributary, the Tapiche River, with a team of Peruvian health professionals and Vine Trust volunteers providing vital medical care to the different villages for the first time since 2018.
One of the volunteer team, Scottish GP, Maris Buchanan reflected upon this visit to the Tapiche communities:
“The Peruvian medical team were keen to extend their services to this area, the river certainly provided navigational challenges for the crew and for the volunteers this was another area to explore.
The Tapiche River was narrow and very winding but the water level was sufficient for Forth Hope to progress without becoming grounded. Sailing so close to the river banks meant that one had the feeling of really being in the jungle. There were interesting birds to see, pink dolphins were around most days and monkeys were occasionally spotted in the trees.
Compared with larger less remote villages, one had the impression that for villages on the Tapiche River the people are living in even more basic conditions. There was often little evidence of any electricity in the villages and we did not see any new latrines or any clean water projects. There are some really isolated villages in the forest accessible only by walking along the river bank or by canoe via small channels.
“Clinical work on the Amazon involves seeing lots of people with coughs and colds, musculo-skeletal aches and pains, gastrointestinal disorders and skin problems and the work in the villages on the Tapiche River was no different. However, there were more patients requiring minor surgical procedures and with wounds requiring cleaning and dressing.
There were many, many babies and children and I think that the antenatal, contraceptive and immunisation programmes provided mainly by the Peruvian medical team were invaluable. The daily clinics were very busy and our last clinic, at the furthermost point we reached on the river, was especially busy as people were coming by canoe from villages further upstream. Even without mobile phone signals, news about the Forth Hope was spreading quickly!”
You can find out more about our medical programmes by visiting our medical page or getting in contact with our medical team at health@vinetrust.org.
Calling All Teachers!
We are delighted to announce that we will be running a building expedition to Tanzania in the summer of 2021 for primary and secondary school teachers who would like to spend two weeks during their summer holiday on a rewarding, life-informing trip.
The expedition will have an education focus, giving you the opportunity to build on your professional and personal development. With visits to local schools to share with and learn from teachers in the local area, the trip will provide unique learning opportunities to bring into your classroom and school back home.
“I would highly recommend this challenge to anyone hoping to "make a difference". That "difference" has extended far beyond the time spent in country working with inspiring people, and something that I believe will be life-long!"
Jill Drummond, Clifton Hall School, Edinburgh
Be part of a team of teachers from across the country on our July 2021 Teachers' Building Expedition. To find out more and register interest click here.
My Vine Trust Story: Elly Kimaro
We recently spoke to Elly Kimaro, Senior Tanzania Coordinator about his Vine Trust story. Read on to find out more about Elly!
When did you start working with Vine Trust?
It was the year 2013; soon after university I started looking for a job. It was very difficult to find a job as I was just a graduate with no experience. So I was looking for even a place to volunteer, when I came across Gilly Sifuel who was leading Vine Trust groups at that time. He connected me with Vine Trust and I started working as a volunteer, assisting teams. The year after I was very happy to have my first contract with Vine Trust - up to this year I have managed to lead a lot of teams from Vine Trust successfully.
What do you enjoy about working with Vine Trust?
I chose to work for Vine Trust because I like working for mission-based organisations rather than profit based organisations; working with Vine Trust helped me to get close to the grassroots society. I like where the priority is to work towards a specific goal that somehow helps people and communities rather than to work primarily for a profit.
What do you enjoy about working with Vine Trust volunteers?
Working with Vine Trust volunteers has opened my eyes, and has given me a lot of experience of dealing with social issues, learning about different cultures, learning about team work – things I didn’t experience before. Meeting volunteers has helped to build my professionalism, and makes me feel like a part of the UK community in Tanzania.
What impact has the Vine Trust/TAWREF partnership had in the Moshi Area?
The Vine Trust and TAWREF partnership has become a key factor in responding to poverty and related suffering like housing issues. Having 136 homes built in my community is a a huge and very positive contribution. The lives have been transformed for the families who were without safe shelter before; they are now enjoying being protected and comfortable in their new home. Vine Trust does more than build homes - it also provides love, happiness and builds connections with the individuals, families and the community at large.
What value do Vine Trust volunteers add to the partnership with TAWREF and to the home-building programme?
The benefit of Vine Trust volunteers is to strengthen the partnership and friendship between the Vine Trust and TAWREF. Volunteers are actually seeing where the funds raised are going, and they are a part of the building team. This brings more transparency, builds trust and builds partnership at large. The volunteers can tell their families and friends at home about their experiences of visiting those families; their stories will allow the building program to grow and last longer.
What is your hope for the future of the home-building programme?
I hope to see more building teams in Moshi, to continue to see the huge and exciting transformation of the individuals and families empowered by the Vine Trust volunteering programme. More than that, I hope Vine Trust will continue the happy and healthy partnership with TAWREF for a long lasting time.
Asante sana, together we can.
Inverness Royal Academy in Tanzania!
Our first school expedition of 2020 has begun! Team Inverness Royal Academy are flying to Moshi, in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.
They'll be supporting our partners in the building of safe, secure homes for vulnerable families and children in the community. Over the next two weeks, they'll be sharing their story over on their blog. Watch this space to find out more: Inverness Royal Academy Team Blog
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You could be next to head out to Tanzania! Find out more about volunteering individually, or arranging a bespoke expedition for your business or community group over on our building pages, or find out more about our school expeditions here.
A Great Start: 8 Homes At Kazunzu
2019 was a landmark year for Vine Trust as we began construction of the first of 40 homes at Kazunzu “Village of Hope”, a village which will provide a stable and secure upbringing for orphans from the islands and shores of Lake Victoria. The first two homes were constructed in May 2019 with the support of a team of volunteers from Falkirk Trinity Church. After working tirelessly over the summer to complete these initial homes, our team of “fundis”, led by Programme Director Samuel Limbe and site manager Leonard Chegene, also completed a further two houses!
October saw the arrival of 19 volunteers who received a warm welcome from the surrounding communities before coming together to work on homes 5 & 6. They were joined by Archbishop Musa Magwesela (pictured with volunteer, Rev Alex Currie) to plant a line of pine trees along the main avenue of the village and visited a local plant nursery to choose citrus, mango and avocado trees to accompany the next houses to be built.
November saw a team of 19 volunteers from Babcock International. The third team to travel to Tanzania as part of the Vine Trust-Babcock volunteering partnership, the 2019 group were the first to visit Kazunzu. The seventh and eighth homes flew up with the team efforts of our volunteers, our great fundi team and even chef Titus, and Samuel’s wife, Pendo joining in with lugging the bricks. On their last day, the group made sure to pass by seamstress Hannah’s stall at Sengerema market before their departure to collect the traditional clothing she had created for them over their two-week stay.
“The biggest impact from the trip was probably the positivity of the communities in Tanzania. Everyone is always smiling and welcoming and making the most of what they have.” Babcock Volunteer 2019
The fundis continued on site to complete the homes, resulting in 8 fully completed homes by the end of the year – a resounding success! We very much look forward to seeing how the village progresses.
Meet the Families
It won't be long until our first volunteer team of the year, a team from Inverness Royal Academy, head out to Tanzania to help support the local team and builders in the construction of new homes for families in the Moshi region.
Meet the familes who they will be supporting:
Simon, Wilson and Aviti
Simon (14) and Wilson (8) are brothers who are cared for by their single father Aviti. They do not have a home at the moment, and are dependent on the support of the community for food and shelter.
Simon and Wilson are both very interested in music, and Simon hopes to have a career as a musician some day!
Wilson loves science and his dream is to be a mechanical engineer. Their favourite meal is rice, and both boys love listening to and playing music in their free time.
Filomena and Bernadeta
Filomena is 19 years old, and she lives in a rented room with her mother Bernadeta. She has a disability that limits her mobility. Her mother Bernadeta works in a day care centre to support them both, but she earns very little and so they are living in very poor conditions. Filomena also has three siblings who are older and have moved away from home.
A new home will provide Filomena and her mother with stability, security and comfort. It will also give Bernadeta the opportunity to set up her own business of raring chickens and growing vegetables to sell.
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You could be next to head out to Tanzania! Find out more about volunteering individually, or arranging a bespoke expedition for your business or community group over on our building pages.
Meet Elly, Senior Tanzanian Coordinator!
Those who have been with us to Tanzania, might recognise his smiling face as he is often there helping volunteers settle into their time in-country. We thought we'd ask him a few fun questions so you can get to know him!
Q: What languages do you speak?
A: English, Swahili, and Chagga
Q: What's your favourite food?
A: Rice and beef or fish stew
Q: Do you have a favourite drink?
A: Coca Cola and Iron Bru
Q: What's your favourite song?
A: The Jambo Song, and Flower of Scotland
Q: Do you have a favourite quote?
A: 'Always be happy, team work makes the dream work!'
Elly is always encouraging everyone to live their 'Hakuna Matata' lives, and we can't wait for our 2020 volunteers to meet him!
Join us at this year’s Kiltwalk!
Do you share Vine Trust's vision to support some of the most vulnerable communities in Tanzania and Peru with safer homes and medical care? Do you like a good walk?
We would like to invite you to join us in one of the four Scottish host cities for the Kiltwalk this year!
Kiltwalk is a community event that enables walkers to raise money for any Scottish charity of their choice. There are three distances to choose from, suitable for walkers of all ages and experiences. The Kiltwalk will boost all your fundraising by 50%, meaning for every £100 you raise, Vine Trust receives £150, making your donation go the extra mile.
Dundee 16th August 2020
Edinburgh 13th September 2020
Glasgow and Aberdeen dates TBC
Will you join us?
To take part in the Kiltwalk register at thekiltwalk.co.uk and choose Vine Trust as your charity.
2020: Year of the Nurse and Midwife
Nurses and midwives play a vital role in providing health services. They are often the first and only point of care in their communities, and their roles are essential to the goal of universal health coverage by 2030.
That's why we're marking the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in 2020, to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives throughout the world!
Do you know a nurse or midwife who could join us for 2 weeks on the Amazon or Lake Victoria? Check out our medical expeditions page to find out more.
New Year: New Calendar!
Happy 2020 to all our volunteers and supporters!
Don't miss out on our limited edition 2020 calendar which features winning photographs and quotes by our Vine Trust volunteers. This calendar 'gives back' the whole year round!
Get yours for just £5 at our online store today.
Thanks for your support!