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Middle East Eye
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Aid NGOs distance themselves from Gaza Humanitarian Foundation after leaked letter
Aid organisations named in a letter from a newly formed foundation bidding to deliver food aid in Gaza have sought to distance themselves from the controversial plan which is expected to launch this week. The 22 May letter, obtained by Middle East Eye, was sent by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation executive director Jake Wood to Cogat, the Israeli military unit overseeing aid logistics in Gaza. The letter, in which Wood thanks Cogat for its "constructive engagement", starts by clarifying that Israel and GHF have agreed that non-food humanitarian aid, such as medical supplies, hygiene items and shelter materials, would be permitted to enter the enclave under the existing UN-led system. Wood then indicates in the letter that food aid will continue to be distributed in parallel to GHF by 'qualified humanitarian agencies' until his organisation scales up its capacity to 'no fewer than 8 secure distribution sites'. He notes a recent call he said he convened with the CEOs of Save the Children, International Medical Corps, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, Care and Project Hope. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'It was broadly agreed that these organisations should retain direct control and oversight of aid distribution while following humanitarian principles and control,' he said of the call. 'GHF acknowledges that we do not possess the technical capacity or field infrastructure to manage such distributions independently, and we fully support the leadership of these established actors in this domain.' The letter angered some aid workers who said engaging with GHF alone was problematic and that it had left them confused about the organisations' positions on a plan that has been roundly rejected by the UN and the broader NGO community. Other aid sources told MEE that the letter suggested that GHF is struggling to sell their plan as a result of the pressure and advocacy they have wielded, and is now rowing back from what it had originally pitched. No agreements made Four of the organisations on the call - Mercy Corps, Care, Project Hope and Save the Children - have confirmed that they spoke to GHF, but had not entered into any agreements with the group. 'While we joined an information meeting with GHF earlier this week - as we do with any actor involved in the humanitarian space - this should not be interpreted as agreement, endorsement or operational collaboration,' Courtney Ridgway, senior director of public relations for Project Hope, told MEE. 'We engaged solely to better understand their stated role and approach.' Ridgeway said Project Hope is not involved in food distribution and has not coordinated with GHF on any aid delivery plans. Israel's US-backed Gaza aid plan may lead to second Nakba, UN agency chief warns Read More » 'We welcome the continuation of medicine and non-food item delivery under the current UN-led mechanism and strongly advocate for food assistance to flow through similarly principled and coordinated channels,' she said. 'We continue to call for unhindered humanitarian access and protection for civilians, and we urge that all humanitarian efforts remain free from political or military influence.' Milena Murr, Mercy Corp's regional senior manager of communications and media, said her organisation had been speaking with GHF about how the current UN system in Gaza could operate in parallel with GHF's new aid delivery mechanism. 'Mercy Corps has not agreed to support or collaborate with the GHF,' Murr said, adding that the letter to Cogat had been 'developed and shared by GHF on 22 May without Mercy Corps awareness or consultation'. 'The continuation of the existing aid delivery mechanism is essential to meet the urgent and worsening humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip,' she told MEE. 'We continue to advocate for the full resumption of aid into Gaza - at scale, under the existing UN-led mechanism.' Carey Ellis, senior media manager for Care International, told MEE that her organisation is 'exploring every avenue to get food into Palestine but has not agreed to work with the GHF'. 'We have publicly and privately shared our concerns regarding the GHF proposal. Aid is not a bargaining chip, and Israel must let the UN system and all those working within it safely deliver supplies to a starving population.' Save The Children said it would not engage with any system of aid delivery in Gaza that fails to uphold humanitarian principles. "We have not agreed to support or collaborate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, nor we will support to limit the number of humanitarian actors in the Gaza response," said Gabriella Waaijman, the organisation's chief operating officer. "We continue to stand with our principles, peers, and the children of Gaza, and will not engage with a system for aid delivery that does not do the same." International Medical Corps declined to comment. Catholic Relief Services had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. 'Successful advocacy' A GHF spokesman said the purpose of the call had been strictly to convey GHF's operational plans to NGOs and they had not been asked to participate in aid distribution. 'However, one outcome of the call was an understanding that GHF should not play a role in non-food aid delivery. GHF's role is solely to provide food delivery,' he said. The spokesman said it had been through Wood's and GHF's 'persistent advocacy' that Israel has 'now committed that it will allow non-food aid into Gaza under the existing UN mechanism and through these NGOs'. 'This new commitment from Israel builds on GHF's successful advocacy with Israel to allow food into Gaza through the UN-led mechanism until GHF is fully operational and capable of feeding all Gazans throughout the territory,' he said. He said that GHF will initially open four 'secure distribution sites', including three in the south and one in central Gaza, by the end of May. 'Within the next month, additional sites will be opened, including in northern Gaza,' he said. The latest apparent leak of a GHF document, which follows another earlier this month, comes as the organisation is under further scrutiny following investigations in the Washington Post and the New York Times which raise further questions about the ties between the organisation and Israeli officials.
Boston Globe
07-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
David Paton, creator of Flying Eye Hospital, dies at 94
'More eye doctors were needed,' he wrote in his memoir, 'Second Sight: Views from an Eye Doctor's Odyssey' (2011), 'but equally important was the need to beef up the existing doctors' medical education.' Advertisement But how? He considered shipping trunks of equipment — almost the way a circus would — but that presented logistical challenges. He pondered the possibility of using a medical ship like the one that Project Hope, a humanitarian group, sent around the world. That was too slow for him. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Shortly after the first moon landing in 1969, thinking big was becoming a reality,' Paton wrote. And then a moonshot idea struck him: 'Could an aircraft be the answer? A large enough aircraft could be converted into an operating theater, a teaching classroom and all the necessary facilities.' All he needed was a plane. He asked the military to donate one, but that was a nonstarter. He approached several universities for the money to buy one, but administrators turned him down, saying the idea wasn't feasible. Advertisement 'David was willing to take risks that others wouldn't,' Bruce Spivey, founding president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said in an interview. 'He was charming. He was inspiring. And he didn't quit.' Dr. Paton decided to raise funds on his own. In 1973, he founded Project Orbis with a group of wealthy, well-connected society figures such as Texas oilman Leonard F. McCollum and Betsy Trippe Wainwright, the daughter of Pan American World Airways founder Juan Trippe. In 1980, Trippe helped persuade United Airlines CEO Edward Carlson to donate a DC-8 jet. The U.S. Agency for International Development contributed $1.25 million to convert the plane into a hospital with an operating room, recovery area, and a classroom equipped with televisions, so that local medical workers could watch surgeries. Surgeons and nurses volunteered their services, agreeing to spend two to four weeks abroad. The first flight, in 1982, was to Panama. The plane then went to Peru, Jordan, Nepal, and beyond. Mother Teresa once visited. So did Cuban leader Fidel Castro. In 1999, The Sunday Times of London's magazine sent a reporter to Cuba to write about the plane, now known as the Flying Eye Hospital. One of the patients who arrived was a 14-year-old girl named Julia. 'In developed nations, Julia's condition would have been little more than an irritation,' The Sunday Times article said. 'It is almost certain she had uveitis, an inflammation inside the eye, which can be cleared with drops. In Britain, even cats are easily treated.' Her doctor was Edward Holland, a prominent eye surgeon. 'Holland uses tiny knives to make openings that allow him to get his instruments into the eye, and soon he is pulling at Julia's scar tissue,' The Sunday Times article said. 'As the tissue is pulled away, a dark and liquid pupil, unseen for a decade, is revealed. It is an intimate and moving moment; this is medicine's chamber music. Next, he breaks up and removes the cataract, and implants a lens so that the eye will keep its shape.' Advertisement The Cuban ophthalmologists watching in the viewing room applauded. But after the surgery, Julia still couldn't see. 'And then a minor miracle begins,' the article said. 'As the swelling begins to go down, she makes discoveries about the world around her. Minute by minute she can see something new.' David Paton was born Aug. 16, 1930, in Baltimore, and grew up in Manhattan. His father, Richard Townley Paton, specialized in corneal transplants and founded the Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration. His mother, Helen (Meserve) Paton, was an interior designer. In his memoir, Dr. Paton described growing up 'among the fine, intellectually sharp, widely traveled persons of the Establishment.' His father practiced on Park Avenue. His mother threw parties at their home on the Upper East Side. Dr. Paton attended the Hill School, a boarding school in Pottstown, Pa. There, he met James Baker, a Texan who later became secretary of state for President George H.W. Bush. They were roommates at Princeton University and lifelong best friends. 'David came from a very privileged background, but he was down to earth and just a very likable guy,' Baker said in an interview. 'He had his objectives in life straight. He was a hell of a lot better student than I was.' Advertisement After graduating from Princeton in 1952, Dr. Paton earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in senior positions at the Wilmer Eye Institute and served as chair of the ophthalmology department at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In 1979, while still trying to procure a plane for Project Orbis, he became the medical director of the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 'Among my duties,' he wrote in his memoir, 'was providing eye care for many of the princes and princesses of the kingdom — about 5,000 of each, I was told — and it seemed that all of them insisted on being treated exclusively by the doctor in charge, no matter how minor their complaint.' Dr. Paton's marriages to Jane Sterling Treman and Jane Franke ended in divorce. He married Diane Johnston in 1985. She died in 2022. In addition to his son, he is survived by two granddaughters. Dr. Paton left his role as medical director of Project Orbis in 1987, after a dispute with the board of directors. That year, President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal. Although his official connection with the organization had ended, he occasionally served as an informal adviser. Now called Orbis International, the organization is on its third plane, an MD-10 donated by FedEx. From 2014-23, Orbis performed more than 621,000 surgeries and procedures, according to its most recent annual report, and offered more than 424,000 training sessions to doctors, nurses and other providers. 'The plane is just such a unique venue,' Dr. Hunter Cherwek, the organization's vice president of clinical services and technologies, said in an interview. 'It was just an incredibly bold and visionary idea.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Moms Create Project Hope – And Spectrum Of Autism Services In Upstate
Hope means everything – especially to the parents of a child newly diagnosed with autism. 'When I'm talking to parents who are new to this journey, I tell them that you have to look ahead. But only far enough so that you can plan and not panic. You don't know where your journey is going,' says Lisa Lane, co-CEO of Project Hope Foundation. Lane and Susan Sachs co-founded and co-lead the organization that today provides autism services at nine locations: three in Greenville and one each in Anderson, Clemson, Greenwood, Landrum, Spartanburg and Woodruff. The two women met 28 years ago after finding few resources when their sons were diagnosed with autism. 'There was a dearth of services,' says Lane, a former attorney. 'I vividly remember that it felt very isolating. Alone. Bleak. Scary.' She and Sachs – a social worker with a background in education – decided to open an inclusive preschool for children with autism. 'Hope is a good word. It is embodied in our services. We have grown into a nonprofit that provides a lifespan of autism services, across communities, across ages … as young as 2 years old, and our oldest is in his mid-50s ... and across the spectrum, autism being a spectrum in terms of severity of needs,' Lane says. 'We have tiers of services to match different needs. That's what makes us unique. We are autism-specific, but we've got depth and breadth.' Project Hope's largest program, a skill-building therapy called Applied Behavior Analysis, serves 300 individuals each day. 'ABA therapy teaches the skills that autistic individuals need to engage in life. We are serving the client and also the family,' Lane says. 'We ask what's happening in the household. What do we need to work on? Are you concerned about holidays? We meet the family where they are. We understand how hard it is.' It's important that families not isolate if an individual with autism has disruptive or even dangerous behaviors like darting away, Lane says. 'We see the tantrums that other people don't understand. We see the struggles. And we celebrate the 'extraordinary ordinary' moments that most people take for granted. When my son was 13 and zipped his jacket for the first time, that was something to celebrate.' It is estimated that as many as 40% of individuals with autism are non-verbal, Lane says. 'We've got to get them communicating. If you don't have communication, you'll have challenging behaviors because you do whatever you have to do to get your needs met.' Lane's son did not speak until he was 8 years old. Project Hope therapists and teachers also instill social skills, like how to pay attention to and engage with others, Lane explains. Individuals with more skills might learn social nuances like sarcasm or how to make small talk. Project Hope operates an accredited school, kindergarten through high school, in Landrum. Classes are also available at satellite campuses in Spartanburg and Woodruff. 'Some students are diploma-bound, some are working on basic interaction. We also partner with about 30 local, private and public schools to support students in those learning environments,' Lane says. 'We work one-on-one and then find opportunities. When we bring children together, we practice classroom readiness because our goal is to find out whether we can get folks into a school that is not necessarily ours – a mainstream environment, if they can, where they can start using all those great skills.' The adult program emphasizes life skills, group employment, and individual employment. Project Hope operates its own T-shirt printing business, Printed By Hope. Custom shirts are sold on Etsy and the foundation's website, 'Adults with autism gain experience with employment and working with other people – and earn a paycheck while they're still learning other skills,' Lane says. 'We always try to give them access to the biggest life they can have.' The next urgent need is housing, she says. Lane's son is 30 years old; Sachs' son, Michael, is almost 33; both will need supportive housing for the rest of their lives. Many autistic individuals outlive their parents. Lane heaps praise on the Project Hope staff of more than 300. 'We have a fantastic team of people who change lives for the better. Our therapy team. Our education team. Our adult team. We also have scheduling and billing and HR professionals who make it possible to provide services that are urgently needed,' she says. Project Hope's newest campus is near Clemson, a program formerly based in Pendleton that outgrew its space. The next new facility will be on the Greenwood Genetic Center campus, where researchers from Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina are already collaborating. Project Hope already has a particularly close working relationship with Greenwood School District 50. Few would deny that autism diagnoses are more prevalent than when Lane and Sachs started Project Hope. Today, one person in 36 is diagnosed with autism. In the '90s, the rate was one in 2,500 people. 'We don't hazard a guess as to causation,' Lane says. 'We work with Greenwood Genetic Center and hope that they will figure out lots of things. We're very interested in the research, but what we do best is to help folks who need support when they find that they have a diagnosis that will require assistance.' Project Hope receives funding for services through Medicaid, insurance, and private pay. But a 'huge gap' remains that must be filled by fundraising, donors and grants, Lane says. Every Project Hope location has a waiting list. The goal for the upcoming Evening of Hope Gala, on April 5, is to raise $1 million. For those who can give, 'Your funds go to local services that are transformative. Nearly half of the folks who come through our programs are able to move into mainstream life. That is wonderful. The financial return on investment is obvious,' Lane says. 'The emotional return is hard to measure. It's a way to make a difference in a life.' This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Moms Create Project Hope – And Spectrum Of Autism Services In Upstate
CBC
03-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Amid rising demands, the Dryden Food Bank in northwestern Ontario seeks support to expand
Social Sharing More than 600 people accessed the Dryden Food Bank last month, which Al Huckabay says speaks to the growing need to expand the facility in order to keep up with demands. Fewer than 7,400 live in the northwestern Ontario city. However, its food bank serves a number of surrounding communities and First Nations. "The demand has been steadily on the increase, and especially now with the economic situation within the country," said Huckabay, manager of the Dryden Food Bank. "We're finding because of the cost of food, what we're able to purchase with our dollars is becoming less." The food bank has entered the second phase of Project Hope, a $1.5-million plan to relocate from 62 Queen St. to 158 Grand Trunk Ave. and renovate the building to create more space. Its immediate goals are to increase the food bank's capacity to accept and distribute food, improve operational efficiency, and enhance safe food handling practices, Huckabay said. Looking further ahead, the organization has three key aspirations: Improving strategies to address poverty in Dryden. Expanding its local community partnerships, including with the Kenora District Services Board, Northwestern Health Unit and Dryden Regional Health Centre. Working with the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) to create a satellite hub in Dryden for food distribution. "We see ourselves really partnering with community groups that are perhaps doing service in the community that we're not offering — but if it is connected with food, we want to be there and help them out in that way," said Huckabay. Part of its long-term vision is to become a community hub, similar to Roots Community Food Centre in Thunder Bay, which offers food as well as a number of workshops and programming activities, he explained. "That is really a true, great description of what we want to become in this area," Huckabay said. Promoting healthier lifestyles About one in four households in the Northwestern Health Unit's catchment area face food insecurity due to financial constraints, according to the 2024 Real Cost of Eating Well in Northwestern Ontario report. A family of four spends more than $1,500 a month on groceries, the report says, a seven per cent increase from 2023. Education on healthy eating is another big part of what the Dryden Food Bank hopes to do, through installing a community kitchen. "We want to be able to teach [clients] and show them, in working with other groups and agencies in town, how to take food and have healthier lifestyles," Huckabay said. The renovations are hoped to begin in August, but the food bank still has a lot of fundraising to do. While the bulk of the project is to be covered by government grants, it's still looking to raise at least $915,000. The organization is planning a fundraising event at the end of May to help build momentum, Huckabay said. Despite the rising cost of living, Huckabay said the community has continued to show its support. "[We are] very thankful for the way in which the community of Dryden and the businesses and retail stores have really come alongside us and helped us out, to make sure that we've got the food on our shelves to be able to give to people," he said. The Dryden Food Bank is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Hampers can be booked between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. by calling 807-223-3881, with pickup between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Triad school districts work to end student homelessness
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — Homelessness among students is on the rise in places like Forsyth County. 'Right now, we have 945 students who we have identified as experiencing homelessness,' Program Manager of Project Hope with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Beth Ann Chambers said. In Surry County, they've seen a 98 percent increase in homeless students since 2022. 'In 2022, we saw 50 … Last year, we saw 72 … As of today, we are at 91 students,' Surry County homeless Liaison Paris Green said. According to the National Center for Homeless Education, that trend can be seen throughout the state of North Carolina. Their data also shows that 70 percent of homeless students in the state are living doubled up. When it comes to students, it's important to define what homelessness means. 'Most of our families are doubled up, which means they lost housing, and they're living with another family member or a friend … We also have a lot of families that live in hotels temporarily,' Chambers said. Some are left without a roof at all and are living in a car. But what is behind that increase? 'First off, economic factors. It's really hard to find a place for rent for a decent amount of money. Our families have either been evicted or they're ,,, losing their jobs. Natural disaster. We've had quite a few house fires here in the last few years,' Green said. Chambers said a school's biggest goal for a student is their education. 'Education … is something that you own. No matter how much education that you have … you own, and nobody can take that back,' Chambers said. Through the Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 schools have to provide assistance. In our local schools, it's going the extra mile that's helped students succeed. 'American Airlines does a coat drive for us every year around Christmas time … This year, they asked if there was anything else we need, and I said … 'sleeping bags,'' Chambers said. Chambers says that while this is a small act, a sleeping bag at night could make for a more comfortable night's sleep, which is critical for learning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
