At of this morning, the region had seen over 1.2 meters of rainfall accumulate over a seven day period, far eclipsing the historic impact of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 which saw the accumulation of 0.86 meters of rain. Government civil protection authorities estimate that over 48,000 people throughout El Salvador are now crowding into a system of over 500 flood shelters. The number of reported fatalities is currently 32, with two people reported as missing. Areas hardest hit by flood waters include the provinces of La Paz, Sonsonate and Usulutan.

On Saturday, October 15, the President of El Salvador declared a state of emergency across the nation, with special attention to coastal areas like the Lower Lempa River Basin, located in the state of Usulutan’s Jiquilisco municipality. Approximately 40 villages were completely flooded out in that region. Dozens of communities were cut off from contact for up to 48 hours as roads were completely washed away. For the last four days, community groups have been working with local and federal authorities to reach isolated communities and evacuate everyone effectively.

In the Jiquilisco area, over 7,000 people are currently staying in schools, community centers and other makeshift shelters. Community organizations have been helping coordinate relief efforts as the government’s resources have been slow to arrive.

Government officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Public Works have begun to assess the damage along 17 kilometers of levee systems along the Lempa and San Miguel Rivers. Foreign aid has begun to trickle into the country, and the World Bank has already pledged $25 million to the national efforts. Civil protection authorities are currently estimating the cost of response at nearly $900,000, and the Ministry of Agriculture has assessed crop loss at 40% nationwide.

EcoViva and its local partner organizations have been working since 1996 on sustainable development and disaster prevention in the area. Thanks to early warning systems, local communities were able to initiate evacuations two days before the levees broke, saving thousands of lives. To date, no deaths have been reported in the areas with early warning systems.

There is concern that a lack of needed supplies and overcrowding at the shelters could potentially lead to a health crisis. Communities will also face major reconstruction after the flooding subsides. Initial assessments already identify millions of dollars in losses to crops and livestock due to the flooding.

Carlos Martinez, EcoViva’s Communications Manager, is available for print, radio and television interviews.

To support local relief efforts, make payments via check or credit card to:
EcoViva
1904 Franklin St., Suite 902
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 835-1334

Donations may be made online with a credit card at donate.eco-viva.org. Indicate: El Salvador Relief in the comments section.

Additional information on EcoViva: http://eco-viva.org .

News Source: EcoViva :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

Foster says, “I knew what I wanted to write. A heartbreaking tale of sadness. I wanted to spill my guts. I wanted catharsis to find its way into my fingers, and let me leave it all there on the page.” But instead, Foster wrote a song of hope.

A video of Foster playing this song in Joplin found its way on to YouTube and the response required that Foster take notice. He wanted to turn the attention on the song into a way to raise awareness and funds to help Joplin.

This led Foster to work with Nashville-based producer, Vince Romanelli, to track a studio version of “Hometown.” Foster has partnered with The United Way with all funds generated by the sale of this song going toward the rebuilding efforts in Joplin and beyond.

Valerie Searcy, Director of Marketing for the United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeastern Kansas says, “This partnership with Foster is special because he is from Joplin. He knows what the city looked liked before and he can share in everyone’s vision for the future. We are so privileged to be able to partner in such a personal way to help our community and hometown.”

Foster says, “I hope this song keeps the storm-ravaged communities in our hearts and minds, and brings some solidarity between those directly affected, and the nation that stood aghast. This event will most likely be the historical benchmark that will define the youngest generation that lived through it first-hand. I hope that generation’s message is one of hope and empowerment, not despair.”

“Hometown” is receiving a global response of digital downloads while, domestically, Foster is being contacted by radio stations, eager to hear the story behind the song that is finding its way into rotation.

“Being a part of Joplin’s story is a tragic blessing” comments Foster. “In a time of tragedy, you come to see the very best of people and I can only hope that everyone can experience the outpouring of kindness that we’ve felt over the past few weeks.”

Foster has found that the reach of this song extends beyond the perimeter of the small Missouri town that was its inspiration. He hopes that “Hometown” can also encourage people that are rebuilding their hometowns in Tuscaloosa, Memphis, Fayetteville, New Orleans, and beyond, bringing hope to hometowns everywhere.

The song “Hometown” is now available on iTunes and on www.kentonfoster.com . This song is also available by request on radio stations nationwide.

- Photo Credit: Rory White.

News Source: Kenny Foster :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

“Since the peaceful demonstrations that began in February and in the ensuing barbaric crackdown and ongoing siege of Libyan cities by the Gaddafi regime, a humanitarian catastrophe has unfolded in Libya, with many areas in urgent need of medical supplies, food, and the most basic aid,” says Ryad Sunusi, a director of the Libya Relief Fund and member of the Libyan Movement for Democratic Change.

Muammar Gaddafi, the self-styled “Leader of the Revolution,” along with his son Seif Al-Islam and right-hand man Abdullah Snusi, were recently indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity and warrants for their arrest issued by the International Criminal Court. Evidence has linked the use of torture, mass rape, and murder and repression of the civilian population to direct orders coming from Gaddafi, his sons, and their inner circle.

Sunusi, a prominent Libyan businessman and consultant, turned against the regime and announced support for the Feb. 17 revolution immediately after the violent crackdown and slaughter of civilians committed by the Gaddafi regime in Benghazi, and together with other Libyan businessmen and professionals, committed funds to purchase and deliver aid to cities under siege by regime forces.

The scope of the humanitarian crisis in Libya is catastrophic and fluid. Since Feb. 15, when the Libyan people rose to speak out for freedom and democracy and against tyranny and repression and the ensuing and ongoing crackdown, an estimated 11,000 people have lost their lives and 750,000 have been displaced. Over 40,000 refugees, many women and children, fled the fighting and are camped on the Libyan-Tunisian border and lack basic necessities.

“Our national fundraising campaign will include fundraising dinners and auctions in cities across the United States, workshops, fundraising marathons and special events, and other activities, which will go solely to relief efforts in Libya and provide purely non-lethal aid,” Sunusi said.

“We are understaffed and need as much assistance as we can get. We welcome any assistance from individuals and organizations in assisting our nationwide fundraising efforts and welcome volunteers, promoters, and anyone willing to work with us and help raise funds for the Libyan people,” Sunusi added.

The Libya Relief Fund, a California NPO, has been at the forefront of the effort in delivering much needed supplies and aid to where it is critically needed most, through direct supply networks in Libya through volunteer teams on the ground in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt to provide medical aid, food and water, shelter, educational services, and support services for refugees affected by the conflict, as well as working with local, regional, and international aid agencies.

About The Libya Relief Fund:

The Libya Relief Fund is a California nonprofit charity organization established to respond to the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and relief for the displaced, injured, and needy in Libya.

Founded by Libyan professionals in the U.S. and abroad and volunteer-driven, the Libya Relief Fund is dedicated to fundraising and soliciting donations for the benefit of the Libyan people and those affected by the humanitarian disaster in Libya. For more information and to donate, visit http://www.libyanrelief.org .

News Source: The Libya Relief Fund :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: http://Send2PressNewswire.com .

The experiment is based on the fact that popular Web phenomena like Skype, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Google apps are rarely used in combination with each other to effect real change in the developing world. Formulas have been developed which use each of these, as well as Smart Phone apps, to build and scale projects quickly and efficiently. As programs grow, they are designed to divide into new units and grow, like amoebas, so that more student leaders can join.

Each student participant is paired with an enterprise adhering to international Fair Trade standards, and/or with a classroom belonging to iearn.org, a group which arranges electronic communications between schools around the world.

The team thus assembled then directs a research project which not only brings change to poverty-stricken communities, but carefully documents results so that successful strategies can be duplicated elsewhere. The Mendenhall Foundation will award two $10,000 cash prizes for the best project: one for the student committee and one for the village.

Beneficiaries include Cards from Africa (cardsfromafrica.com), an African enterprise which employs AIDS and Rwandan Civil War orphans to make greeting cards from recycled materials, HIP Pakistan (thehabitat.org) which promotes biodiversity in the Punjab and helps gypsy women market local handicrafts, and Artemisia (artemisia.org.br) a Brazilian social enterprise accelerator which supports Fair Trade groups.

Says project coordinator Sarah Mendel, “Students study the developing world all the time, but are rarely given a chance to bring about real change, in a way which can be documented and reapplied elsewhere. It turns out that social networking, Web 2.0 and Smart Phone apps, which are mere toys or conveniences to most people, are actually brilliantly suited to this task.”

Most projects have both a practical goal aimed at immediate benefit (i.e., using solar ovens to decontaminate drinking water and therefore save trees from being used as firewood), and a more abstract research objective (discovering whether simple actions at the village level can sequester CO2 in significant amounts). Each project is based on an objective which is specific, testable, actionable immediately, and combines in full measure student creativity with the native wisdom of the villagers. Each must lead to improved local livelihood, while decreasing carbon footprints and preserving habitats for flora, fauna, and people.

The Holloway Trust and Chilam Foundation plan to permanently fund those projects which show long-term sustainability.

Each project results in a win-win situation for both village and student: the rural community gets plugged into the world via the Internet, and the student owns a niche on the Web which will permanently serve as a nexus for future research.

The basic formula behind each project is that for every 10,000 people reached via social networking about a sustainability or environmental issue in Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America, 850 will pass on the information to others via their own networks, 75 will contribute valuable ideas for improving the project, 55 will purchase Fair Trade goods, 40 will be inspired to start a similar program of their own, 30 will donate funds, and 3 will actually want to volunteer to help in person. Refining this general formula for every country and situation is one of the chief goals of this program. Suggestions for future projects are welcome.

For more information write to worldmindnetwork@gmail.com or visit http://networkingprojects.org or call (626) 230-8862.

- World Mind Network news RSS feed:
http://send2pressnewswire.com/author/world-mind-network/feed .

News Source: World Mind Network :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®.

» Plain text copy of press release (and media contact)
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Henry Oliver Ford said, “WFAO has shipped nearly 30,000 pounds of planting seed that has the potential to yield millions of pounds of corn.” All together Ford and his team at WFAO has sent to Haiti earthquake relief of approximately 300 tons of much needed food, tents, water purification systems and now seed corn.

“The shock, fright and the sadness the country has felt from such a distressing earthquake is beyond belief,” said Michael Ferguson, owner of WFAO. “We are grateful for organizations and individuals who are making this great help possible.

“There are so many people on the ground here in Port-au-Prince, people from all over the world; it is truly a blessing,” said Henry Oliver Ford, president of WFAO. “We continue to pray our support will help ease the people of Haiti’s suffering and help them move towards recovery and rebuilding.”

In addition to the nutritional support, Ford and his team will be providing portable water systems that can purify gallons per unit of water per day taken from any available water source, thanks to their friends at Noah Water Services. The result is surgical pure water – an absolute necessity since many medical centers have been destroyed by the quake. The systems can run off any power source, including a car battery and can be easily transported.

“Haiti has a long way to go, but with all of your help we can rebuild Haiti one brick at a time,” says Ford. WFAO has 15 team members on the ground in Haiti.

For those who want to join forces and help WFAO reach Haiti with vital food, clean water and supplies, please visit http://www.wfao.us .

Plain text copy of press release (and media contact)

PDF copy of press release (and media contact)


STORY REFERENCES: Henry Oliver Ford – WFAO Continues to Give Back, world food association, henry oliver ford, global aid, food, haiti earthquake, wfao, michael ferguson, aid for Haiti, foods, tents, water purification systems, seed corn

WFAO will then send the meals to Ghana to continue its support of 9 orphanages and schools, feeding 7,000 needy children and women each day.

“We here at WFAO we live and work to help others and are appreciative of the helping hands that make feeding hungry nations possible,” said Henry Oliver Ford, WFAO president.

“To have a team of people that are so willing to give up two of their off days for such a cause is awe-inspiring. We commend them for their desire to roll up their sleeves, take action and feed thousands of hungry children and women,” said Michael Ferguson, owner of World Food.

In the last five years WFAO has provided nearly six million dollars worth of food to the children in Ghana.

For those who want to help feed Ghana or any other countries in need, please visit www.wfao.us or contact WFAO at 561-515-6015.

About World Food Association:

World Food Association Organization S.A. Inc., is an agricultural management and acquisitions institution that focuses on production farms worldwide. WFAO is parent company to World Food Ghana Ltd., which is incorporated in Accra, Ghana whose headquarters are in West Palm Beach, Florida.

For more information, you can write WFAO at 777 S. Flagler Drive 33411 or visit http://www.wfao.us .

Plain text copy of press release (and media contact)

PDF copy of press release (and media contact)


STORY REFERENCES: Feeding a Country in 2 days, World Food Association Organization SA Inc, WFAO, Henry Oliver Ford, feed children in Africa, Florida, support of 9 orphanages and schools, Michael Ferguson, help feed Ghana Africa, World Food Ghana Ltd

Students, faculty, and staff have initiated a social media and word-of-mouth campaign to drive Marinello’s donation to unexpected levels. Everyone in the Marinello family is excited to support this important cause. The hair clippings for oil spills program has been part of oil spill clean ups around the world – repackaging donated hair and fur into highly absorbent hair mats and booms.

Matter of Trust is dedicated to eco-education and making environmental changes to help the world’s natural resources. This charity stays true to reflecting Mother Nature’s knack for using intertwining cycles. “Simply put, we shampoo because hair collects oil. It soaks up skin oils, grabs oil from the pollution in the air, and it can soak up petroleum in oil spills,” according to Lisa Craig Gautier, Executive Director of Matter of Trust in a press release distributed by the charity on May 5th.

“As the leader in Beauty Education, Marinello Schools of Beauty is committed to making the world a more beautiful place from the inside out. We are proud to support the important work of Matter of Trust in the Gulf Coast,” commented Dr. Nagui Elyas, President and COO of Marinello Schools of Beauty. “The amazing support and excitement for this cause has been inspiring. This partnership allows us to change the world doing what we do best – hair.”

About Marinello Schools of Beauty:

Defining beauty education since 1905, Marinello Schools of Beauty (www.marinello.com) is one of the premier beauty schools on the West Coast. Offering a variety of Cosmetology and Esthetics programs, Marinello’s hands-on approach to instruction allows for the most effective learning practices. With 41 convenient campus locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah, Marinello also offers affordable spa and salon services performed by student stylists supervised by licensed instructors.

About Matter Of Trust:

Matter Of Trust, established in 1998, is an ecological public charity that links ideas, sparks action and materializes flourishing systems. It concentrates on man-made surplus, natural surplus and eco-education.

News Source: Marinello Schools of Beauty :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Narconon Georgia staff recently made another trip to the troubled area, navigating the third-world country amidst an uprising of protesters, to help deliver treatment to these children in order to help them get off the streets and into an orphanage that can provide them with food, clothing, shelter and an education.

As in other parts of the world, Honduras has a growing population of street children. Some are orphaned through the death of their parents, while others have simply been put on the street by parents unable or unwilling to care for them. Unloved and hungry, children often turn to violence and drugs to survive. If they can’t steal food, sniffing glue or “flying” is something they will do to ease the pains of hunger and as a result will form severe addictions to the substance.

The treatment being delivered to them is the Narconon® New Life Detoxification Program, which is a body cleansing process that eliminates residues of stored toxins to relieve the physical cravings for these chemicals and allows people to have greater stability and mental capacity. It incorporates dry heat sauna therapy, nutritional supplements and exercise to repair their bodies after the damage caused by the chemicals.

This is the same procedure used at Narconon of Georgia to help addicts permanently recover from other drugs, and is just one part of the long-term rehabilitation program that has been helping people successfully overcome addiction for many years.

Notwithstanding the current social and political unrest there, Narconon staff members are dedicated to help these children in Honduras, with the assistance of a local doctor and churches that support the orphanage. “I will continue to help these children, no matter the political strife in the country,” said Don Delgado, who has been heading up the Narconon project there for the last three years. “The children are the only real hope that Honduras has for a sane and stable future.”

In uncertain times both inside our country and in many other parts of the world, real heroes are the ones like those of Narconon Georgia who are producing change by saving lives from the scourge of drug abuse.

Narconon uses a drug-free rehabilitation and education approach based on the research and developments by the late American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. The program has been providing drug rehab and prevention services successfully around the world for more than four decades.

For more information or to get help for a loved one in need, contact Narconon of Georgia today by calling 1-877-413-3073 or by visiting www.drugsno.com .

News Source: Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.

Ugandan government officials have asked for international aid and assessments of the situation, and acknowledge that the government does not have the resources to help its people.

The State Minister for Disaster Preparedness, Musa Ecweru, said the government has sent some aid to the area, but “we are constrained by logistics. The government lacks the money to handle such calamities. We appeal to humanitarian agencies to support us.”(1)

According to a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 8/22/07 press release, current conditions will likely lead to increased cases of malaria, diarrhea, and intestinal, skin and respiratory disease, as well as infectious diseases.

UN and Ugandan officials plan to assess the situation before the end of August, according to the UN News Source. Calvin Echodu, Executive Director of Pilgrim, a Ugandan Christian non-profit relief organization, says immediate assistance is necessary. “We must not wait – we must do everything we can to bring aid to our people now – before people starve.”

The extraordinary rains in July and August washed out roads and bridges and flooded fields, destroying crops and threatening the livelihood of subsistence farmers in the Amuria, Budada, Bukeda, Kapchorwa, Katakwi, Kumi, Sironko and Soroti districts.

The flooded area is approximately the size of New Jersey.

Pilgrim, based in Soroti, is currently delivering food and emergency assistance to some 714 families. Pilgrim is well known in the region for its work in refugee resettlement, education and medical aid. It has the resources and personnel available to deliver food, medical supplies, emergency shelter and other necessary items to the local population in the shortest time possible, according to Mr. Echodu.

“We are in urgent need of funds from international relief groups so that we can give aid and comfort to our affected people. These farmers are our friends. In this last year, we helped at least 1,020 farmer households start to become self-sufficient. We gave them seeds and farm tools, and taught them how to grow their own food so that they start to become food secure and even have enough to sell. Now they see their crops rotting in the sodden fields, and they are devastated.”

“These farmers were once helpless and dependent refugees; now they are becoming self-sufficient. We cannot let their new-found hope be destroyed by the current floods. We must help them recover their lost livelihoods.”

For further information on Pilgrim, please see:
www.pilgrim-Uganda.org

Additional information:
Dorothy Echodu
of The Three Loaves Fund
+1-206-706-0350

Calvin Echodu
of Pilgrim-Uganda
ecalvins@gmail(.com)
+011-256-772-630-320

(1) www.newvision.co.ug/detail.php?mainNewsCategoryId=8&newsCategoryId=17&newsId=583350

News Source: The Three Loaves Fund :: This press release was issued by Send2Press® and is Copyright © 2007 Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved.