Global Development Group is a charity organisation carrying out humanitarian projects with approved partners and providing aid to relieve poverty in a tangible way. We provide long term solutions through the provision of quality aid development projects in approved countries.
 

Global Development Group Increases
the Number of In-Country Representatives

This year has seen many developments within Global Development Group to ensure that the agency continues to build upon its strong commitment to Partner relations, effective communication and the provision of quality development solutions at the grassroots level within its Projects.

One major initiative has been the expansion and formalisation of the organisation’s In-Country Representatives. Although Global Development Group has worked with Representatives for many years, the direction given by the Board and Executive Director to expand its representative base in specific countries was implemented.



This saw the inaugural Global Development Group In-Country Representative Conference, held 11 – 13 May in Brisbane, Australia. Twenty eight delegates attended; some representing East and Southern Africa, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This significant step forward for Global Development Group ensures that the agency is able to access immediate representation of its Projects in multiple developing nations as well as providing stronger linkages between Project Partners.

The entire Global Development Group Team holds numerous beneficial skills, expertise and education in humanitarian aid and development that undoubtedly provides Global Development Group with a greater strength of resource as it focuses on building better lives for the world’s poorest people.


 

EMERGENCY RELIEF PROJECT

EARTHQUAKE hits Yushu Qinghai China
(Yushu emergency Qinghai China J629)
 

Global Development Group in association with the Tibetan Information Office in Australia and Dalai Lama in Australia Ltd, has established an emergency relief project in response to the devastating earthquake in western China just days ago.

We join a desperate humanitarian effort that is coming together in the aftermarth of the 7.1 magnitude quake that hit the Yushu county in Qinghai province of China on Wednesday 14th April. Many buildings have been reduced to rubble with hundreds of people still trapped beneath.

Photo: The remains of buildings in Yushu, a Tibetan plateau county, after the 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which left many dead. Photograph: KPA/Zuma/Rex Features

As rescuers battle to reach and work in the remote region, low oxygen levels at high altitude and the lack of large excavation equipment hamper the desperate attempts to find survivors. Those who have survived face the loss of their homes, and freezing temperatures at night without protection, food or water. The immediate emergency requirements are the provision of shelter, medical assistance, and basic uncontaminated water and food supplies. The construction of hygiene and sanitation facilities, many of which have been destroyed in the quake, are also essential to help prevent the spread of disease.

Please consider uniting with us to provide assistance in the midst of this desperate situation.

Tax deductible donations for this approved emergency relief project can be made by clicking the below link:

(Yushu emergency Qinghai China J629)

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Project Monitoring Audit Trips

A land flowing with milk (and honey?)

There’s a Women’s Dairy Co-Operative Society in Northern Tanzania, near Moshi that is a very exciting development. Carey Westwood, Grace Mulli and Martha Waithaka had the opportunity to inspect this project first-hand and meet with several women from the Co-Op, as well as with some local dairy farmers who supply milk to be processed, and school children who benefit from the provision of milk.



This project provides long term and sustainable nutrition for school children in the region by working with parents and teachers to develop a regular school-milk program. It also assists in alleviating poverty in the area by proving a reliable market for small holder dairy farmers providing regular income that has a flow on effect to their families and communities.

Nepal shining in a ray of hope

Carey and Fe travelled to Kathmandu - the place, not the shop - to then travel about 170 kilometres (or 30 minutes by plane) from Kathmandu to the Ray of Hope Society. This registered social community has established a medical and health clinic (Hope Medical Centre), and developed two model farms to demonstrate how to increase produce yields and profitability.


Micro businesses are being established through training and the provision of a small loan to locals, with the goal of creating food security and self-sufficiency for the local community.

Building hope in Nagpur slum areas

In the slum areas in and around Nagpur, India, is a project providing education for children living in the slum communities as part of a comprehensive community development program - including WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) initiatives, which in turn enables them to break out of the cycle of poverty. Wendy & Alan Benson conducted a onsite monitoring report for Global Development Group to inspect the project and its outcomes, and met some of the children returning from school (see below).


As part of its integrated development focus, which embraces capacity building and training for local residents, the project includes a preschool program, technical training and medical assistance to at risk members of the community - particularly children. A medical van and at least one of two volunteer doctors visit the slum areas twice a week. Health Camps are held in the slum areas, and the Medical Van also goes out into the country side visiting the Tribal people, as well as the AIDs/HIV population. Teams go into the slum areas with the aim of empowering the slum residents to change their lives, giving them some dignity to their lives by teaching them health & hygiene techniques as well as convincing the parents of the benefits of allowing their children to go to school.

Special Education in Karen Refugee Camps

Amongst the Karen people group in a refugee camp in Thailand not far from the Myanmar (Burmese) Border, Craig Tunney and Greg Cadman witnessed a remarkable humanitarian project. This project helps develop those most disadvantaged in the midst of a whole city of disadvantaged people, disabled children living in the midst of a Karen Refugee camp of over 15,000 people. Disabled children are assisted with physical therapy sessions and mental stimulation activities to help in the development of their cognitive and motor skills. We were especially privileged to be able to participate and actually sing the words to the nursery rhymes which the musical toy above made; those gathered had heard the tunes before but never the words! This project has helped many children become integrated into the local school system so that they can participate at some level.

Audit Visits in China

Geoff Armstrong and David Pearson recently travelled to China to audit several of our China projects, including some excellent projects working on physiotherapy and skills training with disabled people; others focussing on child development and education particularly to disadvantaged minority people groups; another which builds development through the supply of needed goods; through to disaster relief projects.  One project suffered some minor damage due to the typhoon in Hong Kong.