Category: Project Updates

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Community Projects Project Updates Uncategorized

In the News | Medical Clinic Unveiled

This article originally appeared in Idaho Press.

By Idaho Press Staff – June 11, 2021

MERIDIAN — A shipping container turned standalone mobile medical clinic built by student doctors at Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine will soon be sent to Mexico to serve a community living in extreme poverty.

For the last two years, the student doctors have worked in their spare time to build the mobile medical clinic that features two exam rooms and a hybrid lobby/office area. The modular clinic will be transported to Lomas de San Isidro, Mexico, an ICOM news release said.

The seaworthy shipping container was donated by Engineered Structures Inc. and building materials were donated by Franklin Building Supply, the release said.

“One of the greatest joys of this project has been in doing good for others, we tend to do great for ourselves,” said ICOM student doctor and project lead Krista Niezwaag, in the release. “We got to, every Saturday, have a place where students got to find connection, got to find worth in doing something with their hands, and got to find joy in the imperfect, which is not something we get to do in medical school very often.”

Homes of Living Hope and Urban Mosaic, both nonprofit groups, have joined forces to relocate and set up a medical clinic in central Mexico, using a repurposed shipping container. The clinic will serve around 1,000 patients annually and offer healthcare access to 300 families in the area. If you’re looking for an urgent care near Wakefield, this new clinic might be worth checking out.

“The mission of Homes of Living Hope is connecting communities through service,” said Bart Wear, director of Homes of Living Hope, in the release. “We think there’s something special that happens when people come together and they’re able to serve others.”

From Meridian, the shipping container will be transported to Abilene, Texas, where medical equipment will be added inside the container before making the journey to Mexico. Once it reaches its final destination the finishing touches, including windows and a front door, will be added. Make a call to garage door repair pinehurst to fix any kind of repairs.

“Student doctors enter the field of medicine because of their intrinsic desire to help people,” said Dr. Thomas Mohr, ICOM’s dean and Chief Academic Officer, in the release. “Projects such as this provide a wonderful mechanism to serve others while advancing on their journey to become physicians. This shipping container clinic will provide a venue for health care for needy populations for years to come.” 

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BHRS Project Updates

Medical Container Provides Hope to Rural Uganda Community

Written by Suzi Cave, project volunteer

In June, we were able to take our first medical team to northern Uganda.  A team of 10 from Cheyenne Hills Church included two doctors and 3 nurses and five support team members.   In seven clinic days we were able to see 1,260 patients and many many more we had to turn away — demonstrating just how great the need for medical attention is in Northern Uganda.

For three days we worked out of the clinic container supplied by Homes of Living Hope (and outfitted by BRHS), serving the people in the community of Aloi.  There is no other medical facility in their area. Their only option is a prohibitive 23km trip into Lira. While this clinic was not designed to handle the type of crowds we saw or this many medical professionals, it was a blessing to have such a facility in that area. We spent our other days outdoors with a canopy tents and some tarps hung to create private treatment areas.

In the Aloi clinic, we treated a wide variety of patients with an even wider variety of conditions, but the most wrenching were three infants brought in limp and lifeless.  All were suffering dehydration from malaria.  Our team was able to start IV fluids for them and give them appropriate malaria meds. I’m happy to report that each child left that day alert and responsive smiling, even after the trauma of the IV needles.

While retaining medical professionals and keeping the clinics open and stocked with supplies is an on-going challenge for all of northern Uganda, having a facility like this when professionals and supplies are available is an incredible blessing.    

The people of Aloi and the other villages showed huge appreciation of our presence and help. The smiles they gave when we greeted them carried us through many tough cases. One of the hardest parts was the fact that we couldn’t help everybody. Some we were only able to diagnose then present them with other options they could explore. Those individuals didn’t turn away discouraged, but instead with a new joy that they now could find a solution to their problem.

In addition to treating a wide variety of medical issues, we also administered 560 Hepatitis B vaccines. After the initial dose, the government will provide follow up doses. This ensures that people won’t contract a very preventable condition.

The hardest part of this trip was the number of people we were forced to turn away, just because of the sheer volume of patients. Those that weren’t able to see a doctor that day were willing to wait all day and even come back the next. The influx continued throughout our entire trip. Our team faced exhaustion as they treated patient after patient. Seeing 1,260 patients in seven days leaves little time for breaks or rest. This was by far the most difficult trip I had been on.

This trip wasn’t just 10 “mzungos” coming to Uganda to temporarily treat these patients. We had countless local Ugandans with us who were translating, administering immunizations, running labs, assisting the doctors and nurses, and triaging. We are so appreciative local professionals  that worked alongside us during our time there. Their skills and experience was invaluable, and we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all we did without them.

Our trip shows what has motivated Homes of Living Hope- consistent medical care is a dire need in Uganda. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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God's Love Project Updates

Thoughts on the CAN Project at God’s Love Lutheran Church

Written by Susan McDonnell

It’s hard to describe my emotions upon receiving the e-mail from Life in Abundance that our container had arrived safely in Kenya. I experienced a mixture of prayerful joy, thankfulness, satisfaction… and relief!  It had been two and a half months since I watched the container leave our church parking lot in Pennsylvania. Now seeing their photograph of it sitting on the ground in Nairobi was almost surreal.

A few days later, while still processing those emotions, I received a call from someone that was interested in doing a similar container project at a church nearby.  He was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the unknowns, and was looking for information and advice. Could I help? Well, I was certainly happy to try, but wasn’t really sure how much help I’d be. After all, almost everyone on our team was in his exact position not that long ago.

We ended up speaking for almost an hour – about project plans, budgets, timelines, logistics, lessons learned, community involvement, fundraising, volunteer needs and personal experiences.  It struck me afterwards just how far our team had come, how much we’d learned, how much we’d grown.  It may have seemed like we were on a long, bumpy road at the time (and we were), but we completed the journey nonetheless, and could wholeheartedly recommend it to others!

I now recognize that there was perhaps a little sadness in that mix of emotions about our delivered container.  Our part in the project is over, and there is much about it that we’ll miss. But God’s work through that container goes on – first in us, now in Kenya, and next in that church nearby. And that is cause for celebration!

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13

CAN mural painting

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God's Love Project Updates

Medical Clinic En Route to its Final Destination

Excited to share the medical clinic container built by the Lutheran Church of God’s Love in Newton, PA has safely completed its voyage from the U.S. to Africa, and is en route to its final destination in Kisumu, Kenya. Photo below shows the clinic at the Life in Abundance office in Nairobi as it waits for the next carrier to take it to Kisumu. Very exciting for all the volunteers who transformed the used shipping container, and for the community about to receive this badly needed medical clinic!

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Delran High Project Updates School Projects

N.J. High School Ships Library

Students from New Jersey’s Delran High School transformed a used shipping container into a beautiful library for rural Uganda’s Hope Lives Elementary school. This school of about 500 students runs without power, making books a critical part of their learning.  This library also included space for the school’s first PCs which run on a generator.
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Church Projects God's Love Project Updates

Update from God’s Love

Hi all, and happy summer!
The CAN project is still going strong throughout the summer months!  Read on for the latest updates.
Construction status – we have finished paneling all of the walls and ceilings and have started on the flooring. We will not work on July 4, so our next work day is scheduled forSaturday, July 11 at 9am.We will be installing interior doors and trim, continuing the flooring work, and painting.  All are welcome to join us – tools and instruction are provided.
Thank you to our local church partners – we have reached out to some local churches that have expressed an interest in the CAN project.  Advent Lutheran Church in Richboro and Family of God in Jamison are both taking collections of supplies for Kisumu to include with what we are sending.  If you have connections with another church or community organization that would like to be involved in any way, please contact the church office.
Please keep the CAN project in your prayers this summer, as well as the people in Kisumu, Kenya who are awaiting this clinic and supplies. And as always, please feel free to contact me with questions or suggestions.
Together we CAN make a difference.
Susan
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Community Projects Project Updates Street's Hope

Mark Your Calendars | Denver Area Volunteer Opportunity

Data from Corporation for National & Community Service

Denver area friends: Want to get involved in a shipping container renovation project? We are collaborating with Street’s Hope to re-purpose a large shipping container into badly needed office space for their organization.

Mark your calendars to volunteer for the following build dates.
  • June 13, 8-12pm
  • June 20, 8-12pm
  • June 27, 8-12pm
  • July 11, 8-12pm

No need to RSVP, just grab a  few friends and join us at Southern Gables Church (4001 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Lakewood 80123) for a fun time of renovation!

Monetary and supply donations also being accepted! Click here to see what else is needed.

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BHRS Cheyenne Hills Church Church Projects Community Projects Corporate Projects Delran High Get Involved God's Love In the News Louisville Colorado Monarch High School Project Updates School Projects Street's Hope

Unexpected Benefits of Volunteering

What do people get out of coming together for a few hours and working on a Homes of Living Hope build out? The two most common reasons I see people come to work on a project is they have a heart for the people who will be receiving the completed container, or they have a connection to the group that is sponsoring the build out. But, what I see through a person’s involvement is new connections with others in the community they would have never met, and a chance to work along side people that have a shared heart of service to others. By volunteering to help others, most leave feeling better themselves.

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I remember a woman who wandered by one of our build out projects curious to see what we were doing. She commented that she was an artist and would be willing to help on the painting. She was asked if she would like to lead the artistic effort of the project and she said she would. She enthusiastically threw herself into the project, designing the paint scheme that would be used on the outside, seeking out no and low cost options for getting materials, and then coordinating all the volunteers and their children when they came to paint on Saturday mornings. It became the highlight of the project as parents brought their children and painted alongside them serving others. As I worked alongside this woman, I learned she was struggling in a difficult relationship, looking for purpose as she had a significant job change and her children were leaving the home. Her happening on the project allowed her to throw herself into a cause that used her talents and gave her a short break from the pressures she was feeling. It allowed her to remember how much worth she really had and connected her with others in her community in a totally different way.

I always enjoy the kids that come with their parents to help work on the project and paint. They are always so willing to be part of a fun time and feel such purpose as we explain the work they are doing will be enjoyed by children just like them on the other side of the world. Kids always like to do things with their parents and by getting to work on one of our projects they see not only their parents, but the adult community around them collaborating to help others. The service role model is being demonstrated to them in a very tangible way. As a father of three, I found some of my most meaningful conversations with my children happened when we were shoulder to shoulder working on something, rather than face to face.


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The high school students bring so much to a project because of all the questions. Along with them learning to use tools and critically think through some of the construction issues, they are also able to interact with adults during the project. We had a project with a high school where a local doctor had gotten very involved donating supplies for the clinic. Not just sending them over or having them picked up, she would bring things over during the build days so she could see what was going on and be a part of the exciting process. During one of her visits one of the students asked her what she did and she said she was a dermatologist. The student had no idea what that was and I chuckled when he said, “In one paragraph, tell me what a dermatologist does.” The two of them spent quite a bit of time together as the student quizzed her about what she did and she generously explained what, why and how she did what she did.

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As people unselfishly come together to help those they’ll never meet, they often find some of their own needs have been met. I am reminded of the proverb, “I helped the man to climb the mountain and lo I climbed it myself.”

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Project Updates Street's Hope

We Have the Permit!

We have the permit! After a lot of work by Adolfson & Peterson Construction and DLK Engineering we have our permit to build offices for Street’s Hope out of a container. I believe this is the first such structure permitted by the City of Lakewood.

A big thanks also goes to The Lion Project for funding the cost of the permits for the project.

Stay up to date on this project here or as always, on Facebook.

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Project Updates

Fundraise for Homes of Living Hope

COLORADO GIVES Fundraiser Page How To

  • Log in / create a donor page at http://coloradogives.org
  • Click on My Account at the top right corner
  • Click My Campaigns on the far right navigation bar
  • Click + Create Campaign
  • CAMPAIGN DETAILS
      • Search Homes of Living Hope
      • Watch this video from Colorado Gives for step by step directions

     

    Tips for success:

  • Keep your appeal short and to the point.
  • Add a photo to make it personal.
  • Allot enough time for us to be able to approve your page.
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Project Updates

Set Your Colorado Gives Day Donation Up Today, Why Wait?

Did you know you can schedule your Colorado Gives Day donation in advance from November through December 8? It’s super simple and all donations processed on December 9 will receive a boost from the $1 Million Incentive Fund and count toward cashprize tallies for nonprofits.

Are you ready? Here’s how it’s done:

    1. Go to our donation page at Colorado Gives here.
    2. Add your donation amount and press the “CO Gives Day” button to schedule it to process on Dec. 9. Complete the other fields and click “add to cart.”
    3. Want to donate to more than one organization? Click on the “add more nonprofits to cart” button on the next page and keep going!
    4. When all your scheduled donations are in the cart, continue checking out by logging in or creating a donor account, entering your payment information, and then submit.

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Please note that you will receive an acknowledgement e-mail that indicates you have scheduled a donation. A second  e-mail confirming that the donation was made will be issued when it is processed on Colorado Gives Day. A copy of this email will also be stored on your donor account and can be accessed at any time.

You can even grab a badge for your profile photo on Facebook. Let everyone know that you are supporting local non-profits this Colorado Gives Day! Click the image below or here to view and then “right click” to download.

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Monarch High School Project Updates School Projects

How Many Miles Can You Support?

Monarch High School students have done an amazing job transforming a lifeless shipping container into a medical and dental clinic for the underserved San Jose Las Palmas neighborhood in Mexico City.

The students have worked hard gathering donations (both financially and in-kind) to build and fill the container with equipment and supplies. The current need is fundraising the money needed to get the container to Mexico City. Now, lets join together to transport the container from a school project to a usable clinic that Connexion Mosaico will receive and staff. The trip to Mexico City costs about $3.00 per mile. Can we count on you to sponsor a short part of the 1,800 mile trip?

There are several way to you can help:

  • Social media – We will promote the Monarch fundraising campaign on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.  If you see it, please click the “share” button to get the message out to more people.
  • Email – Please feel free to e.mail this information inviting your contacts to support this campaign either by sharing a social media post or donating directly.
  • Donations – It costs about $3/mile to transport the clinic. Can we count on YOU to sponsor part of the 1,800 mile trip? Please consider donating using the following link: https://www.coloradogives.org/MonarchHighSchool.  Thank you!
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Monarch High School Project Updates School Projects

Monarch Open House

Congratulations to the Shazbots First Robotics team at Monarch High School for successfully converting an 8’x8’x40’ shipping container into a standalone clinic that will provide basic medical and dental services to the urban poor living in slums outside Mexico City. Thanks to their dedication, and some help from Monarch teachers and us, this project is about 90% complete. (Fill a “Bucket of Love” with supplies to help us get to 100% by September 10. click here for details)

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The Monarch students, along with Homes of Living Hope, recently held an open house to show off their hard work.  Supporters of the Shazbots team, Monarch High School and Homes of Living Hope were invited to tour the completed clinic and hear first-hand from the students what went into the project. They also shared their thoughts on the impact the clinic would have on the people of the Las Palmas community of Mexico City.

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When you arrived at the open house, you saw a beautifully painted container that was designed and painted by the Monarch Art Club.  You were then greeted by one of the students that had worked on the container.  They walked visitors through the clinic explaining the functions of the three different rooms and the process they went through to convert the recycled shipping container into a usable medical and dental clinic.  Check out the article in the Daily Camera.

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Over and over I was told by community attendees how impressed they were with the students’ ownership of the project.  The students were proud of their efforts and glad to be part of something that would make such a big difference to others they had never met.

I enjoyed working with the students over the summer and was impressed to meet such a group of motivated and high achieving students.  I was pleased the greater Louisville community came together to support them and that Homes of Living Hope was able to be part of helping these students make a difference.

Thanks to Victory Media for coming out and putting this great video together for us!

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Monarch High School Project Updates School Projects

Monarch High School Builds Hope for the Poor of Mexico City

Thanks to the efforts of students, faculty, and community members at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado an impoverished community in Mexico City will soon have access to health and dental services. Building on the success of the edu-service projects with Bridgewater-Raritan High School in New Jersey, HoLH has established a partnership with Monarch High to transform a container into a medical/dental clinic which will be operated by ConeXión Mosaico and serve Mexico City’s poor.

A holistic community development organization, ConeXión Mosaico works through a variety of programs to break the cycle of poverty in marginalized populations residing in Mexico City’s poorest slums. The medical/dental clinic will benefit the residents of Chimalhuacán and Los Reyes La Paz, two low-income communities on the outskirts of Mexico City that claim more than one million residents. About 80 percent of the slums’ residents are employed in the informal sector and are subjected to substandard living conditions. ConeXión Mosaico sees health care access as a key component in the empowerment of these communities. The organization will establish the clinic in its intended location and recruit medical doctors and dentists through a local university to provide the clinic’s services.

Students at Monarch are applying a variety of disciplines in this edu-service project which incorporates industrial design, art class, and marketing curriculums. With the support of their teachers, Monarch’s students have created a sophisticated clinic design featuring a medical exam room, a dental office and exam room, a pharmaceutical dispensary, solar panels to provide sustainable energy, and skylights and windows for light and ventilation. Students directly communicate with ConeXión Mosaico in correlating the clinic’s amenities according to the population’s needs. With the container’s delivery to MHS on March 28, students in collaboration with York, PA painting company began painting the exterior in a design made by Monarch Art Club students. On April 26, students hosted a build-out event to implement the clinic’s interior features.

A link to MHS’s project website found here.

Research indicates that active participation is necessary for successful learning and that service learning is one of the most effective strategies for improving student engagement and academic learning (National Research Council). The HoLH project framework provides a direct opportunity for high school youths to make an impact in the global community through an edu-service project they design and execute themselves. The students of Monarch High address the problem of the health inequity faced by a poverty-stricken community and are challenged to create a tangible solution.

Project completion is estimated for June 2014 and HoLH is seeking to raise $10,000 for the container’s transportation to Mexico City. Donations may be made through HoLH’s donation page. Monarch High School will also be collecting clothing, school, and sanitary supplies to send with the clinic.

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Community Projects Louisville Colorado Project Updates

Clinic Headed to Kibera Almost There!

The clinic from Louisville arrived in Mombassa, Kenya yesterday. Our friends from Life In Abundance International will be receiving it at the port and transporting it 300 miles to the Kibera area of Nairobi. It won’t be long until that beautifully painted gift arrives!

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BHRS Community Projects Louisville Colorado Monarch High School Project Updates School Projects

Project Updates

A quick update on our projects.

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The clinic from Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School has been delivered to Hope Lives- Aloi, Uganda and is being set up. There are medical teams planned for this summer.

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The clinic for Life In Abundance International which is being sent to the Kibera slum region in Nairobi, Kenya is at sea scheduled for arrival in Mombassa the first week of April.

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Last but not least, the clinic being built by Monarch High School is nearing the completion of the design stage. Lampson International has again donated a shipping container to be used as the main building block for the project.

So many people doing what they can to help others!

Want to stay up to date on all our project happenings? Be sure to like our Facebook page.

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Community Projects Louisville Colorado Project Updates

Container Heading to Nairobi Today

The container that was finished in Louisville left the parking lot for Nairobi, Kenya today. A huge thank you to all who helped make this medical clinic a reality, and thank you to Human Movement Management and Rolf’s Motorcycle Shop for donating the parking lot space and being such amazing partners in this project. The next time you see this container it will be on the other side of the world!

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Monarch High School Project Updates School Projects

New School Edu-Service Project to Begin

We are very excited to be building another clinic for Life In Abundance International with the Design and Engineering class at Monarch High School. The students are going to design, build and fill the container. This will be a great learning platform that has an added bonus of helping those in another part of the world.

I enjoyed meeting with the class and being part of the process and decision to build a clinic. This is going to be a fun project with lots of places to connect.

Stay up to date on this project and our many other projects on our Facebook page.

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Community Projects Louisville Colorado Project Updates

A Change of Plans

Because of the considerable unrest and fighting in the South Sudan we are unable to ship the clinic at this time. After contacting our partner Life In Abundance International we were able to determine another much needed location for the clinic in Kibera, Nairobi. We hope to someday have the opportunity to partner with Life in Abundance again and send a working medical clinic to the people of South Sudan.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected.

Stay up to date on this project and our many other projects on our Facebook page.

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Community Projects Louisville Colorado Project Updates

Come Join Us | Wednesday 7pm

Wednesday night at 7:00 at Rock Creek Church 225 Majestic View Dr, Louisville, CO 80027, a group of us are getting together to finish packing the Buckets of Love. It should be a lot of fun and we could use the help. Hope to see you there.

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Project Updates

Colorado Gives Day

Tuesday the 10th is Colorado Gives day and it’s a pretty cool thing to get people involved in the non-profits in the community. I had never heard of it until we had someone ask if they could give to Homes of Living Hope through the Colorado Gives program. I did a little checking and while a non-profit such as ours can do it we missed this years application deadline.
Now that doesn’t mean you can’t give directly to HoLH through either our website www.Homesoflivinghope.org (click “Donate” above to donate directly through Paypal) or mailing us your donation to HoLH, 948 Rex St. Louisville, Colorado 80027. For every donation we receive over $25 we’ll send you a “Building Hope” t-shirt with this really great logo on it.