March 2023
This month, the Peoples of The Book celebrate their beginnings: the Exodus from Egypt, Jesus’ resurrection, and the revelation of the Quran; Passover, Easter and Ramadan all carry the message of preserving the connection to our past to build a better future. Restoring lives and dignity is part of NATAN’s mission as an interfaith relief organization. We are the people on the ground to strengthen the local communities wherever needed. NATAN has never been so active as in 2023. Our 1,400 registered professionals, all volunteers, need your help to continue and expand the relief and rehabilitation operations. We need funds to cover their flights, accommodations, and to distribute medications.
Poland: Resilience Training for Ukrainian Frontline Caregivers
Since July 2022, NATAN professionals have trained 60 Ukrainian frontline caregivers in psychosocial skills and trauma-informed strategies to support internally displaced people (IDPs) and local community members affected by the stress, trauma, and evacuations that characterize the war in Ukraine. Working with our local partner, The Folkowisko Foundation, and talented translators from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the training took place in Cieszanow, near the Ukraine-Poland border. In March 2023, NATAN completed another Train the Trainer session, which focused on caregivers’ work with clients with special needs and disabilities. Click here for more on NATAN’s Ukraine Resilience work.
Train the Trainer for Ukrainian Frontline Caregivers
March 2023 session
Cambodia: Dental Care Urgently Needed
In early March, NATAN volunteers traveled to Siem Riep, Cambodia, to map out a dental project in conjunction with Project Ten Cambodia. The team visited schools, public and private clinics, and hospitals to assess local need, which is profound. They also determined the availability of current services, which are of uneven quality and extremely limited. In particular, children have little access to dental care or dental education; private clinics treat a minority of people for often-daunting fees, and communities living in poverty, such as those in the floating villages of the Tonle Sap Lake district, are chronically underserved. NATAN is exploring an education program to promote oral health as well as provide essential care via trained, professional volunteers. Follow our social media and website to learn more as this project develops.
A dental clinic in a remote fishing village in Cambodia
Nepal: Supporting Populations at Risk
Nepal Community Health and Resilience: NATAN’s work in Nepal is expanding to better address the needs of vulnerable women and children, and to provide psychosocial aid to migrant workers and their families An exploratory trip led by NATAN’s Orit Yulzary and Eitan Shachar to Hariharpurgadhi in the Sindhuli District laid the groundwork for a four-phase, year-long project, together with NATAN’s local partner, Relief Nepal. The first NATAN delegation will travel to Sindhuli District in April. For more on NATAN’s work in Nepal, click here.
NATAN and partner, Relief Nepal, meeting with Sindhuli officials to plan the next stage of their work in Nepal
Romania: A Refuge for Displaced Ukrainian Teens
Thanks to the opening of a refuge in Bala Mare, Romania, some sense of peace and normalcy has been restored in Ukrainian teenage refugees whose lives have been turned upside down by war. Founded by NATAN member Ievgeny Miroshnychenko, the TaSho school and residence provides displaced Ukrainian youth the opportunity to continue their education – either remotely or with Ukrainian teachers on site – and learn the psychosocial skills that will strengthen their resilience in the face of wartime trauma and family separation. A team of NATAN social workers is now on site at TaSho, training educators and leading resilience activities with the youth there. For more on this project, click here.
NATAN professionals training educators at the TaSho school for displaced Ukraine children – Baia Mare, Romania March 2023
The Women of NATAN
March 8, 2023 was International Women’s Day, the day communities around the world celebrate women’s contributions and accomplishments. NATAN celebrates women every day. The majority of our volunteers are women, many of whom leave home, work and family — sometimes for weeks or more to help restore dignity and rebuild lives, wherever they are needed. Read more here about the women who make NATAN a global force for good.
Thank you for your help, HIAS
The nonprofit Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), originally created to support Jewish emigres in the United States, has expanded its mission to embrace refugees worldwide, including people displaced by natural disasters like the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. With the generous support of HIAS and other organizations, NATAN volunteers established a field health clinic that provided urgent and essential medical care, and offered training in resiliency to health-care professionals, including physicians, nurses and social workers. Read more here about NATAN’s work with HIAS.
