Dear Friends,
It is with great pride that I share with you this year-end letter, as our accomplishments aiding some of the world’s poorest communities were even more essential and urgent in 2021 than perhaps they have ever been. The Covid pandemic continued to impact the people we support around the globe, and our work was made more difficult by ongoing travel restrictions, making normal site visits impossible. Luckily, in each of our locations we were able to rely upon strong relationships with on-the-ground partners, and already-established communication channels allowed us to provide uninterrupted aid to the communities we support in every one of our locations. Our work continued to focus on essential services such as improved medical care, education, agriculture, and water accessibility, as well as economic development via micro-loans.It is only due to your ongoing generosity that any of the accomplishments were made possible. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. We know it has been a difficult time for many people; I truly appreciate your ongoing support and your willingness to think of others in need.We humbly ask you to consider the all-volunteer Denan Project in your year-end charitable-giving plans. As always, because of the generosity of several Members of our Board of Directors who cover our overhead costs, we promise that 100% of every dollar you donate goes directly to the people and communities we support.
On Behalf of All Our Volunteers, With Deepest Gratitude,
Dick Young,
President/Founder, The Denan Project
Ethiopia
We treated, on average, 2,500 patients per month in our hospital, which now boasts 32 rooms and a highly trained indigenous staff of almost 40 people. All services continue to be provided free of charge. To date we have had more than 450,000 patient visits, providing free, quality medical care to people in this all-but-forgotten Ethiopian region.
In addition to medical care, we support programs in agriculture, water, education, micro-loans, economic development, and supplemental feeding.
The hospital now provides programs related to anti-female genital mutilation, anti-malaria, anti-polio, pre- and post-natal care, and in- and out- patient TB and vaccination programs, as well as a variety of health-education programs.
Because of a severe drought affecting the entire region, we sent in an emergency supply of food consisting of one month’s supply of rice and cooking oil for 6,000 of the most needy.
We repaired and refurbished our water tanker, allowing us to provide emergency water to the town of Denan during the drought, in addition to our hospital We continued to provide ambulance service to those in remote locations, as well as patients needing specialized care at advanced medical centers.
We ensured our entire hospital was vaccinated and provided with personal protective equipment for the virus.
1,700 rapid-test Covid kits were provided.
Our micro-loans continue to boast a perfect repayment rate and remain an important source of economic development for the community.
While the Civil War in Ethiopia seems to be spreading and intensifying, we are grateful that it has not impacted our operations.
Peru
Our health center treated approximately 5,000 people during the year despite the area being under a strict quarantine for much of this time.
We ensured the entire staff was vaccinated and provided with personal protective equipment related to the Covid virus.
Additional medical equipment was also provided, including hospital beds, specially equipped wheelchairs and additional advanced testing equipment.
We continued to support economic development in the area, establishing five new micro-loans in two villages.
With schools closed for the year, we purchased radio time for students to receive lessons at homer.
Mongolia
The two hospitals we support had more than 40,000 patient visits last year.
Covid remains a serious concern, and recently- rising cases are depleting the medical supplies faster than originally anticipated. Hospitals will require additional support for Covid-related medical supplies before the year’s end.
All personnel at both hospitals have been vaccinated and provided with personal protective equipment.
We purchased additional state-of-the-art surgical, diagnostic, and testing equipment for the two hospitals we support.
We continue to provide fuel for doctors at hospital outposts enabling them to bring critical outreach for the dispersed and isolated population of the region.
