International Day of Charity
This is part of a communication series to health leaders in GHM’s partner countries. (sent September 2022)
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
How do we the people of Planet Earth beat a pandemic?
We give the gift of ourselves – our time, talent, and/or treasure - to help others.
The International Day of Charity began in 2011 as a Hungarian civil society initiative to commemorate Mother Teresa’s death on September 5 (1997); it took off worldwide ten years ago when the UN declared it an international holiday.
Lead by Example
Mother Teresa, the renowned nun and missionary, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace."
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu August 26, 1910, she went to India in 1928 where she devoted herself to helping the destitute.
She became an Indian citizen in 1948 and founded the order of Missionaries of Charity in Kolkota (Calcutta) in 1950, which became known for its work among the poor and the dying in that city.
Mother Teresa ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned and dying for over 45 years and guided the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion in India and then in other countries, including hospices and homes for the poorest and homeless.
Mother Teresa is remembered as a woman of great faith and unmatched charitable donation.
“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer”
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all 193 UN member nations provide the framework to guide philanthropic institutions to enable all people to contribute to the betterment of our world.
We have the power to transform our lives and our planet by channeling our charity through the SDG lens: SDG1 Poverty, SDG2 Hunger, SDG3 Health for All…
Asante/Gracias/Misaotra/Merci/Nagode/Thank you for sharing you life’s message with the world – we the people of Planet Earth need your leadership.
“A man’s true wealth hereafter is the good he has done to his fellowmen.”
Monkeypox Update
According to the CDC, as of 6 September, 2022…
There have been 54,911 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 100 countries, more than double that reported in last month’s email/blog. Over 99% of these cases have occurred in locations that have not historically reported monkeypox. There have been 15 confirmed deaths due to Monkeypox worldwide.
20,733 (over 37% of total) of the cases reported have been in the United States; over one-half in NY, CA & FL
An August 2022 CDC behavioral online survey of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, respondents reported changing their behavior because of the monkeypox outbreak: 48% reported reducing their number of sex partners, 50% reported reducing one-time sexual encounters, and 50% reported reducing sex with partners met on dating apps or at sex venues.
CDC Monkeypox guidelines for clinicians link: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/clinicians/index.html
Covid-19 Update
According to Our World in Data, as of 6 September 2022…
Over two-thirds (67%) of the global population is at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 (over 12.61 billion doses)
In low-income countries, only 20% of the population has received partial vaccination, or less than 30% of the global rate
According to the WHO Coronavirus Dashboard, as of 6 September, 2022…
There have been over 603M cumulative, confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 6.48M deaths.