When I reflect on the last financial year, I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride. As a family run organisation, we rely on our network to drive our business and I have witnessed many wonderful gestures of kindness over the last 12 months. I can share that we are still standing strongly while many of our competitors have sadly dropped away due to the impact of Covid-19 and their lack of contingency plans. At World Youth International, we have the belief that to survive and flourish, we must rely on our own income sources rather than depending on external revenue sources such as government funded programs. It is for this reason that we stand strong, united and have a financial plan in place to ensure we can get through the next financial year.
Our Odede Community Heath Centre in Kenya has navigated its way through the challenges of Covid-19. I'm happy to share that all hospital staff are now fully vaccinated and ready to manage the needs of the community. We have seen a dramatic jump in the number of patients treated and in particular, births at the centre, which has increased by over 400% in the last quarter. World Youth International are currently seeking a corporate partner to assist us in building a surgery and recovery ward so we can expand the operations of the centre. We also have plans in place to build a training centre, staff accommodation, and a solar power project. If you would like to make a positive difference to hundreds of lives by contributing to one of our exciting sustainable development projects in Kenya or Nepal, please contact Gabriella Ocenasek, Partnerships & Marketing Director.
Nepal has been hit hard by the impact of Covid. The influx of recent Indian migration to Kathmandu has triggered a massive second wave that has engulfed the majority of Nepal. This includes Gokarna where the World Youth International School is based. Sadly, there have been many cases of Covid-19 in Gokarna, and we were forced to close our school again for a second time back in April. At this stage, the school is looking to reopen in time for the next semester due to start on July 21. The School welcomed Year 11 students for the first time earlier this year and we are aiming to introduce Year 12 students to the campus in 2022. The construction of the 'Change a Life Boarding Home' is now complete and we will fit out the facility later this year and then open the doors in 2022. Once open, this fee-paying centre will be home to 50 students who are completing their final years of study. Many students have been forced to stop attending the WYI School over the last 12 months due to the financial constraints of Covid-19. Now more than ever we need to recruit additional Australian families to become a child sponsor and support our child scholarship program. Please consider signing up for this rewarding program, by clicking here, or contacting me at [email protected].
Our volunteer programs are scheduled to begin running again in 2022 and we can't wait! We have over 80 Australian nurses waiting to be deployed to Kenya and Nepal and they will be part of our frontline responders. Over the last decade, WYI has been hosting Health Camps in remote communities that have limited access to medical facilities and we often treat hundreds of patients in a single camp. Over the last 6 months, we have focused our attention to generating funds for our Health Camps and I'm excited to announce that we have generated over $12,000 which will be used to fund 6 Health Camps in Kenya and Nepal.
So, our message is clear to our community. Remain strong, unite as Australians, and know that things will return to a 'new version of normal'. We can't wait to resume our programs in Nepal and Kenya again very soon!
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Terry Hoey, General Manager, World Youth International
