OVERSEAS PROJECTS OFFER ACTS WORLD RELIEF UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
Acts World Relief is meeting our mission of providing leadership and empowering youth volunteers to active community service as a way of sharing the love of Christ, especially during times of disaster is now expanding through our International Division with its new outreach projects in Nicaragua and Honduras.
1. Disaster and Emergency Response Plan and Training: Students from Union College and other educational institutions with whom ACTS has agreements, are designing disaster response plans for the Bay Islands of Honduras. Additional requests have been received to begin planning for other areas in Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. These urgent written requests are from high governmental officials including local Governors, Mayors and Ambassadors. The Governor of Bay Islands stated “Your disaster plan, as submitted, far surpasses anything we have ever seen”.
There are 39 urgent requests from three different Caribbean nations for ACTS to educate their leaders how to teach the TEEN CERT - Community Emergency Response Team Education Program. Once the local leaders are trained, they will establish ongoing TEEN CERT Teams and Adult CERT Teams within their own communities.
ACTS is committed to providing the needed professional training resources, with internationally recognized tools, to qualify these local First Responders with adequate emergency education. This will provide a basis by which ACTS will then be able to support these communities in need with donated goods and supplies through ACTS Partners.
Agreements have been made with three local radio stations to broadcast disaster preparedness training and medical education on an ongoing basis to millions of listeners. ACTS graduate trainers will travel to the Caribbean and work for an entire year training the local 1st Responders and local governmental leadership to establish ongoing disaster preparedness programs.
2. Agricultural Training Institute Four villages in Nicaragua are in a circle and in the center are 1,200 acres set aside for the purpose of developing family gardens and piloting new techniques in growing vegetables.
Visiting College students will intern at a local agricultural training institute where they will assist local communities in how to train key leaders for periods ranging from one semester to a full year.
The three radio stations will assist in education and training of the programs that ACTS supports. Those communities committed to training will receive additional food commodities. Machinery for an abandoned rice mill has been purchased for development to this project, and a business plan is being implemented for future sustainability.
3. Rebuilding and Development Following Hurricanes: ACTS is involved in numerous ongoing projects related to the recovery from Hurricane Felix which destroyed over 92,000 homes. Here's what is ongoing:
a. A Sawmill transported from the United States has been in operation cutting wood by trained local villagers, to assist in rebuilding of homes.
b. Additional concrete block forms are needed to continue the re-construction of villages under the direction of local leaders and volunteers.
c. With the help of PPPA, Well-drilling equipment was brought in and fresh water wells are being drilled.
d. Three Churches or Community Training Centers need to be built.
e. Community service and training centers need to be established.
ACTS Business, Accounting, and Construction degreed students are offering assistance to work with a local MBA instructor, but require the funding to be deployed.
4. Medical Assistance: Medical clinics are continuing to be established and supported as well as assistance provided by medical teams in outlying remote villages utilizing nursing, counseling, medical, EMTs, Paramedic students and Physicians.