It keeps going - also in 2024
Dear members, friends, supporters and donors of HITA e.V.,
Despite many obstacles, we achieved a great deal in 2023 thanks to your support. Thank you very much for this. The wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip have also had an impact on our work - above all because the volume of donations for activities in Africa has fallen significantly.
One "highlight" of our activities in 2023 was certainly our trip to Ghana over Easter. This trip triggered a lot in us, as the economic situation in Ghana is leading to major social problems due to the crises mentioned above. The goals of the trip were challenging. Firstly, we wanted to check whether our HITA computer labs were still working despite the various restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. We are proud to report that our approach of training those responsible for these computer labs in such a way that they can maintain their operation sustainably and as far as possible without our help has been successful in almost all of our projects. It's amazing how many computers are still working reliably almost a decade later. This is only possible because the IT managers in schools and universities are incredibly innovative in their work and almost always find solutions to keep operations running under the most difficult conditions.
Nevertheless, we now have to accept that we also have to gradually replace existing computers. We are therefore launching an appeal for donations. We urgently need computers, laptops, printers, network equipment as well as cell phones. Please support us with donations in kind or money. For additional information, please check our homepage https://hita-ev.org regularly.
Another aim of the trip was to support the 1Bed4All project: https://hita-ev.org/project/1bed4all-ii/. As you know, we have sent 180 hospital beds to Ghana together with the Vincenz-Kliniken and the forwarding company Hartmann International from Paderborn. Since then, we have been working on getting these into the facilities selected by our partners and introducing them there on a sustainable basis.
During a visit to the Volta region, we not only intensified our cooperation with the "Grow Your Dream Foundation", but also launched a pilot project. The "ICT Girls" project aims to provide girls in remote villages with ICT training in order to increase equal opportunities. "ICT" is the English abbreviation for information and communication technologies, which is also commonly used in Ghana.
We have initiated a very exciting project in Ho. There, we support a local initiative that uses modern social media services (such as WhatsApp) to support pregnant women and young mothers. The aim is to minimize the high infant and maternal mortality rate in Ghana. We urgently need cell phones for this project. You can find out more at https://hita-ev.org/unterstuetzen/.
The current difficult economic situation has prompted us to launch the "MedSupport4Families" project. Here we support needy families directly to enable their children to receive at least basic medical care and thus gain further insight into the Ghanaian healthcare system.
Our member Karsten Gareis has launched a project to provide immediate and rapid assistance after a flood caused by a dam break in the Akosombo reservoir. Karsten organizes impregnated mosquito nets and distributes them with the support of a local aid organization to prevent the spread of malaria. We also urgently need donations for this.
But we were not only active in Ghana. We are particularly pleased that our school partnership with the Carlo Mierendorff School in Frankfurt and the Mawuko Girls' Senior High School in Ho is becoming more and more intensive. Since this school year, for example, there has been a compulsory elective course at the Carlo Mierendorff School in which in-depth computer skills are taught. As part of the practical aid project "Students4Students", this knowledge is used to refurbish used computers so that they can continue to be used in schools and universities in Ghana: https://hita-ev.org/02-11-2023-computeraufbereitung-an-der-carlo-mierendorff-schule/.
Everyone involved had a lot of fun preparing greeting videos for the 40th anniversary of Mawuko Girls' Senior High School. You can find the videos and many more on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@HITAeV.
We could tell you so much more - but unfortunately there's not enough space here! Curious now? Click through the website and discover HITA e.V. and our activities : http://hita-ev.org! We hope you are as enthusiastic as we are. We are very grateful for feedback and welcome praise and criticism in an email to feedback@hita-ev.org.
We would like to conclude with an outlook for 2024. In addition to continuing to support local initiatives in Ghana, our work will focus primarily on securing the operation of the now more than 30 HITA computer labs and setting up further computer labs and learning networks in educational institutions. In order to be able to continue our activities sustainably in the future, we will have to update or upgrade the existing HITA Computer Labs. As every year, we need your help.
As you can see, we have a lot planned. We therefore look forward to your active cooperation. Whether it's in the area of project management, communication, or finding other funding opportunities, anyone can get actively involved. We look forward to your cooperation.
We wish you and your families happy holidays and a good year 2024. Stay healthy and confident. Continue to work together with HITA e.V. on meaningful and sustainable goals in the coming years!