When two is a lonely number: Group aims to connect spousal caregivers, ease isolation

Racquel Stephen

July 09, 2021 |

WXXI |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Well Spouse Association helps spouses manage the mental and physical challenges of caregiving. The nonprofit offers support groups, respite weekends that give caregivers time to take care of themselves and other responsibilities, and other resources. The relationships members build with each other help combat feelings of loneliness and isolation. With just 20 chapters nationwide, many members travel long distances to access the support and services, though moving meetings online due to the coronavirus pandemic had the effect of expanding membership and several members have also started local chapters.

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Helpline Fills Gaps in Local Housing Assistance

Kathleen Shannon

June 29, 2021 |

KDNK Community Radio |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado

Bridging Resources is a helpline launched by a group of nonprofits that connects residents to existing services. Bilingual operators field calls and connect callers to agencies that can provide food, rental assistance, childcare, and legal advice among other services. The operators actually call the agencies with residents on the line to ensure the connection is made. Seventy-eight callers received assistance in the helpline’s first ten weeks, split almost evenly between English and Spanish speakers, which reinforced the importance of providing bilingual assistance.

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Heritage and Survival: two sides of the same coin for conflict-torn Iraq

Chen Wei Hannah

June 26, 2021 |

Pi Media |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Iraq

The Nahrein Network funds projects that strengthen Iraq’s cultural and heritage infrastructure. Many grantees have deep historical knowledge of cultural preservation but haven’t been able to access funding due to sanctions, international isolation, and civil war. The funded projects’ approach to cultural preservation must be rooted in local socio-economic interests and the Network provides mentoring and helps in other ways, like supporting visiting scholarships abroad. The Network’s solutions focus on a long-term relationship building as a way to push for an inclusive post-conflict cultural environments.

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Queer and Roma in Romania

Andrei Popoviciu

June 24, 2021 |

Are We Europe |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Romania, Bucharest

MozaiQ provides support for the LGBTQ community and fosters stronger ties among queer Romanians. The group creates safe spaces and offers programming, from football championships to job fairs and professional skills building classes. It also helps with urgent needs, like finding emergency shelter, and fosters long-term relationships in the community, offering pro bono training to companies on the importance of inclusivity in the workplace. The group has particularly empowered queer Romas, whose intersectional identities compound issues of discrimination, increase their confidence to fight for their rights.

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Julia Burke Maternity Centre blends trado-modern methods to provide quality care

Aloysius Chidiebere Ugwu Adaobi N. Ezeokoli

June 21, 2021 |

Nigeria Health Watch |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

The GEANCO Foundation provides services to increase the health of pregnant women, including an anemia clinic that provides free antenatal care and a stipend to support women’s nutritional needs. Because many women prefer to give birth with traditional birth attendants (TBAs), they’ve trained hundreds of TBAs to provide safe and hygienic care to pregnant women. Post-training, TBAs are supervised by a nurse midwife for compliance and lab technicians test women for more serious complications. GEANCO built sanitary modular clinics, with beds and a delivery room, for two TBAs with plans for more.

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When the Local Paper Shrank, These Journalists Started an Alternative

Katharine Seelye

June 20, 2021 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Bedford, New Hampshire

As traditional local media outlets shrink or disappear, non-profit digital news outlets are popping up to fill the void. The New Bedford Light is one example, formed by journalism veterans and following the playbook of the Institute for Nonprofit News, the outlet provides in-depth investigative journalism. From holding government officials accountable to profiling the local human impact of COVID, the content provides deep dives into issues that matter to the local community. Content is free to readers and instead of advertising, it relies on donations, grants, and sponsorships from local businesses.

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'Take what you need—leave what you can' — Stark Co. woman sets up anonymous food pantries for those in need

Courtney Gousman

June 17, 2021 |

WEWS-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Stark County, Ohio

“Take what you need—leave what you can" is the motto etched on the 16 anonymous “Blessing Boxes” set up around Stark County. The wooden cabinets are stocked with non-perishable food, household items, and personal hygiene items. People can access the boxes whenever they need to and can take as much as they would like. The boxes are made and re-stocked several times a week by volunteers. One of the boxes sits outside a local elementary school, not only provided needed supplies to students and their families, but students have also taken responsibility for helping to keep it filled.

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Italian volunteers transform an old custom of generosity into a powerful weapon in the battle against Covid 19

Lorenzo Di Stasi

June 17, 2021 |

News48 |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Italy, Milan

Milan’s tampone sospeso or “suspended test” initiative provides rapid COVID-19 tests to stop the spread of the virus. The initiative sets up in highly visible public areas of Milan and is based on a model of mutual support where everyone pays what they can. It is run with the help of over 50 volunteers and Medicina Solidale, a group of medical professionals who provide free medical advice to those who can’t afford to access care. The project has raised 24,000 euros from 436 donors, which has enabled them to administer rapid antigenic swabs to more than 3000 people.

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New grocery store reflects Cornerstone church's belief that 'South Dallas deserves beautiful things'

Sujata Dand

June 16, 2021 |

Dallas Free Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

The new Southpoint Community Market in Dallas is the product of seven years of planning in a process based on community input about the need for accessible, nutritious, affordable food and other everyday groceries. Anchoring what once was a run-down shopping center, the new grocery and coffee bar is supported by Cornerstone Community Enterprises, a nearby church's philanthropic arm, and the Real Estate Council Foundation, which will cover the store's financial losses until it is self-sustaining. The store is part of a larger effort to provide for a healthier neighborhood.

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Recovered Covid Patients Send Their Leftover Meds to Those in Need

Priti Salian

June 08, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Mumbai

Volunteers with India’s Meds For More initiative (MFM) collect leftover unused medications from recovered Covid-19 patients by canvassing their apartment buildings, offices, student clubs, schools, and other locations. Once collected, MFM distributes them to NGOs licensed to work in the health sector, who transport the medicines to marginalized communities in urban and rural areas. Medical professionals sort and pack the medicines and give them to local hospitals and health care centers, who distribute them to patients. The success of the program has inspired similar initiatives in several other cities.

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