One of the most important things we do as human beings, as witnesses, as people who care, is to ask questions and to bear witness. Being in a country at war requires a kind of seeing that is deeper than observation. You see the surface of life, but you also feel the layers, beneath it layers of fear, resilience, [...]
Today we went to the defenders cemetery. We brought flowers to lay on some of the graves. There were 1000s! It is impossible to put into words the heartbreak of standing among those 1000s of graves, row after row of Ukraine’s defenders. So many were young men, barely adults, some only eighteen. Others in their 20’s, [...]
Helena, Montana At Hands On Global, we are deeply moved and saddened as we face some of our most difficult challenges to date. The recent suspension of the Refugee Resettlement program and the cutting off of all funding for asylum seekers has left us devastated. The very people who have been fully vetted, with their [...]
Our friend and colleague Omar Alshakal founder and director of Refugee4Refugees has returned to his homeland of Syria after 13 years in exile. He began his journey elated at the collapse of the horrible regime of Assad and spent the first evening in the square in Damascus celebrating with fellow countrymen. Then he [...]
A family has arrived in Helena from the Democratic Republic of the Congo after 25 years in a Tanzanian refugee camp. This is a family of 10 with a grandmother, mother and dad and seven children between two and 17. The Congolese family has already been granted asylum, vetted by the U.S. State Department, Homeland Security, and [...]
April 2024: The war in Ukraine continues and with it complex injuries to civilians and frontline protectors. Tourniquets, also known as CATs, are a crucial life and limb saving immediate tool to STOP THE BLEED and Ukraine needs thousands.According to the PROTEZ FOUNDATION (a Ukrainian prosthetic company based in Minnesota and Ukraine), there are more than [...]
Click below to view a documentary on Hands on Global's mission to deliver medical equipemnt to Ukrainian hospitals in March 2023.https://youtu.be/PMeexaA-1uQ?si=kr98PMyTnDfge-M3
First delivery happens. We meet Max who will make sure the Combat Application Tourniquets (CATs), emergency trauma bandages and antibiotic creams are delivered to the front lines. His expression of gratitude is sincere. He plays an audio text from a soldier who tells him that it is a CAT that saved the life of his brother. Max, [...]
HOG team members left with 16 medical suitcases weighing close to 50 pounds each. Each suitcase was numbered, and large signs attached with the names of the doctor, designated hospital and the city, specifying: Humanitarian Aid. Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, we were unable to secure a Humanitarian Aid discount from the airline for baggage fees. The baggage [...]
HARRT (Helena Area Refugee Resettlement Team) began in 2022 in response to the fall of the government in Afghanistan. Our country was suddenly receiving thousands of refugees in crisis from all over Afghanistan. A public meeting was held asking the community if there was capacity and willingness to invite refugees here. It was an overwhelming YES!We connected [...]
