Project Harar
Encyclopedia
Project Harar, also known under the working name Project Harar Ethiopia, is a UK registered charity
working in Ethiopia
to help children affected by facial disfigurements. In 2010 Project Harar secured treatment and aftercare for over 575 children and young patients living in poverty and isolation.
Project Harar works in collaboration with Ethiopian and foreign plastic, oral and maxillofacial surgeons
and other specialists to treat children affected by a variety of conditions and give them normal facial function and a chance to live dignified lives, included in their home community.
, eastern Ethiopia, in 2001. Moved to do something to help, Jonathan Crown spent months organising the trip that would bring Fhami and Jemal to The Gambia
, where they received highly complex surgery on board of the M/V Anastasis operated by the charity Mercy Ships
.
Since that first trip, Project Harar has collaborated with other charities and the Ethiopian health system, so that patients now receive treatment within Ethiopia, carried out by Ethiopian and volunteer foreign surgeons in hospitals in the capital Addis Ababa
.
In 2006, the English actor John Hurt
became Project Harar's first patron.
In autumn 2007, Project Harar was featured in two BBC World Service
programmes on noma
and the treatment of patients from remote regions. In November 2007, a documentary film made by BBC
Inside Out featured a group of severely-affected patients from the Hararghe
and Somali
regions of Ethiopia who underwent treatment by a team of UK medical volunnteers, organised by the noma charity Facing Africa.
and the centralised Ethiopian health services. Its Ethiopian staff work in remote rural areas, liaising closely with local health administrators and extension workers, to locate and support children with facial disfigurements, who often face stigma and social exclusion.
The children and their families are informed about the possibilities of professional medical care and, if they decide to be assessed further for surgery
, Project Harar covers all costs related to reaching and staying in hospital in the capital city, as well as the cost of prescription medicines and other after-care costs. Project Harar always arranges for a guardian to accompany the young patients and support them through their recovery process.
After surgery, Project Harar promotes the full integration of children back into community and family life, carrying out follow-up visits and playing a role in the reduction of stigma against people living with a facial disfigurement. With the restoration of facial functions (chewing and swallowing
, speech
, salival continence, facial expression
) and improved appearance, Project Harar children are often given for the first time the opportunity to attend school.
Through its close collaboration with Ethiopian health services and foreign specialists, Project Harar contributes to training opportunities for local health professionals and, in this way, helps to advance the surgical capacity of Ethiopia.
Project Harar operates mainly in the Oromia Region
, including the zones of Misraq (East) Hararghe
and Mirab (West) Hararghe
which take in the towns of Harar and Asebe Teferi
. The charity also covers parts of the Somali Region
, including Jijiga
, and the chartered city of Dire Dawa
.
In 2009, Project Harar secured the treatment of 475 patients with an income of £ £170,000 and by 2010, this figure had risen to around £190,000 with over 575 patients treated. .
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
working in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
to help children affected by facial disfigurements. In 2010 Project Harar secured treatment and aftercare for over 575 children and young patients living in poverty and isolation.
Project Harar works in collaboration with Ethiopian and foreign plastic, oral and maxillofacial surgeons
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
and other specialists to treat children affected by a variety of conditions and give them normal facial function and a chance to live dignified lives, included in their home community.
History
Project Harar was founded after Jonathan Crown, a London-based Chartered Accountant and businessman on a photography vacation,encountered two young boys with facial disfigurements, Fhami and Jemal, begging in the town of HararHarar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
, eastern Ethiopia, in 2001. Moved to do something to help, Jonathan Crown spent months organising the trip that would bring Fhami and Jemal to The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
, where they received highly complex surgery on board of the M/V Anastasis operated by the charity Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships is an international charity that was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens. Mercy Ships currently operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs,...
.
Since that first trip, Project Harar has collaborated with other charities and the Ethiopian health system, so that patients now receive treatment within Ethiopia, carried out by Ethiopian and volunteer foreign surgeons in hospitals in the capital Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
.
In 2006, the English actor John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
became Project Harar's first patron.
In autumn 2007, Project Harar was featured in two BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
programmes on noma
Noma (disease)
Noma also known as cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis, is a gangrenous disease leading to tissue destruction of the face, especially the mouth and cheek.-Causes:...
and the treatment of patients from remote regions. In November 2007, a documentary film made by BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Inside Out featured a group of severely-affected patients from the Hararghe
Hararghe
Hararghe was a province in the eastern part of Ethiopia, with its capital in Harar. Including Ethiopia's part of the Ogaden, Haraghe was bounded on the south by Sidamo, southwest by Arsi, west by Shewa, northwest by Wollo, northeast by French Somaliland, and on the east by Somalia.Hararghe came...
and Somali
Somali Region
Somali Region ; is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of the same name. The capital of Somali State is Jijiga...
regions of Ethiopia who underwent treatment by a team of UK medical volunnteers, organised by the noma charity Facing Africa.
Operation
Project Harar is a health outreach charity functioning as a bridge between those who could benefit from facial reconstructive surgeryPlastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
and the centralised Ethiopian health services. Its Ethiopian staff work in remote rural areas, liaising closely with local health administrators and extension workers, to locate and support children with facial disfigurements, who often face stigma and social exclusion.
The children and their families are informed about the possibilities of professional medical care and, if they decide to be assessed further for surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, Project Harar covers all costs related to reaching and staying in hospital in the capital city, as well as the cost of prescription medicines and other after-care costs. Project Harar always arranges for a guardian to accompany the young patients and support them through their recovery process.
After surgery, Project Harar promotes the full integration of children back into community and family life, carrying out follow-up visits and playing a role in the reduction of stigma against people living with a facial disfigurement. With the restoration of facial functions (chewing and swallowing
Swallowing
Swallowing, known scientifically as deglutition, is the process in the human or animal body that makes something pass from the mouth, to the pharynx, and into the esophagus, while shutting the epiglottis. If this fails and the object goes through the trachea, then choking or pulmonary aspiration...
, speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
, salival continence, facial expression
Facial expression
A facial expression one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among humans, but also occur...
) and improved appearance, Project Harar children are often given for the first time the opportunity to attend school.
Through its close collaboration with Ethiopian health services and foreign specialists, Project Harar contributes to training opportunities for local health professionals and, in this way, helps to advance the surgical capacity of Ethiopia.
Project Harar operates mainly in the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, including the zones of Misraq (East) Hararghe
Misraq Hararghe Zone
Misraq Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Misraq Hararge takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Misraq Hararge is bordered on the southwest by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the west by Mirab Hararghe, on the north by Dire Dawa and...
and Mirab (West) Hararghe
Mirab Hararghe Zone
Mirab Hararghe is one of the 17 Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Mirab Hararghe takes its name from the former province of Hararghe. Mirab Harerge is bordered on the south by the Shebelle River which separates it from Bale, on the southwest by Arsi, on the northwest by the Afar Region, on...
which take in the towns of Harar and Asebe Teferi
Asebe Teferi
Asebe Teferi is a town in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Amhar Mountains, it has a latitude and longitude of and an altitude of 1826 meters above sea level...
. The charity also covers parts of the Somali Region
Somali Region
Somali Region ; is the eastern-most of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It is often called Somalia, though it is not to be confused with the independent country of the same name. The capital of Somali State is Jijiga...
, including Jijiga
Jijiga
Jijiga is a city in eastern Ethiopia and the capital of the Somali Region of that country. Located in the Jijiga Zone approximately 80 km east of Harar and 60 km west of the border with Somalia, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1,609 meters above sea...
, and the chartered city of Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa
Dire Dawa is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia . This chartered city is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura....
.
In 2009, Project Harar secured the treatment of 475 patients with an income of £ £170,000 and by 2010, this figure had risen to around £190,000 with over 575 patients treated. .
Conditions treated
Project Harar helps children and other individuals living with a treatable facial disfigurement, which can be caused by a number of conditions. These include:- cleft lip and palate
- nomaNoma (disease)Noma also known as cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis, is a gangrenous disease leading to tissue destruction of the face, especially the mouth and cheek.-Causes:...
- a devastating form of gangreneGangreneGangrene is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition that arises when a considerable mass of body tissue dies . This may occur after an injury or infection, or in people suffering from any chronic health problem affecting blood circulation. The primary cause of gangrene is reduced blood...
that attacks the tissueTissue (biology)Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
of the face - tumour and ameloblastomaAmeloblastomaAmeloblastoma is a rare, benign tumor of odontogenic epithelium much more commonly appearing in the lower jaw than the upper jaw. It was recognized in 1827 by Cusack...
- animal attack injuries and bite wounds
- burnsBurnA burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
and other accidental injuries