Welcome to IMHO USA

IMHO held its 6th Annual Convention this past weekend, on Saturday, April 4th at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, California with great success. Approximately 175 people joined us for the morning session, and 250+ for the evening session. While we are excited to note the continued growth of our organization and the expansion of our programs in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, we all remain deeply concerned and affected by the humanitarian crisis currently gripping Northeast Sri Lanka. As such, IMHO has committed itself this year to do all that is possible to help address the short-term, emergency relief needs and long-term rehabilitation needs of these IDPs.

This year’s convention focused on the current crisis and what we can all do to respond. We welcomed our Chief Guest Mr. Jeevan Thiagarajah of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA), a Colombo-based nonprofit committed to coordinating NGO efforts within Sri Lanka. CHA has been instrumental in responding to the current crisis and serving as IMHO’s partner on the ground during this critical time. He spoke in the morning about the "Issues, Status, and Options in the Vanni", and in the evening session discussed CHA in greater detail and what their role has been with IMHO, including with the current crisis. He also made an appeal to IMHO for a long-term rehabilitation plan for a group of several thousand IDPs with which CHA has been entrusted.

Also joining us for this conference were Paul Bollinger, EMS Senior Advisor for Medical Teams International, a Portland-based INGO that has done extensive work with emergency response systems and care in Sri Lanka. Dr. James Peck of Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) also joined us for the conference, sharing his experiences in doing surgical work in Liberia and Mannar, Sri Lanka during 3 separate commitments with MSF. We also head from Nimmi Gowrinathan, South Asia Programs Director for Operation USA, an LA-based relief organization with whom IMHO has partnered several times in the past. In particular, Nimmi shared her thoughts on how to move forward collectivley under the current situation, and how to engage under-utilized communities, such as women and children.

The IMHO Office Coordinator talked about IMHO's 2008 and 2009 efforts, as well as his insights from recent visits to Sri Lanka and how we can all move forward, stressing the importance of networking and service. During the evening sessions, we heard from Dr. Raguraj, IMHO President, and Dr. Thambipillai, IMHO Secretary. Collectively, they covered IMHO's operations since the last annual convention one year ago. They also discussed the current crisis in greater detail and what IMHO's response has been and will continue to be. Dr. Thambipillai talked about the importance of giving and how to make it work for you financially and personally.

Our Keynote Speaker for the evening was Mr. Richard Walden, President and Founder of Operation USA. He retold his experiences in how he first got involved in doing relief work in Southeast Asia in the late 1970s and how things have developed since then. He offered advice and experiences in doing work in Sri Lanka, and commended IMHO on its exceptional growth in just a few short years with a team of highly committed volunteer professionals.

With Jeevan and representatives from other medical and relief nonprofit organizations here at this convention, IMHO is hoping to work more closely with these partners and many others here and around the world in order to better coordinate all of our efforts. In so doing, we will be able to better serve the overall health and medical needs of others who are at-risk or in need.

While we are proud of our success thus far, the reality is that we have just begun to scratch the surface in addressing the needs of these innocent civilians. There is still much to be done, and we encourage you to get involved, share our message, and unite as many allies as possible behind this collective commitment to humanity. Your continued support of IMHO is crucial to our success and the overall impact of the work we do in Sri Lanka and around the world.

You may find all of the available presentations given at this 6th Annual IMHO Convention on this website; simply follow the link HERE (All Presentations).

Also, please view photos from the event here:

Photo Gallery: 6th Annual IMHO Convention

Click thumbnails to view images of the current humanitarian crisis.