Welcome to IMHO USA

Supporters from across 17 US states and 5 countries (including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sri Lanka) gathered at the Sheraton North Houston in Houston, Texas for IMHO’s 8th Annual Convention. Over 100 guests joined for the morning session and more than 200 for the evening session. The event provides a rare opportunity for those committed to providing humanitarian services to people in need globally to come together and share their insights, experiences, and motivation under the banner of IMHO.

In the year since our last convention, IMHO has reached several milestones. With the recent additions of IMHO Lanka and IMHO European Union, and the continued growth of IMHO Canada, the IMHO family of organizations continues to grow and expand its reach. In 2010, IMHO also directly implemented its first project outside of Sri Lanka by taking a volunteer team of 6 individuals to Ethiopia to conduct needs assessments, dole out medical supplies and services, and lay the foundation for future efforts. We are currently working on a number of efforts in Ethiopia, and have undertaken projects in Haiti and India too. With your support, more than $2.5 million in support, equipment, and other resources has gone into relief and development efforts since 2004, mostly to war-affected and impoverished communities in Sri Lanka.

With the continued resettlement of war-affected persons across Northeast Sri Lanka and much emphasis still on rebuilding the health and medical infrastructure of the Northeast, there remains much to be done in serving this vulnerable demographic and bringing people to their feet again. We perhaps face greater challenges now than ever before with dwindling attention on Sri Lanka and many international & local NGOs scaling back their operations on a significant scale—all the more reason that we must remain steadfast in our commitment to helping people in Sri Lanka rebuild their lives and move forward.

The theme of our convention this year was “Leading the Way Forward”. As an organization that is particularly interested in Sri Lanka and has a number of qualities that make our ability to work in the island unique, we believe we can continue to play an important role in developing the health services and infrastructure there. Along these lines, we kicked off our convention this year with a panel discussion focused on “Strategic Initiatives on Improving Cardiac and Healthcare Services in Eastern Sri Lanka”. This panel was comprised of Dr. Arulnithy, Consultant Cardiologist at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital (Sri Lanka), and two local cardiologists. Many in the audience participated as well, asking questions and sharing individual insights and experiences. It was a most interactive forum—the type of discussion and planning that is crucial to determining how we as a community can support these efforts.

Following a brief break and opportunity to visit the pharmaceutical sponsor display booths, a second panel discussion was initiated with the focus on “How to Best Address the Needs of Returnees”. Drawing on key input from visiting physician and Director of the Vavuniya General Hospital (Sri Lanka) Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy, as well as IMHO Canada Secretary Meera Kandeepan (Canada), MIOT Board representative and IMHO International Coordinator Dr. Poologanathan (United Kingdom), and AMAF representative Dr. M. Sivakadadchan (Australia), we had a truly international panel. Each representative shared what their respective communities have done to assist humanitarian efforts in Sri Lanka for resettled families, and put forth ideas and plans for moving forward. The key areas of intervention were determined to be improved primary care, psychosocial support, rebuilding livelihoods, physical infrastructure (including shelter and water/sanitation facilities), and education. IMHO, along with AMAF, MIOT, and the local partners intend to focus on these areas in the coming year.

After lunch, a small group of enthusiastic and optimistic youth gathered for the annual Youth Forum. This group of young people discussed the meaning of service and how we can help others in need. They also shared ideas about various projects or events that they or their schools have done to support humanitarian efforts in places like Haiti, Louisiana, and Japan. This year’s Youth Forum attendees are planning to collectively hold at least one event to raise awareness and funds for a project to benefit war-affected youth in Sri Lanka. We look forward to seeing what they accomplish!

A small reception preceded the evening session, which featured a mix of medical lectures, presentations on humanitarian needs and service in under-served communities globally, and fun activities including a riveting auction and a delicious dinner of Indian cuisine. The highlight for many was watching the bidding war that ensued with the auction of a $2,500 travel voucher from Rio Travel (donated by N. & S. Suntharalingam of New Jersey) and a beautiful saree. These two items raised an incredible $30,450 thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Texas community and many visiting guests. In addition, two elegant watches donated by I.W. Marks Jewelers in Texas were put up for silent auction, with one lucky bidder walking away with the prizes. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, and all for a great cause!

You can use the links below to view any of the evening presentations:

“Report on the Needs of Resettled Persons and Others in Sri Lanka” by Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy

“Status of Vavuniya General Hospital” by Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy

“Health Care Needs across Eastern Sri Lanka” by Dr. K. Arulnithy

“In Service of Humanity: Global Outreach of IMHO” by Dr. Elizabeth Finigan

“2011 Update on Completed IMHO Efforts” by Dr. Thavam Thambipillai

“Overview of Australian Medical Aid Foundation (AMAF)” by AMAF (Dr. Sivakadadchan)

“Maternal-Fetal Nutrition: Laying the Groundwork for a Lifetime of Health” by Dr. Paula Hertel Thevananther

“Overview of Parkinson’s Disease” by Dr. Joohi Jimenez-Shahed

IMHO wishes to thank all of our program sponsors and pharmaceutical representatives, including Merck, Daiichi Sankyo, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott, and MetLife Insurance. We would also like to thank Dr. and Dr. Mrs. Srinanthakumar for coordinating this entire event and going to great lengths to ensure this was an enjoyable and successful event for all who attended. It is only because of volunteers like you who go above and beyond that we are able to do the work we do.

Our 2011 ANNUAL CONVENTION SOUVENIR PROGRAM, featuring articles from doctors and key partners in Sri Lanka (including Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Valaichchenai, Batticaloa, and Kalmunai), Ethiopia, and Haiti, as well as various other insightful articles by various IMHO supporters is available online HERE.

Photo Gallery: 8th Annual IMHO Convention (Texas)