ADRA Inaugurates New Office in Philippines

Silver Spring, Maryland ...[ADRA/ANN Staff] Staff members of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) have moved into a new office building in Silang, Philippines, about 22 miles from Manila, the capital.

Leaders and representatives from universities, hospitals, and local and national government offices attended the May 11 inauguration ceremony, held at the new offices.

“Every family needs a home, and I am sure that our ADRA Philippines family will be strengthened and invigorated by this renovated and new facility,” Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International, wrote in a letter that was read at the opening ceremony. “Thank you for being such a vital part of this work and for making a difference in the lives of people in the Philippines.”

Goran Hansen, director for the ADRA office in the Philippines, commented, “Every organization needs a good and appropriate office to be able to work with efficiency, but with no comparison, the most important is to have a building filled with dedicated staff who will make themselves available ... to give life better meaning to people in need here in the Philippines.”

ADRA began work in the Philippines in 1984, and its projects include disaster assessment, housing and health.

Adventist Lecturer Studies Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Family Members

Wahroonga, New South Wales ... [Brenton Stacey/ANN] Avondale College lecturer Dr. Malcolm Anderson recently shared the results of his research on the effects of neurobehavioral impairments on families, and the psychological well-being of relatives of people with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). He presented a paper on the subject at the Sixth World Congress on Brain Injury, held in Melbourne May 6 to 8.

Dr. Anderson, a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Nursing and Health, led a team of three researchers in a multi-site study that sampled 104 relatives from New South Wales. He found that significant personality change of those suffering TBI places further stress on relationships.

“Spouses describe it as like living with a stranger,” he says.

Dr. Anderson’s research shows the families who cope well under these circumstances are those who support each another, and tend not to view disability or brain injury as threatening.

“This suggests combining individual coping theory, which has been the subject of a lot of study, with a broader study of family stress theory may strengthen research into how families adapt to brain injury,” says Dr. Anderson.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Australasian Research Institute has awarded a grant to Dr. Anderson for his study, which he expects to complete by the end of next year. He is also writing a chapter for a book called “Psychology of Stress,” which will be released later this year.

Myanmar: Reading Specialist Opens Language School in Yangon

Yangon, Myanmar ... [Kenneth Suanzanang/ANN] Daw Betty Than Tin, a retired elementary school English teacher, consultant and reading specialist from Maryland, United States, has returned to her homeland of Myanmar to start an English teaching school. Some 40 English teachers from Adventist schools across Myanmar, including teachers from Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary—the only college in Myanmar—are attending a seminar aimed at improving the quality of English teaching in Adventist schools.

The opening ceremony was conducted May 16 at the headquarters of the Adventist Church in Myanmar.

Tin, who taught English in the United States for 40 years, says she has long dreamed of teaching English in Myanmar. “I plan to be in Myanmar for two years teaching English if God wills,” she says.

“I am happy that Mrs. Betty Tin has come to Myanmar,” says Pastor Muller Kyaw, president of the Adventist Church in Myanmar. “Our dream of opening a language school is imminent. ...It is a new page in the Adventist Church history in Myanmar.”

The Language School will open in June 2006. 

HopeTV Now Available in Africa

A free short-term test broadcast of the Adventist-owned Hope Channel on the Sentech VIVID bouquet system in Africa has become permanent. The short term test which lasted 10 months, was suspended in January but reinstated after a huge outcry among members and the public. 

Hope Channel began “officially” broadcasting on the Sentech VIVID bouquet on May 31. The VIVID bouquet is a small dish (90 cm), Ku Band, free to air, unencrypted, Direct-To-Home digital satellite TV service with no monthly subscription fee. Sentech is the second most popular Direct-To-Home (DTH) TV service in Africa. The VIVID service is targeted to provide DTH digital service for the average African home.

“This is a huge development in Adventist communication and evangelism,” says Brad Thorp, director of Adventist Television Network. “This is a major expansion in ... development for Africa, making Hope Channel available in the homes of millions across Africa. This will provide particular opportunity for our church media centers in Africa, currently in Zambia and South Africa, to produce programming for African audiences.”