Luz Gets to Spend Time with her Grandparents

How sweet is this! Crystal sent a special needs donation so that Luz could visit her grandparents!!! That special needs gift goes right to the top of the best things you could provide for your sponsor kids!!

This is it... Let's make this happen!

This fundraiser only needs $76!!! If we can fund this one today, Nsenzeni and her family will receive the items at the end of October. (If we don't fund this today, they won't get it until the end of November!) Please help make this happen if you can. Thanks!

http://www.firstgiving.com/igp4nsenzeni

This reminds me of the old fashioned desks

Jaden & Morgan now have the perfect place to write to their sponsor kids!! Check out this cute desk!!! It is extremely affordable, too... And, there is a basket underneath for them to keep their letter supplies. I got the desk here:
http://www.csnbaby.com/Delta-Childrens-Products-TC83881DO_999-DEL1286.html
There are other character desks as well including Disney Pixar Cars and Princesses. I am going to have to break down and get one more, so they can both have a desk. The quality is much better than I imagined it would be, and it wasn't that hard to put together. What do ya'll think?

Apology

Dear faithful sponsors,

I would like to apologize on CI's behalf. This fundraiser business has had it's rocky moments. Most of the moments such as waiting for special needs breakdowns and thank you letters and pictures, have been blamed on the "field". It takes so much time to get the things back from "the field". Well, let me tell you... A request was put in for Robyn's child Wilmer MONTHS ago... We waited and waited... I contacted Melissa @ CI to see what the delay was, and she said that they field asked for an extension. This was July 3rd, after we had already waited for over 2 months to get it. This is exactly what Melissa said: "The field needed an extension on Robyn’s child Wilson." I didn't think anything about the name goof up at the time, but now it is bugging me. This is why: The CI office never made the request to the field!!! We have been waiting on a breakdown for this one since May, only to find out it was NEVER ever ever ever requested!!!

Poor Robyn's fundraiser has been pushed back and pushed back, and if we hadn't requested a new request for a different child, we would still be waiting on a fundraiser for her!!!

So, for the breakdowns that CI NEVER requested, the long turn around time to get the breakdowns, and long lapse before getting the thank you and pictures, I apologize!!!
Because of the lack of correspondance, appreciation, and dedication, (all on CI's end) we will get through this list of fundraisers we have and call it a year. I think that at least half of the people who started out participating in this project are frustrated. I am not one that gives up easily, so know that~ I have been fighting for months now. (I won't get into all of the details)

I am putting Robyn's fundraiser in as #15, since hers was supposed to start before Barbara's. Once Barbara's funds, I will put Su's out. It will be a cluster of a mess, I know... But, there is no good way to fix CI's mistake. As of today, Robyn's delayed fundraiser is now live. See below for the link:

Project #15~ Maria & Ullysette (Robyn & Ryan)
http://www.firstgiving.com/betterlatethannever
Project #16~ Crystal & Gema (Su)
Project #17~ Maila (Steve)
Project #18~ Adriana (Candace)
Project #19~ Yamileisy (Dee)
Project #20~ Nikhat (Jennifer) (Jennifer, please see my e-mail about this one and send me the break down, photos & write up, so I can set up the page)
Project #21~ (Stephanie)
Project #22~ Jerry (Wilfredo)
Project #23~ Joyce (Heather G)
Project #24~ Maria (Holly)
Project #25~ Ariela (Camille)
Project #26~ (Tamara)
Project #27~ Sabrata (Cherise)

Special Needs Gift for Luz

Photos of Chrystal's sponsored child Luz from Guatemala.

She is 9 years old.

Chrystal sent her a special needs gifts for food and clothes.

Project #6 Photos & Thank You!!!

Dear Sponsor:

I greet you with so much love wishing you are in good health let me tell you that I am healthy along with my loved ones.

I am happy to receive your help. I received a machine to make ice drinks, a juice extractor, 6 glasses & 200 oranges.

I want to thank you for all the help you send for me and my family I will keep you always in my prayers, may God bless you and keep you safe.

Whereveryou are I hope you are having a great time.

Goodbye with joy, hugs, and kisses.With love

Brenda

PLEASE go to the web-site because I have added several pictures of a few completed projects. Take a look a what all of you have helped accomplish!!!: http://makeachangemac.webs.com/completedprojects.htm

We have a WINNER!!!

We have a winner!
Thanks everyone that donated to Angelito and Jhonalyn graduation fundraiser.
Sterling has chosen the name from a hat.
And the winner is Dee, for the $100 gift card from http://jschilling.ordermygift.com/
Follow this link to see the drawing... It is TOO cute!!!:
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=999da4c7ab049852cb10af&skin_id=801&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Thanks again for your thoughtful gifts, it is greatly appreciated.
Tamara and Jack Schilling

***And, on another note... There is so much going on that soon I will be making 2+ posts a day!! We have the pictures from a couple of earlier fundraisers, but I am waiting for the "thank you" letters to post them together. Stay tuned!!<

Thank you!!!!

Nakibule Margaret feeding Rehema

Thank you, everyone, who has taken on one or more of the precious children in Uganda!!! The coordinator & director are VERY grateful, as are the children! In fact, as soon as you make your donation, word gets to the children pretty quickly. They are told right away, and imagine their excitement to hear the news that they have a sponsor!!! That someone far away cares about them!! It is not far fetched to say that as their sponsor, you may be the only one who shows them you care!!! Many of the children are orphans. The relatives don't want them, so they pass the child around from relative to neighbor. What's worse is that they are treated as a slave in the home and made to do all of the household chores!! School is their only escape! Now you have given them hope, and, also, soon some sweet letters as well!!

To write to your new child, it is so easy... The address is:

Christian Upliftment Primary School

(Name Of Sponsor Child)

PO Box 32187

Kampala, Uganda

Here are the names of the children that I know were sponsored yesterday and today by the blog readers:

Okwir Alex

Aketowanga Winifred

Natungoza Molly

Kididi Edward

Tunamsangayop Richard

If you sponsored a child, and they are not on the list, make sure to drop me a line. I will add them to the list, so that we can ALL be excited for them!!!

There are still more children available. In fact, all of the children from my post yesterday are still waiting for sponsors. So, take a look back at them, and see if you are able to help. The coordinator wanted me to put in a plug for Nakibule Margaret. Of those children, she is the worst off. Here is what Kate wrote:

"She is doing poorly in school, and her life is extremely difficult. Yet, when I met her this past June, she showed me so much love and kindness. Emotions she has never even been shown from her own relatives! When we went to Didi's world(amusement park), she helped feed one of the younger students who was feeling sick. No one asked her to, but she patiently scooped bite size pieces of posho into the girls mouth. Before she even ate herself."

Kevin's Mother Reappears for a Family Photo

The people that appear in the photos are:
* Kevin - white shirt and khaki shorts
* Julexi (sister) - gray blouse
* Jeremy (brother) - white shirt and yellow shorts
* Reina (mother) - beige blouse
* Roberto (baby brother) - white shirt and shorts

Great new for Kevin!! I requested photos of him and his family outside/inside their home to get a better idea of what need they might have. In July, when he first entered the sponsorship program, he report said that the mother had abandoned the family, & they were living with relatives. They updated his report when they took these pictures on 9/10/09 to say that he now lives with his mother. Hurray!!!!
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart." Helen Keller

Little Miss Guatemala

From Barbara:

This is Marelyn from Guatemala City modelling her latest gifts from her Special Hug DP. Wouldn't she make a lovely child model? The reason I wanted to share these photos is to show how sponsorship has changed Marelyn from a super shy child, living in a tin shack located in a dangerous ravine slum, into the young attractive and self confident young lady at only age 11(who can now add swimming to her life skills). I can only imagine what a difference even a few more years will make.

Andrea's Second Sponsor Child

Andrea (the one that Mack recruited to be a sponsor) now took on another child. He is the brother of her first child. Mack's one conversation with ONE person seem to be spreading like the California fires!!

Age: 7

Gender: M

Date of Birth: 5/3/2002

Height: 3 Feet 11 Inches

Weight: 44 Pounds

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Black2.

Health problems, if any: None

3. Attends School: Yes

4. Favorite School Subjects: Geography

Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with toys and cars

Chores at Home: Running errands

Talents or Hobbies: Drawing

Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:

5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $381.00

6. Name of Father: Mario

Age: 34

Occupation: Bricklayer

7. Name of Mother: Luz Adriana

Age: 32

Occupation: Homemaker

8. Brothers and Sisters:

Name Andrea Guadalupe

Age 8

Gender F

9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:

10. Description of Home: Bathroom, One Bedroom

Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove

Sleeping Accommodations: Beds

Home Construction: Walls Concrete block

Roof Brick

Floor Tile

11. Facilities and Services:

Water Source/Storage: Stored at home in barrel/tank

Electricity: Available Sanitary Facility: Toilet

The Worst Place on the Earth to be a Child Today!

Henry

Vanesa

Before I go into ANY projects, I go through a lengthy process of investigation. It was about a year ago when I was first introduced to the "commuter children" of Uganda. If you put "Invisible Children" in your search engine, you will find a few links to these. However, on YouTube, I saw all of the video installments that the 3 students put together. It is eye opening. That was a year ago. I read several pieces about the LRA and the child soldiers, & even saw an hour long feature on some news show (I can't remember which one now).

I am going to give you one more tidbit that I read on "The Huffington Post", and say one more thing before I sign off on this subject:

Northern Uganda is the worst place on earth to be a child today, says a former United Nations Under-Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflicts. According to Oxfam, the rate of violent death in northern Uganda is three times worse than Iraq's. Since 1996, the government has herded more than 1.6 million people in northern Uganda into the internal displaced persons (IDP) camps. The WHO reports that in northern Uganda over 1,000 people die each week of starvation and preventable diseases. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) describes the level of suffering in northern Uganda as "an emergency out of control." As a Catholic missionary priest who has worked in northern Uganda for half a century describes it, "everything Acholi is dying."
In the January 2006 edition of Vanity Fair, in a piece titled "Childhood's End," Christopher Hitchens proclaims to expose the cynical politics behind one of Africa's greatest nightmares: the twenty-year war in northern Uganda. For those of us dedicated to bringing the humanitarian catastrophe in northern Uganda to the attention of the international community, any exposure of the conflict by a high-profile journalist such as Hitchens is welcome. But Hitchens's account of the two-decade-long war is dangerously misleading.
Since 1986 the Ugandan civil war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Over 25,000 children have been abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and forced to kill their friends and relatives. Each night a terrible saga is played out when approximately 40,000 children flee their homes in the rural areas to escape abduction, torture, or murder by the LRA. These are northern Uganda's "night commuters" or "invisible children."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniella-boston/genocide-in-uganda-the-af_b_21150.html

***Back to my writing. The other part of working with Kate is she has provided penpals for all of the KCCW children. The pictures above are the pen pals that Jaden and Morgan chose. Morgan chose 4 year old Henry: He is in baby class and is 4 years old. His favorite thing to do is play soccer.He lives with his parents, who are too poor to pay for his school supplies. They work in the stone quarry, breaking rocks all day long for under $1/day. His ambition is to become a lawyer.

Jaden chose Vanesa: She is P.1 and is 7 years old. She lives with her mother, who is often sick and is the breadwinner of the family. The father abandoned the family and they are really strugling. Vanesa loves to read, and her ambition is to become a nurse.***

Microfinance - Feed the Hungry

The line for lunch

happy children eating

the school

The "street kids" only get a chance to eat with the school kids if there is enough to go around. Otherwise, they stand on the other side of the fence, watching the others prepare for lunch.

As a part of yet another group I run, I recently met an amazing person (via e-mail), I will get to her in a minute. The youth Philanthropy group that I am over, I started about 2 years ago. It is called Kids Can Change the World. The purpose of the group is to get children to see that they can make a difference in someone else's life. When I started this group. I contacted CI and asked if they could provide my group kids with pen pals. I had, also, contacted CI regarding other things that my youth group could do for the sponsor kids. Unfortunately, they did not want our help (for various reasons).

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not easily deterred. I contacted CI again around the holidays last year to see if we could provide a Disney DVD to every center that CI has. Unfortunately, they do not have the DVD players, nor did they want to take on the task of hunting one down for the kids to use. I sure could not provide the player, but I think that even if I could, that would not be welcomed either. At any rate, Jaden, Morgan & I made use of the DVD's by giving them in gift bags to local children who are battling HIV/AIDS. They welcomed us with open arms, and even published us in their quarterly magazine. They said that the children were especially grateful that someone that didn't even know them cared enough to give them something at Christmas. Most of those children would not have received a gift from the agency because while there are usually plenty of toys for the younger kids, most of the older kids do not get anything.

Now, back to my story of not being stopped... I received an offer of a grant to help the hungry. I have to submit the paperwork & get approved, but here are the details:

Kids Care Clubs Microfinance for Kids– Feed the Hungry

Kids Care Clubs has added the component of microfinance to Kids Care Week 2009 because we were inspired by the children’s book, One Hen -- How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference, written by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes and based on the story of Kwabena Darko of Ghana, The book and the website http://www.onehen.org/ offers kids (and adults) an exciting, fun and interactive opportunity to learn how a small loan can make a big difference.
Microfinance is the practice of providing small loans to people living in poverty who are unable to access bank credit. Microfinance helps families build and grow businesses, feed their families and pay school fees for their children. All clubs receiving a grant for a Microfinance for Kids project will receive a copy of the One Hen book.

Goals :
To educate kids about microfinance and world hunger
To implement a service project to feed the hungry, locally, nationally, or globally
To explore finance and philanthropy on a kid-friendly level

Now, faced with the prospect of a Microfinance Grant, that could turn the project into hundreds of dollars worth of food... I started meditating my next move. First, the children have to make something & then sell it as a business. What will they make? After hours of thought, it came to my head to have them decorate sturdy reusable grocery bags to sell. Now, I am in search of a place that can provide me with around $200 at $1 a piece (or less). They need to be sturdy & blank in order for the kids to decorate them.

Second, who would receive the funds? Well, Barbara has been talking about this Ugandan school, and to be completely honest, I try to block out any news of more children to help because I will naturally be drawn to helping them. I never asked anything about the school over the months that Barbara persisted in telling me about the school kids she was helping. It just so happened that she mentioned it again, right at the time that I was looking for someone to help... and BAM!!! That is how I met Kate... (to be continued)

Jonathan's Fundaraiser Update

Jonathan's IGP is coming close to the $100 mark! That is very exciting! I want to send a thank you to Barbara, Mack & Jim, Heather, Holly, and Tamara for their donations!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Jonathan, who has turned out to be such a sweet happy child did not appear to be that way when I first started sponsoring him. I imagine he had one or a few sponsors before me because he had about 7 annual photos in his photo album. In every single photo, he wore a frown. When I began sponsoring him, I imediately asked for CI to go out and get family pics in his home. All of the pictures showed him frowning!!! Just a few months into my sponsoring him, he changed his face dramatically!!! Now all of his pictures show a huge grin!!
So, I was thinking, I wonder what his face & his grandmother's face will look like when they receive the items they need for the IGP? I can only imagine how they will feel by putting myself in their shoes. If someone sent me money to start a business with no strings attached (no loan looming over my head), I would be beside myself with happiness knowing I would be able to feed my kids and care for them as I would like to. She can, maybe, take Jonathan somewhere he has never been but would like to go. She can buy him an extra shirt or pants.
What a great opportunity, and what a wonderful surprise it will be for them!!!
Here is the link to the fundraiser:
http://www.firstgiving.com/igp4jonathan
Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have help/ plan to help this wonderful child and his surrogate grandmother!!!

So close!

http://www.firstgiving.com/igp4nsenzeni

I hope everyone can help with this fundraiser. It only needs $200 more, which is the amount of our small fundraisers that we originally started with. I know these large fundraisers are hard to fund, and most of us are short on cash. Soon we will be back to the lower amounts, and these will move more quickly. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Every dollar counts, so if you can donate $1 or $3 or whatever, it all adds up!!

2. Once this one funds, we will go on to the next fundraiser!!

3. Here is the list of fundraisers coming up soon after this one... Make sure that you have put in your 25% by the time it is time to launch your fundraiser, so that it doesn't get delayed!:

Next in line~ Crystal & Gema (Su)

2nd in line~ Maila (Steve)

3rd in line~ Adriana (Candace)

4th in line~ Yamileisy (Dee)

These other sponsors, bless their hearts, have been given the short end of the stick!! Jennifer and Robyn have both been pushed out to later fundraisers because of problems getting the reply back from the field. Jennifer got a reply from the field, but instead of giving us a fundraiser of $500 or less, they requested $2,500!! Because Robyn's was being delayed, we sent another request out for a different child of hers, that way at least one will come back in time! I hope that by the time Dee's is getting ready to finish, they will have their responses that they need!

Helping Families Find Room in Small Places

I have been brainstorming ever since I got Barbara's e-mail regarding storage ideas for our sponsor kids and even in our own homes. I have found some cool ways to give the sponsor families more room. One such way is by using Bunk Beds in place of a regular queen size bed that takes up most of their living space. These beds are so different from the plain ones that I remember growing up!!! Some have a trundle, so are essentially 3 beds in one!! Others have a desk attached. Of course, they, also, sell the plain metal bunk beds for under $300!! Anyway, check them out and tell me what you think!

Miguel Angel's Package From Barbara

Dear Barbara

Thank you for the gifts that you sent me. I really liked the Halloween lamp and towel, the spider that glows in the dark, the frog, the shirt and baby's T-shirt. Also, the stickers, the brochure and I liked your photos a lot. What I like the most is the Batman blanket [for his new bed]. Thank you for always thinking about me.

Miguel Angel.

Paola's package from Barbara

"Hello,
Paola, and her mom, Rosa, thank you for your gift. Rosa says that when she told Paola that her gift had arrived she got really excited and was anxious to open it. Paola got really happy to see her gift, she liked everything but, especially, she liked the crown and the princess dress. They send you lots of greetings and thank you. Mrs Rosa says that she will always be very thankful. She says May God bless you.

Areceli Murguia Lara (Field Officer)
Mom and daughter do not write.

The direct package follow up shows that the package was given to Paola on 11th August and listed all the items contained as follows:

1 pink velour box containing
Sticker album
Water colours
Photo album
Blue Princess dress
2 pairs of shorts
2 - T-shirts
2 piece tiara
1 star wand
3 bath sponges
1 Canadian small ball
1 skipping rope
1 little purse
1 pair socks
1 wings and wand set
3 small plastic Halloween bags with a few candies
3 hair accessories
1 pair of panties

The additional comment was 'Paola was very happy for the gifts she received from her sponsor."

So, you can see how much she appreciated the Halloween dress up items. I do hope some of her other sponsors will be sending the family some candies for trick and treat on Halloween to make it special for all the kids in the small community.

***A special note from Heather: Being a mother of two small girls, I know Rosa's joy. I am sure it is hard for her to express how much all of it means to her and the girls. However, I know that I have felt a heavy weight lifted off of me every time a friend or relative has stepped in to buy an outfit or two or three for my girls!!! This group of sponsors is truly AWESOME!! I can only imagine how Rosa will feel when she sees the great love doesn't stop after the first few months- When she receives a stove & table! When she sees everything that is in the works for her and her family... But, back to the point, I can feel the weight that was lifted off of her shoulders when she saw the package and the things that were in it for Paola!~ Things that she could not buy. Thank you, Barbara, for sending her such a thoughtful gift!