Package to Haiti

Jaden's items that she is sending to her sponsor child Mikerange (above & below)

My items to Francelyn (above) & items to Rood-Djevlo (below)

My items to Jodesson (below)

Jaden is sending her first package to Mikerange. She is excited especially to send her candy (inside the game) and the baby doll!

I am sending my 3 boys their 2nd packages. Each one of them is getting a book in French and enough games filled with candy for every child in their home. That means, Rood-Djevlo, who has 7 brothers and sisters with receive 8 games. Francelyn has a small family of only a brother and a sister, so he gets 3. Jodesson doesn't have such a big family. He only has 3 brothers and sisters, but his family is taking care of 2 additional children that are not their own. I am sending him 6 games.

If you would like to send a package to your child in Haiti, their is still time. Tomorrow is the deadline to order:

http://makeachangemac.webs.com/apps/webstore/

Fundraiser Help & Fun for the Kids!

In an effort to help these slow moving fundraisers, these items have been donated to the group. Mack has donated the cute animal pens above. They are really cool. My girls both want one, so I will be purchasing at least 2 of them myself. They write smoothly. AND, you can squeeze their head/body to make their eyes pop out! $2 will be donated to the fundraisers for every pen purchased!

The video handheld games a fun & delicious! My girls each got one during the last round. There are still 10 left of the ones that Mack donated, BUT I donated an additional 400 plus candy! All 410 games are the white freeze tag games and are filled with Willy Wonka's Runts candy. I took a video of Morgan playing the game. Both of my girls think they are the coolest games ever, and they take theirs on our long car rides. $4 will be donated to the fundraisers for every game purchased!

There should still be some of these items available come time for the Christmas packages, but that is a while away. These items are available now to be shipped anywhere in the US. There are, also, shipping rates for Uganda and Haiti. You will notice that it is set up differently than before. There is the amount paid for the item which goes to the fundraisers and then a seperate cost for shipping.

If you have children in the CUS or HH4H programs, you will need to order by 2/25/10. I will be shipping out the packages to Haiti & Uganda at the end of this week.

You can order them here. Enjoy your pens and games!

A Package for Francelyn

Francelyn in the red shirt

I took on a 3rd child from Haiti a few weeks ago. I couldn't resist. He lives in Danda, and his name is Francelyn. He speaks Creole & French. I had to send him a package right after that, so that he would have paper and pens to write me back with. I threw in a lot of extra items too. I can't wait for the first letter!

Jaden's First Letter to Mikerange

Jaden just sent her first letter to Mikerange. She drew her a picture of the two of them together, and I typed up this simple letter using the info in the files section of the HHH yahoo group. If you want to know what Jaden's letter says, you will have to check out the yahoo group for yourself :o) I didn't know the information was there, but since I found it, I thought I would use it. I will use the same type of letter the next time I write to my boys in Haiti. It is real simple, but at least I know she will be able to get someone to read it to her. She is 7, and will be 8 next month. However, she is only in the preschool program. She probably does not know how to read yet.

In Jaden's letter to Mikerange, she is, also, including 2 pictures of herself, a pack of stickers, and a bracelet. I think the 2 of them will become fast friends!

Cheri Mikerange

M rele Jaden. Mwen se sponsor ou. Sa vle di mwen te voye kob la a Paste Noel pou ou ale lekol! Mwen resevwa foto ou la. Ou vreman bèl.
Mwen gen 5 ans. Mwen rete nan peyi la USA. Mwen renmen: fe desen, fe tablo, monte bisiklet M'ap anpil kontan ou se nouvo zanmi mwen. Fe repons pou mwen ou fe desen pou mwen souple. Mwen ap tann lèt ou. Mwen vle apran plis a pe pre ou! Mwen anbrase ou byen fò – Eske ou santi sa?

Zanmi ou,

Jaden

Mwen priye pou ou chak jou.

Jaden's Sponsor Girls

Mikerange lives in Juchereau, Haiti and is 7 years old

Leydi lives in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and is 8 years old.

Vanesah lives in Kampala, Uganda, and she is 7 years old.

Jaden now has a 3rd sponsor child. I wish I had recorded her last night. It was wild to watch her try to pick the 3rd child. She wanted all of them, of course.

Here is how the third one happened:

When I was searching the His Hands for Haiti site for a sponsor child, Jaden saw one that she wanted. Her name is Woobiana. Well, I wasn't 100% sure that she really wanted to sponsor another child, and I knew that I did want one. Of course, I was looking at the boys because I have always had a close bond to the boys. I took on a boy instead of giving her another girl.

Then, I noticed that Woobiana's sponsorship was pending, and then, still pending for awhile. I asked Jamie how long the children remain "pending" before they are released to a different sponsor. When she heard that the original sponsor couldn't take her after all, she contacted me.

When we finally got home from the doctor & pharmacy last night, I showed Jaden Woobiana's picture again. When she heard that she was 8 years old, she said that she would rather have one who is 5. Thus began the process of her trying to figure out who she would sponsor. She narrowed it down to a 4 year old, a 5 year old, a 7 year old, and Woobiana the 8 year old. She said she couldn't decide and just wanted them all (yeah, right!!!) It took her about 20 minutes to finally say that she was making Mikerange her final choice. Whew!

It was strange to see Jaden so confused about who to pick. She is only 5, but she reminded me of the struggle most of us are in. How many times have you seen a child you really wished you could make room for on the budget? Or how many times have you taken on yet another child when you said you could not take another one?

So, that is how that happened, and now Jaden has one more child to write to!

Wedson Francois Gets a Goat!!

The second Danda, Haiti child has now received a goat for his family! Wedson Francios and his family will benefit immensely from this gift! We have sold all of the beanie babies that were set up to buy the goats. I am working on purchasing other items to sell for the Christmas packages that will go to benefit the other families on the goat waiting list. There are 5 more families on the waiting list. Stay tuned for more details. Thank you, guys, for participating in the beanie babies for a goat program!! There are 2 families that are very grateful you did!

Rood-Djevlo & his family will get a goat!!!

During the one day sale yesterday, one more person purchased the final beanie baby that made up the 8 beanies= 1 goat. Now, the first Danda, Haiti child and their family will get a goat!!! I know the family will be very happy. Rood-Djevlo's family is extremely large in number (there are 9 members in his home). This goat will be very useful. It will provide them with food & give them a sense of security.

Even better news to share, 5 additional beanie babies were purchased, which means we only need 3 more to sell before the next child will get his goat!!! It is all very exciting. Thank you to all who have helped make this happen!!!

And, on another note, His Hands for Haiti now only has 80 children in need of a sponsor!!! They are trying to get all80 sponsored before their group trip to Haiti in March. At the time of the trip, they will be adding the children from the earthquake who have now relocated to the sponsorship program! If you know anyone who may be able to sponsor a child in Haiti, please tell them about the program. 100% of the money goes to Haiti to help the children. It provides them with an education & a hot meal a day. Also, if you are a praying person, please put these children and their families in your prayers. School has reopened (after being closed for almost a month since the earthquake), but many of the children are now too frightened to attend!! If you already have a Haitian child, please write to them and offer word of comfort and encouragement. They need all of the love and support they can get. To sponsor a child, you can see the waiting children here

ONE DAY SALE!!

These cool games were generously donated by Mack!
In an effort to raise funds for the current fundraisers & help with the postage of some of the smaller packages, these are being offered in a one day sale.
For one day only, you can purchase these & STILL get them included with your summer reading packages-
The countries included in this offer are Guayaquil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, The Philippines, Mexico, Uganda.
$2 will go toward the current fundraisers & $2 will go toward the shipping.
I have:

11 blue soccer games

15 white asteroid games

To order, visit the web store

Thank you for your kind donation, Mack!

When you order, just put in paypal comments the country & then child's first & last name. I don't need anything else, unless the child does not currently have an order going out. Also, you can still order (for this one day only) animal pens, tic tac toe games, and beanies. Special note: The webstore is not removing an item when it has been bought, for this reason, I need you to tell me which specific beanie baby you want ahead of time. You may, also, just give me your 1st, 2nd, & 3rd choices in the notes section. It is such a pain, I know. Until I figure out a trick for it, this is all I know to do.

Help for Haiti Part 9~ Teenagers & Special Offer

Diderot Celicourt, age 13, in in the 3rd level in Terrier Rouge.

Myrdeline Seraphin, age 13, is in the 6th level in Phaeton

RoseFlavie Jean, age 13, is in the 6th level in Paulette

Sannedie Robert, age 13, in in the 6th level in Paulette

Aslande Joseph, age 14, is in the 7th level in Terrier Rouge

Judeline Philippe, age 14, is in the 6th level in Terrier Rouge

NeuskiValdona Appolon, age 14, is in the 6th level in Terrier Rouge

Alix Joseph, age 15, is in the 6th level in Phaeton

Mackendy Toussaint, age 15, is in the 9th level in Terrier Rouge

Mandy Angrand, age 15, is in the 6th level in Terrier Rouge

Manoucheka Riche, age 15, is in the 4th level in Trou du Nord

Velande Gabeau, age 15, is in the 8th level in Terrier Rouge

Darline Joseph, age 16, is in the 7th level in Terrier Rouge

Fritslin Mutil, age 16, is in the 6th level in Phaeton

Miolene Louis, age 16, is in the 7th level in Terrier Rouge

Rose-Guerdine Pierre, is in the 7th level in Terrier Rouge

Walky Alexis(2), age 16, is in the 3rd level in Trou du Nord

Gerald Joseph, age 17, is in the 3rd level in Phaeton

Magalie Jacques, age 17, is in the 7th level in Terrier Rouge

Mirlande Jean, age 17, is in the 9th level in Terrier Rouge

Modeline Joseph, age 17, is in the 7th level in Terrier Rouge

Renette Vilmar, age 17, is in the 9th level in Terrier Rouge

Bionise Francois, age 18, is in the 5th level in Paulette
*Pictures removed because most of them now have sponsors!!!

The number of children in the His Hands for Haiti program without sponsors is now under 100!! This is great news! However, I wonder how the 95 children who don't have sponsors feel. Especially considering that HH4H works with 8 communities, which means that there are about 12 children in each community who are sponsorless. It may be one one or two children in a full classroom that do not have sponsors. I wonder what the children tell themselves as the reason that their classmates have a sponsor & they do not.

In an attempt to get a sponsor for EVERY child, I am making an offer that is good until February 10th, 2010. In order to get the Haitian children to write promptly & regularly, I will send each newly sponsored child a notepad, envelopes, and cool pens, plus a questionnaire for them to fill out and return to their new sponsors!! (Note: you have to contact me & let me know who you sponsored, so that I can get these items out to them)
The questionnaire will go like this:

Le m'appelle (my name is):

Quel age as-tu? J'ai ____ ans (How old are you? I am ___ years old)

Mon anniversaire est le: (My birthday is:)

Ma couleur préférée est le: (My favorite color is:)

Mon matiere prefere est: (My favorite subject is:)

Ma nourriture préféré (My favorite food:)

*anyone else have French questions to add?

AND, I found some books in French!! The books are for ages 9 and up. They are only $5 each, and there are 6 titles to choose from! Since the shipping is totally different through the HH4H program, I thought it would be easier to list them as $5 on the web store, and add the shipping as a shipping charge. I am going to send my boys some of these, so you can order some to go with my shipment. I will ship a HH4H shipment of books, notepads, & pens on 2/19/10. If you want to order, or if you sponsor a new child, make sure to do so by 2/10/10, in order to make it in this shipment.

Help for Haiti Part 8~ Primary School Children

Peterson Amboise, age 5, is in the preschool class in Juchereau

Caslin Jean, age 6, is in 1st level in Paulette

Lovenson Petit-Phard, age 6, is in the preschool class in Juchereau

Eflee StJulien, age 7, is in the 2nd grade class in Terrier Rouge

Mikerange Chery, age 7, is in the preschool class in Juchereau

Reginald Mondesir, age 7, is in the 1st level in Juchereau

Wilkenson Lazarre, age 7, is in the 1st level in Danda

Fredelyn Etienne, age 8, is in the 3rd level in Paulette

Pugerson Gellin, age 8, is in the 1st level in Phaeton

Terilynx Jean, age 8, is in the 3rd level in Paulette

Darlounedie Angrand, age 9, is in the 1st level in Juchereau

Kattiana Beniot, age 9, is in the 1st level in Roche Platte

Mirielle Auguste, age 9, is in the 3rd level in Paulette

Oginaire Jasmin, age 9, is in the 3rd level in Terrier Rouge

Ruth-Flavie Jean, age 9, is in the 3rd level in Terrier Rouge

Jodelin Disir, age 10, is in the 3rd level in Paulette

Ysmelande Compere, age 10, is in the 2nd level in Roche Platte

Enouse Dorvil, age 10, is in the 3rd level in Ouvray

Here are some of the older children ages 5 to 10. You may notice that some of the children, even at age 9, are in the preschool class. Unlike school here in the US, it is not free to go to school in Haiti. Well, I take that back, there are SOME free schools in Haiti, but there are not enough public schools for all of the children to attend. About 10% of Haitian children attend state-funded public schools. The other 90% have to find an education elsewhere! This being said, the 9 year old child who is just now getting the opportunity to go to school via sponsorship, starts in the preschool class. They have to start at the beginning level in order to get them up to speed. Unlike the US, this is not unusual, so there are usually other children their same age in the class (as well as the younger ages).

While it is sad to imagine that a 9 year old has to be in the preschool class with 4 year olds, it is sadder to imagine the child never getting a chance to go to school at all!

If you would like to sponsor one of these children for just 22 cents a day, please send an e-mail to Jamie at jamie@hishandsforhaiti.org Remember that 100% of your donation goes directly to Haiti! Jamie does not make one penny! This self-less woman just wants to provide an education and a meal to the children of Haiti.

If the child is in Danda, they can be added to this list to get goat. Right now, we only need one more beanie baby to sell to be able to provide the first child with their goat (it has to be one of the beanie babies in the web-store under the listing of the multi-colored crab)!!

Last Call for all CI, CUS, & HH4H orders!

I know I have been very silent about this lately. With so many packages planning to go out at once (instead of having them spread out), it has been wild in my house. Tonight is the absolute last time to order, as I have to have a cut off to be able to organize some of the chaos. You will then start seeing all of the items placed in each package. Just as I did with the Chile & DR packages, I will post the pictures first for you all to look over. Then, you can let me know if I forgot anyone or anything before I pack up the box and ship it out.

For the Christmas packages (orders will start in August/September), I will have things set up a little differently to make it easier on my end. There is no need to explain it now, so I will wait until the day comes that things are being ordered for Christmas. We will, also, have the MIC items available in time for those packages, so dolls can be purchased for the HH4H & Zambian children.

To make a final order (must be ordered by midnight tonight), click here And, YES, a package will be sent to CUS Uganda. Small orders are allowed, so one to three items per child should be the max ordered.

Help for Haiti Part 7~ Internally Displaced Families

Merlange Bellamour, age 2, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

SheenayLove Seide, age 3, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

Renaldy Louis, age 3, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

Nasly Alexis, age 3, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

MyCoeurLove Joseph, age 4, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

Edelin Jean, age 4, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

Daphca-Lise Poul, age 4, in the 4 year old class in Terrier Rouge

Philomise Jean, age 5, in the 4 year old class in Ouvray

*pictures removed because most of them now have sponsors!!

Ok, back to Haiti. Here is the situation now:

Thousands have left the Port-au-Prince area to find shelter, food, and comfort in the northern end of the country. Terrier Rouge has received hundreds of internally displaced families already. Where will the children go to school? Well, for now, the schools are still closed. They are expected to open back up on February 8th. Once school is back in session, our HH4H children will return to the school they have been going to.

What happens to the children displaced by the earthquake? What will they do with their time during the day? Will they watch as the other children head to school, AND get a hot meal while there? Not if HH4H has anything to do with it!! HH4H wants to make sure that EVERY child in the area where they work has the opportunity to get an education.

They have a volunteer group headed to Haiti in March. While there, they will photograph, take measurements, and get family information for the new children who just arrived from the Port-au-Prince area. I am not sure how many children they will find, and how long it will take to enroll them all. However, it is bound to be hundreds.

How can you help? There are only 110 children still in need of a sponsor. These children need sponsors before the other children are added- The more children we can find sponsors for, the better it will be for the group of displaced children. I am not expecting our little group to find sponsors for all 110, but I think we can take a big chunk out of the number.

The sponsorship fee is only $6.65 per month/ $.22 a day!! Less than a quarter a day, gives one child an education and a free meal in Haiti! Is that amzing or what?! If you can spare $1 a day, you can afford to send 4 children to school!!!

These sweet children I have put on this post are new to the program. All of them (except one) are in Ouvray. All of the children are in the 4 year old class. I wanted to start will the young ones. I will be posting more children a little later.

The sponsorship is paid out $40 twice a year- $40 now & $40 in August. If you are about to get paid, Jamie will give you a few days to get the payment to her. Just let her know which child you want to sponsor. She will hold the child for you, and then, send her payment within a week's time. (perfect for those waiting on income tax refunds!)

Please let me know who you take/who you find a sponsor for, that way I can remove them from the list.

To sponsor one of these children, send an e-mail to Jamie with the child's name in the subject line to: jamie@hishandsforhaiti.org Tell her that you wish to sponsor the child, include your name & address. Then, send the first $40 within a week. Once your payment is received, you will get the picture, child's measurements, and other detailed information about your child.

Thank you to all who help find sponsors for these children!!! Here is some footage of Port au Prince shortly after the earthquake- click here. Just how bad is it? click here Here is video of people fleeing Port au Prince for the countryside- click here & here Please don't give up on Haiti!

Packages to Haiti

Jodesson's package contained the items below. It was right at the 5 pound mark. Whew! It was $11 to ship to Florida, and $7.50 to go from Florida to Haiti

I wrapped their packages in small garbage bags, wrapped them with tape all the way around, taped their picture and details to the ball of plastic and tape, and then, placed the balls into a size #7 padded envelope.

Rood-Djevlo was on the urgent list in need of a sponsor because he has so many siblings. I decided to include enough for him and his siblings- 5 cars for the 5 boys, 8 lollipops for the 8 children. When I brought his package to the post office, it was actually over 5 pounds. I had to open the padded envelope, cut through the tape and plastic bags, and pull some items out. It was over a week ago when I did this, so I am trying to remember what was pulled out. I believe I pulled out the t-shirt, cereal, and box of candy.

Islande's package contained the items below. The green package you see is the package that Barbara sent to be included with the other items. Islande's package was close to the 5 pound mark. It was $10.85 to ship to Florida & $7.50 to go from Florida to Haiti.