And the winner for Chanel sunglasses is...

Chrystal!! Yay!! Chrystal, you will now be battling the sun in style! Thank you, every one who helped finish the two fundraisers that benefitted from this raffle! Jessica will now have a wheelchair (and a small deposit toward a bed), and Maria & Ullysette will have their food, school books, and beds!!!

This is how the winner was picked using random.org. These were each person's numbers:

Robyn 1- 5
Chrystal 6-45
Holly 46-50
Inga 51-70
Wilfredo 71-90

The winning number was #25!!

On a side note, Jerry only needs $18 to complete his fundraiser! If you can help, please donate here

Jessica will now get her NEW Wheels!!!

Thank you, one and all!!! Jessica will now get her wheelchair!! How exciting is that?!

Lisa was working on getting another raffle item for Jessica's fundraiser. Instead of the person donating the raffle item, they finished off the fundraiser & then some!!! Her fundraiser has now been over funded!! Yay!! She has other needs that were noted in the special needs break down, so the extra funds will not be wasted.

Lisa's raffle is still on until Tuesday morning as stated before. If you would like to enter to win the Chanel sunglasses, by donating to Robyn's fundraiser. Her fundraiser only needs $60 more!! That means there are 60 additional chances to win the sunglasses!! $1 gets you 1 raffle ticket, but you must act quickly- the drawing will be help bright and early tomorrow morning!!

Can you Help? Only $65 left!!

This fundraiser only needs $65 more!!! Who can help finish off this fundraiser and give these children a bed and food?

If you can help, here is the link. Thank you every one!!!

Three Active Fundraisers

Carla's fundraiser only needs $148 more!!!

Jose Manuel & Yamileisy's fundraiser needs $410.40

Maria & Ullysette's fundraiser only needs $74!!!

Look at how close we are to finishing Robyn's fundraiser!! I know we can finish it off this week- probably even today!! Stephanie's fundraiser only needs a little over $100, too! After one of these fundraisers funds, I will launch the next one. The next one is only for $100, so we are moving right along!!

If you have a fundraiser coming up, please make sure your donations match up with what you need to have donated before your fundraiser begins. I had to stop my inventory of donations because the end of the year got hectic, but I will be back counting again in a few days. I want to make sure that everyone is doing their part to help everyone else. The 3 people with fundraisers coming up soon whose doantions I have not checked yet are:

Tamara

Cherise

Kate

Please double check your donations and make sure that you have already donated your 25%, so that your fundraisers can go off as planned.

Also, I have been adding more items to the web store. I will go more in depth about the web store in my next post. Check out the store and you will see many new things! I am adding more candy & games a little later in the week. Here is the store link

To Help Maria & Ullysette

We are SO close to getting Robyn's fundraiser completed! We only need $145 more!!! Dana has donated an item in order to pull in a $80 donation!! Thank you so much, Dana!!

Now, I have something else to pull in a few more donations. I have this Barbie Kelly doll. She is an angel with brown hair and brown eyes. I have 2 of them! They are available on a first come first served basis. They can be given to any sponsor child that is in the CI program. The doll will be shipped to the child at the time a package is sent to that community center for the summer reading program. To get one for your child, all you have to do is donate $10 to Robyn's fundraiser. The first two people to donate $10 (or one person to donate $20), send me your sponsor child's info, so that I can get the dolls to them (the dolls each include a small comb to comb the doll's hair).

Here is the link for the fundraiser:

http://www.firstgiving.com/betterlatethannever

A Look Back 2009 Part 1

#1 Janet was the first child ever to receive our group's donations! Janet is Robyn's sponsor child. She lives in Zambia. She was in great need of the items in order to start school. Luckily, we were able to provide them just in time! She even received a bed and food items!

We raised: $215 by 4/19/09

Janet received:

1 –Bag of rice,
1- Bag of Mealie Meal,
1- Container of cooking Oil
1 - Bag of Sugar
1 - Blanket
1 – Bed
1 – Uniform
1 - School Bag
1 - Pair of shoes
1 – Miscellaneous bags of Beans, Flour, Groundnuts
1 – Kapenta (sardines)

#2 Miguel is Barbara sponsor child in Mexico. He was sharing a bed with his parents, and desperately needed a bed of his own.

We raised: $215 by 4/30/09

Miguel received:

1 Bed

1 Chest of drawers

1 Bedspread

1 Set of bedsheets

1 Pair of shoes

#3 Katherine is Jim's sponsor child who lives in Ecuador. She was in need of nutritional supplies and a bed to keep her healthy.

We raised: $200 by 5/2/09

Katherine received:

1 Blender
3 Pediasure bottles
1 Portable gas stove
1 Full size mattress
1 Bed sheets

And the winners for Day 12 are...

Holly & Heather Griffin! You two won the $20 Amazon gift card! Yay!! Please let Robyn know if you prefer a joint $20 card or two $10 cards. Here is what Robyn said:

I used random number generator again, and it came up #15. So congratulations go out to Holly & Heather, holding lucky ticket #15!! :)

Thank everyone for donating- it is greatly appreciated!! :):)

1-20 Holly & Heather
21-25 Tracy
26-30 Lindsey
31-40 Del
41-45 Sara
46-55 Heather M
56-65 Jim & Mack

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

my sponsor gave to me...

12 grains of rice!

Today's raffle will go to help Maria & Ullysette. They need school books, a bunk bed, wooden cabinet, a big sack of rice, and other groceries.

The raffle prize is a $20 gift card to Amazon.com. Not only does Amazon have just about anything you are looking for, but you will get the $20 instantly after winning the prize!

To enter the raffle, make your donation here (remember $1 = 1 raffle ticket)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Do any of you know the story of the first Thanksgiving? The story starts with the pilgrims who came to America from England to flee religious persecution. They arrived in 1620. There were originally a little over 100 puritans to arrive at Plymouth Rock in December of 1620. These pilgrims arrived on foreign soil, and were unsure how they were going to get food, shelter, and the other things that they had taken for granted in England.

Luckily for them, they came across some natives who were already surviving off of the land. The natives taught them how to farm the land. Unfortunately for close to 50 of the pilgrims, the food did not come soon enough. 46 pilgrims perished before the fall of 1621 (less than 9 months after arriving in the US)!

When the crops came up that autumn, there was so much to eat. The pilgrims decided they wanted to share their food with the natives that taught them how to plant it. They invited about 90 natives to their 3 day harvest feast.

It's interesting to note that these two groups of people gathered together. First of all, the pilgrims were invading the land that was already being used by the natives. Secondly, they couldn't speak each other's language, so they had to come up with a different way of communicating. Thirdly, their customs were so different one from another that there was bound to be a miscommunication for which they would have had to excuse their differences and know that the other person meant no disrespect.

All over the world now, people of different cultures are coming together in more ways than ever. The computer has brought endless opportunities of reaching out to others across the oceans. Cameras take pictures that give a person a chance to see what you look like without ever meeting you face to face. Letters are sent and received, and it is almost like being face to face with that person talking to them.

Imagine what a change we can make with all of the technology we have available to us! The natives had to face the pilgrims (and maybe walk quite a while to reach their camp) to teach the how to plant seeds. We can send a wire of money to buy seeds for someone any where in the world! It is just like the income-generating projects we do. Instead of handing the person money to buy a bed or food for a month, we hand them money to start a business. In turn, this business provides them with month after month of food and other necessities!

This reminds me of an ancient Chinese proverb that came from Lao Tzu. You have probably heard it before. It goes like this: "Give a Man a Fish, Feed Him For a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, Feed Him For a Lifetime" This is exactly what we are doing with the Income-Generating Projects (IGP's) we are funding. The parents who have already received their gifts to start their own businesses are no doubt feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes from providing for themselves and their families!

What a feast we have given our children! In 7 months, our group has raised $6,236.70 for children and their families living in poverty! That is about $11,000 a year!

I am very grateful for the support of our donors, and that we can all share the joys of sponsorship together. (If you are still reading this post all the way to the end of my jabber, I have a surprise for you especially)

Starting December 1st, we are having a 12 Days of Christmas Goody Give-away! This is how it will go:

*On November 30th, I will make a post giving you an idea of some of the prizes that are scheduled to be given away.

*Then, on December 1st, you will see the first item that will be raffled off. All of the items will be nice, gift-giving or gift-receiving quality, so you can use them to fill in some of the holes in your Christmas gift-giving list.

*To participate in each raffle, you will donate to whichever fundraiser is being showcased at the time. For every $1 you give, you will get 1 raffle ticket. The drawing for each prize will happen the very next day (after all donations have been tallied).

*On December 2nd, you will see who the winner of the first prize was, and you will see what day 2's prize is that is being raffled. (The winner of day 1's prize will get their prize shipped to them immediately, and all gifts should make it in time for Christmas.)

So, save your coins or dollars because this should be fun!

Ugandan Christmas Package has been SHIPPED!

The Ugandan Christian Upliftment Primary School in Kampala, will soon be receiving a package!!! With all of the items I previously posted about (books, calendars, balloons, & Christmas cards), and then, all of the items shown above, the package is GiGaNtIc! It weighed in at 9 pounds and 4 ounces! Everything was firmly packed into a medium priority flat rate box, and there was not a space left for anything else!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for helping Jonathan!!! This big package proves the help he has gotten in the past month. Stay tuned for pictures from Hellen when the package arrives! Don't expect the pictures until December some time, but I do hope they get these items in time for Christmas! Based on USPS, the package should arrive in 6 to 10 business days.

Ugandan Christmas Package

A Package to Uganda has been in preparation for a while. Here is what we have:

Children that will be receiving a necklace, bracelet, and lollipop:
Kiiza Tracy
Akullo Dyana
Wamala Wasma
Nakibule Margaret
Okwir Alex
Atayo Esther
Nangulu Shadia
Nabwire Precious (plus a paper doll book & stickerbook)
Dreateru Alice (plus a book & stickerbook)
Nakaiza Vanesa (and calendar)
Adongo Mary Gloria (and calendar)
Nakiya Gloria (and calendar)
Kansime Agnes (and calendar)
Nadudu Emmima
Nakafero Joan
Nampima Diana
Nabiro Sharon
Akello Annet

Children that will be receiving a bracelet & lollipop:
Mulidwa Reagon (and calendar)
Simbwa Henry (and calendar)
Nuwamanya Daniel (and calendar)
Kikomeko Derick (and calendar)
Charles Opio
Agnes Waluga
Bosco Obondo
Tamebaze Joshua (and calendar)
Iga Marrine (and calendar)
Akenda Joshua (and calendar)
Magabe Filbert (and calendar)
Kabul Felix
Michael Twesigawe
Tunamsangayop Richard
Jonathan Oyat (plus a book, stickerbook $ birthday balloons)
Kiddi Edward
Kasumba Brian (and calendar)

Children that will be receiving a necklace and lollipop:
Mahoro Robinah Mirembe
Pime Scovia
Esther Adong
Namugwere Esther (a butterfly calendar as well)
Kayanga Miriam (a butterfly calendar as well)

I am sending this list out, so you all can double check me. It has been busy around here, so let me know if I have missed anyone or anything.

It is not too late to add a calendar for any of your kids for $2.

Also, you may notice that EVERY single child that is included in this package is getting a lollipop. Dana donated lollipops for 14 children! I donated lollipops for all of the rest of the children. That way, everyone will get a lollipop in their package.

Let me know if you want to add a calendar, and I will be uploading a picture of everything soon!

Our New and Improved Necklace/Lollipop Fundraiser!

Another fundraising day! I am worn out!! All week I have been working on preparing for this garage sale/ fundraiser. I placed an ad in two local papers, sent notifications to my homeschool co-op group, made a few Craigslist postings, and placed signs out with balloons.

This morning, the girls and I had "Friday School". We got up bright and early and headed out to school where I teach the 2 and 3 year old class. I spent 4 hours with the 8 little munchkins, teaching them about Kangaroos and reading several books including "Katy No-Pocket" and "Good Night Moon". Then, at noon, we rushed home, ate lunch really quickly, got in the car, placed signs out on the street, drove back to the house, unloaded everything out of the garage into the yard and driveway... We were all set up by 1PM, and we already had 5 customers!! Whew! It was exhausting, but good to see profit finally! We were only open for 4 hours today, but tomorrow will be 9 hours of hopefully non-stop action!

This is how I changed up the fundraiser portion. I had already placed a sign out last time showing who the fundraiser was for, but this time I:

1- Put the sign with pictures on the PAYING table where I was sitting.

2. Put the lollipops and necklaces on the same PAYING table

3. Changed the price of the necklaces from $5 to $2 (and decided I would front the cost of the supplies, so that my girls would see the fruit of their labors)

All of that made a big difference, not to mention the advertising brought a lot of people out to begin with. There were two sweet young girls that I remember in particular. They liked the necklaces, and thought what Jaden and Morgan were doing was "so cool" (their words). They bought a necklace each, but then, came back to buy 2 more necklaces because they said it was "too cool" what the girls were doing, and they wanted to be a part of it! So, $8 from them!

Then, I had my friend buy 3 lollipops for her girls, and two other people bought 2 lollipops a piece... for a total of $3.50

The fundraiser raked in $11.50. I know it's not much, but I am not disappointed. Tomorrow will be a longer day, and I am hoping the very sweet "necklace girls" will tell their friends about the "too cool" fundraiser and come back tomorrow.

I haven't actually put the funds in the bank yet because I need change for tomorrow, but so far, this is what I have put into the fundraisers out of the $11.50 earned today:

$3 to Robyn's Fundraiser

$3 to Su's Fundraiser

More to come ladies! I am dividing the funds into the 3 current fundraisers, so stay tuned for more funds on Monday~ And, I will let everyone know the outcome of it tomorrow!

$5,000 Fundraising Milestone

I know ya'll (yes, I am a Texan) won't believe this, but I am going to tell you any way!! We are $1 away from hitting $5,000 total fundraised by our group through First Giving!! After only 6 months, we have raised $4,999!!! Thank you for your continued dedication to our projects!

The focus right now is for Robyn's fundraiser. It was just launched a few days ago, and has already raised $135! Only $400 more to go! Yay!!!

Here is the link:

http://www.firstgiving.com/betterlatethannever

Project #13 is complete!!! Thank you!!!

Thank you, dedicated sponsors!!! You ROCK!!! Now, I am moving the fundraiser on to project #15!! I know what you are thinking... What about Project #14? Well, my Jonathan's fundraiser is #14. Why I love him to pieces, and I do want his fundraiser to fund eventually... I think it is only fair for Robyn's fundraiser to go back in line. So, let's try to get hers funded first. I will be introducing a new fundraiser in a couple of days, and once Robyn's fundraiser funds, I will put Jonathan's back out there.

Please support Robyn. Sweet Robyn who has been so patiently waiting for her Special Needs Breakdown that was never requested from the field!!!

http://www.firstgiving.com/betterlatethannever

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)

Fundraising Project #1~ Pictures & Thank You

A note from Robyn, Janet's sponsor:

In total, Janet and her family received:

1 – Rice, Mealie Meal, Cooking Oil, Sugar

1 – Blanket

1 – Bed

1 – Uniform, Bag and shoes

1 – Beans, Flour, Groundnuts

1 – Kapenta (sardines)

1 – Transport

I'm very happy Janet now has a bed frame to put her mattress from a previous donation. I had wondered at the time if they already had a bed frame, or if the mattress would be on the floor. I suspected floor, but of course I was hoping otherwise. :)

Janet's Mother, Susan, also wrote the thank you letter- which I've included below.

Dear Sponsor,

How are you, and how is your holiday there at Alaska? Here we are all fine as a family. We are very much glad for, what you have given Janet. We have received a bed, mealie meal, cooking oil, sugar, rice, etc. We are so glad that your big heart that you have, may god himself bless you. And may god bless you more in your life. We thanks a million.

Yours faithfully,Susan

*There were a few words I couldn't make out what was written, but that was most of it, anyway. :)

I would also like to thank everyone who donated to Janet’s First Giving project!Many thanks to Heather M, Susana, Ryan, Efrain, Chrystal, Karaya, and the 5 people who chose to be anonymous. You all are wonderful!

Special thanks to the following donators:

4/17/2009
Jennifer Hasson
$33.00

4/15/2009
stephanie wahl
$10.00
can't wait for the photos!

4/15/2009
Chrystal Torres

$20.00
Can't wait to see the photos with their gifts

4/15/2009
sarah burgess

$15.00

4/13/2009
Heather McLaughlin
$10.00

4/12/2009
Mckenzie Fritch
$20.00
Happy 'Back to school', Janet!

4/11/2009
Efrain Caro
$27.00

4/10/2009
Ryan Smith
$20.00

4/9/2009
Barbara Rogers
$10.00
Good luck on the first fundraising effort

4/9/2009
Heather McLaughlin $15.00
I am cheering for you!

4/9/2009
Robin Melon
$25.00

4/9/2009
Susana Boavida $9.00
Good luck with this project!

6/28/2008
Heather McLaughlin $1.00

Fundraiser Update

Maybe I should do an update every month, so that we all know what is going on with the projects. It has been awhile since I talked about the order of the upcoming fundraisers, so here it is (with an explanation to follow):

Project #9 ~ Yoselyn (Holly): http://www.firstgiving.com/helpforyoselyn

Project #10 ~ Diego (Heather G)

Project #11~ Jhonalyn & Angelito (Tamara)

Project #12~ Nisha (Jennifer)

Project #13~ Mercy (Mack)

Project #14~ Wilmer (Robyn's 2nd project)

Project #15~ Nsenzeni (Barbara's 2nd project)

Project #16~ Jonathan (Heather's 2nd project)

Project #17~ Crystal & Gema (Su's 2nd project)

Project #18~ Maila (Steve)

Project #19~ Nohel (Candace)

Project #20~ (Stephanie's 2nd Project)

Project #21~ Yamileisy & Jose Manuel (Dee)

Project #22~ Jerry (Wilfredo's 2nd project)

Project #23~ Joyce (Heather G's 2nd project)

Project #24~ Maria (Holly's 2nd project)

Project #25~ Ariela (Camille)

Project #26~ (Tamara's second project)

Now, I put Steve's, Candace's, Dee's, and Dana's fundraisers at the bottom of this list because the special needs were only just recently requested (so they probably won't arrive for another 6 to 8 weeks). That being said, if either of theirs arrives before any of projects #14 through #17 start, I will bump them forward (since these two sponsors have not yet had a fundraiser).
Remember that, especially if your fundraiser is coming up soon, you contribute at least 25% of the amount of your fundraiser to others in the group BEFORE your project begins. For example, my project, which is #15, is for $500. Therefore, I have from Project #9 to Project #15 to donate an additional $4 (I already donated $121 total to date).
In all honesty though, I hope that everyone will look into their heart and donate from your feeling of compassion for kids in general. With these larger projects coming up we will need to be an "all for one and one for all" group. I plan to donate a lot more than $4 in the next 6 fundraisers. The reason I will donate is because I love my sponsor kids, so I know how everyone else must feel about theirs. Let's make these projects happen for all of the kids!!!
I really HATE that we have a percentage in place of how much you should donate. However, I know that it had to happen in order to compel some people to donate. Donations do come from sponsors that do not even have a fundraiser in place,and that helps us to make our goals. That is how ideally we should all be... Donating because we want to help a child and their family, regardless of whose sponsor child it is.
You guys (I live in Texas, so by nature, I want to say "Ya'll", but I don't want to torture the northerners) have done a GREAT job so far!!! We have already funded 8 projects!!
For those of you who do not see your name on the list, please e-mail me an update. Chrystal, which child did you want to do next? Tamara, I have your request for the next round, but I need to see what you are going to do for this first round first. The other projects are too far out to request for yet, but these people might want to go ahead and send me the child ID of who they want for their second round of fundraisers:
Jennifer
Mack
Steve

Now, last thing... All of you who have a fundraiser on the list above, and haven't sent me your info, I need the following:

Photos (7 if you can)
Write up for how you would like the fundraiser to read
Your "thank you" greeting that will be sent when people make donations

Now, let's change some lives!!

Fundraiser Update

Hi, everyone! In case you haven't been keeping track, we are on fundraiser number 6 http://www.firstgiving.com/brendaicedrink !!!! You know what is so cool about that? That means that 5 children have been helped already in the space of 1 month!!! If we stay on this same course, we will help 60 children a year with extra gifts!!! These gifts can be life changing. An income generating project can mean that the family is able to:

1. eat 3 meals a day
2. buy clothing appropriate for the season
3. make home repairs
4. gain a sense of confidence that they can provide for their familes

You are making a difference in so many lives. The very exciting part is that soon, we will be able to see the difference. In about 2 months, we will start receiving the responses from the children and their families. We are funding these so quickly that we will have responses pouring in!! I will post them all, of course.

Now, here is the update you have been waiting on for the next round of fundraisers. Unfortunately, I do not have a list of the next 10 fundraisers as I had hoped to have. Here is the reason why: I am waiting on several special needs requests to come in from CI for several sponsors. This means that if I don't get them soon, I will have to start on the next fundraiser that I have the info for (instead of the next one in line). I have no idea on the order of things right now. I have three fundraisers with info that are projects #11, #13, & #15. Number 11 will get bumped to #7, if I don't get the info for #7 by the time #6 ends.

I hope I am making sense... Feel free to tell me if I am not :0) I will do up a rough draft list in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I will have some responses back from CI by then. Thank you for your patience & your continued support of our kids!!

Please Help Janet with only $43 more to go!!!

Janet in Zambia almost has all of the money needed for her to start school May 1st. It is very exciting to see so many people move to help out!
Today, I wanted to remind everyone about the fundraiser that only needs $43 more to be complete.
http://www.firstgiving.com/givelove
I hope you can enjoy these pictures and videos of East African dancers. I was very fortunate to see them dance last year not that far from my home. At the time, I was taking care of 3 Kenyan children, and I wanted them to see some of their heritage as well. I have learned a lot during that time regarding Africa. It's weird to me that it was never taught in school. I was mostly clueless about Africa as a whole, but thanks to my Kenyan friends I know a little more. I want to share some of it, for those of you who, also, did not learn much about Africa in school.

1. I have heard sponsor's question why the Zambian children have English names. The other question is that if the child is listed as speaking Nyanja or Tonga, will the letters need to be translated. You may be surprised to learn that English is the national language of Zambia! This means that children are taught English in school, and the language is used by Zambian's country wide. Hence, the reason they have English names. Unlike Western Africa, Most of Eastern Africa (including Kenya & Zambia) was originally occupied by the British.

2. Why does the child's report list Nyanja, Tonga, or other languages? Because each child comes from a tribe. The tribe depends on their parents. If their mother and father are both from the Tonga people (AKA Batongo), the language the child would speak is Tonga. Sometime, the parents come from two different tribes, and therefore, the child will speak two different tribal languages (plus, also, speak English).

3. Based on United Nations statistics, about 68% of Zambians live below the poverty line!

(I have been having problems with blogger all day. I was not able to upload the videos, but will add them to the post later. In the meantime, you can find them on my other blog: http://ilovemykids08.blogspot.com/2008/06/drums-of-world-continued.html )

First Giving Fundraiser & You're Invited

Everyone who is reading this post is invited to check out the First Giving Fundraiser page just launched: http://www.firstgiving.com/givelove This fundraiser has been set up for ANY sponsor with Children International that would like to raise funds for a special needs donation to their child/child's family. The details are on the First Giving page, so make sure to read it. I know that some of you have been able to get help through another fundraising web-site. However, I have made several failed attempts to the same web-site, as have many other sponsors. I am hoping that because we are a small fundraising group just starting out, we will be able to give everyone a chance to get funds raised for their child. At a later date, we would like to do bigger projects. For now, we are focusing on fundraisers between $125 and $200, in order to give everyone a chence to help their child.

Shortly, I will be listing the pending projects. For now, Robyn's child Janet is first up. She needs the money before she starts back to school May 1st! Janet is Project #1 for our fundraising site.

Project #2 is for Barbara's sponsored child Miguel in Mexico. Miguel has been struggling in school. He shares a bed with his parents. Barbara has promised him a new bed if he goes to school every day and improves his grades. It is her hope that he will have accomplished this by the time the fundraiser is complete. If not, she will be sending the money anyway. Being able to sleep in his own bed will probably improve his rest, and he will be more likely to do better in school. I will be posting the details of Project #2 tomorrow. In the meantime, make sure to stop by the First Giving page & show Robyn your support. Thank you, everyone!