Report from Mama's Wish - Huangnan No. 2 School

Are you a Mama's Wish sponsor?  If so, your student wants to hear from you!  Interested in supporting a promising young lady's high school or college education?  If so, we've got sponsorships available.

Students from Huangnan No. 2 School

1. School background

The Huangnan Nationalities Teachers’ School (HNTS) was established in 1957 which is the oldest school in the town of Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and in the last 50 years educated 5,886 primary school teachers. From the 1960s to 1990s, students from the counties’ middle school had to come to this school when they finished three years of primary. And after three years from this teacher’s school, they would graduate and the government prepared jobs for them.  Because of the new education policy and the amount of students, it has now become a Senior Middle School and is called the Huangnan Nationalities Number Two Middle School (HNNTMS). The school has around 1200 students from four counties (Tongren, Zeku, Henan and Jianzha) and there are 120 teachers and workers.  There are 16 classes at first to third year senior middle level. Subjects taught are Tibetan, Chinese, English, mathematics, history-politics, geography, and drawing, science subjects including biology, physics, chemistry as well as computer class and physical training.

2. We are from poorer families but we are the luckiest girls in this school

All the girls we are supporting in this school are also from different areas and some of them are the first high school girls in their villages. During our meeting I interviewed some of them about their current family condition and what are they going to be when they will be graduated from college. They have different dreams; most of them want to be teachers and some of them want to be doctors. But Cairang wants to be a famous singer and Lamao wants to study abroad. The funniest thing is that Machigcuo wants to be a pilot. She would like to "fly in the spaces to learn different cultures and customs." I asked them if they were happy at school and their impressions on Mother’s Wish Foundation. All of them told me that they are really happy in the school; “we do not need to worry about anything and without Mother’s Wish Foundation, we would not have a better future.”

I told them it is impossible that you don’t need to worry about anything. How about your studies? All of you are the best ones in your class? All of them were quiet for a while and then told me that English is the hardest subject for them.  They also told me that if there is an English program during the winter and summer vacations, their English would be improved.

“Would you like to say something to your sponsor?” I asked them.  Everybody says “yes!”  We would love to invite our sponsors to our homes. We would love to have letters and photos of them. We would be really happy to meet them and thank them from the deep of our hearts. “Ok, thank you so much. I am going to send your messages to your sponsors and I will give you their letters and photos whenever I get one from them,” I promised. All of them are really happy and we didn’t know how the three hours already passed!  After that they took me to their dormitory and playground where we took many pictures. Ok, let’s go to the photo gallery.

3. The photo gallery

Everybody has the responsibility to take care of the environment

Good students always cooperate and help each other

Cairang is singing a Tibetan song

The students are playing in the school garden

Students are self-studying in the school garden

Students are chatting in the dorm rooms

4. Conclusion

It is always a happy and unforgettable memory every time we see the students. Everybody is fine and heathy; they are really doing well.

Rinchen Dhondrup

Mama’s Wish Teacher and Translator

April 20, 2012

Report from Mama's Wish - Huangnan No. 1 School

Students from Huangnan No. 1 School, Qinghai Province, China

1. School background

The Huangnan Nationalities Number 1 Middle School was established in 1992. There are 15 classes with approximately 1000 students from different counties and there are 70 teachers and workers. Especially the government is aimed to collect students from other counties because there are no senior schools from other areas. Since this school was opened, it gives the chances to the rural girls to enter high school and now the amounts of female students are yearly increasing.  We are really happy to support education for girls from this school because most of them are coming from nomadic places and some of those are the first high school students in their villages.  Since people knew that there is a foundation which only supports education for girls, some of the teachers and parents often came to Mother’s Wish Foundation for support. In 2011, we interviewed each student and finally we selected 14 girl students for this school.

2. Why we support girls in this school

The first thing we do when selecting a student is, we talk to teachers and ask if there are any students who really need our help for education. Then the teachers give us a list of students, but it is impossible to support all of them. These 14 girls are not from Tongren; some of them are from Zeku, Henan, and Jianzha. When we saw their family conditions (in the personal interviews at their homes), we were convinced that we should support them.

“You have to study hard, never let down your sponsors.”

In our recent visit, Mr. Jian Cuo told the students that many of their photos are hanging on the walls in the family of their sponsor and that the sponsors had included them as their family members. He also told them that their sponsors are not rich people and there is no money on the trees in their garden. But they are very kind hearted and generous so they should never waste their support.

3. How we give them tuition fees

It is always the same system when we provide the tuition fees for the students.   The student and one of their parents must sign on the receipt papers and they also must print their finger on these two papers so that the money is directly received for them on their behalf.

Signing tuition receipts

4. School activities are part of their lives.

For the students, they must study hard but also need some free time to relax and do other activities.

(Even though I am disabled, I can still do my exercise)

(Students are self-studying after dinner)

5. Conclusion

Everybody would like to say thank you so much, and the headmaster requested that it would be really wonderful if Mother’s Wish Foundation could support more girls in this school.

Rinchen Dhondrup

Mama’s Wish Teacher and Translator

April 20, 2012

Tupperware for Tots

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Angel Covers has partnered with Tupperware and Barbara Ingalsbe.  Orders placed through the link below will provide 40% of the purchase price to the Angel Covers Foster Care Program. 

Place your orders between April 21-30 to support our beautiful foster children and their families...because every child deserves a loving home.

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/home 

Zeke and his foster mom

Hank and his foster mom

     

Report from Mama's Wish

Earlier this week, students at the Tongren School were visited by Jian Cuo and Rinchen, of the Mother's Wish Foundation. Below is Rinchen's report regarding their visit. We hope you enjoy reading about them!

Tongren Middle School Mama's Wish students

1. School background and the situation of Tibetan females

Tongren Middle School is the oldest and biggest school in this county. It is now 40 years old and thousands of Tibetans were educated and graduated from here. Currently there are more than 1500 students and now there are both junior and senior classes and the students are from different places but most of them are from rural and very remote villages. In the past years, the families didn’t want to send their daughters to schools; they thought that education was not very important for females, because the female is the only person who works the fields and serves the animals in the nomadic places. That was one reason why there were so many illiterate females in Tibetan societies.

2. Why Mother’s Wish Foundation supports education for females

Since Mother’s Wish Foundation was established, our first goal was to give a better education for females, fill the gap of equality and build a wonderful future. In order to do this, the staff members went village to village, talked with their parents, talked with the teachers to get more information about individual students and then final selection was made for the students who would really love to study but financially were poor and living in poverty. From 2006, Angel Covers found this situation and gave their warmest hearts and generous hands immediately to the Mama’s Wish program and since then so many female students got their support and it has changed their lives towards a brilliant way. Nowadays, with the greatest financial support from Angel Covers and the power of unity, there are more and more females who get marvelous chances to continue their education and we proudly want to say that there are even some university students who will soon get bachelor's degrees.

3. Our day at Tongren Middle School

On the 18^thof April, we got up quite early and drove to Tongren Middle School. When we entered the school gate, all the teachers including the headmaster were waiting for us. They took us to the school meeting hall and the school headmaster gave a speech about the school system and current conditions. He really showed the sincere thanks to the sponsors on behalf of all the teachers and students. Mr. Jian Cuo added that Mother’s Wish Foundation could not do anything for the school without kind-hearted people around the world. After the meeting we went to the students' meeting hall and there were 41 students waiting for us. Everybody stood up and welcomed us warmly.

Tongren Middle School classrooms andteachers' office

During ourvisit, some students were planting flowers in a small garden.

Zhaxi and Laheng were on class duty on that day.

They were washing mops during the break.

Mama's Wish students studying in the classroom

Students relaxing in their dorm rooms

Playing games during the school break

1. Conclusion

Spending the day with the students was unforgettable. They are very nice and there are always smiles on their faces which means they are very healthy and happy at school. All of them are very curious to know when their sponsors will come to visit them.

Rinchen Dhondup

Mama's Wish Teacher and Translator

Report from Humble Hearts

Below you will find a letter from the Director of the Humble Hearts School, sumerizing the 2011 school year. Enjoy!

To Our dearest Sponsors:

I wish to take this time to highlight the 2011 events as I appreciate you all, our work wouldn’t be possible without you our sponsor who have a variety of backgrounds and skills you all bring something different and special to HH. No appreciation is enough for your great kindness and generosity, may the Almighty God richly reward you all.

As you all know our aims are simple and straight from the heart.
To create a safe, loving and nurturing environment for needy children.
To give them a healthy diet and a good education.
To release them back into the community as healthy, educated, and well adjusted adults so they better the lively of their families and the future the Kenyan nation.

HIGHLIGHTS

All of you have helped in ensuring that our aims become a success , in 2011 we came up with the ideas of farming which we implemented successful, with this we now have enough maize in our store to run us four to five months.
We also build a permanent class which we now use as hall during parents meeting and other gatherings
Our furniture has greatly improved at secondary level we have one child per desk.
Not forgetting the addition of new beds and texts books which has boosted the performance in the school over all we can now boost of two children sharing a book unlike when it used to be six to ten children per book.
All work and no play makes Jack and dull boy, yes we have been able to kick dullness out of HH by having an equipped colorful playing ground which the kids love with a passion.
The HH children who graduated from primary class were all able to get a grade above the pass grade this gives us great joy as parents, sponsors and educators, we have surely seen the fruit of our labour.
HH has continued to work hard in reducing the statistic that over 90% of deaf people in developing countries have no access to education, our doors are opened to admit needy deaf children who need an education, we have gone ahead to create smaller classes in which the teacher can have a one on one session with children with multiple needs.
So much has been accomplished in 2011; it’s been exciting times as we continue to pursue an agenda of change that will transform HH to an even better living and learning place.
See, we could not have come this far without your support.

The Future

Entering 2012, our focus has been honed as you all know we will be putting more effort in ensuring that the children are granted of meals each day, we will therefore be running a poultry and green house project in which we believe will generate food and generate income for sustainability.
We look forward to having more children being sponsored, constructing standard classrooms for both secondary and primary constructing more bathrooms for girls and boys and putting up a computer laboratory.
We believe that together we will be able to accomplish this step by step.
We thank you for letting Kari and Ida visit HH in 2011 it was great having them round, for together we were able to do a lot of work and brain storm on the future, we look forward to at least each of our loving sponsors visiting HH and meeting the children that they support.
Thank you for believing in all of us as we look forward to keeping intouch throughout 2012

With lots of love

Beatrice Anunda
Director
For Humble Hearts School and Angel Cottage, Kenya.

Yak Sustainability Program Update

The Yak Program is a self-sustaining project that provides yaks to rural boarding schools for orphaned and destitute children in some of the most remote locations in western China. These schools are very poor boarding schools with few resources and large numbers of children. Located at high altitudes, these schools and the children who attend them must live and learn in harsh conditions.

Whereas few animals are able to survive in the extreme conditions of such high elevation, yaks are uniquely able to live comfortably outside in these harsh conditions where vegetation is virtually nonexistent. Yaks are able to live by eating the little grass that grows at such high altitudes. Additionally, they are uniquely able to live outside without shelter during the harsh winters. Yaks also produce enough milk for the schools to make butter, cheese, and yogurt, and still allow the children milk to drink.

We rounded out the last quarter of 2011 with the final purchases of yaks from funding received from Alternative Gift International. We were very fortunate to have such generous donations making this program a huge success. Due to the remote location of the majority of these schools purchasing yaks and gathering reports has taken longer than planned, although I’m happy to announce that this program was able to provide over 100 yaks in the past 3 years! These yaks have dramatically affected the lives of over 10,000 orphans between 14 different schools. Schools are reporting that they able to provide milk anywhere from 3-7 times per week and 40-80 kg (roughly 88-176 pounds) of butter and cheese annually. Equally good news is the report of decrease in common disease. With food in their bellies, these children are facing their day and education with one less thing to worry about and the nutrition needed to help power their bodies and mind. Click here to browse through our photo albums of relevant photos or here to help expand this project to the 14 identified schools in need.

Misty Gillham- Nutrition Director

December Newsletter

The holidays can be a time of abundance of food and fabulous feasts for many people. We, at Angel Covers, ask that you please keep the less fortunate in mind during this giving season. It’s easy to overlook or forget how far these programs have come have and what provisions are being made possible through donations. Your support means that many impoverished children won’t have to worry about where their next meal will come from or of what quality it will be. Please keep us, and the children we serve, in mind when considering your year-end charitable donations.

Huaibei

As you already may know, the formula for Huaibei we were previously purchasing from Nestle has been discontinued. We took advantage of the price before having to pay more when we begin buying the new Nestle formula, and purchased 40 cases in July instead of the usual 20. Because of the extra formula on hand at the orphanage, they were able to provide it to the older children with disabilities who need additional nutrition which meant that 35 of the 40 children were able to benefit from this last shipment. The supply has almost run out and we will be reordering formula in the next few weeks. The new formula is Nestlé’s Nespray and is of high quality, just like all Nestle formula, and will be well received by the children of Huaibei. This program has allowed the children of Huaibei to be stronger, healthier, and often times ready for needed surgeries. Will you please consider a donation?

Humble Hearts

Nutrition at Humble Hearts is gradually improving! Daily nourishment for the children includes clean water, brought in by truck each week, beans, rice, and maize. Kale is also frequently served to the children but it’s not necessarily a staple. On some occasions the children are fed meat and fruit as well. Vitamins have now become a daily supplement, since our bringing them from a generous donor and are expected to last 3 to 4 months. This is great example of how the children could benefit from additional sponsors or even one-time donations. Learn more about how you can help here.

Humble Hearts harvested their crops in Western Kenya this fall, which produced 75 bags of maize once it was all processed and dried, and one month’s supply of beans. Forty two bags of the maize will be sold to help pay for next year’s crop and the remaining 33 were kept to feed the children. The thirty three bags of maize are expected to feed the school for 4 months.

Another tidbit of good news is that the local price of maize has dropped due to market fluctuations. This is extremely beneficial when it comes to purchasing additional maize when the harvested supply runs out. This frees up funds to pay for other things that are much needed at the Humble Hearts School.

Donation Matching

We’re extremely grateful to have a donor that has agreed to do a 50% donation match, up to $5,000.00 of the total donations received, to benefit Humble Hearts School from now until the end of 2011. If you are thinking about donating please do it now while we have this great opportunity. Since Angel Covers is completely volunteer run, you can rest assured that your money is making the biggest impact possible on the lives of these children. Click here to donate.

Gift Cards

We all know what it’s like to shop for the person who has it all, our child’s teacher who doesn’t need another gift basket, or a friend who is extremely hard to shop for. We have the answer. Angel Covers Gift Cards!!! Make a donation in honor of a loved and we will send a card to them with a personal message from you, explain that you have made a donation in their name, and include a photo or photos showing the nutritional impact that Angel Covers is making with the help of donors just like you. Gift cards to support our nutrition programs include proving fruit to Humble Hearts and formula to Huaibei. To send a gift card to someone on your holiday list follow this link.

The Ultimate Gift

One of the best gifts you could give this holiday season is the gift of sponsorship. It’s a meaningful gift that will help to supply an impoverished child with the essentials that he or she needs to thrive such as basic foods, clean water, education, shelter, and/or medical care. By providing this foundation you offer a child the opportunity to escape the slums of poverty, stop the cycle from perpetuating, and create hope for a better tomorrow.

Our website is up to date with names and photos of children who are in need of your ongoing support. As a sponsor, you or the gift recipient will receive reports on the child and details about how your monthly sponsorship is improving your child’s life. Give the ultimate gift.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." –Winston Churchill

More ways to support Angel Covers

Angel Covers is always in need of additional monetary support in order to continue providing and expanding current programs, and this is no different for our nutrition programs. We are frequently asked for creative ways to support children around the world, especially when making a direct donation isn’t always in the family budget.

• One of the easiest ways to contribute more is through employer matching gifts programs. Many employers will match any charitable donations made by their employees. We encourage you to check with your human resources office to see if your employer participates in gift matching. This would essentially double your monthly contribution.

• Have an old car that you want to get rid of? A lot of companies will pay cash for used vehicles, often times regardless of whether or not they run. I have personally done this. The company came to my home, evaluated the vehicle, made me an offer, towed the vehicle and supplied all of the DMV forms. In my case, it was $750.00. That would buy a lot of formula for Huaibei or quite a few nutritional staples for Humble Hearts!

• Have a yard sale to benefit Angel Covers. With the winter approaching and inevitably locking us indoors it is a great time to go through the attic, garage, and closets and set aside all of the items that you no longer want to keep. By spring you will likely have a large enough pile to make a yard sale worth your while. You’d be amazed at how quickly the bucks add up.

• Are you athletic? Whether it’s a run/walk 5k or a full marathon you can collect pledges from family, friends, or even local businesses in support of your efforts that can be donated to Angel Covers upon completion. To go a step farther you can talk to the charity coordinator at most major events and ask if you can form a team to benefit Angel Covers instead of the select charities that they normally offer. We’ll be there to support you all the way with a Team Angel Covers t-shirt and any promotional materials you might need.

• Is your company willing to make a donation of goods or services? A lot of our employers might be willing to make a one-time monetary donation or a donation of goods that can be used in our annual auction or supplied directly to one of our programs.

• Tax season is almost upon us. For those of you who are fortunate enough to get tax refunds next year it is a great opportunity to donate money you don’t regularly rely on. Don’t want to give it all up? Consider donating a portion of the return.

• Be creative! What interests you? Hold an event at your home or in your community. Ideas include a community tennis tournament with entry fees, dinner parties or a game night with friends and family and charge for tickets, hold a painting contest for children and charge an entrance fee, the possibilities are endless. Events like this not only help to raise money for Angel Covers but also increase the likelihood that those who participate will learn more about our organization through you and become sponsors as well.

Thanks! As 2011 comes to an end, we would like to give a very special thank you to our sponsors for their generous contributions. Your donations have improved the lives of thousands of children around the world and we thank you for helping to make it possible for yet another year. We’re energized about the possibilities that 2012 will bring and honored to have your continued support.

Misty Gllham
Angel Covers, Nutrition Director