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

Gifts From The World Auction

Every year, Angel Covers hosts our annual Gifts From The World on-line auction. We are thrilled to say this year is no different. Beginning December 1, Angel Covers will have beautiful items from around the world for auction on eBay. Items such as a banana leaf Santa and sleigh, books signed by the author, Chinese yo-yo's, children's clothing, and eggs stands from Europe will be auctioned with 100% of the proceeds going to the Humble Hearts School for the Deaf in Kenya. Making the auction even more beneficial to the school, again this year we have 50% a matching donation of all of the proceeds raised.

Admittedly, we are behind at getting the word out this year about the auction. Please spread the word about this great opportunity to provide unique gifts to your family and friends, as well has helping desperate children in Kenya. Desks, additional land for a garden, and new beds are just some of the things this years proceeds will be used for.

A link to the auction will be on our website as soon as its live. Check back often to be sure you haven't been outbid!

Thank you as always for your support!

Kari

Angel Covers' New Website

I am thrilled to announce that Angel Covers has a brand new website!! Please check it out at http://www.angelcovers.org/ We are sure you'll find it easy to maneuver and full of wondering information about our work.

With the holiday's fast approaching, please consider shopping with Angel Covers. Our holiday cards are beautiful! Drawn by the children of Humble Hearts, these cards not only provide a great way to connect with friends and family, but also support the Humble Hearts School.

Other products such as shoes, blankets, hooded bath towels and craft aprons can be found on our products pages. The profits from the sale of these products support children around the world.

Not sure about a gift? Consider our gift cards! Make a donation in honor of a loved one and we'll send a card with a personal message. Or, consider the numerous children on our website who need sponsors and give the gift of sponsorship to both a child in need and your loved one. We'll happily send a card to the recipient.

Once again Angel Covers has a very generous donor willing to match by 50% all donations to the Humble Hearts School up to $5,000. When considering your year-end charitable donations, please think of Angel Covers and the children we serve. With no paid staff and very little administrative costs, you can rest assured your donation is making the biggest impact possible. We can't thank Kristen Kent with i2k Communications and Sheri Wahl with Trowen Communications enough. Their hard work made this website happen!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Holiday Cards from Angel Covers

During our recent trip to Kenya, the children of Humble Hearts created beautiful sketches of a variety of different scenes. We are thrilled to announce that we have taken 10 of these sketches, added some color, & turned them into beautiful holiday These cards benefit the children of Humble Hearts & all proceeds are being matched by 50%. Order yours today! Quantities are limited.

http://www.angelcovers.org/angel-covers-store/greeting-cards/holiday-cards/

My Last Day in Kenya

Today is my last day in Kenya, and I assume my last blog. Yesterday was very interesting, we went to Dagoretti to drop some supplies off at the school. Dagoretti is a much larger school than Humble Hearts, yet in more need than Humble Hearts. We toured the school, and ate some roasted peanuts, hot chocolate, and bananas. Roasted peanuts in the United States are roasted and then packaged; but in Kenya, they are roasted and served warm. They are the best.

After leaving Dagoretti, we went to the Java Cafe and had some lunch. We then went over to the enormous Nakumatt (Kenyan Walmart, with way more in it: Appliances, furniture, etc.) and looked at mattresses for Humble Hearts. We bought 10 mattresses and packed them in the back of Beatrice's car. We had to fold down the back seat and sit on the back of the back seat with the mattresses in our backs.

We left the store at 5:00. This is very important to know about the car ride home. We got stuck in traffic on the way back. We finally got back to the house, and it was 8:01. This was the biggest traffic jam I had ever seen. People ran out of gas because they were just burning fuel when stopped behind cars.

Today, we went to another store and bought some more mattresses, seven to be exact. This was not quite enough to have to fold down the back seat, but the trunk was packed. The kids were so happy to have the new mattresses at the school. Along with mattresses, we also ordered four, triple bunk beds, so that all the kids would be off the floor.

We leave at around 10:30 Kenya time tonight, and I have learned a lot. I am really excited to get home to my friends and family.

-Jacob Fillmore

Another Day in Kenya

After another couple of days in Kenya, lots has happened. Yesterday was picture day at Humble Hearts. We made all the kids name tags and took their pictures one by one by class. After all the kids in the school had their pictures taken, the kids went back to their classes.

A little while later kids started piling on the see-saw. I quickly went over to play with them. At one point we had 10 kids on the see-saw. I was operating the see-saw so that the kids would get their enjoyment out of it, and not just sit there.

Today, before we went to Humble Hearts, we went to a shop to see what it would cost to get some more beds for Humble Hearts. When we got to Humble Hearts, we had a lot to do. Right away, we went into the kitchen to start making popcorn for all the kids and staff. Along with popcorn, the kids were also getting soda, yogurt candies, and biscuits (cookies).

It was a lot of fun to put the popcorn in bags and put the biscuits in with them. After that, I went out and played a game of tag on the jungle gym. I was moving around so much on the metal bars that my hand got a blister. We then finally went to the field and started sports day. There was a sprint (which I came last in), a relay race, a volley ball game and a soccer game.

After all the sporting activities were through, we passed out the popcorn, soda, and candy. The kids were really happy to have all this, and it was a lot of fun, yet we are now all really tired.

-Jacob Fillmore

Working Hard at Humble Hearts

Monday in Nairobi was full of hard work. Ida and Jacob spent hours taking pictures of all the kids at the school, sponsored or not. Ida also interviewed all of the children who don't have sponsors and collected wonderful new social history information. So, if you know someone who is interested in sponsoring, we have 30 or so kids who need someone.

With only 120 kids at Humble Hearts now, passing out supplies takes much less time. Every child at the school received a water bottle, 3 pencils, a toothbrush and tooth paste. Markers, colored pencils, stickers, band aids, back packs, highlighters, more toothbrushes and toothpaste, even more pencils and pens, crayons, deodorant, and countless other things are all stored in the office and will be passed as as the children need them.

Recently, Raising Hope International donated funds for a playground to be built. Saying the kids love it, would be like saying the ocean is a puddle. :-) They are THRILLED and spend every moment possible on the swings, slide, seesaw, and jungle guy. A man was also hired to paint a mural on the wall next to the playground. The cheerful pictures next to the playground, and the equipment painted bright colors, creates a very happy place for the kids to play after a long day at school. Jacob spent a long time playing with the kids on the playground today.

Lots of time is being spent learning about possible income generating projects for Humble Hearts. Hours of brain-storming is leading great ideas and hoping in the next couple of days we'll have plans that will make a huge different to Humble Hearts.

Tomorrow will be another day with lots of works, so stay tuned!
Kari

ps. Apparently in the 1st blog about this trip I said that we arrived on the 22nd. Of course that's not right, since it's not even the 22nd yet. We arrived on the 12th (after leaving Denver on the 11th) and will arrive home on the 21st. Clearly jet-lag has set it. :-)

Kenya, from Jacob's perspective

My 13 yr. old son is with me in Kenya on this trip. here's a blog from his perspective.


During my time in Kenya so far, lots has happened. We first went to the textbook store, to purchase all the textbooks that Humble Hearts needs. There were three big boxes of textbooks to give to the school. We then went to the school (Humble Hearts) and got to work right away. We unloaded all six suitcases that had been brought with us, and distributed: toothbrushes and toothpaste, pencils, pens, waterbottles, and vitamins to the children.

It was amazing to see how excited a child can get over a pencil, in the US, we look at a pencil as a object of no signifigance, and shrug when someone offers one to us. Yet in Kenya, the kids faces light up with the brightest smile when they recieve one.

At Humble Hearts, a man is painting a mural on the wall, it is a very nice painting, of the alphabet and most of the sign languare alphabet (not all leters are there), and two dolphins swimming in a circle. Along with painting the wall, he also painted the new playground equipment. The playground equipment is very simple, all metal swings, a slide, and a see saw (which in my opinion, is built better than some cars).

Today we went to the market downtown, where everyone has there things laid out on a blanket on the ground. there are no set prices for things, so you barter for the thing you want. The person selling the item, usually tells you the price is double or more than what it should be, So when i wanted to buy this colorful hippo, they told me it was 500 shillings (about $5).
i said i would pay 250 shillings, and after a minute or two, they let me have it for 250 shillings. The problem was, i did my math wrong, and thought they gave me 50 shillings extra in change, yet they shorted me 50 shillings, so I really paid 300 shillings. :(

Even though I have not been here very long, i am really glad I am here to help out.

Jacob

Kenya and Humble Hearts

It's been WAY TOO LONG since anyone at Angel Covers has posted a blog. Fortunately, what that means is that we've been crazy busy with so many wonderful things going on. We were thrilled to find out that we made it to the top 10 of the Gildan competition, The Mama's Wish girls have started back to school (we have 10 high school girls who need sponsors if you're interested), a new website is being built, we have a new Nutrition Director, and our Executive Director (that's me) and Humble Hearts Sponsorship coordinator (Ida) are in Kenya. While that sounds like a lot, I know I've missed listing many things.

Having arrived in Kenya the night of October 22, we have been extremely busy getting reacquainted with everyone at the school. We are starting to cross things off our to-do list, and Ida is quickly learning how the school runs on a daily basis. Yesterday we spent time buying more than $1,000 worth of text books and Bibles to support the curriculum. We were thrilled to learn that currently, every primary student has a set of textbooks all his/her own and the secondary students have one set for every 2 students. These statistics are a rarity for Kenya, where frequently there are only enough books for every 4 or 5 students to have a set. We've put Jacob (my 13 yr. old son who also came) to work making sure all of the new books have the Humble Hearts' stamp and a book number in case they are lost.

We learned yesterday that there is a severe bed shortage. Many of the older primary and secondary students are sharing a bed, as are quite a few of the boys. Unfortunately, we also learned that the price of new, steel, beds like we had made last year has drastically gone up. Three-teerd bunk beds like those purchase last year have gone up from approximately $150 to $250 as the cost of steel has sky rocketed. We will be exploring options this weekend and hope to at least help this problem. I know I wouldn't want my children sleeping on the cold concrete with a very thin mattress as many of these kids are doing.

Much of today (Friday) was spent with approximately 15 students creating beautiful art work for the upcoming holiday cards. They have created amazing pictures of birds, animals, flowers, and holiday scenes. Soon you will find these pictures on our website so stay tuned!

We have a very busy week ahead of us, so stay tuned. I will do my best to post an update every day.

Kari Fillmore
Executive Director

Gildan, a clothing company many of you may know, is running a FaceBook campaign called, “I Support”. They are looking for people to nominate their favorite, most worthy non-profits. The top ten will be considered for prize money. As you all would agree I’m sure, Angel Covers is worthy and could really use the money for our current programs. We are currently in 9th position and have to remain in the top ten to be considered for any of the prize money. The key is that nominations count far more than "votes". Please get all your FaceBook friends to do the same by the end of August.

All you need to do is go to this link: https://www.facebook.com/genuinegildan?sk=app_10531514314 click on “nominate your charity” and nominate Angel Covers. Below are a couple of sentences you can cut and paste to make it even easier. Or create the nomination in your own words! It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.

Thanks for your support.

Angel Covers is a volunteer run organization dedicated to caring for orphaned and destitute children around the world. We believe that each and every child deserves access to quality medical care, education, nutrition, and housing. We are proud that since the founding of the organization at least 97% of our donations have directly benefited the children and programs with which we work.

Real Hunger

Real hunger is an experience I have never had. I can only try to imagine the hopelessness of needing to feed my family with nothing left at home while drought and poverty block all attempts to get more food. For miles, as far as can be seen, there is little relief. Prices for simple items such as beans and maize sky rocket beyond reach. Desperate neighbors steal from meager gardens. Schools close because even the government hasn’t the means to conjure lunch food where there is none.

This is a picture of much of Kenya today. Even Humble Hearts School, having planned ahead by trying to develop self-sustaining farm projects, is facing the challenge of caring for the children amidst these complicated problems. Beatrice writes:

Can you believe that maize has gone up to 6,000 shillings a sack?! Many schools and homes are finding it very difficult to feed children. There are schools even thinking of closing until they can get enough food. I visited the farm where we had grown maize and had thrown in a few beans. We were able to harvest four sacks which will last us two weeks, though we had to rush to harvest them since people were stealing them from the farm. There is so much hunger in Kenya right now; we were among the few people who planted early so our beans were ready before the others. The maize will be ready in September -we are hoping to harvest at least 50 bags. We intend to sell half to support the farming and feed half to the children. It will be a great relief when we can harvest the maize from the farm.

Each week, Angel Cottage and Humble Hearts School must reevaluate and ration their resources in order to feed the children who are in their care. The teachers and families helping are always willing to labor tirelessly in order to harvest and prepare whatever can be gathered to feed the children. I am humbled and amazed by their persistence and dedication! We need more help, however, over and above the financial commitment our wonderful sponsors continue to send. The children for whom we care and guide toward a better future -need food. It’s that simple. They are hungry and need nourishment to survive, let alone grow and thrive. Please help. A monthly donation commitment or a one-time offering for this purpose can do so much toward making sure Humble Hearts will not have to tuck hungry children into bed at night, or God forbid, close its doors. Across this globe, there is provision for people in need. Please consider extending a portion of your abundance to meet a portion of their great need. Thank you!

Ida McManis

Humble Hearts School Sponsorship Coordinator

http://angelcovers.org/donation.html