Christmas Giving

We would like to give you an update on our project as we go into the Christmas season.
We have been so blessed with people who have given their hearts in building this home for our "Angels".  Children who never imagined in their wildest dreams they would  live in one.  Their home is finished, including beds and mattresses along with the latrine just outside their door.  The main house is almost done, excluding the floors and plumbing fixtures.  The water is now in, complete with submersive pump and stabilizer and is pumping 5000 liters/hour of beautiful clear water.  We really believed we could open in February 2012, but we have decided that we are going to wait for just a while longer.  There are too many things we need to do  and we want to do as much as we can to get finished first and then bring the kids in and start with a structured routine to raise them.

We have been asked by many, especially now at Christmas time, what they can do to help us finish, so I am going to post a list of items needed for completion.  If you would like to help take on one of these projects as a family or an individual, please let us know.  We would be very grateful

Generator:  the pump for the water is run by electricity and the power in Jinja is on approximately 3-4 days out of 7.  The cost for the generator will be $800.00.
Grass Hut:  this hut will be used as a community house for the kids to eat in, for meetings and gatherings.  It will cost approximately $3,500.00.
Flooring:  to cover 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 showers, 3 kitchens, 3 sitting rooms and 6 verandas.  The floors will cost $3,800.00.
Plumbing Fixtures:  toilets, showers, sinks, including kitchen and bathroom.  $1,500.00
Oven and Refrigerator:  $1,000.00

8' Concrete Wall:  BC Holstein News has taken it upon themselves to write a story in their newspaper with the goal of providing safety at the compound by building this wall. They have encouraged the dairy community to join together with them in purchasing enough bricks to complete the wall.  You can read their story on page 56 at www.holsteinnews.com.  The total cost of this wall will be $12,000.00

We will keep everyone updated on their progress.

Thank you Karen, Gary and your team

The plaster is completed in two of the three apartments.  The verandas are also done on the both sides of each unit.  The road that leads into the project is growing so fast with all the rain and the palm trees are getting big.

The plants in the rock gardens are also starting to grow...

This is a story I must tell you about.  The submersive pump was put in and they had to do a 6 hour test on it.  Instead of letting the water go to waste, Edwin brought all the people from the area in to fill their jerry cans.  As you can see, it is mostly the children who fetch water.

Edwin helping the little ones fill their jerry cans.

Look at the faces...concentration if I ever saw it 

Yes...bulls-eye

Do you remember baby Alan?  This is the youngest child we have coming to live in our Home of Angels.
Edwin went to the village to check on him and found this precious child with his Jaaja who has been raising him since him mommy died giving birth to him.  Edwin bought him milk and cookies along with sugar and food for Jaaja to help her with the 12 other grandchildren she is raising.  All her children have died, leaving her the only one to care for all of them.  Jaaja cried tears as she told Edwin how grateful she is for us taking her grandson and raising him.  She never thought God or anyone cared but boy was she wrong.  We all care.

When a child in North America wants a doll, they go the the store and buy a soft doll....easy
In most places in Africa, if a child wants a doll, they climb a banana tree, cut down a stem, open it up and create their own doll.  No, it's not as soft, you cannot cuddle it but they have a doll that goes everywhere with them.

This is another handmade doll

Thanks once again to all of you for travelling this journey with us.  You give me the inspiration to keep baking the banana bread, to go out and do my speaking at schools and just make the people around me realize how much we are blessed living here.  Such a simple thing as a banana bread can change a life.

Then we have many of you who have joined forces with us and help financially with your donations. You have made a huge difference and what you see growing in front of your eyes here, is mainly thanks to all of you.  You created a beautiful compound with your hearts to make a difference in this world.

Thanks to the people who are offering to sponsor the kids, provide food for their families and all the volunteers from all over North America that help us in more ways than I can explain here.  You are so important to us and please remember, you are ALL welcome to come when we finish and see what you took part in.

We all can make a difference in other peoples lives....it just takes the first step