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It
takes a lot of effort from a lot of people to raise a little bit of money these days. It’s a good thing that a little bit goes a long way when it’s multiplied by God to help an orphan. Each day we remain encouraged that so many have embraced our vision on behalf of the orphans. Thank you to those who are taking action, so the the children will know they may be orphaned, but they are not forgotten. We can’t do it all, but we can all do something.
My vision early on was to put people with needs together with people of means. I hoped people would adopt projects that inspired them and they'd raise funds in some way for the project. How rewarding to see the vision becoming reality.
A Different Kind of Love
Deitra Wynn Scott still holds the babies from Cameroon in her heart. She hosted a “Different Kind of Love” Valentines fund raiser Feb. 18 in Washington D.C. Monique Aiken, 
our Mobilizer in Chief (pictured below on left), was our representative at the event. Dietra and company adopted the Angel of Mercy project and because of those who support our beloved Deitra, her fund raiser is helping Phase One of Angel of Mercy Home for Children get underway.
Sartell MN Gold’s Gym Spring Fever 5K Walk Run and Raffle
The Frozen Chosen came out for the race on a balmy midwinter Minnesota Day. Lori Fuchs, our race coordinator ordered the warm temperatures for the day. She and her lovely children and husband were there and Rachel, her 8 year old, was at the r
egistration desk and kept us all in line!
Runners from the midwest came out for our event, stayed for the raffle and the drawing for the IPAD. Summer Marthaler traveled from the middle of Wisconsin because she is determined to make this 
year her year to get fit. So glad she chose our race! It was her first 5k. Others came for the second year in a row, some were competitive runners, some came for fun. Many promised to return next year! All had a great time helping us raise funds for the Angel of Mercy Project.
It was heartwarming to see all those who came to support the orphans.
Jen Bakken, our PR Associate, brought her two kids and each one helped make the day a success…even selling our bracelets to raise a few dollars! Every little bit helps! Jen is working to write the Profile for Mercy Homes in India so we can find volunteers to adopt this project.
What’s next? Helping Hands Casino Night March 17 in Scottsdale… Planning is underway.
I’ll have slide shows of photos of each event on the website. Thank you everyone for your heart and hands in the work for the orphans.
My dear friend Floriane Brown returned from Nibakure Children’s Village, Rwanda. After a summer of interviewing and taking in children, they now have 16 orphans to care for. She’s back in the states with her family.
Here are a few stories of the children Floriane has taken in.
One 11 year old girl was orphaned by both parents. She is in second year of primary school. She does well at school, her favorite food is rice and she loves to dance. Another, 13 year old, was orphaned by both parents, her father left her with a benefactor family when she was two. She hasn’t any relation with her caregivers. At school she is 7th in her class. Another group of 3 siblings was orphaned as both parents passed away recently (from HIV). They are joyful still and do very well at school. These children were cared for by an elder sister prior to coming to Nibakure. There is another sibling group of boys abandoned by their parents after returning from a refugee camp in Uganda. Each one is settling into their new home.
The stories of these children will now change. They will have hope and a future.
I am amazed, touched and moved beyond words at the wonderful work Floriane is doing in her country. As one of our partners, there isn’t anything more fulfilling than seeing the faces of the children now in her care! I am sure there will be adjustments, but the children will be well cared for, educated and have warm food daily. What joy!
I noted in the photos she shared the fence in the background. It wasn’t much, but we provided the initial funds so there would be a sense of safety for the staff and children. This is a small thing, but it made a difference.
We can’t do it all, but we can all do something! I am very proud to be associated with Floriane Brown and NVC.
Your Donations Make A Difference In The Lives of Orphans.
I got a call from one of our partners Rebecca Welch executive director of Halo Foundation. 
She just returned from the orphanages they partner with in Uganda and Kenya. I met Rebecca last year in Kansas City after one of her partner orphanages in India listed their organization as a reference. We became fast friends and she now serves on our board.
Since then, your donations funded a security wall around a boys home in Kampala Uganda. She called to tell me she wished I could have been with her to see the impact the security wall has made. I want to share their joy with you.
In an email, she said, “The security wall at the HALO Bukesa Orphanage has made a profound impact on the home. Located in an urban area of Kampala, Uganda the mentors and children were constantly fearful for the posessions at the home and the safety of the children. 200 Orphanages provided funding for a new wall at the home. It truly has made an impact on the culture and spirit there. “We no longer have to fear what is on the outside. We are very grateful for the wall.” Peter, Mentor. Now the home is full of kids who have the chance to just be kids. Thank you 200 Orphanages.
We funded the wall primarily to help the boys raise chickens to help them become self sustaining, we didn’t know the added benefit would be providing the boys a sense of security and well being.
Rebecca mentioned some of her other homes want to raise chickens as well. She has priced out the cost of building chicken coups at $150. If you want to make a difference in the lives of the orphans, please donate any amount. I know it’s not an orphanage, but it is a building project to better serves orphans in their care. The chickens provide meat and eggs and they will be able to sell them to raise money to be more self sufficient. It’s a small amount of money, but it does a great deal of good.
We can’t do it all, but we can all do something.
I am dedicating this message to my Grandmother Ethel Skalicky who passed away in November at the age of 97. I have been blessed to have her in my life these many years. She enriched my life and now it’s my turn. I am a grandmother 9 times, almost 10 and am again enriched!
As I flew to Washington State to visit three of my 9 grandchildren for Thanksgiving, I told a little Russian lady next to me that I was going to be with my three grandchildren. She replied in a thick Russian accent, “You are rich.” She’s so right. I have the blessing of a large loving family and I am ever grateful. This is part of why I am invested in helping orphans who have been left alone in this world with so little, by way of family and material things. I can do something to help them.
I also hope to provide opportunities for you to be involved in something greater than yourself. So often organizations only have funds for day to day operations. Our vision is to come along side them and help provide funding for building projects. We are blessed, rich if you will, and it is an honor to help orphans have a roof over their head.
We’ve done much this year and continue to build a strong foundation in order to fund projects, like the Haiti orphanages, the Rwanda and Uganda fencing. We are excited about the work we’ve done this year.
Our plan in 2011 is to continue helping all of our partner organizations. One primary project is to help Angel Of Mercy USA, based in Oakdale MN, build housing for HIV/AIDS orphans in Cameroon. The executive Director Relindis Moffor lives in MN, and works with HIV/AIDS orphans in Cameroon. Her dream is to provide a stable environment with loving and skilled caregivers. The project itself will take a minimum of $50,000. We are hoping to help as much as we can to give her a good start next year. We are working on fund raisers, vision trips, grants with Rotary International. You will be hearing more about how you can help through the following events in the next couple of weeks.
- February 26: Spring Fever Charity Run & Raffle (Gold’s Gym Sartell)
- June (1st Annual Golf Tournament & Silent Auction)
- Art Teach and Sale (Date not set)
In the meanwhile, we received some artwork from a group of orphans at DAYA Orphanage I
ndia and have designed Christmas Cards and Thank You cards that you can purchase. We will be creating other items to purchase online created by orphans with proceeds going partially to them , but mostly to a building project.
You can purchase the cards pictured here for $5 each and the wrist band. The children will receive some of the funds, and the rest will be put aside for the Cameroon Project. EMAIL YOUR ORDER.
Remember, 100% of your donations goes to the orphanages. Thank you for all you do. Wishing you and yours a safe and blessed Holiday Season and a Prosperous 2011.
We are currently being featured on Travelanthropy.com
Linda Chew contacted me from Travelanthropy when I first started 200 Orphanages a few years ago. She blogged about my trip to Peru and now my travels to Rwanda. Thank you Linda!
I have been so touched by the many people I’ve met on this journey. I have met the most wonderful people on earth. It is really the best part of what I do. So many people want to help the children and help us raise funds for the orphanage projects. This touches me daily. Here are just a few of the awesome people I am privileged to know.
Angel of Mercy: Relindis Moffor is executive director and works day to day at St. Judes Medical Clinic in St. Paul. Her dedication to orphans in need is amazing. We’re helping her raise funds to build housing for HIV/AIDS orphans she cares for in Cameroon. When I first met her, she worked two jobs, one for her lovely family her in the states and the other to send money to provide medical care and education to HIV/AIDS babies in her care. Lori Fuchs is organizing our 2nd Annual Spring Fever Charity 5K for February 26, 2011 to help raise funds to get the project in Cameroon started.
Nibakure Children’s Village: Soon NCV will house 36 orphans and 12 care givers… Executive Director Floriane Brown is working steadily to help the children from her country have a better life. We were able to send money to provide a security fence around Phase 1 of her project, and are now helping them raise funds for Solar power for the Village. Attend their event, and help them start taking kids in early next year.
DAYA Home in India: I received artwork from Rev. Shantipriya Basiston, who cares for the orphans here. The work was created by the orphans and I plan to have them framed for sale and use the proceeds to raise funds for partner projects. They need our help, like so many others.
I am planning a Children’s Art Show and Sale where these and other pieces will be available for purchase. Stay tuned.
We can’t do it all, but we can all do something! Here’s something you can do:
You can help us organize a fund raiser before the end of the year. It doesn’t have to be huge, just a small cocktail party in your home for the holidays with friends and family… Host a Holiday Party For A Cause…
Let me know if you want to participate! I will help in any way I can!
I am writing this post post trip. I have been home for a few days now and am almost fully recovered. Still taking the malaria pills, although I probably saw all of one mosquito the entire trip. I hope to be able to recap my last few days on site in Rwanda and give everyone the desire to go along with me next time!
It’s hard to believe I spent only a few short days in Rwanda. Floriane really knows how to pack it in. She had four groups including me there helping, her largest crowd yet. The Scottish group, the students from Pennsylvania and finally the Belgians.
On Saturday I had the pleasure of working with the students from Villanova University from Pennsylvania. 
The service trip was part of their class on the Rwandan Genocide and organized by their Professor. The university gladly funded
the Gazebo and the kids worked really hard. I enjoyed interacting with them and was told by Katie that people from Princeton don’t work this hard… So, her name from that moment on: Princeton. Here she is working hard. Her team helped with the fence, the clean up around the site and on the Gazebo. Mostly they helped haul cement made of mud and water in containers with holes in them. Even though it was hard, dirty work. they all appeared as if they had great joy in what they were doing. 
The Belgians were introduced to Floriane through a friend who is a member of the Rotary. They caught the vision and organized a run to help pay for the furniture for NCV. The run was held in Rwanda and it was widely publicized and a great success. It was a real run, by the way…these were serious runners making their way over the hills of Rwanda. My hats off to them.
The Belgians also were the first people to stay onsite. They brought their packs and running shoes of course and camped in one of the houses. 
The furniture is lovely and will last a long time. These homes will house 12 orphans and two widows. The facilities have a kitchen, running water and two full bathrooms, complete with toilets, showers and three sinks. The facility will be of high standards and create a sense of safety and well being for staff and children alike.
But, in the meanwhile, Floriane arranged for water to be brought in so the Belgians had a few creature comforts. The furniture was delivered Monday late and after their first night they were served coffee in the morning by one of the neighbor women. It was obvious their joy in being there working on the site and being a part of this wonderful work.
We went to church on Sunday…4 hours of singing and dancing in a lively, but humble facility. The people were not poor by any means. The one room building was covered with canvas, the chairs plastic. These people were rich in faith and joy. They provided us with interpreters so we could enjoy the spirit and the message. This is a dancing people, they break out in dance and clapping much easier than we Americans.
Francine is the Cooperative's President
On Monday, we all made it back to the site. It was a full crowd, all of us in attendance. Floriane and I were to meet with the women cooperative again on Monday and we found Marie who agreed to help coordinate the effort. She will work with Rick from East Africa Metamorphosis project in administering the micro financing. Rick has agreed to take on the women and help them get started successfully. Marie works for Brussels Airways and is a law student…so she will help us at least get the program off the ground here. The women were elated and broke out dancing for joy.
We met for about an hour or more and they brought two business plans with them that they prepared previously. One was for raising cows and selling the
The Cooperative
milk the other for chickens. Marie is translating the business plan so Rick can read it for the chicken business. We hope to start with a small amount so the first project can be a success. If we help these women, we help the families.
The Genocide: Never Again
I joined the Villanove U students on their trip to the Memorial. This period in Rwandan History is not easy to understand. It’s not up to me to judge why or how this could happen. But, being a part of the restoration even in a small way is the right thing to do. There are memorials everywhere, as the Genocide wasn’t an isolated event. It was a nationwide massacre. Many of the killings took place in houses of worship as this is where people fled for safety. The merciless haters didn’t care. 
So, here in Nyamata, the village where the Orphanage is, the church stands as it was 16 years ago.
The clothing of its victims on the pews, blood still on the altar where slayings occured and a few machetes and weapons left behind. No photos are allowed, which is just as well. It isn’t a tourist stop, but a memorial, a sacred place to honor the lives of those cut short by insanity of hate. There are stories too gruesome to repeat here, and there are stories of bravery and self sacrifice, even martyrdom.
There is a whole culture of forgiveness being built in Rwanda. It’s redefining their national identity as they recover from the genocide. It appears that after such an atrocity, there is no punishment suitable for the crimes. The hope to heal their nation is based in forgiveness. There have been plenty of trials and justice meted out, mind you. But, when that’s all said and done, without forgiveness hatred still has a root. The nation recognizes that without forgiveness, healing can’t begin.
Our last day together was July 20 and we were able to all get together for lunch. It was a great time to relax and enjoy each other over a meal.
What stands out most in my mind after traveling these many miles to among other things carry buckets of cement and level fence posts, is the joy that comes from doing this work. It’s not just me, look at the faces of the volunteers.
Is there anything better?
