Current
Projects
medical visits for 1 year
Washer & dryer
Cleats for kuwinda
One of the things we realized early on in our trip was that we needed to find a way to get medical treatment on a consistent basis to these kids. There was a very serious outbreak of scabies, ringworm & skin fungus among the kids that required immediate attention and we knew our 12 days there wasn't going to be enough. They needed consistent followup & ongoing care.
When we were asked to speak to a group of nursing & community health students at a local university, a perfect partnership emerged. The Director there heard about what we were doing at the orphanage and wanted to be a part. She has decided to start a program that brings a volunteer doctor or dentist into the orphanage at least once a month, accompanied by her students, to administer medical care. This does two things: gives her students hands-on training in the field AND provides ongoing care at the orphanage. It couldn't be more perfect! This program will be fully funded by us (covering transportation, medicine and other medical supplies). We are looking for people to commit to a regular monthly donation of any amount to contribute to that.
So... we fell in love with a group of kids from this small village outside the orphanage. We brought a big bag of donations there & spent the day offering free medical and chiropractic treatment. We let the girls braid our hair braided, taught them a little yoga, painted nails & played soccer... so much fun! Just before we left, a young boy tapped one of us on the shoulder & asked about a pair of cleats he saw poking out of the donation bag. (See, all the boys play soccer. It's one of their only hopes of going to college one day. And none of them have the luxury of cleats. They wear tattered tennis shoes and slide all over the field... and STILL manage to be 3rd in the city.)
Well, after nearly inciting a riot by giving him our only cleats, we realized we had to find a way to get them for all the boys. So we asked the coach for a list of their names & sizes & committed to it. Within 24 hours, I had 3 lists - cleats for the older & younger boys teams and sneakers for the girls... 86 pairs in all!
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We were able to fill the first list before we went home. This campaign is for the remaining 45 pairs. $100 buys and delivers 5 pair of cleats... but any donation amount is great!
GOAL: $2,400
GOAL: $1,200
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GOAL: $1,200
Clean, dry clothes is a huge issue at our orphanage. Currently, the women wash the clothing in buckets by hand (after a few days' use) and then drape them over the outside cement walls to dry. There are no clothing lines and during rainy season, the clothes were being put away damp. This season, it led to a skin fungus that spread to all of the children, one of the things we spent the most time treating while we were there. We've decided we want to provide the home with a commercial grade washer and dryer as soon as we possibly can. This will mean cleaner, dryer clothing and provide relief for both the women and the children.
