How much can change in a year?

When I first arrived to the orphanage just a few weeks ago, the first thing I noticed was how much their situation had changed. Last year in December, they had just recently moved into their new homes – there were four small houses with approximately 20 children per house. Today there are 5 houses and a sixth is being built. There are also more House Mothers, but there are also more children.

The water situation last year was dire. The children would go to the river in the morning and load jerry cans of water for the day. Now they have a truck outfitted with a device that pumps the water into a vat and hosed into a tank behind their home. From the tank, the water moves through hoses into each house. There is enough water for taps to run and toilets to flush, but the truck has to make four trips per day to keep up with the needs of the orphanage..

The children overall appear more healthy then they were a year ago, but still the babies have stubborn colds and fevers. They are so vulnerable, and four died this year due to illness. However, most are thriving.

One of the new babies is Brenda, two months old. She came when she was two weeks old and weighing just two pounds. Today, she is still so incredibly tiny – the size of an average newborn. Baby Charles is another new arrival. His parents died of AIDS and he is HIV positive. Another toddler, Samwel, arrived just two weeks before I got there. His parents had attempted to sell him to a witch doctor for sacrifice, but the doctor turned the child over to police. They are in jail and Samwel is now at the orphanage, likely to stay for many years to come.

One of the most obvious signs of change is children playing. When the children first moved into this home a little over a year ago, there was so much work to be done and little time for playing. Today, with so much progress having been made, the children are finished their chores by noon and playing in the afternoon. (Right now they are on school holidays.) The local Rotary Club donated a playground, and the kids flock to it. Sometimes the boys like to make their own “band,” marching up and down the walkway singing and drumming.

I have more blogs to post in the coming days! I had an incredible stay at the orphanage, and I am excited to share these updates with you.

We did it!

Dear Friends:

We did it.

We set a goal to raise $10,000 in 2010 so that we could send the older boys and girls of the Nzirambi Orphans Talent Development Centre to school. We did it! Not only did we reach our goal, but we surpassed it.

Already, some of our funds have been used to enrol four youth - Patricia, Priscilla, Pelucy and Ellen- into their final years of high school. And, if her application is successful Veronica, one of the eldest children at the orphanage, will be attending university in the fall.

By paying for their education, we are helping to give these children a future with opportunities they never imagined.

We are also helping to relieve the overall stress of the orphanage – that means all other funds can go to provide 85 orphaned children with a sturdy roof over their head, a bed to sleep in, nutritious food and medicine when they need it. It means the newest arrivals – the tiny newborns who arrive, often abandoned by their families, will have a fighting chance to survive.

This year, our team – Monica Kahindo, Aynsley Morris, Cecile Peterkin and Tanya Elliott -- got to see so many of you rally behind this cause. You did what you could to support us. Some people used fitness classes to raise funds, others held garage sales. Others shared amazing hand-crafted work and many of you helped us sell Mother’s Day cards and bookmarks. Many more of you bought bookmarks and cards, and shared them with friends and family.

All of you have made a difference. Every single contribution mattered; you helped us develop the Nzirambi Orphans Fund and reach the goals set for our inaugural year.

Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for inspiring Monica and I to keep this fundraising going. It would be impossible for us to stop now; we’ve only just begun.

Please keep in touch with us. You can follow what’s happening on the blog or on Facebook at http://groups.to/orphans. We’re really excited about some new events we’ll be having in 2011.

Sincerely,
Karen Snider

A special note for the holidays

This is what it’s all about.

Our friend Brian Pieters was recently at the orphanage to photograph the children and House Mothers. Our goal is to connect all of you with the children through a photo exhibition that we are planning for in the New Year. He already sent us home some photos that we wanted to share with you – have a look, they are posted on the Facebook group page: http://groups.to/orphans

These photos are a reminder of what all of this fundraising and talk about the Nzirambi Orphans Fund is about: We’re giving these vulnerable children an opportunity to grow up and become independent, successful citizens.

All of the funds raised this year are going toward a scholarship fund to cover school fees from senior levels of high school and post-secondary education.

By paying for the older children to go to school, we are helping to relieve the overall stress of the orphanage – that means, there will be more funds in place to make sure that all of the children will have a sturdy roof over their head, water they can drink, clothing, a bed to sleep in, nutritious food and medicine when they need it. And they will all have the chance to be educated or learn important skills to help them land jobs.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and for inspiring us (Monica and Karen) to keep doing what we’re doing. All of you have made a difference.

Happy Holiday everyone!

Holiday shopping ideas to support the orphanage

What do you know? It’s snowing in Ontario – and it is starting to look a lot like Christmas!

I’m super happy to tell you that we’ve already sold 325 bookmarks in our annual drive, but our goal is to sell 400. Help us reach our goal and share info about the bookmarks with your friends and colleagues. They make great stocking stuffers, Secret Santas, gift toppers and gifts for colleagues, friends, family. Each one cost $10 and you can order them from this blog using paypal. They’re really cute and ALL of the money raised will go directly to the orphanage to help send the children to school.

We’ve also got some other crafty goods for sale to help us raise funds. Check it out:

Poetic Art

Roxane Tracy of Poetic Art is giving proceeds from the sale of her African-inspired art to the orphanage. Her work is a perfect match for the orphanage, depicting the challenges and triumphs of women and children. Take a minute to look at her work – it’s gorgeous. She is selling prints for $40 and greeting cards for $5 each or 4 for $15. http://www.poeticartgallery.com/

Yoga bags for a good cause
Our friend and supporter Aynsley Morris (@aynsilly) has handcrafted these really amazing bags for yoga mats. She did some in African prints, and some other designs, including one white with daisies. The yoga bags are $20 donation. She also made eye pillows with flax seed and lavender – great for meditation, blocking out light when you’re sleeping or if you get headaches like I do. We’re asking for a $10 donation for those. Aynsley donated the material and so ALL of the money raised from these purchases will go directly to the orphanage.

Last but not least
Please do think of our children this holiday season. Right now they will be just finishing up their semester at school and gearing up for a few weeks off over the holidays. The kids don’t really celebrate Xmas, except, hopefully, this year they will have an opportunity to have a big feast. They’re happy kids, and we are helping to give them a world of opportunities by paying for their education.

Please do consider the orphanage when making your holiday donations this year. We don’t have charity status yet for tax receipts – but stay with us because we aim to have that in place for this time next year.

Thank you for your support - Happy holidays!

Bookmarks for Babes are back!

Last year, you may remember that the beaded bookmarks kicked off the fundraising efforts for the orphanage. At that time, I was trying to figure out how I might raise $500 to bring to the orphanage on my volunteer trip. Turns out, people ordered the bookmarks in droves and $4,000 was raised. And so the Nzirambi Fund was born!

A year in the making

I’m a little more prepared this time around and have been working on them all year. I also have a small army of really awesome volunteers who have been helping me make them (@nancyjt), helping to put ribbons on (Monica, Cindy, Marie-Helen), and others helping to sell them. Barbara Strang took some amazing photos (like the one posted here), and Lawrence designed a new card to attach to them.

Hundreds of bookmarks have already been delivered – we have Aynsley Morris (@aynsilly) selling them in Ottawa, Jessica Taylor in Calgary, Tenesha Clarke in Brampton and Nancy in Niagara. Our friends at Honey Fig will also be selling them at the Yonge Street store.

Want to buy one now?

You can order bookmarks on this blog by using the paypal box in the right column. Let us know what colour you like – they come in pearls, pinks, blues, greens, purples or mixed colours. Or say: “surprise me” and we’ll pick something out for you. Be sure to include your address so we can mail them to you.

Boomarks are a $10 donation. Each one will have a card on it that says: “All of the funds raised from the sale of this gift will go toward the boys and girls at the Nzirambi Orphans Talent Development Centre. Thank you for your support.”

Last year, people bought them as gifts for friends, colleagues, teachers, family, etc. They’re also really great stocking stuffers!

Want to sell bookmarks?

If you are keen to help us sell some to your family, friends or co-workers, please do let us know.

Where your donation goes

All of the money raised will go directly to the orphanage and pay for the children to go to school. By helping these children obtain higher levels of education, they will be able to escape the cycle of poverty. We're helping to make dreams come true for these children.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

A letter from Veronica

I recently received this letter in the mail from one of the older girls at the orphanage. Her name is Veronica and she's getting ready to apply to university next year. I'm going to write her letter out in full to share it with you. It's very sweet!

Hello Karen,

How are you and how is work and your life in Canada? Well, back here in Uganda, I am doing ok. I am at school busy reading my books since I am soon doing my final exams in November that will register me for university.

I really thank God for the time we spent together here in Uganda and I would also like to come and visit you in Canada since we had a good time here. How is Monica? Do you normally visit her and go for coffee together? Send my sincere greetings to her and tell her that we lover her so much.

I have been communicating to Auntie Milly via phone and I have always been informed about what has been taking place at home. I really miss those children at the orphanage. (**fyi, Vero has been doing her final school year at a boarding school in Kampala.)

I have chosen the right courses that I would like to do at the university with the help from my teachers. They have advised me about the courses that best suit my subjects that I am doing here in Senior 6. These are some of the courses-- law as my first choice and accounting as my second course. My results from my final exam will determine the course I will be doing in university.

After my results are back in February 2011, I will be going to university in August 2011.

I will be soon going for my long vacation in November after my exams on the 24th, I will be going back to Kasese and be with the children. I am also going to start my computer studies and I will open up an email where I will be communicating to you.

In my vacation, I will be helping with the work at home, playing with the children and helping Auntie Milly with her work in the office.

Lastly, I would like to send my greetings to all of your friends in Canada and I with you a nice stay and hope to see you again here in Uganda.

Greetings from all of my friends here at school like Rhoda, Martha, Esther and Faith.

With love,

Veronica Nabasinga.

Amazing Race Maps

Did anyone see the Amazing Race last night? They were racing in Ghana and one of their challenges was to correctly identify the Ghana on a map of Africa. (What?! You mean Africa is not a country??)

Just today, I had to dig up some maps of Uganda and Kasese, where the orphanage is, as part of our application for charitable status. And then I had an "Amazing Race moment" and realized that people who read this blog and know about the orphanage may not know where it is.

Here's a map to put things into perspective. It also shows where Gulu is - many of us are aware of the long-standing war in Northern Uganda - and its proximity to the Congo and Sudan.

Look south on the map and you will find Kasese on the Congo border, surrounded by lakes, mountains and forest. Actually, the orphanage borders on the land of a national park and one night that I was there, the elephants came onto the property in search of food and water. I didn't see the elephants, but heard the gun shots of rangers trying to scare them off the land.