"If we
all do something, then together there is no problem that we cannot
solve."
-- Rippan Kapur
This is very similar to the philosophy that Angel Covers was founded on
and I say it often. Working together, we can make a difference in
the lives of children. The past few months have only reinforced
my beliefs. Everyone may play different roles in making a change
happen, but the changes we are seeing are not the result of one
person. It is everyone working together and doing what they can
that is making a difference.
I am incredibly excited to tell you that China's Orphan Relief Fund has
been started!! It seemed like there should have been more fanfare
as I wired the remaining funds needed for the endowment. No
fanfare, no huge celebration at the moment, but I was truly in awe of
what I knew was happening. A national relief fund was coming into
existence in China. A fund that will affect the lives of so many
orphans. Children who may be living on the street today, have a
better chance at having a home. Children who are living in
orphanages but do not have basic needs met may get those needs
met. Babies that have no bed have a chance at a place to
sleep. There really should have been fanfare, as that was truly
an incredible moment that will change history. The official name
of the fund in China is the Relief Fund for Chinese Parentless and
Special Needs Children. We are so excited that Mr. Xu, the
president of China's Social Workers Association, had the vision that
was the catalyst for this change. We look forward to watching the
differences this will make in the future and knowing we had a
part. Thank you to each of you that contributed! We will be
updating the Hands
of Hope and Orphan
Relief Fund webpages
soon with the everything that is happening. We want to thank
everyone at Love Without Boundaries for the incredible work they have
done over the last year to make this a reality, and we know they send
their sincere thanks to you as well. This would not have been
possible without Love
Without Boundaries. What a fabulous organization!!
In other ways as well, February was an incredible month. We were
able to accomplish much, but the needs we were contacted about also
increased. Children and orphanages are not immune to the
political situations in the world. Haiti has been a prime example
of this. Because of the turmoil in Haiti, supplies were unable to
move about the country as normal. We were happy to be able to
respond to a call from God's Littlest Angels and send them money to
help secure water for one of the orphanages. It has been
heartbreaking to hear how the unrest has left children in orphanages
without food for several days.
Africa continues to be a continent with an increasing number of
orphans. The AIDs crisis, war, and poverty have left unbelievable
numbers of children. We were happy to learn the blankets we
shipped to Nairobi have arrived. We have started 48 more
blankets, 82 knit hats, and lots of clothes on the way to Port
Elizabeth, South Africa. We know that when winter comes to this
region they will be greatly needed. In addition to the blanket
shipments, we are very pleased to be starting a nutrition program for
the children in Nairobi at the Holly House. For $3 a day, we will
be able to supply fresh fruit for the 18 children who live in this
shelter. Education continues to be a need for the children in
this area. For $13 a month, a child can be sent to secondary
school, and Angel Covers has agreed to sponsor a child. Because
of the many things these children have been through, they have high
aspirations and work hard to become doctors and professionals hoping to
make a difference.
We have also begun working with an orphanage in Uganda. There are
over 100 children who live there with another 300 children living with
older siblings or on their own in the area. This part of northern
Uganda continues to be war torn and rebel forces attack areas in the
city often. The orphanage has managed to keep the children safe
from the attacks, but with so many children their needs are
great. Simple things, like chickens, can supply this orphanage
with not only food, but a means to help support themselves by selling
the eggs. Mosquito netting can help prevent the children from
contracting malaria. We have just received a list of needs from
the orphanage, and look forward to helping the children there.
Our efforts in China also continue. We are excited that the
kindergarten in Shantou will begin this month, thanks to the wonderful
efforts of Love Without Boundaries. For only $10 a month, a child
can be sent to kindergarten. Many children in orphanages cannot
attend school due to Hepatitis or other conditions. This
kindergarten will allow many children to receive an education when it
wasn't possible before. Angel Covers will continue to support
this school and has agreed to directly sponsor a child.
We also have the fortune of meeting a wonderful woman from India.
Although she lives in California, she was traveling back to India and
planning to visit orphanages while home. She graciously agreed to
take $500 to the children from Angel Covers. Amazingly, she was
able to hire an English teacher to come to an orphanage once a week for
the next year and a half! Now the children living in this
orphanage will have a chance to attend college and private schools
where they must take entrance exams in English. Thanks so much to
Gita!!
We were thrilled to receive updated pictures of a young woman we met
while in Shantou. We took some herbs to her in December to help
with a skin pigmentation problem, which have been very effective.
Since then, we have sent more and are thrilled to learn bright young
woman is about to finish high school, and would love to go to college
and become a teacher. Another young woman from the Shantou
orphanage is already in college, and Angel Covers feels privileges to
begin paying her college expenses in August. Education is always
in jeopardy for these kids as the money is often not available.
For $110 a month a student can be sent to college. We plan to
make sure that these young women can continue to attend college.
Last month I told you about the wooden cribs in orphanages in
China. When I stood in Huaibei and watched a cleft baby rubbing
her mouth across the rail of the crib, I thought about the lead she
must be ingesting or the splinters that would end up in her gums.
The children are able to fall out of the cribs due to their low
sides. I promised myself while standing there that I would work
for making a change. This last month we heard about an orphanage
where the babies all have lead poisoning due to these wooden
cribs. We continue to hear about too many babies sharing a crib,
or babies that don't have cribs. Every child needs a bed.
We are able to purchase a new stainless steel cribs and have them
delivered for $50 each. This month we are planning to send 20
cribs to the Huaibei orphanage! I'm thrilled these beautiful
babies will no longer be at risk of lead poisoning or getting splinters
in their gums. If you would like to help with this project,
please mark your donation
for "cribs."
When we look at many of the needs presented to us, the costs just
aren't that great; $3 for fresh fruit in Africa, $5 to feed a baby for
a month in China, $8 for a baby bouncer, $10 to send a child to school,
$50 to provide a baby with a safe bed to sleep in, etc. We have
expanded our gift cards to include many new things, at a wide variety
of prices. Giving a gift that helps children is a great way to
honor someone, while making a difference in the world. Please
take a look at our expanded gift card page to
find your next birthday card or any occasion gift. If you have an
idea for a gift card, feel free to contact us. Additional cards
will be added to the page periodically, and can be made specifically
for your loved one.
Some days the needs can seem overwhelming, but we try to remember we
cannot fix the whole world. When we look back at the things we
have accomplished, and see all of the problems we have not yet solved,
we realized the world is a better place for many children because of
what we have done. We thank you so much for partnering with us in
this great endeavor. We know that together we can help solve
problems around the world. Thanks again for your continued
support, and we hope that together we can continue to accomplish great
things!
Kari
co-founder Angel Covers
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