The kids at Hands Together to Defend the Children Orphanage continue to thrive in the new home that your support made possible.
In addition to English classes, we’ve recently added another enriching activity for the children – art. With a Haitian head art teacher volunteering his time three days a week, the children are learning sculpture. At the end of their three month course they’ll hold an exhibition of their work where their art is for sale.
For the time being, the kids are learning the basics of molding clay and having fun learning a new skill. In the long-term, we’re happy to provide a positive outlet for stress and excited to see what the kids will create!
None of these activities would be possible without your on-going support, and we’re hoping that you’ll continue providing that support over the next two weeks during Global Giving’s Recurring Donation Challenge. During the challenge, groups which gain the most recurring donations could win anywhere between $500 and $2,500.
As little as $10 a month could qualify the kids at Hands Together to Defend the Children Orphanage for this extra infusion of cash. Even if you can’t donate yourself, you can participate by letting friends and family know about the challenge.
As always, we’d like to thank you for your generosity and support of these kids.
Warm regards from Haiti!
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A few days ago, I visited the orphanage to check on a few children with mild skin infections and was met with quite a surprise. “Emma, how are you?” Said one of the younger boys. “Good thanks!” I replied, and he ran away giggling. Others energetically counted from 1 to 20.
I had known that one of our volunteers – Madeline – had been teaching English at the orphanage, but I had not expected such rapid progress.
The change in the children since we’ve been able to provide school, health care, English classes, and a safe house has been extraordinary. The benefits of having a routine and a safe place to sleep for the first time since the earthquake shows in each child’s face and new found ability to focus on schooling and playing.
And this is, of course, to say nothing of the difference school and English will make in the children’s long-term prospects for success.
As we see positive changes first hand, we wanted to take this opportunity to write and say thank you for all you’ve already done. None of these positive changes would have been possible without your generous contributions. We hope you’ll keep supporting the orphanage as they move forward.
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Thanks to your donations, we’ve been able to completely fund a school for all 31 school age children living at the orphanage for a full year.
Every part of the school has provided an educational opportunity – the older kids even got involved building the benches for their school! Properly supervised, they helped us put the prefabricated desk parts together, even trying their hands at drilling.
The next step in the school’s development will be providing better books, uniforms, and increasing educational support for children who are struggling.
The education that your donations have provided gives these children hope for a brighter future. It is a long-lasting, essential gift, and we’d like to thank you for giving it to the children of Hands Together to Defend the Children (HTDC) Orphanage.
Further donations will support continued long-term security for the school, so please continue to spread the word about HTDC so that we can provide on-going support for these deserving kids.
Again, thanks so much for all you’ve done!
All our best,
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Hello all,
While it hasn’t been long since our last project update, your out-pouring of support has been so inspiring we felt the need to write - again - to say thank you.
Thanks to your support we have been able to raise our fundraising goal again and again, and you have kept exceeding our expectations! When it comes to fundraising for these vulnerable kids, the sky is the limit. Any money which is not spent this year will be held in trust for their future housing, education and health needs.
So as we up the fundraising goal yet again, we just wanted to write and say thanks for making the start of 2011 a time of hope for 47 children who lost everything less than one year ago.
Wishing you the happiest new year!
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Hello all!
The fact that more than 130 individuals have given in support the kids at Hands Together to Defend the Children Orphanage is simply extraordinary. We are honoured and humbled by your generosity.
With your help, we have rented a safe, secure house for two full years where all the kids can live. These children have lost parents, seen their houses destroyed, and were forced to live in two dirty, overcrowded tents for more than six months after the earthquake. They will not soon forget what you have given.
To celebrate your generous contribution and the new house, we recently held an art day. At the orphanage directors’ request, we distributed thank you signs which each child coloured. We hope that these sincere thank-yous convey what a difference you have made in the lives of some of Haiti’s most vulnerable children.
While this housing appeal is funded, we are still raising money to provide the children with school fees and money to pay for much needed vitamins and medical fees. If you are still inspired to give, or know someone who might be, please let them know about this page. We'll soon be revising this page to reflect our new fundraising goals.
Together we can make sure that these children not only have safe housing, but can access education and the medications they desperately need.
Again, thanks so much for your support. From all of us here in Haiti we wish you the happiest of holidays.
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