100 Hope Bus Scholarships for Iraqi girls and boys

Hey team, we did it!  Our dream of a third "HOPE BUS" for Iraqi orphans and street kids has finally come true!  A bus has been donated and donors like you have provided funds to transform it into a colorful, child-friendly place of learning and belonging.  This means a 50% increase in capacity of the fleet of life-changing Hope Buses to deliver love and hope to children like little Zena:* 

Zena* (8) had special challenges.  She was slow, had poor hygiene, and sometimes difficult behavior.  Her parents treated her as inferior to her siblings, neglected her care, and beat her.  To little Zena's rescue came an aunt who lived alone and took the girl into her home.  She cared for Zena and, when the opportunity came, signed her up to attend classes at the Hope Bus!  Today, Zena gets love and care at the Hope Bus, fun with the children, and private lessons to help with her behavior and hygiene.  Into Zena's dark and violent world, came the beautiful warmth of an aunt's love and the promise of a brighter future as a student on the Hope Bus!

Watch this new video, "Voices from the Hope Bus" and listen to boys and girls like Zena who have already had a chance at the protection, nurture and empowerment the Hope Buses deliver. 

Then, please help us recruit family and friends to build up our Hope Bus Scholarship fund.  Every new monthly gift - from $10 a month to $200 a month - earns an extra free month of support for the Hope Bus kids! 

On behalf of the 570 children whose lives have been touched by the Hope Buses, we say "shukran" - thank you - from the bottom of our hearts.

Gratefully,
Cindy

*Name and picture changed to protect child's privacy.

The "Hope Buses" in Baghdad that you have so generously supported are in full operation, providing tutoring, nutritional meals, social services, and play for more than 100 boys and girls!   Did you know that over the past several years, more than 560 children have benefitted from this investment in their young lives? 

What is special about this project is that it is more than a one-time "hand-out" of a pair of shoes, a jacket, or a basket of food.  While those are important gifts at special times, we are committed to a significant, ongoing "hand-up" investment in each at-risk child to help them get a chance at an education and a better future. 

But, interestingly, you know what the most intangible impact is?  Listen to the words of our Iraqi project manager:

“Did you know that most Hope Bus children when they first come to us have negative thoughts about themselves like they are stupid, unable to learn. They do not have dreams about the future and feel inferior and that they are not like other children in schools. But when they carry school bags, books and pens, and when they start learning to write the first letter, the change begins.