Provide for 4 Children's' Homes During Inflation

Katja Starkey, the founder of Touch the Nations and her family of 5 recently visited the areas we support in Africa! They met with the leaders of each home and school, delivered supplies, and enjoyed each community. You can see some pictures here of the kids, teachers, staff, and family! 

As we have expected the heightened cost of living has maintained and with it our heightened financial support. This project was first started to fill a need in the face of steep inflation in 2021 so that staff could continue being paid and children fed, and clothed etc. We are so appreciative to everyone who gave to help us meet those needs. And we are so grateful for those who continue their support as it is still needed! These photos show some fruits of your giving and we hope they put a smile on your face! 

As we've said before, we do not expect cost of living to drop back to where it was pre-COVID or even to drop at all. We continue to send additional funds to cover food, schooling, house mothers etc for the 4 children's homes we support. 

One additional expense we are navigating right now involves electrical repair. Bwiza house experienced an electric fire in the night last week. Gratefully the fire was in an electric box outside the building and neighbors noticed and helped put it out quickly. We are replacing wires and doing what is necessary to ensure this is a one time event. 

Thank you so much for your past support in meeting the needs of the incredibly deserving children in our care, and thank you in advance for helping us continue to give them everything they need and a chance at a wonderful life. 

Autumn greeting! I'm writing today to provide another update on the inflation in Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Ethiopia that continues to affect our support to the children's homes and communities we serve there. 

Over these months transportation has been largely shut down in the areas we work. Burundi in particular had no gasoline for months! You can imagine how high the demand and price is now that gasoline is coming in! Charcoal, another staple, is currently 5x the price it was 2 years ago. 

Right now we are struggling to continue spending only $4 a day per person on basic necessities for those in care at Bwiza home and anticipate the need to increase our support soon. As I shared in my last update, we now send $500 more per month to each children's home when compaired to financial support 2 years ago. This totals to $1,500 more per month. This is a gap we are grateful to be able to fill! And we are so appreciative of your help and continued help in doing that!!

As you know, when the COVID-19 pandemic began over 2 years ago our economy and economies around the world were affected dramatically. The communities we work in struggled to afford basic necessities like food and soap. We helped fill the gap in Sierra Leone and Liberia by passing out sanitizer, masks, maize corn and other supplies as well as send additional funds monthly to provide for the schools and children's homes we support. Thank you for helping us meet these needs!

At this time we continue to send our regular support AND an additional $500 monthly to children's homes in Sierra Leone, Burundi, and Ethiopia to supply for their food, staffing, and other needs during this steep inflation. This is a $1,500 monthly increase.

Thank you again for your help providing for these communities and the children who live in the 3 children's homes! We continue to rely on your support to meet their needs and appreciate any gifts you are able to contribute. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began 2 years ago Touch the Nations has sent an aditional $500 to each of the 3 African children's homes we support on a monthly baises. Due to the pandemic and the inflation caused by it these funds are needed to help cover basic needs such as food, staff salaries, and dry goods as well as additional sanitation supplies. At this time we are continuing this aid indefinitely.

Thank you immensly for your past giving and continued support! We are so grateful to be able to continue to help provide for these children through this time of changing needs.