November 2006

News - Newsletters

This newsletter comes to you all the way from Lima. While there is so much work to do and overwhelming numbers of families in need, I am delighted to report much progress has been made possible through your generous donations and more is planned. Much has been achieved since the last newsletter …

Two new Dining-rooms have been started. Four old Dining-rooms have been refurbished with waterproof roofs, dry floors, secure doors, new windows and new cooking equipment. A new Community Work Shop has been built for women to make handcrafts, which can be sold for much needed income. This enables local women put their enormous talent and abilities to good use. A new multipurpose Community Centre has been planned. It will include a Clinic, a Kindergarden with a Classroom that will double up as a Meeting-room in the evenings. It will have toilets and showers, a Kitchen. We are hoping to make a start on this project very soon. These modest buildings are essential part of what we do. They are more than brick and mortar. They are place of refuge and hope for the poor and destitute. Our focus at all times is to feed the hungry children, help those on the margins and empower the locals to help themselves.

There are real signs of hope emerging. The people here have a sense the outside world is listening to their desperate cries of need and you have heard them. The Dining-rooms are providing nutritious food to starving children. They also double up as Community meeting points in the evening to give a forum to the local people to voice their own needs and make representation to local government for essential services such as communal water supply points and electricity supply to their home.

The Special Needs School provides education to the most marginalized and vulnerable children in this destitute community. Your donations have and will continue to make a tremendous difference in the lives of the poor children and their families.

It is important we help with more than bricks and mortar. There is a lots of community work involved in this trip. Getting out and meeting families in need has been a priority. This has involved buying material for 6 really poor families to make their small home liveable. For others it has involved medical. Little by little some structures are being put in place to help the poor people help themselves. Good contact has been made with Non-Governmental Organisation's (NGO's) where support (not financial) can be got for the community leaders that are emerging during our work.

It is estimated the budget this time will be about €15,000........ if we have it ....... All donations, great or small, make a difference.

Kindest regards,
Michael