This project started as a joint venture together with our partners. Since about one year, as we were planning to build a school for the orphans, it became clear that they wanted to work more and more independent from us. We realized that it was time to turn things over slowly to them and help them stand on their own feet. P. Theophile said: “It is good for us or we will fall asleep”.
Turning over our first project
He also said that if we build the foundation of the school he would find other people to finish it. We agreed to do that and the foundation is almost finished now including hundreds of bricks for the building.
To give them time to find new sponsors and to ensure that the orphans are well cared for in the transition period we offered to keep financing the project for another half a year. We are also helping them to find other local benefactors. Two associations are already showing interest and want to get involved. The agricultural project is a help as well since it slowly generates income. Each pineapple sells for about 1 to 1.5 $ and gives one or two new offshoots every year which means more income. Instead of giving them a fish, it teaches them how to fish – how to help themselves.
Further progress was achieved in the health care of the children. An arrangement was made with a local medical centre that we bring them medicine and they in return will treat the children for free when needed. On top of that we had again a very special visitor from Germany.
Dr. Martha, related to Wolfgang’s family, took a whole month of holidays just to come here to check and treat the children. She sacrificially did all she could to help as many children as possible, including all the 100 children in the orphanage where we found Anissa.
Beginning of our new project
First we had to decide if we should support other existing projects or start our own. There are many pros and cons on both sides. If you support an existing one you can help to improve things, but you are limited in what and how you can do it. If you start your own you can do a better job in organizing and overseeing things properly, but you have a lot of other hurdles to overcome. After a long time of research and discussions with our local friends we decided to start our own with their help.
Now we are looking for a new piece of land in another part of town where we can help other needy children, of which there are unfortunately so many here. We are planning to again take care for 100 underprivileged children there and build a school for them. Later we also want to offer vocational training for the youth in carpentry work, sewing etc. There are many possibilities of expanding this project – it all depends on the funds we receive.
In order to see these plans through we need more support – for the piece of land including the registration of it which can be quite tricky and costly here and then the construction of the school etc. On our yearly visit to Europe this summer we are planning more time to fundraise for this new endeavor. We thank you for your continued faithful support, because you are the backbone of it all and we couldn’t do the job without you. Please pray for this new project so we can change another part of our world.
                            
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