| "Experiencing, Sharing Life in Christ" |
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| THANKS for being a part of the Banana Fund! |
When the Banana Fund was started one year ago, never did we expect it to
grow as much as it has. Its original purpose was only to raise necessary funds to
supplement the diets of children with bananas at a primary school and orphanage in
Kigali, Rwanda. When we were moved to El Obeid, Sudan – and because of the success
of the initial fundraising campaign made possible by generous donations from friends and
family – the Banana Fund’s purpose expanded to help finance a number of worthy
projects in both locations. It is a direct result of the love shown by the host
communities to us and a similar love by the donors to the people of Rwanda and
Sudan.
By the end of our service, donations from all over the US helped the Banana Fund reach
a total of nearly $15,000. Benefiting Rwanda and Sudan equally, monies were used in:
Kigali, Rwanda
Where the Salesian Sisters operate both an orphanage and primary school within the
same compound. The primary school is attended by approximately 400 students and is
seeking to expand by offering higher grades and better facilities. The orphanage is home
to fifty-three girls aged three to eighteen; the girls come from all areas of Rwanda.
grow as much as it has. Its original purpose was only to raise necessary funds to
supplement the diets of children with bananas at a primary school and orphanage in
Kigali, Rwanda. When we were moved to El Obeid, Sudan – and because of the success
of the initial fundraising campaign made possible by generous donations from friends and
family – the Banana Fund’s purpose expanded to help finance a number of worthy
projects in both locations. It is a direct result of the love shown by the host
communities to us and a similar love by the donors to the people of Rwanda and
Sudan.
By the end of our service, donations from all over the US helped the Banana Fund reach
a total of nearly $15,000. Benefiting Rwanda and Sudan equally, monies were used in:
Kigali, Rwanda
Where the Salesian Sisters operate both an orphanage and primary school within the
same compound. The primary school is attended by approximately 400 students and is
seeking to expand by offering higher grades and better facilities. The orphanage is home
to fifty-three girls aged three to eighteen; the girls come from all areas of Rwanda.
- Purchase fruit for one year to supplement the diets of children at a primary
school and orphanage; - Contribute toward the purchase solar panels to provide hot water for
orphan girls
| Promoted by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Salesian Sisters www.cgfmanet.org |
| Our status as a non-profit charity may be confirmed at www.guidestar.org keyword: vides |
- Purchase 100 English books and twenty dictionaries for use in the
Darfur program English classes; - Print 100 English textbooks for use in the Darfur program English
class; - Purchase 100 small pieces of luggage for the Darfur program
participants and street children to protect their personal
belongings; - Pay administrative costs for writing grants to fund the 2007-2008
Darfur program (which grants, to date, have garnered over
$100,000); - Contribute to the running costs of the Darfur program;
San Antonio, Texas
- Assist the VIDES+USA office to prepare and send other volunteers
across the globe.
To the donors, we, personally and on behalf of the Salesians (SDBs and FMAs), of
VIDES, and of the children of Rwanda and Sudan, thank you very much. We are
inspired by your selflessness and sacrifice; we are honored by your friendship and
trust; we are encouraged that, together, we can change the world. Thank you!
El Obeid, Sudan
The Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre is a vocational school originally aimed to
educate the poor of the local community in one of six technical trades (carpentry,
plumbing, electricity, masonry, auto mechanics and machines). Since 2004, however, the
Centre has grown to accommodate an increasing number of Darfur IDPs, which the
Centre removes from the camps in and around Nyala, South Darfur for one year and
provides them with free education, room and board in El Obeid. The Centre also
educates, free of charge, sixty boys from the Nuba Mountains, a region in southern
Sudan ravaged by forty years of civil war, and thirty street children from El Obeid. Their
vocational education, coupled with classes in English and Arabic, exponentially
increases their chances of finding life-sustaining employment, while an emphasis on peace
building lays a foundation for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Darfur.
The Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre is a vocational school originally aimed to
educate the poor of the local community in one of six technical trades (carpentry,
plumbing, electricity, masonry, auto mechanics and machines). Since 2004, however, the
Centre has grown to accommodate an increasing number of Darfur IDPs, which the
Centre removes from the camps in and around Nyala, South Darfur for one year and
provides them with free education, room and board in El Obeid. The Centre also
educates, free of charge, sixty boys from the Nuba Mountains, a region in southern
Sudan ravaged by forty years of civil war, and thirty street children from El Obeid. Their
vocational education, coupled with classes in English and Arabic, exponentially
increases their chances of finding life-sustaining employment, while an emphasis on peace
building lays a foundation for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Darfur.
Rwanda
| Matthew Putorti with Rwanda Orphans More on Sudan by Matt (click here) |
| We are most grateful to all of you who are supporting our Volunteer Missioners and helping our missions of Rwanda, Sudan, and other places in Africa and Latin America. Be sure of our prayer. God bless you! VIDES+USA |
| Street children El Obeid |
| [Left] Matt, Fr. Vincent, SDB, and Frank in El Obeid [Right] Darfur Boys in English class |
Sincerely Yours,
Frank So, Matthew Putorti
and Sister Mary Gloria Mar, FMA
Director of VIDES+USA
P.S. Although we are no longer in Rwanda and Sudan, donations can still be made to
VIDES+USA to support its work of sending other volunteers all over the world.
Additionally, other VIDES volunteers, currently in Rwanda and Sudan, continue to serve
the projects in the locations named above. Again, thank you!
Frank So, Matthew Putorti
and Sister Mary Gloria Mar, FMA
Director of VIDES+USA
P.S. Although we are no longer in Rwanda and Sudan, donations can still be made to
VIDES+USA to support its work of sending other volunteers all over the world.
Additionally, other VIDES volunteers, currently in Rwanda and Sudan, continue to serve
the projects in the locations named above. Again, thank you!
| Jamie Young is newly arrived in Rwanda after doing excellent service in San Antonio, Texas and sends a big THANKS to all! |
| Paul Alvarez from San Antonio will soon be sending us his Sudan mission pictures. His prayer and THANKS are also with you all. |
Khartoum, Sudan
On the outskirts of this sprawling metropolis, in a region called Shajara, the
Salesian Sisters operate a centre which offers kindergarten classes, a medical
dispensary and recreational site for children. The Centre primarily serves IDPs
(internally displaced persons) from southern Sudan who fled to Khartoum
during the civil war. The IDPs in and around Khartoum are one of the most
forgotten people in the world: international attention is focused on Darfur and
on the development of southern Sudan, not the IDPs struggling in Khartoum.
On the outskirts of this sprawling metropolis, in a region called Shajara, the
Salesian Sisters operate a centre which offers kindergarten classes, a medical
dispensary and recreational site for children. The Centre primarily serves IDPs
(internally displaced persons) from southern Sudan who fled to Khartoum
during the civil war. The IDPs in and around Khartoum are one of the most
forgotten people in the world: international attention is focused on Darfur and
on the development of southern Sudan, not the IDPs struggling in Khartoum.
- Construct a playground for children displaced by the war in
southern Sudan