Making a Difference
"He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done."
Proverbs 19:17
Yearly Projects
PROJECT 2
Feeding Families and Elders In Need. 2008 to present. ​​
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We wanted to help more people this year, so we began working with the priest of a Catholic church who was in charge of finding families in need. Hunger and malnutrition are problems that children and families face in these neighborhoods everyday. We were able to buy and deliver baskets of groceries to 50 families. ​We continue to deliver groceries to most of these families every year.
PROJECT 3
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​Sponsoring Pipe
2008 to present.
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​We are helping him on a monthly basis. He is now able to go to school and our hope is for him to be self-sufficient one day. It’s all about making a difference! If it wasn’t for this little project, there is as good chance that he would not have been able to go to school. We had the opportunity to spend some time with him when we visited Colombia in 2010 and 2012. He is so wonderful!! So smart and full of life! We are very happy to be able to help him. We are in constant contact with his mom and she updates us on his progress. Pipe and his family love you and are very grateful for your donations. We are going to help Gloria, his mom, start a business selling food this year 2013, so she can provide for her children.
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Thi is the cart we got Gloria with the help of FUNDEHI and she is going to start her business with our help and is going to name it the
Butler's Hot Dogs
We delivered some baskets in the Vereda Pueblo Nuevo neoghborhood. One story that resonated with us was that of an elderly couple, Mr. Agustin (78) and his wife Rosita. He is deaf and she is blind and they live in a house made of aluminum and cardboard. He cooks and takes care of Rosita. They were extremely grateful since they are not able to work and they don't have anybody to help them. They send you their blessings. We help them every year. ​
We also visited an Indian reservation where most of the residents live in extreme poverty. Yanira is a single mother with seven children. Belen Galvis has five children and a grandson. Yadira Sandoval is also a single mom with four children and one special child.
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We delivered ten baskets in this community. Most of the women were single mothers. In Colombia there is no child support or food stamp program, and the government has no way of helping these families. Many of the women in this community have not had any form of education, let alone education on pregnancy prevention or family planning. We would love to help these women more in the future, but during this trip we were able to help through food baskets. They were very thankful.
We also visited the Vereda del Cacique. Most of these families have been displaced by the guerrilla warfare or natural disasters and had to leave their homes and towns. We did not have enough for everybody and it was rewarding to see how families share with other. Marian Hernandez takes care of her 13 grandchildren.
It is very sad to see the conditions in which these families live. As you can see in the pictures, they rent these houses, many of which are made of aluminum and cardboard and they live with up to 7 people in one small bedroom. It was incredibly rewarding, however, to see their big smiles and appreciation.
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We then visited El Espejo were we found more families who needed help. We met Ernesto Forero, 76, who lives in a tiny room in miserable conditions. Jose Mario Clavijo, 79, lives in a house that is in the same condition. They don't have anybody to help them, so they were both very happy and thankful for our support.
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OTHER PROJECTS
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In 2009, Rain and flooding forced 1.5 million people in Colombia from their homes in what the government called the worst natural disaster in Colombia's history. The bad weather also hindered the coffee, coal and agricultural sectors. We organized a Latin Party to help those communities affected by the floods in Colombia. We worked with Mercy Corps and Charles Schwab, who matched the donations. With your donations, the Latin party proceeds, and the match, we were able to make a more significant contribution to the thousands of families that lost everything due to the floods. We thought that joining efforts and taking advantage of the match was a good opportunity that allowed us to help more people.
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​2010​
​We helped the families that we always help and found some more families with disabled children. We feed a total of 50 families in need in 2010 and focused on families with disabled children and elders. We adopted Pipe and started helping him on a monthly basis so he could go to school.
​2011​
We helped the local church with their Christmas party for the poor this year because they didn't have enough fund. You can see pictures under the "pictures" tab. The party was a success! We also delivered groceries to the families that we always feed, not only for Christmas, but from December through May. My sister Adriana and my dad Orlando, with the help of more family and friends, delivered groceries every month to families that needed it the most, again focusing our efforts on the families with disabled children and the elder in need.
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We are
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
in the lives of children and elders in need!
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Thank You So Much For Your Support!​
PROJECT 1.
Street Children 2007 to 2010
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As in previous years, we hosted a Christmas party for children in the "Fundacion La Casa del Menor" ("The Child Home Foundation"). These orphaned children used to live in the streets in some of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Bogota, Colombia. We gave each child a pair of tennis shoes for school, board games, and pizza. They had a wonderful time! We have been helping them for the last three years and they continue to be very grateful.