Friday, September 9, 2011

Paper-flowers of Than Tien Village: reviving a centuries old craft industry

Rose Charities Vietnam is helping revive a centuries old cottage industry.  Than Tien Village, in central Vietnam was once the center of Vietnams paper-flower making craft.  Please click here for pictorial report (click):

Friday, July 29, 2011

Malambo Grassroots (Rose Charities Canada Member Project): Update mid 2011

Zambian school children enjoy donated hoola hoops
2011 update:

An energetic last visit, from October 2010 to April 2011 is past. Working with donations from our salt-of-the-earth sympathizers, and with Stitchting Mwabuka Zambia, we focus on education, community development, and income generation. We …

… started builting two teachers' houses for our needy local school Malambu Basic, without which the Ministry will not place much-needed teachers.  We need to find additional funds to complete the second house.

...located and found funding to pay two temporary teachers to work in a school that was missing two teachers. The students had been coming to class even though there was no one to instruct.

… donated exercise and text books, pencils, chart paper and other teachers' aids to two schools. Funded a computer for a school for child-headed households.

… established the kernel of a library -- 56 new books and a bookshelf in the Malambo Women's Centre. Friends joined enthusiastically, clearing out their children's home shelves, and our local school children devoured them. Needed: a library building and more books, the demand being for science books especially.

… financed a women's workshop on openly discussing issues that are difficult to talk about, or which people feel must be kept undercover, such as orphan abuse, AIDS, spousal relationships and employer/employee  relationships. (They called the workshop "Not talking the truth".)

… expanded our chicken business project.

… started a new chicken business project in Mujika village.

… administered funding to support 44 students from Grades 8 to college.

… supported 3 adults in the completion of their education, namely teacher training and tailoring.

… built a toilet for a handicapped woman in Mujika.

...worked with our income generating groups to improve the design of their product lines.

… supported a man to legally secure a land purchase that would ensure a future for his family.

… supported the Malambo Women's Centre with building repairs and to manage large orders.

… helped various people as requested with fertilizer, leaking roofs, transporting the sick (especially children) to hospital, boarding school supplies, the unexpected birth of twins, and a derelict old beggar.

It was a brisk and spirited six months.

New goals:

Our immediate funding goals are to raise funding for...

...our library.

...teachers housing.  By 2015, the local government school is required to go up to grade 9.  In order to do this, the community, which is very poor, is required to build two houses to government standards, in order to get teacher placements.  This is beyond their ability.  If the school does not achieve this, the students in the school will be placed at the bottom of the list for available spaces for grades 8 and 9 in other schools.

... our scholarship program.

...funds to cover the cost of shipping a container of medical equipment donated to hospitals, and musical instruments donated to a school.

...a vehicle.  Our ancient bread delivery van, which we use to run our programs, is now held together by a lick and a prayer, and is in desparate need of replacement.  We thought we had resolved this when a Delica was given to us, but sadly, it seems the Delica is beyond repair.

WHO WE ARE:
Malambo Grassroots oversees a number of projects in southern Zambia, where the BaTonga people live. Our projects assist Zambians as they work toward making a better life for themselves and their families in a drought-stricken part of the country. We focus on income-generating projects, education, community programs, and emergency assistance.
We are a member-project of Rose Charities Canada. Rose Charities Canada is a registered, non-profit organization with the Canada Revenue Agency, registration number: 859442303RR0001.


[caption id="attachment_299" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="Egg cosies made by the Lusumpuko group."][/caption]

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Hands up for Africa: ( AFRose Canada Member Project) Kenya: Factsheet May 2011

HANDS UP FOR AFRICA
- Vancouver-based
- Affiliated with Rose Charities
- Now close to stand-alone Charitable Status with CRA


- Formed in 2007 after tragic death of Avchen Pinkard (nee Harivel)
- Website is www.handsupforafrica.org
- E-mail is info@handsupforafrica.org
- Administered by a Board - see website

Projects
1. Support for girls-at-risk in Nairobi through annual scholarships for 2 girls with Rescue Dada (see http://rescuedadacentre.org/r_dada/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=3) and http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/32650

2. Support for Elizabeth Mwangi, more commonly known  as Mama Mercy, who works in her district of Kajiado from her home town of Ongata-Rongai, 10km SW of Nairobi for the care, feeding and education of needy children.  See www.handsupforafrica.org .  There are two principal locales; the well/greenhouse/schoolhouse site, and the Christ Cares Children's Centre Avchen and Abigail Mercy House which is 300m distant.

    a. Basic infrastructure (office, partial dormitory, latrines) -2008 - $4,500.
    b. Drilled borehole well completed to 120m - 2009 - $39,000 (this includes electrical and plumbing connections and pipe to second compound) - (see Google Earth at  1 28'24.60" S, 36 45'33.82" E); Grants from Planet Wheeler Foundation ($26,000 from Planet Wheeler), and raised funds from HUFA.
    c. Additional infrastructure - 2009/2010 - $27,000 (with assistance of this amount from LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Vancouver, caused erection/completion of two dormitories, kitchen, bakery, dining hall, administration space, cow manger and feed storage, latrines, shower, storage for corn and tools).
    d. Erection and additional operational requirements for two 40' by 25' greenhouses  - $5,000 - funds provided by a Toronto church which donated the funds directly to Mama Mercy and Christ Cares Children's Centre.

Additional current projects:
    e. Raising funds towards purchase of a multi-purpose vehicle to relieve a significant source of stress for MM, viz., arranging travel for children, delivery of produce, transport of water, pick-up and delivery of volunteers/children assessment professionals, and the like. Currently, funds stand at about $18,000 with target of $22,000.

Fund raising has taken place across a range of activities.  Events typically produce $500-10,000, and range from pub-nights to raise awareness, to presentations and auctions, to friends-of-Avchen gatherings, pledge-runners' participation in half-marathons and other awareness-raising events we attend by invitation.



--
Colin Harivel, P.Geo.