June 2004 Newsletter
PDF Version for off-line viewing is available here.
Children's Village – New Home to 10 Children
Evans is small for his age (12), he has been out of school since his parents died 2 years ago. His older brother (18) and sister (15) have been caring for him, finding shelter in an abandoned chicken run. Most days, they are hungry as jobs are hard to find for teen-agers in Zambia where the un-employment rate is around 80%.
Evans came to the Children's Village in January 2004. He now attends the local school, in the third grade. He is bright and active; his favorite subjects are English and drawing. He likes to play soccer and his favorite food is cookies. When I asked him what was he liked best about coming to live in the Children's Village, he said ‘Bathing whenever I want'. (The simple things we take for granted!)
 The chicken run where Evans' family was living. Our plan for Evans is to keep him in school, safe and healthy at the Children's Village as we help his brother with vocational training. He is interested in learning an agricultural trade, so we are training him on our farm. We will then assist him in securing a job and a place to live in the local village so Evans can go back home and be raised in a family environment.
There are 9 other children living on our farm/Children's Village, which is located just outside the capital city of Zambia in an area called Lusaka West. You will come to know them in future issues of this newsletter. The farm includes 25 acres of land, 2 houses, a well, an electric pump, a stream and a small dormitory.
For information regarding the Children's Village and Farm Project, please visit www.motherswithoutborders.org/lusaka.html
To support this project, please go to www.motherswithoutborders.org/donation.html.
Our First Harvest!
In December our Zambian volunteers planted 9 acres of maize at the Children's Village farm, which is being harvested as you read this! They also planted a one acre garden of table vegetables which the children have been enjoying for the past several months. The farm and garden serve a number of purposes in our work to nurture and care for orphaned and vulnerable children.
Food for the children and adults living and working at the Children's Village. Income raised from selling the maize will be used to cover some of the costs of the Children's Village. A training opportunity for the children who are learning the value of work, how to provide for themselves through gardening and the business skills of selling the excess, reinvesting their earnings, etc. A vocational training opportunity for local people like Evan's brother who want to learn improved agricultural methods which will assist them in securing work on other farms.
 Kathy with local volunteers and our first crop of maize! To support this project, please go to www.motherswithoutborders.org/donation.html.
Volunteers in Zambia and Ethiopia
We are excited to welcome our international volunteers to Zambia and Ethiopia this summer! There will be 57 volunteers coming to Zambia between May and August; ranging in age from 14 to 62! We are also offering a trip to Ethiopia in August that still has openings if you are interested. (for the Ethiopia trip, email lon@motherswithoutborders.org)
  Our volunteers to Zambia will be constructing a village school, a poultry house, a storage barn and a tailoring school. They will help with the harvest, work in the garden, teach the children in the local community school, offer health and hygiene training, teach sewing, quilting, crocheting and hand embroidery, and conduct a bicycle repair workshop. They will play with the children living on our farm and in the local village, and teach an HIV/AIDS prevention workshop at the local government school. The school has 1540 students enrolled. They will help feed and care for preemie babies in the hospital, and we even have medical professionals going along who will provide medical care to the people of Chongwe Village. This will be a life changing experience for these men, women and teens!
This is a great opportunity for both families and individuals. If you are interested in learning more about our volunteer programs, please visit the web site at www.motherswithoutborders.org/volunteer.html
We Need Your Help – The work is exciting and moving forward! We want to reach more children, and we need your help to do it.
Please consider becoming a monthly donor (www.motherswithoutborders.org/donation.html). For as little as $25 a month you can feed a child, $30 provides blankets, charcoal for cooking and soap for children living in Child Headed Households, $50 supports an orphaned child in school, $75 provides tools, seeds and training for a family garden that will feed a family caring for orphans, $100 provides a micro-loan for a widow or older orphan to start a business. We would be pleased to add you to our monthly donors, we accept credit cards for your convenience and remember, all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Become a Member. Membership dues help us continue this vital work and also send a message of hope to the thousands of children we serve. Memberships are a powerful tool for us in our lobbying efforts with local and international governments in sending a message that there are thousands of people concerned about this issue of orphaned and vulnerable children. As our memberships grow, so does our ability to influence policy regarding vulnerable children in international settings (USAID, UN, World Aids Policy Group, etc.) Help us make the voices of these children heard. You can download a membership form at www.motherswithoutborders.org/membership.html Donate:
LCD Projector for presentations Laptop computers (contact us for specs) Color printers Ink, stamps, office supplies
We are also looking for:
a 75 - 90 horsepower boat motor (preferably Yamaha) up to a dozen life jackets (above 180 lbs.)
The motor and life jackets are to support a health care initiative being conducted by one of our partner organizations, Project Concern International. This Child Survival project's main objective is to improve the health and nutrition of children under 5 by improving the quality of health services in isolated, rural communities in the northern province of Zambia. They are also focusing on prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS. The project works with 10 health centers in the Nchelenge District in Northern Zambia. Two of these health centers are on islands, which greatly limits access. Our colleagues must rely on infrequent and unscheduled trips to the two islands. As a result, it is nearly impossible to schedule community meetings or training events or to provide regular support services, which the other 8 clinics are benefiting from. Remember the Children. As you talk to your friends, family, and co-workers encourage them to get involved. Together, we can make a difference, one child at a time.
Salt Lake City Chapter!
We're pleased to announce the formation of a new Mothers Without Borders Chapter in Salt Lake City Utah. If you live in the area and are interested in joining this chapter, please contact Jennifer Vranes at jvranes@earthlink.net.
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter! If you would like more information on Mothers Without Borders, please visit our web site at www.motherswithoutborders.org
Mothers Without Borders
125 E. Main St. Suite 402
American Fork, UT 84003
801-796-5535
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