We are currently in a situation at RACOBAO in which we are waiting for some big donations to come through…but they involve a lot of paperwork, a lot of meetings and a lot of waiting…and it will probably be June before the money is available for projects. So, I thought this would be a great time to remind my friends and family that you can help too! I know I mentioned in my mass email when I first arrived that you can donate to RACOBAO by wiring them money. But I also know that wiring money is not something we all do very often and don’t feel comfortable doing. SO, I have come up with a plan that I hope you like: if you can send your donations to my parents in their names, they will put the money in the bank for me and I will directly withdraw it from the bank here. That way, there is no waiting, no paperwork, no bank hassle. My parents deposit your money into the bank in the U.S. and I take that same amount out here in Ugandan shillings. We will send a receipt via fax, mail or hand delivery (me this summer in DC or Pittsburgh) and will let you know what your money helped us to do. Please let us know if you prefer the receipt and mini-report faxed, mailed or hand delivered.
There are so many projects that we are doing and some that are being put on hold…so any amount, from as low as $5 (2 second hand shirts) to as high as you want to donate can be utilized to help someone here. You can specify how you would like your money used or you can let us use it where we need it the most. Here are some examples of what we do with donations:
· School supplies (book bags, pens/pencils, geometry sets, notebooks): $30/student
· School uniform: $30/student
· Secondary school fees: $150/one term for one student
· Vocational center school fees: $200/one term for one student
· A bale of second-hand clothes for children and parents: $350/about 100 people (Smaller donations work too as I can go and pick up just a few pieces!)
· Pregnant Goat (Give me a Goat, Give me a Chance Project): $100
· New House: $1500
· Water Tank: $720
· Kitchen: $735
· Latrine: $735
· House/tank/kitchen/latrine: $3700
· Family Sufficient Kit (bed, mattress, blanket, mosquito net, cup, plate, knife, basin, jerrican [used to fetch water]): $100/one person
· Treated mosquito net: $11
· Blanket: $18
· Bicycle (gives people living with AIDS transportation to get their treatment; is income generating for child headed households because it gives them a way to get goods to/from market to sell; etc): $89
· Set of drums (for theatre/music performance by Drama Club which sings and performs skits all around the community about HIV/AIDS, getting tested, getting treatment and living healthy lives): $235
· Soccer ball or volleyball: $35
In my 6 weeks here, I have seen families before they have a new home (above top) and when their new home is in the middle of construction (above bottom, still in front of old home, but look at the smiles on the dad and older boy, the life in their eyes...I wrote about this widower a few weeks ago; i can't tell you how it warmed my heart to see him laughing and smiling with his baby!!!). I wish you could see how big their smiles were and how much those smiles came from deep down inside just from seeing that house going up; it really gives them such HOPE! The kitchen, the latrine, the water tank, the family sufficient kits…they all provide a much more hygienic and sanitary lifestyle for families who would otherwise not have a chance to have that. I have heard stories about how the goats (one of the most successful projects) have provided a sense of calm just in knowing that they are there and can be sold in an instant if there is an emergency in the family or if the person living with AIDS needs treatment, etc. And goats produce fast, so some families given one or two goats now have 10 or 12! It becomes a sustainable source of income and security for the family. I just met all of the students we sponsor in the secondary schools at a workshop this past Saturday and they are such bright children who without our financial help, would not have a chance to go to school. I work with the children coming to our vocational center and know how grateful they are to have the opportunity to learn a skill that will help provide an income for their families in the future and just to attend school and learn in general (they are begging me for an English exam!!!). I have seen children in the field wearing t-shirts much too big for them, completely filthy with no other shirt available to change into and in many cases, no shorts/skirts to wear either. And I have watched the Drama Club perform in front of almost 100 people and heard how beautifully they sing. Many of the people in the club have HIV/AIDS, some have been affected by the disease in other ways… and all of them are providing an amazing service by educating their neighbors. All of these things, big and small, make such profound differences in the lives of the people we are helping.
Please help us continue our work…no matter what the size of your donation, it won’t compare with what I will see in the people when they receive what is on the other side of that donation: the gratitude, the new hope and the big smiles on their faces and in their eyes are all truly priceless.
Please send donations to:
Bonnie Varley
204 Old Farm Trail
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
**Be sure to write any checks out in her name and to specify how you would like the money used if you have a preference.**
If you’d like to email me (mvarley_03@hotmail.com) and let me know about your donation, I can try to put it into action even before my parents receive the check!
THANK YOU!!! From me, from RACOBAO, from all of the people in the field…THANK YOU!
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