Wednesday, September 5, 2007

July/August Newsletter

Update
We are in need of sponsorships and donations in order to provide children with school supplies, uniforms, and shoes for the next school year. Please help us ensure that every child in Diria has the opportunity to attend school next year. The children in this picture are unsponsored and are writing letters to thier future sponsors.
In the last two months we have been working on several things. Our seamstresses and tailors have been busily making backpacks for the next school year, we had a second movie night, we handed out packets of school supplies to over 600 children, and more.
We are enjoying our work in Diria and are developing warm, positive relationships with the community. We hope you can help us continue doing this work by making a donation or sponsoring a child. Remember, 100% of donations go directly to our programs; nothing is taken out for overhead.
You can make a donation by linking to our website at -http://proyectolaguna.com/donate/index.htm

We need your help!
We have had a nice response from a few people who are now sponsoring children. Unfortunately, there are still over 600 children who don’t have sponsors. The new school year in Nicaragua starts in January, and though that seems far away, we need to start working now to get uniforms and shoes made. It will cost $18 per child just to provide them with a backpack, a skirt or pants, two shirts, and a pair of shoes. This doesn’t include the cost of notebooks, pencils, etc.
As it is currently, unless we are able to raise a significant amount of money, we will be unable to provide uniforms and shoes to the children next year.
Please take the time to sponsor a child. For $100 a year your child will receive shoes, a uniform, backpack, and school supplies at the start of the year, a suplemental packet of school supplies mid year, as well as year round basic medical care. The child’s school will also receive support for classroom and office supplies as well as larger project such as installing water tanks or repairing buildings.

If you do not wish to sponsor a child but want to make a donation toward providing uniforms and supplies for next year, that is also welcome.
We also would like to invite people to challenge their work, school, church, or other organization to raise money for these children. We are able to provide information including brochures, a slide shows, and ideas on how to structure a challenge.
You can make a donation by linking to our website at -http://proyectolaguna.com/donate/index.htm

For more information on how to fundraise or create a challenge you can contact us at jen@proyectolaguna.com



Seamstresses
Our group of seamstresses has been working overtime to make 700 backpacks that will be distributed to the children in January. We started early to give them time to make the uniforms also.
The seamstresses assisted us purchasing the correct materials and then divided it amongst themselves. Since then they have been hard at work sewing when electicity is available, some of them even using old fashioned foot pedal machines when the electricity is off.
We look forward to receiving the bags and hope to have enough donations and sponsorships to get started to on the uniform shirts in the next few weeks.

How Two Teenagers Made a Difference
We would like to send out a special thank you to Stephanie Huddleston and Jordan Willis in Woodinville, WA. Stephanie and Jordan are both 13 years olds, who together did odd jobs around their neighborhood during their summer vacation. They chose to use the money they earned to sponsor a child. Stephanie and Jordan are good examples of people with good hearts who are willing to work hard to help others. We are impressed by their example and hope they are proud of themselves. Hopefully they will enjoy their sponsorship of 8 year old Escarleth.



You can make a donation by linking to our website at -http://proyectolaguna.com/donate/index.htm



Supply Distribution
In early July we distributed packets of school supplies to over 600 students at our 3 schools. Each child received 4 notebooks with paper, 3 pencils, 2 pens, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, crayons or colored pencils, a coloring book for the younger children, and a set of geometry tools for the older children. The children were very happy with their new supplies. We were also able to provide every teacher with paper, pens, pencils, glue, whiteboard markers, scissors and masking tape.

Second Movie Night
Our second movie night was a roaring success. Standing room only with many chairs supporting two children. The parent group raised close to $100 they hope to use to help build new latrines and a water tank at their school.
The children are constantly asking when the next movie night will be and our other two schools are starting to plan a movie night to fundraise for themselves.

In the News
The word about Proyecto Laguna is getting out! The media came to movie night and interviewed us about our project. To link to the article in Nuevo Diario click here- http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/2007/08/28/departamentales/57398
We are very excited that we are getting local recognition.

Thank You
We would like to thank Brianna Robeson and her class at the Charyl Stockwell Academy in Hartland, Michigan. This 1st and 2nd grade class collected school supplies and sent them down to us. They are going to do a fall collection of school supplies also. The children and teachers of Diria were delighted with the supplies. What a great example Brianna and her class are.

We would also like to thank Carol Caldwell and the women of Gray’s Lake, Illinois Jazzercise studio. They donated medical supplies which Carol Caldwell brought down in her recent visit to Nicaragua. Our school nurse appreciated the supplies and the children will also.

We would also like to thank everyone who sponsored a child and those who donated money this month. Thank you for supporting the work we are doing and helping the children in Diria succeed in school and in life.



You can make a donation by linking to our website at -http://proyectolaguna.com/donate/index.htm


How you can help
To make a donation now connect to our website http://www.proyectolaguna.com/For questions or comments feel free to contact us at contact@proyectolaguna.com
This newsletter will be sent out monthly and keep you informed of our news and the projects we are currently working on.
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