Its been a while since I have last posted an update and for that I appologise but while I have not been posting updates it doesnt mean that nothing was happening because the 22nd of May saw the official opening of "Jabulani".
Over the past months we have been so encouraged by how much people have taken this cause to heart. Cheques and donations have been coming in and many people have been hard at work holding all kinds of fundraisers so that this dream could become a reality. This money has in turn allowed us to employ a team of local builders and trades men to build a facility that is the envy of Zimbabwe.
Alan and Dorothy Graham have been hard at work managing the build and sorting out all the official requirements in order for the authorities to allow us to take in these babies and while it has been exhausting and frustrating at times they have been so encouraged by the support from Ireland and all those letters of support and prayers Have sustained them through it.
A full team of staff have also been recruited and trained up to a high standard ready for the future needs that they will encounter.
We now have 4 babies in Jabulani Kuda,Grace,Hope and Jack and it is with the support that we have received over the past months that has allowed us the opportunity to offer these dear little children an opportunity of a future.
Its early days in Jabulani but already it has made an impact, 4 babies have been rescued from a bleak future or even death. 10 staff have been employed and trained giving them an income and a sense of pride and belonging and Jabulani has opened doors for the future because when the authorities experience the quality of facility and the care and love that we are able to provide they are willing to help us and allow our work to expand.
Zimbabwe still is in crises and it is a tough road ahead but now there is a shining light in the middle of Harare called Jabulani.
Thank You!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Update from Jabulani !
A couple of days ago I received this video in the post from Alan showing all the recent work that has been going on at the Jabulani childrens home.
It was great to see just how much has been done and watching this I can really imagine the place filled with children.
The ethos behind build an orphanage in a day is people giving up one day of our wages to employ local workers to build Jabulani and seeing this video shows how succesful this has been. So many people from all walks of life have given up a day for this project and as you can see many people locally are benefiting through employment.
Jabulani is a hive of activity right now making ready for the babies God has already chosen to live there but right now children are already being helped through families having an income from this work. With 90% unemployment in zimbabwe this project is giving vital employment to these tradesmen.
The situation is dire in Zimbabwe with poverty and starvation. When I watch this video I see the faces of many people who will be able to take money home to feed their families, We take this for granted in the west but for these people to have a job and indeed regular food is a luxury.
Thank you all for your support, As you can see your donations are making this dream a reality.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Kuda has her first tooth
As you know Kuda is officially the first child for the Jabulani children's home.
Her mother died at birth and we recently discovered that she was dropped on her head at this time which has caused her lasting damage. The specialists say she cant see and may have other physical disabilities but Alan and Dorothy report that she has been making massive steps forward and believe that with Gods help she can over come her disabilities.
She is just under 1 year old and has just gotten her first tooth. This is a real milestone in her short life.
kuda has become the poster child of Jabulani and her story represents everything that this orphanage is being set up for. Without the help of Alan and Dorothy Kuda would most likely have been left in a hospital to die with no one to care for her as the hospitals just dont have the resources.
Her story is sadly very common and reports say there are 800,000 orphans in Zimbabwe and resources are not there to care for even their most basic needs.
We cant help everyone but right now with your help we are going to give a future and family to 50 babies that otherwise would have no future at all.
This is difficult work in a difficult environment and please pray for Alan and Dorothy as they endevour to shine a light. There is alot to do but the exciting thing is that this is making a difference,
Just look at that little smile!
Its all go at Jabulani
Thanks to the massive generosity we have experienced since the launch of build an orphanage in a day we have been able to make massive steps forward in building the Jabulani childrens home.
Since taking possession of the house in September we have already put in a bore hole to supply us with water, the outside has been landscaped and major structural work has begun. It is great to see so many people working on this project, tearing down walls building new ones, putting on a new roof, building a kitchen, rewiring, plumbing and many other important tasks.
The vision of build an orphanage in a day was to empower local people to build this facility through the contribution of your hard earned wages and so many of you have caught our vision and it has truly become a reality.
We have been able to give work to locals in an area where there is 90% unemployment and in turn they will be better able to support their families. This project will impact many more lives than just the children.
There is still alot to do before we have the first phase open but we would hope to have the first children in by January.
On another note we would like to thank everyone who contributed items to go in the container that is shipping out next week. We have been able to gather alot of the supplies that the orphanage will need when it opens.
Thank you so much for your support.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
At last an update!
Well its 6 weeks now since the official launch of build an orphanage in a day and what a 6 weeks its been.
It was a crazy rush in the run up to the launch trying to get all the invites out, doing media and promotional stuff, building a website and getting all the print stuff together and remarkably we brought it all together in about 4 very hectic weeks. A big thank you to everyone who helped so much you were all amazing and without you this would not have happened.
We had two launch nights, one in Bangor on the 5th of September and one in Derry on the 8th and both were great nights. We had 200 people in Bangor despite the weather being horrendous and we had similar numbers in Derry.
It was a privilege to finally share our dream and the response we got was overwhelming with so many people giving very generous donations.
On the night both myself and Alan spoke about the project and we showed a number of video clips about the orphanage and about the work in Zimbabwe and we also had a very special greeting from former Snooker world champion Shaun Murphy who has been involved with Alans work for a few years now. Check out this video greeting from Shaun.
After the launch I came down with a bad flu and I think it was my bodies way of saying it needed a rest and then when I got over that I had to get back into work and catch up on everything so that is why there has been such a delay in updating the blog, I do apologise and I hope to give you more regular updates in the coming weeks and months.
We raised a huge amount of money on the launch nights and everyday since there have been envelopes in the post with more donations. Its remarkable how you all have supported this project and your generosity has allowed work to start on the orphanage already.
Heres an update that I got from Alan the other day
“Jabulani is getting a huge facelift! After purchasing the property for abandoned babies we have set about changing all the electrics in the house, we have been knocking walls down and building a new dining room, we have gutted the bathrooms and replacing them and adding 2 new showers and a toilet, adding a new kitchen, we have purchased all the fridges and freezers, stoves and washing machines, we have been cutting trees down and drilling a borehole, praise GOD we found water and will have enough to keep us going for a long time according to the drillers, we have the painters in and its looking great.
We were visiting the local hospital where we found Kuda 5 months ago and they wanted us to take more babies who had been found in the city, we couldnt take them as we await the house finishing and health services finalising our application to open the childrens home, BUT we did see the need for Jabulani as more and more babies are thrown away by dear people who cannot take care of them for whatever reasons, pray for us as we recruit staff and wait on the necessary permits etc,”
If you havent already seen the Orphanage check out this video
Its all happening over there and its so exciting to hear how its coming along.
We hope to have Jabulani up and running by January and with the current crisis in Zimbabwe there is certainly a huge demand for it. With 800,000 orphans in Zimbabwe we are barely going to scratch the surface of the need but with your help we can give a life and a home to many children.
Thank you for everything and God bless!
Alistair Hay
It was a crazy rush in the run up to the launch trying to get all the invites out, doing media and promotional stuff, building a website and getting all the print stuff together and remarkably we brought it all together in about 4 very hectic weeks. A big thank you to everyone who helped so much you were all amazing and without you this would not have happened.
We had two launch nights, one in Bangor on the 5th of September and one in Derry on the 8th and both were great nights. We had 200 people in Bangor despite the weather being horrendous and we had similar numbers in Derry.
It was a privilege to finally share our dream and the response we got was overwhelming with so many people giving very generous donations.
On the night both myself and Alan spoke about the project and we showed a number of video clips about the orphanage and about the work in Zimbabwe and we also had a very special greeting from former Snooker world champion Shaun Murphy who has been involved with Alans work for a few years now. Check out this video greeting from Shaun.
After the launch I came down with a bad flu and I think it was my bodies way of saying it needed a rest and then when I got over that I had to get back into work and catch up on everything so that is why there has been such a delay in updating the blog, I do apologise and I hope to give you more regular updates in the coming weeks and months.
We raised a huge amount of money on the launch nights and everyday since there have been envelopes in the post with more donations. Its remarkable how you all have supported this project and your generosity has allowed work to start on the orphanage already.
Heres an update that I got from Alan the other day
“Jabulani is getting a huge facelift! After purchasing the property for abandoned babies we have set about changing all the electrics in the house, we have been knocking walls down and building a new dining room, we have gutted the bathrooms and replacing them and adding 2 new showers and a toilet, adding a new kitchen, we have purchased all the fridges and freezers, stoves and washing machines, we have been cutting trees down and drilling a borehole, praise GOD we found water and will have enough to keep us going for a long time according to the drillers, we have the painters in and its looking great.
We were visiting the local hospital where we found Kuda 5 months ago and they wanted us to take more babies who had been found in the city, we couldnt take them as we await the house finishing and health services finalising our application to open the childrens home, BUT we did see the need for Jabulani as more and more babies are thrown away by dear people who cannot take care of them for whatever reasons, pray for us as we recruit staff and wait on the necessary permits etc,”
If you havent already seen the Orphanage check out this video
Its all happening over there and its so exciting to hear how its coming along.
We hope to have Jabulani up and running by January and with the current crisis in Zimbabwe there is certainly a huge demand for it. With 800,000 orphans in Zimbabwe we are barely going to scratch the surface of the need but with your help we can give a life and a home to many children.
Thank you for everything and God bless!
Alistair Hay
Kuda is 11 months old !
As you know we found Kuda, a little baby whose mother had passed away with HIV/Aids at the end of May in the hospital, she weighed 2.5kg ie 4lb 6 ounces and she was a very tiny 6 months old.
Kuda would be dead today if we had not rescued her and brought her home. Since then she has grown a lot and is now around 6kg ie 12lb 10ounces and looks very healthy, she is indeed a little pudding! The doctors told us when we got her that she had lots of problems, ie cerebal palsy, blindness, deafness and no chance of ever walking, well we have had her at lots of doctors and specialists and the latest news is that she is indeed unable to see. The eye specialist has told us because of Kuda’s brain malfunctions, ie she was starved of air during her birth and then we were told this week in hospital that her Mother had dropped her on her head just before she passed away causing severe damage, that Kuda although her eyes are healthy she just cannot see. As you can imagine we are feeling very sad and a little down at the moment.
This little girl has stolen our hearts, she is like our own child we believe God can touch her, she is going for hearing tests soon, we have special exercises we give her every day, she is indeed moving her arms and legs much better and we are believing God for a miracle, pray with us, believe with us GOD IS ABLE our trust is in HIM! God disturbed me about building this home a year ago and now it is happening, children will be rescued and saved from a life of pain and deprivation, they will be given a chance of a real and full life, pray for us, partner with us for the glory of God and the lives of many children.
on another note dear little Primrose our 8 year old daughter is feeling unwell, she has HIV/ Aids and has been put on special medications called ARV,s as she is not gaining weight as she should and is feeling tired these days, she will be on these for the rest of her life, please pray for Prim she is precious and we are grateful that these medications will enable her to live a long life, pray she will know Gods love and help in every way in her little life.
These are big days, exciting days, to see God move is awesome, you are part of all the above through your prayers and financial support children are being rescued and set free, God bless you! You enable us to do all the above, we could not do it without you, these are great days to be serving God, thank you for enabling us to do it!
Alan and Dorothy Graham
Friday, August 22, 2008
The end of a hard week !
Its been a long hard week trying to pull everything together for the official launch of build an orphanage in a day.
We have been working frantically for the last 3 weeks since we found that Alan and Dorothy would be in Ireland for a couple of weeks at the end of August. We knew that when they were here it would be the perfect opportunity to kick this project off properly.
Firstly I want to thank all the people that have helped me so much in pulling this all together.
Clare has been amazing putting together the website, graphic design, brochures, posters, t shirts, invites, stickers, and many other things. She has been patient with me every time I called to ask for something else.
Paddy and Peter have done a great job at editing and compiling the DVD's and video presentations even though they didnt have the time they still fitted it in. I definitely couldnt do it without you.
Alan Lowry has pulled in at short notice and has made so much happen and has set up the Bangor launch night which is set to be an amazing night.
Alan and Dorothy who got out of bed with terrible colds to do some video clips to share with you all.
Donna Boyle who has been here stuffing envelopes full of literature and organising the mailing and will be handling all the media contacts in the next few weeks.
And a special thank you to my wife Kim who hasn't seen much of me in the last few weeks but has rarely complained. She is my inspiration and my rock!
And also a big thank you to everyone else who has pulled in and offered to help with the launch nights you all make a big difference.
Even as I write this I am moved by how much support I have received in the last few weeks. I came up with the vision for this project but without the help of so many others it would stay a pipe dream.
Over the next weeks and months I will be doing regular updates here to keep you informed with the fund raising and with the renovation and construction of this orphanage and will also be posting as many new video updates as possible.
This is an exciting time and I hope you will get involved and help build this orphanage.
In the mean time here is our new introduction video
Alistair
We have been working frantically for the last 3 weeks since we found that Alan and Dorothy would be in Ireland for a couple of weeks at the end of August. We knew that when they were here it would be the perfect opportunity to kick this project off properly.
Firstly I want to thank all the people that have helped me so much in pulling this all together.
Clare has been amazing putting together the website, graphic design, brochures, posters, t shirts, invites, stickers, and many other things. She has been patient with me every time I called to ask for something else.
Paddy and Peter have done a great job at editing and compiling the DVD's and video presentations even though they didnt have the time they still fitted it in. I definitely couldnt do it without you.
Alan Lowry has pulled in at short notice and has made so much happen and has set up the Bangor launch night which is set to be an amazing night.
Alan and Dorothy who got out of bed with terrible colds to do some video clips to share with you all.
Donna Boyle who has been here stuffing envelopes full of literature and organising the mailing and will be handling all the media contacts in the next few weeks.
And a special thank you to my wife Kim who hasn't seen much of me in the last few weeks but has rarely complained. She is my inspiration and my rock!
And also a big thank you to everyone else who has pulled in and offered to help with the launch nights you all make a big difference.
Even as I write this I am moved by how much support I have received in the last few weeks. I came up with the vision for this project but without the help of so many others it would stay a pipe dream.
Over the next weeks and months I will be doing regular updates here to keep you informed with the fund raising and with the renovation and construction of this orphanage and will also be posting as many new video updates as possible.
This is an exciting time and I hope you will get involved and help build this orphanage.
In the mean time here is our new introduction video
Alistair
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