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.