November visit to PASK

Recently, Chris and I traveled to Bali, Indonesia for a transfusion medicine conference. While on the other side of the world, we were able to hop over to Sumba for a brief visit. It was wonderful to see all of our old friends and to visit with people we consider family.  We spent an entire day at PASK chatting with Ibu Esi, the headmistress, touring the new dorm building, and catching up with the children who stole my heart more than 5 years ago.

It was the end of dry season during our November visit, Sumba is just as beautiful as I remember!

Seeing the finished dorm in person was fantastic. The floor in the main room is still waiting for a final coat of smooth cement and they can always use more furniture (chairs, tables, beds) when housing 40 kids, but the extra space the new building provides is extremely helpful. 

Many SYI supporters donated presents for the children. We passed out toy cars, hair ties, books, skip-its, jump ropes, beach balls, card games, and puzzles. Belpre Dental Solutions (Belpre, Ohio) also donated toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss for the kids. 

Ibu Esi and I went over the list of current residents at PASK and their parental status. PASK houses between 38-40 children at any given time. Their parental status ranges from orphan to living parents who are unable to care for the children. They were excited to show me how the children's grades in school have improved over the past five years. Ibu Esi told me that the children want to make SYI supporters proud by doing their best in school. I agreed that their best efforts in school and in bettering their futures is the best way they can show their appreciation to SYI supporters!

While at PASK, we presented Ibu Esi with ~$3,000 USD from SYI. PASK used the money to buy a refrigerator, 2 small pigs and other food staples. They also planted a new garden when the rain began and built a concrete and metal fence around PASK for added security.

Easter Eggs 2015: Letter to Volunteers

To our Much Appreciated Volunteers:

Thank you for taking up orders for SYI’s Easter Egg project this year!

Last year we sent $5000.00 that was designated for food to PASK! This money met the needs of PASK's 40 children for almost 6 months! We sold 1193 eggs and many people gave donations to help cover the cost of supplies. If you or your organization would like to donate money for supplies that would mean more money going to feed these children!  

My goal is to sell 2000 eggs this year and to do that I need your help!

Please remember: Each egg sold feeds 1 child at PASK for 1 week!  

Eggs will be ready for pick-up/delivery beginning March 25th so they can be

distributed the week before Easter. If you need an earlier delivery time, let me know.

Fillings are all 8oz. and approx. 10oz. with the chocolate. If possible collect money as you take orders.

You can direct customers to www.sumbayouthinitiative.blogspot.com for information about SYI and PASK. 

Let me know if you need more information or have any questions.

I will check in periodically regarding your orders. I want to make sure that I am making enough fillings to fulfill the orders!

Thank you again!

Blessings!

Helen

Made With Love Home Bakery 

Easter Egg Tally 2014

Well, Super Mom Helen Sowards and her team of angelic assistants have done it again.  The crew at Made With Love Home Bakery made over 1,200 decadent chocolate-covered eggs this Spring.  They also received donations for more than half of the materials needed to make these Easter treats.

The total donated to SYI by Made With Love Home Bakery is over $5000! 

THANK YOU!!! 

Dorm Progress

The boys dormitory at PASK is coming along nicely.  They have already started to use portions of the building and have put in a few bunk beds. I have requested photos of the interior and will post them as soon as I can.

The exterior of the main building has its first coat of white paint. 

The attached kitchen is nearing completion. 

The good folks at PASK anticipate the dorm to be finished (inside and out) by the end of the month. They are planning a small party to thank the workers who built the dorm for a job well done, and to commemorate first communion for two of the children living at PASK.   I can’t wait to see pictures of all the children dressed in their traditional Sumbanese outfits for the celebration!

Operation Dorm Thank you gifts

I am putting together a photo book documenting the progress of the dorm at PASK  and will be sending one to all donors who gave more than $500 towards Operation Dorm.  I am happy to send photo books to anyone else who would like to have one for $25 + shipping.  I am planning to order copies of the books in early July and ship mid – late July. If interested, please email sumbayouthinitiative@gmail.com and let me know how many copies you would like.

Easter Eggs 2014

Made with Love Bakery is at it again!  If you want one (or 10) of these delicious Spring treats, just let us know!  Each candy is 1/2 lb of filling dipped in semi-sweet chocolate and beautifully packaged.  For $5 you get a decadent treat worthy of gifting, but you won't want to!

Made with Love Bakery donates the proceeds to SYI.

The purchase of 1 egg feeds 1 PASK child for 1 week!

Filling choices are peanut butter, mocha, maple nut cream, coconut, cherry nut, and cookies and cream.  

A good year for SYI

 The kids at PASK still have many needs to be met, but SYI has had a great year thanks to some very generous supporters.  This year SYI assisted PASK with more than $3000 worth of food and school fees. PASK is working towards sustainability by utilizing a portion of the food funds that SYI supplies to purchase plants for their vegetable garden and small livestock such as ducks.

The Easter Eggstravangza held in the Spring raised over $2500. The ladies of Made with Love Bakery are already gearing up for an even bigger Eggstravangza in 2014.  Check back here in March for details about how to get your delicious chocolate Easter egg. 

In July, local workers broke ground on the much needed boys dormitory at PASK.  Recently, SYI received the final donations necessary to reach our $16,000 goal!!!  The dorm is currently being completed.  I anticipate photos of the finished building later this month. (A gigantic thank you to Novita Mawo for sending photos and updates while attending school for public health!) I couldn’t be more excited about this accomplishment!  Thank YOU for making it possible to give such a wonderful gift to the children of PASK. 

Our new fundraiser held in December was a holiday appeal in the style of Heifer International.  This new venture, in which donors could earmark their donation for items like flocks of chickens or ducks, school tuition, goats, dorm furniture, etc. raised $1540.  Donors gave money for 3 flocks of chickens, 2 flocks of ducks, 5 garden patches, 2 mattresses, 2 blankets, 1 goat, 2 child sponsorships, and 1 semester of tuition. We have pledges for additional gifts that are anticipated in early January.  If desired, a card went out to a gift recipient in whose honor the donation was made.

 Also, other individual donors and supporters in Indonesia have taken an interest in PASK thanks to Ibu Martha Hebi.  In response to their need for new shoes, several persons stepped up and sent them shoes for Christmas!

SYI has much work ahead of us, but we continue to be overwhelmed by your generosity and the difference it has allowed us to make in the lives of our friends at PASK. In the coming year, SYI will continue to support PASK in whatever way we can.  We want to offer these 40 children a happy, healthy childhood and the opportunity to better their circumstances. 

We are also in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Sumba to visit PASK in the summer of 2015.  If you are interested in traveling with us, please send me an email: sumbayouthinitiative@gmail.com

A BIG THANK YOU to all who participated this year.  We hope you will consider SYI when making donations in 2014 as well.  

Holiday Honor Gift Appeal - Give a Gift that Makes a Difference

Panti Asuhan Sinar Kasih (PASK), the orphanage that the Sumba Youth Initiative (SYI) supports, cares for 40 children. PASK provides food, shelter, education, and love for these amazing kids in hopes that they will mature into thoughtful, productive citizens. As an independent orphanage, PASK does not receive any assistance from religious organizations in Sumba and only minimal government support.

SYI has been assisting PASK for the past 3 years. In that time, we have been able to build a well and new bathrooms, purchase new school uniforms, assist with school fees, and purchase some small livestock. Currently, SYI is funding the construction of a second dormitory for PASK. This dormitory will provide much needed shelter for the children and help give each child their own bed.

This holiday season why not make a difference in the lives of these orphans in honor of your loved ones.  Choose one of the gifts listed below and SYI will send your intended recipient a holiday card explaining the wonderful gift that has been made in their honor.

       Please send us your written request by mailing the form below, or email it to us.  Payment must be received by December 15 to ensure ample time for mailing out an honor card to your gift

recipient.  SYI accepts cash, checks, or paypal.

Happy Holidays from SYI!

Child Sponsorships	Purpose	Gift Amounts
Food for One child	Feed 1 child for 1 year	1 year - $175 1 month - $15
Junior High Tuition	Support 1 child in Junior High	1 year - $80 1 semester - $40
High School Tuition	Support 1 child in High School	1 year - $80 1 semester - $40
University Scholarship	Provide a scholarship for 1 child to attend University	1 year - $750 1 semester - $375
Child Sponsorship (elementary child)	Support 1 child for 1 year (food and school)	1 year - $240 1 month - $20
Child Sponsorship (high school child)	Support 1 child for 1 year (food and school)	1 year - $360 1 month - $30

Food – Self Sufficiency	Purpose	Gift Amounts
Flock of chickens	Approx. 24 chicks for eggs, meat, and income	Flock - $30  4 chicks - $5
A Pair of goats	Provides meat, income, and manure for fertilizer	Pair - $200 1 goat - $100
A Pair of Pigs	Provides meat, income, and manure for fertilizer	Pair - $300 1 pig - $150
Trio of Rabbits	Provides meat, income, and manure for fertilizer	Trio - $60 1 rabbit - $20
Flock of Ducks	Approx. 24 ducklings for eggs, meat, and income	Flock - $30 4 chicks - $5
Garden Patch	Seeds, seedlings, and fruit trees	One patch - $60 1 share - $10

Dormitory Furniture	Purpose	Gift Amounts
10 Bunk Beds	New beds  (Children currently sleep 3 to a bed.)	10 beds - $1000 1 bed - $100
Table and 10 Chairs	For eating and studying	Set - $400 Table - $200 Chair - $20
20 Mattresses	For sweet dreams	20 mattresses -$400 1 mattress - $20
Bedding for 20	Sheets/blankets for the new mattresses	20 blankets - $200 1 blanket - $10
Storage Shelving	To store children’s belongings	Shelving - $100

Honor Gift Form

1.  Name of Recipient  ______________________________________________

      Gift(s) to be given  ______________________________________________

      Send honor card?  ______Yes  ______No

     If yes, please provide the address you would like the honor card sent to:

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

                      Sender’s name as it should appear on the honor card

_________________________________________________________

2.  Name of Recipient  ______________________________________________

     Gift(s) to be given  ______________________________________________

    Send honor card?  ______Yes  ______No

    If yes, please provide the address you would like the honor card sent to:

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

                  Sender’s name as it should appear on the honor card

_________________________________________________________

                  Total enclosed _____________________

                 

***For additional gifts/recipients, please provide the above information on additional sheets. Total all gifts on this page.***

 226L W. Main Rd. Little Compton, RI 02837

sumbayouthinitiative@gmail.com

www.sumbayouthinitiative.blogspot.com