First Fon lesson: sounds like Ah-wah-nu! Thank you!

Thanks to those who have already donated..quick to the click (ha…ha…)! Happy to report that things are coming along!

I went the day after writing my last post to the market to find Josephina (manicurist), only to find that she was at school! Since seeing her that monday, her mom had borrowed money so that she could start going again.

So, back to the drawing board. A mother of three (two girls, 18 months + 5 yrs as well as a 13 year old boy) passed away about three months ago, leaving her kids in the care of their grandmother, who prior to the death was active in several of the womens associations we work with. With full responsibility of three kids, she is no longer able to participate actively with the associations, and is finding it hard to provide for them. While visiting this morning, the baby started crying to be breastfed. Of course, she is given formula now that her moms gone, but formula is expensive. To make it affordable, the grandmother needs to dilute it- making a container that should last one week stretch closer to 12 days.

As many know, nutrition is always important, but up to age two it is particularly essential. Since the little one needs formula for about six more months, the donations I have already received will be able to finance this, removing the need to dilute the formula! I plan to price out the costs (as always, the bigger the container the better the price) , while also applying the current exchange rate. A number crunch will be coming soon (never has a number crunch seemed so exciting to me!).

At the moment, I imagine that future donations will go to an association our NGO worked with for several months setting them up with a tomato processing machine. They were doing well, until the machine broke, and so although they still generate some revenue from the tomato sales itself, it is not as much. We are arranging with them to make a visit within the next week or two to see what needs to be repaired and to find out the cost associated and the potential for the women to learn how to repair it themselves. (Give a man a fish, eat for a day… teach a woman to repair… purée tomatoes! It goes something like that, right?).

From a very grateful Libby,

Have a great day!
And sorry for the cheezy jokes.