Tuesday 27 January 2015

2015 Volunteer Trip: Muvuma Orphanage


Children at the newly-built Muvuma Orphanage; carrying-in supplies from the shipping container. The orphanage also supports children and youth with albinism

It is hard to believe that before we came on-board on our 2013 trip the orphanage walls were only a few feet high.

In 2011 the Kahama District donated land so that two small orphanages could combine to become the new Muvuma Orphanage. A volunteer committee of local women worked extremely hard to raise funds for the new building, as well as looking after and finding funds for 18 orphans. We decided to add our support, and a medical volunteer on the trip, Nancy Comeau, donated $1,000 US towards construction, which allowed over four-thousand bricks to be added! 

Since then we have managed to send enough funds to finish the building. We still need to raise around $9,000 to get the interior to a stage where up to 50 children can be housed. Even so, the existing orphans moved in before Christmas, and the Orphanage Head, Lucia has been able to take in ten more orphans!

Brenda (One Person President) and some very happy children
A third of the 40' shipping container was dedicated to 
resources for the orphanage. 


We usually purchase bicycles locally, but took these 
donated bikes in the container. 

Bedding, curtains, pots and pans and utensils make a real difference when you have nothing. The Orphanage is wired for electricity but does not yet have power running to the property. 

Peter, our dedicated One Person volunteer
Two things that the children have not had in their lives before - mirrors and male-influences. The children and youth gravitate towards Peter and Ron, and most have never seen their own reflection clearly before. (The ponds are muddy!)

Contact me if you would like to sponsor an orphan, 
or the orphanage as a whole. To learn more about the Muvuma Orphanage or our other programs scroll through the blog - or click on a label on the right. Check us out on facebook for the latest news and pictures.

You can donate on line www.theonepersonproject.org or at the Summerland Credit Union or mail to The One Person Project 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, V0H 1Z5 

Asante Sana!
Thank you!



Like us on facebook to see all the latest pictures


Monday 12 January 2015

2015 Trip

www.theonepersonproject.org 


Brenda (One Person President & Director) and Peter Smyth and Ron Ryde are heading out to East Africa on January 14th. Unfortunately it is the smallest volunteer group ever for the most demanding trip but they will be there for a few weeks and will have a team of local volunteers to unload the 12 meter shipping container. 

The numerous donated resources in the shipping container include a high compression brick machine designed and built by Ron,  Lawrence Slind and  Bill Lauritzen.  Ron's main role is to set up the brick machine and provide training to set up a brick business at the new Muvuma Orphanage. 
Bill, Lawrence and Ron, from Penticton, B.C.

As ever, we will be documenting the trip here and on facebook. 

Contact me if you would like to sponsor an orphan, 
or the orphanage as a whole. To learn more about the Muvuma Orphanage or our other programs scroll through the blog - or click on a label on the right. Check us out on facebook for the latest news and pictures.

You can donate on line www.theonepersonproject.org or at the Summerland Credit Union or mail to The One Person Project 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, V0H 1Z5 

Asante Sana!
Thank you!

Like us on facebook to see all the latest pictures 

UPDATE: The brick machine is not at the orphanage, it is not practical to run a business out of there at the moment. We have loaned the machine to two young men and Ron provided hands-on training.