As I emailed all the sponsors recently, we had some changes with this new idea of the children at our care point creating art to help support their school. The original idea was big and getting bigger. I felt as if we had something that could really grow and empower the children, but sometimes those ideas are too big, too fast.
In receiving the artwork from the children at Kechene and sending it all out to the sponsors who donated for the school's library we are presently raising funds for, it became a concern with Children's Hopechest that it could be child labor. I know we do this all the time in the States to raise money for schools like new playgrounds or improvements on classrooms. However, in a country like Ethiopia, it could be seen as a gray area and we MUST be careful.
So, the artwork has all been sent out to the sponsors as a gift from their sponsor children at Kechene. If they feel they would like to donate to the library, or anyone else who feels moved to do that, they can still go to the link www.go.hopechest.org/kechene-library and the funds will go directly to the library that Kechene so desperately needs. (This will consist of reference books like dictionaries, extra textbooks and thesauruses, as well as a shelf, tables and chairs.)
As far as empowering the children to help their own school, this is still a frustrating factor that I hope to work through with the organization, and Ethiopia for that matter. I strongly believe that empowerment and self-help is the key to growth and prosperity, but it is a battle I am not fighting alone, nor one to be solved overnight. New waters may need some more treading, but we will keep swimming forward before giving up!
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"Ironically," this verse was shared today at church...
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the Proper time He may exalt you." 1 Peter 5:6
In receiving the artwork from the children at Kechene and sending it all out to the sponsors who donated for the school's library we are presently raising funds for, it became a concern with Children's Hopechest that it could be child labor. I know we do this all the time in the States to raise money for schools like new playgrounds or improvements on classrooms. However, in a country like Ethiopia, it could be seen as a gray area and we MUST be careful.
So, the artwork has all been sent out to the sponsors as a gift from their sponsor children at Kechene. If they feel they would like to donate to the library, or anyone else who feels moved to do that, they can still go to the link www.go.hopechest.org/kechene-library and the funds will go directly to the library that Kechene so desperately needs. (This will consist of reference books like dictionaries, extra textbooks and thesauruses, as well as a shelf, tables and chairs.)
As far as empowering the children to help their own school, this is still a frustrating factor that I hope to work through with the organization, and Ethiopia for that matter. I strongly believe that empowerment and self-help is the key to growth and prosperity, but it is a battle I am not fighting alone, nor one to be solved overnight. New waters may need some more treading, but we will keep swimming forward before giving up!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ironically," this verse was shared today at church...
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the Proper time He may exalt you." 1 Peter 5:6
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