For people who ask me WHY?

 WHY? Valentines for Congo?

LOVE!

I decided I better see gorillas in the wild while I could still hike a distance. Then realized a ticket to Africa had its greatest value in what could be taken in excess baggage. In 2009, with the help of the Red Cup Community I took seven 50 lb boxes of medical supplies to a remote village clinic.

Then I saw the first orphans. I wanted to give them the world; clean water, food, shelter, shoes, clothes, healthcare, education, love and most of all a …..VOICE!

Something that was empty inside me was filled to overflowing by Africa. Giving any little thing there filled me with pleasure. Seeing the clinic staff open the boxes of supplies on a beautiful mountaintop was a wonderful feeling. I wanted more and I still want more. We tend to return to where we feel the greatest pleasure. It’s that simple. I am a humanitarian pleasure seeker.

Children squeal with delight when given a pencil! Giving a woman some earrings brings happy tears to her eyes…mine too.

Through forces of God (or The Universe) I am invited to tour the Country and meet with prominent government officials. My trip will involve escorted travel and strategic meetings in places as distant as Vermont, NYC, OKC, Miami, Chicago and Boston. (Just a comparison of maps)

I have been representing the Union of Independent Churches and UGADEC (a huge gorilla conservation project) on the Internet. This is focused on raising awareness and recruiting mission groups/secular volunteers and establishing partnerships with other non-profits; to drill clean water wells, support impoverished women in business, provide healthcare in remote villages, and move orphanages toward financial sustainability.

I hope to film many humanitarian projects for future use on websites. And I’m traveling with an open mind to whatever new roles my hosts may have in mind for me.

I still have not seen gorillas in the wild. Maybe someday….

 

My current wishlist:

·Speaking invitations at churches, social/professional groups, high school/college classes.

·A multi-purpose venue for future benefit events

·Legal advice regarding establishing non-profit status

·Assistance and equipment for video blogging

·Volunteers of every expertise:

Especially IT repair

Tutoring in Excell

Advanced Web designer

Donation of Air miles

Donation of items and help with future garage sale

Publicity

Circulation of this project among your Facebook and Twitter Networks

THANKS AGAIN. Kathryn

Financially Sustainable Orphanage Part 3

About four months ago I started questioning the whole concept of charity supported orphanages. After some discouraging experiences in fund raising I realized that I could not fairly expect others to understand let alone contribute money to my personal passion. I began to develop an idea by which orphanages are able to run small businesses and support themselves. I have considered several business ideas that still might be feasible.

But I have recently read Timothy Ferris’ book the 4-Hour-Workweek and found it very practical and inspiring. He starts with encouraging readers to define the greatest dream of their lives…put a monetary cost on its achievement and then design an internet business from the beginning with the end goal as the guiding focus.

In my case, I want orphans to have everything they need. I want to start with one orphanage and finance them with an online business that can be run from anywhere in the world. Whether I’m at home in the States or on extended stays in DRC I want an income stream for myself and for the children. In terms of time investment I believe it’s more efficient to operate an online business than to plan and execute charity events.

Once I learn how to run the first business and provide for the needs of the first orphanage…I’d be able to move to the next and teach these methods to reproduce the model…and so on. Stay tuned for progress reports and links to the Tim Ferris Network of Forward thinkers.

Financially Sustainable Orphanage Part 2

Sole Hope (link) gave me an idea to visit one of their programs in Uganda to see how it’s all done. They make shoes for children. Fabric is recycled from old jeans and (upholstery remnants), cut out at group parties in US and shipped to Africa where they are assembled by workers for fair trade wage and sold affordably for children’s use. See photos of children with jigger wounds for why children need shoes. I think older children in orphanages might be taught to make these shoes.

Another idea is for an initial investment in a working commercial kitchen…to produce bread for the children in addition to bread to sell at the marketplace.

There are sound healing machines that kill parasites for a very small fee. These could be used to keep the children healthy and also provide service in exchange for donations from the community.

Similarly, cell phone charging is a lucrative business with little upfront investment. An orphanage sponsor could offer this service for fee to support their expenses. I’m just thinking outloud and very open to innovators with better ideas to leave your comments here. Thanks.

The Financially Sustainable Orphanage

Fact for Fiction? In a world full of orphans and precious little money, they are often at a loss for enough to feed the children much less address other important needs like consistent and loving caretakers, enough affection, stimulation, clean surroundings and clothing. Orphanages are at the mercy of the generosity of donors. I recently had a whim about how wonderful it would be to create a way that orphanages could be self-sustaining. That’s as far as the idea got for several weeks.

I recently thought of adapting a brilliant idea from Heal Africa http://www.healafrica.org/programs-c-2.html where they offer microfinance loans to groups of pregnant women. This enables the women to start businesses from which come their clinic fees for prenatal care.

I’m imagining groups of women who might want to adopt orphans but are unable to afford caring for children. They could be required to give a specific number of hours volunteering in the orphanage (more hands…more love for the children) and at the same time be observed for their compassion and childcare skills. At the end of that time they could apply for a small business loan. This would require one or more business/loan counselors to oversee the progress of the business and give necessary training to the new businesswomen. This could perhaps be done by a local university student in exchange for some college credit. I’m still fleshing out this idea. But once it is put to practice and proven successful…it could be duplicated everywhere. And children who deserve a home would receive one.

UGADEC’s Mission Statement

The Union of Associations for Gorilla Conservation for Community Development in the east of the DRC,( UGADEC ), is a platform of seven association reserves dedicated to community conservation. (See Map)
The  UGADEC mission  is to protect the great apes and other animals protected under Congolese law and their natural habitats and to strengthen the capacity of local communities in managing natural resources for sustainable use.
Since forests are to contribute to the welfare of people, community conservation advocated by UGADEC ensures the promotion of development of the local populations  living around these protected areas

UGADEC aims

- to promote the socio-economic development of local communities living between the National Park of Maiko and Kahuzi Biega .
- to participate in the conservation and protection of great apes and their natural habitats in eastern DRC
- to create an ecological corridor between the two parks

- to reach eco-tourism within the corridor.

 Alexis KALINDA SALUMU

UGADEC Executive Secretary

In 2008 I Did Not Know Where Congo (DRC) Was

Receiving this little map made me feel so good. In 2008 before my trip I didn’t know where DR Congo was. Now a portion of the country that protects gorillas and has too many orphans has a very important place in my heart. This is a map of the UGADEC region in Eastern DRC. All of the green portions are currently protected habitat for gorillas and 250 other species of mammal and bird. I am giving UGADEC a voice via Social Networking until I can offer my services more directly while living there. These Nature Reserves are vulnerable to the populations that desperately need a way to survive. I can’t say I would do any differently if I was lacking enough to eat or feed my children. So, the answer to establishing long term security for these forests is in service to the human communities nearby. Each small blue box containing a white “H” is the location of a clinic or hospital. I don’t know the conditions of these places but they are likely in poor repair, unstaffed or in desperate need of supplies and medicine. The “H’ in the upper right is Mulinde, the clinic I visited in 2009 on an incredibly beautiful mountaintop. In context the nearby Lake Edward is a good landmark if you want to see this area on Google Earth.

Due to the very remote regions inhabited by these communities they are often overlooked by charitable organizations already at work in DR Congo. My goal is to move there and work at an orphanage. But in the meantime I am reaching out to potential partner NGOs who might help with reforestation, orphan care, microfinance, support clinics, offer feeding programs for malnourished children, train midwives, build or refurbish clinics, drill clean water wells, prevent malaria, HIV/AIDS, pneumonia, Typhoid and so on. Whatever a single volunteer or NGO has as a focus…it is needed in this region. Any act of service here serves multiple purposes including the preservation of gorilla habitat. This area is unique in all the world. Please meet what is called the UGADEC Corridor.

Financially Sustainable Orphanage Part 2

Since I will be the only US trained Nurse within a hundred miles…I expect a line of people outside the orphanage that need medical care. I thought of a barter system by which patients when feeling better can donate one hour of time to the orphanage in exchange for one treatment session. They would have a card that recorded treatments and volunteer time. By the honor system…those who kept up with their volunteering would go to the head of the line. Orphanages need all kinds of volunteers; carpentry, cooking, cleaning, cuddling, mentoring, playing with kids who otherwise don’t get enough attention. This is a way I could expand my service into something more for the orphans. Everyone has something to give. Sometimes they just don’t realize it.