Where to start....

An update is long over due!  Many wonderful things have happened since the last post.  Some of which kept me from posting sooner.

Besides beautiful personal milestones, SYI accomplished an enormous amount last year including:

v    Completion of the clean water well at the orphanage (PASK)

v    New bathroom facilities for PASK

v    School Uniforms for all children at PASK

v    Funds for food and school fees

Recently, I learned that the well has changed many things at PASK including their food supply.  This past growing season, they planted a vegetable garden and it has proliferated because of access to clean water provided by the well. 

SYI is already at it this Spring!  We are filing for status as an official charity, and now have a distinguished board of directors.   I will be updating the other pages on the SYI blog over the next few days.  Check back to read more about the board of directors and our other amazing volunteers!

Helen (aka. Super Mom) has been at it again this Spring as well.  She and some wonderful volunteers have been making chocolate-covered Easter eggs in the mid-Ohio Valley.

This fundraiser is now in its second year and the funds are earmarked for the food fund at PASK.  They have orders for over 300 eggs that will be delivered this weekend.  The money from this fundraiser will feed all 40 children at the orphanage for 2 months.    

Besides assisting with food and school fees this year, SYI is embarking on one major project:  Operation Dorm.  PASK needs more space to properly house the children living there.  Currently, the children sleep 3-4 per bed.

The boys are sleeping in the small space that was intended to be the kitchen. 

Cooking for the orphanage takes place outside over an open fire.  

Through Operation Dorm, SYI seeks to raise $16,000 to build a new boys dormitory at PASK.  (This figure is based on plans and estimates generated by an engineering student and 2 different construction crews in Sumba.)  As with the well, local workers will be hired to build the dormitory.  In this way the project provides more than just housing for PASK, but also provides work for the community.  Several members of SYI are planning to travel to Sumba during construction to document the project and to offer a helping hand. 

In the coming months, SYI will be soliciting donations for this campaign as well as hosting events and participating in fundraisers to gather the monies needed for Operation Dorm.  Please consider making a donation to SYI through the paypal button in the sidebar or write to sumbayouthinitiative@gmail.com.  Please remember to write in the comments that your donation is for Operation Dorm.

Reminders:

A donation of just $240 will feed one child for a year!

Volunteers and new ideas are always welcome J