Operation Dorm Begins!

SYI is launching a new campaign and we are calling it Operation Dorm.  My little friends at PASK (say hello boys....)

need our help with a significant project.  The boys need a new dormitory.  There are currently 20 boys at PASK (41 children total), and they sleep in the room pictured below.  

Except for the youngest boys, who sleep in a bed with the girls.  All of the children sleep 3-4 kids per twin-sized bed.  Most of the bunk beds were built out of scrap wood by the headmistress.

The girls dormitory is in good shape.  It could use a fresh coat of paint, but there is relatively adequate space for  the girls.  The dormitory for the boys was originally the kitchen.  The boys moved as the orphanage grew.  The "kitchen" is now a three-sided structure made of bamboo mats and grass and they cook over open fires.  

SYI experienced great success with Operation Dig (the campaign to build the well), and the benefits to PASK are innumerable.  The children have clean water for free, and they have put in a vegetable garden.  These two alterations have freed up funds for better quality food (meat, tofu, rice) and for new clothes.

With the well under our belts, we want to take on a more ambitious project.  Operation Dorm is a campaign to raise $16,000 to build a ~20' X 30' structure pictured below.   

Note: WC = bathroom and Dapur = kitchen

PASK has the land necessary to build this structure and Waitabula, Sumba has the necessary supplies and the willing workers to accomplish this project.  We are missing the funding.  Many fundraisers are actively occurring in areas around willing volunteers.  A raffle fundraiser will be underway in a few weeks.  A campaign letter is going out by email and US postal mail.  Look for it in your inbox and pass it on to your family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances!  There is also an information page about the campaign that you can reach by the link above this post.  

Please consider making a donation to help us reach our goal using the paypal button to your right.  Also, if you would like to help with an on-going fundraiser, have an idea for a fundraiser, or would like to help in some other way please email me or leave a comment.

SYI can't make this happen without help and support from you.  Together, I know we can do anything!

Easter Egg Summary

This year’s Easter Egg fundraiser made a profit of $1238!  Mom and her team of volunteers made over 300 eggs.  Deliveries were made during the week leading up to Easter Sunday.  Mom had several last minute requests for eggs during those days and was unfortunately unable to accommodate all of them.  If you were one of those rare unlucky few, be sure to get your Easter Egg order in early next year!

The money from the Eggstravaganza was/is earmarked for food.  Now that it the funds have all been collected, and the calculations all made. I am sending $1000.00 (the transfer limit for one transaction) to PASK this afternoon.  They will use the money at their discretion for meals.  I will send suggestions to purchase small livestock (chickens, rabbits, etc.), but that decision will be left up to the headmistress.  I will update the blog with a list of their purchase once they are complete! 

The remainder of the money will stay in the SYI account here and will be sent along when the total again reaches one thousand.  If you would like to contribute to the PASK food fund, please click the paypal button in the sidebar.  Remember $250 is enough to sponsor one child for a year!  This sponsorship works out to be only $21 a month.   

THANK YOU!! 

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

Operation Dig is Finished!

I just received news this morning that the well at Panti Asuhan Sinar Kasih is complete.

It looks like the nursery school kids are getting their first baths with the clean, on-site water!  My dear friend Novi (who sends the great pictures) tells me the water tastes wonderful.  

I can't be more over-joyed with the success of this project.  Thank you to everyone who showed their support financially and to those helped get this project off the ground (in the US and in Sumba).  If you didn't get a chance to donate, or would still like to make a contribution, please feel free to send your donation.  I will make sure it gets to these fantastic children to help with school supplies and nourishment.  

I will keep everyone posted as SYI moves forward.  We have some big decisions to make in the future.

Great job!!!  

PASK has water!

I received an update (and some new photos) a few days ago from my contact on the ground, Novi.   She tells me that the crew hit water!

They will dig a bit further to ensure a large reservoir has been reached.  The well depth should be just under 20 meters.   During the dig, they have found many shells - a sign have how the island Sumba was formed!

The kids are super excited about having their own well at the orphanage.  No more lugging water in the hot sun from the stream. 

All donations for the well have been received and the last installment has been sent to Sumba.  The crew will begin capping the well and installing a pump to bring the water up!  I can't tell you how exciting it is to see this project actually being completed!!!

SYI will continue to accept donations to fund other projects at the orphanage.  If you choose to send a little help their way, let me know if you prefer to help with building/ground maintenance, education fees and supplies, or food!

Easter Egg Extravaganza

The Nixon crew has returned to the States, but work continues at PASK.  The bathrooms are complete.

Digging of the well continues.  I am told that the crew was about 25 feet down (halfway to estimated depth).  Progress has been slow due to rain, but moving forward nonetheless. 

Since my return to the US, I have been speaking at area churches and to local student groups.  Let me know if you or your organization would like to hear from me in person and we can try to arrange something!  In addition, my Mom concocted a little fundraiser.  We made chocolate-covered Easter Eggs and sold them locally in SE Ohio.  The fundraiser was more successful than we imagine and in fact we had to STOP taking orders as we did not have the manpower to fill all of the requests.  In just two weeks, SYI made a profit of $740 from the Easter Egg Extravaganza!  This money will be used to put the finishing touches on the well and to pay for school fees and supplies.  How FREAKING FANTASTIC!!!!

I will post pictures of construction progress as soon as I unpack my camera!

Construction is underway!

 Digging has begun at PASK.  The crew was able to dig almost 2M (just about 6 feet) on the first day through rock!

They have constructed a guard rail out of bamboo around the well site to keep curious children from playing in and around the large hole.  I am pleased with their work ethic and the thought they put into step of the construction.  

We have run into one issue with the placement of the well and its proximity to the restroom facilities at PASK.  In choosing the site, I inquired as to where the drain from the toilet was.  It is important to be sure there is at least 10M between the well and any drains for sewage.  This distance is required for the water to be cleaned and purified by the soil before it reaches the well water supply.  

What I discovered was that the existing restrooms are no longer functioning and in fact the toilets are beyond repair.  "Outdoor" facilities are currently being utilized.  This alteration raised even more red flags for me.  Without one specific spot for sewage, there is no way to be confident about the quality of the water let alone the hygiene of the grounds surrounding PASK.  

SYI has decided to include construction of 2 new restrooms at a safe distance from the well as part of Operation Dig.  This construction has begun as well for several reasons.  

1.  It is important to have new facilities in place before the water from the well is being utilized.
2.  Digging for the well can be halted periodically due to rain.  During these periods, the construction crew can work on the restrooms.

With the addition of this new aspect to the project, we are still in need of an additional $300 to complete construction.  If you are someone you know would like to help support this project, email us sumbayouthinitiative@gmail.com or click on the donation button in the side bar!