2022-2023 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, this is what YOU have made possible. FYI, 99% of all donations goes to direct services.
1.Urgent medical, surgical, psychological, dental, vision, and physical therapy care where these services were unavailable or unaffordable. 16 adults and 17 children in South Africa, Uganda, Liberia.
2. Scholarships: 53 beneficiaries in South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, including 38 primary, 10 secondary, 1 vocational, 3 university, 1 post-graduate.
3. Support for A Bright Child Primary School, Uganda (from a donor’s designated funding).
4. Grant to Stella Girls Empowerment Foundation, Uganda (from a donor’s designated funding).
5. School uniforms, supplies, and course materials for 13 students in South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda.
6. Emergency food, household provisions, transportation, and housing for 14 individuals in South Africa and Uganda.
7. Economic empowerment for 3 individuals for small business startup and job acquisition in South Africa.
8. Support for A Bright Child-Uganda, a Community Based Organization in a rural district dedicated to adult vocational training and literacy at the vocational training center built by One Future at a Time.
Marilyn's Update
In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, this is what YOU have made possible. FYI, 99% of all donations goes to direct services.
1.Urgent medical, surgical, psychological, dental, vision, and physical therapy care where these services were unavailable or unaffordable. 16 adults and 17 children in South Africa, Uganda, Liberia.
2. Scholarships: 53 beneficiaries in South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, including 38 primary, 10 secondary, 1 vocational, 3 university, 1 post-graduate.
3. Support for A Bright Child Primary School, Uganda (from a donor’s designated funding).
4. Grant to Stella Girls Empowerment Foundation, Uganda (from a donor’s designated funding).
5. School uniforms, supplies, and course materials for 13 students in South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda.
6. Emergency food, household provisions, transportation, and housing for 14 individuals in South Africa and Uganda.
7. Economic empowerment for 3 individuals for small business startup and job acquisition in South Africa.
8. Support for A Bright Child-Uganda, a Community Based Organization in a rural district dedicated to adult vocational training and literacy at the vocational training center built by One Future at a Time.
2020-2021 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
I wish I could have shared news from Africa in person this year, but for reasons there including: major COVID waves without adequate healthcare resources (for COVID or anything else at this point); severe lock-downs with devastating economic impact; the resulting desperation leading to more than usual crime; and civil unrest, it's been safer for me to stay in the US.
Luckily, technology has enabled the work of One Future at a Time to continue without missing a beat, thanks to frequent communication with my partners in Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda, and Liberia, and especially thanks to our supporters. Here is what we accomplished this past fiscal year:
1. Medical, surgical, dental, vision care, physical therapy and rehabilitation services where these services were otherwise unavailable or unaffordable. Between Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Liberia, we accessed care and treatment for 23 adults and 14 children.
2. Academic scholarships for 27 students in 4 countries: Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Senegal. Students ranged from primary level to college and advanced university levels.
3. COVID lockdown emergency relief to approximately 300 individuals in both urban and rural communities in Uganda, Liberia, and South Africa for food and other essentials for survival.
4. Grant to one of our Ugandan partner organizations, Education Forum Africa, for educational sponsorships and girls’ empowerment programs.
5. Support of our other Ugandan partner organization, A Bright Child-Uganda, for hooking up electricity at our Vocational Training Center.
6. School uniforms for 11 students in South Africa and Uganda
7. Small business start-up assistance in rural Uganda for a family of 4 that included a special-needs child, so that the parents can afford the child’s dietary requirements.
Marilyn's Update
I wish I could have shared news from Africa in person this year, but for reasons there including: major COVID waves without adequate healthcare resources (for COVID or anything else at this point); severe lock-downs with devastating economic impact; the resulting desperation leading to more than usual crime; and civil unrest, it's been safer for me to stay in the US.
Luckily, technology has enabled the work of One Future at a Time to continue without missing a beat, thanks to frequent communication with my partners in Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda, and Liberia, and especially thanks to our supporters. Here is what we accomplished this past fiscal year:
1. Medical, surgical, dental, vision care, physical therapy and rehabilitation services where these services were otherwise unavailable or unaffordable. Between Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Liberia, we accessed care and treatment for 23 adults and 14 children.
2. Academic scholarships for 27 students in 4 countries: Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Senegal. Students ranged from primary level to college and advanced university levels.
3. COVID lockdown emergency relief to approximately 300 individuals in both urban and rural communities in Uganda, Liberia, and South Africa for food and other essentials for survival.
4. Grant to one of our Ugandan partner organizations, Education Forum Africa, for educational sponsorships and girls’ empowerment programs.
5. Support of our other Ugandan partner organization, A Bright Child-Uganda, for hooking up electricity at our Vocational Training Center.
6. School uniforms for 11 students in South Africa and Uganda
7. Small business start-up assistance in rural Uganda for a family of 4 that included a special-needs child, so that the parents can afford the child’s dietary requirements.
2019-2020 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
The autumn 2019 stay in Uganda and South Africa was as interesting as ever. We accomplished a lot in our usual provision of access to healthcare and education, and the girls' empowerment outreach we participated in along with our partner, Education Forum Africa and a number of other collaborating organizations in Uganda was again such an eye-opener. It's such a unique privilege to be part of these programs.
Then 2 weeks before my scheduled flight to Uganda in March, COVID interrupted life as we knew it. International travel came to a halt. If I had already gone to Africa, I might not have been able to get back to the U.S. We even had to cancel our 4th Annual One Future at a Time Community Sing-along two days before the fundraising event was to happen.
In an effort to stem the spread of the virus, there were severe lock-downs resulting in economic devastation and an increase in crime, likely out of desperation. Here's a brief idea of what it was like in Uganda (and probably elsewhere): Except for a few essential businesses, everything was closed. I saw a video of the police riot squad beating people who were attempting to shop downtown in Kampala, the capital city. Public transportation was also banned, and since most people are too poor to own a car, they had no way to get to those essential businesses, i.e., no way to get food, even if they had the money. Those who owned or worked for every other business now had no income and little to no savings. On top of that, food markets were price gouging. Rent was expected and water and electricity were being turned off for non-payment. Tap water in Uganda is not potable. It can be used for laundry and bathing, but for drinking, water must be boiled or bottled. Shops were running out of bottled water, and if you don’t have electricity or money to buy propane, you can’t boil it. As you may well imagine, the capacity of the healthcare system in any third world country is way more limited than ours, and it’s a dire enough situation here. The government issued a 7:00 p.m. curfew and also decided that banning public transportation wasn’t enough, so they banned private cars as well. My partner, the director of Education Forum Africa, was able to hook his organization up with the Ministry of Health to collaborate on awareness and prevention activities, which enabled him to get a placard for his car designating it a COVID-19 Emergency Response Team vehicle. This way, he can drive to buy and deliver the relief items and transport people for urgent health services.
I spoke with one of my colleagues in Rwanda and he said pretty much the same thing. All they had to eat in the village was corn. There was only one food shop still open and they raised their prices. At least those living in the rural areas were able to grow some of their food. In the cities, that just doesn’t happen.
Thanks to extraordinarily generous and compassionate support from our donors, One Future at a Time was able to provide emergency or urgent provisions for around 800 people in Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Liberia (our most recent country).
Fortunately, I can do a lot of our work online in cooperation with our partners, so pandemic or not, life happens. In addition to the many scholarships we have going, we have taken care of a number of serious medical situations including: malaria; typhoid; tooth abscesses; eye problems; ear infections; seizures; surgery to repair a dislocated knee with torn ligaments; prenatal care for a high risk pregnancy; surgery to remove a large benign tumor in a child’s neck where the tumor was impinging on the child’s airway; treatment for a 12 year old boy’s painful recurrence of osteomyelitis in his leg; and we saved the life of a 6 year old who actually went into respiratory arrest from an acute asthma attack and would have died had the ambulance gotten there any later.
Marilyn's Update
The autumn 2019 stay in Uganda and South Africa was as interesting as ever. We accomplished a lot in our usual provision of access to healthcare and education, and the girls' empowerment outreach we participated in along with our partner, Education Forum Africa and a number of other collaborating organizations in Uganda was again such an eye-opener. It's such a unique privilege to be part of these programs.
Then 2 weeks before my scheduled flight to Uganda in March, COVID interrupted life as we knew it. International travel came to a halt. If I had already gone to Africa, I might not have been able to get back to the U.S. We even had to cancel our 4th Annual One Future at a Time Community Sing-along two days before the fundraising event was to happen.
In an effort to stem the spread of the virus, there were severe lock-downs resulting in economic devastation and an increase in crime, likely out of desperation. Here's a brief idea of what it was like in Uganda (and probably elsewhere): Except for a few essential businesses, everything was closed. I saw a video of the police riot squad beating people who were attempting to shop downtown in Kampala, the capital city. Public transportation was also banned, and since most people are too poor to own a car, they had no way to get to those essential businesses, i.e., no way to get food, even if they had the money. Those who owned or worked for every other business now had no income and little to no savings. On top of that, food markets were price gouging. Rent was expected and water and electricity were being turned off for non-payment. Tap water in Uganda is not potable. It can be used for laundry and bathing, but for drinking, water must be boiled or bottled. Shops were running out of bottled water, and if you don’t have electricity or money to buy propane, you can’t boil it. As you may well imagine, the capacity of the healthcare system in any third world country is way more limited than ours, and it’s a dire enough situation here. The government issued a 7:00 p.m. curfew and also decided that banning public transportation wasn’t enough, so they banned private cars as well. My partner, the director of Education Forum Africa, was able to hook his organization up with the Ministry of Health to collaborate on awareness and prevention activities, which enabled him to get a placard for his car designating it a COVID-19 Emergency Response Team vehicle. This way, he can drive to buy and deliver the relief items and transport people for urgent health services.
I spoke with one of my colleagues in Rwanda and he said pretty much the same thing. All they had to eat in the village was corn. There was only one food shop still open and they raised their prices. At least those living in the rural areas were able to grow some of their food. In the cities, that just doesn’t happen.
Thanks to extraordinarily generous and compassionate support from our donors, One Future at a Time was able to provide emergency or urgent provisions for around 800 people in Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, and Liberia (our most recent country).
Fortunately, I can do a lot of our work online in cooperation with our partners, so pandemic or not, life happens. In addition to the many scholarships we have going, we have taken care of a number of serious medical situations including: malaria; typhoid; tooth abscesses; eye problems; ear infections; seizures; surgery to repair a dislocated knee with torn ligaments; prenatal care for a high risk pregnancy; surgery to remove a large benign tumor in a child’s neck where the tumor was impinging on the child’s airway; treatment for a 12 year old boy’s painful recurrence of osteomyelitis in his leg; and we saved the life of a 6 year old who actually went into respiratory arrest from an acute asthma attack and would have died had the ambulance gotten there any later.
2018-2019 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
Since our reporting to the powers that be needs to be done at the end of each fiscal year, I’m changing these summaries from calendar year to fiscal year, which ends on June 30th. One Future at a Time had another and more significant switch in 2019 though, and that is the change of my African base from Olievenhoutbosch, South Africa, to Kampala, Uganda, though I will always continue to spend time in South Africa twice a year with the dear people who have become family to me. We now have two partner organizations in Uganda and a lot of “boots on the ground” activities, both in Kampala (the capital city) and in remote areas throughout the country. Our first partner, A Bright Child-Uganda, serves a rural district in the west. We work together to support the vocational training center that we built several years ago. We have also been supporting a primary school that ABC-Uganda has been operating for a few years. Aside from assisting with school fees (thanks to our donors) for some of the most vulnerable children, we bought sports uniforms and equipment for the boys to play soccer and the girls to play netball. We also bought quite a few different types of drums and other percussion instruments as well as some costumes and the materials to make more costumes for traditional music and dance performance. These activities do so much to feed the spirit and self-esteem of the children even in the face of their economically impoverished living conditions. A Bright Child Primary School has some very talented and dedicated teachers who coach these activities and inspire the children, and it is a joy to see them in action.
As of early 2019, we engaged in a partnership with a second Ugandan nonprofit organization called Education Forum Africa. EFA is headquartered in the capital city of Kampala but it does outreaches to schools in rural areas with the focus of keeping children in school, especially but not exclusively girls. In collaboration, we do this by visiting schools and addressing the root causes that derail attendance: inability for families to afford school fees; child marriage; gender based violence; lack of menstrual supplies and sanitation for girls; and the devaluation of educating girls. A grant from UNICEF-USA has supported us in these efforts.
My colleagues in Uganda bring to my attention both children and adults who are in need of medical attention that they would otherwise not be able to get. This care ranges from life altering to life saving. You can read some of their stories on the Blog page.
We have of course provided healthcare as well as scholarships in South Africa and Rwanda too.
In California, our 3rd Annual One Future at a Time Community Sing-Along was again a fundraising highlight.
Marilyn's Update
Since our reporting to the powers that be needs to be done at the end of each fiscal year, I’m changing these summaries from calendar year to fiscal year, which ends on June 30th. One Future at a Time had another and more significant switch in 2019 though, and that is the change of my African base from Olievenhoutbosch, South Africa, to Kampala, Uganda, though I will always continue to spend time in South Africa twice a year with the dear people who have become family to me. We now have two partner organizations in Uganda and a lot of “boots on the ground” activities, both in Kampala (the capital city) and in remote areas throughout the country. Our first partner, A Bright Child-Uganda, serves a rural district in the west. We work together to support the vocational training center that we built several years ago. We have also been supporting a primary school that ABC-Uganda has been operating for a few years. Aside from assisting with school fees (thanks to our donors) for some of the most vulnerable children, we bought sports uniforms and equipment for the boys to play soccer and the girls to play netball. We also bought quite a few different types of drums and other percussion instruments as well as some costumes and the materials to make more costumes for traditional music and dance performance. These activities do so much to feed the spirit and self-esteem of the children even in the face of their economically impoverished living conditions. A Bright Child Primary School has some very talented and dedicated teachers who coach these activities and inspire the children, and it is a joy to see them in action.
As of early 2019, we engaged in a partnership with a second Ugandan nonprofit organization called Education Forum Africa. EFA is headquartered in the capital city of Kampala but it does outreaches to schools in rural areas with the focus of keeping children in school, especially but not exclusively girls. In collaboration, we do this by visiting schools and addressing the root causes that derail attendance: inability for families to afford school fees; child marriage; gender based violence; lack of menstrual supplies and sanitation for girls; and the devaluation of educating girls. A grant from UNICEF-USA has supported us in these efforts.
My colleagues in Uganda bring to my attention both children and adults who are in need of medical attention that they would otherwise not be able to get. This care ranges from life altering to life saving. You can read some of their stories on the Blog page.
We have of course provided healthcare as well as scholarships in South Africa and Rwanda too.
In California, our 3rd Annual One Future at a Time Community Sing-Along was again a fundraising highlight.
2018 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn’s Update
Interesting doesn’t begin to describe the past year. What I’ve learned by now from many years of working in Africa is the futility of having a plan, especially from the point of reference of my own ideas of what may be needed in any given situation and how I might address those needs based on my professional and personal experience. That model may have brought the expected positive outcomes in my American work life, but in my African life, had I clung to it, I would have given up in frustration long ago.
People often ask me what I do or how I decide what to do in Africa, and the best answer I have is that I just show up, and what I need to do presents itself to me on a daily basis. Let me give you a glimpse.
One day, it was helping a young man in Zanzibar to formulate ideas for a business plan and later via email, helping him write his ideas in proper English. Similarly, there were many days helping my colleagues in Rwanda by translating various funding applications from French to English or polishing up what they had already written in English.
Another day, a woman in South Africa told me a family member was too sick to get to a medical facility via public transportation and asked me if I could take them. (As in our own country, it helps to have someone “ride shotgun” and provide an extra set of ears and eyes when a patient is too stressed to absorb what a doctor is telling them.) We helped 31 children and adults with medical care, with the more serious cases including surgery for one child and one young adult, and hospitalizations and rehabilitation programs for a 26-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman who had debilitating strokes – at such young ages. In other health-related areas, we paid for dental care for 7 people. One was in Uganda, one in Rwanda, and the others were in South Africa. In spite of the free government dental clinic it took me five years to procure in our Olievenhoutbosch township, there are needs that go beyond their capabilities, so I will take people for private dental care. We also had 6 people go for eye exams and glasses. One high school girl in Uganda was brought to my attention because she couldn’t see the blackboard and had to get inches from a book to read it. It turned out she is legally blind and it was amazing she was still able to do well in school. We took her to a hospital-affiliated eye clinic in the capital city of Kampala where she was able to not only get very strong glasses, but also a consultation and further assistance from their “low vision” clinic for the visually impaired.
In Rwanda, I spent a joyful day with the now very healthy, active children who we’ve sent this year as well as in the past couple of years for heart surgery, reconstructive plastic surgery, or orthopedic correction. These children will probably not remember what their lives were like before, but their parents sure do, and the before and after of the parents themselves is remarkable, knowing their children are healthy and no longer critically ill or suffering.
Another day in South Africa, some children came to me with ragged, outgrown school uniforms and feet hurting from last year’s school shoes that were too small, and we went on a shopping trip to the nearby plaza for brand new replacements. All kids, regardless of socio-economic status, feel so much better about themselves when they can dress decently and not feel stigmatized at school because of the condition of – or lack of uniforms. We helped 54 children with school uniforms this year.
Another day in Uganda, I met with the dedicated teachers of A Bright Child-Uganda (one of our partner organizations) Primary School to hear the challenges they face with so few resources and their pleas for help. The money we raised from North State Giving Tuesday this November went to their aid, and this positively impacted about 320 students as well as the faculty. ABC-Uganda also has a vocational school (the one we built) and our purchase of training materials and the construction of a latrine benefited another 60 individuals currently studying or teaching there. An obvious question is what did everyone do there without a latrine. A very gracious woman whose home is on the same property was allowing everyone to use the “facility” behind her house. Having its own latrine was actually a requirement for certain funding, so it was more than just a convenience. We are working diligently on plans for the two schools to become self-sustaining.
In 2018, we had 13 individuals on scholarships ranging from high school to short-term vocational training to ongoing university programs. Why high school? In Rwanda and Uganda, there is no free public education. Many children are unable to attend if their families can’t afford the fees. We have four very highly motivated, intelligent high school students under our wing with hopes for professional careers in teaching and engineering. We also have two university students about to graduate next semester with degrees in social work, two part-way through medical school, and one who got a certificate in child psychology. Another has furthered his career as an electrician with advanced training in specialty areas of that field. The rest have started vocational training courses.
So without making a daily plan, there is never nothing to do and it’s an absolute joy for me to just show up and see what happens. Of course, none of this would be possible without your support. Your individual donations are appreciated beyond words. We also continue to receive your support through your purchases from Amazon Smile. When you sign up for Amazon Smile (which can be used right along with Amazon Prime), you can designate One Future at a Time to receive 0.5% of what you spend and it costs you nothing.
Another program we continue to partner with is called YourCause, which is an employer/employee matching fund. They will match your donations to the charity of your choice up to $5,000 per year. Check with your employer to see if they are participants. You can also check to see if your company has its own similar program for corporate social responsibility; we have received support from donors through Thrivent Financial Services’ Thrivent Choice program and Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign.
2018 was our first year to participate in North State Giving Tuesday, which was successfully organized by the Shasta Regional Community Foundation. We also had some other firsts in our fundraising efforts and for that, we thank The Habit Burger Grill and Chipotle Mexican Grill for hosting One Future at a Time benefit evenings.
We also raised funds in a very unique way with CharityBuzz, which conducts online auctions for nonprofits whereby people bid on items organized by the nonprofits themselves. These items can range from celebrity memorabilia to all sorts of experiences. In our case, someone plus guests won an afternoon with Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop, Ozzie Smith, including attending batting practice, enjoying lunch, and watching a St. Louis Cardinals home game with him in his private box seats at Busch Stadium. Another lucky bidder and guest won a “magical” lunch with master magician, Lance Burton, and his celebrity magician friends who were available on the date selected. Of course the winners were treated to tableside performances and left with an instructional video to impress their friends at home.
Our 2017 sing-along fundraiser was so successful that we did it again this year. The theme was music from the 60’s, half “British invasion” and half American. What fun it was, revving up ones inner Beatle or Beach Boy and belting out those songs from the age of Aquarius with our band for a good cause! We are already preparing for our 3rd Annual One Future at a Time Community Sing-Along, scheduled for March 23, 2019, 7:00 p.m., at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Redding, CA. You won’t want to miss it.
Marilyn’s Update
Interesting doesn’t begin to describe the past year. What I’ve learned by now from many years of working in Africa is the futility of having a plan, especially from the point of reference of my own ideas of what may be needed in any given situation and how I might address those needs based on my professional and personal experience. That model may have brought the expected positive outcomes in my American work life, but in my African life, had I clung to it, I would have given up in frustration long ago.
People often ask me what I do or how I decide what to do in Africa, and the best answer I have is that I just show up, and what I need to do presents itself to me on a daily basis. Let me give you a glimpse.
One day, it was helping a young man in Zanzibar to formulate ideas for a business plan and later via email, helping him write his ideas in proper English. Similarly, there were many days helping my colleagues in Rwanda by translating various funding applications from French to English or polishing up what they had already written in English.
Another day, a woman in South Africa told me a family member was too sick to get to a medical facility via public transportation and asked me if I could take them. (As in our own country, it helps to have someone “ride shotgun” and provide an extra set of ears and eyes when a patient is too stressed to absorb what a doctor is telling them.) We helped 31 children and adults with medical care, with the more serious cases including surgery for one child and one young adult, and hospitalizations and rehabilitation programs for a 26-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman who had debilitating strokes – at such young ages. In other health-related areas, we paid for dental care for 7 people. One was in Uganda, one in Rwanda, and the others were in South Africa. In spite of the free government dental clinic it took me five years to procure in our Olievenhoutbosch township, there are needs that go beyond their capabilities, so I will take people for private dental care. We also had 6 people go for eye exams and glasses. One high school girl in Uganda was brought to my attention because she couldn’t see the blackboard and had to get inches from a book to read it. It turned out she is legally blind and it was amazing she was still able to do well in school. We took her to a hospital-affiliated eye clinic in the capital city of Kampala where she was able to not only get very strong glasses, but also a consultation and further assistance from their “low vision” clinic for the visually impaired.
In Rwanda, I spent a joyful day with the now very healthy, active children who we’ve sent this year as well as in the past couple of years for heart surgery, reconstructive plastic surgery, or orthopedic correction. These children will probably not remember what their lives were like before, but their parents sure do, and the before and after of the parents themselves is remarkable, knowing their children are healthy and no longer critically ill or suffering.
Another day in South Africa, some children came to me with ragged, outgrown school uniforms and feet hurting from last year’s school shoes that were too small, and we went on a shopping trip to the nearby plaza for brand new replacements. All kids, regardless of socio-economic status, feel so much better about themselves when they can dress decently and not feel stigmatized at school because of the condition of – or lack of uniforms. We helped 54 children with school uniforms this year.
Another day in Uganda, I met with the dedicated teachers of A Bright Child-Uganda (one of our partner organizations) Primary School to hear the challenges they face with so few resources and their pleas for help. The money we raised from North State Giving Tuesday this November went to their aid, and this positively impacted about 320 students as well as the faculty. ABC-Uganda also has a vocational school (the one we built) and our purchase of training materials and the construction of a latrine benefited another 60 individuals currently studying or teaching there. An obvious question is what did everyone do there without a latrine. A very gracious woman whose home is on the same property was allowing everyone to use the “facility” behind her house. Having its own latrine was actually a requirement for certain funding, so it was more than just a convenience. We are working diligently on plans for the two schools to become self-sustaining.
In 2018, we had 13 individuals on scholarships ranging from high school to short-term vocational training to ongoing university programs. Why high school? In Rwanda and Uganda, there is no free public education. Many children are unable to attend if their families can’t afford the fees. We have four very highly motivated, intelligent high school students under our wing with hopes for professional careers in teaching and engineering. We also have two university students about to graduate next semester with degrees in social work, two part-way through medical school, and one who got a certificate in child psychology. Another has furthered his career as an electrician with advanced training in specialty areas of that field. The rest have started vocational training courses.
So without making a daily plan, there is never nothing to do and it’s an absolute joy for me to just show up and see what happens. Of course, none of this would be possible without your support. Your individual donations are appreciated beyond words. We also continue to receive your support through your purchases from Amazon Smile. When you sign up for Amazon Smile (which can be used right along with Amazon Prime), you can designate One Future at a Time to receive 0.5% of what you spend and it costs you nothing.
Another program we continue to partner with is called YourCause, which is an employer/employee matching fund. They will match your donations to the charity of your choice up to $5,000 per year. Check with your employer to see if they are participants. You can also check to see if your company has its own similar program for corporate social responsibility; we have received support from donors through Thrivent Financial Services’ Thrivent Choice program and Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign.
2018 was our first year to participate in North State Giving Tuesday, which was successfully organized by the Shasta Regional Community Foundation. We also had some other firsts in our fundraising efforts and for that, we thank The Habit Burger Grill and Chipotle Mexican Grill for hosting One Future at a Time benefit evenings.
We also raised funds in a very unique way with CharityBuzz, which conducts online auctions for nonprofits whereby people bid on items organized by the nonprofits themselves. These items can range from celebrity memorabilia to all sorts of experiences. In our case, someone plus guests won an afternoon with Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop, Ozzie Smith, including attending batting practice, enjoying lunch, and watching a St. Louis Cardinals home game with him in his private box seats at Busch Stadium. Another lucky bidder and guest won a “magical” lunch with master magician, Lance Burton, and his celebrity magician friends who were available on the date selected. Of course the winners were treated to tableside performances and left with an instructional video to impress their friends at home.
Our 2017 sing-along fundraiser was so successful that we did it again this year. The theme was music from the 60’s, half “British invasion” and half American. What fun it was, revving up ones inner Beatle or Beach Boy and belting out those songs from the age of Aquarius with our band for a good cause! We are already preparing for our 3rd Annual One Future at a Time Community Sing-Along, scheduled for March 23, 2019, 7:00 p.m., at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Redding, CA. You won’t want to miss it.
2017 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn’s Update
Last year I mentioned that our impact in South Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda had grown, and that trend continued in 2017 as our ability to create opportunities expanded with interesting new projects.
Starting with healthcare, we sent three Rwandese children to Paris for heart surgery that would not have been possible in their home country. One Future at a Time collaborates with Jean Claude Nkundimfura, director of Humura Socio-Medical Center who coordinates with other Rwandese medical providers for pediatric cardiology referrals to a French organization called Mécénat. Mécénat sends specialty teams to third world countries to evaluate these children and to do surgery on site when possible. For countries such as Rwanda, which lacks the facilities, equipment, and expertise to do such surgeries, they raise funds to pay for the children to have the surgeries in France but the children’s families have to pay the airfare. This was vastly unaffordable for all of them and that’s where we come in. One Future at a Time was able to send 4 children to France this year. Two boys and one girl had marvelously successful results. As the father of a 13-year old wrote to me, "No one can understand how joyful it is to see your son completely recovered and smiling while all his life [previously] was complaint of pain." Healing happens not only for the children, but also very noticeably for their parents.
Unfortunately, one little girl arrived in France, and promptly erupted with a case of malaria that had apparently been incubating, and when she recovered from that, she came down with influenza. These complications made her too high a risk for surgery and she was sent back home with the possibility of trying again in the coming year.
Also in Rwanda, we funded the treatment for a 1-year-old girl to have orthopedic correction for two severe clubfeet. She will have a series of casts followed by surgery. The treatment began at the end of the year and will continue through 2018. This child’s prognosis for normal mobility is very good.
When I went to Rwanda in November, I was greeted at the airport by Jean Claude and the families with two of the children who had heart surgery. The next day, there was another heartwarming gathering for me to visit with 6 more of the children and their families who were beneficiaries or soon to be beneficiaries of life saving or life altering surgeries through One Future at a Time. Many of these families had not previously met one another, and to see all these healthy, active children gave a world of hope to the parents waiting for their children to have surgery. It’s hard to convey the depth of gratitude they (and I) feel for you, our donors, who make this all possible.
As I have explained last year, access to affordable health care in Rwanda depends on having medical insurance, and one family member cannot obtain it without insuring everyone in the family, so we were able to provide coverage for the all eight of our beneficiary children and their 33 family members for a grand total of only $152.84 for the year.
In South Africa, we paid for surgery for two adults and one teenager and post-surgical physical therapy for two of them. In Uganda, we had a little boy with hydrocephalus who needed a shunt replacement, which we paid for last year. This year, he had a minor complication but the family could not afford to take him back to the hospital for follow-up, so One Future at a Time covered the cost. We also sent four adults and two children for primary medical care and medications, plus bought enough anti-fungal cream to treat about 20 children at our primary school in Uganda for ringworm.
After a couple of years of waiting, the Department of Health finally repaired the faulty equipment at the free government dental clinic in the community I have been with in South Africa, so it is no longer necessary for us to pay for private dental care. We did, however, cover extensive dental treatment for a young man in Uganda.
Between the three countries, we provided scholarships to two people to attend short vocational courses and we have ongoing scholarships for four university students, four high school students, and transportation costs for one primary student whose family uses all their resources for his ongoing medical care for a condition that does not allow him to walk the long distance to his school. Several university applicants are in the wings, hoping we raise enough funds to award more scholarships. Additionally, we provided 155 school uniform items for 24 South African children, ages 6 to 17.
In Uganda, our partner organization, A Bright Child (ABC)-Uganda “inherited” a primary school to which we have provided some support and also arranged an enthusiastic sister school relationship with the West Cottonwood School in Cottonwood, CA. One Future at a Time has also provided some start-up materials for ABC-Uganda’s now operational vocational school.
In South Africa, there is a wonderful organization called Dignity Dreams, which manufactures and provides washable, reusable sanitary pads for girls and women and also provides education on menstrual health. They graciously trained me on how to make the pads and gave me enough materials to teach classes of about 20 women each at the vocational programs of both ABC-Uganda and Humura on how to make them. These classes were very successful and the women were inspired and motivated to create their own co-operative businesses along this line. One Future at a Time purchased the start-up equipment in both locations, however the challenge remains to find an economical source of the four necessary fabrics, three of which are unavailable in either country – and believe me, we looked! At this point, we are working with a man from Uganda who has found a source in his business travels to China, but the process is slow. We’re all hoping to get the project off and running in 2018.
Let me close by mentioning our over-the-top fun fundraiser held in March: a community sing-along benefit concert. Our band played hits from the past, everyone got songbooks plus chances for door prizes, and we all had a great time belting out some of our favorite oldies together. By popular demand, this will be an annual event!
Marilyn’s Update
Last year I mentioned that our impact in South Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda had grown, and that trend continued in 2017 as our ability to create opportunities expanded with interesting new projects.
Starting with healthcare, we sent three Rwandese children to Paris for heart surgery that would not have been possible in their home country. One Future at a Time collaborates with Jean Claude Nkundimfura, director of Humura Socio-Medical Center who coordinates with other Rwandese medical providers for pediatric cardiology referrals to a French organization called Mécénat. Mécénat sends specialty teams to third world countries to evaluate these children and to do surgery on site when possible. For countries such as Rwanda, which lacks the facilities, equipment, and expertise to do such surgeries, they raise funds to pay for the children to have the surgeries in France but the children’s families have to pay the airfare. This was vastly unaffordable for all of them and that’s where we come in. One Future at a Time was able to send 4 children to France this year. Two boys and one girl had marvelously successful results. As the father of a 13-year old wrote to me, "No one can understand how joyful it is to see your son completely recovered and smiling while all his life [previously] was complaint of pain." Healing happens not only for the children, but also very noticeably for their parents.
Unfortunately, one little girl arrived in France, and promptly erupted with a case of malaria that had apparently been incubating, and when she recovered from that, she came down with influenza. These complications made her too high a risk for surgery and she was sent back home with the possibility of trying again in the coming year.
Also in Rwanda, we funded the treatment for a 1-year-old girl to have orthopedic correction for two severe clubfeet. She will have a series of casts followed by surgery. The treatment began at the end of the year and will continue through 2018. This child’s prognosis for normal mobility is very good.
When I went to Rwanda in November, I was greeted at the airport by Jean Claude and the families with two of the children who had heart surgery. The next day, there was another heartwarming gathering for me to visit with 6 more of the children and their families who were beneficiaries or soon to be beneficiaries of life saving or life altering surgeries through One Future at a Time. Many of these families had not previously met one another, and to see all these healthy, active children gave a world of hope to the parents waiting for their children to have surgery. It’s hard to convey the depth of gratitude they (and I) feel for you, our donors, who make this all possible.
As I have explained last year, access to affordable health care in Rwanda depends on having medical insurance, and one family member cannot obtain it without insuring everyone in the family, so we were able to provide coverage for the all eight of our beneficiary children and their 33 family members for a grand total of only $152.84 for the year.
In South Africa, we paid for surgery for two adults and one teenager and post-surgical physical therapy for two of them. In Uganda, we had a little boy with hydrocephalus who needed a shunt replacement, which we paid for last year. This year, he had a minor complication but the family could not afford to take him back to the hospital for follow-up, so One Future at a Time covered the cost. We also sent four adults and two children for primary medical care and medications, plus bought enough anti-fungal cream to treat about 20 children at our primary school in Uganda for ringworm.
After a couple of years of waiting, the Department of Health finally repaired the faulty equipment at the free government dental clinic in the community I have been with in South Africa, so it is no longer necessary for us to pay for private dental care. We did, however, cover extensive dental treatment for a young man in Uganda.
Between the three countries, we provided scholarships to two people to attend short vocational courses and we have ongoing scholarships for four university students, four high school students, and transportation costs for one primary student whose family uses all their resources for his ongoing medical care for a condition that does not allow him to walk the long distance to his school. Several university applicants are in the wings, hoping we raise enough funds to award more scholarships. Additionally, we provided 155 school uniform items for 24 South African children, ages 6 to 17.
In Uganda, our partner organization, A Bright Child (ABC)-Uganda “inherited” a primary school to which we have provided some support and also arranged an enthusiastic sister school relationship with the West Cottonwood School in Cottonwood, CA. One Future at a Time has also provided some start-up materials for ABC-Uganda’s now operational vocational school.
In South Africa, there is a wonderful organization called Dignity Dreams, which manufactures and provides washable, reusable sanitary pads for girls and women and also provides education on menstrual health. They graciously trained me on how to make the pads and gave me enough materials to teach classes of about 20 women each at the vocational programs of both ABC-Uganda and Humura on how to make them. These classes were very successful and the women were inspired and motivated to create their own co-operative businesses along this line. One Future at a Time purchased the start-up equipment in both locations, however the challenge remains to find an economical source of the four necessary fabrics, three of which are unavailable in either country – and believe me, we looked! At this point, we are working with a man from Uganda who has found a source in his business travels to China, but the process is slow. We’re all hoping to get the project off and running in 2018.
Let me close by mentioning our over-the-top fun fundraiser held in March: a community sing-along benefit concert. Our band played hits from the past, everyone got songbooks plus chances for door prizes, and we all had a great time belting out some of our favorite oldies together. By popular demand, this will be an annual event!
2016 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
Personal empowerment comes from having the education/skills, good health, and opportunity to move forward towards ones goals, and that is what we strive to provide for those we serve. The longer I do this work though, the more I believe that those three things are all well and good, even necessary, but there's a fourth element that sparks the empowerment, and that is having someone who truly cares, encourages, and walks with you on your journey. "I got where I am because you believed in me" is very humbling feedback to receive from a beneficiary, but it's also how I feel about our donors, who have enabled One Future at a Time to grow in its impact in South Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda.
It may be of interest to know that 95% of our expenditures go to direct services. The biggest part of the remaining 5% covers bank fees and printing costs.
In the area of education, 11 students received scholarships, 8 of which are continuing into 2017. Our brilliant Rwandese medical student in China has begun his third year of studies and I had a great visit with him on vacation in China during his semester break in August. Our one health sciences and two electrical engineering students in South Africa have completed their studies and we now have a social work student studying at a university in Uganda. In Rwanda and Uganda, high school is not free, and students cannot write their exams if their fees are not paid in full. We have paid the nominal balances for five top-notch students to complete high school. We also paid for a sweet Rwandese boy to be transported to primary school because he has a condition (osteomyelitis in one leg) which prohibits him from walking long distances. His family's meager income has gone towards his medical care, hence they could not manage to get him transported to school.
This year, 32 children were provided with 169 items needed for school uniforms. To give you an idea on how far a donation goes, in South Africa, $20 buys a sturdy pair of school shoes; $15 buys a schoolbag; $10 buys a uniform sweater or a rain jacket; $6 buys a uniform shirt or a 5-pack of socks.
Three adults and seven children received medical care, including 12 doctor visits, 8 surgeries not otherwise available to these individuals, physical therapy, and home medical equipment. A total of 18 prescriptions were purchased for four adults and five children. Access to affordable health care in Rwanda depends on having medical insurance, and so we were able to provide that for three adults and nine children in need of treatment. Seven adults and fourteen children received dental care. Two adults and one child were able to go to an optometrist and both adults received glasses.
My visit to Uganda and Rwanda in late October - early November was enlightening and heartwarming. The organizations with which we collaborate, A Bright Child-Uganda and Humura, are doing amazing work in remote rural areas with so few resources and it really is a privilege to be part of their efforts. The construction is complete on the school we were building in Uganda; however, due to local circumstances, the affected communities agreed that it would be better for the school to change gears from primary education and focus on vocational training. It's always a good rule of thumb to have the input and involvement of potential beneficiaries so that those trying to be of service don't miss the mark.
Marilyn's Update
Personal empowerment comes from having the education/skills, good health, and opportunity to move forward towards ones goals, and that is what we strive to provide for those we serve. The longer I do this work though, the more I believe that those three things are all well and good, even necessary, but there's a fourth element that sparks the empowerment, and that is having someone who truly cares, encourages, and walks with you on your journey. "I got where I am because you believed in me" is very humbling feedback to receive from a beneficiary, but it's also how I feel about our donors, who have enabled One Future at a Time to grow in its impact in South Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda.
It may be of interest to know that 95% of our expenditures go to direct services. The biggest part of the remaining 5% covers bank fees and printing costs.
In the area of education, 11 students received scholarships, 8 of which are continuing into 2017. Our brilliant Rwandese medical student in China has begun his third year of studies and I had a great visit with him on vacation in China during his semester break in August. Our one health sciences and two electrical engineering students in South Africa have completed their studies and we now have a social work student studying at a university in Uganda. In Rwanda and Uganda, high school is not free, and students cannot write their exams if their fees are not paid in full. We have paid the nominal balances for five top-notch students to complete high school. We also paid for a sweet Rwandese boy to be transported to primary school because he has a condition (osteomyelitis in one leg) which prohibits him from walking long distances. His family's meager income has gone towards his medical care, hence they could not manage to get him transported to school.
This year, 32 children were provided with 169 items needed for school uniforms. To give you an idea on how far a donation goes, in South Africa, $20 buys a sturdy pair of school shoes; $15 buys a schoolbag; $10 buys a uniform sweater or a rain jacket; $6 buys a uniform shirt or a 5-pack of socks.
Three adults and seven children received medical care, including 12 doctor visits, 8 surgeries not otherwise available to these individuals, physical therapy, and home medical equipment. A total of 18 prescriptions were purchased for four adults and five children. Access to affordable health care in Rwanda depends on having medical insurance, and so we were able to provide that for three adults and nine children in need of treatment. Seven adults and fourteen children received dental care. Two adults and one child were able to go to an optometrist and both adults received glasses.
My visit to Uganda and Rwanda in late October - early November was enlightening and heartwarming. The organizations with which we collaborate, A Bright Child-Uganda and Humura, are doing amazing work in remote rural areas with so few resources and it really is a privilege to be part of their efforts. The construction is complete on the school we were building in Uganda; however, due to local circumstances, the affected communities agreed that it would be better for the school to change gears from primary education and focus on vocational training. It's always a good rule of thumb to have the input and involvement of potential beneficiaries so that those trying to be of service don't miss the mark.
2015 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
Your support for One Future at a Time has changed the lives of so many dear children and adults whom I wish you could know. You have given the blessings of health, education, opportunity, and hope where it was not dreamed possible. In summary for 2015, I will do my best to bring these people to you in words.
We outfitted 24 children with 146 parts and pieces of school uniforms to replace seriously outgrown and ragged shirts, trousers, skirts, vests, shoes, socks, etc. One girl of about 12 was hard to fit, as she was quite “short for her weight.” An unsuccessful shopping expedition had her in tears because anything wide enough was way too long. She preferred trousers instead of a skirt, so we got the trousers, which I was able to hem for her by hand. The other girls and I tried to bolster her bruised sense of self by telling her that beautiful comes in all shapes and sizes. The next day when I saw her after school, she was wearing her new shirt, trousers, shoes, and socks - and lipstick – and a confident smile. About $35 from you equaled a small miracle for a sweet child.
This has been a successful year for the 8 people we have on scholarships. One of our students only needed a little help for transportation to university where he is midway through a program for tourism management.
Three young men have all completed courses to prepare them to pass their trade test as electricians, which they did with flying colors. Two of them also got their more advanced certificates in programmable logic controller training. (PLC is a digital computer used for automation of typically industrial electromechanical processes. You can Google it if you want to know more.) The third will take this class in early 2016. This is from a note from one of them: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance to study and learn about PLC. I really appreciate what you have done for me. Thank you for adding value in my life.” $356 made this much of an impact.
One young man just finished 5 years of training to become a “professional” nurse, which is like an advance practice nurse. He never missed a beat, even after a major car accident this spring where he was hit head on, breaking two bones in his right leg. His instructors and classmates threw him a birthday party in his hospital room while he was recovering from surgery, and they made accommodations for him to adjust his schedule to fit his mobility. He has recovered completely. Not only is he a great nurse, he pays it forward by mentoring other students coming up through the ranks.
Another young man is now a qualified “enrolled” nurse, which is the equivalent of something between an LVN and an RN in the USA. He has plans to bring health care to his very remote native South African village.
A third nursing student has been studying like crazy this year and at something like an LVN level, he has received his certificate as a midwife and another certificate to work in ICU. He also got his drivers license (no small feat in South Africa) and is now driving an ambulance and providing emergency services at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. Known as Bara, it’s the third largest hospital in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere. He tells me he “finally feels like somebody.”
And then we have our young man from Rwanda, finishing his first year of medical school at Dalian Medical University in Dalian, China. He has 4 more years of studies plus a year of internship to go, but he is off to a brilliant start with average marks in the high 90’s.
Each scholarship that we can provide certainly helps the recipient, but with the ripple effect, your support impacts families and communities at large.
In health care, we provided extensive dental work and resulting pain relief for one woman. A boy had an eye exam and treatment and a girl had minor surgery on an infected eyelid. More dramatically, three children in rural Rwanda had successful surgeries ranging from life altering to life saving. Gisubizo (7) now has full use of all the fingers of his right hand (severely deformed from burn scars) after plastic surgery and post-op physical therapy. Promesse (2) has completed treatment for a clubfoot on one leg and surgery on the other leg to correct an unusual condition called an amniotic band constriction. She will now be able to look forward to a life of walking normally and without pain. And Jules (2) is currently recovering from open-heart surgery for which he had to be flown to Brussels, Belgium, thanks to a remarkable Belgian organization called Chaîne de l'Espoir (Chain of Hope) and in collaboration with our partner organization in Rwanda, Humura. Your donations made these miracles possible – and miracles are how the families of these children perceive your generosity.
We are still working with A Bright Child-Uganda (ABC-Uganda) to raise funds to build a primary school in a rural village.
Lastly, we are now involved with a creative new project started by a couple of South African friends to get a number of musicians from a poor township outside of Pretoria who spend their time busking on street corners for small change properly trained to form an orchestra. The University of South Africa (UNISA) is in on this as well. What makes this even more unique is that all the musicians are blind. We participated by purchasing a bit of equipment for them.
Marilyn's Update
Your support for One Future at a Time has changed the lives of so many dear children and adults whom I wish you could know. You have given the blessings of health, education, opportunity, and hope where it was not dreamed possible. In summary for 2015, I will do my best to bring these people to you in words.
We outfitted 24 children with 146 parts and pieces of school uniforms to replace seriously outgrown and ragged shirts, trousers, skirts, vests, shoes, socks, etc. One girl of about 12 was hard to fit, as she was quite “short for her weight.” An unsuccessful shopping expedition had her in tears because anything wide enough was way too long. She preferred trousers instead of a skirt, so we got the trousers, which I was able to hem for her by hand. The other girls and I tried to bolster her bruised sense of self by telling her that beautiful comes in all shapes and sizes. The next day when I saw her after school, she was wearing her new shirt, trousers, shoes, and socks - and lipstick – and a confident smile. About $35 from you equaled a small miracle for a sweet child.
This has been a successful year for the 8 people we have on scholarships. One of our students only needed a little help for transportation to university where he is midway through a program for tourism management.
Three young men have all completed courses to prepare them to pass their trade test as electricians, which they did with flying colors. Two of them also got their more advanced certificates in programmable logic controller training. (PLC is a digital computer used for automation of typically industrial electromechanical processes. You can Google it if you want to know more.) The third will take this class in early 2016. This is from a note from one of them: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a chance to study and learn about PLC. I really appreciate what you have done for me. Thank you for adding value in my life.” $356 made this much of an impact.
One young man just finished 5 years of training to become a “professional” nurse, which is like an advance practice nurse. He never missed a beat, even after a major car accident this spring where he was hit head on, breaking two bones in his right leg. His instructors and classmates threw him a birthday party in his hospital room while he was recovering from surgery, and they made accommodations for him to adjust his schedule to fit his mobility. He has recovered completely. Not only is he a great nurse, he pays it forward by mentoring other students coming up through the ranks.
Another young man is now a qualified “enrolled” nurse, which is the equivalent of something between an LVN and an RN in the USA. He has plans to bring health care to his very remote native South African village.
A third nursing student has been studying like crazy this year and at something like an LVN level, he has received his certificate as a midwife and another certificate to work in ICU. He also got his drivers license (no small feat in South Africa) and is now driving an ambulance and providing emergency services at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. Known as Bara, it’s the third largest hospital in the world and the largest in the southern hemisphere. He tells me he “finally feels like somebody.”
And then we have our young man from Rwanda, finishing his first year of medical school at Dalian Medical University in Dalian, China. He has 4 more years of studies plus a year of internship to go, but he is off to a brilliant start with average marks in the high 90’s.
Each scholarship that we can provide certainly helps the recipient, but with the ripple effect, your support impacts families and communities at large.
In health care, we provided extensive dental work and resulting pain relief for one woman. A boy had an eye exam and treatment and a girl had minor surgery on an infected eyelid. More dramatically, three children in rural Rwanda had successful surgeries ranging from life altering to life saving. Gisubizo (7) now has full use of all the fingers of his right hand (severely deformed from burn scars) after plastic surgery and post-op physical therapy. Promesse (2) has completed treatment for a clubfoot on one leg and surgery on the other leg to correct an unusual condition called an amniotic band constriction. She will now be able to look forward to a life of walking normally and without pain. And Jules (2) is currently recovering from open-heart surgery for which he had to be flown to Brussels, Belgium, thanks to a remarkable Belgian organization called Chaîne de l'Espoir (Chain of Hope) and in collaboration with our partner organization in Rwanda, Humura. Your donations made these miracles possible – and miracles are how the families of these children perceive your generosity.
We are still working with A Bright Child-Uganda (ABC-Uganda) to raise funds to build a primary school in a rural village.
Lastly, we are now involved with a creative new project started by a couple of South African friends to get a number of musicians from a poor township outside of Pretoria who spend their time busking on street corners for small change properly trained to form an orchestra. The University of South Africa (UNISA) is in on this as well. What makes this even more unique is that all the musicians are blind. We participated by purchasing a bit of equipment for them.
2014 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES
Marilyn's Update
I want to share with you what we have accomplished. I say “we” because without the encouragement and support of so many of you, it would in no way be possible; and when you read this, you will understand why you leave me with such humility and gratitude.
In the area of health, 7 children and 7 adults have received urgent medical care. 21 children received 46 dental treatments in the spring. In the fall, we didn’t have to pay for dental care, thanks to the new government mobile dental clinic in Olievenhoutbosch, which provides free services by a really good and really nice dentist and dental assistant. Their schedules were full every day and after taking 5 years to get them here, I feel like I accomplished something. Let me not forget to mention one young man who after a year and a half of wire tightening and some extensive oral surgery, got his braces off and flashes his awesome smile now with confidence.
We managed to buy for 50 kids in the spring and 31 kids in the fall, 305 parts and pieces of school uniforms to replace the too small and too ragged items they were wearing.
We have/had 6 people on scholarships: 1 for industrial engineering (He recently got a job!); 2 for electrical engineering (1 just passed his trade test with flying colors); and 3 in nursing school, one of whom got “student of the year” for the second time!
As you know, we’ve branched out from South Africa to Uganda and Rwanda, providing technical consultation and help with grant writing and fundraising for two very worthy nonprofit organizations. A Bright Child-Uganda (ABC-Uganda) is raising money to build a school in a rural village where the founders were born and where the current school has 1 teacher and no building or materials. The kids sit under a tree and scratch lessons in the dirt.
In Rwanda I have been working with Humura, an organization that has a health clinic and also a vocational training program to teach people marketable skills so they can generate income to afford decent nutrition, health care, and school fees and uniforms for their children. Those things are all relatively low cost, but nothing is free in Rwanda (unlike in South Africa) and this is a real “teach a man to fish” program. This is where I found the little boy whose hand was deformed by a serious burn. I’m happy to report that because of your incredible generosity, he will have the corrective plastic surgery this coming year. Additionally, enough has been donated that we were able to pay for medical insurance for him and about 100 others in the village and this will open up huge access to health care at the whopping cost of about $4.40 per person per year. That tiny amount significantly reduces the cost of care and makes it affordable. There was also enough money to buy school uniforms and supplies for another 100 children. It’s sad but without uniforms, they cannot attend school, hence many have not yet started school – but they will this year!
Marilyn's Update
I want to share with you what we have accomplished. I say “we” because without the encouragement and support of so many of you, it would in no way be possible; and when you read this, you will understand why you leave me with such humility and gratitude.
In the area of health, 7 children and 7 adults have received urgent medical care. 21 children received 46 dental treatments in the spring. In the fall, we didn’t have to pay for dental care, thanks to the new government mobile dental clinic in Olievenhoutbosch, which provides free services by a really good and really nice dentist and dental assistant. Their schedules were full every day and after taking 5 years to get them here, I feel like I accomplished something. Let me not forget to mention one young man who after a year and a half of wire tightening and some extensive oral surgery, got his braces off and flashes his awesome smile now with confidence.
We managed to buy for 50 kids in the spring and 31 kids in the fall, 305 parts and pieces of school uniforms to replace the too small and too ragged items they were wearing.
We have/had 6 people on scholarships: 1 for industrial engineering (He recently got a job!); 2 for electrical engineering (1 just passed his trade test with flying colors); and 3 in nursing school, one of whom got “student of the year” for the second time!
As you know, we’ve branched out from South Africa to Uganda and Rwanda, providing technical consultation and help with grant writing and fundraising for two very worthy nonprofit organizations. A Bright Child-Uganda (ABC-Uganda) is raising money to build a school in a rural village where the founders were born and where the current school has 1 teacher and no building or materials. The kids sit under a tree and scratch lessons in the dirt.
In Rwanda I have been working with Humura, an organization that has a health clinic and also a vocational training program to teach people marketable skills so they can generate income to afford decent nutrition, health care, and school fees and uniforms for their children. Those things are all relatively low cost, but nothing is free in Rwanda (unlike in South Africa) and this is a real “teach a man to fish” program. This is where I found the little boy whose hand was deformed by a serious burn. I’m happy to report that because of your incredible generosity, he will have the corrective plastic surgery this coming year. Additionally, enough has been donated that we were able to pay for medical insurance for him and about 100 others in the village and this will open up huge access to health care at the whopping cost of about $4.40 per person per year. That tiny amount significantly reduces the cost of care and makes it affordable. There was also enough money to buy school uniforms and supplies for another 100 children. It’s sad but without uniforms, they cannot attend school, hence many have not yet started school – but they will this year!