I would like to update our supporters.   We are now past 25% of our fundraising goal for the purchase of the children’s home property.

The online gofundme campaign has raised some and we have also gotten direct donations that have raised the total past what is reflected online.   Each donation is appreciated in our efforts to help these children.

Did you know that last year over 4 million, that is 4,000,000 children died from starvation?   We may not be able to feed the world, but the ones we help, it can mean the world to them.

Right now, September 13, 2018 there is a super typhoon moving toward and across the Philippines.   From the weather maps, it should stay in the northern portion of the country.   However, there is heavy rain occurring and a number of the villagers have taken shelter in the children’s home building.   The building is not only used for the children, but to help others as needed.   Earlier this year, 35 people were taking shelter in the building for a couple days.    I don’t know how many are staying there right now since communications are down.

We also try to keep emergency supplies on hand for families who have lost everything or need personal care items.   We based it on the Crisis Care Kits distributed by the Nazarene Church in disaster areas.   We pack the following in a 2.5 gallon Ziplock bag:  Shampoo, bars of soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, band-aids, fingernail clipper, hair comb, hand towels, wash cloths, small packages of facial tissues, small stuffed toy.

These are things that we do in addition to the tasks that we are best known for, that of helping our children.

We have 20 children that need sponsored if you are interested in taking care of a child with monthly sponsorship.

You can keep up with the happenings at the children’s home in your Facebook feed by liking and following us on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/childrens.hope.90

You may also support the children’s home by going to the following link http://hopehomeandschool.com/index.php/support/

Also, if you share the Facebook postings when you find them interesting, it will help spread the word about our children.

If you would like to hear more about the children’s home, I am available to speak to your church, missions group, or other organization.

 

We have passed just over one week on our fundraising campaign to purchase the building where the children’s home is located.  You may ask, “Why are you wanting to purchase the building?   Aren’t there other places you can locate?”

The answer is that we wish to purchase this building because it can be purchased for approximately 20% of its value due to special circumstances.   The owner is in default to the bank and we can purchase it for the unpaid balance plus the legal fees for the transfer.   We are in somewhat of a time crunch as the bank has given us a limited time to get this finalized.

I thought I would post an example of what we accomplish at the children’s home with our 100% unpaid volunteers.

WHAT?

Children’s Hope is a children’s home located in the southern Philippines.  We take care of 31 children full-time and 6 part-time by providing

• 1 hot meal a day and snacks before bedtime, in 2017 we served 10,236 meals and sent over 3,000 snack bags home for the children to share so they would have a meal before bedtime.
• Provide school supplies and tutoring and other educational supplies.
• We provide medical assistance as needed. In 2017 there were 3 hospitalizations in addition to the 47 doctor visits.   We paid out over $1,877 in medical expenses.
• Because some of the children were dealing with effects of malnutrition, we also provide vitamin and mineral supplements.
• In the 11 years we have been doing this, we have had 154 children that have passed through the children’s home.
• One of our volunteers is a policewoman that assets us in the intervention of the sexual trafficking that has moved into the area.These children are not orphans, but one or both of their parents are working overseas because there is no work available locally to support their families.

  WHO?

  Children’s Hope is operated by 100% volunteer staff, both in the USA and in the Philippines.

  WHY?

  We have leased the building where we are located for almost 11 years.   The owner has defaulted on the loan payment.  Working with the bank and the owner, we can purchase this for the unpaid balance of his mortgage and legal fees.   To summarize, we can purchase a property worth over $25,000 USD for approximately 1/4th of its value.

  What would it accomplish?

  In addition to the purchase at far below its value, it gives us a permanent building in the center of the area in which we are working.

  In the past, it has been used as a refuge center in severe weather when the local nipa huts were destroyed.

  Funds Needed

  Due to the foreclosure situation, the bank has notified us that we have a limited time to complete the transaction before they must complete the foreclosure.

• 

  More Information

  You may find more information about Children’s Hope as well as ongoing monthly support options at our website hopehomeandschool.orgor by contacting myself, the Director through a message on gofundme.

• The gofundme page for our building purchase https://www.gofundme.com/childrens-home-purchase

•  

  Please consider sharing this worthy cause with your friends.

I will supply the movies, you supply the popcorn.

I thought I would share a few short videos of the children at the children’s home.

Kevin was doing his best to teach me this song.   He never did succeed but he would sing for me day after day.

I was at the market picking up supplies and had purchased a large bag of rice.  Since I had recently had hip surgery, I was limited in what I could carry.  I asked the tricycle driver to carry it to the tricycle for me.  I got in to wait and this little boy just jumped in with his ball and was chattering away.

Towards the end of my stay, Leray was running a fever and not feeling well.  Princess noticed that she was moping and without any suggestions or prompting, went over to her and started comforting her.  I was so proud of my daughter and the compassion she showed.  She wondered if I had any suggestions to help with the fever and I gave her some alcohol to rub her skin and try to cool her down.  I don’t know if that is still an accepted help while waiting for the medicine to work, but mom used to do that for us sometimes.

 

For her 13^th birthday 2 years ago, Princess got a guitar and a beginner’s book.  I asked her to play a song.   She had taught herself this song from hearing it on the radio.

Here is a clip of Leray teasing me on a day when she felt better.  I had taken a lot of treats for the children, so when you see them with candy and crackers, it is not a usual thing.

You can keep up with the happenings at the children’s home in your Facebook feed by liking and following us on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/childrens.hope.90

You may also support the children’s home by going to the following link http://hopehomeandschool.com/index.php/support/

Also, if you share the Facebook postings when you find them interesting, it will help spread the word about our children.

If you would like to hear more about the children’s home, I am available to speak to your church, missions group, or other organization.

 

I have a request for my friends on this website and that follow on Facebook.  Would you please consider sharing this post?

I am looking for a missions minded person who would be interested in helping an Indiana faith based non-profit with a couple projects.

We operate a children’s home in the Philippines where we take care of 37 children and young people.   We are also in the process of expanding the small school into voc/tech training to provide alternatives to the very limited employment choices that is causing many of the families to be separated.

The needed assistance would be done via phone and computer so close geographical location to us is not a concern.

If you are interested, please PM me for detailed information.

We have rented the building that the children’s home is located in for over 10 years.   The owner had taken a mortgage out using the property as collateral.   About a year and a half ago, the owner quit making the mortgage payment.

Inday found out about from the bank what was going on and that they were going to start foreclosure action.   She has been making the payments since then to keep it out of foreclosure.

When I was there in May, the banker talked to me and explained that the owner had actually taken out mortgages against two properties.    As I understand the problem, the other property was in such bad condition that the unpaid mortgage exceeded the value of that property.   The value of the property where the children’s home is located exceeds the unpaid balance of both properties.   The banker is feeling pressured to liquidate both of these properties to recover the bank’s financial exposure.

At this time, we do not have a deadline, but it will be coming sooner than later.   The preferred way is to pay off the unpaid balance of the property where we are and get it into our name.   It will cost right at $5,400 at the current rate of exchange for all fees; payoff of the mortgage, survey or as they called it engineering, and legal fees to register it.

The current owner has already signed the papers with the banker to allow this transaction to take place.   We would own the property and would not be liable for the other property if this occurs before the banker is forced to take action.   If it occurs after the bank takes action, our expense to keep the property would be more than double that amount.

I would ask that you keep this situation in prayer.   If you have a donation that you would like to put towards the building fund, you may do so on the support tab on the website, and with that in mind, we are a 501-C-3 non-profit organization with all the tax advantages that would apply to your situation.

You can keep up with the happenings at the children’s home in your Facebook feed by liking and following us on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/childrens.hope.90

You may also support the children’s home by going to the following link http://hopehomeandschool.com/index.php/support/

Also, if you share the Facebook postings when you find them interesting, it will help spread the word about our children.

If you would like to hear more about the children’s home, I am available to speak to your church, missions group, or other organization.