We received a wonderful letter today from Sr. Ana, our contact at the Granja Hogar de los Ninos in Chihuahua, Mexico.

She writes:

Dear Chris, we are very thankful to Collette Foundation for the donation we receive through Mi Casa Foundation. The small beds, matresses and all is ready in the factory. It will be a great help for the smallest because these beds will be easiest to make and also they will have more space to play.

 The dorm  for middle age boys: 7 – 11 is now in remodelation. The work will finish in one month and we shall welcome about 15 kids more. Last year we have 76 applications and 30 places. We hope this year the situation will be better.

 Please tell the persons of Collette Foundation our gratefulness in the name of the kids. God bless you all.

 Have a very nice day and thanks again                 Ana Ramírez Ugarte rscj

Starfish Foster Home increased it’s family earlier this month – adding six new little ones.

Angela, Isaac, Ryan, Kathryn and Elise were the original five chosen to join Starfish and benefit from the medical teams coming in July 2010 to repair their cleft palates. Amanda, the sixth baby, was a surprise gift from the orphanage. She doesn’t have a cleft palate. Starfish was only expecting five babies, but when the orphanage offered Amanda they of course scooped her up!

These babies will be given lots of love at Starfish in hopes of their upcoming adoptions after surgery.

Pam’s reflections continue, this time from her visit to the Knysna Educational Trust, the Collette Foundation’s second project in South Africa.

A visit to a local township during our stay in Knysna was truly a memorable and heartwarming experience.  The Collette Foundation has been committed to working with the Knysna Foundation in improving the lives of preschool children.

We witnessed the progress firsthand when we were greeted by the children and their teachers in their new school.  The Knysna Foundation is dedicated to helping preschool children by providing them with nutrition and a caring, educational environment.  A generous donation of school supplies were given by the Collette tour participants.  It was a small gift compared to the endearing smiles we received in return.

More work in still in store for the Collette Foundation as we continue to help make a difference. Try to picture 66 children napping on burlap floor mats. 

Let’s unite together and get this school rebuilt next.  

Pam Strand, Collette Vacations District Sales Manager, recently traveled to South Africa with a FAM group and visitied both Kgautswane Village and the preschools supported by the Knysna Educational trust - please read part #1 – Pam’s reflections from Kgautswane.

I recently returned from the South Africa Familiarization tour.  37 passengers and 7 employees embarked on the long trip to a remote village in the Kgautswane area and the presented the villagers with 100 Hippo Rollers on behalf of the Collette Foundation.  Villagers have to walk long distances to their water source, carrying 5 gallon buckets on their heads.  Hippo Rollers were designed for a much easier and less intensive collection of water, allowing them to retrieve five times as much water.  The presentation was a huge celebration in the village and a number of people came to sing, dance and show support for their family and friends receiving the hippo rollers.  Unfortunately, there are still several hundred people who are in need.  I was really inspired to do something on my return home. I approached our congregation at Good Shepard United Methodist Church and the children have committed to a mission project to raise funds to send more hippo rollers.  We may only be able to send one, but it will help change one life.  As Mother Teresa said, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

Our partner in Xian, Starfish Foster Home annouces it’s 27th successful international adoption! Bryan, a beautiful little one who was given cleft palate surgery in February 2009, will be living in Sweden with his adoptive parents. He was the first, but certainly not the last to be adopted from the group of nine babies that were operated on in Feb 2009.
Bryan left Starfish late last week and his nannies were very sad to see him go, but they know that he has a great life ahead of him!
Good luck Bryan!!!

Building began just three short weeks ago in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the Journey’s Within Our Community Library! The buy a brick program has been great – and with the support from other donors the construction has taken off. It is amazing what a community working together can accomplish in such a short time!

Learn more about the Collette Foundation and JWOC – click here!

We are thrilled to announce our second funded project at the Culturlaan McAdam O’Fiaich.  We are funding the promotion of the Irish language children’s book, Plura Lura, into rural communities that do not have such a contemporary, culture rich center of their own. We initially funded the publishing of the book which is offered to the community and on sale at the center.   I am so proud to have been there and to have participated in such a profound meaningful project for the children who have been underprivileged  during the political strife of this region.

Last November, I visited the  Foundation site in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Culturlaan McAdam O Fiaich. What a great community based center! Housed in a landmark building, the center is a three storey culture and arts center in a former Presbyterian church. Within the center,  a buzz of activity greets you at the door – enter into its cosy 130 seat restaurant where all the tables are covered with paintings of the famous murals that tell the political history of the city.  The food is wonderful and cheap and offers Irish classics such as the traditional Irish breakfast to snacks and lunch and dinner menus.   Locals were meeting to  chat over a cup of tea and I sat next to a group of Spanish tourists.  I asked them what they were doing in Belfast and they told me they were visiting and looking to take a historical political tour of the city.  The center houses an Irish language bookshop and Irish interest gift shop.  A theatre on the second floor hosts performances from local and national playwright and the local Irish language radio station broadcasts from the building. There is also a TV product company that offers Irish cultural programming for Belfast Community television.   The center is a hive of Irish Language and Culture.  Our clients meet children who benefit from the Irish Language and Irish cultural interests  that are performed and offered at the center. They also have an opportunity to purchase the book that we funded.

It is hard to believe that the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti over 3 months ago. As the people of Haiti and many organizations have been working diligently to re-build and salvage there is still much to be done.

As many of you know Collette Vacations Employees and the Collette Foundation joined forces on a matching gift campaign which resulted in a grant to Partners in Health.

Partners in Health continues to do a excellent job on the ground in Haiti - to read the latest developments from their great efforts in Haiti – click here.