Dear Laura Gardner Salazar

Much greeting to you from Good Samaritan. We are all fine at the center. The students are on their midterm. They will be closing their school on 24th of April to open the 2nd semester around First week of May. The no. [number] of children have continued to increase with time. For eg. [example] we rescued a baby girl 2 months (Jackiline) whose mother died 23 of Dec, 2006 from HIV/AIDS. Deborah born October, 2006, her mother is very sick in a serious condition of the same sickness. HIV/AIDS is sweeping lots of people and especially the home being located [in] a slum area. The no. have increased to 220 children. We have several of such cases ranging from one day old and above. We have 10 students who have not yet joined high school because we lacked no one to support their high school. But we hope for the best.

God bless you.

"To be honest, I don't think I comprehend the dimensions of havoc, disruption, discontinuity. . . . We say it disrupts the social fabric but we don't go deep enought to say what this means. It will be a different society." These words are from Nelson Mandela's wife, Graca and quoted in Twenty Eight Stories of AIDS in Africa. Mrs. Mandela went on, " . . . the grandparents have to fill the void, have to try to connect the chain of knowledge, experience, values, that goes from one generation to another--when you jump a generation, there is a void and you can't fill it."

Graca Mandela's accents the importance of the work Fabulous African Fabrics and groups like ours are making in Africa today.

Stephanie Nolen's book cited above has given me a lot to think about in the last week as I read the stories of AIDS impact. Be looking for more from this beautifully written book with its broad window to the struggle that is AIDS in Africa. And read Twenty Eight Stories of AIDS in Africa for yourself if you can.

Laura Salazar, FAF Executive Director

FAF is working for a greener world.  Ever wonder why you have to get all those plastic bags when you go to the grocery store, thus using up valuable petrolium products?  You don't have to take it!  All across the United States people are taking their own shopping bags to the store, unpacking them at home, and taking them to the store again, over and over.  Shoppers world wide have been doing this for decades:  why not us?  FAF will help you join them.

In co-operation with United Methodist Women of Dunedin, FL, FAF is making and selling strong beautiful shopping bags for $5.00-$7.00 per bag.  Laura Salazar and Lucy Ramshaw (who has abandoned hat making temporarily) are tied to their sewing machines until they get enough bags made to fill a truck.  Well, maybe a small wagon.

Contact the First United Methodist Church 727-733-4139 or FAF to buy a bag, put in your order, or join the sewing and selling teams. 

THE CLOTH AND THE MUD, SPRING, 2007

NEWS FROM FABULOUS AFRICAN FABRICS

a 501 (c) (3) organization

1158 Kensington St. NW Grand Rapids, MI 49534 and

433 South Paula Dr. #7 Dunedin, FL 34698

www.fabulousarficanfabrics.org

616-735-4109 Michigan, 727-733-9694 Florida

Editor, Laura Salazar, FAF Executive Director

Fabulous African Fabrics is organized to support agencies working with AIDS widows and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Kenya and other African countries, to inform United States citizens of the AIDS crisis in Kenya and to promote African textile arts

FAF PARTNERS WITH ROTARY ON $13,900 GRANT

The Good Samaritan Home of Nairobi Kenya has received a grant of $13,900 from Rotary International for high school tuition for its students in the next school year. The grant came about when Keith Kurber and Laura Salazar, both of the Dunedin North Rotary, Dunedin, Florida worked together to write a proposal for the grant. Kurber, a past District President of Rotary involved other clubs. The Hudson club headed by Judy Scheve and Ginny PIerce of the Keystone Sunrise club raised further funds. International Rotary matched this money. The Rotary Langata Club of Nairobi, Kenya, and its President Mutala Kilonzo contributed a cooperative grant. Mr. Mutala's club will administer the funds.

Although the money will go directly to the Langata Rotary, FAF gives heartfelt thanks to all of those involved. Because of FAF's many faithful workers, excellent publicity and strong financial support, we were able to draw attention to the needs of the Good Samaritan Home. We look forward to hearing about how well our students are doing in their classes. Thank you all for your help and a special thanks to Keith Kurber who was determined that the Good Samaritan Home would recieve a significant amount of money for tuition.

Mercy Thuo wrote "It is great to hear from you with the encouraging news of what God is doing. . . We believe the grant will boost us and push us to another level. With the tuituion it is already needed because right now we have some balances plus the ten students who are out of school."

Here are some quick facts about the AIDS Crisis in Kenya

300-500 Lives are lost daily

70% of these are parents

Kenya is home to 1,700,000 or more children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS

500,000 have care from various sources.

65% have no care and are potential street children

Treatments are available--12% are getting it.

Although elementary education is free, high school tuition is $300 anually in a land where the annual income is $300.00.