The Cloth and The Mud Winter, 2010

On a personal note, I was delighted to see The Good Samaritan Home pop up on my Facebook account. A three-paragraph story along with a picture of some of GSH orphans tells the story well. “Good Samaritan currently provides housing, food and some basic education to over 220 children that have been orphaned by the loss of their parents to AIDS or children that have been abandoned because of the overwhelming poverty in the slums and families that could no longer feed and support them. A number of these children also have health problems including AIDS and TB for which most are receiving medications. It is especially difficult to care for those few children who have physical disabilities.” You might like to Friend the GSH. If you Google the Good Samaritan Home, you will find that Fabulous African Fabrics is the second most contacted website under that title.

Cholera is sweeping through northern Kenya as a result of the drought, with 119 dead early this month. Dirty water is the only water available for many of the people of the north to drink. Already malnourished because of the drought, they easily fall victim to cholera.

The New York Times Nov. 6 reported that the 2008 election violence continues to affect Kenya. The International Court in The Hague is investigating corruption and crimes which left 1000 dead and many more homeless. Top Kenyan leaders may have to face the International Criminal Court regarding their involvement in the riots. Stay tuned.

Roughly 250 million children around the world are working, many in hazardous conditions. Education breaks the cycle of poverty. Educated mothers are 50 percent more likely to have their children immunized and more likely to send their children to school, according to The Rotarian, November, 2009.

AIDS in the NEWS

The first Monday in December, International AIDS Day, brings a host of articles on the continuing crisis in the world. One of the most shocking predictions announced is that if AIDS continues as it is now, the epidemic will remain out of control through 2050. The United Nations predicts that without a vaccination, 35 billion dollars will be needed per year to treat AIDS patients, care for orphans and do prevention work.

The St Petersburg Times (FL) offered contrary figures on Nov. 30, stating that new HIV infections have dropped by 17% in the last eight years. They also gave the figures that 33.4 million people are living with HIV worldwide, while 2.7 million people were newly infected in 2008. 3.2 million AIDS-related deaths were reported in 2008.

The World Health Organization announced that AIDS is the leading cause of death for women aged 15-44. One in five women’s deaths in this age range is linked to unsafe sex.

On the good news front, patients who start HIV drugs a year or two earlier than is recommended now, many more people would live longer. Whether this practice will be adopted depends on finances, as it may double the amount of money needed for drugs.

THE CLOTH

Jubilee Sale at the First Presbyterian Church, Spokane, WA proved to be that exactly. The church (without taking any proceeds for themselves) offers this holiday-season sale to organizations supporting free trade. FAF has been included for the last four years. I was privileged to attend the sale this November 13 and 14 and take part in the joyous event. The 20 years plus of the sale has developed a clientele who expect to buy international items made by artisans. Food and friendship added to the celebration. FAF had the only booth devoted to African textiles, so we stood out. FAF received many compliments for the quality and beauty of FAF items, bringing in $650 at the sale, and many new friends.

Fabulous African Fabrics offers a big thank you to FAF member Dian Zahner who creates many beautiful items such as purses and wall hangings for FAF and has hosted our booth for 4 years, raising $1750.

DEVELOPING OUR ORGANIZATION

FAF’s major fund drive is on now. The Anthony Salazar Fund honors the son of founder, Laura Salazar, who died in 2005. Funds collected from this drive is used for emergency requests from The Good Samaritan Home and Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya. Before FAF developed this fund many emergencies came up during the year, and the organization had to quickly ask for funds from members. Now FAF can reach into the funds and not have to wait for months to help in an emergency.

President Christine Coggins made contact with the African Community Center of Michigan, hosting a booth at their meeting at Grand Valley State University on November 14. She plans more cooperative work with them.

At the FAF Florida meeting on December 2, the Board picked March 6 for the garage sale, and voted to develop “gifts in honor” cards this spring. We will use the cards with pictures drawn by the children at the Good Samaritan Home and hand watercolor by us this spring.

Membership is vital to our organization. Please encourage your friends and relatives to join us. Pass on a copy of this newsletter to give them an idea of what we are trying to do, what we do, and what we have have done. If you need more copies of this newsletter, contact Laura.

PHILANTHROPY

Philanthropic organizations constantly look for ways to become more efficient and helpful. Here are some of the new ideas. Kushal Chakrabarti has developed a way to give micro loans to students in countries abroad. Loans to students take longer to show results and they need to provide bigger amounts than that loaned to business people. They have longer ranging effects, however. To find out more, contact www.Vitana.org. Basically this is what FAF does when it sends children to high school.

501 (c) (3) organization are growing by leaps and bounds. Some of them seem silly—as in Save Your Ass Long-Ear Rescue, while others have a more conservative bent as FAF does. The danger of this growth is that these organizations with their tax free donations take funds away from the federal government. Possibly there will be a review of the rules for such organization on the horizon. See The New York Times, December 6.

Some agencies are offering an alternative to orphanages in Africa. These agencies support families so they can keep a young relative or neighbor in a family setting. This is the type of support Women Fighting AIDS in Africa gives families. The research reported by The New York Times contrasted orphanages in Malawi with supported home care. No conclusions on which is best were drawn.

Nicholas D. Kristof wrote “How We Can Help.” He sums up some current thoughts and practices in The New York Time Book Review, November 22. Because of foreign aid, deaths of children number of children under the age of 5 has dropped by three million worldwide since 1990. Trade is usually more effective than aid. More aid organizations blur the boundary with business and aid, offering a percentage of sales to worthy causes. All of these are making a difference to the needy people of the world.

THE BOOK SHELF

Just in time for Christmas giving is 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. The story of the generosity of the Kenyan Masai people is based on a real event. Following the 9/11 attacks, a young Kenyan convinces his village to donate 14 cows to the Americans who now need aid. In an afterword the authors add “The Masai wish is that every time Americans hear the simple story of 14 cows, they will find a measure of comfort and peace.”

SENT TO AFRICA THIS QUARTER--$1500

THANK YOU FALL DONORS

Hazel Gass

Lora Lee Dole

Jaquelin Nuila

United Methodist Women of Dunedin First

MEMBERSHIP

The membership fees for FAF go to organizational expenses: office supplies, postage, and materials to make items for sale. Your dollars prevent worry about the small stuff so FAF can concentrate on our mission: to improve the lives of children and widows of AIDS in Kenya.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP--$20.00, FAMILY MEMBERSHIP--$30.00

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