Yadanar Aung Myin Orphanage: In December 2017, we visited the Yadanar Aung Myin Orphanage in Mandalay, Myanmar. We met with Abbot May Dar Wun Tha and toured his facilities. His orphanage houses 221 children from infancy through high school. We made a donation of 750,000 Ks. ($500) towards daily meals. We hope to make another donation later in the year. Please help us raise money to provide additional meals and necessities.
Helping those at home:
GIFT has made a $1000 donation to the Houston Food Bank to help provide aid for those families in need after being displaced by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Dabila, Age 12 (shown to the left)
The Government Middle School, Kaliankadu. KK District, Tamil Nadu. (shown above)
Faces of Tomorrow: In the fall of 2018, GIFT made a $1000 donation to the Faces of Tomorrow. This organization helps raise funds for cleft lip and palate surgeries for underserved populations who might not have been able to benefit from treatment otherwise.
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Local day care centers for underprivileged families in Nagercoil. (shown above and below)
We had the incredible opportunity to travel to Nagercoil, India in April 2016. With the help of the Rotary Club, Nagercoil, we were introduced to several schools and organizations requiring assistance.
CSI High School and Home for the Deaf: This school was started by the Church of South India, and provides free education and a hostel to poor deaf children. During our visit, we were invited to share a meal with the students and staff, and we presented gifts to the children there. The children there would benefit from new school uniforms and school supplies, and our appeal for this worthwhile organization is for donations to obtain new uniforms, notebooks, and school supplies for the children there.
Suraksha Community Centre for Family Health in Nagercoil is a nonprofit organization that provides free daycare to impoverished working parents. They provide lunch (often their only meal for the day) to their young children, aged 1-4. They are lacking early child development workbooks, crayons, pencils, and paper for the children, and donations to GIFT will help provide these for these children. While touring their facilities, one of the schools lacked any kind of ventilation/cooling system, and we noted that the heat in South India is quite intense. In addition to school supplies, we would also like to raise funds to donate a ceiling fan for these children. Our goal is to raise $500 to purchase and send these items to support their cause.
St. Joseph's Convent Highest Secondary School is a private school run by Catholic missionaries providing K-12 education for 6,000 students. The school also admits poor underprivileged children and provides meals free of charge (who otherwise would not eat). They have asked us to help them provide breakfast service to them. $1.50 can provide breakfast for 1 child for a week. We hope to raise $500 to donate to this cause. No child should go hungry.
Government Middle School Kaliankade, Vetturnimadam post, KK District: This public school provides education for grades K-8 for some of the poorest children in Nagercoil. Though it is funded by the government, only the most basic supplies are provided. The school headmistress has appealed to us for a microphone and amplifier system. While we were there, we could not help but notice that none of the children had shoes, being too poor to possess them. In addition to our goal to raise funds for the microphone/amplifier, we would also like to raise money to provide flip-flop sandals to the 49 children attending the school. Our goal is $250 for this worthy cause.
Debila, Age 12:
Debila is a 12 year old girl that suffers from a birth defect in her mandible, or jaw bone, called Ankylosis. Kendall and I first met this girl while touring the CSI High School and Home for the Deaf. We witnessed her being taunted by other children due to her deformity. No child should be a victim of bullying. In addition to a facial deformity, Debila's right arm and leg are deformed as well. Though we think she is beautiful, we believe she will have a better future with her facial deformity corrected. Her family is unable to pay for her surgeries and follow-up medical care. We have made it one of our chief priorities to fund her surgery and orthodontics which are estimated to cost $2500. Debila has already undergone the 1st of several surgeries. We hope you will help improve Debila's life by donating generously.
100% of all donations will go directly to assisting these children in need - please donate today!
Donations so far: $10,329!
GIFT : Girls International Fund for Tomorrow
CSI High School and Home for the Deaf.
(shown Above)
Napa Valley Community Foundation: GIFT is currently fundraising for victims of the Napa Valley and Sonoma County wildfires in October 2017. Our funds will be matched. Please consider donating to this worthwhile cause.