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Family Care Foundation Newsletter: Volume 5 -- No. 1-- February 2001 FCF Project Managers based in New Delhi, Bombay, Pune, and Madras have organized volunteers who are all on location in towns most directly affected by the massive 7.9 Gujarat earthquake. They are coordinating emergency services with a team of medical doctors and nurses. Truckloads of medicines, blankets, food, tents, and plastic sheeting have been delivered to the disaster areas, and ongoing deliveries are being organized. Arriving by the time this newsletter goes to press will be a trainload of more doctors and operating teams, the actual train cars outfitted for operations and recovery. Your financial donations are desperately needed. Please make checks payable to “Family Care Foundation,” designated for “India Quake Relief.” By Richard Shephard, FCF Project Manager in El Salvador — project “Refugio de Paz.” The 7.6 quake hit at 11:40, the morning of January 18th. Miraculously, neither of our two centers were damaged, but it was an awesome experience to watch the pavement of the streets moving and the buildings ripple with the waves. Once the reality of what was happening struck, people began to run in every direction in confused panic. Then it was over just as fast as it began. One mile from where we live an avalanche that was set off by the quake completely covered 200 to 300 houses with dirt and debris up to 45 - 60 feet deep. We spent the next eight hours shoveling dirt, manning the bucket brigade, shoulder to shoulder with people from every walk of life, all trying our best to reach any survivors. We had one team digging while my wife and two teenagers brought water and supplies for those laboring in the hot sun. Mass graves were dug for the 500 dead in that area. On the second day international aid began arriving from the States, Mexico, and other countries. Many victims were being air lifted from other parts of the country where roads were blocked as a result of landslides caused by the quake. Temporary housing is being provided for the 1.1 million displaced.
Cheer Up Mission, our FCF project based in Louisiana, is preparing containers of needed supplies for shipment to earthquake-ravaged El Salvador. If you would like to help with a cash gift toward shipping and handling costs, please make checks payable to “Family Care Foundation” designated for “Cheer Up Mission El Salvador Quake Relief” and mail to “FCF, PO Box 1039, Spring Valley, CA 91979.” In the last two years, volunteers of Cheer Up Mission have made twelve trips to Central and South America (Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize, Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru) bringing medical aid and their faith-building musical clown and magic show to encourage people in their time of need. Cheer Up Mission has also shipped and distributed twelve 42-foot containers of medical aid, including wheelchairs and hospital beds, and performed over 300 benefit shows in hospitals, orphanages, and old folks homes. Educational and Medical Supplies to Cambodia Side by Side International (SBSI), a project of Family Care Foundation in Japan, was established with the vision of helping meet the needs of orphanages in Cambodia, as well as orphans and the homeless in Japan. Side by Side has been procuring and shipping supplies to Cambodia on a regular basis. The latest shipment included an ambulance, 50 computers, medical supplies, and educational books.
FCF Project Manager, William Joseph Jones (below), shown here with supporter and former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Tsutomo Hata, at his office in the Diet Building in Tokyo. The visit was in conjunction with Side by Side’s Christmas Charity Celebration. Commenting on the humanitarian aid that SBSI has been sending to Cambodia, Mr. Hata said, “You at Side by Side International have been making a daily effort in helping to heal the wounds of war in Cambodia by giving them hope and encouragement. Your effort is bearing good fruit and helping to bring peace to this world. I respect you and the way God has led you in this effort.”
* Treasure Attic, an award-winning children’s edutainment series, is broadcast in the USA on the following networks: Angel One, KTV, MBC, and KWHY UNICEF’s 2001 State of the World’s Children Report says key to progress lies with very youngest. Declaring that “investment in the development and care of our youngest children is the most fundamental form of good leadership,” Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), argued recently that the world is squandering human potential on a massive scale as hundreds of millions of the world’s youngest citizens flounder in poverty and neglect in their first years of life. “Unleashing children’s brain power through effective investments in health, nutrition, education, childcare, and basic protection is both a moral imperative and sound economics,” Bellamy declared. “But those investments must happen early — early enough in a child’s life to take advantage of that unique moment in human development.” In its annual assessment of the well-being of children — The State of the World’s Children 2001 — UNICEF said that far too many political and economic leaders fail to grasp the essential truths about human development. She said investment in early childhood development is essential to making any real gains in education, economic development, crime reduction, and debt reduction. Humanitarian Aid to Romanian Institutions By Paul Katz, FCF Project Manager in Romania — project “FAVOR.” We traveled to Germany to collect 15 tons of goods to distribute among institutions and needy families here in Judetul Bacau. The aid consisted of two tons of dry food, medical needs such as motorized hospital beds and wheelchairs, plus four tons of clothing, shoes, baby equipment, computers, and three tons of bedding. Much of the clothing and toys was gathered through our kindergarten partnership programs. We partner with five kindergartens in Germany participating in this project. The German parents and children involved have a personal connection with the orphans and poor children here in Romania who receive their gifts. The photos and letters we send them from the Romanian children are posted on the walls of the kindergartens. We personally distributed these goods, first visiting three large orphanages and handing out needs directly to the children. Our people work together with some of the orphanage staff to help all of the children find suitable shoes and clothing. Between these three orphanages, we have clothed about 500 children. We also donated sets of sheets to nine institutions in Bacau county, enough for over 2200 beds in eight orphanages and one hospital.
Ten motorized hospital beds were donated to the reconstructive surgery section of the main county hospital, along with many walkers and crutches. Five wheelchairs were given to a new center for severely handicapped children. We also distributed packages of food, clothing, bedding, and toys to needy families. These people are very poor and many live in extreme hardship conditions. We visit their homes, bringing the goods and as much encouragement as we can. Along with blankets and warm clothes, the families each receive on the average 35 kilos (77 pounds) of food — basic supplies of rice, flour, semolina, and powdered potatoes — so it’s quite a significant help. After our distribution at the orphanages, we still had mountains of clothing and shoes for adults and young children. When we discussed how to distribute these clothes, the idea came to set up a “Free Store,” where poor people could come in and select things they need. We worked out a plan with the City Hall Department of Social Assistance, who supplied a place for a few days and gave us lists of needy people. We devised a system of coupons, whereby each family coming into the shop would be authorized to select a certain quantity of clothes, depending on the size of their family.
By the time the Free Store was ready to open for business, a crowd had gathered outside the door. For three days it was the most popular shop in the city! We had two policemen as fulltime guards, helping to maintain order. Two people from the social assistance department and some of the girls from the transitional home assisted our FAVOR team. The main local newspaper did a front-page article with a color photo. A Step Towards Home, Perm, Russia By Katrina Markoff, FCF Project Manager in Perm, Russia — project “Love’s Bridge.” Our new center for street children, “A Step Towards Home,” was opened at 58 Chkalova St., in Perm, Russia — thanks to the hard work and participation of over one hundred sponsors and volunteers, including some formerly homeless children. The inauguration was attended by U.S. Consul General James Bigus, and the Vice Mayor of Perm, Tatyana Margolina, who together cut the ribbon. The event was broadcast by four Perm TV stations that evening, and most of the radio stations as well. Here are excerpts of the opening speeches: US Consul General: “I’m very glad that today I can attend this opening of a shelter for homeless children that became possible thanks to the work of Love’s Bridge and the city administration. Today, at the dawn of a new millennium, Russian-American cooperation has become apparent in many spheres. I’ve personally been happy to witness the successes that have been achieved in the city of Perm along these lines. I wish you success in all future projects.”
Vice Mayor: “Love’s Bridge is taking the second step today, starting their second project called ‘A Step Towards Home.’ The first step was taken three years ago with the opening of their first shelter. It’s important to note that the experience gained by this non-profit organization enabled the local municipality to establish something similar. In October we will also open a night shelter... They showed us that this needed to be addressed and that it can be done... One additional important factor is that these volunteers operate quite differently from most local non-profit organizations. They come up with new ideas without waiting for help from the local government. The volunteers are not bogged down with administration, they simply show how much they love the children and are able to work with them.” Our new center is not meant to be a permanent home for these children, rather “a step towards home.” This center is staffed by Russian street educators who are trained and overseen by Love’s Bridge volunteers. The desired goal would be to help these children return home to their parents. If this proves impossible or unacceptable, we will eventually find them another more permanent dwelling place.
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