Please visit our website www.friendsofcolombian orphans.org to find out what we are doing. We are operating a vocational training program in Hogares Club Michin in Bogota.
Read about it, and consider a donation.
Thank you!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
And now.....
I haven't posted in here for a long time. In fact, I was so caught up with our work, and daily life, that I forgot about it. You can read about everything we are doing on our website. That's the best place to go.
In case you are wondering about the avatar, that's me in 2006, trying to teach around 20 girls how to cast on , in a 1/2 hour at our daughter's former home, the orphanage in Madrid, outside of Bogota.
here's the website address:
www.friendsofcolombianorphans.org
Do consider donating if you can . We are grateful for $5, anything, to help us keep our mission going of helping kids in Colombia. Gracias!
In case you are wondering about the avatar, that's me in 2006, trying to teach around 20 girls how to cast on , in a 1/2 hour at our daughter's former home, the orphanage in Madrid, outside of Bogota.
here's the website address:
www.friendsofcolombianorphans.org
Do consider donating if you can . We are grateful for $5, anything, to help us keep our mission going of helping kids in Colombia. Gracias!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Knitting Project Update
Since the last post, a lot of thought has gone into how to proceed with our project. Thanks to the regional branch of the Foundation Center, I've learned how to apply for grants and have been sending out grant requests every day for 2 weeks. We've also received a few generous donations which have been acknowledged on the website. Our friend and board member Karen in England, has been selling her homemade habanero jam - all proceeds go to the charity!
We have a wonderful machine knitter who has committed to going to Bogota to teach knitting, once we have raised enough money. Our goal is $15,000 for the project startup. We are currently at around $5000.
We also authorized the repair of a gutter at Ciudadela de la Nina in Madrid, outside Bogota. When we visited Christmas 2007, it rained and the dining hall flooded. We were told that this was a regular occurence. Fixing this will cost $600: the money has been sent, and our friend Mario is going to supervise the repair, as he did with the window repairs. Apparently there are 80 windows again that are broken, so we have to think about getting those fixed.
We have a wonderful machine knitter who has committed to going to Bogota to teach knitting, once we have raised enough money. Our goal is $15,000 for the project startup. We are currently at around $5000.
We also authorized the repair of a gutter at Ciudadela de la Nina in Madrid, outside Bogota. When we visited Christmas 2007, it rained and the dining hall flooded. We were told that this was a regular occurence. Fixing this will cost $600: the money has been sent, and our friend Mario is going to supervise the repair, as he did with the window repairs. Apparently there are 80 windows again that are broken, so we have to think about getting those fixed.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Ciudadela Knitting Initiative
Thanks to our wonderful friend L. at YorkSett Arts & Crafts, Jane's dream of teaching the girls machine knitting is going to happen. L. has found a source for knitting machines at a very reasonable price, which includes 20 hours of instruction; the vendor is offering to provide ongoing training and maintenance at a discount.
Machine knitting is a valuable trade in Colombia. It could give our niñas a way to support themselves after they "age out" of Ciudadela at age 18. This is HUGE!!
There's more good news: Friends of Colombian Orphans has finally received its 501(c)3 status! So your donations are now officially tax-deductible.
We'll need funds to buy the machines and arrange for training etc. So please visit our main site and donate!
Machine knitting is a valuable trade in Colombia. It could give our niñas a way to support themselves after they "age out" of Ciudadela at age 18. This is HUGE!!
There's more good news: Friends of Colombian Orphans has finally received its 501(c)3 status! So your donations are now officially tax-deductible.
We'll need funds to buy the machines and arrange for training etc. So please visit our main site and donate!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Crafts for Colombian Orphans...and a fun pattern
Jane and I have started a group on Ravelry for knitters and crocheters who would like to make a small gift for the girls at Ciudadela. Hats, scarves, socks, gloves, mittens, small toys, purses...we'd be thrilled with any and all. And you needn't be a Raveler to participate. Just email one of us if you're interested.
A few years ago, Phyllis of Got Gauge invited her readers to knit bears for kids in a Jamaican orphanage, and provided a pattern that she says has been around since the 1940s. I had never knit a stuffed animal before but this was so easy and such fun that I made two!
Here's the pattern (double-click for a full size version):
A few years ago, Phyllis of Got Gauge invited her readers to knit bears for kids in a Jamaican orphanage, and provided a pattern that she says has been around since the 1940s. I had never knit a stuffed animal before but this was so easy and such fun that I made two!
Here's the pattern (double-click for a full size version):
Monday, February 18, 2008
In the Beginning (by Jane)
There is so much background to this blog, it's hard to know where to start. The very beginning, of course, the impetus for this mission of Friends of Colombian Orphans began in 2005, in Austin, Texas. Kidsave International and their Summer Miracles program Here brought 11 or 12 orphaned children from Colombia to central Texas for a holiday.The kids supposedly didn't know that they were here to find a home. One child, a girl of 14, hadn't found a family .... yet. She is now our daughter.
The adoption is a story in itself and perhaps will be shared here some day. But more importantly, this blog is to show you what can be done if there is simply a will to do it. My husband and I visited our daughter's orphanage a few times before we left Colombia. We visited three orphanages and were overwhelmed by the spirit and warmth of the children and their caretakers. How could we just leave and never go back? What can you do from so far away?
We found a way to help.Here are a few photos of kids at Fundacion Nina Maria in Chia. The young mom was a victim of rape thrown out of the family home. She will stay at Fundacion for a while and faces an uncertain future.
The adoption is a story in itself and perhaps will be shared here some day. But more importantly, this blog is to show you what can be done if there is simply a will to do it. My husband and I visited our daughter's orphanage a few times before we left Colombia. We visited three orphanages and were overwhelmed by the spirit and warmth of the children and their caretakers. How could we just leave and never go back? What can you do from so far away?
We found a way to help.Here are a few photos of kids at Fundacion Nina Maria in Chia. The young mom was a victim of rape thrown out of the family home. She will stay at Fundacion for a while and faces an uncertain future.
We spent most of our time at Ciudadela de la Nina in Madrid, just outside of Bogota. This institution houses 200 girls at the moment. Most of them have been abandoned by their families.
Their living quarters were run down. Windows were broken. Beds were sagging with only blankets to protect the girls from the cold (Bogota is at 7000 ft. and it is always chilly there.) There is not enough hot water for every girl to have a shower. Their clothing is all donated and some are beyond serviceable. The onsite school does not have supplies. We were overwhelmed by the need. The government provides about 60% in funding for each child's upkeep. The other 40% is nonexistent...
Their living quarters were run down. Windows were broken. Beds were sagging with only blankets to protect the girls from the cold (Bogota is at 7000 ft. and it is always chilly there.) There is not enough hot water for every girl to have a shower. Their clothing is all donated and some are beyond serviceable. The onsite school does not have supplies. We were overwhelmed by the need. The government provides about 60% in funding for each child's upkeep. The other 40% is nonexistent...
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