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Casa de Sion is a charitable program based in Guatemala, and is part of Safe Homes For Children, a 501(c)(3) non-profit org. We help improve the lives of Guatemala’s least fortunate children with nutritional, educational and medical initiatives. You can help us make an impact in these poor Mayan communities through your donations and volunteerism.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
DONATIONS I NEED ASAP
Well I have booked our tickets and hubby and I are traveling June 10th to Guatemala for 2 weeks. I want to start my welfare program for the community while we are there and will give out needed donations one day a week as well as do a social/medical history on the family to see what ways they need help. Can you tell my degree is in social work? SO...... If you can send me donations to arrive by that date I can take them down with me. I especially want infant formula and over the counter meds for colds and flus. This is the rainy season and it is chilly and wet in an 8 by 8 room with a dirt floor and corncob or recycled tin walls. Also the kids need shoes really bad. We have a family of four boys who have lived in the orphanage and whose mother testified for us in court and who is sending the boys back to us as soon as we reopen. In the meantime, she has no clothes for them. I think we have clothes down there and will get them to her, but she has no shoes. There are not shoes there Pedro has already looked. She also needs money for food and for them to be enrolled in school.
Pedro has painted all the bunkbeds and now we need to buy the mattresses the courts want us to have. They are $20.00 each. We still need to build a kitchen/dining outside room. A friend is doing a online book sale that will give donated books to the elementary school we help. If you need her site let me know. And don't forget buying from ...shoptoearn.net/safehomesforchildren. It saves you wear and tear and earns us money. Any boys that want to do us as an Eagle Scout project write me and I will give you ideas of needed items to collect.
Sometimes I wonder if any one read these blogs because i don't get alot of immediate feedback. And I have a million other things I could be doing. But yesterday I had two great emails. One is from a young woman who has been on the blog for a while and has organized a group to come for a month and build us a building. the other is from a group that has almost [ they are $500.00 short ] raised the money to put a road in to connect the upper property with our lower property. Any way I hate to ask for your help, but need to to be able to help the children. Thanks so much for all you do.
thanks Vicki
Pedro has painted all the bunkbeds and now we need to buy the mattresses the courts want us to have. They are $20.00 each. We still need to build a kitchen/dining outside room. A friend is doing a online book sale that will give donated books to the elementary school we help. If you need her site let me know. And don't forget buying from ...shoptoearn.net/safehomesforchildren. It saves you wear and tear and earns us money. Any boys that want to do us as an Eagle Scout project write me and I will give you ideas of needed items to collect.
Sometimes I wonder if any one read these blogs because i don't get alot of immediate feedback. And I have a million other things I could be doing. But yesterday I had two great emails. One is from a young woman who has been on the blog for a while and has organized a group to come for a month and build us a building. the other is from a group that has almost [ they are $500.00 short ] raised the money to put a road in to connect the upper property with our lower property. Any way I hate to ask for your help, but need to to be able to help the children. Thanks so much for all you do.
thanks Vicki
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Here is what Pedro sent me concerning what the courts want done before we reopen. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I think with the attorneys help we will get all our kids back except the ones who went home to their parents. And maybe some of them as Luis and Anna, Diego and Abram were awarded to us until 18 years old.Please pray about what part you may be able to do.
HI BOS THIS IS THE LIST OF THE JUDGE WANTH WE MAKE IN THE HOGAR THIS IS PRIORITY TO OPENED
BUILDING THE KITCHEN
BUILDING THE DINING ROOM
SECURITY ALL WINDOWS OF THE SECOND FLOOR
MATTRESSES NOT SPONGES
PILLOWS AND BEDDING
MORE LIGHT EXTERIOR
THIS IS THE LIS TO THE STAF WE NEED BEFORE TO APENED
ONE BABYSITTING
ONE COOK
ONE WASHERWOMAN
ONE NURSE
ONE PSYCHOLOGIST
ONE DOCTOR
ONE PROFESSOR
THIS IS FOR THE NUMBER THE CHILDRENS WE HAVE IN THE HOGAR IF WE HAVE A MANY WE NEED MORE STAF
THE CHILDRENS WE HAVE BEFORE CAN NOT GO BACK BECAUSE THE HALF BACK WITH THE FAMILY AND OTHERS GO TO OTHERS ORPHANAGE
THE ATTORNEY WANTH TO SALARI Q 5,000.00 AT MONTH AND HE TAKE THE LEGALY JOB
ANY QUESTION CALL ME
HI BOS THIS IS THE LIST OF THE JUDGE WANTH WE MAKE IN THE HOGAR THIS IS PRIORITY TO OPENED
BUILDING THE KITCHEN
BUILDING THE DINING ROOM
SECURITY ALL WINDOWS OF THE SECOND FLOOR
MATTRESSES NOT SPONGES
PILLOWS AND BEDDING
MORE LIGHT EXTERIOR
THIS IS THE LIS TO THE STAF WE NEED BEFORE TO APENED
ONE BABYSITTING
ONE COOK
ONE WASHERWOMAN
ONE NURSE
ONE PSYCHOLOGIST
ONE DOCTOR
ONE PROFESSOR
THIS IS FOR THE NUMBER THE CHILDRENS WE HAVE IN THE HOGAR IF WE HAVE A MANY WE NEED MORE STAF
THE CHILDRENS WE HAVE BEFORE CAN NOT GO BACK BECAUSE THE HALF BACK WITH THE FAMILY AND OTHERS GO TO OTHERS ORPHANAGE
THE ATTORNEY WANTH TO SALARI Q 5,000.00 AT MONTH AND HE TAKE THE LEGALY JOB
ANY QUESTION CALL ME
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Word From Pedro on yesterday's court
Well looks like we can reopen after we have met many requirements. Most of these we knew;they just all cost money. But this is the next phase. Getting done what they want and bringing back the kids. We could also take some of the infants who are being left in cardboard boxes on the streets to die. Pedro is sending me the list today and I will forward it for everyone to see so you can see what you want to help with. If anyone could organise a work team to go down asap, it would be most helpful.We need to build the outside kitchen. Not hard to do. You would not need experience. Guatemala has only had one case in the City of swine flu so it is not a concern.
Pedro saw alot of the children yesterday. He saw three of the babies who are in the government orphanage Casa Alegria. Two are up for adoption. He was in court from 8 to 5 and called me at 7 his time on the way home. It was pouring down rain and we lost connection. So I missed which two. Luis was returned to his mother. Luis was very upset about this and fought with the judge until Pedro talked to him and told him as soon as we reopen he would try and get him to us. This is the same mom who left him when he was one and he was subsequently raped by all his male relatives. The same mom who never came to visit him in the 3 years he lived with us. I can see why he did not wish to return to her. I guess she could have changed. Anna, Diego and Abram were turned over to their grandparents. I happen to know the grandparents. We went to church with them in Santiago. They seemed concerned about the kids and loving towards them. But they were so poor and so frail, I do not know how they will be able to feed them, much less keep them safe from their dad who sells them to other people and the mom who is a major druggy and prostitute. They also had nothing to do with Abram. I will visit them when I go next month and see how we can help. I just remember when they came to us and Abram was a year and could not even sit up. His head was so flat from always laying. He had been hospitalized many times for malnutrition. And anytime anyone came near him he screamed. Two years later he could walk and talk and loved to be picked up and smiled at everyone. I woke this morning at 4am with a nightmare about those kids. The rest went back to their government orphanages.
Now the time has come to get working to get the things done so we can receive the kids back I will send the list, but know that we personally can not afford to do it all. So please see how you can help.
I will post a list of fundraising ideas, but if everyone earned a $100 it would go so far towards what we need. Or gave $25 each. Write me directly if you wish to help at 20.vicki@gmail.com instead of the comments page.
I need to make a retraction. Apparently I misheard JCICS saying they could help us if we paid part of the airfare. They do not work that way. So please overlook what I thought I heard.
Please do the shoptoearn. I found things I needed on there and it was cheaper than the store and the orphanage earned money. For instance I wanted some landscaping fabric. A 3 by 50 foot roll at Lowe's was $14.50. If I ordered it on ShopToEarn from Ace Hardware, it was $12.00 and they shipped free to any Ace store. The link again
is www.shoptoearn.net/safehomesforchildren.org. thanks for any and all help.
Pedro saw alot of the children yesterday. He saw three of the babies who are in the government orphanage Casa Alegria. Two are up for adoption. He was in court from 8 to 5 and called me at 7 his time on the way home. It was pouring down rain and we lost connection. So I missed which two. Luis was returned to his mother. Luis was very upset about this and fought with the judge until Pedro talked to him and told him as soon as we reopen he would try and get him to us. This is the same mom who left him when he was one and he was subsequently raped by all his male relatives. The same mom who never came to visit him in the 3 years he lived with us. I can see why he did not wish to return to her. I guess she could have changed. Anna, Diego and Abram were turned over to their grandparents. I happen to know the grandparents. We went to church with them in Santiago. They seemed concerned about the kids and loving towards them. But they were so poor and so frail, I do not know how they will be able to feed them, much less keep them safe from their dad who sells them to other people and the mom who is a major druggy and prostitute. They also had nothing to do with Abram. I will visit them when I go next month and see how we can help. I just remember when they came to us and Abram was a year and could not even sit up. His head was so flat from always laying. He had been hospitalized many times for malnutrition. And anytime anyone came near him he screamed. Two years later he could walk and talk and loved to be picked up and smiled at everyone. I woke this morning at 4am with a nightmare about those kids. The rest went back to their government orphanages.
Now the time has come to get working to get the things done so we can receive the kids back I will send the list, but know that we personally can not afford to do it all. So please see how you can help.
I will post a list of fundraising ideas, but if everyone earned a $100 it would go so far towards what we need. Or gave $25 each. Write me directly if you wish to help at 20.vicki@gmail.com instead of the comments page.
I need to make a retraction. Apparently I misheard JCICS saying they could help us if we paid part of the airfare. They do not work that way. So please overlook what I thought I heard.
Please do the shoptoearn. I found things I needed on there and it was cheaper than the store and the orphanage earned money. For instance I wanted some landscaping fabric. A 3 by 50 foot roll at Lowe's was $14.50. If I ordered it on ShopToEarn from Ace Hardware, it was $12.00 and they shipped free to any Ace store. The link again
is www.shoptoearn.net/safehomesforchildren.org. thanks for any and all help.
Monday, May 11, 2009
News Flash News Alert
Last week several significant things happened surrounding the issue of reopening and the kids coming back. Tuesday Pedro and our attorney go to the head court to meet with the judge and are grilled by her for 1.5 hours. He could not read her and did not know whether she was in favor or not.There he saw all the kids from our orphanage except the babies. As some of you have asked about Luis, he was there and is in the orphanage in Xela. Abram, Diego and Anna, Anna Esquit, Fernanda, Juan and his fam and all the others. I guess the judge was quizzing them also. Friday she asked for an appointment with Pedro and our attorney. She spoke with them for 7 hours. Some of her comments were: "We should have never been shut down in the first place. There absolutely no evidence of any wrong doing. It was criminal what was done to us." She asked Pedro to get affadavits for her as to people we bought food from and paid rent to and bought other things from. She told him some of the things we needed to change when we reopen such as having meat on the menu everyday. We will do this as we want the kids, but here in the states we don't have meat but a couple of times a week because we think it is healthier so we were trying to feed those kids like we do ours. Anyway that will be done. She wants a kitchen outside the residence building so we will do that. She wants doors on the upstairs rooms. Already in the works. And she said she will have the list of other things when he comes to court on WEDNESDAY the 13th of May. The kids will be there also. I think things will be settled and we are praying, hoping for the best. Please pray and think positive for us. Those kids are in such rotten circumstances. I fear for them. Pedro's brother is the chief of police in Chimaltenango and he told Pedro he is investigating a child trafficking thing going on there. I know what that is like for the child as it was part of my childhood.
We need help so much. I had two people volunteer with the website and am going to try and coordinate their efforts this week to get us more visible. I truly appreciate that.
I also need the funds to build the outside kitchen/dining area. It will be a cement slab with cinder block walls part way up. My husband figures if we have to have someone build it, it will run about $5000.00, but if I can get a team down there asap we can do it for just the materials. Either way, cash donations and work teams are much needed.
They want us to have a playground for the kids. That is another work team project.
My husband and I are going down for two weeks in June and can take donations. I would really like formula and newborn kits as I want to do a new mother day for the community of Mayan ladies while I am there.
Also dental and doctor teams and alternative health people. We need simple medical examining equipment and over the counter meds bad. I have an EMT young man who is volunteering for 6 weeks who could help the community alot with those simple things. I will take them when I go if you will send them to me.
I was at a Time Out For Women's conf. this past week end and got a big name musician to agree to do a concert which will be combined with a dinner for us if we do it in Utah where he lives. I need people to help organise this and put it together, but I believe we can make enough from this to build the next building.
Well enough of your time for now. Let me know if you feel prompted to help with any of these things and please pray for the outcome on Wednesday. And remember 100% of your donations go to Guate to take the children. My time and my husbands is totally volunteered. We only pay our in country staff.
Vicki
We need help so much. I had two people volunteer with the website and am going to try and coordinate their efforts this week to get us more visible. I truly appreciate that.
I also need the funds to build the outside kitchen/dining area. It will be a cement slab with cinder block walls part way up. My husband figures if we have to have someone build it, it will run about $5000.00, but if I can get a team down there asap we can do it for just the materials. Either way, cash donations and work teams are much needed.
They want us to have a playground for the kids. That is another work team project.
My husband and I are going down for two weeks in June and can take donations. I would really like formula and newborn kits as I want to do a new mother day for the community of Mayan ladies while I am there.
Also dental and doctor teams and alternative health people. We need simple medical examining equipment and over the counter meds bad. I have an EMT young man who is volunteering for 6 weeks who could help the community alot with those simple things. I will take them when I go if you will send them to me.
I was at a Time Out For Women's conf. this past week end and got a big name musician to agree to do a concert which will be combined with a dinner for us if we do it in Utah where he lives. I need people to help organise this and put it together, but I believe we can make enough from this to build the next building.
Well enough of your time for now. Let me know if you feel prompted to help with any of these things and please pray for the outcome on Wednesday. And remember 100% of your donations go to Guate to take the children. My time and my husbands is totally volunteered. We only pay our in country staff.
Vicki
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day if you are an orphan
This is the first Mother's day I have been in the states in 4 years. The last four I have been in Guatemala running the orphanage. Mother's Day is even bigger in Guatemala than it is here. It is celebrated all week long and on Thursday of the week all the mothers attend school with their children and receive their presents. Our little children at the orphanage had either me, Olympia [ the social worker ], or Emma [ the cook ] to go with them to school. Don't get me wrong. we loved them, but every child wants a real mom there with them. Then they have to deal with the question, who do I give all this stuff I made to? I got alot of it and I loved all of it. But every time I shared the sorrow they had that there was not a real mom to give it to. And now this year with them all scattered to the wind at different orphanages, on the street, with abusive families, who do they take to school with them or are they even in school and if they are who do they trust enough to give their little paper crafts to? It makes me sad to ponder their fate.
My Mother's Day was great here in the states with kids and grandkids and a wonderful weekend off while my hubby watched the kids. But Mother's Day was hard for some of the people of the world like the little orphans.
My Mother's Day was great here in the states with kids and grandkids and a wonderful weekend off while my hubby watched the kids. But Mother's Day was hard for some of the people of the world like the little orphans.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Things are moving forward
Things seem to moving in a forward direction. We have had alot of positives.
1] We have had a former volunteer contact us about bringing a doctor group in Aug. so we can do a clinic.
2]The police have contacted us about putting a substation on our land so they can better protect the road. We have agreed. A perk of this will be better protection for our property and the people there.
3]A former volunteer has agreed to provide Christmas for the 70 kids we do lunch and tutorials for. I hope she will do it for the orphanage kids too when they return.
4]A large Christian organization is going to work with us providing work teams to help with construction projects. We are working on the details of this now.
5]We have two volunteers that each want to stay a month that are involved with medical stuff so I am hoping we can have clinics during July and Aug.
6] We had a member of this group send $500.00 for educational support for Pedro's children. Pedro was so moved that he started crying when I told him. Anselmo's children were able to enroll in school and attend because of the school support of another group member.
7] Another volunteer has paid the fee for Safe Homes to be on Shop To Earn. You can go on www.shoptoearn.net/safehomesforchildren and do all your shopping. Alot of the products are shipped free. There are tons of stores on here and everything you buy gives a financial return to Safe Homes. Wendy has volunteered to walk you thru shopping or if you want to sign up for your own store. SHFC gets $100.00 for everyone who signs up for their own store. Let me know and I will put you in contact with Wendy.
Here are some other things we can use volunteers for
a. website construction
b. construction,doctor and dental teams
c. people to just come work and love the kids.
The authority people came on Weds. A day early; I am sure to show power. Pedro called me and said there were 19 people there. He was so nervous. They liked the land and the house. Some were very pleased and obviously caught our vision for the orphaned children. Others he said were normal. Others wanted to know where the seperate building for the kitchen was and the playground. We promised them as soon as we got word we were reopened we would build them asap. No sense in spending the money otherwise as it can go into more feeding/ tutorial programs.
Which brings me to money to build those things. Please would you consider us for a financial donation. Any size is great. or organize a car wash, a bake sale, a golf tournament. Or a dinner at your church. Some groups have raised as much as $10,000.00 from this. If it is close enough I will come speak or find a volunteer near you who has been on site to come speak. My dad used me in child prostitution and pornography so I know first hand what some of these childrens' lives are like. I am unable to turn my back on them. I can't do it without you. 100% of all donations go to the children of Guatemala.
thanks so much for everyone's help
Vicki
1] We have had a former volunteer contact us about bringing a doctor group in Aug. so we can do a clinic.
2]The police have contacted us about putting a substation on our land so they can better protect the road. We have agreed. A perk of this will be better protection for our property and the people there.
3]A former volunteer has agreed to provide Christmas for the 70 kids we do lunch and tutorials for. I hope she will do it for the orphanage kids too when they return.
4]A large Christian organization is going to work with us providing work teams to help with construction projects. We are working on the details of this now.
5]We have two volunteers that each want to stay a month that are involved with medical stuff so I am hoping we can have clinics during July and Aug.
6] We had a member of this group send $500.00 for educational support for Pedro's children. Pedro was so moved that he started crying when I told him. Anselmo's children were able to enroll in school and attend because of the school support of another group member.
7] Another volunteer has paid the fee for Safe Homes to be on Shop To Earn. You can go on www.shoptoearn.net/safehomesforchildren and do all your shopping. Alot of the products are shipped free. There are tons of stores on here and everything you buy gives a financial return to Safe Homes. Wendy has volunteered to walk you thru shopping or if you want to sign up for your own store. SHFC gets $100.00 for everyone who signs up for their own store. Let me know and I will put you in contact with Wendy.
Here are some other things we can use volunteers for
a. website construction
b. construction,doctor and dental teams
c. people to just come work and love the kids.
The authority people came on Weds. A day early; I am sure to show power. Pedro called me and said there were 19 people there. He was so nervous. They liked the land and the house. Some were very pleased and obviously caught our vision for the orphaned children. Others he said were normal. Others wanted to know where the seperate building for the kitchen was and the playground. We promised them as soon as we got word we were reopened we would build them asap. No sense in spending the money otherwise as it can go into more feeding/ tutorial programs.
Which brings me to money to build those things. Please would you consider us for a financial donation. Any size is great. or organize a car wash, a bake sale, a golf tournament. Or a dinner at your church. Some groups have raised as much as $10,000.00 from this. If it is close enough I will come speak or find a volunteer near you who has been on site to come speak. My dad used me in child prostitution and pornography so I know first hand what some of these childrens' lives are like. I am unable to turn my back on them. I can't do it without you. 100% of all donations go to the children of Guatemala.
thanks so much for everyone's help
Vicki
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