Hi Lovely Friends!
I recently spent time at our projects in India and Nepal, and then after a week home, visited our newer projects in Kenya. Although the back to back trips were intense (maybe not my best idea ever 😜), it’s always energizing to spend time in person with the staff and partners, and most especially the girls!
Roots in the grassroots: Our work has expanded in the past 3 years, and we now serve 2000 girls each year. Our strategy is investing in – and working alongside – local solutions and dedicated grassroots leaders. I was reminded time and again on this trip that ‘Small is Beautiful’. Projects that are extremely personal and individualized work best for those healing from extreme trauma or overcoming generational abuse. As we look forward, we are committed to maintaining a high level of individualized care. Rather than adding more girls, we are focusing on deepening the work and making each project as holistic as possible.
NEPAL
FREEDOM SCHOOL The Freedom School was founded and is led by Anjali Tamang – my co-author on the book Standing in the Way, which tells the story of her journey from rescue to healing to fulfilling her dream of opening a school in her home village. The dream is going strong, with 150 students in the school and 36 girls in the dormitory.
We are seeing encouraging progress in mindset change, which was one of Anjali’s main goals. Through parent meetings, family counseling, community awareness through theater and dance, and working on the school’s farm alongside parents, Anjali has helped many people understand the true cost and damage done by trafficking. Parents are seeing the value of educating their daughters – and sons. Parents who are involved in their daughters’ education are less likely to sell their daughters to traffickers, or allow them to migrate unsafely to bring in income. Sensitized, educated boys will not become traffickers. Offering free, high quality education to the poorest families relieves financial pressure and desperation, which also drives trafficking and child marriage.
While at the Freedom School, I led art workshops and played volleyball with the kids, made French toast and did budgets and reports with Anjali. Also staying at the school was Robin Singer, who teaches virtual classes to the dormitory kids 5 nights a week when she’s home on Cape Cod. She was teaching and tutoring kids in person for two months and it was a gift to spend time together and learn from her.
From right to left: welcome dance performance by grade 3 kids, Anjali & Robin at chicken farm construction site, dorm girls have all the moves!
We are building a chicken farm for the school, designed by engineering students at UCLA. The students also raised funds for chicken coop construction. Eggs from the humane and environmentally responsible farm will provide much-needed nutrition to our schoolchildren, and in the future, can be a source of income for the school.
APPLE On the way to and from the village, I stayed with our dear friends at The Apple of God’s Eyes. I got to see their new school building which is just completing construction. The 250+ kids in the Apple school – including the kids in Apple safe homes – will move to this building in April. HFC contributed to the construction, and I was inspired to see the project completed so quickly and cost-effectively.
We have been sponsoring the education of kids at Apple since 2010. These days we are focusing our support on girls going to college and university. Two of our sponsorees have just started graduate school in the UK and US. Four are currently pursuing degrees in Biology, Environmental Engineering, Psychology and Business, and two more will be starting university in April. Priyanka will be our first sponsored student in law school.
In 2024, I co-authored a book with Apple Founder Silvio Silva. Check it out on Amazon, or email me for a PDF copy.
As always, I am deeply grateful for HFC to play its part, and grateful to you – our incredible community of love – for making it possible. As we enter our 20th year, there is so much to celebrate!
To be continued…..