New School for Pipeline IDP Camp thanks to ESTC!

Congrats to Cass Treadwell, ESTC Co-Founder and GVNF Australia Director, and her team in Oz on the launch of Aberdare Ranges Primary School! Go Eat So They Can!

Check out these two awesome news items!

1- NTV Kenya News




2: SBS News Australia
http://player.sbs.com.au/naca/#/naca/wna/Extra/playlist/Sydney-woman-helps-Kenyans/

Join the Team!

Hello friends,

Our Eat So They Can goal this year is to raise $500, 000 so we can help even more women and children around the world, and with your help I know we can do it!

If you have not already sign up, please visit the ESTC website and do it now! http://www.eatsotheycan.org/sign-up

Plus if you are passionate for social change and eager to make an even bigger impact through Eat So They Can this year then we would love you to apply to our Ambassador Program. We are inviting ESTC Hosts, GVN volunteers, Be The Change participants, and trekkers to join the team and help mentor other hosts from around the world.

If your application is successful you will essentially become a member of the ESTC family and have a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of women and children in need. We will profile you on the ESTC website and provide you with all kinds of support ranging from business cards to conference calls to help you fulfil your role. Plus, you will be given the opportunity to join one of our distribution trips! What a great reward!

For further information about the Ambassador Program and to apply, visit: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/meet-the-team/ambassadors (Please note that all applications need to be submitted before 1st June.)

With gratitude,

Colin, Courtney, Eliza, Caitie, and Lauren
Eat So They Can Team

Alicia Hill - Kenya Trip Reflections

I knew that the money raised through the Eat So They Can program was going towards beating child poverty in Africa, but until I became part of the distribution team I didn’t really have my head around what that involved, and just how hard the GVN staff and volunteers work with its partner organisations to make sure the money goes to the right resources and the right projects. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t touched by the passion of the GVN staff and volunteers, and their selfless dedication to provide opportunity for underprivileged children.

Throughout the trip we visited a number of children’s homes and schools. Some of the stories we were told about how the kids came to be there were heart wrenching. One little girl was found abandoned in a latrine. Another orphaned when his parents lost the battle with HIV/AIDS. Another found wandering the slum alone at 9 months old. Each child has her/his own story, and each story is about struggle and survival. The absolute opposite to the story I am fortunate enough to tell.

We also visited several IDP camps, including Pipeline, in the Great Rift Valley. It’s hard to believe that a place of such vast beauty can harbour the shadows of the political violence that displaced over 6000 people from their homes. The IDP camps touched me the most. The people living there had something. They had homes, farms, and businesses that were forcibly taken from them. And now they live in tents with little more than the memories of this violence. Yet they remain so focused and optimistic and I am awed and inspired by their attitude. People would cry ‘poor me’ in my community, and most simply wouldn’t cope. I don’t think I would.

GVNF and the GVN volunteers are doing amazing things in these camps, children’s homes and schools. Each project is so different in terms of their needs, and much thought is given to where funding and resources can best be used. I was most impressed with how closely GVN works with its local partner organisation to find out what these needs are, and to make sure that all funds and resources are provided and being used in the right way. I was also impressed to see funds and resources being filtered into education and income generating projects designed to sustain economic and social welfare and empower the people.

The whole experience was quite humbling, and every day I think about how I can make Eat So They Can 2010 even more successful than the previous year, both on a personal level and for the GVN Foundation. It truly was an amazing experience and I feel privileged to be part of the distribution team. So if you know someone who is hosting a dinner, please give a donation, however large or small because it all adds up and can really go a long way. I’ve seen it first hand! Or better still, host your own dinner! It’s a great excuse to get your family and friends together and you can be assured that any funds you raise will be used to help put smiles on the faces of children somewhere in the lesser developed world! Priceless!

Saludos desde Cusco!

Greetings from Cusco, Peru!

Yesterday I visited Pampallacta, a small community in the mountains of the Sacred Valley. This village is everything you dream of if you think of Peru - llamas, towering mountains, and happy, energetic children running around in traditional Peruvian clothing. The teachers at the school soon explained to me that the children from this village haven´t always been so cheerful and loud. There used to be a serious problem of malnutrition with many children surviving on little more than a few potatoes each day. Although they were always keen to learn they were often so tired due to lack of food that they would fall asleep during class.

Thanks to Peruvian Hearts (GVN Foundation´s partner in Peru) each of the 130 children at the school now receives a vitamin and a nutritious meal each day - and the difference that this has made to the children´s energy levels and success in their school work is incredible. With the support of ESTC funds from 2009 we are also building a new kitchen so that these meals can be more easily prepared. The teachers at the school are so excited and asked me to pass on their thanks to you.

I look forward to sharing photos with you as soon as I´m back in NZ and also telling you about the big plans we have for our Peru projects for ESTC 2010!

Un abrazo,

Eliza