Inspired by former HOH volunteer, Zoe Wakoff:
My name is Zoe Wakoff, and in the three months I worked at House of Hope in early 2009 I fell in love with each child who lived there, each teacher, and Jenifer, the amazing woman who founded and runs the program. I witnessed an inspiring community of people determined to stay afloat despite limited resources and trying circumstances. Now I want to help them in any way I can, especially by raising money to purchase land to start a farm at House of Hope.
Currently House of Hope has great difficulty in raising enough resources to provide a nutritious breakfast and lunch for each child. If they had their own farm, each child would have three full meals a day, and the extra $14,000 a year saved in food expenses could be used for the children’s medical bills and general support for the project. At the moment it costs about $80 to feed one child for a year, which may not seem like much to us, but it’s quite a lot of money in Uganda. Once a farm is started by House of Hope, costs per child will decrease to just $17 a year, a life-changing difference!
What struck me most about the children of House of Hope was that despite the many hardships and traumas they endure in their lives, they were by far the most enthusiastic and happy children I have ever met. All of them had lost at least one parent, most had lost both, and some had suffered physical or sexual abuse, but they did not see themselves as victims. In fact they seemed to embody a wild joy for life that was both very contagious and very touching. It was quite a testimony for the human spirit, and I hope you will join me in letting them touch your lives as well.
House of Hope has identified 3 acres of working farmland adjacent to the project that is available for purchase. World Action, led by Zoe, is working to raise $15,000 to support this project.
We anticipate raising the full $15,000 for the Farm Campaign by December 2010. World Action will manage the funds raised over the next year until the full goal is reached. World Action takes no administrative fees for this service. In the case that the goal is not met by the end of 2010, (unlikely we hope!), all funds collected will be transferred to support House of Hope’s general nutrition costs. Therefore our donors can be sure that all contributions made towards the Farm Campaign will support food and nutrition costs at House of Hope, either through purchase of farmland or direct food items.
Help Zoe and House of Hope purchase its own farm by donating today!