This is our baby. Our really big, fast moving baby. In one short month we have submitted our nonprofit status, hosted 4 fundraiser/launch parties, turned in two grant proposals, established relationships with other sponsorship programs, committed to 2 additional speaking engagements and connected with at least 20 future sponsors. Whew! Our heads our spinning at the speed at which God is moving us forward....
Our launch parties have been great. We are so blessed by those of you that donated your time, prayers and tithes. We want you to know that we each decision we make, we take prayerfully and after seeking wisdom from others. We want each of you to know that we get it; how difficult it is to pledge to a new nonprofit that is run by some misty-eyed volunteers. It takes all our courage to ask for what you are giving.
This is why we ask.
We ask because each of these children deserves more than rice and beans every day.
We ask because every face here has a story. When asked what that story was, these sweet kids could not tell them well. They could not articulate what they liked to do for fun or what it was they wanted to be when they grew up. Life inside small, dirt packed walls does not lend to dreaming about tomorrow.
Asking for help, humbling ourselves to seek financial support is difficult. But our struggle for these children is a small price to pay for keeping a promise to our new family in Kimisagara.
We woke up to an email this morning from the director of Hope for Homes. Hope for Homes is the governing agency for vulnerable children in Rwanda. They would like to meet with us face to face. Soon. Very soon. This is wonderful news and a bit unnerving! Working along side existing agencies is vital. We desire to partner with as well as staff other Rwandans with Imana Kids. Our wise friend @Rwagasore Peter, reminded us that we can can give a man a fish or we can give that man a fishing pole and some bait. That is exactly our desire. Poles and bait.
Meeting face to face with Hope for Homes means that we need to send 3 board members to Kigali for at least 2 business days. During this time, we will meet with Hope for Homes as well as hire an in country staff person and talk with the headmasters at the boarding schools that we plan to send the kids of Kimisagara to. Once these meetings have transpired, we will be able to begin matching our sponsors with their students. We really can't move forward until we get on the ground again in Kigali. Our desire is for every penny to go directly to educating Gloria, Issa, Claude, Josephine and every other life lived in those dirt walls.
This is what it looks like: 50 people giving $50. Or 100 people donating $25. You get the picture. Under the "Donate" tab on www.imanakids.org there are directions to give online. You'll get your tax receipt and you'll get us moving forward. Not everyone can go to Africa or give $100 a month. But every can do something.
