Giving Tuesday

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

So many of you have not waited until a special giving day , it is your practice to give and transform the world all year long.  That's why we are already half way to our goal and we are still a few hours away from giving Tuesday .  

Over the next couple days we will be starting to make plans to cover those items that have been sponsored .  You can see the complete Christmas wish book at this link Christmas wish Book 

The three areas  that we have the greatest need are ; the Christmas in the orphanages, vitamins and the food hampers . At Just $10 / $15 / and $20 , these are low ticket items that have a huge impact . here is an update where we stand. 

 Right now we have

 30 of 600 Christmas in the Orphanage @ $10 

16 bottles of Vitamins @ $15 

29 of 500 Christmas food hampers @ $20

 Please take a moment and go right now to the donate link on the top right side of the blog and help us with some of these needs.

As I was looking back at the Logo for giving Tuesday, I can't help but think that they had Kyrgyzstan in mind. 

 

Recap .. Just one more day of the challenge.

 The thermometer continues to climb .. thank  you to all of you who have taken the  time and   donated .  Tomorrow is the last day official day of the challenge, then we will begin transferring funds and getting things organized here before we go back to Canada.   Right now there are three areas that we have the greatest need are ; the Christmas in the orphanages, vitamins  and the food hampers . 

At Just $10 / $15 / and $20 , these are low ticket items that have a huge impact .  here is an update where we stand.  Right now we have 

12 of 600 Christmas in the Orphanage @ $10

3 bottles of Vitamins  @ $15

14 of 500 Christmas food hampers @ $20 

Please take a moment and go right now  to the donate link on the top right side of the blog and help us with some of these needs. 

Thank you all so much for making this all possible. 

Day 13.. The BIG ASK

This final wish of the wish book is the Big ask . it something that we have wanted and been putting off but would love to get it done.  We would like to do some landscaping at the mountain ranch.  We are situated on the side of the mountain and we have cut out of the hill so that we have a place to cook for the large groups that we regularly host.   

We make ploff and shashleek as well as prep all the salads out side .  

We would like to put up some Gabian basket walls and build in the spot for the kazan and the shashleek BBQ.

 We have a new soccer and Volleyball field that we would like to put up a fence around and plant some shade trees .  

We saw a design for a yurt Banya that we would like to build.  Banya's are a big cultural thing here, and would be great for when we have the groups come.   for all the landscaping and fencing, trees and yurt, we need $6000. 

But here is the big ask.  Please come join us.  We are limiting this trip to 8 volunteers to come in the spring and help us to do the work.  We have spread out a bit and have just 2 people per room now (great idea for a couples get away ) and  most of the work is out doors.  We will also bring people from the disabled homes for fishing and picnics, horseback riding,  as well as kids from some of the orphanages.  This is a great opportunity for those of you who have

been waiting to return but don't have a team .  We are planning to do the work the last week of April and the first week of May, however you are welcome to stay shorter or longer to fit your schedule.   We would love to have you a part of this. 

On the 12th day of Christmas

 Day 12 we do the happy dance because all the simple dreams have been covered . 

I thought that maybe I should add more .. we have many , but thought it might be a good time to revisit some of the previous wishes . Maybe we could interest you in a $20 food hamper from the second day , or even a $10 orphanage Christmas gift from Day 1.

On the 11th day of Christmas

 
Medical care .   This is also a very important need that we have. Even since I put out the wish book on the 14th of November, we have two dental visits, one osteopath and one Drs visit, including tests and analysis. Our workers have been kept busy organizing and helping people navigate the medical system here.  It might be a busier time because we are here and pushing to get the needs met. Our workers are reluctant to spend money that they know we don't have.  Health issues NEVER seem to get better on their own, they just get worse (and more expensive ) if you wait .  For this wish  we are looking for donations of any amount to restart our medical fund which got wiped out some time ago due to world events .. 

Just this week we have welcomed a boy to the farm .  We really should be getting him to a dentist , and am pretty sure  if you zoom in you will see that we should be getting his eyes checked as well .. But for that we need your help. 

On the 10th Day of Christmas

Making good memories is something that I think is so important.  When your life is flooded with good memories and happy times like many of us experience, the memories just tend to slip away. What I mean by that is that is that maybe we do not appreciate things as much.  When you grow up with little to no good memories, every good memory is something that you hold on to. You cling to it to give you strength.  

 

 A couple weeks ago we had a young man come for a visit.  We spent time with him about 15 years ago in one of the orphanages .  I hardly recognised him today , but he sure remembered us .   He came to see us to say thankyou.  

looking through old photos of good times from many years ago

He told us how his time in the orphanage growing up was such an awful time for him, then said that the only good memories that he has from his child hood was the times spent with us.  He said that even today this gives him strength to remember those good times. 

We need to remember that these children today will grow up to be adults and maybe one day leaders in their society.  As they make decisions, I want them to have happy experiences to draw from . 

For about $25 for a child we can help them to experience a HAPPY day, one that 15 years from now they will still remember and draw on as a source of strength in difficult times. 

When we were putting together some Christmas wish items , one of the kids we have known from the dump had this wish.  

We live with our grandmother. Mom abandoned us when we were very young and now my grandmother is our mother.... Mom got married and very rarely remembers us... We live on our grandmother's pension. Grandmother cannot allow us to buy things and we only dream about good food. Therefore, we go with our brother and sister to the dump to find things, food, clothes and everything necessary for us . Dump is our favorite place and we gave the name of dump is Dordoi is a large bazaar in Bishkek.. We have a common family dream we really want to go to the circus, and then go to the cafe Gavai to eat and there is a zoo to see monkeys and camels and different animals. We believe that dream realize in Marry Christmas

Please consider helping us to give kids like this a memory that they would otherwise only dream of .  One thar will last a life time. 

On the 9th Day of Christmas

 

One of the things that we have missed with not having teams is being able to do some home makeovers . This is such a great way to turn someone's life around.  As poverty and depression take hold, the homes are often left in a state of neglect.  Even the smallest expense is overwhelming when they don't even have money for food. As a result begins to fall into disrepair. 

Buy coming in and helping with cleaning and patching walls and painting , we can give a fresh outlook on life.  We have the people here that can help us and do the work, but it is the funds that we are short of.  For an average of $350 we can brightens some one home , and in turn brighten their outlook on life . 

On the 8TH day of Christmas

On the 8th day of Christmas we would like to support some small business start ups.  We have some young moms and Babushkas that are doing what they can to make a little extra to survive.  We would like to purchase some of their items and then distribute them to  people we know would appreciate them as well as put them in our gift shop on the farm .  but the main goal is to support their efforts.

Hats and Slippers are by two different babushkas , both very high quality , and are just $10

Another babushka we know makes Christmas ornaments , and is even making some with the farm logo on them .. the felt works are $2.50  each 

A young mom we know is making hair pieces . they are also

 $2.50/ set 

 Sasha is one of our boys from the farm and is now married and lives with his family in Tokmok.  He and his brother in law have started a car painting business.  They have lots of work, but not making a lot of money . the problem seems to be that the equipment they are renting is expensive and with the rent they are paying they can not make enough to purchase it outright so they are kind of stuck .  We would like to purchase the equipment that they need  and rent it to them for $1 a month . The cost of the equipment is $600

 

For a few years now we have been working with a young intraplanar who has opened up a business school in one of the more remote cities in Kyrgyzstan.  Right now they have a fundraiser for some equipment as well as scholarships . they are looking for  just $10 a person .   here is a short video explaining the project .  

The 7th day of Christmas ; A part of the farm Family!

Christmas is such a time of Celebration and family gathering.  We Celebrate Christmas , but just about every religion or nationality has some sort of celebration around that time of year .  The Celebrations range from Dec 25 threw New Years and on until Jan 7.   What they all have in common is that time of gathering together with family .   For many of the kids we work with, they never had that.  Unless they were in an orphanage that we have supported, they may have never celebrated, and most had no family to go home to!

The Farm is a big Family .. we may put the " FUN in DISFUNCTION" but hay,  how many of you can say that your own family has it all together 😁  I am so blessed that even as the kids mature and go off the farm and begin their own lives,  the farm remains their family.  Christmas has become a home coming time for them.  All are welcome to "come home" 

It is not out of the ordinary to have about 20 kids plus our friends and co workers come to celebrate , and be part of that family.  This is a happy time and an exciting time for them , and I am sure deep down, at the same time  it can be a sad and depressing time as it brings up old memories .. It seems that the older I get the more I understand this.  

We want to make sure that the memories we are creating are GOOD memories for them .
That's why we want to make sure that None of them are missed and all receive a small personalized gift . We would like to have a budget of $25 a person for this.  

 

One the farm we have a photo wall with all kids that call the farm home as well as the farm support .  Things turned bad for Sergey and he returned to the farm a couple days ago.  He saw his photo on the wall and was very excited. George had his photo taken at the same time and he will be going up today .. He to was excited to be,  as he put it,

  "a part of the Farm family"

On the sixth day of Christmas

 Many years ago we started putting together special food hampers for students.  We were noticing a disturbing trend with students at the front gates of the Bazzar begging for food.  They would work all summer and make enough to pay the first semesters  tuition and then not have money to live.   They are working so hard to advance themselves but it is un obtainable.  In our student packs we would provide food, toiletries, vitamins if we have them, and a day timer.  One year we even had a group of the kids we were helping all called into the school and accused of cheating because all of a sudden all their grades when way up at the same time .. Proof that a little help goes a long way.  For just $25 we can be ready to help when a student needing help is identified . 

On the fifth day of Christmas

We are heading into the grips of winter here now.   We have delivered about 100 tons of coal so far, but the needs just seem to go on and on . We continue to receive calls for people needing coal . Just yesterday we delivered to two  homes and on Monday we will be delivering to two more. Many of these families are living on the edge .  Now that the fields are under a blanket of snow, the availability of work has decreased and  

those that survive pay to pay will be running out of food.   We have found in years gone buy that this need will continue through out the winter as people realize that they do not have enough or when officials and agencies come to us after finding a family on the brink. 

Fortunately through your giving we can stay ahead of this and have food and coal ready to give  .  Just $100 and we can provide one tone of coal ( enough to heat a small home ) and a couple weeks worth of groceries . 

Here is a short video with thanks from a couple of those who received this great blessing this year.  

On the 4th day of Christmas

For a long time now we have been providing Vitamins to those in need.  It is not just the poor that have vitamin deficiencies here.  Just about every food item you pick up in the west is fortified with vitamins. That's because they are so important to our diet.  Here in Kyrgyzstan, the foods are more natural and un processed.  Everything is made from the scratch ingredients so as a result many face deficiencies that cause things like failure  to thrive,   Ricketts and low immune systems.   

Vitamins here are not just a supplement to a diet, but can be a life saving medication .   After giving Vitamins to one of the orphanages we asked if the director noticed a difference.  She said that right away the kids stopped licking the white wash pain off the sides of the buildings !  

The hospital contacted us about a set of twins that was failure to thrive, and asked us if we had any vitamins that could help them .  So we were able to hep out with what we had.   With in a month these two boys were right back on track.

TB is another prevalent disease  here.  One of the leading factors to the spread is people with weekend immune systems, so much so that  the cure here is to send them to a sanitorium where they get plenty of rest, good food and VITAMINS. 

We have a great source here where we can get the exact vitamins we need when we need them. It is a friend that imports quality Vitamins , and he provides them to us for a great price.   The only catch is the money.  Its so much more fun to pick up a bottle of vitamins and donate them rather then sending the funds, but then we are faced with $220 a bag for shipping and huge fights at customs. For just an average of $15 we can get exactly what people need, when they need it.  

 

The Third Day of Christmas

 

Chickens ... I love our chickens that tend to our apple orchard and provide eggs for us. We have been giving chickens away with the intent to replace them and keep our flock young .  About a year ago there was a bird flue that swept in .  Our flock is very healthy and strong but we can not bring chickens in from the bazaar and risk wiping out our flock.  Our friends over at Teen Challenge have started raising their own chickens and will be able to sell us chickens that are just one month away from laying eggs.  I have ordered 60 to start, but have a goal to have 100, they will arrive on the farm the first week of December.   We have started preparing the Chicken coop for their arrival .  Our old chickens will be divided into   3 flocks and given to some families in need .  

I think that Sergey and the boys have more faith then me .. They are preparing for 150 free range chickens.

Again we look for ways that we can get the most blessings out of a single donation.  The purchase of one chicken @ $7  HELPS Teen Challenge,   It HELPS the farm, and  it HELPS families that will receive  chickens for the winter.. 

Would you consider being the catalyst to start the blessings.  Like I say .. you will be blessed yourself knowing that you helped. 

On the second day of Christmas

 This is putting resources into the hands of our team so that they are able to reach out to those in need around them . 

This Christmas we will put a little twist on the hampers.  A traditional meal here is ploff.  In the hamper we will have all the ingredients for them to prepare a full ploff celebration meal . Each hamper will include a plump ( and plucked ) meat chicken that we will purchase from the Teen challenge centre.  This will bless so many.  It blesses our team, it blesses the rehab centre and it blesses the people that receive this  food delivery.  And for $20 I am sure you will be blessed knowing that you have given such a wonderful gift.  Please go now and donate using one donation button on the top right side of the blog. 

There they are .. fresh frozen chickens at the rehab centre, ready for us to deliver