The Korogocho slum in Nairobi
Korogocho slum houses some 120,000 dwellers crammed within one single square kilometre.
We visited orphanages and built cement hand washing basins outside previously dug toilets to improve hygiene among the children. We read stories to the children or at least they read to us. This was a special time together at St Tereasa’s Orphanage.
A special thank you to the donors of Schoolbags4missions who supplied bags, bibles, storybooks about Jesus and Stationery for distribution to the children in the slum. The gifts will be used for educating the children at the orphanage.
Paul McConnell, Mission Team Leader
Hi Lucy,
We were very thankful to have the resources given to us by Schoolbags4missions. The pads of paper were appreciated by the Holland Wharf Girls’ Hostel (375 girls in pic) who can use them
for card-making. Papers were also given to the staff at the Hostel & Bethesda
Leprosy Hospital. Pens were given out to senior classes and received with much joy.
Toys were enjoyed by the wonderful little AIDS orphans. A couple of Bible books were
given to pastors.
Operation Mobilisation in Hyderabad received the bulk of the other resources – Bible
books, pens and pencils; they were very happy as they were about to have a
conference for school leaders and some of the more distant schools had virtually no
such resources. They planned to pass them on for their use. School pic is typical of
the OM Good Shepherd schools for the very poor.
Once again, thankyou. Until you visit, you have no idea what a simple gift can mean
to those who could only dream of receiving such a present.
God Bless
Kind regards,
Carolyn Sakoulas
Overseas Students Liaison Officer, Pacific Hills Christian School, Dural
Dear Lucy, Thanks for all your hard work! It is definitely a blessing to many around
the world.
Our team has just arrived back from Siem Reap, Cambodia (Jan 2012) where we worked
alongside the International Teams missionaries for three weeks.We predominantly
worked with two developing projects:
1) One being students who’s desire is to learn English and skills to equip them to
get good jobs.2) The other being in two villages, where we ran programs to teach
them about Jesus as king, God, Saviour and Friend.
It was a real privilege to come alongside the missionaries and see their love and
passion for what God has called them to do.
The schoolbags, stationery and bibles that were so kindly donatedby schoolbags4missions brought many smiles and words of thanks as they were warmly received by the workers who go into the villages every week and tirelessly give of themselves for God (as well as working to earn money to support their families).
The village parents and young women have been asking for materials to be able to
study God’s word and learn English too. The New Testaments and children’s Bibles will
prayerfully be used to help this desire come to fruition. And the pencils and paper
will certainly be of great usefor the growing children’s ministry.
Thank you to those who give what often seems like a small contribution, yet which
provides much needed resources for those who would otherwise go without.
Blessings, Manda Lewis (International Teams Australia)
Dear Lucy,
I am back from Vanuatu and have attached some photos of the children receiving their backpacks from schoolbags4missions. Thank you again. The children were thrilled with the lovely books and very excited with the furry Australian animals. The books will go into
the new school library which is currently being organised. The toys will be on display in the library for all the children to enjoy. The pencils will be used in the classrooms – none of the classes have enough pencils, and the other items will be used as encouragements awards, etc.
Once again, Lucy, thank you for the wonderful work you are doing with schoolbags4missions. Your gifts are so much appreciated by the people who receive them. Keep up the good work.
Blessings,
Sue Gasser
Many thanks Lucy for attending Superclassmums – Hills District to deliver your Powerpoint presention regarding Schoolbags4missions and explain about your passion of collecting school bags, stationery and bibles to send over to children in need. You struck a cord in the hearts of the members present and we already have plans to discuss collections at our individual schools. It is inspiring to see our local community women stretching to achieve more in order to help others. It was a pleasure to meet you and we were all uplifted and motivated to see the benefits to many from small acts of giving.
Janelle Murdoch
Founder and Director
Superclassmums
Dorna Kayole School, Sowto, Kayole Slum, Nairobi was founded in 2005, Dorna Kayole has grown from 15 students to 250 and has a waiting list that could fill the school again. 30% of children living in the slum do not attend school due to financial hardship or pure ignorance on their guardian’s behalf. The Mission team worked solidly for three days in hot and oppressive conditions, yet found the experience to be an incredibly rewarding one. Lucy Choong from Schoolbags4Missions had provided 15 fully equipped schoolbags for students in need. This was a very difficult proposition because every child was equally in need. We decided that the bags could be best used by giving one to each of the staff so that they could distribute the resources evenly. We were able to do so much with so little, stressing just how far our dollar can go in such places where life is fragile at best. My hope and prayer is that God’s name has been glorified through our efforts and His kingdom furthered as a result of the obedience of his people.
Mr Paul McConnell
Team Leader.
We gave the school bags to the dear little AIDS orphans (some have one parent left
who cannot care for their child) who attend school along with about 150 students who
live in a hostel for children of lepers and some local children. As there were still
16 children without bags we gave money to purchase them local bags later in the
week. The first boy to receive a bag was Pradeep who went blind during the year due
to complications from the AIDS virus. I was so tearful seeing him again!
Pencils and books were shared between a school for the poor, a slum school and an OM
school library. A few of us were again able to use the story books to explain the
Bible story then leave the book used with the school. The teacher’s bag was given to
a wonderful young believer who was saved when only 10 years old and given 3 days to
live. A Christian aunt prayed & fasted for her for 3 days & Beulah then recovered
and trusted Christ. She has a wonderful testimony & is very dedicated in the school,
slum school & outside ministry. Once when on a mission team in a remote area she had
petrol poured on her to burn her alive but she managed to escape. She was very happy
to receive the bag with the resources included.
So once again the things you gathered for us were put to good use and will be used
by God in the extension of His Kingdom. They also show our brothers and sisters who
work faithfully in often very difficult circumstances that we stand with them and
care for them. So THANKYOU!
With love from Carolyn Sakoulas and the India Mission Team Dec 10 to Jan 11.
Kind regards,
Carolyn Sakoulas
ESL Teacher
Faculty Head Languages
Overseas Students Liaison Officer
Dear Lucy and Schoolbags4Missions
Thank you for your recent donation of boxes of stationery resources and schoolbags for students of Kukudu Adventist High School on the island of Kolombangara, Western Soloman Islands. This island is close to Gizo and is part of the New Georgia Islands. Your donations will be distributed by some of our local High School students led by Brett Partridge to High School Studnets at Kukudu. This is a donation that will be greatly appreciated by students on this remote island in the Pacific. Thank you for sharing gifts with these wonderful people.
Pastor Alex Currie Ed.D
In July 2010 our school visited five locations in Fiji to spend time with the
locals, worship with them and give donations of stationery, bags and books collected
through our school and the work of “Schoolbags4 Missions”
The difficulty for families of the school students in the village schools is still
the huge cost of stationery. Exercise books, pens, pencils and school bags are
highly treasured items.
Two locations particularly benefitted from the books, bags, pens and pencils.
The Principal of Deuba Primary School mentioned in his welcome speech (held in front
of a mat of these donations with the entire school sitting big-eyed and hopeful)
that they feel blessed that our school would chose to stop at the end of their dirt
road and give these items to them, when they are more schools at the end of the dirt
roads in the area that go without.
This one example of a school in need is twenty minutes away from some of the
upmarket resorts in the Coral Coast Area, yet you wouldn’t believe the difference in
accommodation.
The primary school on Bau island serves several of the nearby islands that have no
schools. We were priveleged to billet on Bau with the locals and heard the boats
arrive with students around nine am (Fiji Time!) every weekday morning.
Very few students had a bag or books with them.
Lunch was supplied at the school for thirty cents.
A few students arrived holding jumper. That was it.
The looks on the children’s faces as some left with a back pack on their back was
amazing. There was more stationery supplied by Schoolbags for Missions than we saw
in the entire school beforehand. We also gave library books and footballs.
Thank you for this mission work as these children are a few of many in village
schools in Fiji.
Cheers
Mrs Lee Choy
Pacific Hills Christian School
