Birthday Box for Tanya

Those who are sponsoring children know that we are asking sponsors to send boxes to their children for their birthdays. Today I was given our first set of pictures of Tanya who received her box a couple of weeks ago. This is a good example of what we have in mind for sponsors to send their kids. Tanya received a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, sandals, an MP4 player (knock off I touch, because we said do not buy expensive players), candy, a hairband, lip gloss and several other small things. Tanya was so excited when she received her box from a family in America who cares about her. Tanya wrote a thank you note that is being translated and will be sent to her sponsors. Hope you enjoy the pictures as it gives you an idea of how your generosity is blessing your sponsored child.

Read more...

Hope Orphanage Spring Tea Party

Lora and the older teen girls in our church family hosted the teen girls from Hope Orphanage for a Spring Tea Party. Lora and our girls decorated the worship room and prepared good food and crafts. The girls were so excited to attend the tea party. They worked very hard on their crafts and loved the gift bag filled with cosmetics and toiletries. The girls enjoyed trying new foods and making new friends. Everyone agreed that another get together would be great.

Read more...

Kids Working at Orphanage

The kids at Hope Orphanage were out of school today for Easter holiday and were hard at work cleaning up the grounds at the orphanage. Yesterday they were able to shop at the store for the first time and now they know that their work will be rewarded! Every time we visit at Hope the kids warm up to us more. We can't wait for more opportunities to get to know these kids better.

Read more...

Shopping at the Store

The Sparrow's Hope Store at Hope Orphanage opened yesterday for the first time. Not surprisingly, a lot of snacks and drinks were purchased. Kids also purchased art supplies, shirts, balls, toiletries, and school supplies. There were a couple of kids who were dreaming of some of the "big ticket" items and were told "work hard and save your money!"

The kids must do their chores to earn money and the opprotunity to shop at the store. They can also do extra work to increase their purchasing power. If they refuse to do their chores, or if they break other rules, they are fined and their purchasing power reduces. It was sad this morning to see a little boy who misbehaved repeatedly being told that his account was -11 grivna. We will see if his sorrow over not being able to shop today turns into better behavior tomorrow. This is going to be a great opportunity for the children to learn important life skills.

Thanks to all our sponsors and donors who make this project possible.

Read more...

The Store at Hope Orphanage

We recently created a store at Hope Orphanage so that the kids can work (at their normal chores and special tasks), earn money and then shop at the store. This will give the kids more motivation to do their chores, teach them about the value of work, and provide snacks, health care products, clothes, toys and other items for the kids to purchase.

Read more...