New Board Member!

Bellefontaine’s Tina Houchin has been appointed to GVN Foundation’s Board of Directors! Check out the full press release here: http://www.gvnfoundation.org/media/tina/

Additional ESTC Grant!

An ESTC grant of $1,700 was wired to Shimshon Dowley Children Welfare and Charitable Trust in India. The funds will be used to build six toilets and buy one hybrid cow. A huge thank you to Kendal Sheridan for making this grant possible.

April Grants!

We were so happy to be able to send out lots of grants this month! A huge thank you to our donors and ESTC hosts for making this possible.

- The Real Uganda
A Sponsorship Grant of $315.24 was wired to The Real Uganda to assist with the ongoing running costs of the Hope for Africa Children’s Village. In addition, an Eat So They Can Grant of $3,859.62 was wired to The Real Uganda. This was the first instalment of funding which will be used to start a large goat farm to generate income for a local school.

- La Hesperia
A General Project Grant of $496.50 was wired to La Hesperia in Ecuador and will be used to assist their school with repairs, maintenance and supplies.

- Ponimanie
An Eat So They Can grant of $425.45 was wired to Ponimanie in Belarus to help hem set up a Child Helpline. The funds will be used to provide training to volunteer professionals who will be managing the helpline and to develop a booklet to support these volunteers in their workplaces.

- CETU
A Sponsorship Grant of $780.64 was wired to CETU. This grant will be used to assist with the ongoing running expenses of Springs of Hope High School in Uganda.

- Jatun Sacha
An Eat So They Can Grant of $373.34 was wired to Jatun Sacha. This grant will be used to replace the roof of one of the houses in Bilsa (Guardabosques).

- FVA
An Eat So They Can Grant of $3,619.30 and a General Project Grant of $47.97 were wired to FVA in Rwanda. These funds will be used to run up a feeding program for 50 children for 1 year.

- Christchurch
An additional Emergency Relief Grant of $789.46 was wired to our partner who is working on the ground in Christchurch to assist the victims of the recent earthquake.

- Peruvian Hearts
A Sponsorship Grant of $114.48 was sent to Peruvian Hearts to assist with the ongoing running expenses of the Mercedes de Jesus orphanage. In addition, an International Fundraiser Grant of $378.52 was sent to Peruvian Hearts to support the children at Associacion Wara.

- Aberdare Ranges School
An Eat So They Can Grant of $3,273.92 was sent to Aberdare Ranges School. This grant will be used to purchase water tanks to ensure that the school is able to collect the valuable rain water.

Haiti Grant to support Dr Robert’s orphanage

An international fundraiser grant of $1,972 was sent to Haiti to support Dr Robert’s orphanage. The grant will be used to help fund teacher salaries as well as other immediate needs at the orphanage.

Christchurch Emergency Appeal Grant

GVN Foundation has made a grant of USD$2,800 to support the victims of the Christchurch earthquake. We have teamed up with an organization in Wellington to help put together 600 care packages for those affected by the earthquake. Each care package will contain essential items including non-perishable food items as well as basic hygiene supplies. Colin Salisbury, Founder of GVN, will be traveling to Christchurch on Wednesday to help deliver these packages. We are focusing on supporting people living in the area of Aranui, an area which was badly hit by the earthquake.

Proud to support Kliptown Youth Program!

An Eat So They Can grant of $6,579.16 has been made to Kliptown Youth Program. The funds will be used to provide scholarships and books for 4 students from Kliptown in Soweto township, South Africa to attend university/college. The funds were raised by Eat So They Can ambassador, Shelley Bragg, at her Eat So They Can event in Shanghai, China. Shelley’s Cocktails for a Cause was an incredible night of live music, live auctions, “dinner date” auctions, raffle draws, lucky draws, and guest speakers. The highlight of the night for everyone was the Gumboot dancing performance from the Kliptown Youth Program. The dancers travelled all the way from South Africa to perform at the event.

Wara Community Center Grant, Peru

A grant of $356.20 has been sent to Peruvian Hearts. This will be used to support the kids at Associacion Wara, a community center near Cusco, Peru.

And the winner of the Grand Prize is…

Amanda Golden from New York City, New York!

Congratulations to Amanda who has won a spot on the Peru Eat So They Can distribution trip that includes airfare and trip expenses. This was Amanda’s 2nd time as an ESTC host and in 2010 Amanda raised an amazing $1,881 for orphaned and vulnerable children!

Read the full press release here: http://www.gvnfoundation.org/media/winner/

January 2011 Grants!

The GVN Foundation has just sent out lots of grants to our amazing partners around the world. Here is a quick summary:

GVN Vietnam was sent the following grants:
- An International Fundraiser grant of $967.10 to support the Tam Ky baby orphanage food program.
- A General Project grant of $6,200.22 to support projects in Da Nang, Tam Ky and Tuy Hoa. In addition, this grant will be used to support the victims of the recent flooding in Vietnam.
- A Sponsorship grant to assist with the ongoing costs at their various projects.

The Real Uganda was sent a General Project grant of $2,866.89. This grant will be used to support the Nalusse lunch program, help finish the PACE classroom building and house, and to pay school fees for an orphaned girl. The Real Uganda was also sent a Sponsorship grant to assist with the ongoing costs at the Hope for Africa Children’s Village.

VSN in Nepal was sent an Everest Hike grant of $6,357.29. This grant will be used to fund the ongoing running costs of Brighter Future Children’s Home for the first quarter of 2011. VSN was also sent a General Project grant of $531.32. This grant will be used to build a pingpong table for Brighter Future Children’s Home and also to contribute towards the running cost of Shining Stars Children’s Home.

Antardristi Nepal was sent an Everest Hike grant, General Project grant and Sponsorship grant totalling $1,576.91. This will be used to help pay the rent of their residential centre.

VICDA in Kenya was sent a Sponsorship Grant of $57.24 for Happy Life Children’s Home and $200.34 for Shelter Children’s Home. VICDA was also sent an International Fundraiser Grant of $250.44. These funds were raised by GVN volunteer Patsy Teal and will be used to improve sustainability at Nangolie orphanage.

Grants for Peru!

A Machu Picchu grant of $14,214.93 and a General Project grant of $598.35 were made to Peruvian Hearts. These grants will be used to build a new dining room and a modern kitchen at a primary school in Pampallacta, Peru. The goal of the dining room is not only to provide a safe place for the children and teachers to eat together but also provide a space for community gatherings.