Heart's Cry Children's Ministry
Database & Software for the Children

July 3, 2011

Programming Work

We sure hit the ground running.  Matt and Ari went to meet with SENNIAF and the computer consulting company that was hired to create a database and program for SENNIAF's 8 departments.  By the end of the meeting, we were handed complete control to take over creating the data for the program for the Adoptions and PRLF (social service equivalent) Departments with the software company! 
  • Remember the Progressive Implementation Proposal we submitted to the President of Panama, oh about 2 years ago?  Where we requested the database and software program as an essential part to correcting the orphan problem here?   
    • Yep, finally it's started!  The funds finally came from the Gov't to hire this computer company.   
  • AND, remember the investigation we did within these 2 departments and the orphanages that led to us writing the Findings and Recommendations to SENNIAF: Progressive Implementation of Best Practice Standards last year (including Policies and Procedures for each department)?   
    • Yep, that's what is finally being implemented!  

We knew we were supposed to come back on the 17th, and boy did we come back at the perfect day.  Literally. 

So since Monday, we have all been hard at work with the computer consulting company.  We are transforming our written policies and procedures, along with all those forms we drafted, into a database program.  This is crazy!  You have NO IDEA the difference this is going to make within the 2 departments of government.  This will streamline cases and knock down the time it takes to work a case to a fraction of what it was.  And, most importantly, it is going to have alarms and reminders so that no case (i.e., child) will be put on the "shelf" for years at a time, like is currently happening.  This will allow the Director to know the status of cases at any given moment and thus allow for proper reporting/accountability to take place.  And, the Judges will now receive concise, streamlined reports from the social workers and psychologists working there, which will mean no returning of reports because 1 small detail was left out (which ends up adding 6 months on to a case by the time a hearing is rescheduled).  

We are on a huge time crunch to complete the software writing for the 2 departments by the deadline date, so that it can be sent off for the final programming.  PLEASE PRAY for this project.  It has the potential to change the course of the orphan's lives in Panama, if all the changes are allowed to be made and proper training is performed thereafter.  And SENNIAF is looking to us to be the lead on all these functions. 

AND, JUST TO REMIND YOU ALL... we do all this work at no cost to the government or orphanages.  These consulting and training services are given for free as part of our mission to free children from a life of institutionalization.  So while the computer company is getting paid, we are not.  This is simply in furtherance of our goals to help the needy children here in Panama.  We also believe this program has the potentiality to help many other countries (i.e., children), as well.        

Welcome, Graciela Mauad!

We hinted in our last email that a new teammate was being added: and Graciela Mauad is her name.  She is awesome!  She is a bilingual attorney, formerly working as an attorney in the adoptions department of SENNIAF.  She is also almost finished with her psychology degree in Panama.  An amazing asset to our team, but more importantly just an amazing person.  Her heart for the children is contagious.

Graciela's first day with us was technically Friday; however, due to the programming project mentioned above, Ari, Matt and I realized we couldn't wait that long and she actually started with us Monday afternoon!  She dropped everything to come over and jump right in to this project.  And we cannot begin to tell you how invaluable her assistance has been with this project.  She understands the inner-workings of the departments and has come up with some great ideas for improving the forms/policies/procedures that we drafted.  God knew the timing on all of this, that is clear.  

 

If you want to catch a glimpse of her, this photo at the bottom of the blog entry is of Ari, me and Graciela at a previous family training event that we did for SENNIAF in Panama where we taught on the effects of institutionalization.  Who knew back then?!

Orphanage Assistance Statistics

As promised in our last email, I thought you all might want to know our current stat's on volunteer/orphanage projects.  So here goes:
  • 55 Baby Holding Volunteers (& growing...) at Malambo: Coordination on a weekly basis,  
  • 3 Godparenting Families: Coordination to take 10 children from an orphanage on a regular basis (with 3 more Families signed up to start in August),  
  • 2 Short-term Teams from the US: Coordination with local NGOs to perform needed work in the orphanages (1 of college kids and 1 next week of teachers),
  • 1 local High School (115 students): Coordination of their Social Service projects for the 2011-2012 school year, to perform work in 3 orphanages.  
  • 4 National Families hoping to adopt: working with them on the process locally (along with many calls throughout the week re the same) 
Can you see that a lot is happening?!  THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING A PART of this great work of God in Panama.  His hand is moving, and we are walking forward - 1 day at a time.  Your continued support helps make all this work possible.  We are truly grateful.

 

For financial donations, please contact us at Heart's Cry Children's Ministry.  Or, Donate Now on our website.   



Sincerely,
 Misty, Matt and Peter Hedspeth

Coffee Event Results



We had a wonderful time meeting many of you and sharing with you all about HCCM at our recent Coffee Event on June 15th.  

 

Hopefully we were able to give you a taste of what all we've been up to since 2008 and then lay the vision for where we see things going for the next few years.  At the end of the night, there were:   

  • 50 guests in attendance 
  •  Monthly Pledges made totaling $530  
  • $1,350 in one-time donations made  

We are so grateful to all who came, who donated and those who helped with the event.  THANK YOU!! 

 

If you want information on how to donate:  

please contact us at Heart's Cry Children's Ministry.   

Or, simply go on our  

Donate Now  

page and you can see how. 

Remember:  Your donations keep this ministry going financially!