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HOPe in Ethiopia

Note: We detailed in our last newsletter that Joe McCarthy, Michael Pryce and Maura Kelly visited Marian Lambert in Ethiopia.  The following letter will be presented at the next members meeting on May 19th at Kerry Hall in Yonkers at 7:30.  The appropriations committee will decide if it should recommend it to membership.  If so, membership will vote to determine if we can  donate the funds requested by Ms. Lambert.  This is an example of how money that HOPe donates can be matched by other organizations, thereby increasing the positive influence we have on these worthy projects. Feel free to join us at our monthly meeting and have your vote be counted!

May 16, 2011

Dear Mary, Mike and Joe,

Greetings from Ireland, I am here at meetings with APA - which are going well.  Mary great coverage, well done - hope more opportunities come your way also.  Its has just been hectic since I returned - over Easter was out selling Easter Eggs as we have a big fund raising campaign.  Hard going this year, but we keep trying.  

Here at the APA meetings we are particularly looking at resources available for 2011. Given the Irish situation these are hard to get so we need to see the priorities and how we move forward. Meeting went very good with a lot of enthusiasm to continue the work and to miss no opportunity to fund raise. I was sharing with them some of our recent experiences of the beneficiaries of the project in Ethiopia, orphan children, housemaids etc 

CVM has an opportunity to assess funds for  the Et. Gojam project from Marche Regional Government  (which is the  Region the CVM office is based in).  Their call is out to request project applications.  One of the criteria's is the partnership both locally and internationally. Locally - we have discussed with the Ascoli Piceno Provience and they will actually present the project to the government line call (which has more funding possibilities than the NGO line). They will also make a contribution of approx 16,000 Euro.  I have discussed with APA also and they too will come in as a partner with a commitment of 15,000 Euro. I attach a short brief of the full project which costs Euro  166.995,32 over 2 years. 

Would HOPe also join the partnership (as it would allow us more points having two international
partners) plus making a financial commitment of approx 20,000 US$ over 2 years?  Your 20,000 US$ would allow us to assess the higher amount from the Region.  This would be great leverage of funds as for every 1 US$ HOPe puts in we may get as many as 10US$ approx via the Region and with the contribuion of the APA, CVM, TBF, and Ascoli Provience Committment.  In other words to the overall project.  

This is the Et. Gojam project where we met the housemaids, bar workers and the girls in the hostel and where we met the shoe shine children. It's a new project over 3 years and we urgently need funds for it . We just signed an agreement with Ethiopian government in March for this project as the previous project concluded in December 2010 and we did not want to close down completely in this Zone as the needs are still so great. 

In relation to what this would mean this year for HOPe's budget would probably mean an additional 6,000 US$ as the project wont start before September - as the deadline is the end of May fro submission, then assessment, and if we are successful - then contract signing. It therefore  may be close to August and September before initiating.  Therefore the first year will most probably run form September 2011 to August 2012.

This is the first time getting this local Government office to actually partnership and to a CVM  project so it's a great opportunity to sensitize re the needs etc in Et. Gojam.

I know also in the US these are difficult times but we must not forget those we have met along the way  and assist other to walk with them to relieve some of the dire hardships and risks they face daily ... so they can smile and live again as whole people.
Take care and thank you for the journey in Ethiopia together.

Blessings
Marian
"HULACHIMN - TOGETHER"

HOPe in India

May 7, 2011

Dear Gerry

Happy Easter...I was working getting ready to go to India - a long waited trip I was looking forward hence the delay in replying you or calling you.  And right now I am in India with the family..

I did pay a visit to St. Joseph Academy - the school is closed for summer (April and May are the summer months in India) and the school will begin in June for the next scholastic year.  The school building work is in progress though slow and steady.

Please convey my best regards to all your family as well to all the Hope members.

With prayerful wishes
Fr. John 

HOPe THRIFT SHOP