Blog entries

A Oasis Of Grace In The Darkness

Guest Blogger — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:35:47 +0100

GUEST BLOG - Mikael Good, social reporter, documentary photographer, philanthropist, graphic designer, communicator, social commentator and artist. Location Huskvarna,Sweden

Places like Jayer in St. Petersburg are dark places that make far too early graves for young people who never stood a real chance in life. Even if the situation is tough for young adults who´s graduated from institutions in Russia there are some oasis of Grace to be ...

Graduates, a prime factor in our work.

Mark Presson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:23:46 +0100

School’s produce graduates, children and youth better equipped to succeed. It might be a step for them to the next grade or a job; it could even be a stepping stone to a degree or advanced degree. Whatever the grade level the individual has completed more education will generally give a better collection of education and tools for that person to succeed more in life than without an education; a generalization yes, but for the most part absolutely a truism.

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Plain old water.

Mark Presson — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0100

Water, just plain old water and yet life giving. So easily we take for granted our clean fresh water, yet not even in the Midwest especially Kansas are we completely spared from water troubles, just think about the fields the last few years, an entire section of the USA is currently affected and the outcome for more farmers than ever is up to chance alone. Right now there is a bit more than the last 3 years however some US farmers have used up their allotment for the year!

We ended up having a meal at the seaside, a beautiful sight available to the poorest!

Haiti Day 4 Nancy Wetig

Star Team — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:20:07 +0100

Haiti Day 4 worked on putting up the hurricane ties on day 4, but my favorite part of the day was meeting the little girl Ellinwood Hosptial in Kansas will be sponsoring. This little angel touched many hearts when she was found wandering around after the earthquake. She has many medical needs but was still taken in by a family of 10! What I observed during my visit to this familys home was that they only had 2 beds. All the kids seemed happy and well kept.&...

Haiti -Day 4

Star Team — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:20:01 +0100

Team completed their work at Rigaud. They installed the hurricane ties on 50% of the school. Not bad for 2 days work!

Alec Wetig and his Dad Jamie played football (soccer) with neighborhood kids. (they used an old basketball) Then they tried to teach the kids American football without words since they do notspeak kreyol.

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International Day of Happiness!

Dennis Thern — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:52:56 +0100

Today is the first ever International Day of Happiness!

Barry Borror — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:01:12 +0100

One of the things I am privileged to experience is leading StarTeams. Right now I am in Haiti with a team comprised of a family. Three generations of the same family. As Haiti makes its impression they grow and come to better understand the fantastic people of Haiti.

Today at the Boyer school, they were mobbed by the children. All 400 plus that were in attendance today. They loved to touch and be close to the "blanc". The youth were excited when Alec brought out an American Footbal...

Haiti Day 2 - Jamie Wetig

Star Team — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:41:03 +0100

Haiti Day 2 (The Need Is Great)

Today we had the opportunity to deliver over 100lbs of school supplies, as well as a suitcase full of shoes, and several soccer balls, football balls, and basketballs to two schools.

It was a great experience meeting the students and staff at Boyer School, but I soon realized that the need is GREATER than I could have ever imagined. I wish I could have given more..., but we simply didn't have enough. Some of these children walk up to three mi...

Haiti Day 1 - Jamie Wetig

Star Team — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:37:22 +0100

Day 1 in Haiti. I cannot describe the poverty and living conditions, about 80% live day to day.
Today was an orientation to where we are staying, which for us is with a Civil Engineer. We have good food and accommodations that really would rival what we have in the U.S., minus the fact that electricity is unreliable, the roads or alley to the house is non-existence, and all around is poverty. ...

The wealthy houses are surrounded by walls, often with barbed wire or broken glass on the...

Haiti day 1 Nancy Wetig

Star Team — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:10:43 +0100

What started as am opportunity to walk across the road and share some candy with a little Hatian girl, that's when it hit me! The realization of just how urgent the needs of this country are. Although we did not speak the same language, we did have something in common, family.
There was a woman that must not have been far away, because as I approached her child she approached me. She began struggling to find words I could understand. She was aski...

Haiti: Deforestation and tree planting

Dennis Thern — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:52:56 +0100

Deforestation in Haiti is a severe environmental problem. In 1923, over 60% of Haiti's land was forested; by 2006, less than 2% was. There are several reasons for that.

It started with the independence Haiti won in 1804. For the freedom France demanded a payment of 90 million gold francs (equivalent to some 20 billion dollar today) for lost property. Haiti's trees were felled and exported to France, in o...

Haiti: Negro Lorisme

Dennis Thern — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:52:56 +0100

At the Star of Hope's school in Rigaud in Haiti, a few years ago I met nine years old Negro Lorisme. He liked school but was also a very responsible boy, just like many other children have to be in Haiti.

After school, it was rarely play and sports that mattered. Instead, he gave the family's pigs water, chopping wood, and helping with other family chores.

The family with eight children was ...

Kenya: time for peace

Dennis Thern — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0100

It has been very political unstable in Kenya over the last couple of year. But will there be “Amani” (peace) for everybody now?

Newly elected Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has hailed his poll win as a "triumph of democracy" and peace. After being declared winner of Monday's poll by the slimmest of margins - 50.07% - Mr Kenyatta said voters had upheld "respect for the rule of law", and...

Haiti: street children

Dennis Thern — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:26:22 +0100

One thing you notice in Haiti when you get there is the large number of street children. Even right outside the airport they wandering around, and around in the capital Port-Au-Prince, you see them everywhere. Many live on the street, others live with their parents in basic shelters.

Children sometimes have lost both their parents and have nowhere to go. Others have previously been slaves and have fled...