Hurricane Sandy stricken Hesse village really bad. Parts of the school roof was destroyed, the water line through the village was broken so it is difficult for the villagers to get water again.

Large areas of crops (bananas, Congo beans and milo) that would be harvested soon was destroyed, and many goats and other animals have died.

The situation is now urgent for the people of Hesse. The only thing they have to eat is what you can find on the ground before it rots. I really suffer with the people of this somewhat shielded part of Haiti. Life is always hard up there in the mountains, but now it is extra tough.

Your donation to the poor and severely affected people in Hesse is needed now more than ever.

You can donate by clicking on this link.

All pictures by Tony Boursiquot, the project manager in Haiti. More pictures available on Flickr.

My father, Ken Borror, turned 86 on Oct 23, 2012. He is active and engaged in all aspects of life. Living in Colorado with my mother Violet, he still volunteers many hours a day to Star of Hope.

He retired from IBM and has brought all that education and experience to Star of Hope as a volunteer. He does computer programming not only for our USA office but also our field offices around the world.

His tireless energy is a true inspiration!

Keep it up, Dad!

Love, Your son

Barry

A few days ago the Haitian president and premier minister issued a State of Emergency i the country. The situation is very serious and Haiti is now also threatened by food shortages and possible starvation.

80-90% of the countries crops are washed away or being destroyed by the flooding. Many have no food or no money to buy food for. Another disaster threatens.

Star of Hope wants to help as many as possible in the projects were we work. First with food supplies, later with farmers tools, seeds and livestock.

Please give your gift here.

Pictures from the major disaster relief in 2008. We need to do it again.

A few years ago I was on a Mother's Day celebration in Latvia. Organizer and participants were a support group for mothers whose children have disabilities. The event was very successful. There was singing, dancing, food, and of course Mother's Day gifts to all mothers. In addition, there came a clown with balloons and entertainment. Participants were all happy and satisfied.

Star of Hope started this support group in the 90's and it has evolved a lot since then. In the beginning the mothers were all shy and embarrassed for their children. But the Star of Hope, along with the group changed attitudes and took down barriers. Today, this group is completely self-sustaining with lots of activities.

It was really fun to go there and see how everyone really appreciated this group's activities and the Star of Hope's employees, who have worked hard to improve the living conditions of these families. Such an event would really like to experience again.

Once again Haiti is paralyzed by a natural disaster. I suffer with the people. Why should one of the world's poorest countries and its extremely vulnerable people suffer again and again? I've been in Haiti after several natural disasters and know how difficult it is for them.

This time, the hurricane Sandy created "flash floods" with flooding and strong winds have broken trees, banana plantations, and many houses have roofing blown away. At least eleven people have been killed at the time of writing.

At least two of the seven schools that Star of Hope works with have suffered.

All photos taken by Star of Hope's employee Tony Boursiquot.

I was thinking about our sponsors today and this quote came across my twitter feed.

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito" -Unknown

It is a great reminder for all of us that even small things can make a real difference. Your sponsorship gift is like that mosquito, it just makes itself known all the time. You cannot get away from its presence and neither can your sponsor child.

Every child that has access to better education because of a sponsor won't forget it.

You shouldn't either.

Barry Borror

President & CEO