Here is an update for Easter from Riga, Latvia. In Riga, we work with children with special needs.

Riga has a population of about 65,000 and Latvia has a total of about 2 million.

Owls are important in Latvia as many varieties flourish there.

Dear sponsors!

As you celebrate this wonderful Easter holiday when Christ gave His life for us willingly and unconditionally, we should extend the same love to family, friends, and others around us.

God reminds us that His faithfulness and power have no end, and His ability to work in us, through us, is not having been in vain.

Thank you for your tremendous love and blessings over the lives of children and their families. Your support and favor towards children in Latvia have been appreciated very much.

Happy Easter!

Velki Association Riga Latvia

Feedback Christmas "living gifts"

by Dennis Thern | March 19, 2021

The distribution of goats and chickens after the Christmas campaign 2020 has ended. Many thanks to everyone who donated a gift to this popular campaign. Without our donors, nothing would have happened.

Again, thanks to all the generous donors, we have now distributed these gifts to vulnerable families in our projects. They were especially appreciated this time because of the prolonged pandemic that lingers on and affects the poor in the world at a much higher rate.

Since the goat and chicken program was initiated in Haiti in 2009, thousands of goats and hens have been distributed to children in poor villages in our project countries. These animals are popular as they are cheap to operate and manage very well on their own. Yes, we feel it is a micro-business too.

The gifts were ordered, among other things, in our gift shop www.starshop.us/shop, and the customers who asked, received gift certificates to give away to loved ones. Our warmest thanks to everyone who chose to give away these Christmas presents for the benefit of the Star of Hope and the children we help!

Thanks to you, families now have an opportunity for a better and more hopeful future. Each gift makes a big difference for the recipients.

Feel free to visit our gift shop to give away a gift with added value by clicking here. Enjoy some chosen photographs from this year's delivery. 

See more reporting from Christmas here, https://www.starofhope.us/christmasMMXX

Blessings

How about some feel-good news, the reports and videos are coming in!

This one is from Argentina. Blessings

Reporting back on the Joy You gave at Christmas 2020.

For over 30 years, we have distributed Christmas packages and presents to the needy in our project countries. It has always been very appreciated and welcomed by the children, the recipients. Many thanks to all of you who have been involved and contributed to the success over the years! This Christmas, in light of the current pandemic, the Christmas packages meant a lot to many hard-pressed families. Also, the presents were tweaked to essential items too, tweaked to help more due to Corona.

Our gifts, presents, and livestock are purchased via our webshop (www.starofhope.us/shop) and then the actual purchase is done in the country, a benefit to all involved. This, in turn, allows us to reach more vulnerable families in each country.

Now we have started to receive images of joy and several nice film clips from the giving, yes it takes a while to get the reports in yet here is what happened after you gave for Christmas.

God bless you all!

From Argentina a great video thanking you! 

 From Argentina another great video thanking you! 

 From The Philippines one of the best and informative thank you for Christmas videos! 

 A fantastic report and Christmas thanks from Romania. 

Greetings from Ghana, special Christmas greetings! 

 Brazil is the birthplace of Star of Hopes development work, Merry Christmas, and thank you from Brazil.

Kenya, with a smile and many thanks, a Christmas thank you. 

We feel photographs still talk loudest! Click on any photograph to see a larger version.

Feedback Christmas "living gifts"
by Dennis Thern | March 19, 2021

The distribution of goats and chickens after the Christmas campaign 2020 has ended. Many thanks to everyone who donated a gift to this popular campaign. Without our donors, nothing would have happened.

Again, thanks to all the generous donors, we have now distributed these gifts to vulnerable families in our projects. They were especially appreciated this time because of the prolonged pandemic that lingers on and affects the poor in the world at a much higher rate.

Since the goat and chicken program was initiated in Haiti in 2009, thousands of goats and hens have been distributed to children in poor villages in our project countries. These animals are popular as they are cheap to operate and manage very well on their own. Yes, we feel it is a micro-business too.

The gifts were ordered, among other things, in our gift shop www.starshop.us/shop, and the customers who asked, received gift certificates to give away to loved ones. Our warmest thanks to everyone who chose to give away these Christmas presents for the benefit of the Star of Hope and the children we help!

Thanks to you, families now have an opportunity for a better and more hopeful future. Each gift makes a big difference for the recipients.

Feel free to visit our gift shop to give away a gift with added value by clicking here. Enjoy some chosen photographs from this year's delivery. 

We are calling your heart! Christmas is soon and we ask you to give through Star of Hope and Tent Mission to help a child!

Be a Christmas blessing to one in need, personalized in honor of cards are available.

Visit the Christmas Shop 

Goats and chickens again, well yes of course. When you and your family participate this year in our mostly “Pay it Forward” gift program, you become a “Star of Hope". Together, with your help, we can impact lives around the world. This year the pandemic has created a situation that our 50 years of helping children have never seen. The Men women and children we help are much worse off than the poorest here at home. Our kids are in a bad place due to Covid but you and your family can be a light of hope and a blessing, just a simple gift will shatter their darkness.

This year's catalog is different, most all items are specifically designed to fight the lingering effects of the pandemic. We now ask you to act, do one of 3 things please:

1. Visit the Web Shop

2 Print Legal size Catalog and take it to your church for insertion into the bulletin.  

3. Print 1-page (2up) Letter size Catalog and give 1 page to a few friends.

Star of Hope and Tent Mission, a 50-year-old organization has the aim to help children far away with their lives right now by giving them hope and the message of love from the Gospel of Christ.

The pandemic has reduced our income drastically. To provide just the basic needs like food, water, and evangelization to our 20,000 kids and their families is a strain. We want to still do Christmas for the children. We are hoping you through this Christmas campaign, will fill in the gaps to provide a year-end surprise to the children. You can make it a reality.

Providing bible-based missions to marginalized children is so very vital to who we are as Christians. It is our mandate, a biblical mandate as well. If work of this sort stops due to the Pandemic how will the lost hear the Gospel?

Send your bread across the water? We are facilitating you sending your bread (gift) to them. Not prosperity by any means, though; Ecclesiastes 11:1 & Galatians 6:9 show us clearly to send it. I usually think, time, talent, or treasure.
This work is what we at Star of Hope and Tent Mission do, missions as directed by scripture. We ask and need your help; every single gift is precious.

Thank you and Blessings to you and the Church body.
For the kids I ask you, please say yes and visit the shop or print the catalog.

That is it you are done. Unless you want to help us distribute the catalog. If you are interested take the next step, help us distribute the 2020 Christmas catalog to like-minded people, groups, and Churches: 

Print the full catalog on letter duplex color or B&W

Christmas-Giving-Guide-2020---inlet.pdf

Christmas-Giving-Guide-2020-outside.pdf

Print on legal duplex color or B&W

Fold and combine - or send it to your printer!

Here is a mini 2 per page Christmas bulletin insert for printing.

Christmas_catalog_mini_letter_duplex_flip_short_edge_-_2_up.pdf

In the online catalog, Star of Hope works with local people groups in 14 countries to identify the greatest needs. Your donations will purchase real gifts, from goats to books, and everything in between to fill those needs.

Our own Maria Presson talks about the results, "I have seen with my own eyes the positive impact your generous giving has had on the families and communities we serve,” states Maria. “I had the privilege to travel many times to project countries at this time of year. I have met many children and families who are blessed to be recipients of Star of Hope’s support, thanks to donors like you. It is a blessing that the education programs and the “pay it forward” program are helping, and will continue to give meaning, and change lives now, and in the future.”

When our Star of Hope teams deliver these life-changing gifts to children and families, we personally witness the hope and gratitude in their eyes. Together we can create real change in the lives of children, families, and communities through your generous contributions. Thank you for giving hope, prosperity, and a future to so many in need.

Blessings and wishing you and yours a beautiful holiday season.

Maria Eriksson Presson 

COO Star of Hope

Yes, you can do more to halp[ a small child get some hope and Joy!

I think it is such a blessing to send a small gift to those who are in need this Christmas.

Need help or want printed copies, call us at 866 653 0321 

The online version is also open for all at www.starofhope.us/shop

God Bless you and yours

You might like to know how things look at our projects right now or more specifically how are the kids doing? Children and families at our projects experience life much differently than you might think. 

The Covid pandemic has made things worse for those who have less. Just like in your neighborhood, people who have more have suffered less so it goes to reason that those who had less to start with have it much worse. 

I have seen poverty and know what it means to live on a dollar a day. Not that I have but I have worked and liver in project countries entrenched with the very poor. Think for a moment who might happen if your dollar a day floats down to zero. If you have no job or allowed mobility you are in a tough place.

As Christmas approaches, we have come to grips that we will curb our standard extra Christmas giving and parties.

Our kids are hoping for a small Christmas gift and you can help, visit www.starofhope.us/shop and provide just one or more gifts to the extremely vulnerable.

Here is a short update on our project countries work and situation

. 

Argentina
There are a large number of infections and the people are being severely affected in many ways. Large parts of Argentina and Sáenz Peña are closed from time to time. Our vocational school is closed for the time being. At the preschool, distance-learning takes place. They receive homework that their parents pick up at school. This and food delivery is complicated due to many restrictions, but our team is trying. Thankfully, they can meet up to 70 families per day for such activities. Mattresses have also been distributed to the needy. After the spring campaign, we handed out winter clothes and shoes.


Belarus
Here we have relatively normal circumstances in some areas and lockdowns in others. Many meetings with parents groups and activities have been arranged normally. October’s Mother's Day was celebrated normally in Belarus, But some districts did activities for Mother's Day online.


Brazil
In Sao Paulo, our projects have been closed since last spring and have not opened back up yet. They have home activities where the teachers instruct parents via phone/videos.
In Montes Claros, the school has remained closed, but there have been some activities, such as Children's Day in mid-October.


The Philippines
School started in October, four months behind schedule. All teaching takes place remotely online. For children who do not have access to electronic equipment such as tablets or mobile phones, a "modular teaching strategy" is utilized. This means that parents can pick up the educational material at school, together with prepared worksheets. The parents can then help their children solve the tasks and return the forms to the school to have the teachers evaluate and grade them.
We arranged food distribution and homeschooling earlier in the pandemic.
On November 1, The Philippines was hit by tropical storm Goni. Thank God our schools and sponsor children were not affected. As a precautionary measure, our school in Infanta was used as a rescue center for the families who were worse off. Luckily we came away without any injuries.
A few days later, The Philippines was hit by a tropical storm Vamco. Both our schools in Taytay and Infanta were flooded. It was worse in Infanta about 50 families took refuge in our school for a few days.


Ghana
Schools are closed until January. They continue to homeschool in all projects.
We have done food distributions during the pandemic, and another one is planned before the end of the year.

Awana is planned to start up as soon as the government will allow.


Haiti
The academic year 2019-20 was significantly delayed and finally ended in October. The new school year began on November 9, about two months behind schedule.
We have accomplished food distribution a couple of times during the pandemic.
The lockdowns have hurt the more impoverished countryside people in Haiti. They have not been able to go to the markets to sell their harvest or livestock.

Awana is planned to start up as soon as the government will allow.


Kenya
Here public functions have been shut down now and then. This has created significant problems on many levels in the Mikindani slum where we work outside Mombasa. Hunger, unemployment, teenage pregnancies, and also sexual exploitation and prostitution among young girls are the greatest problems.
We have distributed food packages regularly. We have organized homeschooling.
The schools in the country have opened up gradually. First, it was higher education (high school, university, and vocational schools). Then we opened up our sewing school. After that, a couple of grades have started (grades 4 and 8 as they are the last years per educational level).
However, we have first adapted and renovated the schools.
We have also started a support group for vulnerable girls and their families in Mikindani and have distributed sanitary items to the girls.

Awana is planned to start up, but the training is delayed.


Latvia
There were shutdowns and a state of emergency at the beginning of the pandemic. The schools we support for children with disabilities were closed and the children have stayed at home.
On November 9, a new state of emergency was introduced with many more closures and restrictions. For our sponsor children, this means that the children in grades six and up stay at home.


Romania & Moldova
There have been lockdowns and restrictions, partly at the national level, somewhat at the municipal level. We have carried out home tuition and distributed food packages in our projects.
Our centers for children with various disabilities and resource centers for vulnerable children are open but with multiple restrictions.
A recent rule is that all children older than five years must wear masks at school, at our centers, and in the city. In Dimancheni, the women at our sewing school have learned to make masks that are used by the children in the project.


Russia
Here things are relatively normal. Career orientation for single mothers at Grace Center continues. Supplies have been distributed to the schools that the partner organization supports.


Trinidad
Our schools have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. A couple of weeks ago activities and businesses have started to open up again, however, our schools are still closed.
The teachers have tried homeschooling online. However, this is very difficult because many families do not have the right equipment. We have distributed food and tried to raise the families’ morale.

Can you help with the work? https://www.starofhope.us/give

Can you give him or her a Christmas gift? https://www.starofhope.us/shop

M Presson