2013 Year End Report for Thriving Villages

Hello everyone,

We are happy to provide a 2013 Year End Report for your reading!  Please see the attachment.  We do not intend to convey a message that this represents "our work".  Please see this report as a celebration of many of the good things that we have played some small part of and/or took witness to related to the people of Pestel.  We view this as God's goodness being poured out on the people of Pestel, and we pray that each of us will be encouraged to trust Him more.  

At the end of the Year End Report is a 2-page Update.   This is a new format that we are trying out to help convey information.  Please let us know what your thoughts are about this format.   Also, if anyone has interest in helping develop these types of reports we would be most grateful!   We can provide the content if someone wants to help with the formatting for the updates/reports.

Thank you for your part in this.   We hope your joy increases as your read through this!

On behalf of the Thriving Villages Board,

Ben

PS  if there are any typos in the document it's my fault!  :)

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

A great way to start a new year!

Pestel High School Education Fund 

We are really thrilled to report that over the month of December, through the generosity of so many, we collected $9286.25 for completion of the classrooms at the High School in Pestel!  Here is the response from Father Parnel who oversees the school:

Dr,Ben,

I received your letter with  joy. I am very glad for the donations. On behalf of school `` Saint François d',Assise of Pestel`` I tell you thank you very much, Dr Ben , On behalf of school of `` Saint François d'Assise of Pestel`` I say to all friends of Pestel thank you  very much also.  It is a grand gesture.I continue to pray God for you.

God bless you !

 

Fr, Parnel

We are thrilled!   A note from our Chair, Dr. John Eby:

Thanks to God and your generosity the opportunities for students to get a good education in Pestel have increased significantly.  It is indeed a joy and privilege to partner with a school in Pestel that carries the name of Saint Francis of Assisi. and incarnates his well known prayer.  Through our support we have become  instruments of God's peace and have brought hope where there is despair.  Thanks from the board of TVI.

John W. Eby, Chair

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

Let's Build A School!

Hi all,

We've added a new button to the website, "Let's Build  A School!" so that visitors can learn more about our hope to help finish the high school in Pestel.   Please feel free to pass this along:

http://www.thrivingvillages.com/

Thanks to all who have donated!  

Some highlights from 2013 (so far!  :)

• January--Purchased 6 motor cycles for the field health workers.  Reports from our last Vitamin A campaign showed that their effectiveness increased by at least 30%
• March--Miss World Team & Variety International traveled to Pestel & produced a moving video of their experiences.  We stay at the new Guest House in Ferier with Sisters Fidelis, Jo and Vicky!
• April--Well-drilling effort undertaken but unsuccessful.  Water Missions International begins Plan B approach.
• May--Variety International pledged to increase their annual commitment to bring the 19 field health workers back up to full time status!!
• June--Thriving Villages gets a new website thanks to the hard work of individuals at Deloitte!  Thanks especially to Sheldon who continues to maintain it!!
• August--Field health workers begin widespread immunization effort throughout all of Pestel for the first time!  Kids in Pestel are still dying from preventable diseases like tetanus, but we are now addressing this.
• September--Miss World Team has raised substantial funds to help kick-off a 'pilot' project in Duchity (southern aspect of Pestel region) in conjunction with John Ball's team!!  Efforts to begin in full force in January.  Effort aims to reach 2000 households with an entrepreneurial-based approach to providing household ceramic water filters.
• November--Miss World Team revisits Haiti but an accident requires an emergency medical air evacuation for one team member and an in-country surgery for one boy.  Both are recovering slowly.
• December--wouldn't it be great to add a line to this list about raising funds to help complete a high school?!?   :)

There are some potentially really wonderful projects in-development that we will send along to you as plans become a bit more solid.  Also, several new individuals and organizations have learned about the needs in Pestel this year and have begun to engage and work together.

We also hope to put together a compilation of exciting activities and initiatives that our friends and partner organizations have undertaken in Pestel this past year!   

May we find joy in this work, perseverance in our efforts, wisdom in our decisions, and humility in our approach.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ben

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

The Bridge

Hi all,

My alma mater, Messiah College, just released the latest edition of The Bridge--its quarterly publication.   You'll see a couple of nice photos from our friend Steve Miller (http://stevemillerphotography.net/), an article that includes some comments from Yours Truly, and a mention of Thriving Villages!

Please check it out!

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/messiah/bridge_2013fall/#/0

Perhaps folks reading the article will check out our website/blog and read about the opportunity to establish a new high school in Pestel!!

Ben

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

Fwd: Opportunity to help establish high school in Pestel

Education in Pestel, Haiti is a priority area for Thriving Villages International.

We have an opportunity to invest in the next generation and complete a high school for students in Pestel!  Basic construction is complete on a 3-room high school in Pestel, and Thriving Villages is looking for partners to invest in the education of rural Haitians.  The $10,000 needed would complete construction of three high school classrooms – lay flooring, construct doors, benches, and chalkboards – at St. Francis school in Pestel.  More than that, it would give hope and a future to a region that desperately needs both.

The Board of Thriving Villages would like to invite you to participate in this important and joy-filled opportunity.  After prayerful consideration and a lot of good discussion, we feel confident that God will provide, the funds will be well-used, and people both here and in Pestel will rejoice when the buildings are finished! 

To donate, visit our website at http://www.thrivingvillages.org, our blog at http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/, or send a check to Thriving Villages International, 1601 Susan Lane Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.  Please write "Education Fund" in the memo.  

Thanks for your love and support.  We pray that the outpouring of relief to some of the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere continues as well, as we work to provide education, medical supplies, clean water, and hope for the people in Pestel, Haiti.  

Ben

PS   Please see the attached letter for more detailed information.

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

Latest update from Miss World Organization

http://www.missworld.com/News/2013-11-07/Megan-Young-Speaks-to-Missworldcom/

I am glad to see Megan and Julia in higher spirits.  Several of you have written me and indicated how impressed you are with how the Miss World Team has dealt with these very difficult and traumatic circumstances.  Personally I have been humbled by the true grace with which they have moved along each step of this.  They were placed in a very difficult and scary situation abruptly.  Both Julia and Megan indicate in this latest press release that they remain committed (perhaps more than ever?) to turn this situation into something good for the people of Pestel.   

The shock waves of trauma can reverberate well after the initial event, and I would ask that we continue to pray for healing and restoration for those who were involved in this.

Thanks

Ben

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

Short video from Miss World Organization

Hi all,

This was just posted as a follow-up to the recent accident in Haiti:

http://www.missworld.com/News/2013-11-07/Haiti-Accident-Update-Megan-Young-Interview/

Please continue to pray for Julia as she works through the recovery process.

Ben

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila