Project Linus

We would like to extend our gratitude to The Greater Boston Chapter of Project Linus for sending down bundles of homemade blankets, hats, and other knit items to our Nuestros Pequenos Hermanso (NPH) homes in Honduras, Haiti, and Nicaragua this year. With so many �brothers and sisters,� our children are overjoyed to have something they can truly call their own. 

Project Linus is an organization committed to providing children who are ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need with blankets and afghans lovingly created by volunteers. Nancy Kearns, a Greater Boston Chapter Coordinator, says that one of the best things about being a part of their organization is the wonderful people she has met which span across religions, cultures, and generations. Volunteers range from brownie girl scouts to retirees looking for something to be a part of. 

Nancy first heard about NPH and the network of orphanages that they support through a local Irish Hearts for Haiti event supporting our NPH home in Haiti last year. Nancy wanted to help support our NPH children by offering them beautifully knit items made by Project Linus volunteers, that the children can use and snuggle up with. Orchard Cove, a retirement community in Canton, Mass., has a group of retirees that meet on a weekly basis to contribute their time and talent to the mission of Project Linus. For some of these volunteers, their passion for the organization stems from being on the receiving end. One of the women in the Orchard Cove group said that she had had an ill three-month-old daughter in the hospital who was given a Project Linus blanket. She added that she was happy that she was now able to help provide blankets to children in similar situations, and through their connections with NPH, can now provide blankets to children all over the world. 

When shown pictures of pequenos in Honduras proudly wearing the hats and showing off the blankets that the group knit, the volunteers could not help but to smile and comment on how cute the children were. One of the knitters said, �I�m so glad I�m doing something for someone that desperately needs it.� NPH would like to thank Project Linus for their continued support. 

October Homes Update!

We'd love to share with you just a few great and wonderful things happening in our homes. 

In Mexico we had a new group arrive just a few weeks ago, including a baby, just 1 year old, with his brother and sister, along with another set of siblings. In Miacatl?n we have a new sustainable project called Biobolsa, which is a �biodigestive� system. It uses the pig manure to create gas in the kitchen. 

In Haiti at St. Helene, we once again opened our doors to 26 new children, and twenty of our oldest children moved to the Don Bosco program to continue their studies. There are plans underway to drill a water-well on the St. Helene campus, and in addition there will be a water purification system put in place so that our 410 children will all benefit from clean drinking water. We'll no longer have to buy water and wait for it to be brought up the mountain by truck. At the Father Wasson Angels of Light (FWAL) program we held a great  summer camp where we had many activities for the children including basketball, volleyball and soccer. The St. Anne Baby House accepted 7 new toddlers and infants and has a solar project on the way to provide electricity in the new house for its 37 children. Also, construction of the FWAL Preschool is almost finished!

In Nicaragua our dance and music team is currently touring throughout the US sharing with everyone about Nicaragua, NPH and our culture by showing off their talents! The Samaritan Project continues to provide physical and occupational therapy to patients on Ometepe Island, and the construction at Casa Padre Wasson are going well. 

In El Salvador, Elena, one of our youths just graduated from nursing school, and is eager and able to begin her professional life! We have also had 10 successful months of supporting two of our children most in need, Manuel and Wendy, and their healthcare needs. 

In Guatemala we just celebrated our 16th Anniversary!  

In the DR we recently welcomed five new children (3 girls and 2 boys) into our home, and we also began our first year of 10th grade in our on-site school. 

In Bolivia we had 21 sheep arrive at our home this month to begin the new farming project. This project not only allows a new vocational workshop for our students but also a sustainable program to provide food for our home. The construction of our clinic and 4 classrooms is advancing quickly and should be completely finished around the spring of 2013. 

Thank you for all your support to help build our facilities into homes for the children who rely on us.

Pure water for Peru

Below is a news story about a wonderful recent development at NPH Peru reported by Monika Babski, Communications Officer. 

At the end of this summer, everyone at NPH Peru was proud to say we were able to solve one of our biggest concerns. Thanks to the support of donors like you, we were able to provide access to clean and potable water for all at our home. We installed a water filtration system that allows everyone to drink water right from the tap. 

Water is a huge issue in Peru, and the country is called South America?s most water stressed country. On average, surface water in Peru is abundant. Nevertheless, it is unequally distributed. This is especially true in the coastal area where our home and the country?s major cities are located. The land where our home lies is very dry. The capital, Lima, is more than nine times bigger than Peru?s next largest city. It's also the second largest city located in a desert after Cairo. 

Another big problem in Peru is that water treatment is rare, and most of the water is contaminated with parasites putting the population?s health at risk. In Peru drinking water does not meet WHO standards, and unfortunately, there is no national movement to improve the quality of the drinking water. Everybody is used to buying bottled water or boiling it before consuming it. We all did too before this important project was materialized. Our water?s level of hardness was way too high for human consumption. It was also contaminated by bacteria and parasites because the source for our water stems from the Rio Ca?ete, which is a polluted river. 

After the disinfection, painting of the water tower and the cistern, the equipment was finally installed. It includes a chlorine filter, an active carbon water filter, a sand trap and water softener equipment. Once the water goes through the whole filtration process it becomes free of bacteria and any other contaminants. At the same time, the water hardness goes down to 250, which is the required value for potable water. This project has been a fundamental improvement in the quality of life for our children, staff and volunteers. Now our whole family can drink water from the tap without being worried.

Thank you to all our Friends!