From Dennis on Nias

Jochebed's Choice Children's Home Report

The children's home is now serving 17 children, ages 6-12. Each child has a sponsor. These kids came from the poorest of the poor families. Only one is an orphan. Others have lost one parent each. This was, no doubt, a significant factor in their extreme poverty. We look for children who would never see a doctor when sick, either would not go to school at all or would drop out quickly, have inadequate nutrition and in short have a life always struggling to survive. I don't doubt at all that some of these kids would not have been alive to see their 16^th birthday. We took them to a doctor and got rid of worms. Internal parasites consume 20% of the nutritional value of any food eaten. They now eat well. They have anything they need for school, and after school three days a week we provide private instruction to help them catch up. Most of them are behind their grade level. One boy who was in 4^th grade last year didn't know his ABCs. The school near the children's home is working with us. They put him in 2^nd grade which is a challenge for him but it won't be much longer. Most of them have never had a store bought toy. Some of them had never seen a bar of soap. Our staff had a problem getting them to wear underwear—when you are poor enough thats one luxury you don't have. (Ever think about underwear as a luxury?) In less than three months the director of the home, Bazaruhdin, himself just a junior high graduate (his father died when he was in junior high, he dropped out of school but later finished in a program like the GED program in the U.S.) has them so polite, eager to learn, sharing, singing songs kids enjoy and leading prayes that would make any grandparent proud. His wife, Wati, and two single girls do the cooking, washing and cleaning under the direction of Yani, wife of Ceri, the coordinator of what we do in Nias. I feel so inadequate when it comes to explaining what this home is doing and will do for these kids. The property purchased in February is 22 kilometers from town and 3 kilometers from the airport, on the main road of the island. The land is 90' x 200'. It had a seven bedroom, two bath house with a kitchen, dining room, living room and large halls. It needed painting, electrical updates, a new tin roof and minor renovations to be suitable for our purpose. We added a third bathroom, built an 8' brick wall around the entire property for security and dug a well. We have since built a 25' x 40' multipurpose building. Construction has begun on a partial second floor which will have four rooms for children and a room for a single assistant dorm parent. This will let us take 12-14 more children. We hope to have this done by January so we can take the children at semester break from school. $12,000. is needed NOW to let us give a home to another 12-14 children. This includes furniture and a fourth bathroom. If we play it safe and wait until the dollars are in the bank to start construction it may not be finished in time to take the kids January 1^st. We can only count on getting kids in school July lst and January lst. We also need a late model used pickup. There is always something that needs to be hauled to or from the children's home. Other parts of the work can use it from time to time. $7,000. should purchase the pickup in the provincial capital of Medan over 20 hours from Nias, bring it to us and do the necessary paperwork to transfer ownership. The kids need playground equipment. We will purchase this as funds are in hand. We would like to provide four pieces of equipment: swings, slide, teeter totter and some climbing bars perhaps. Each will cost $350. so there is a need for $1,400. We will feed, clothe and educate these children. We will feed and train their souls.