Party To Benefit Orphanage

Rua D' Arte is sponsoring "Then 'n Now" Parties. These parties will be regularly scheduled and each party will benefit a local charity. The first party will benefit Infantario 1º de Maio. Here are the details:

Date: August 7, 2009

Time: 19:00

Place: Rua D'Arte (Maputo, Mozambique)

Pass along the information to friends and make sure you attend.

For more information please email then.n.now.party@gmail.com

Bonus Delivery

This month there was a bonus delivery. They were in need of cooking oil and a pot to make the baby cereal. So I dropped it off today. They were very grateful. Luka and I made the delivery and it gave him a chance to visit everyone and say hello. They can't believe how big he is.

He also got to play on the new playground equipment!

July Delivery

This month we had a donation from overseas. Thank you Oma Stolk (JJ's Grandmother)! Together with Santé's monthly donation we were able to buy:

- Diapers (500)

- Soy Baby Formula (6 cans)

- Replacement Nipples for Bottles (6)

- Baby Cereal (9 boxes)

- Baby & Toddler Shoes (20 pairs)

- Large Plastic Serving Bowls (2)

They still need cooking oil and a pot to make the soup and cereal for the babies. They have to share with the rest of the kids at the orphanage and with so many babies at the moment it might be easier to have their own. I will buy one tomorrow and make an additional delivery this month.

June Delivery

I would like to my friend Salut this month. Since I was away on holiday she took the time to buy the goods and make the delivery. Thank you my friend!

With her hard work and and Santé's monthly contribution we were able to buy:

- Diapers (126)

- Soy Baby Formula (3 cans)

- Regular Formula (10 cans)

- Portable Electric Range (1)

- Washcloths (50)

- Small spoons (36)

Total Spent = 5,746 MZN = $205 USD

May Delivery

Thank you to Santé and the Engelhard Family for their donations this month. We delivered the following items to the orphanage:

- Diapers (600)

- Soy Baby Formula (9 cans)

- Regular Baby Formula (5 cans)

- Stuffed Animal Donation

Total Spent = 2,116.70 ZAR = $255 USD

April Delivery

Thank you to Santé and my friends from Spain for their generous contributions this month:

- Diapers (555)

- Soy Baby Formula (9 cans)

- Regular Baby Formula (5 cans)

- Electric Razors to cut babies' hair (2)

- Bottle Sterilizers (2)

- Sterilizing Fluid (2 bottles)

- Baby Bottles (9)

Total Spent = 2,709.25 ZAR = $325 USD

This month my friend Salut went with me to make the delivery. Here are some photos from our visit:

My Birthday Donation to My Friends at Primeiro de Maio

Dear Friends at Primeiro de Maio -

This week I turned two years old. My mommy and daddy threw me a big party but since I am a very lucky boy and I have everything I can possibly need I asked mommy to talk to my friends and ask them that instead of bringing a present for me, if they could bring some presents for you guys!

I remember when I was there we needed formula, diapers and food. So here is my present to you:

- Diapers (440)

- Soy Baby Formula (2 cans)

- Regular Baby Formula (2 cans)

- Maize meal (one BIG bag)

- Baby Clothes

- Canned goods

Thank you to all my friends that brought all these great presents!

To my friends at the orphanage, please make sure to eat all your food and get plenty of rest. I visit you very soon. I also posted a photo so you can see how much I have changed since the day mommy and daddy brought me home.

Love,

Luka

March Delivery

Thank you to Santé for increasing their donation amount again this month. A thank you also goes out to Maputo's Grupo Latino and the Spear Family for their generous donations this month. We were able to deliver these items to the orphanage:

- Diapers (338)

- Soy Baby Formula (11 cans)

- Baby Bottles (3)

- Bananas

Total Spent = 1,567.05 ZAR = $188 USD

February Delivery

This month we realized that buying the products in Maputo can prove to be very expensive. From now on we will try to purchase the items in South Africa. This way we can stretch the dollars as far as possible. This month we delivered:

- Diapers (182)

- Soy Baby Formula (2 cans)

Total Spent = 2,000 MZN = $72 USD

When we arrived at the orphanage for the delivery we noticed the babies looked much better than on our first visit a couple of months ago. The two babies that are lactose intolerant and are now receiving soy formula are growing and looking much healthier.

Santé has also agreed to send a weekly delivery of fresh fruits so that they can make fruit puree for the babies. Thank you Sante!

January

This month there was not a delivery as Nadia and I were both on holiday and out of town. We are hoping to have someone to hand off the program to in the future when we are out of town so that we don't have to skip a month.

December Delivery

This was our first delivery as part of the program. This month's donation came from Santé and the van Herksen Family. We are hoping and that every month we can continue to supply the orphanage with much needed supplies. Here is what we delivered this month:

- Infant Cereal (18 boxes)

- Diapers (480)

- Soy Baby Formula (6 cans)

- Regular Baby Formula (18 cans)

- Laundry Detergent (4 boxes)

Total Spent = 8,652.70 MZN = $309 USD

The Infant Nutrition Program is Born!

It has been almost one year to the date that we brought our beautiful son Luka home. Most of you know that when we brought Luka home he was 8 months and weighed a little over 3 kg (less than 8 lbs.). As new parents and with all the excitement we didn't realize how tiny he really was. With the grace of God, good nutrition and loads of love Luka has grown up to a normal, healthy and beautiful boy.

As the months went by after we brought Luka home we continued to visit the orphanage on a regular basis. I realized that the babies really had the hardest time in terms of nutrition and development. If a child arrived as a newborn they had a hard time catching up to a suitable weight and size.

In talking to my friend Nadia Brito - a local nutritionist and owner of Santé - she was very interested in the children at the orphanage. We made an appointment to meet with the administrators and told them about our idea of starting a program that would concentrate on the nutrition and well-being of the babies 0 - 24 months.

The photos from our visit are seen above. The children are beautiful and just need some love and extra TLC. Santé has committed to a monthly donation and I (Melissa) will be responsible for visiting the orphanage at the beginning of each month to ask what the babies need most for that month and then do the shopping with the money collected from Santé and other private donations. I will also be stopping by every month for surprise visits with the babies. We will begin next month!