Kids Helping Needy Kids

2012-01-06T22:29:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

We hope all of you had a blessed holiday season and wish everyone a very happy new year! Thank you so much to each volunteer who spent last Thursday with us packing and assembling care packages to send to the children in Addis Ababa for Christmas this year. The boxes reached Ethiopia safely, and they will be distributed to the children this week. We are proud to announce that as of December 2011, Kids Helping Needy Kids is sponsoring 48 children!

We came a long way in 2011, and are looking forward to 2012 to be an even better year. With our dedicated friends, sponsors, and volunteers who make up Kids Helping Needy Kids, we look forward to continuing to aid underprivileged children in Ethiopia and making this year better than the last.

If you're on Facebook, check out the facebook page for a few snapshots from the December Care Package Assembly day! Add "KidsHelping NeedyKids" as a friend to receive updates in your NewsFeed periodically.

Blessed

2011-09-27T21:48:00.005-04:00

Many of you may have been wondering how KHNK got the idea to have a 5k race this fall. KHNK is always on the lookout for new ways to fundraise in order to better support all of the children KHNK supports in such tough economic times. Perhaps our most-well known program has been Christmas in a Shoebox which has been conducted at the Calverton School for the past 4 years. In 2009, we sold pizza at Beltsville Day, a community oriented event in Beltsville, MD. Our most recent and most successful fundraiser was the Breakfast Club fundraiser during which we raised almost $2,200 for the children at the Debre Libanos Orphanage to have breakfast for one whole year!

We had been brainstorming for a while, praying for God to show us fresh and innovative ways to raise money this summer. One day, one of our sponsors, Mr. Brandon Greer, told us about a local ministry that was looking for good cause to which they could give the proceeds of the 5k race they were planning in September. Excited at the opportunity to spread the word about KHNK and fundraise, KHNK was eager to get involved. We then met with Pastor Joseph Spears of Ever Increasing Life Ministries and learned more about his passion to reach out to people through sports while giving back to the community. Thoroughly impressed, we humbly accepted his offer for KHNK to be the beneficiary of the proceeds of their 5k run.

We tell you this story for several reasons. One, to demonstrate the beautiful way in which God answered KHNK’s prayers about a new way to fundraise. Two, to thank and commend Brandon for telling us about this great opportunity. Three, to encourage sponsors and friends of KHNK to be on the lookout for new ways for KHNK to raise money.

KHNK would like to thank Brandon Greer for connecting us with Ever Increasing Life Ministries and Pastor Spears.

5k run a success!

2011-09-27T21:47:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday, September 24, 2011 Kids Helping Needy Kids partnered with Ever Increasing Life Ministries to host the first annual 5k run/2m walk for Life. It was definitely a huge success! The forecast predicted a 70% chance of rain but the rain was able to hold off during the race. Several participants chose to run and even more walked. Experienced athletes as well as families came out to support KHNK and Ever Increasing Life Ministries. Prizes were awarded to participants with the best race time in their age category. Special congratulations to the runners who finished in first place: for men, Orsam Ahmed and for women, Andrea Swierczek!

Many, many people were involved in the planning stages as well as in the logistics on the day of the race. We would like to thank them all; the race would not have gone as smoothly as it did without them! A special thank you to our sponsors, friends, and especially Ever Increasing Life Ministries because we were able to receive $1,080 in proceeds!!! We could not be happier with the outcome! We believe this is a great start and we know next year will be an even bigger success.

Top 10 Reasons Why YOU (yes, you) should participate in the 5k!

2011-08-31T17:03:00.001-04:00

Reason #10: Impress your friends! How many people can say they’ve participated in a 5k and given back to the community all in one morning? That’s right, you can.

Reason #9: It’s a win-win situation. Not only will you feel good the rest of the day, but you’ll help needy children too!

Reason #8: Make new friends! Participating in a 5k is a new way to meet other runners who will inspire you to exercise more.

Reason #7: Free stuff! The registration fee includes race refreshments, random prize drawings, and a t-shirt. And who couldn’t use a free t-shirt?

Reason #6: Mix it up! A 5k is a great break from your normal routine.

Reason #5: Appreciate autumn! The race will be held in late September and exercising is always more tempting in cool temperatures.

Reason #4: Time to get healthy! Because driving to work just isn’t considered real exercise anymore.

Reason #3: Dust off those running shoes! You know, the ones at the bottom of your closet you haven’t brought out since the 90’s? Bring ’em back in style and run the race!

Reason #2: This could be the start of a new you! Studies show that one healthy choice can lead to another and impact your whole life. So get out there and run!

Reason #1: Give back. All proceeds go to Kids Helping Needy Kids. Think of how many children will benefit from simply an hour of your time.

Link to Register for 5k run

2011-07-20T21:09:00.004-04:00

http://www.planetreg.com/E7158543238

The moment you've all been waiting for! The 2011 Annual Run for Life registration link is now up and running. As we mentioned in the previous blogpost, the 5k run/2 mi walk is being hosted by Ever Increasing Life Ministries of Cheltenham, MD and Kids Helping Needy Kids is their partner charity.

The race will start and finish at the Brandywine Lions Club (11501 Cherry Tree Crossing Road
Cheltenham, MD). To register for the race online, please use the link above. Registration is $35 total: $15 is for the actual race and the remaining $20 will go directly to KHNK. You will be able to register the day of the race; this will begin at 6:30am that morning. The race will begin at 8am and will be followed by an awards ceremony at 9:30am.

Many of you may be wondering how you can support KHNK if you are out of state or will not be able to make it to the race on September 24. If you would still like to support, you can use the link above to register so that KHNK will receive your monetary donation.

As always, please let us know if you have questions--about the race or anything else. We maintain a continual list of children waiting to be sponsored; please see our website (www.khnkp.org) for more information.

2011 Annual Run for Life

2011-07-14T19:05:00.009-04:00

Do you enjoy running or walking? Are you interested in giving back to those less fortunate? If so, keep reading!

Kids Helping Needy Kids has been given a very exciting opportunity! On September 24, 2011, we will be partnering with Ever Increasing Life Ministries of Cheltenham, MD to host a 5k run/2mi walk. Participants can register in advance online or on site on the day of the race. The online registration link will be posted to our blog and on our facebook page soon. All proceeds will go directly to the children that KHNK supports.

In preparation for this event, the ministry has asked us to recruit volunteers. Examples of volunteer work include passing out water at the race, helping with on-site registration, directing runners, etc. If you are interested, please contact us at kidshelpingneedykids@yahoo.com. Also, please spread the word to family and friends in the DC/MD/VA area! We are very excited for this event and we hope you are too!

5k Run

2011-07-06T19:14:00.003-04:00

As many of you know, it has become slightly challenging to maintain the few sponsorships KHNK has. Many sposnors, although they do the best they can, are finding it hard to keep up with their sponsorship payments. KHNK wouldn't be what it is today without our many faithful sponsors; however when a sponsor does not pay, KHNK pays for them. As a result, we are constantly looking for ways to fundraise. "Christmas in a Shoebox" and "The Breakfast Club" were wildly successful, but we are very excited for our next fundraiser, which is unlike anything we have done before. Thanks to Brandon Greer, our very own sponsor, KHNK will be partnering with Ever Increasing Life Ministries. Together, we will host a 5k run/2mi walk in September 2011! Be on the lookout for more information. We would absolutely love if every sponsor not only participated, but brought some friends along as well. Well that's all for now, folks! Hope you're as excited as we are!

Summer Bookbag Project

2011-07-06T18:54:00.003-04:00

Hello all! Hope everyone's summer has gotten off to a great start! As some of you know, Tsige and Luladay Price will be traveling to Ethiopia for two weeks this July. We are very excited to see the sponsor children and we can't wait to update you on their situations. As shipping has become more and more expensive, we believe this trip is a great opportunity to send a special and useful gift. In preparation for our trip, we have asked that all sponsors put together a light bookbag filled with one t-shirt and a letter to your sponsor child. For our out-of-state sponsors, we ask that you email us a letter and send in $10 so we can shop for you. Please remember that space is limited and the care package needs to be very light. Rolling bookbags will not be accepted. Any other items placed in the bookbag (besides a letter and a t-shirt) cannot be sent due to space and weight constraints. The bookbags are due by July 15th. If it is not possible for you to drop it off at the Price residence, please let us know and we can work out a pick-up time. If you have any questions, please let us know!

Tell a Friend...or Possibly Two! What's New with KHNK?

2011-03-25T00:59:00.008-04:00

Hello All!

This post is just to thank our dedicated sponsors for their continued support and contributions. We also have some exciting new highlights at KHNK! Mehron is currently hard at work on our first video to go on the website, a project that is part of the film class she is taking this semester at Harvard--look for it soon on the site! (www.khnkp.org) Please take today to tell a friend about your involvement with Kids Helping Needy Kids. If you use Facebook, add us as a friend or "like" our page to get updates from KHNK in your NewsFeed!

Summer Sponsors Meeting--KHNK for Haiti

2010-08-17T13:06:00.007-04:00

Our summer sponsors meeting on Thursday, August 12th was a success. At this meeting, we shared the exciting opportunity KHNK had to partner with an organization focused on another country. Through a personal connection, KHNK collaborated with a group at New Hope Fellowship Church collecting donations to send to Haiti. Relief efforts for victims of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January are still going strong, and we are proud that KHNK could contribute. Our sponsor volunteers organized surplus materials from our generous Christmas donations, putting together boxes of soap, toiletries, first-aid materials, and clothing. On Saturday, we dropped off the boxes of materials, which will soon leave for Haiti.

Kids Helping Needy Kids is glad to work with other similar-minded organizations working to relieve suffering around the world. Although we were unable to send our all our surplus items to Ethiopia, we found a worthy cause to support with these donations. If you have ideas or know of any organizations (international or local) that could benefit from our surplus items, don't hesitate to let us know! Send us an e-mail at kidshelpingneedykids@yahoo.com. Another big thanks to all the volunteers who came out on August 12th to help us assemble the donations!
To see more pictures from the event, visit our website (www.khnkp.org) and click on "Photo Gallery."

Success Story #2

2010-07-31T14:38:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone!

We are pleased to tell our second success story, this time about sponsored child Asnaku Bizuneh. Asnaku, a stellar student, recently received a scholarship to attend a select private high school in Addis Ababa. Her hard work in school has continuously placed her at the top of her class. All of us at Kids Helping Needy Kids are extremely proud of Asnaku and the excellent academic achievement she has shown. Asnaku, sponsored since 2006, is our "Star Student of the Month" for August 2010 and will receive a certificate of achievement from Kids Helping Needy Kids on behalf of her sponsor.

Lastly, sponsors, the next meeting will be held Thursday, August 12th at 6:30pm. Please make plans to attend; we have a lot to discuss with you all! All of us at Kids Helping Needy Kids look forward to seeing you soon. As summer winds down, we hope everyone has had a wonderful and relaxing summer! Ours was certainly highlighted by the story of Asnaku's high achievements.

See you on the 12th!

January in Review: the Breakfast Club Success!

2010-03-19T12:26:00.003-04:00

As most of you heard, while on our July 2009 trip to Ethiopia, we learned that the children at the Yesewasew Genet Orphanage that we had been supporting were no longer receiving breakfast. The tough economy in Ethiopia necessitated a smaller budget for the whole orphanage; therefore, the children were only receiving two meals a day instead of three.

We decided to try and help the children have three nutritious meals a day. As the recipient orphanage of the boxes from the "Christmas in a Shoebox" project at The Calverton School, the children at Yesewasew had already received toys, clothes, and small presents for Christmas time several years in a row. But as every child knows, toys are no fun when you're hungry.

The director of the orphanage gave us a goal in July: $1900, he estimated, would provide breakfast for the children for one year. We headed home with that goal and brought it straight to our sponsors and friends. We are so proud to say that you did not disappoint! Every donation KHNK received during the month of December and January brought us closer to our goal. By the end of January, we had raised the entire $1900, in addition to donations made specifically to cover the cost of shipping the Christmas boxes to the children at Debre Libanos.

We are extremely pleased and proud of everyone who donated. Thank you all!! The money raised is already being put in effect at the orphanage, and we look forward to posting pictures of the children at breakfast time soon!

2009-12-20T10:32:00.002-05:00

Sponsors and friends,

As you may have heard, Christmas in a Shoebox has been postponed to next Sunday, December 27 at 5pm, due to the weather. Thanks and enjoy the rest of this snowy weekend!

Christmas in a Shoebox 2009

2009-12-16T18:33:00.004-05:00

Kids Helping Needy Kids is hosting its 3rd annual Christmas in a Shoebox Assembly Day this Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 5pm at the Price residence! All sponsors and friends of KHNK are encouraged to come out to help make care packages for the children we support. If you've never been, this year is a great time to start. It's a tradition that we look forward to every Holiday season. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

As you may have heard, mailing to Ethiopia is costly so to keep expenses down, we will be packing as light as possible. Fleece jackets/vests, nylon windbreakers/pants, and ponchos are excellent examples of the type of items we will be primarily be sending this year. In addition, we are also accepting donations for "The Breakfast Club" fundraiser. Participation is voluntary and by no means necessary. The money raised will be used to feed the children at The Debre Libanos Orphanage breakfast for a whole year. Thank you for partnering with us in this new endeavor!

Fall Sponsors Meeting

2009-10-15T14:47:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

Most of you should have received the Meeting Minutes--from our October 3rd meeting-- via e-mail by now. To summarize, we discussed our most recent trip to Ethiopia (July 2009) and brainstormed ways to combat exorbitant (but unfortunately still rising) shipping costs. We are going to have to make some revisions to our care packages this Christmas, but care packages will definitely be sent.

Another topic we discussed at the meeting was the formation of "The Breakfast Club." We learned on our visit to Debre Libanos this summer that Yesewasew Genet Orphanage is no longer able to provide the orphans with breakfast each morning due to lack of funds.

KHNK would like to be able to help the orphans enjoy a nutritional breakfast each morning; our idea is to form "The Breakfast Club." Donations can be in increments of $1, $3, $5, or $10. If donors would like to contribute more, higher amounts can be specified according to their wishes. KHNK will provide more information on how you can participate in "The Breakfast Club" at a later date, posting info here on the blog and on our website.

Our First Success Story

2009-08-15T11:41:00.010-04:00

Jerusalem Amde was one of the first children to be sponsored through KHNK. A determined and talented teenager, she was raised by her mom in Addis Ababa. Due to health problems, Jerusalem's mother could not work full time. When Jerusalem entered high school, she became an active participant in her school's music program while still maintaining her good grades. During our trip to Ethiopia in 2006, we were pleased to learned that she was a still a strong student and that the 63 birr ($8.00) she received each month was helping her with small but essential expenses.

An important component of each sponsorship is the letter of encouragement. Through this simple but heartfelt method of communication, Jerusalem and her sponsor, Lulit Price, discussed important issues like school, extracurricular activities, and future plans. A few grades ahead of Jerusalem in school, Lulit was able to offer her genuine advice and encourage her to remain strong when things were tough for her. An only child, Jerusalem quickly looked to Lulit as a confidant and friend.

On our most recent trip, Lulit, Mehron and Luladay got to meet individually with all of the children KHNK supports. All of us were happy to learn that Jerusalem recently graduated from high school, and found a job as a singer at a music hall in Addis Ababa. She is very happy with her job as a performer, and expressed her gratitude for the support KHNK has provided for almost 6 years. Jerusalem, right, and Lulit, left, are pictured below (July 2009).

The termination of a sponsorship is not always a bad thing. KHNK exists to help
others, yes, but our goal is to empower needy children to help themselves. Sponsorships are not designed to be lifelong conditions, but a temporary measure towards helping a child reach their goals. All of us at KHNK are extremely proud of Jerusalem and the strides she has made towards financial independence. We wish her the best of luck in the future!

Our fresh new face!

2009-08-15T11:26:00.007-04:00

Hello KHNK sponsors and friends,

We have returned from our trip to Ethiopia and have so much news to share. But first we would like to invite you to take a look at our new and improved website. Our site is now more user-friendly, featuring up-to-date information and even pictures from our 2009 trip! Visit http://www.khnkp.org/ and send the link to your friends who might be interested in sponsoring a child today. We hope you find the new layout helpful! As always, feel free to send us your comments and suggestions using the Feedback form on our site.

-The KHNK team

Summer!

2009-06-20T15:02:00.002-04:00

Hello Sponsors and friends of KHNK!

We hope that everyone's summer is off to a great start! This blog post is just to inform everyone that the Price family will be visiting Ethiopia this July! While we're there, we plan to get very up-to-date profiles for each of the children you sponsor, have another meet-and-greet picnic day to distribute the Christmas care packages, and take plenty of pictures for all the sponsors back home.

With this trip comes an opportunity we shouldn't pass up: bringing clothing materials to KHNK's sponsored children. We would like each sponsor to pack a small care package for your child, consisting of only a letter of encouragement, a T-shirt in their approximate size, and a picture of yourself enclosed with the letter (optional, but highly recommended).

Please have these packages to us no later than Friday, July 10th, 2009. We need time to pack them in with the other materials for KHNK that we will be taking with us. Please e-mail us if you have any questions (or call 301-430-0195). Thank you so much! Please continue to check our blog and website throughout the summer for fresh posts on Kids Helping Needy Kids. We look forward to sharing pictures and information from our trip with you at the next sponsors meeting in September!

May 2009 KHNK Fundraiser...

2009-05-14T17:59:00.003-04:00

Kids Helping Needy Kids representatives will once again be present again at the Beltsville Day 2009 festivities at the Beltsville Community Center in Beltsville, MD. KHNK will have a table where we will be selling pizza, chips, and drinks. In addition, we will spread the word about KHNK by distributing brochures and info about our organization.
Sponsors and friends of KHNK: If you're available, come out and support us! Enjoy some pizza from the KHNK table and the variety of other attractions this community event has to offer, including a moon bounce, dance shows, face painting, and much much more. This event promises fun for the whole family.

Hope to see you in the afternoon on Sunday, May 17th!

Beltsville Community Center Address:
3900 Sellman Rd Beltsville, MD 20705

Tax Exemption Status!! Whoop!!

2009-03-03T21:13:00.003-05:00

Kids Helping Needy Kids is pleased to announce that we have received tax exemption status from the IRS, and have been officially recognized as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization in the state of Maryland! From this point on, any donations made to KHNK (including your monthly sponsorship checks) are tax-deductible. This also means that checks can be made out to "Kids Helping Needy Kids" or just "KHNK".

We were greatly helped in this achievement by Mr. Vincent Wilkins, a lawyer who generously donated his time and services to help us reach tax-exemption status. We look forward to moving forward as an officially recognized non-profit! We can't wait to see what God can do.

Care Package Assembly Day 2008

2009-01-03T13:59:00.021-05:00

Each year, KHNK hosts an event where sponsors can actively participate by assembling care packages for all of the children we support regularly as well as those at the Debre Libanos Orphanage.

Thanks to the Christmas in a Shoebox Fundraiser at the Calverton School in Huntingtown, MD, KHNK received dozens of shoeboxes filled with goodies for the children. On care package assembly day, sponsors and friends gather to unpack, sort, and repackage hundreds of school supplies, toothbrushes, first-aid kits, stuffed animals, and light-weight clothing for each boy and girl.

This year, KHNK was fortunate enough to receive 82 shoeboxes from the Calverton School!

The shoeboxes were unpacked and their contents sorted. The bulk of KHNK's clothing and school supplies came not only from The Calverton School but also from the Girls of Character Ministry at Woodstream Church in Mitchellville, MD. This donation was organized by Ms. Wanda Coleman and Ms. Shari Davis. Thanks everyone!!

Sponsors Mehron and Quinyse and volunteer, Manning, work at the school supplies station.

Stacks of various boys clothing.

Sponsors Luladay, Setota, Matthew, and volunteer, Michelle, make Christmas Cards to give the care packages a personal touch.

Volunteer Semret Tefaye help Ms. Kristina Palmer (sponsor) and her children Jamal and Kelley wrap a toy for each child. Boys received Nerf balls, jacks, and toy cars while girls got glitter pens, journals, and hair accessories.

Sponsors, Tsige, Lulit, and Mehron Price review the official list of children.

All in all, the care package assembly day went very smoothly. With the help of everyone who attended , we were able to make 65 care packages for the orphans in Debre Libanos and 35 care packages for the sponsored children. (Pictures used in this entry are courtesy of Mr. David Edwards, a senior at The Calverton School.)

Sugar, We're Going Down

2009-01-02T23:27:00.002-05:00

Before there was KHNK, my sisters and I considered some of the many challenges our tiny organization would have to face. However, there were some scenarios in particular that we never could have thought to predict.

Let us explain.

The economic hard times that hit the United States have had a profound yet entirely different effect worldwide. In Ethiopia, things took a toll on us through a loss of sponsorships.

We "lost" some kids from our sponsorships when their families unexpectedly relocated from Addis Ababa to the countryside in search of better prospects. We "lost" some members at home when they found themselves unable to continue the financial commitment of a sponsorship. They chose to let us know of their inability to continue by simply terminating all communication with Kids Helping Needy Kids, and neglecting to respond to frequent reminders. This left us in a very untenable situation, and much at a loss as to how to proceed.

Whatever our losses have been, they serve only to make us more grateful for the faithful sponsors who have stuck with us through it all. These dedicated members are just as committed as we are to making the world a better place, one small way at a time. Working one life at a time, we hope to be able to impact these children for the better. Our sponsorship help is only a means of empowering these children in what small way we can, and we are so grateful to those who have stuck by our cause. Our heartfelt thanks, and we will continue to move forward in making this world a better place.

Paying with Paypal

2008-12-18T10:31:00.004-05:00

Attention sponsors,
As you may know, there is an option to make your sponsorship payments online via the "Donate" link on our website's homepage (khnkp.org). Doing so is quite simple and best of all, you do not need an account with paypal to use their payment services.

1. Visit khnkp.org and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Donate" button. You will be directed to KHNK's paypal site.
2. You will be asked to enter the amount you would like to pay. Please enter the amount the amount you owe for your sponsorship at that time (ie. $100 if you pay yearly, $24 if you pay every three months, etc). Click the "Update Total" button.
3. Farther down the page, you will see the words "Don't have a paypal account?" along with icons of major credit cards. Click "Continue". You will be redirected to a page where you can enter you credit card number and contact information. At the end you will also be asked for your e-mail address to which your receipt can be sent.
4. Click submit once to complete the payment process.

If you have further questions, please do not hesistate to call or e-maill us.

November Sponsors Meeting Success!

2008-11-22T10:34:00.004-05:00

We are very pleased with the turnout of our Sponsors Meeting on Saturday, November 15th. We warmly welcome our two new sponsors, Mrs. Kristina Palmer, and Ms. Shari Davis to membership with Kids Helping Needy Kids! A variety of topics were discussed at the meeting, including fundraising, expansion, and Christmas care packages for the 2008 holiday season.
Sponsors: Please e-mail us to let us know if you did not receive a copy of the meeting minutes, which were recently sent out through e-mail.

Our next meeting will be on December 27th, 2008. This will be our biggest meeting of the year! We will be assembling the Christmas care packages and volunteers are always needed, as we will be organizing all the donations we receive into packages ready to ship to Ethiopia.

Bring a friend! We can always use extra help on care package assembly days. See you on the 27th!

NOVEMBER SPONSORS MEETING!!!

2008-10-15T20:48:00.003-04:00

We are pleased to announce the next Kids Helping Needy Kids Sponsors Meeting will be held in November!

We are very excited about seeing all of our sponsors again, and updating all of you on what is new with Kids Helping Needy Kids.

Date: Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Time: 4:00pm

This will be an important meeting. We hope to see you in November!

Several "FINAL NOTICE"s Have Been Sent

2008-09-07T18:50:00.003-04:00

One of the things we dread doing the most here at Kids Helping Needy Kids is telling a sponsored child that their sponsorship has been terminated. Summer is a time where many people relax, go on vacation, check their e-mail only sporadically, and, as a result, we are facing a record high of "absentee" sponsors! Please take the time today to check if your latest payment has been made. If you check our website, you will see that sponsors now have the option of conveniently making secure payments online through PayPal. We need your help, sponsors! To those who of you who consistently and faithfully make your payments, we extend our warmest thanks, on behalf of those children in Ethiopia we are all working to serve. To those of you who know you have a bit of catching up to do, we understand that we are recuperating from the looseness of summer, but please take the opportunity to make your payments today. We want to do our best to decrease the number on our waiting list, not watch those numbers rise.

As usual, sponsors are desperately needed. If you know anyone who is interested in sponsoring, tell them to check out our website, call us, or e-mail us! We appreciate your help. Together we hope to make a difference, and DECREASE the amount of children on our waiting list!

A Very Important "Thank You"

2008-08-16T10:46:00.002-04:00

This month, we would like to offer a special thank you to the 5th and 6th grade girls Sunday school class at Woodstream church. These girls have faithfully been contributing their spare change to benefit Kids Helping Needy Kids and best of took the initiative to collect it. Last week, their total donations amounted to over $60. Their act of love proves that no donation is too small. Special thanks to their teacher, Mrs. Kristina Palmer for organizing their efforts.

Motivation and Rewards

2008-08-07T16:25:00.010-04:00

Along with the letters we receive form each sponsor child each month comes a copy of the latest report card. We have been keeping track of progress and improvements and feel it is time to reward and encourage some stellar performances. Effective August 2008, KHNK will send Certificates of Achievement to students who excel academically to recognize such High Achievers. The only criteria for the award (given once a year) is that the student consistently rank in the among the top ten students in their grade. The following students awarded in the inaugural "High Achievers" class: Selamawit Getachew, Eskedar Mulualem, Asnaku Bizuneh, Bemnet Edegaline, and Samrawit Misaganaw. Classes range in size of about 40 to 60 students and the rank takes all subjects into account, so this is no small feat! Congratulations guys!!

There are a few reasons why KHNK believes it is necessary to reward the children who excel in the classroom. The most important of these is to stress the importance of a wholesome education. The 63 Birr ($8) sent to the sponsored kids each month, when put to good use can be used to pay for school-related expenses like uniforms or the minimal but mandatory school fees. Most of the parents of our sponsored children tell us that their child now has the opportunity to attend school. Families can also use the money to buy food or other necessities. In short, there isn't much emphasis on education among the poor in Ethiopia. If children are in school for most of the day, they can't help out around the house all that much. Who will help with the laundry, making the injera, making dinner, selling items to generate income, and the other exhaustive, time-consuming tasks performed daily? In some instances, before KHNK began assisting, children raised by single or disabled parents or grandparents (in general, guardians unable to work) had to beg on the streets in order to live. Dozens of grateful children in are now benefiting from the opportunity to continue their education. It's amazing what a few dollars and a few encouraging words can do for not only the children we sponsor, but for their relatives as well.

It is important to note that Kids Helping Needy Kids is not here to solely to give out money and clothes. We expect cooperation and improvements from the children and their families and proof that the help they receive is being appreciated. One way to do this is to monitor their academic success so those who excel will be rewarded. As we all know from experience, receiving a reward for good work strengthens our performance and propels us forward, especially when it comes to school. We hope to further the message that education is extremely important to improving national development but also to raising standards of living. An education also fulfills individual aspirations and broadens one's horizons; children in Ethiopia have dreams of becoming something better, just like every other child in the world.

Brand New Website Feature

2008-08-07T10:09:00.006-04:00

Attention everyone,
The new Paypal feature on khnkp.org allows form anyone to make a donation to our organization. Using Paypal is quick, super easy, and best of all free. All you need to do is click on the link and input an amount of your choosing. Donations can be made both with and without a Paypal account so no extra usernames and passwords are necessary! As always, many thanks to our sponsors and other supporters.

Why do We Care Anyway?

2008-07-29T17:27:00.001-04:00

As you may already know, Kids Helping Needy Kids facilitates sponsorships. But this is only one of our projects to help children in Ethiopia. We also support 63 orphans in a part of the country called Debre Libanos. During our visit in 2006, we asked the children what they needed, and they replied food, clothes, and shoes- in that order. Their humble requests are beyond reasonable; these are necessities that any living being should have access to, especially food!

God-willing, we will return to Ethiopia in summer 2009. Our goal for next summer is to try to make this orphanage self-sufficient when it comes to food- the first item on their list. We are thinking of starting a vegetable garden of simple crops that will grow in the conditions given. Tending to the garden is a responsibilty everyone can be given and the rewards will be tasty. Gardening together will foster a sense of both community and accomplishment.

An outdoor bread oven would be another great asset to the orphanage. Once given instruction and practice baking, the older children can prepare dozens of loaves of bread per day and no child would go to bed hungry. As you may have seen our photos of the children there, most of them are skinny and short for their respective ages. Look at the picture posted here on our blog. In such places where adequate food and nutrition are hard to come by, the sight of undernourished children is not uncommon. A great source of protein is peanut butter, a staple condiment in many American households. In Ethiopia, peanut butter on bread would fill bellies with minimum cost or preparation.

A water well outfitted with a filter would also be ideal for promoting healthier living at the Debre Libanos orhanage. Clean water is another fact of life that we here in the U.S. take for granted. Immediate access to drinkable water would be nothing short of a miracle there.

These are just a few of the ideas that Kids Helping Needy Kids has for improving the overall quality of life for the children at the Debre Libanos orphage. Stay tuned for updates on our ideas for next summer's projects. We'd love to hear from you too. Please leave comments with your ideas or suugestions.

Learn about World Hunger

2008-07-29T15:50:00.000-04:00

Poverty.com is a moving website dedicated to informing citizens of this world about a phenomenon that kills innocent thousands of men, women, and children each day--hunger. Not many of us living in developed countries can say that we've ever gone without adequate food for days let alone weeks. In fact, the United States is atempting to tackle obesity and other potentially life-threatening conditions such as diabetes. But isn't chronic hunger just as deadly, if not more! We were please to stumble across this site and we urge you to visit it and read about the big problems plaguing underdeveloped countries (AIDS, TB, pneumonia, etc). The information is very well presented and keot short for busy people like you and I!
Even more interactive is poverty.com's sister site, freerice.com. Here you can play a fun game to strengthen your vocabulary while donating rice through the UN World Food program. The site's creators are committed to both providing free vocabulary to anyone who plays and rice for the impoverished.

Come to Beltsville Day and Support KHNK!

2008-05-16T18:07:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, May 18th, Kids Helping Needy Kids will be running a fundraiser! This will be our first fundraiser since last summer, when we hosted our Second Annual Barbecue. As usual, 100% of the proceeds will go directly to aid underprivileged children in Ethiopia. On Sunday, members and volunteers will be running an information table and selling refreshments at "Beltsville Day", a festival at the Beltsville Community Center in Beltsville, MD. Sponsors: We hope to see you there!!

Greetings

2008-05-05T09:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the blog of Kids Helping Needy Kids, a nonprofit organization designed to aid underprivileged in Ethiopia. Check this site regularly for updates about our organization. If you like what you see here and want to get involeved, please visit our website, khnkp.org!