Despite the many challenges that continue to be a part of every day life in Haiti, construction continued throughout the year on the home for long time CWI friend and ministry-partner, Haitian pastor, Yves Prophete. Work on the outside of the home is mostly complete, while work on the interior continues.

Arranging sub-contractors has been tricky, given the unsafe conditions in the country. Even still, electricity has been installed, painting has been completed, and room details are being installed, like kitchen cabinets (see photo), plumbing fixtures, and the like. We anticipate the building to be complete in 2023!

 

Once again, Lakeland Community Church, outside of Lake Geneva, WI, was the host for the 2022 Food Packaging Event sponsored by Children’s World Impact. Kids Around the World from Rockford, IL supplied all the needed food items and equipment. We were thrilled that once again we were able to have an in-person only event. Over 200 volunteers and helpers pitched in to make this another successful event!

With the help of Lakeland’s high school youth group, we were able to pack 80,000 meals, which Kids Around the World distributed to Family Legacy in Zambia, Africa. All together, CWI has sponsored the packing of over 1.7 meals that have fed people all around the globe!

 

We are thrilled to be embarking on a new project in a new country in Africa. This photo shows two American pastors who are meeting with the leadership team that will be in charge. This project, a poultry production facility, will be run by and help support local widows in Uganda, Africa. Chickens will be raised for both egg production and meat and will be sold to local residents as well as commercial restaurants.

While we are still in the beginning stages of this endeavor, we are excited about the potential impact this project will have on the entire community. We anticipate that the eventual profits from this will go to support an orphanage, education and other community projects. Read all about this project in the 2022 IMPACT newsletter.

The 2020 Golf Outing at Geneva National Golf Club was a socially distanced event that raised funds for the construction of a home for Pastor Yves Prophete and his wife, Samathe, from Haiti. To learn more about Yves and Samathe Prophete, click here.

Weather was not our friend for the 2021 Golf Outing. Due to heavy rains, the event was cancelled. However, thanks to our faithful sponsors and attendees, we were able to raise funds for a school improvement and expansion project for Ariana’s Goodwill Academy in Malindi, a town in Kenya, Africa.

 

Lakeland Community Church, outside of Lake Geneva, WI, was the host of both the 2020 and 2021 Food Packaging Events sponsored by Children’s World Impact. Kids Around the World from Rockford, IL supplied all the needed food items and equipment. Thanks to their OneMeal program, people were able to come package in-person at socially distanced tables, or use the Serv@Home option, which allowed people to take the needed supplies to their own location and return the packaged meals to the church.

Each year’s event packaged 100,000 meals, which Kids Around the World distributed to worldwide locations. The meals from the 2021 event went to Zambia, Africa, where the meals will feed children at Family Legacy.

 

 

in 2020 Children’s World Impact committed to building a home for Pastor Yves Prophete and his wife, Samathe, in Haiti. Yves has been an integral part of the work CWI has done over the years in this country. Despite rising construction costs, the assassination of the Haitian president, and another major earthquake in the country, construction began in December of 2020 and continued throughout 2021. Not only will this be a residence for the couple, it will also serve as a facility where mission teams will be housed when they come to serve the people of Haiti. For a thorough construction timeline of this project, check out the center spread in the 2020 IMPACT newsletter.

 

 

In 2021 CWI was presented the opportunity to come alongside another non-profit organization in Colorado. Every Life, Inc., has developed deep roots in the town of Malindi in the southeast part of Kenya, Africa. For almost two decades, Every Life has worked with local Kenyans helping break the cycle of poverty through nursery school support, job creation programs, and school scholarships.

CWI was excited to be able to finance a large capital school improvement project at Ariana’s Goodwill Academy. This school gives young learners, who would otherwise have no possibility to attend school the opportunity for an education.

Children’s World Impact partnered with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and Homes of Hope to help build two homes for two families in desperate need of basic living amenities. In July a home was built for Reyna, who is blind, and her two sons Andres and Oliver. They live on donated land and financial donations of approx $30 a month. The impact of this new furnished home is not lost on Reyna even though she will never see it.

The second home built in November was for a family of six. With the father, Ignacio, on disability, work is very difficult. This family was living in a structure made from old wood and tarps with no running water or electricity. Their new home was built and fully furnished, and a large gravity-forced water storage container was built to allow for clean water directly in the home.

 

On December 6th & 7th, hundreds of volunteers descended upon Lakeland Community Church to package over 150,000 meals. It was an amazing event to behold. Over the course of the two days, people from all generations came together to help package the meals that were on their way to feed children in Rwanda that following Wednesday! It was a great way to spend a weekend in December looking outside of ourselves and serving those in need.
 

 

Through our continued relationship with those in Ghana, we are excited to begin a micro-loan program. This allows women the opportunity to receive a small loan of $20-$100 to start a new or build upon an existing business. Working in groups of 10 from various local villages, widows will be offered loans at a much lower rate than is normal through the bank, with the commitment that the group supports each other in paying off each loan. Stay tuned for success stories in 2020!

 

 

Children’s World Impact financed the construction of its second elementary school in the country of Haiti in 2017. This school, located in Desarmes, Haiti, educates approximately 250 students, many of whom live in dorm buildings located on the same premises.

The school includes 8 classrooms, with 4 classrooms located in each of two wings, as well as a small administrative building that is located between the wings. CWI is proud to have partnered with Schools4Haiti on this project, another 501(c)(3) organization, which maintains the operational costs of this school, including staff salaries, curriculum, supplies, and uniforms, allowing the students to receive a totally free education.

 

Children’s World Impact stays up to date on operations from the widows’ project in Ghana, Africa. While the project is self-sustaining overall, occasionally there are capital improvements that need to be made. This year, we updated the project with a high powered electrical transformer that will lower the costs of electrical usage for the shea butter production and water bagging. In addition, a vehicle was purchased that transfers meals from the village primary school to the preschool, that was financed by CWI.

 

 

Thanks to the efforts of Lakeland Community Church in Lake Geneva, WI, Children’s World Impact was able to conduct a Food Packaging Event in March of 2017. While the church raised the necessary $25,000 to package 100,000 meals, CWI came along side the church and helped organize and run the event. With over 1,000,000 meals packaged throughout the years, CWI has honed the organizational details that make such an event a success. The meals packaged were sent to Swaziland, located in the southern horn of the continent of Africa. These meals were used to feed orphans in that country.

 

 

The preschool/daycare facility, financed by Children’s World Impact, was completed in the spring of 2016. The facility contains a main building with 2 large classrooms for kindergarten aged children. In addition, there is a small administrative building, washrooms, and a building for preparing meals with a walled-in, outdoor cooking yard. This location acts as a feeding center, providing a hot meal to all children who attend before they are sent home after classes. The first class of students was comprised of 28 boys and 35 girls, for a total of 63 students. At the center children learn their numbers and letters as well as learn how to write their names for the first time. Children attend from many local villages, some traveling as far as 4 km (2.5 miles) each way.

On Saturday, April 16, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the South American country of Ecuador. This earthquake was the biggest tragedy Ecuador had faced in the last 67 years. The earthquake claimed over 650 lives, with more than 16,000 injured, and over 25,000 people in emergency shelters. A state of emergency was declared, as thousands of homes, buildings, and roads were in ruins.

Children’s World Impact worked with strategic local partners to make a long-lasting impact that helped affected families recover from the terrible tragedy. Two separate homes were built for families with children. One home was completed in November of 2016. The Limongi-Macias Family (pictured left), who were located in Tarqui, the epicenter of the earthquake, lost their home and their business. A modest 500 square foot home was built, complete with a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and two bedrooms for this family of 3.

Children’s World Impact began construction of its second elementary school in the country of Haiti in 2016. Located in the city of Desarmes, this school will be the permanent home of nearly 250 children, who are currently meeting for classes in a makeshift location consisting of a metal roof and worn tarps for walls. In conjunction with another 501 (c)(3) organization, Schools4Haiti, this school provides a free education to some of the poorest children in Haiti. The completed facility will consist of 2 wings, with 4 large classrooms in each wing. A large open courtyard will be located between the wings, as well as a small administrative building with storage.

Artist rendition of completed school, based on architectural plans

The preschool/daycare facility financed by CWI in Ghana, Africa nears completion. The school is located adjacent to the main building of the widows’ project and will serve the children of widows as they come to work at various income earning endeavors, including shea butter production, dry season gardening, bread baking, and potable water sales. In addition, local children from nearby communities will attend the preschool in order to get a head-start to their elementary education.

This facility will be a big draw to the community, as facilities like this are rare in the rural areas of Ghana.

CWI focuses on home construction for two families in 2015, fulfilling our mission of making an impact on the lives of the neglected.

The first home, whose construction is pictured, was for a family of 8, whose eldest son acted as an interpreter for many of the medical missions conducted in Haiti by CWI over the years. The home included a large living and dining area, 3 bedrooms, a bathroom with modern fixtures, as well as an enclosed Haitian kitchen.

The second home was built for a widow whose home was literally crumbling before her eyes.

CWI hosted another successful food packaging event at the Geneva Ridge in cooperation with Kids Around the World out of Rockford, IL, and their OneMeal program. Over 100,000 meals were packed and sent to international sites as well as local food pantries throughout Walworth County.

One of the highlights of this year’s event was the sale of 150 hand-twined rugs, which were made by Haitian women through Haiti Looms for Life. The rugs were a great success, helping provide much needed income to the women who made them.

The foundation for the new preschool/daycare facility in Ghana, Africa was laid in early 2014. The plans for this school include a main building with 2 large classrooms, a walled in kitchen area with a building for cooking, a large play yard, and a small administrative building. The school is adjacent to the widows’ project, and will provide care and education to the children of widows as they work in various endeavors to provide income for themselves and their dependent children.

We anticipate completion of this facility in 2015.

Two mission teams, organized by Children’s World Impact, headed down to Haiti in 2014. Both teams stayed on the premises of GVCM in Mirebalais, Haiti. The first team was medical in nature and serviced the medical needs of hundreds of Haitians in various locations throughout the area.

The second team stationed themselves at the GVCM orphanage, and spent a week bonding with the orphans. The team kept themselves busy with arts and crafts activities, sporting events, human growth and development classes, as well as VBS activities for the youngest orphans. It was a week the members won’t soon forget!

Geneva Ridge provided the setting for this year’s Food Packaging Event. Held on the first weekend of December, this event provided the perfect opportunity for families and civic organizations to gather together to pack food that would benefit children and families worldwide, as well as local families. Nearly 1,000 volunteers were part of the 2-day event. The 100,000 meals were shipped to international sites by Kids Around the World. Bags of rice and macaroni were also packed and distributed to local food pantries in the Walworth County area.

Two mission teams organized and led by Children’s World Impact, headed to Haiti in 2013. Over 700 patients were seen by doctors and medical staff that were part of the first team. More than 5,000 pounds of medications, medical supplies, and health related items were taken down by the team.

The second team did projects in and around the property of GVCM in Mirebalais. In addition, they spent time with the over 100 orphans that are residents of the orphanage.

The Joshua Building, a dorm structure for older boys, was completed and dedicated in 2013. This building was constructed on the GVCM property in an effort to create a separate living space for the male population of the orphanage. In addition, the top level of the building was designed for mission groups who serve at the orphanage.

Pictured are some of the young men who are residing at this new facility. The Joshua Building is pictured behind them.

Mechanized equipment is installed at the widows’ project in the village of Ullo in Ghana, Africa. The equipment, run by electrical motors, aid in the production of shea butter, an indigenous product that is used for cooking in the region. The equipment allows for quicker and more production, thus allowing women a viable product to sell in local markets.

In addition, grain grinding equipment was installed. This enables the women to create corn meal and other grain products used for baking as well as other products that can be sold at market and create an income for the women.

The devastating earthquake that hit the capital city of Port au Prince, Haiti, and the surrounding areas stimulated CWI to form a strategic partnership with Kids Around the World, who organizes and ships packaged food to international sites. 4 major food packaging events are hosted by CWI throughout 2010 and 2012, sending hundreds of thousands of meals to the country of Haiti.

Pictured here are Tyson Ray, founder of CWI, and Julie Nor, CWI board member, during a 2011 trip to Haiti. In their hands is one of the boxes that was packaged at a previous CWI food packaging event.

The construction of an elementary school building was financed by CWI in 2011. This school, knows as the Amos Building, was constructed outside the walls of the GVCM orphanage. The orphans will attend school here, as well as local community children. The building will serve the educational needs of 400 students.

Construction of a project to support widows and their dependent children in the village of Ullo in Ghana, Africa, was started in 2011. The major component of this project is a building for the production of shea butter, an indigenous product used for cooking.

In 2012 a well was dug, which will provide water to the project. A pump will be installed that will take water to a water tank. Eventually a gravity fed system will provide running water to the production center.

In 2009, the work of the foundation shifts to supporting over 100 children at the House of Hope in Haiti. Much needed financial support was supplied to help with the medical and nutritional needs of the children at this facility.

The main focus of the foundation in 2007 and 2008 was the support of an orphan from the country of Turkey. This child resided in an orphanage for children with disabilities in this country.

The first act of the foundation financed the adoption of a baby girl, Kylie, from an orphanage in the inner city of Chicago. Kylie was placed in the loving home of a local Wisconsin pastor and his wife.