February's update from Mozambique

Happy Valentine's month to our wonderful family and friends who have supported Acenda!  February naturally makes one reflect on all the people that they appreciate and love.  I am confident that after learning a little bit about two siblings currently in Acenda's foster care program, your heart will expand with even a little more love.  

After the orphanage closed in 2009 where they were living, Barbara and Riquito Domingos were matched with the Minezes foster family nearly seven years ago.     

2009: Barbara (8) 

Riquito (10) 

Since that time, they have been able to stay with the Minezes because of generous donors like you who have made sacrifices.  From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for these donations!

2011: Riquiro 12, Barbara (10) 

Barbara is currently 15 years old.  She is in the 9th grade and is known by her family as a very dedicated student.  Her foster mom says that they all love her very much and she is very involved with her family.  

2016: Barbara (15)

Riquito is currently 17 years old and is in 10th grade.  After secondary school he hopes to continue his education at Young Africa, a vocational training center located in his home town of Beira, Mozambique where he wants to study electricity. 

2016: Riquito (17) 

They have such a bright future!  For $50 a month, foster families like the Minezes will be able to continue to support an orphan.  We hope that you will sincerely think about if you are able to help at this time.  We love these children, we love their foster families, and we hope you all know how much we love our donor families too!

Merry Christmas Mussa

Five years  ago, a sweet nine-year-old boy named Mussa (pictured below in a blue shirt) was living in an orphanage when they had to close their doors. Acenda, a non-profit organization, was created to help  Mussa and the other orphaned children have a bright future by placing them with foster families within their home country of Mozambique. 

 

The foster families were highly recommended, carefully trained, and have been monitored over the years. The reports from the project coordinator who visits these homes are inspiring!  The children are loved and are thriving.  They are truly part of a family!  They have been given this opportunity because of generous donors like you!  Can you think of a better gift to give a child than a loving home?    

Mussa's foster family lives in a traditional Mozambican cement block house.  These homes typically do not have running water, electricity, plumbing, or any other modern luxury so many of us enjoy.   But what Mussa does have is the blessings of wonderful foster parents, 2 brothers, and 4 sisters!

Now fourteen-years-old, Mussa is attending the 9th grade.  He is a smart boy who is aspiring to be an architect when he grows up.  He told us that he likes to spend his free time drawing and playing with friends.  He is also known for being very helpful around the house and for being obedient.    

It is only through heartfelt donations, that Mussa has been able to stay with his foster family. For $50 a month you can sponsor a child and give them the gift of living in a loving home where they will continue their education and grow up with a brighter future!  Every donation, no matter how small, helps these children in a big way.

 As the season of giving is upon us, we hope you and your family will make a donation to Acenda today and support these beautiful children and their foster families.  It is a priceless gift in these children's future.  

Encourage Compassion

We are thrilled to introduce you to a fellow sponsor who joined the Acenda family last year. Pam Fisher is a busy mom of four little ones who not only has a generous heart, but incredible motivation to make a difference in the lives of foster children half way around the world.

Pam and her husband had been looking for ways to make a difference in the world. Early 2013 they made a goal to each find one worthy organization to support. "I looked and looked and certainly saw lots of opportunities to help. But really wanting to help oversees, and really wanting to know that the money I gave was going straight to those in need without a lot of overhead costs, I still hadn't found the right opportunity after a few months," Pam says. She heard about Acenda from a friend, and after doing a little research into Acenda's foster care program in Mozambique, she knew she had found her program to help. As a self proclaimed design junkie, Pam decided to open an Etsy shop named, "Encourage Compassion" where she sells all types of original and creative invitations, announcements, and art prints.

 

All the money she raises from her Etsy shop she donates to Acenda, where 100% of donations goes straight to the foster children. We are grateful for Pam and all our sponsors for opening up their hearts and their busy schedules for these sweet children in Africa.

 

Please feel free to visit Pam's online shop and encourage your friends to do the same. You never know when sharing with a friend the good news of Acenda will spread more charity!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EncourageCompassion

We received word last week from Iris Domingos, the Mozambican Project Coordinator, that all the children and doing well. They are all attending school and being well cared for by their foster families.

Each and every donation no matter how small, makes a big impact in a child's life.

We hope we can count on your continued support this year!

Lewis Family Fund Raises for Acenda

Share with us your family's story!  What will you do to raise money for Africa's orphans?

Run 4 Africa

There is estimated to be 1.6 million orphans in Mozambique, Africa.  Saturday, November 16th, 2013 Durham, North Carolina is going to make a difference to those children!  There will be a benefit 5k Tail Run at 

Valley Springs Park: 3805 Valley Springs Rd, Durham 27712  

This is a beautiful 3.1 mile course starting at Valley Springs Park and then heading over to the historic Pump Station Trail.  Along the trail you can see the foundations of Durham's first water pumping station and enjoy the gorgeous view along the Eno River. This is a perfect family jog or walk.             

                                                                                                                

Registration: 8:30am (no online registration)

5K run/walk: 9:00am 

Fee: Suggested $8.00 donation per person*

 

All are welcome: sprinters, runners, joggers, walkers

 

Top finisher prizes!  Raffle drawings! Snacks & drinks!

 

* All proceeds from Run 4 Africa will be donated to Acenda. 

Acenda is a 501c3 charitable organization.  All donations to Acenda are tax deductible.

Acenda, a small non-profit organization, was created, with the specific goal of helping place orphans in Mozambique with caring Mozambican foster families.  However, while many families are willing to help, they cannot afford another child to feed, clothe, and pay the educational fees of books and uniforms on their own.  Acenda provides the necessary support for these families to make it possible for these orphans to continue to live in a loving home.   Acenda is a volunteer organization with 100% of its proceeds going directly to the children.

Henriqueta

I am thrilled to introduce Henriqueta Maluana. Henriqueta has been a dear friend since the first time I met her in 2000 on my first trip to Mozambique.  She has a natural ability with people and has a gift to  reach across cultures and become an instant friend. 

           
I remember marveling  at her ability and confidence.  We were the same age, but no matter where we went, everyone looked up to her and listened to her with respect.  She comes from a very humble background  but that has never stopped her from being so full of happiness.  The first time she saw a sleeping bag, she jumped right in and zipped herself up laughing all the while.  

She has a pure heart, a strong will, and a deep passion to help her country.  Over the years she has taught me many things, one of them being dedication and hard work.  Whether  it is learning English, building her own house from cinderblocks, teaching room after roomful the importance of abstinence until marriage, taking classes to get her GED, or calling to check up on our foster families, Henriqueta is dedicated and sees every job through to the end.  She is an essential part of the Acenda team and we are grateful for all her hard work.                              

-- Annie Lewis

 

"I am from Maputo, Mozambique. My family and I currently live in Rexburg, Idaho. I am married to Armando who is attending BYU-Idaho. We have three kids, Nathan, Alice and Jeff. Armando has been in the USA since December 2008. Armando came to the USA searching for the better education and he left me and our 2-month-old son Nathan in Mozambique. 

           
When he first came to the USA he did not know English, so he had to go through the English training program offered by Brigham Young University, English Language Center.  In June 2009, Armando move to St. George, UT where our family was reunited.  During our time in St. George, my husband attended Dixie State College and later he transferred to BYU-I. 

I am currently a full time mom. I spend my days playing with my three kids.  Our favorite thing to do is to pack lunches and spend the day at the splash park.  We also love to go to the library and read stories for kids.  I bring the books home and study the grammar with my friends from China and Korea.   

I have been volunteering for Acenda since 2008.  Before I came to the U.S. I was in charge of visiting and supervising the foster families. These visits would include training families on how to deal or interact with children who were in the transition stage from orphanages to a household.  I would also train foster families on how to manage donations received by Acenda. 

           
The most important moment to me when I did visits to foster families, was to see the joy and hope that radiated from the children because they knew that now had a future ahead of them as long as they continued doing what was right.  Being an orphan or homeless in Mozambique is comparable to an abandoned animal that does not have a roof to hide his head. Homeless children would eat rotten food from trash cans and would take shower on the sewage canals if there is one in the community. The only end or hope for those children was death because they assumed that it would take the pain away from them.

 

Now that I live in the U.S. I am the U.S. Coordinator for Acenda.  This means that I have the privilege of following up with the foster kids in the Acenda program over the phone.  I coordinate with the Mozambican Coordinator, Iris Domingos.  Together our job is to track the children's progress.  We communicate with the foster families and make sure the children's needs are being met.

 

I enjoy giving my time to Acenda because I know that I am helping my own people to change their own lives.  Acenda is a blessing not just for the children in our Acenda program, but for their foster families as well. I am convinced that an education and a loving family is the key to success for these foster children. I personally appreciate all the help provided for those kids."

Henriqueta Maluana

 

What can you do now?

 We need your help to continue to move forward with the mission of helping these children stay with their foster families!  Please help us spread the word to your own friends and family.  Any donation helps!  For $50 a month, you are able to sponsor a child and give them the gift of living in a loving home where they will continue their education and grow up with a brighter future!  You make Acenda possible.  Together we really are "lighting the way for the orphans of Mozambique!" 

Important Change:

In 2013 Acenda will continue to monitor the children's progress and continue to support the foster families, but we have just one change.  Circle of Support will be closing at the end of January.  For five wonderful years, Circle of Support has provided therapy for children with disabilities.  We are grateful for their service to our local community (Gilbert, Arizona) and their effort targeted at making lives better in the global community of Mozambique. 

To keep your donations tax deductable, we have partnered with another non-profit family-based advocacy group doing good work around the globe, Family Watch International (FWI).  You can find out more information about FWI by clicking here.

What does this mean for you?

This means that your donations will remain tax deductible.  As soon as possible, please contact your bank and let them know that a change will need to be made immediately. Please make out all checks to the following:  (whether they are drafts from banks or sent from your homes)

Family Watch International/Acenda

New Address 

Family Watch International/Acenda

C/O LaCinda Lewis

513 E. Campbell Ave.

Gilbert, AZ 85234

We understand that some checks, for January, have already been mailed and this is not a problem. However, if the new address and name change could be made as soon as possible, we would appreciate it.