9 AM – 12 Noon
sponsored by Westfield Rotary Club
Board of Education Building
Walnut & Elm streets Westfield, NJ 07090
(908) 232-6807 or (908) 233-0065 wrorden@msn.com
9 AM – 12 Noon
Friends of Wyckoff
Wyckoff Reformed Church
580 Wyckoff Ave Wyckoff, NJ 07841 info@FriendsOfWyckoff.org
Below is an excerpt from a letter we recently received from our partners in Uganda.
We look forward to the next container [note: due October, 2010], not only because of its contents but mainly because it has opened a way to achieve our target of six containers every year. Of late we had failed to raise necessary money and our project had come to a halt. The setback nearly wiped out our program, but the assistance received from P4P, for whom we are very grateful, will awaken our project. With the proceeds from this container we will be sustainable and be able to take in three to six containers every year. It was only through the hard work, persistence, and dedication to our cause that P4P was able to solicit the funds to cover the freight cost of our container. We are indeed grateful to David, the Clif Bar Family Foundation and the Helen & William Mazer Foundation for awakening this project. Now we expect to import approximately 2,700 bikes and 300 sewing machines within the next three years. This, coupled with the number of trained students in our school finding work or starting their own enterprises will make an enormous difference in our area.
Our project is based in Kampala, but we have received requests and plan to expand our distribution network by setting up programs throughout the country. We are indeed lucky that EIAAT in Uganda is one of P4P’s active participants.
P4P is pleased to announce a partnership with International Relief and Development (IRD), one of the world’s largest non-profit investors in international development and providers of humanitarian assistance. IRD has relief programs in over forty nations. One of these is Georgia.
Nestled in the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia is a former Soviet republic which has been attempting to remove itself from the shadow of Russia for nearly two decades. Despite large amounts of Western political and economic aid, Georgia’s economy remains inextricably tied to its powerful northern neighbor. Its domestic market is miniscule and the vast majority of its imports and exports come from or are destined for Russia. This is problematic in light of intermittent, politically-motivated bans on Georgian products by the Russian government and the fact that, since its independence, its outdated Soviet industries have struggled to compete internationally. In addition, Georgia’s notoriously corrupt government seemingly has little power to aid the plight of its people. Over a quarter of Georgia’s population lives below the official poverty line.
The 2008 conflict with Russia over South Ossetia hurt many Georgian families who had been forced from their homes and returned to find many of their tools and supplies stolen or lost during the Russian occupation. IRD is working with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to provide assistance to more than eight hundred of these families. As part of the IRD effort, P4P-supplied 82 sewing machines, which are being made available to encourage local entrepreneurship. These machines are expected to arrive on the Georgia by mid-July.
Jorge Luis wakes up every morning at 4:30 to begin his day selling ice cream. Since he does not have a freezer at home he must ride his bicycle 5 kilometers to the nearest city to buy his supplies. Once he returns to San Andrés Itzapa, Jorge rides with his cooler and cones to the smaller villages in the mountains beyond San Andrés to sell his ice cream. He returns home at 5:00 p.m. everyday with a profit of about $10. Jorge is known around his neighborhood as the “ice cream man.” He says he is proud to be the owner of his own business and to be his own boss. He is also very proud that he is able to provide for his wife and seven children. Jorge recently purchased a second bicycle from FIDESMA and is fitting it for his cooler and basket. His new bicycle is a much lighter mountain bike that will help him tackle the hills every day.
Meet the Mujeres Maya (Mayan Women) Kaqiqoel of Santa Caterina de Barahona, Guatemala. Five years ago they formed a cooperative of 10 women with the idea to sell their traditional weavings in the tourist markets. To start their business, they received a microloan from the proceeds of bicycle sales by our partner FIDESMA. Today they have a stall in the major tourist town of Antigua where they sell their goods daily. What makes their weaving so special is that it is done using the traditional Guatemalan hand loom. This type of weaving has been passed down by Guatemalan women for hundreds of years. Elva Perez (far left) is the main vendor for the group. She goes to the market every day and speaks with tourists from all over the world. With careful detail she explains what all the symbols on the weavings mean. The microloan from FIDESMA allowed them to start this small business and provide for their families while holding onto their traditions.
Donate bicycles and sewing machines to developing countries
