New Car post coming soon...or whenever I get around to it :) In the meantime, this is a blog
about a good friend of mine who has started a non-profit in order to
provide food and critical vitamins to malnourished children in Zambia,
Africa. That's probably more important than my new car anyway. Please further her cause by liking
Umweo Bags on FB and sharing the link. Love! - Laila
In an effort to raise awareness, friends of Umweo Bags will donate over $600 to this amazing cause if Umweo Bags receives over 250 likes on their Facebook page, along with receiving at least 60 shares on FB and 20 new followers on Twitter by December 25.
Umweo Bags
is a non-profit organization (pulling together the final paperwork for
being incorporated as a 501(c)3 as you read) that was started in 2010 by
Ana Rich. While on a mission trip in Zambia, with her church - the Vineyard Church of New Orleans. Ana
had the opportunity to visit a malnutrition clinic in the town of
Kitwe. This clinic is a place where children in the community who are
malnourished are brought, most often by their parents, to be given a
chance at surviving in life. While at the clinic, children are cared for
by nurses who do all that they can to provide care, nutrition, vitamins
and food to these children; to nurse them back to health so that they
may return home to their families, healthy. At the time that Ana was
visiting the clinic, there were close to 15 children being cared for and
nursed back to health.
Upon
returning to New Orleans from her trip to Zambia, Africa, Ana had an
overwhelming desire to help, to work to figure out how she could play a
part in helping these children survive. While in Zambia, Ana had the
opportunity to go to market one day. While there she purchased a
handmade bag from one of the local merchants. It was this bag that
enlarged Ana’s imagination as she considered ways that she could help
those children who are clinging to life over 9000 miles away.
After
weeks of thinking and praying, Ana pulled out her old sewing machine,
though she had only minor sewing skills, and began to play around with
fabric and designs to try and replicate the bag that she had purchased
at market. Within a few days, Ana had finally landed on her own unique
pattern for the purses. And thus Umweo Bags was born.
Umweo Bags
are all made out of fabrics full of vibrant colors that in some way
reflect the culture of Zambia. Bags are sold for $30 and every penny
that is profit is now sent to the malnutrition clinic in Kitwe and is
used to purchase the necessary food and vitamin supplements for the
children. Over the last year and a half, Ana has empowered a number of
other women in the community to also make bags and today, every Umweo
Bag is handmade by Ana and 5 of her friends.
To date, Umweo Bags
has sent $2,675 to the malnutrition clinic which in turn has allowed
the clinic to purchase food. The clinic usually only has enough funding
to purchase formula. However, children over 8 months old are in need of
solid foods in order to get the nutrients they need to regain their
health. The money that Umweo Bags sends to the clinic enables the clinic
to purchase the necessary solids, such as, fruits, mealie meal, ground
nuts for protein and more.
Here are some other sobering numbers:
· People travel anywhere from 10 miles to 150 miles in order to find help at the clinic
· Children stay anywhere from 7 days to 30 days at the clinic
· There is a dietician and 3 nurses that work at the clinic
· The clinic has anywhere from 12 children to 32 a time
· There are only 25 beds at the clinic
Since Umweo Bags
partnered with the clinic in 2010, over 95 children have been nursed
back to health and have returned to their homes nourished and healthy.
It is our heart at Umweo Bags to
continue to provide as much as we can financially to this clinic to
provide these children with the food and vitamins they need to survive -
to provide life.
Here’s how you can help:
2. Share Umweo Bags page on Facebook (here)
3. Follow Umweo Bags on Twitter @umweobags
No comments:
Post a Comment