The TOMS Shipment has ARRIVED!

We are so happy to announce our new partnership with TOM'S Shoes, a company that will work

Phani with new TOMS Shoes

with us to give a brand-new pair of rubber soled, canvas shoes to thousands of children in Burkina Faso.

Sheltering Wings and our partner Small Rain have been approved as Giving Partners for TOMS Shoes.

The container arrived in Yako this past week and we have already been able to do two small distributions, one to our orphanage children and one to our secondary school children.

For many of our children it was the first time that they have worn a closed toe shoe.  They didn’t know how to work it onto their foot.   They would just stick their foot in and then try to force the heel to stretch over their foot.   

But, little by little they saw that if they worked their foot into the shoe. . . . well, then the shoe fits!

What fun to see the happy smiles as the children try out their new shoes! 

Thank you TOMS for this wonderful program and for putting smiles on the children's faces!

New Toddler Books!

Geilil is counting goats!

Brittany Vine is a very special friend of Sheltering Wings.  Brittany hales from Canada and has visited Yako several times now. 

This summer Brittany is doing an internship with a project in Ghana but on her way to Ghana she once again passed by to see us. 

Among other sweet gifts like. . . . . chocolate. . . . Brittany brought some little books that her Aunt Rachel had made for our toddlers.  They are beautiful high quality books that are plastic coated for durability and are just the perfect toddler size. 

Thank you so much, Rachel, for these helpful and useful books and also for sponsoring one of our children!

Ever Heard of McCook, Nebraska?

We have so many wonderful friends who bless us and our children in a myriad of ways.  Some

Tenielle and Guelil

friends come to visit!  Some send others to visit!  Some continually touch my heart with ‘please tell us what we can pray about’!  Some send money to keep the orphanage operating each month.  And, some send packages with a ‘taste of home’ for us and sweet, practical things for our children.

Tenielle Lytle, one of our interns hales from McCook, Nebraska!  And Tenielle’s mom, Michelle, has rallied her friends and nearly all of tiny McCook, NE on behalf of our orphanage. 

This week, Tenielle received a huge box filled with chips and snacks, drink mixes, crackers, granola bars, and beef jerky, all ‘tastes from home’ that she had been missing.  Plus, the box was overflowing with hand-made dresses for each of our little girls, hand-made shorts for each of our little boys, and toys for each child.  

New dresses!

 The new dresses are so cute and there was so much excitement around them that a couple of our little boys got upset because they also wanted to wear the new dresses!  But then they realized that they also had new shorts and new shirts to wear and there was peace once again in the orphanage.  :)

Mariam and Madina in their new dresses!

Thank you, Michelle, and all of your friends for your gifts of love!  We are so blessed. . . . both to have Tenielle here with us and to have you and McCook loving and supporting us!

a Star Falls from the Sky--

Djimilia

 

Sometimes I just have to write.  Writing helps me to process and to sort things out.  It doesn’t change anything but writing helps me to feel like I did. . . . something. . . .

Djimila was born in January, 2012.  I first met her when she was 8 months old.  In her then short life, she had been abandoned by her young mother.  Her father was never identified.  And, she had already had her left leg amputated because of an infection that had not been properly cared for.  Djimilia was also suffering from some form of cerebral palsy.  She could not yet sit up on her own, could not pull up, and was generally developmentally behind for her age.

The international rights of a child says that having a birth certificate is one of the rights of every child.  They also list things like a family, an education, and adequate medical care as basic rights of every child in the world. 

Djimilia did have a birth certificate because she was available for adoption.  But, the wait for a family was just too long. . . . Djimila died last night.  What did she die from?  She was being cared for by a very good orphanage.  Was it malaria, one of the greatest killers here?  Was it typhoid fever or meningitis?  Why did her little heart stop beating?  Why did her little lungs stop functioning?  I do not know. . . .

There will be no death certificate to indicate the end of Djimilia’s time here on earth.  But, the Lord called her home and that is really all that matters now.  Djimilia is no longer suffering, her left leg has been restored, and she is able to sit and to stand, even able to run and play just like a normal child.  And, for this I am thankful.

David - On his way to Italy!

David and his parents--

Meet David, three years old this past February!  And, introducing the new big players in his life, his mama and papa! 

After a long wait here in Burkina and in Italy, simple introductions were made and this new little family was formed.  Within a very short time, David was clinging to his parents and refusing to be cared for by the orphanage baby caretakers.  Already they are a family.

We are thankful for the three years that you were with us, David, and we are even more thankful for this loving family that the Lord has given to you!

Count Them 1, 2, 3--

If you look closely you can see all three of them.  Mama is holding 2 babies feeding one of them from a bottle, and big sister of 8 years old is holding one.  They are two boys and one girl, now one month old.  The babies are still really, really small for one month but considering their very small birth weight, they are all doing pretty well.

The family came from a neighboring village abut 25 kilometers away.  They heard that there was the possibility to get help with infant formula at the orphanage.  Since Mama is not producing enough milk for the three babies they arrived hopeful and at the same time, a little fearful of being turned away.

Infant formula is expensive everywhere and Burkina is no exception.  Although inexpensive by Western standards $7 per can is way beyond what a village family can afford to pay.  Seeing the desire of this mother to care for her children herself, we are happy to do what we can to help supplement her milk until the babies are big enough for table food. 

Before leaving to return home, one of our baby care-takers spent time with Mama explaining how to properly clean and sterilize the bottles, how to boil the water, and how to prepare the formula.  Because of the distance, the Papa will be returning once a month to get more milk and they will bring the babies back to be measured and weighed every three months. 



 

Dieudonne Needs a Home

Dieudonne is a French name which means 'Gift from God'.  Dieudo was born on June 25, 2008.  He was very malnourished when he came to the orphanage.  He talks and walks now but his development has been slow.

Dieudo has been diagnosed to have Hemoglobin S-C. 

Dieudo is a little charmer with a sweet smile who is looking for his Forever Family!

Jules Needs a Home--

I just met this little guy today and I am quite taken with him.  His name is Jules.  He is about 18 months old.  He can hear but we are not sure whether he can see. 

Jules was abandoned and then found and taken to an orphanage.  His head is abnormally small and abnormally shaped.  He has a problem with his neck where his head turns back towards his shoulder.

Jules is developmentally behind in that at 18 months he is not sitting up on his own or turning over or pulling up or walking.

Jules is a very sweet little baby who needs the love and affection and stimulation of a special home.  Do you have a place in your heart for Jules?

 

The Giving Tree - Dalton, MA

For the second year in a row, The St Agnes Church and Academy in Dalton, MA sponsored a ‘Giving Tree’ to raise money for the medical needs of our children here in Yako.

This year, the project was completely run by the Student Council of St Agnes Academy and the children did an outstanding job!  The students cut out and laminated pictures with gift ideas on them and then tied them to two trees.  One tree was placed in the school and one was placed in the church.  The students promoted the Giving Tree in the school and the church and a notice was also put into the church bulletin.  The students and parents then selected cards from the tree and turned in their donations.

In total, the children raised more than $6,000!  These funds will go to meet the medical needs of medicine and even emergency hospital care when it is needed for our children.

Thank you Mr James Stankiewicz, Headmaster of St Agnes Academy for allowing your children to bless the children of Yako in this way!

Thank you Father Christopher Malatesta for allowing this opportunity for your generous congregation to bless us and our children here in Burkina!

And, thank you so much students of St Agnes Academy for all that you do in collecting cans to sponsor two of our children, in writing letters to our children, in sending gifts to our children, and in raising this huge amount of money for our medical program!

May the Lord richly bless you! 

One of our nurses, Josie, treating one of our babies

LAPS - Let’s All Provide Supplies

Again this year on Valentine’s Day, the Freeman School in Aurora, Illinois, held LAPS, a fund raiser to benefit the Sheltering Wings Primary School.  Freeman School was the primary school for Evelea and Therese Solgos and even though the girls have graduated to middle school, the school principal allowed the girls to return this year for this annual fund-raiser event.

Evelea and Therese each had an opportunity to speak to and encourage the children before the students began making their laps.  The children raised money by getting sponsors to sign their sheets giving a certain amount for each lap that they walked or ran. 

Thank you Mr Steinheimer for initiating this event!

Thank you so much, Mr Smith, principal of Freeman School for allowing your children to participate in this event!

Thank you to all of the children who worked to get sponsors and then did their part in running, walking, and skipping laps around the school gym!

Thank you to the wonderful Solgos family for loving our Therese!

The children raised over $2000 and the money will go towards new school books and desks for next year.