Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Fundraising successes this Summer

This has been a successful summer with fundraising events. First the garage sale which was huge and raised nearly $3000. The Lakeside Bash fundraiser was very successful and raised $2400. Also the fundraiser listed below which raised 1200 for dentistry for the children.
Approx $800 has been raised by our Qatar donors for a library for the Government school in Simpani. Many thanks to them. We still have my marathon to go and I am still taking sponsors for that. Training is going well and I completed 20 miles last Saturday. So we have enough money to pay our admin costs for the next year. It is always a relief to know we have enough money to cover that.

Our two volunteers have just returned from Nepal and worked at the High Mount School in Pokhara for a month. I met with them today and they are two bright young people who obviously enjoyed their time there very much and have lots of great photos. They are going to send me those and I will post some here and send some out to sponsors whose children are in the pictures.

We have 15 students all going to college now and 11 are girls. This is very encouraging for NEF. We can be proud that we have achieved in helping these children to a higher education.

Monday, August 23, 2010

New Dentistry Program

We have started a gift giving program involving children's dental visits. For $38 Canadian dollars you can send a child to the dentist for a check up, cleaning and other treatment if necessary. Nepali children rarely, if ever, visit a dentist. They are just too poor and usually cannot even afford medical treatment. There was not even a dental college in Nepal until 1996 so dentistry is in its infancy in Nepal. Children reach adulthood with many cavities and these teeth end up being extracted. Most older Nepalis have no teeth. So this is an opportunity to get children to the dentist early and hopefully save their teeth. Rotting teeth cause many health problems.
You can buy a dentist visit for friends and family for Christmas or birthdays. They will receive a card telling them about their gift. Cheques can be made out to NEF and please include the receipent's name and address.
Over $1.200 has already been raised for this program at a fundraiser put on by a Rotarian and his wife who accompanied me to Nepal this last spring. Many thanks to them.