2017 Archive
Alexander's Soup Kitchen
Minsk, Belarus - 2017
Jeffrey Biscoe We met with Alexander Chernitsky, the artist who sells his paintings to fund his soup kitchen in Belarus. For years he would only allow street children in for meals and one day after watching a little boy put some food from the kitchen into his pocket to take across the street to share with his mother, he knew he needed to open the doors to everyone. He has been running his soup kitchen for around twenty years now. When he began, he was feeding, on average, 350 children a day. Slowly the government began to provide for street children (more shelters) and he was able to open the doors to all ages and genders. He also gets to know the people that visit his soup kitchen personally. He had several stories of some struggling single mothers he was currently working with to ensure they had enough food for the winter and that their utility bills were paid. We assisted him with his efforts in working with one specific young mother and look forward to connecting with him again in the near future. |
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Ukrainian Orphanage
Kremenchuk, Ukraine - 2017
Jeffrey Biscoe This Christian Orphanage near Alexandria, Ukraine now has now 45 kids from age 2 to 18. It has a home-like atmosphere that is very clean and cheerful. The kids here are well taken care of and very happy. Siblings always stay together in their rooms and always get adopted together. Everyone helps with chores and the older children go to school in the nearby village. Older kids who are not adopted by age 18 live in a hostel where they learn to be independent and self-sustaining. Alexander, the director, does a fantastic job making sure these children are cared for and raised well until they are united with a permanent family. We are happy to help them with supplies they need to keep this home running smoothly and efficiently. |
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Rural School in Belarus
Gomel Region, Belarus - 11/14/2017
Jeffrey Biscoe We traveled to a remote village about 3 hours south of Minsk to deliver food baskets, visit a school, do various activities with the students, teach a parenting class and visit a few families in their homes. Chantelle and Anna Masoit taught a “food art” class, using fresh fruit, raisins and almonds to create art, which the children then got to eat. Sveta did a scavenger hunt and Lena taught a Bible story and did an activity, while Steve Doty and Alan Marshall taught the parents of the students in the school. We gathered in a very old school building. This school educates and feeds 22 children from the surrounding 4 villages and is the last “business” left in this area. If this school closes down, and there is talk that it will, then the families here who depend on it will be forced to move. The villages here are small and poor but this is home to these people and they don’t have anywhere else to go. A lot of these children live in absolutely appalling conditions, but because the entire area is like this, they are kept in their homes, with their families, unless there is abuse. Most of these families work very hard to provide for their children, but in a system where there very few opportunities and there is nothing they can do to make their situation better and no where to turn for help, these parents don’t have very many options. People like Olga, and the work she does through her NGO, Spring of Revival, is life saving for these families. We are thankful for the efforts she puts in and we are so happy we can help her, help them. |
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SOS Children's Village Food Subsidy
Manila, Philippines - 11/14/2017
Jeffrey Biscoe SOS Children’s village has had a steady decline in funding over the past year, resulting in a limited monthly budget for food. They also pulled all of the kids out of private schools and placed them in the state school system. We recently provided a subsidy to increase the food budget for each family home for the 3rd and 4th quarter of the year. This organization takes in many children but they are unique in the way that they keep sibling groups together in the home. Most places will take siblings, but they are separated by age and/or gender. Here at SOS children’s village, they strive to give each child a loving home environment. |
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Ongoing Work with the School in Batac
Batac, Philippines - 09/14/2017
Jeffrey Biscoe We were able to provide them with all of the schoolbooks each child would need for a full year. We also continue to strategize with the administration to move in the direction of being completely self-sustaining. We put together some rough plans with 3 different stages while there. Along with our fundraising efforts, the school staff and parents continue to raise funds for the new building. As always, working with the staff and interacting and encouraging the students were some of the highlights of our time there! |
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Continuing Work with Disabled Children
Manila, Philippines - 2017
Jeffrey Biscoe We are still working with Janna (the 7yo girl who has Cerebral Palsy) and her family. We are now working with two other children with CP, Duane (age 3) and JR (age 9). JR is at the SOS Children’s Village in Manila and Duane is a neighbor of Janna’s family. We are working on getting JR some custom shoes because his right foot is permanently fixed in an awkward position (See pictures). Duane lives at home with his family and we are taking some measures to increase the level of his care. We are very thankful for our local contacts, Arthur and Aiza, for continuing to check on and help Janna and her family on a regular basis! |
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Progress at Destiny's Promise
Manila, Philippines - 2017
Jeffrey Biscoe The new building is coming along great and is nearing completion! We were able to provide the orphanage with a few missing items. They still needed a commercial washer and additional ceiling fans for the new space. We are happy to help and very thankful for the work that Sherry and her staff do everyday. |
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SOS Children's Village
Manila, Philippines - 2017
Jeffrey Biscoe “A loving home for every child.” SOS Children’s Village is a very unique shelter. They have 7 small houses with a housemother who permanently lives in each one. She raises the children in a much more traditional home environment, which allows siblings to stay together and be raised in the same home. They go out as a family often to shop for household supplies, groceries and clothing. The children in the home do chores, homework, sports and the older children help with the younger ones. Their biggest need at this time was an increase in their food budget for each house and new basketballs, volleyballs, pumps and board games. Last week we supplied them with the new sporting equipment and a couple wooden chessboards that they had asked for along with a short-term increase in all 7 cabins budget for food. We also continually provide them with healthy, chemical-free toothpaste. This is a very warm and loving place. We are truly grateful for the work they do and we are happy to work with them on a regular basis. |
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School in Batac, Philippines
Batac, Philippines - 03/30/2017
Jeffrey Biscoe Living Rock Christian School of Excellence is truly unique. It’s an exceptional Christian school that teaches children the life skills needed to thrive and more importantly, to keep a spiritual mindset in an ever increasingly dark world. Located in the far north, on the Philippine island of Luzon, this school has had over a dozen people from Montana travel there to volunteer their time and energy to assist and help it succeed with its mission. The children are very friendly, respectful and extremely cheerful every time we see them. There are 82 children currently attending. It was established in 2005 in a rented property and the landlords have recently changed their rent agreement to month to month with a 10% increase in rent every year. Quality education in the Philippines is very important. Dante and Alma and their staff have shown their commitment over the years in providing not only excellent academics but also building a firm foundation of biblical truth in the children entrusted to them. |
Over the next year or so we will be raising funds for a permanent school building on the acreage they were able to purchase a few years ago.
To start the campaign, we recently brought back some Filipino handicraft bracelets to raise funds. There are a few different designs to choose from. They are $5 each. If you’re interested in buying one, please contact us! |