Hope For The Nations

Greetings from Bill & Donna Reimer!

It is with much gratitude and appreciation that we look back on the year of 2012 and see what has happened in our village as a result of the loving, caring and giving team of supporters of our programs here in Dominican Republic.

The health of the children in the village is definitely one of the most apparent things we see, due to the nutrition of the HotMeal Program and the vitamin supplements, there is marked improvement in their over all health. The baby sponsorship program is a huge success and many babies are thriving as a result. Of course these are always in addition to the sponsored family food supplement program that many take part in.

Our motto for 2012 “You are only poor if YOU think you are” resulted in teaching many in the village there were a lot of things they could do for themselves that did not require money. The result is a cleaner village, a much improved drainage system, The new system has resulted in many of them working with us in the Hot Meal program and the food distribution in exchange for food for their families and formula for their babies.

Our new motto for 2013 is “Every person has potential—be the best of what you were created to be.” This will be a year of teaching respect for yourself and that resulting in respect for each other, respect for the elderly and the children. Also we will be working with some to get their needed paper work to be legally here and legally able to work and support themselves and their families. As the year progresses hopefully we will be able to give you good news updates of how this progressing.

Our budget needs for 2012 were met and we look forward to God providing in 2013 for an expanded version of last year as far as the programs.

Thank you again to all of our supporters in prayers, finances, volunteering and encouraging. We love and appreciate you all.

Last month we posted the astonishing story of Chichi; a tiny little four year old, who has been living mostly alone for several months. I spent two weeks working with Bill and Donna helping in Villa Ascension with the feeding program and maternal health care/baby program.  It was very good to meet ChiChi, as we could see that she was getting some care through neigbours and relatives, although she was very hungry.

There is hope for Chichi and her baby brother (who is in a temporary childcare arrangement).  The children may have the opportunity to be adopted to Canada.  Would you be interested in helping with her care until she finds a permanent home? 

With $40/month, Dominican Feed the Kids, will make certain she has several nourishing meals per week, and clothing and vitamin supplements when available. 

Please click on the "Donate" button to give extra support to ChiChi.

Love and blessings,

Lisa Marie and DFTK

Here's a hard question ... a sad story ... and maybe some hope?  From Donna Reimer (copied from DFTK Facebook)

Today my heart is heavy,  I thought I had got past the point of shedding tears for my babies in the village but today

my heart was broken and I do not know how to fix this one, God will have to look after her. You have heard me speak of the little girl ChiChi who was abandoned and lives in the village with another family who cannot afford to give her any more than roof over her head.

I had not seen her coming down to eat for a few days so I ask one of the guys who help us if he could find her for me today....He did....he said she has no where to live any more, the family cannot afford to feed her so many days she goes without any food at all, only on the days we are there and someone reminds her to come down to eat, does she get a decent meal. and so she eats three times a week...I sat and held her and cried, what do we do for this poor baby (4 yrs old) who has no one in the world,

We have talked of trying to find someone to adopt her but we need to find a family member who can sign papers or someone who is willing to declare her an abandoned child, at this point we have found neither, strickly because she lives with another family.....this is the hardest situation to find a solution for....we can look for a sponsor but it would have to be a full family sponsor because the food would go to the house, where there are 6 other hungry mouths waiting to be fed as well so again she becomes # 7 who will get fed when and if there are leftovers....this is the kind of situation that makes me want to take them all home and just feed and love them...the saddness in her eyes and the lifelessness in her body when I sit and hold her tears the heart out of me and I can nothing but eventually let her go and watch through the tears as she walks away by herself up the path through the village to .........

- by Donna Reimer

IF YOU ARE COMING TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WITH A GROUP OR ON A HOLIDAY AND WANT TO BRING ITEMS THAT CAN BE USEFUL TO HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS.  

WE WILL PICK UP AT YOUR HOTEL LOBBY OR YOUR VILLA  OR EVEN THE AIRPORT,  JUST CONTACT US WITH YOUR ARRIVAL TIME OR A CONVIENT PICKUP TIME FOR YOU.

E:mail:  enquiry@dominicanfeedthekids.com    Thank you for caring and sharing

HERE IS OUR WISH LIST:

BABY CLOTHES AND SUPPLIES:

• size 0-3months : boys and girls
• light weight sleepers,
• onesies,
• receiving blankets,
• socks,
• newborn disposable diapers.
• wrapped mild soap bars
• medium or small size
• baby wash,
• baby powder,
• baby lotion

HEALTH CARE ITEMS:

• wrapped soap bars
• toothpaste (medium size)
• deoderant
• hand lotions (small please)
• towels (please no over size or heavy weight)
• kotex (maxi) any brand is fine

CLOTHING AND SHOES

• adult and children  (gently used or new)
• children sizes 3 months -16 years  boys and girls...
• flip flops (all sizes),
• black shoes : girls and boys (all sizes) used for school
• socks and under wear, (children all sizes)
• cloth diapers , plastic over covers
• flat  sheets (double, queen)

Let me introduce you to the Family food Bag Program operating in our villages.  We have 60 families that receive an essential food supply bag of rice and beans and oil that are meant to supplement the food this family already has, but we are finding more and more often that this food supply bag is the only source of food supply that many of them have for that week.

We are at this time faces with a huge opportunity to have people get involved with this program, over the past 2 years of operating and due to the changes in leadership and the style of operation of the programs we have had a lot of our sponsors for this program stop their contributions , this has been due to many things but primarialy to the economic downturn.  We have been continuing to supply these now NONSPONSORED families with their food through generous donations that have came in, BUT now we need new sponsors in order to continue this program.

AND SO WE ARE INTRODUCING :

BECOME A SPONSOR DRIVE

we want to get 100 sponsors to give these families and the ones waiting to get on the program, the chance to get at least this basic food bag to help them survive,

we have 1 month to make this happen...so here are the details

you can sponsor at three different levels, we need

 sponsors @ $75 per month,

this is for families with 8 or more persons in the family

sponsors @$65 per month

this is for families with 5-7 persons

 sponsors @ $55 per month

this is for families with 1-4 persons

being a sponsor is simple, once a month you give your sponsorship through this page on the donate button, how you give is your choice, reveiw the choices given on the donate page and pick the one suited for you and then give......you will be saving a family from starvation by your gift

Donna Reimer  —  June 06, 2012

Pictured here is a part of a family of ten children who mainly live on their own, ranging in age from 3 months to 11 years, the 11 year old is the primary caregiver. They are one of the many families that we look after on a regular basis with food and medical help.

Thank you for your deep love and generous commitment to helping us to help them. 

This Mama came to us recently; she does not live in Villa Acsension, but lives at the barrios near the dump.  She has lived in Acsension and received help with her first child who is handicapped. She has no income and 2 children, she lives from picking through the dump.

Day by day our programs help families to meet their day to day needs. 

We cannot do it without you!  Thank you for your support.

Love and Blessings,

Lisa Marie, Donna and Bill