Kenya

Mike Rhodes has been involved on humanitarian projects in Kenya, where he has spent a lot of time working on a Kenyan orphanage. The orphanage is just outside of Nairobi, and while it is Heidi Brown’s (Paul Morrell’s daughter) project, Mike has been helping her. On his last trip there, he met with the owners, and their attorneys, of the Body of Christ orphanage and school.  Paul Morrell would like things to move along quicker there. He would like to have money transferred to MFC and have the land purchased, so that the project can move forward, without having to jump through all of the legal hoops.

Julie Rhodes

Julie Rhodes is a nurse, and she is currently a volunteer worker for humanitarian projects in countries around the world. She made Paul Morrell’s acquaintance while helping to build an orphanage in Ecuador – the work of three organizations, including her family’s Todos Los Ninos Foundation and Morrell Family Charities. Paul knew that she had interest in this type of humanitarian work, and, while visiting one day, Julie was given the assignment to help in Ethiopia.

Julie has currently been to Ethiopia three times, in August and October of 2009 and March of 2010. She plans to return in July of 2010.

http://www.todoslosninosweb.org/

WhereLoveIs - Boys’ Shelter

Jason Burton founded a boys’ shelter in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to take homeless boys off of the streets and give them a place to live. The shelter was named WhereLoveIs. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to lessen the suffering of people living in poverty in Ethiopia. Jason has been taking in boys, from ages 6 to 10 or so, who had been living on the streets and had no other place to go.

Jason said, in May of 2008, “They really need homes, support and love… It’s hard to imagine living, sleeping, and working at such young ages in such rough conditions like they do. They have bright futures and huge potential to help others in need in Ethiopia, and together we can help them realize this.”

Julie Rhodes met Jason in August of 2009. Paul Morrell learned of this organization and decided to lend a hand. Together with Katie Morrell Yanguez, Cherish Morrell Newman, and Julie, Paul wrote a sponsorship program for the boys’ shelter. This sponsorship program was written to try to get individuals to sponsor each one of the boys in Jason’s shelter.

Paul then sent Cherish, Katie, and Julie to Ethiopia in August of 2009. After one afternoon activity with the boys there, Julie said, “We were just blown away by their living conditions. They’re much better than living on the street, but not a lot better. They do have someone to look out for them.” When Julie came back to the states, she was determined that the boys got sponsorships.

Individual sponsors pay around $60 per month to sponsor one of the boys at the shelter. Between a third and a half of the boys now have sponsors.

Mike and Julie Rhodes personally pay $500 each month to help Jason pay rent, buy food, and help with the other expenses of running the shelter in Ethiopia. They try to support Jason as much as they can, in order to help them figure out a more permanent solution for the boys. He has a lot of ideas on how to proceed in the future, and the Rhodes will continue to help him down the road.

The WhereLoveIs shelter is currently located in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Partly due the election in the country, the boys are currently split up in different locations. They are looking for a more permanent place, out of the middle of city, to house the boys, but it will probably remain in the outskirts of Addis.

In July of 2010, Jason plans on returning to Ethiopia, with the object of finding a more permanent place. If he can obtain a good size piece of land, he will be able to do farming and raise a little money on the side to help pay for the boys expenses. Eventually, Jason plans on having his shelter licensed under the organization that the Village of Hope becomes in the near future. Family Services is the name in the works, right now, and WhereLoveIs will become a division of that.

http://whereloveisethiopia.blogspot.com/

http://whereloveis.org/

Medical Clinics

Julie Rhodes has also been working with Katie Yanguez, Paul Morrell’s daughter, on the formation of medical clinics in Ethiopia.

There was a medical clinic at the Village of Hope in Kersa Illala that was shut down in October of 2009. Julie spent March 2010 in Ethiopia trying to figure out the licensing that it will take to get the medical clinic there reestablished and up and running, with new objectives and new employees. Caity heads this project, while Julie lends her support.

Hopefully, by mid June or the first of July the doors will be open again. Two nurses and a receptionist have been hired. They are working on preparing the buildings and getting supplies so that the clinic can open on schedule.

They are also hoping to build a satellite clinic at the Morrell Agro Industries’ Alyssa Farm near Beltu. The thought is that of the two nurses in Kersa, one can be sent to the Alyssa Farm for a few weeks and then go back to Kersa. Then another nurse would be sent out. The Alyssa clinic would be staffed from a distance until someone was found locally, or someone was willing to move, there and man the clinic.

Sikre, the chief nurse at the Kersa clinic, traveled to they Alyssa farm in the beginning of May 2010 to evaluate the medical needs there. There is already a medical facility in the town of Beltu, about 45 minutes from the farm. But, Julie does not know the extent of the facilities there. She said, “Just from word of mouth reports, I’ve heard that the Alyssa farm is better equipped to handle medical emergencies than the Beltu clinic. All they have at the Alyssa farm right now is a massive first aid kit.”

There are several reasons that a medical clinic at the Alyssa farm would be beneficial. First, Paul has a lot of American employees working there for MAI. If there was a medical need, there is currently no one there to help them. Secondly, there is a community need for medical assistance in the area.

Julie said, “When I was there in March, we had a girl, an 18 month old baby, that was severely burned. And, I’m a nurse, and I was the only one around, and I was able to treat her. I treated her, and they’ve had a new patient show up to that farm everyday hoping for treatment. And, we don’t have medical staff there. So, we’re trying to meet both the need of the community and the employees.”

A satellite clinic at the Alyssa farm will try to meet both of these needs.

The medical clinic in Kersa Illala will be more focused on helping the local people, developing community outreach programs, education, and prevention. They don’t have a lot of US employees there, but any employee of the clinic and their families could receive treatment at the clinic. But, it will only be a small percentage of the care given there.

Medical Expeditions

Julie Rhodes has been involved in the development of future medical expeditions to clinics in Ethiopia. She plans on taking these expeditions three times each year. The purpose of these expeditions is to expose people from the United States to the kind of medical problems that are present in Ethiopia. They will be given the opportunity to volunteer their time, knowledge, and medical expertise to try and take care of the local people of Ethiopia, from the severely ill cases to the people that just can’t get treatment anywhere else.

All different types of medical professionals will be invited on these expeditions. Staff from doctors’ offices and friends and family may also be brought along on the trips. These expeditions will be largely focused on medical aspects, but there will also be other activities and ways that the non-medical people present can interact with the local community. They may be able to work at nutrition centers, local orphanages, or schools. There will also be planned cultural entertainment for the group.

While on the expeditions, medical personnel will be able to work in a number of locations in Ethiopia.

Although it is not set up yet, Julie hopes that the medical expeditions will be able to work in the Mother Theresa Hospital in Addis Ababa as they travel in and out of the country. She hopes to help Dr. Rick Hodes who does a lot of volunteer work at the hospital. His work in Africa is the subject of a book titled “This Is a Soul.”

The expeditions will then travel to Kersa Illala and the medical clinic there, where they will spend most of their time. It is not Julie’s intention to completely take over the operations at the clinic, but instead, to add to what they are doing. Medical personnel on the expeditions will be able to train the workers at the clinic and treat the more difficult medical cases. They will be working full eight to twelve hour days, and they will be in Kersa for approximately a week.

A select group of people will then be taken out to the MAI Alyssa farm in Beltu. There they will perform the same kind of tasks as at the Kersa Clinic for a few days.

Two more connections will also be made on the expeditions, although they are not completely finalized yet. The Ethiopia Adventist College, just down the road from the Kersa clinic, has expressed a desire for people from the medical expeditions to done some work in their own clinic. So, either at the same time the expedition is staffing the Kersa clinic or for a few days extended trip, Julie will send a few people to the college to work. The same kind of arrangement will hopefully be made with the clinic in Lake Langano. This clinic is staffed by Americas from a different organization, and they need the support of additional medical professionals.

People who join these medical expeditions will be able to work in up to five clinics during their time in Ethiopia, for about two weeks. Everyone that participates will pay their own way to the country, and they will bring any medical supplies, which are specific to their specialty, that they can’t get in Ethiopia. Their time, services, and supplies will all be donated, in the hopes of helping improve the local people’s lives.

An additional purpose that these medical expeditions will serve is to raise awareness for the Kersa Illala village and the programs that are going on there. Julie said, “Hopefully, down the road, that will spawn more medical professionals that want to come. We’re hoping it will gain interest in sponsorship and also give people a feel for what’s going on in third world countries medically.”

Julie recently had a conversation with a former chief medical director at the Hill Air Force Base in Utah, and she learned that, when doing medical military training, it is important to get hands-on experience dealing with diseases in third world countries. A lot of military personnel are deployed to these countries, and it is rare to have previous experience with the problems that they will have to deal with there. They have the knowledge, but not the actual experience.

In the future, Julie hopes that it may be possible to get the military to assign some of their medical personnel to work in the Kersa clinic for a couple weeks as at time, perhaps even a few times each year. They would be paid, by the military, to work there so that they can increase their knowledge of third world medicine. Julie said, “That would be a huge boost to our clinic, because right now we’re not going to have a physician at our clinic, only when they come with our expedition. So, if we could tap into that, it could be possible for us to almost staff year-round with a physician from somewhere that is paid by the military to come work in the clinic.”

The first medical expedition to Ethiopia was originally planned for July of 2010, but it was called off due to the political situation in the country. Julie will still be traveling to Ethiopia in July, while taking two people with her, on a mini-expedition so that she knows what to plan for the future expeditions.

In October or November of 2010, the first large expedition will be sent to Ethiopia. A date will be finalized soon, as there is a waiting list of over 60 people who are anxiously waiting to participate. No more than ten to fifteen people can be taken on each expedition, as to not overwhelm the purpose of the trips. If all of the clinics can get up and running, and the group can split up, it will be possible to take more people.

More trips are planned for February and summer of 2011, and the goal is three trips each year. If there is good employee support in Ethiopia, Julie hopes to be able to let people request dates when they would like to travel to the clinics. They could then meet with people in the country and be able to travel there without her support.

Recently, MAI was featured in the Herald Journal.  The article can be viewed here, or below.

For this year, 2009, CERF has awarded a grant to Afega Elementary for its refurbishment program.  As for scholarship, CERF has awarded 41 scholarships to the following schools:  Laulii Elementary, Moataa Elementary, LDS Elementary, Ah Mu Academy, Lalomanu Elementary, CCWS, Vaimauga College, and Faleata College.  Applications for scholarships next school year (2010) have been distributed.  The deadline is October 31, 09.  (NOTE:  School year in Samoa is from February to December all year round).  Also applications for grants and humanitarian supplies have been distributed to schools in Samoa. 

Click here for more information (PDF 10MB)

Website:  www.cerff.org

In 2004, Steffanie Reeder, a special education teacher, went on a week-long humanitarian expedition to the  rural village of Kersa Ilala in Ethiopia with an organization called the Village of Hope, based out of Heber City, Utah.  After returning home, the images of children in tattered clothing drinking dirty water and living in mud huts were seared into her mind.  She resolved to move back to Ethiopia to help the organization establish their High Risk Children’s Center (HRCC), a safe place for children to live who have been abused or neglected. 

By September 2005, Steffanie had quit her job and uprooted her life to move to Ethiopia to work as a volunteer for the Village of Hope.  Since then, Steffanie has spearheaded an effort to ship thousands of books for the public school in the village, successfully started the HRCC, and building on her own passion and love of youth, organized a youth group for  100 youth ages 14-18. 

This Youth Group focuses on four core areas: mental, physical, spiritual and social with a strong emphasis on the value of giving service.  The youth meet two times a week to receive training in these areas.  Some of the lessons have focused on topics such as first aid, honesty, and goal setting.  The youth have also provided dramas, musical numbers and community festivals for the villagers.  Additionally, the youth participate in large service projects twice a month such as harvesting crops for the widowed and elderly, planting shrubs and trees for the local government and repairing roads damaged by the rain. 

At the same time Steffanie was considering making the commitment to move to Ethiopia for this work her cousin, Carolyn Moore, was looking for an organization in which to fulfill her practicum requirement for her Master’s degree in Intercultural service, leadership and management.  Carolyn received her undergrad degree in International Relations and has worked in several countries in Africa.  She has always been compelled to humanitarian work and helping others who are less fortunate than she. 

Carolyn also moved to Ethiopia in 2005 where she conducted research to help support the HRCC.  Her research also led to helping in the establishment of a father’s working group in the village called Dagoo Harawaa.  Seeing that the youth and the fathers were receiving benefit from programs targeted at them, it was decided last year that it was time to focus on the women of the village and helping strengthen them. 

In October 2008, Carolyn started the women’s group with 50 women from the village.  The women will work through a certification program which focuses on six areas: First Aid, Finance and Budgeting, Health and Nutrition, Communication, Community Service, and Arts and Crafts.  Each area has a number of certification requirements which the women must complete.  If they are able to complete all areas they will receive a Woman In Action award.  The goal is for the women to gain new skills and abilities that will help improve their confidence which they will then be able to spread to the rest of the village.  To date, the women have completed the First Aid and Finance and Budgeting requirements and are beginning work on Health and Nutrition.

Steffanie says she is dedicated to the work “because the youth are so talented and some of them will never know if they could be the next Bach or Beethoven simply because they don’t have the opportunity or materials to explore their talents.”  Although a lot of people donate money and clothing, she is looking for materials that will help the youth develop their talents such as musical instruments or sports equipment.  She believes that this is the place to start with helping the youth to discover the talents that will make their lives better.

Carolyn also believes that change will not come from simple material goods but from allowing each woman to improve her own self image and giving her a skill set to make changes for herself, her family and the village.  “When foreigners, particularly Westerners, go to a place like Kersa Ilala, all they see is the poverty and the filth and they don’t see the people for what they really are—people;  people who have talents and skills and who, given the tools and the opportunity, can flourish and grow and change their lives through their own ability.” 

Both women feel a great love for the people and the opportunity to help them realize their worth and potential.  They have seen remarkable changes in the people they have been working with even in this short amount of time.  They also believe there is a lot of potential just waiting to be tapped into.  They have made the commitment to continue working in Ethiopia for as long as they can be supported in their efforts.

For more information about the organization please visit www.villageofhope-ethiopia.org

Amber and OSSO

Hi this is Cherish and I just wanted to add my little Amber plug. Amber is one of the MOST dedicated women I know to her passion. These children in Ecuador are her children. She loves them with her whole heart, she spends her days working for them and her nights worrying over them and has travelled hundreds of thousands of miles to be with them. She is a very efficient and hard worker and I really admire her.

Hey! It’s Jen. I have only known Amber for a few months, but I know that she is a wonderful and inspiring person who has an incredible job. She is a valuable asset to OSSO and has had many tremendous opportunities. Amber is very kind and cares deeply about the children that she helps provide for. I know that you will be just as inspired as I was in reading and learning more about her.

During my last semester at BYU before graduating I was trying to figure out what I was going to do after graduation, where to live, what job to take, and I had also been looking at possibilities of using my Spanish since I was minoring in it, but going somewhere and teaching English just didn’t seem to be for me. So one day I was in my Spanish class and the teacher put up an overhead that said something along the lines of “Want to work in orphanages in Ecuador? Come to this meeting to find out more information” and I knew I had to go to that meeting—I loved children (I’d babysat tons growing up) and I knew Spanish…it seemed like the perfect thing for me. The rest is history, and at the time I had no idea how much my life would change and take a direction I had no clue I was meant to take.

I went to Ecuador with Orphanage Support Services Organization (OSSO), www.orphanagesupport.org, in August 2000 to work in orphanages. I ended up staying for 10 months and fell incredibly in love with the children (and also OSSO’s program). How could I not? They were so cute and loveable and needed me, and I grew a ton down there. I had had a blast during my four years at BYU and had so much fun that I thought nothing would be able to top it, but Ecuador and my volunteer experience with OSSO far surpassed it.

Not too long before I was due to come home, I was offered my job by Rex Head (OSSO’s Founder and Executive Director), and I moved to Rexburg, Idaho from Ecuador! Never did I have any clue growing up that I’d be where I’m at doing what I’m doing, but I love it. I’m the Managing Director for OSSO, and I travel to Ecuador (to both cities where we have our program, Cuenca and Quito) three times a year to make sure everything’s going how we want it to be going. We help support 10+ orphanages between the two cities, and at any given time we have 28 volunteers (doing 2 ½-month stints) in Ecuador year-round working in those orphanages and loving those precious children. We also have a lot of short-term volunteers. We work with infants, toddlers, handicapped kids and some older girls, and those children will forever be different because of the volunteers who love them and the support OSSO provides them with, but our OSSO volunteers will forever be different as well. I often have parents tell me how much their volunteer changed during their service time with OSSO, and I know we’re doing good in the world. OSSO has affected thousands of lives in Ecuador as well as in the U.S. and Canada.

When you have the chance to rock a baby to sleep while singing them a lullaby, or feeding a special needs child who has an incredibly difficult time swallowing blended up food, or teaching a little toddler how to take their first step or blow you a kiss…all those things mean so much more because you’re doing them inside an orphanage for children who need you. It’s life-changing, and many tears have fallen down my cheeks as I’ve looked into those dark brown eyes and said “I love you”—and I knew it was reciprocated, and that makes all the difference.

In 2005 we decided we wanted to start our own orphanage, and from there the necessary partners came to us, and with Morrell Family Charities (Cherish) who paid for and built the orphanage in Cuenca and Todos los Niños Foundation who furnished the orphanage, we now have our own orphanage called Los Pequeñitos de OSSO (OSSO’s Little Ones). We care for infants and handicapped children, and these children are truly our children. But with the construction of our new orphanage, we didn’t decrease the support we give to the other orphanages in Cuenca and Quito, however, tough times with the economy have extended to tough times for OSSO. We’re being hit hard because donations have decreased, but volunteer applications have decreased as well. People are afraid to spend or give their money, but the children still need help, and they need more help than before because Ecuador’s economy is having hard times too, and the orphanages are struggling.

But there are things everyone can do to help! You can make a donation (either one-time or ongoing); you can sponsor a child ($30/mo.) or an orphanage ($1,000/year); you can volunteer in the orphanages (long-term or short-term; college-age or as a family); you can spread the word. Those things are what we’re needing right now to help during these difficult times. Can you help these children? I promise it’ll be worth it!

Body of Christ Children’s Centre is located in Nairobi, Kenya. It is run by Pastor Mary Watare and her husband. Their funding relies on $100-$200 sent by their daughter once a month and their own retirement, garden and cattle. The Children’s Centre has over 200 orphans and needy children that they feed at least two meals a day, and teach. Mary’s husband also serves in the community to help prevent domestic violence.

They cannot house the children, for they don’t have a place for them to sleep yet.  They do, however, keep the center open all day so that the kids can stay there during the day.  They close it at night and send the kids other places to sleep.  They would like to be able to house the kids all night soon.

In Nairobi the kids have to pass a test in order to attend Kindergarten. The center offers a pre-school class so that they may prepare the kids to pass the test and be able to start Kindergarten.

When Mary petitioned MFC for help she explained they were renting property that has a couple of buildings.  The property is .625 acres.  Some months out of the year they were not able to pay the rent.  Basically they go month to month praying that the Lord will provide a way for them to keep the center open, and every month he does.  They have wanted to add buildings to the property so they could have a place for the kids to sleep but they are afraid that the landlord would take the property from them.

They asked MFC for help to buy the property so that they have security in knowing they will not be evicted and so they may start building a bigger place so the kids can to stay permanently.  Founder of MFC (Morrell Family Charities), Paul Morrell, went down to Kenya and checked out the center.  He feels like it is a great organization and great people running it.  They sang and danced for him and were very excited when he approved the money for them to buy the property and build a new kitchen.

Notes from Deanna and Amy visit Haiti

Nov. 16, 2008

Notes of Fontamara

We went there during feeding hour.  Very chaotic, but very well fed and taken care of.  The nannies were very aware of the children’s cries and would tend to them accordingly.   We were concerned of some of the new babies that looked starved and sick, but Margret said “no worries sister their new and just need time.”  Then they showed us several babies in the same condition when they arrived and at seven months old, they were healthy and happy.

We really like the Bishops morale’s for example he refuses to bribe government workers in order to make the adoption process quicker. Also he has had the opportunity to live and stay in America but refuses to leave Haiti because he feels as though he would abandon his country and the good he can do here.  He plans to live in the new orphanage to oversee everything and keep good relationship with all the children.

It doesn’t matter how many babies they have they are all held equally and very loved.

Nov. 17, 2008

Notes on Leogane

Today we went to Leogane orphanage.  The first things we noticed was how well behaved and how clean the children were, also very happy.  Corey had brought gifts for all of them and we handed them out and the children were very appreciative.  We like the fact the bishop pays as he goes so he has no debt so there are no chances of anything getting taken away.  They also have food storage saved they just have to pay to get it when needed; also the non profit board called Foyer de sion Inc. fill a semi truck full and send it every year and saves money every year to send a container to Miami and then shipped here they are out of Boise Idaho they send enough food for a year so they well be self sustaining with food.   They have had there cars and van donated to them so they have transportation for the children.  Even with the gas prices twice a week the bishop or his wife make the hour and a half drive to the farthest orphanage to make sure the kids are ok and well taken care of in all dimensions.   The bishop also was farming for the children he had a thousand pounds of beans growing but the recent hurricane destroyed the whole crop, but at the new orphanage as in land as it is crops will be safe.

We were told that the culture here the women control the household and men have high respect for them.

Today we thought we took 17 kids to the ocean however when we counted for meals there was 19 so two had jumped into the truck when they had there chance it was pretty funny.  He said he would only bring 15 but when the little ones started crying he gave in like any caring father would, but he didn’t anticipate the two mischievous ones.

De and I both really like the way he treats all 200 of the children as if they were his own.  Corey told us that the bishop and his wife both know which child is crying just from the sound, it is really cool to see him interact with the kids they don’t seem to have any sadness of not having a father because they are treated as though they have one.

Nurses: Francois is the head nurse at the Fontamara.

Thursday notes:

We like the fact that the top level of the new orphanage is built for volunteers to help it be more affordable for them to come, and to make them feel more secure and protected.  He said with the right funding they could have the new orphanage open and running in 6 months.

Amy’s personal notes:

IM IN LOVE AND WANT THEM ALL!!!  The children are all so happy and so loved by the workers and by the bishop and his wife Margaret.  I have felt nothing but good here, the spirit is strong in the presence of each orphanage I would love nothing more than to help them.  If I never achieve anything else in my life but helping them (dad helping them) I will forever feel at peace and happy.   Thank you dad I love you for the good you do.

De’s personal notes:

My notes are on Amy, we all know how grumpy Amy gets in the morning and she didn’t even have a red bull, she fed seven screaming babies and loved every minute of it.  Even though I could tell her anxiety was high she didn’t ask for a pill and neither of us stepped out to smoke, and she  kept on trucking then she cam home in a good mood I am very proud of her. She is talking total control in sponsoring this organization and I am just sitting in the back ground giving her ques.  I am very proud how she has stepped up to the plate and taking responsibility.  Then the next day we found 5 red bulls and we were all at peace thank you daddy.

Nov. 18, 2008

Today we went to the new orphanage that is being built, it is absolutely amazing.  There is an infirmary downstairs for the new babies and any sick kids.  It is very secure it has a fairy tale type feeling about it so the children can be proud of were they came from.  It has beautiful land around it that the bishop said is ready to be planted and for chores the kids would help maintain the crops, they also have there own goats and animals for food, and well be able to be self sustaining.  His dream he said is to have a bed for all 200 children.  He is such a good man and this orphanage is breathtaking.  He has reunited some of the older kids with there biological families but supplies food, school costs, and checks on them weekly.

He said the kids feel as though they are brother and sister and they have never had inappropriate actions from the kids romantically.  But as a precaution he has separated the boys and girls so there are no chances of problems.

Here is the report so far now we are just helping in the Fontamara is there any questions we have not covered?

De Anna and I are 100% on board and think it is a very worthy project..

Although Los Pequeñitos de Osso has been open for over a year, this is the first official website blog about the Ecuador projects and kids. So I basically will write an overview of the orphanage and the kids that reside there.

Ecuador’s orphanages are bursting at the seams. There is not enough funding to take care of all the children.

By divine design, OSSO, Morrell Family Charities, and the Todos Los Niños Foundation teamed up with a dream for these orphans.

 In 2007 this dream became a reality with the opening of Los Pequeñitos de OSSO (trans. “the little ones of OSSO”)! This is a private run orphanage for healthy babies and children with profound special needs. This orphanage, as well as several other orphanages OSSO supports needs your help.

Los Pequeñitos is designed in a family apartment style setting. Each apartment has four bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen and a bathroom. The children are taken care of by Tia’s (aunts) that they create special bonds with and they develop family like relationships with the “brothers and sisters” they live with.

Los Pequeñitos currently has three houses full of kids. They are as follows:

Casa Allegria (House of Happiness)

This casa is made up of babies two years old and younger who moved here together from another orphanage.

Casa Esperanza (House of Hope)

This house is severely special needs kids.
 

Casa Milagros (House of Miracles)

Again this house is full of severely special needs children.

We at Morrell Family Charities love these children dearly and are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives.

Orphanage Support Services-one of the groups we partnered with in the building of Los Pequeñitos runs the administration and volunteers at Los Pequeñitos. OSSO has been in Ecuador for over 10 years and has known most of these children since their births.

Morrell Family Charities appreciates all that OSSO does for the children of Ecuador.

If you are interested in helping these kids or learning more about OSSO please visit:

www.orphanagesupport.org

There at the site you can learn about their long and short term volunteer programs, the sponsor a child program, or purchase products including the exclusive painting done by Del Parson for Los Pequeñitos.