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Decenber 2011
The year is almost over but before it completely disappears, here is a quick glimpse of what took place for Wells for Life in 2011.
Thanks for all your support this past year and I look forward to all that is in store for us in 2012.
If you want to check out the pictoral report with some of the same information as in this newsletter then follow this link where you can download the PDF.
https://www.onlinefilefolder.com/3sYWmTreOAPpFi
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Christmas at New Life Children's Home
The Christmas celebration in India is unlike America in that it lasts for more than 1 day, in fact as I write this they are still celebrating.
Many of you contributed towards the Christmas celebration; specifically towards providing new clothes. The clothing is still being made so i can't provide any photos but I hope to be collecting some soon.
I will be at New Life in a few weeks and will get a report on their Christmas celebration and blog about it while on my trip so check our website under Trip Updates for further news about this special time of year.
For everyone who contributed towards this, a huge, heart felt Thank You from each one at New Life Children's Home.
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Holistic Mindset
One of the things I wanted to accomplish in 2011 was continue our efforts in 5 specific places within the Trichy District of Tamil Nadu.
In 2010 we brought water to these 5 villages and in February of 2011 we distributed goats and cows as part of an income generating scheme and gave grants for micro lending to a select group of women.
Additionally we surveyed the villages and held a clean house and clean streets contest with the winning house receiving a cash prize and the village with the cleanest streets also receiving a cash prize. We followed up on the after school tutoring and the children in the village were eager to display their reading and math skills to us.
This summer we funded the construction of two Community Centers and anticipate the completion early 2012 with a dedication taking place in April.
The goal for this holistic effort is to become more purposeful in our efforts from a Development perspective and see, with time, what kind of tangible difference can be made in the lives of these villagers. Ultimately, we want our DPWA partner to have the freedom to speak practically into their lives and reveal firsthand to them the love and message of Jesus.
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Orissa, Hatigarh District
I was first contacted in August 2010 about venturing into Orissa and after about 12 months I finally felt the time was right.
Orissa has a colored past but I believe a bright future. If you aren’t aware of its past, then do some research on the internet and you’ll find that historically the State hasn’t been kind to those of the Christian faith.
I believe though times are changing and like other places in India, clean water is a necessity and those in Orissa are needy and deserving.
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Tamil Nadu, Trichy District
Much of our focus this year for Tamil Nadu was spent investigating the viability of a Mobile Medical Unit to work alongside our partner organization, Depressed People’s Welfare Association or DPWA.
www.dpwa.in
Some state laws have changed which have caused us to rethink these plans but opportunity still exists for our involvement in addressing the lack of medical care for the rural poor.
Wells for Life® provided over $30,000 for the construction of a dorm facility at a local school. The Dept. of Education was going to force out over 100 kids who were living on the school grounds because they had no family. The only way to prevent this was to build them a home and so we did along with the support of DPWA.
Besides these 2 worthy causes, 17 new villages experienced access to clean, safe drinking water. Limited access and power cuts from the pump motors won’t be a problem anymore for all those who live in these villages.
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Andhra Pradesh, East Godavari District
We were able to bring water to 35 villages, communities and schools this past year. A record number for us in this area.
Our work in this District is with Nazareth Association for Social Awareness, http://www.nasaindia.org
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Some Numbers
Over 90% of what is given is used on project related expenses!
(You won’t find us hiding salaries or other administration costs within a project’s budget.)
The average cost for us to bring water increases each year and unfortunately this year we had to raise the amount that we asked for.
$2,000 is now our average cost to bring a hand pump bore well to a rural village in Tamil Nadu with Andhra Pradesh being slightly lower.
The per person cost to save a life with clean water in India is still less than a Venti latte or mocha from your favorite barista.
Not many people realize that I do this for free.
Seriously, I don’t take a salary and we don’t have a payroll.
We partner with Indian organizations, subcontract out the work to local people and seek to be as non-Western as possible, meaning our goal is for the receiving community to see their fellow citizen and not an American.
Is this the normal way to do things? We think so!
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The Jewelry Bee
After many years of making jewelry as a hobby, Regina Dykes started The Jewelry Bee in December 2009. She reports that it was the vision of her daughter, the late Ciara Allessandrea Dykes that she go into business.
Ciara left her loved ones from a rare pediatric cancer and was peacefully escorted to heaven in September 2009. Ciara was a sweet young girl, kind in spirit, and possessed a smile you would not forget.
Regina explained, “I sought the Lord to find a way to create a living legacy, so I felt led to establish The Jewelry Bee as a business to raise funds and bring awareness to the needs of others in developing countries.
After much prayer and consideration, I discovered “Wells for Life” and felt that this was the perfect organization to be involved with.”
The Jewelry Bee consists of designing, creating and marketing one-of-a-kind jewelry that includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc. All proceeds from the purchase of jewelry from The Jewelry Bee will go to Wells for Life.
The Jewelry Bee offers items that are hand-crafted, custom made, affordable and is a beautiful way to honor the Lord by helping others overseas and at the same time creates a legacy for Ciara’s dream.
http://www.thejewelrybee.bigcartel.com
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Like our website or this newsletter layout?
Honeystreet is a design firm in Kansas City. They’ve helped create the Wells for Life website and various marketing materials that help us communicate our story. You should definitely check out their work and see if they can help you on your next project. Be sure to mention Wells for Life as they are a big fan.
They do cross media design and art direction, which means they work in a variety of platforms including broadcast, print, interactive and online. They’ve helped create brands, websites, videos, kiosks, brochures, graphics, presentations, collaborates, identities and environments for companies big and small.
http://www.honeystreet.com
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Corporate Sponsorship
This year Hovey Williams contacted Wells for Life® and wanted to become a Corporate Sponsor.
I willingly agreed. Not much is required to be one, just a lot of dough.
Really, not much and you get some web exposure and a few other perks down the road like free advertising in things like this.
Contact me for more on how you can become a Corporate Sponsor.
Also, if you happen to need legal counsel on any intellectual property matters, I recommend contacting Kameron Kelly (913-232-5036) at HoveyWilliams LLP. http://www.hoveywilliams.com
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One Life Child Sponsorship
Here I am with our 3rd sponsored child, Venkatesh and for some reason I can never find a way to get all 4 kids we sponsor together without a swarm of others vying for one more photo.
I never dreamed of being this involved with orphan care but crazier things have been known to happen. I credit this heart change to Jesus and believe that we all have a responsibility towards orphan kids.
For this reason I want to give a plug to the organization that I use; One Life Child Sponsorship program. I know these guys personally and I can’t think of a better organization to be involved with.
Visit their site and sponsor an Indian child. http://www.onelifechild.org
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  Click here to see some images from 2011.
2011 Year End Video
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