Thank you for the Christmas presents

One of my favorite things to do: Lying down on my office sofa (great piece of furniture) and looking through the hundreds of "thank you"-letters that are now beginning to trickle in from our orphanages and day care centers to the children's sponsors.

Most of all, I enjoy the photos, with their great variety in style and content. Children big and small, smiling or frowning at the photographer pestering them when they'd rather just enjoy their new belongings. Here we can only present a tiny selection of the hundreds we receive, but I hope you'll enjoy them too.





(Click for larger images)

This, dear sponsors and others, is work more fulfilling than any other. What a privilege!

Best regards
Frode Fanebust

Photo: Carmen

(Click for a larger version)

Not her name at all, I think. Just the name of a lovely song that I came to think of when I saw this photo among the thousands I took on our last round trip of Bolivia. And so the name stuck in my mind.

Best regards
Frode

Our new orphanage in Potosi

This is our largest project for 2009. As close to heaven as you can get, more than 4.000 meters above sea level, in the highest city in the world, that is where we will provide a new home for 48 children. Here is the sketch from the architect (click for a bigger image):

The work is now in progress. Our volunteer Marita helped instigate the project and laid down the first stone in the foundation, followed by the Fanebust brothers...


The budget is 100.000 dollars. After many kind donations - including a very unexpected Christmas gift of 15.000 dollars from one of our sponsors! - we have currently come half the way towards this amount. If we do our job, the builders will do their, and this new orphanage will be ready this fall. Imagine that!

As is our normal practice, the Bolivia Family will provide the financing for building the orphanage as well as the sponsors for running expenses, while the Salvation Army will staff it and be responsible for the daily operation.

If you would like to help us help the orphans of Potosi, please make a donation.