Crimson Academy Students to Receive Solar Powered Lights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Hillary Mackay, Social Media and Marketing Specialist

The How Far Foundation, Inc. and howFar Ministries Inc.

Hillary@howFar.org

www.howfar.org

Crimson Academy Students to Receive Solar Powered Lights

Buford, Georgia, Thursday, May 05, 2016 - How Far Foundation Board Member, Rob Boogaard, has been working on an innovative project that will allow primary age students in Rwanda to do something they have never been able to do – study after dark! 

Mr. Boogaard, in partnership with Phillip Haynes of Crimson Academy of Rwanda and Maurits Groen of Waka Waka, will provide solar-powered lights with USB power chargers to 450 students at Crimson Academy. Waka Waka, which means “shine bright” in Swahili, is a social impact company on a mission to provide universal access to the abundant energy of the sun.

The Waka Waka device that the children will receive

In order for the students to get a Waka Waka solar charger, they must go through a process that will help them to build skills for the future.  First, they have to take part in a community service project to work for their device.  Second, they will learn about how contracts are used and why they are important, and they will sign a contract stating that they will care for their device.  Third, there will be a special ceremony, where the teachers and leaders will celebrate the child’s efforts, so that they feel important and excited about what they are learning. 

Not only will this project help the children with their studies, but it will also empower them and prepare them for the future. 

Waka Waka’s mission statement: “Our mission is to share the abundant power of the sun with more than a billion people worldwide who don’t have the luxury of a light switch and another billion who don’t have reliable access. Waka Waka is in the business of empowering lives” (http://us.waka-waka.com).

About howFar  - The How Far Foundation, Inc., based in Buford, Georgia, is a 501c3 Non-Profit.  The How Far Foundation is an International Humanitarian Aid Agency. We partner with marginalized and in-crisis people groups across sub-Saharan Africa.  Our goal is to provide training and resources that empower individuals and communities to improve their quality of life.

Written by: Hillary Mackay, howFar Social Media and Marketing Specialist

Providing Clean Water for Haiti

howFar and other local organizations are partnering with Impact for Jesus to bring clean drinking water to remote areas of Haiti.  With proper maintenance, the buckets (pictured below) will provide clean drinking water to each family that receives one for up to 10 years.

Water Purification Bucket

The buckets will be assembled in Haiti, which will provide much needed paying jobs for the people.  

To donate and learn more about this project, contact Diane Moffi at dmoffi@me.com, or visit howfar.org and tag “Haiti water” in the donation box.

Written by: Hillary Mackay, howFar Social Media and Marketing Specialist

howFar Community Crusade - DR Congo

Pastor John frequently schedules outreach events within the surrounding villages.  Recently, he organized a crusade at a church in Goma, DR Congo.  He thanked everyone for their continued prayers, and was excited to say that in the midst of the rainy season, the weather was clear for the duration of the crusade.  The crusade had a few hundred in attendance, and Pastor John reported that ten people came to know Christ as their Savior on that day!

Crusade at howFar's Bethsaid Church

Some of those who were baptized after the crusade

Please continue to pray for these communities in the Congo.  To support our pastors and the work they are doing, click the link on the left of the page to donate!

Written by: Hillary Mackay, howFar Social Media and Marketing Specialist

Haiti Mission Trip - April 2016:

We are excited for Diane Moffi, howFar Board Member and Director for Haiti, and her team of five, as they prepare for an upcoming trip to Haiti.  One of the orphanages they will visit on this trip is Foyer de Notre Dame de Fatima Orphanage, which houses 35-40 children.

One of the Children at Foyer de Notre Dame de Fatima Orphanage

To donate to our humanitarian work in Haiti, click here:   

  

At this orphanage, they will paint, replace screen doors that will keep animals out of the kitchen, rework water pipes to create a better system and make plans for future plumbing work.  The team is also excited to be able to providing lunches each day for the orphans, which is a rarity for these children.

The kitchen at the orphanage - they will add screen doors to keep animals out

The dates of this trip are April 23-30, 2016.  Please pray for the Haiti team, as they work hard to support the people of Haiti, love on orphaned children, and share the gospel.

It is because of your support that this work is done.  Thank you for your prayers and donations.

Written by: Hillary Mackay, howFar Social Media and Marketing Specialist

Changing the Pattern: Supporting Rape Victims and Orphans in the Congo

We recently shared with you an update about our howFar Abused Women's Centers and Widows Centers in the Congo.  Shortly after posting that update, TIME Magazine released an article titled, "The Secret War Crime" (linked below), discussing the issue of rape in war-torn African countries.  One of the countries discussed is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is where much of our current work is being done.  

A woman and her baby sit outside a howFar Women's Center in DR Congo

Though this article is difficult to read, we feel that it is important to be informed about what is happening to the people of the Congo, and what we can do to change the vicious cycle.

Often times in Africa, the women do not have a voice - historically, there has been no punishment for rape, so when there are wars, the soldiers take advantage of the villages that they come into, knowing that they will have no consequences for their atrocious actions.  The TIME article says, "rape in war is as old as war itself." The article continues, with one of the women saying, 

"At least with a bullet, you die. But if you have been raped, you appear to the community like someone who is cursed. After rape, no one will talk to you; no man will see you. It’s a living death.”

The U.N. reports that 200,000 Congolese women and children have been raped during Congo’s long-simmering conflict. 

Not only are the women suffering from this injustice, but the children are too.  The children in our howFar orphanage in the Congo are there because of the constant warfare that has been present in the country for years.  Most of these children have witnessed their parents being killed right in front of their innocent eyes.  

The solution to this brutal and disturbing problem begins with you and me.  The way to bring about change, is to educate and care for the people of Africa.  If we can raise all 120 of the children in our orphanage, especially the young men, to understand that women are important, and that all people deserve respect - imagine what those 120 children will accomplish for their country as they grow!  If we continue to care for the abused women, and the widows, by providing counseling and medical help at our clinic, they will be able to face another day and help other victims.  

Please take the time to read the article below, make yourself aware of the devastation in the Congo, and learn about how you can help us change lives in the Congo!

TIME article: http://time.com/war-and-rape/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook

Click the DONATE button on our page to support our Women's and Orphans Programs.

Written by: Hillary Mackay, howFar Social Media and Marketing Specialist

howFar in the Congo - Abused Women's Centers and Widows Centers

Renée Maynard, Co-Founder of howFar, helps to create opportunities for in-crisis women in the Congo.  To provide these opportunities, Renée put into action plans for the Abused Women's Centers, and Widows Centers, to teach women the skills they need to provide for themselves and their families.  There are currently five operating howFar women's centers in the Congo. 

Renée Maynard with one of our team leaders at a howFar Training Center for War Widows

howFar Abused Women's Center counsels and trains women who have been raped by soldiers. 

• The North Kivu region, where the howFar Compound sits, has had the highest reported instances of rape in the entire world.

• Women who have been raped are customarily shunned by their families and are forced onto the streets.

howFar Widows Center trains and counsels women who have lost their husbands in the war. 

Donate today to continue supporting these women in need!

howFar will you go?

Written by: Hillary Mackay, howFar Social Media and Marketing Specialist