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December 2009
Invitation by The World Bank
On December 1, 2009, Norma Nashed, Founder and Executive Director of Reaching Hearts for Kids gave a presentation at Southern Asia Development Sustainability department at the World Bank. RHK is on the list of charities of The World Bank and employee donations are matched by The World Bank. The presentation was very well received by staff.
Event at the United Nations Headquarters
On December 3, 2009, Director of RHK attended a fundraising event at the UN Headquarters for Airline Ambassadors. During the event Norma Nashed talked to NBC anchor Ann Curry of the TODAY Show who expressed interest in our work in Congo.
September 2009 :
TANZANIA:
In September the work is continuing on Reaching Hearts Academy for Maasai children in Namanga, Tanzania. Below are pictures of the construction work that continues on the school. Currently there are five classrooms. We plan to add more classrooms, administration offices, teachers' rooms and toilets. We currently have $10,000 and we still need $40,000 just for the elementary school.
Another anonymous friend is committed to donate $100,000 to build a clinic. Another donor from Belgium donated toward the guest house for long-term volunteers and medical missionary staff. We still need $50,000 for the guest house.
HELP International donated $10,000 for the drilling of a new well that will benefit the Maasai community and orphanage, to support its agricultural projects. We still need $15,000 for the water pump and reservoir. The report from Dr. Kabati is that the Maasai community are very happy and grateful for this.
ZIMBABWE:
Through generous contribution from an anonymous donor from California, Reaching Hearts for Kids sent funds to Des Paul of Multi-Help Orphanage in Zimbabwe to purchase land for agricultural projects for food security for the children. Dr. Mitchell also kindly donated $20,000 to build a home for the orphans and volunteers in Harare, Zimabwe. $40,000 are needed by early next year to complete the complex with a clinic, a training center for the women in the community, and food producing center. We especially need donors to provide water for the agriculture, so please help if you can!
August 2009
Norma attended the ASI Convention August 5-8, 2009 in Phoenix, AZ.
Together with Carl Ginger and Iyeling Miller from Echo AID Australia,
they presented the fuel-efficient cook-stove project for southern
Africa. We are aiming to sponsor 5000 of these stoves for Zambia, which
will enable 5000 children to go to school. Several academies and
universities and other organizations have already expressed keen
interest in the cookstove and its impact on the poor communities in
Southern Africa.
While at ASI Norma and Carl were also interviewed about the
cook-stoves by TV network 3ABN.
June 2009
Tanzania:
Reaching Hearts for Kids (RHK) Director Norma Nashed travelled with a
team from Reaching Hearts International in June 2009 to work on the
home which is dedicated to Valerie Silver Ellis, who died on September
11, 2001 in New York. Several of her family members traveled with the
group to dedicate the home in her memory. The construction of the home
was completed in partnership with Global Vessels.
The highlight of the trip to Tanzania was a visit to a Maasai village
in Namanga on the border with Kenya. RHK has sponsored the orphanage
there for the past four years. Dr. Kabati, who runs the orphanage,
started building a school there but was unable to complete it due to
lack of funds. 50,000 USD is needed to complete the building so it can
be ready for the 2009-2010 school year.
Democratic Republic of the Congo:
Norma Nashed also visited a refugee camp in Goma, Congo, along with
the president and a volunteer from our partner in Hungary, Foundation
for Africa. There she visited the school where we are working together
to establish a feeding program. We have also donated supplies for the
refugees, as the assistance given by other humanitarian NGOs does not
meet the need of these displaced people. The first shipment arrived
with food, clothing, and medical supplies.
April 2009
In partnership with Afrikáért, the drilling of the well for our children is nearly complete. Very soon 1200 students will have a reliable source of clean drinking water.
March 2009
Reaching Hearts for Kids is now working with LEPTA Missions International, a non-profit organization based in Canada, as our new partners in Congo. The Director of LEPTA, Jean-Jacques Hermans, is the Vice President of Corporate Relations at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Visit LEPTA Mission International Website: http://www.leptamissions.com
Also in March, Norma traveled to California to speak at a Korean convention in Palm Springs. During her stay, Loma Linda Broadcasting Network taped two interviews with her about Reaching Hearts for Kids.
February 2009
Reaching Hearts for Kids is working with ECHO Aid Australia, to promote the use of Save80 cook stoves for Zambia. These stoves require eighty percent less firewood for daily cooking, which saves both time and work in gathering firewood for families, and reduces greenhouse emissions, which is beneficial to all of us. The savings would also enable more families in Africa to send their children to school. We are looking for sponsors who would purchase a stove for $350 and help support the health, well-being and education for children in Zambia. It is planned to expand the promotion of these cook stoves in other countries as well, as the stoves are designed to meet the criteria and needs of people in each country specifically.
Also in February, Norma visited OCI in Tennessee, who featured RHK in their magazine. As a result of their article, a professor at Southern Adventist University, Dr. Henning, and his wife offered to join us on our mission trip to Tanzania in June of 2009.
January 2009
Reaching Hearts for Kids have partnered with Global Vessels to build a model village for orphans in Arusha, Tanzania. Below are the first four homes. Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen from the porches.
A mission trip is planned for June 13-25, 09 and volunteers are needed to work on the construction of the fifth home. For more information, please e-mail: norma@reachinghearts4kids.org
December 2008
Water for 1,200 students at Othniel College
Dr. Mitchell Davis designated $10,000 of his $41,000 gift to RHK to help dig a well of water for 1,200 students in Kinshasa, Congo. The cost of digging the well is $30,000. We need your help to enable us provide a reliable source of water.
Archive News --> click here
November 2008
Our New Board Member
Ali Ghandour - Aeronautic engineer born in Beirut, Lebanon, is universally recognized in aviation and politics. His career included organizing and starting the Jordanian national carrie? Alia, Royal Jordanian Airlines and later became its chairman and CEO. Norma was his personal secretary at that time. Ghandour is president of ARAM Trading and Technology in Jordan and Lebanon. He was advisor to the late King Hussein on Civil Aviation and Air Transport.
Ghandour served as member of OMECA (Organisation Mondiale Des Experts-Conseils-Arbitres) for arbitration in the French courts on aviation matters and served on the Advisory Council at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. 1979-1990. For 29 years Ghandour served on the board of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
Ghandour served as member of the Advisory Council, The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, and Chairman of the Cente? s Advisory Council, November 1979-1990. Some of Ghandou? s Decorations are:
- Three Grand Cordons of the Order of Al Nahda, Al Kawkab and Al Istiklal of Jordan.
- Sitara Quaid-E-Azam and Sitara I of Pakistan.
- Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Sash for service to the Republic of Austria
- Commendatore dell-Ordine Al Merito della Republica Italiana, November 1983
- Commandeur de† Ordre National du Merite de la Legion ? Honneu? , Franc? March, 1985
- Tanda Kehormatan, Indonesia, 1986
- National Order of the Cedar? Lebanon
- Commander of National Order of Sweden
Ghandour is member of the Board of Trustees of:
Queen Noor Al-Hussein Foundation, World Aerospace Foundation Organization, and American Center of Oriental Research.
Thank you, Mr. Ghandour, for consenting to serve on our board and to be our international advisor.
Archive News --> click here
October 2008
Norma met Ann Curry, NBC4 TV anchor, and Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for NBC4 TV, at the United Nations Global Compassion Ball. Norma invited Ann and Peter to join her on a future mission trip to Ethiopia. Both were interested in our work. Tribute was given to Reaching Hearts for Kids and its founder from the Podium. RHK was listed in the program and displayed on the screen during the event.
September 2008
Norma Nashed leaves to Ethiopia to follow up on the construction work in Ambo and Legedadi and also to finalize communication with government officials about acquiring more land for agriculture for food security and sustainability. Ethiopia is counted among the worst-hit East African nations and 4.5 million are expected to starve this year in Ethiopia, many of whom are children. We cannot allow this to happen and pretend the tragedy does not exist.
We also have two new partners whom we are working with. Trees for the Future (TFF) is an organization that aims to help plant trees over the world, through programs such as seed distribution and agroforestry training. Norma met the founder Dave Deppner and his wife Grace; Ethan Budiansky who gave us seeds for 1000 trees to plant in Ambo and connected us with Trees for the Future Director in Ethiopia to guide us in the planting and follow up. TFF has met with the president of Ethiopia who is planning a special function for them on October 23 in Addis, to which Norma was also invited. Monica Westin, Founder and President of World of Hope introduced us to Ethan Budiansky of TFF and is our new partner also. It was through Nancy Rivard of Airline Ambassadors that Monica Westin learned about Reaching Hearts for Kids. Thanks to both World of Hope and Trees for the Future for working with us.
More Information: Link to Trees for the Future
August 2008
Reaching Hearts for Kids is pleased to announce that Elice Esveld has joined us as Marketing Director on a volunteer basis. Elice left a lucrative business in sales to commit her life to serving our orphans worldwide. Elice also attended the ASI Convention in Tampa, Florida, to represent RHK and self-sponsored the booth and the expenses for the trip. Thank you, Elice!
July 2008
Nancy Rivard, President of Airline Ambassadors flew from California to visit the Reaching Hearts for Kids office. Airline Ambassadors are our new partners in Ethiopia. They are planning a mission trip to our projects in January 2009. Norma also received an invitation to the United Nations "Global Compassion Ball" for Airline Ambassadors hosted at the UN headquarters in New York on October 16, 2008. This will be an opportunity for her to network and promote RHK.
More Information: Link to Airline Ambassadors
June 2008
While visiting her family in Jordan, Norma and Reaching Hearts for Kids were featured in two Jordanian newspapers: "Al Rai" in Arabic and "The Jordan Times" in English. She was also asked to do an interview for Reuters TV, but was unable to schedule one before she left.
More Information: Link to Jordan Times Article, Link to Al Rai Article
April 2008
-Norma Nashed, Founder/Executive Director of Reaching Hearts for Kids, with H.E. Japanese Ambassador Komano in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ambassador Komano asked us to submit a proposal and we are hoping the Japanese Embassy will build an elementary school for us in Ambo.
-Norma with H.E. Ambassador Isam Bait Al Mal, Ambassador for Saudi Arabia in Ethiopia in his office in Addis. Ambassador Bait Al Mal was very supportive and we hope for future cooperation.
-Norma with H.E. Ambassador Tareq Guneim, Ambassador of Egypt Arab Republic to Ethiopia in his office in Addis. Ambassador Ghuneim was extremely understanding and willing to help us acquire construction materials
 of Copy of Egyptian Ambassador Ethiopia.JPG)
-Norma with 75 students in Grades 1-3 in Ambo next to our next home. 36 are own children and the rest are poor children from the community who cannot pay tuition.
-Norma with our children in the new home that was sponsored by The Quiet Hour TV in Redlands, California, U.S.A.
-Norma with a 13-year old girl from Ambo, Ethiopia, who has a brother in our home and they lost both parents to HIV/AIDS. She begged me to take her in our home, so I asked her to show me her home where she slept alone. This broken igloo with nothing inside by a few sticks that made up her bed was all she had. But now she is in our home with her own bed and food and she goes to school.
March 2008
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Reaching Hearts for Kids is proud to show you the
photos of the home that was just completed for 37 orphans in Ambo, Ethiopia. This home was sponsored by The Quiet Hour TV in Redlands, California, USA. We
plan to build another home so that we can separate big boys from little girls. Now our children will not have to commute to school as the school is on our land
next to this home.
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We have 75 children in Grades 1-3 at the school that HELP International built next to our home. The
children include our 37 orphans and other kids from the community seen with the school principal will have hope for a better future because you help give them
basic education. The school needs an extension for Grades 5-8, a library and septic system with bathrooms. Thank you for helping make this possible.
February 2008
-Norma Nashed, Founder/Executive Director of Reaching Hearts for Kids accepted the invitation by the Beltsville Rotary Club to address the Rotary members on February 12, 2008, at the Holiday Inn in College Park, Maryland, USA. During the presentation Norma showed the documentary video by the Voice of America TV. The Beltsville Rotary Club has been donating to Reaching Hearts for Kids for the last two years and will continue their support.
In the photo from the left, Ed Peters, member of the Beltsville Rotary Club; Norma Nashed; and Yuksel Sagirlioglu, President of the Beltsville Rotary Club.
-Norma Nashed accepted the invitation by the Ethiopian Ambassador in Washington DC, USA, Dr.Samuel Asefa to attend the celebration of Black American History month at the Ethiopian Embassy on February 25, 2008.
In the photo from left to right: Dr.Robert Wallace, Reaching Hearts for Kids (RHK) board member; Norma Nashed, Founder/Executive Director; H.E. Ethiopian Ambassador Asefa; Mr. Jerome Sander, Chairman of the Board of RHK; Michael Oxentenko, President of Reaching Hearts International.
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