(PROJECT COMPLETE!)
Meet Jane. She is 11-years-old and has 5 brothers and 1 sister. Like many children in the Philippines, Jane was born with a cleft lip (complete bilateral). Her family is very poor and cannot afford the operation. For the past few years, Abounding in Love has been trying to arrange for her to get free surgery. Unfortunately, she has been unable to qualify due to poor health and malnutrition. We tried to schedule her again in 2020, but the mission was canceled due to COVID-19.
Despite these setbacks, Jane has remained optimistic about the future. She has a great sense of confidence in herself and is active and friendly at school. Although she hopes to have her cleft lip repaired one day, she doesn’t allow her condition to be a hindrance to her life. This is a rarity amongst children with cleft lip/palate, most of whom are very shy and reserved. Jane is a beautiful example of the power of the human spirit. She deserves her day in the sun…and we intend to give it to her.
The Mission
Our new mission is not only to help Jane receive a long-overdue cleft lip surgery, but to also provide other things that her family desperately needs. In short, we want to give them hope by enriching their lives in every possible way.
Ways We Can Help
Jane’s father is a garbage collector with a weekly income of 1100 pesos ($22.75). This is hardly sufficient for providing for a family of 9. Their meals are often nothing more than rice porridge, which is all they can afford. This is likely why Jane’s poor health disqualified her from previous operations. 25% of the funds raised will be invested in food and vitamins for the entire family. This will provide them with the nutrients they need to stay healthy and, most importantly, will ensure that Jane will be ready for the next medical mission.
Their small wooden house also requires several improvements. The walls need to be repaired, the sleeping area is in poor condition, and they don't even have a proper kitchen. Their outdoor toilet (which is shared by 15 different people!) is also in very bad shape. We plan to repair the old one and also install a second toilet to make their situation a little easier. The house is also lacking a water supply; as of now, the family has to fetch water from their neighbor's well. Lastly, they’ve had difficulty paying the electric bill (about $8/month), so we’d like to relieve them of that burden for a full year.
The Fundraiser
I’ve outlined the details for the fundraiser down below. That should paint the full picture of what our charity is trying to accomplish as well as the amount we’ve budgeted for every need. As with all of our fundraisers, 100% of the money received will go directly to this cause. If you donate $50, Jane and her family get $50; it’s as simple as that. We never recoup any administrative fees.
As we all know too well, this world is littered with problems. The scope of it can be overwhelming, often convincing us that we’re incapable of making a real difference. I’m forced to remind myself daily that this simply isn’t true. We CAN make a difference…we can do it one life at a time. Today we have the opportunity to bless Jane and her family in a way in a way they will never forget. The notion that “every little bit helps” is an understatement here. When combined, our small sacrifices have the power to produce an absolute miracle for a family in need. This is life-changing stuff, no doubt about it. Please join us on our mission!
Photo Galleries & Updates
May 1
The Abounding team visited Jane and her family today. Thanks to your donations, we were able to purchase some food and kitchenware items for them. Jane and her family were very thankful. We also discussed plans for the various home repairs, which we hope to start soon.
May 11
Our team recently started working on the home repairs for Jane and her family. The flooring, steps, and roofing projects have already been completed. Installation of the new toilet (and repairs to the old one) is currently in progress.
May 13
Great news: the construction team has been working hard and the installation of the new toilet is almost complete. They’ve also made several repairs to the old one. These are huge upgrades for Jane and her family…and we couldn’t have done it without your support. Thank you!
May 16
We’ve made a lot of progress over the past few days. The installation and repair of the two toilets have been completed. The kitchen repairs are nearly done; the walls and flooring are already finished, but the countertop still requires some work. Please note that we had to increase our original goal by $400 due to new expenses that were not included in our original estimate. This includes material delivery as well as a new roofing project (we recently noticed that their entire roof needs to be replaced).
May 24
Thanks to some truly amazing people, this project has been completed! We would like to send our sincere appreciation to everyone who made this happen: the donors, the hardworking Abounding Team in the Philippines, as well as anyone who helped us get the word out. Because of you, Jane and her family have a considerably better home, nutritious food on the table, soft mattresses to sleep on, and some other necessities that they were unable to afford.
Jane’s future medical mission has also been fully funded. We’re all crossing our fingers in hopes that this will occur later in the year (all cleft missions have been temporarily suspended due to COVID-19). Be sure to follow us on Facebook for regular updates, as well as pictures of Jane before, during, and after her long-overdue surgery.
Again, we can’t thank you enough for your kindness and generosity. Your small sacrifices produced a miracle for Jane and her family...and that’s something they will never forget.
September 26
We’re happy to report that last Friday, September 24, Jane had a successful cleft repair operation at Perpetual Succour Hospital! She is now recovering at home until her follow-up appointment at the end of the week. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in Jane’s life, and it’s all thanks to the kindness and generosity of our donors and supporters. If you’re one of those people, please take a minute to appreciate the significance of this. You helped change someone’s life this year; you are actively making this world a better place. Thank you!
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