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Dear Heroes,
We all have unexpected needs that we can’t see in advance and do not plan and budget for. Consider what happens when you are driving along thinking about something else and unexpectedly take out a row of mailboxes (or maybe that only happens to me). Suddenly there is expense that was not planned for – fixing mailboxes and fixing the car. And it interferes with your plans – “I’m supposed to be somewhere else now but I need to stay here and talk to the guy whose mailboxes I just ran over. And when am I going to have time to get the windshield fixed and the fender reattached and how much will all of this cost?”
Now consider a situation in which you are already living on the edge, barely surviving, and suddenly you have a need that could not have been anticipated. You have no insurance for such things and your family and friends are similarly destitute and not in a position to help. Grassroots Heroes often hears of these situations but they are not in our budget. We know they will happen, that something will happen. But we can’t plan for it because we don’t know the who, what, why, or when until it happens. So we would like to start an emergency fund, money to have set aside for these situations that we know will occur.
Right now there are several needs that have been brought to our attention. James and Levy are brothers who live in Grippis Farm. James, 10, attends Mango Grove Community School and Levy, thanks to his GHI sponsors, attends the public high school in Chamba Valley. (James pictured right, Levy shown above red, helping construct new school building) Their father died several years ago, and their mother, Violet, worked hard to meet their basic needs. Tragically, in January this year, she died, leaving James and Levy orphaned. Their aunt has taken them in, but has no means to support them. GHI would like to provide emergency food for the family for a few months while the aunt and the boys are trained and equipped to raise small farm animals in order to help them become self-sufficient.
Mrs. B.,(pictured right) a single mother of 6, has had a difficult life scarred by abandonment, domestic abuse, and extreme poverty. She works hard both at her job as a maid and at home as a home maker. Recently she developed an infection behind her fingernail that ate part of her finger away. In August of 2010, Grassroots Heroes International paid for her to have surgery to clean out the infection, which was threatening to become gangrenous. The finger has now reopened, and she needs to return to the surgeon for more help. One visit to the surgeon costs twice as much as her own monthly salary ($50) with which she tries to feed and sustain her six children. GHI would like to pay for her surgery, which could save her finger and prevent further spread of infection causing more serious problems.
One of the teachers at Mango Grove Community School is also going through a crisis. Her husband died in January and her son is not able to go to school because of the sudden loss of his father’s income. She is asking GHI to pay his school fees for one year so that she can get back on her feet financially.
If you would like to help any of these individuals or simply contribute to our emergency fund to help in similar situations in the future, you may give via our website, www.grassrootsheroes.org or by mailing a check to:
Grassroots Heroes International
P.O. Box 10
Mint Spring, VA 24463
Submitted by:
Dr. Kurtis Sauder
Grassroots Heroes International Board Member
