​Aviation for Humanity reached Caguas, Puerto Rico! Thanks to Kelly Rinehart-Leber, a supporter and friend of Aviation for Humanity, communal school supplies along with 200 individual student packets reached the preschool and elementary students of the Nuestra Escuela organization.
 
  Nuestra Escuela has been working with the public school system to curb student drop-out. They emphasize the sustainability, self-management and realization of the person, an educational philosophy that has been presented, discussed and validated in more than 20 countries on six continents. Their alternative school operates as a non-profit and is a community-based organization.  

    Aviation for Humanity was honored to visit the Sele Enat Mahiber shelter (meaning “on behalf of mothers”) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Located amongst the cacophony of city noise, this shelter does an excellent job providing a safe haven for orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children. 
 
   This humanitarian story actually begins 8300 miles away on an island just outside of Seattle, WA.  Aviation for Humanity gathered school supplies, toiletries and kids clothes from volunteers on Whidbey Island. These items were loaded into a two-seater aircraft, flown to Seattle, and then transported by another pilot flying to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 
 
   Aviation for Humanity met with Leulsenaye (nicknamed “Prince”), the shelter’s Project Manager, to tour the facility and see how best to collaborate.  While grateful the supplies, he explained that the shelter sees many short-term volunteers. Children lack an opportunity to bond with volunteers as there is little consistency in personnel.  Therefore, they have created a sponsorship program for volunteers to support a child or single mother from afar in hopes of gaining long-term support and creating a bond with a benefactor. 
 
   Sele Enat Mahiber’s mission is to “alleviate the unbearable suffering and unnecessary loss of life of orphanage children by providing them with their basic needs while keeping them in the community where possible; arranging and connecting families for those who do not have close kin; and building the economic independence of women heads of household...”
 
   The capacity of the facility fluctuates based on available funds, which come solely from donations.  Donations are unpredictable and sometimes unreliable, so the shelter aims to create a self-sustaining system by building a multi-use space where it can rent out store-front property to support the children. Currently home to 32 children, the shelter can support a maximum capacity of 85 kids aging from newborn to fourteen. The staff find unique ways to raise awareness through community engagement, a variety of sponsorship programs, and college-credits for volunteer hours.  During the tour, I witnessed genuine love and support for the children in the way Prince played with the kids, how the staff utilized a nutrition plan to prepare five meals a day, and in the longingly optimistic way the staff spoke about the need for continued support.   Aviation for Humanity vows to advocate for Sele Enat Mahiber, provide information on their sponsorship programs, and visit whenever in Ethiopia.  For more information on ways to get involved, please visit their website: www.seleenatmahiber.org. And, when you find yourself in Ethiopia, please reach us at AviationforHumanity@gmail.com and consider bringing supplies.
 
 A huge thank you to Susan Mashibe, Dawit Lemma, and all the people who donated. And, a special thank you to the staff and residents of Sele Enat Mahiber for sharing their morning with me. I am grateful for the community the aviation industry creates. 

Through their special needs program, the shelter supports children abandoned due to the stigma of their condition. ​ 

  ​  Mama Faraji started the home in 2001 with nine children. Today, the orphanage has grown to 3 homes in the neighborhood with nearly 50 children of all ages, with the youngest being just a year and half old.  
 
  Children at the orphanage come from all over Tanzania and are often left in Mama Faraji’s care due to the loss of parents to accidents, cancer, HIV, or more unfortunate circumstances. In some cases, parents have made the heartbreaking choice to leave their children in the orphanage as they cannot afford to take care of the family, as their meagre resources are drained by much needed family medical expenses.
 
  I am grateful to Aviation for Humanity for arranging this visit and providing the little goody bags. The children absolutely enjoyed receiving them, opening them, and exploring their contents. The goody bags contained pencils, pens, color pencils, crayons, erasers, and glider planes. The emphasis at Tuleeni is education and vocational training – those that are supported by sponsors go to private schools and others go to government schools. After high school, students attend college if they can obtain scholarships or sponsors. Young adults also have the opportunity for vocational training such as tailoring, handicrafts making, and other trades.
 
  I am honored to have had the opportunity to visit Tuleeni and spend some time with the children here. The smiles, laughter, energy, and positivity of the children here is both humbling and inspiring, I am looking forward to returning to Tuleeni in 2019.
 
  The students here are much in need of sponsors to continue their education and make their own way in life (http://www.tuleenihome.org).
 
  Many thanks to Wendy van de Loo for helping coordinate the visit.”

Aviation for Humanity would like to thank Paddy!

Aviation for Humanity received an email from volunteers, Loknath and Naresh, who graciously donated their time to bring Aviation for Humanity supplies to several shelters around Kathmandu and neighboring villages. 

Here is their story:

"Recently, we had wonderful privilege to visit three of the several children home supported by Kidstown Intl. We had with us special surprise gifts for children. This was an evening time of their study and homework, we promised them we will not stay but we had something to give each one of them so we had the personal privilege to handover a special gift of little cute writing pencil, and color pencils along with a special bag to put those materials. Kids were so delighted that they were happy to lift up the bag for us with a big smile. The homes we visited were (A) Ashish home (20 kids), (B) Betheden. (10 kids) and (C) Praise home (13 kids).

Ashish Home: The kids come from backgrounds of terrible poverty in their rural villages.  Often the father has gone away with another partner or there is death of a parent and the other parent has abandoned the kids.  Poverty and backward economic situation of those villages contribute to the misfortune of these kids.  And when they come to the Homes supported by Kidstown, they blossom and flourish because of regular food and good education friendship among kids of tremendous differences of caste and creed.  

BethEden: We were so blessed to see the children in their study at night when we went to visit them. These children have come from unbelievable diversity of backgrounds.

Praise Home: This home is so well known for great singing, dancing and love for music.  We had the pleasure of sharing the surprise gifts from AFH that evening.  And it was memorable for us to visit them during their study period.  All welcomed the gifts and we were blessed so much to see the smile in their faces.

  Aviation for Humanity was honored to visit the children of The House of Hope in Kathmandu, Nepal. The House of Hope is a home for girls at risk in the region. Operated by a generous humanitarian family, and supported by Kidstown International, this house is home to twenty girls ranging in ages from pre-school to middle school.
 
  At risk and often abandoned due to economic, religious and/or unfortunate life-events, these girls would be homeless without the support of The House of Hope. While homelessness affects all genders, girls are disproportionately disadvantaged due to male-gender-favoritism rampant here in the Nepali culture. Unfortunately, traditions and social practices favor male children while females are often seen as an unwanted burden and occasionally abandoned in hopes of saving financial means for a boy child.
 
 Kimberly Perkins of Aviation for Humanity spoke to the girls of The House of Hope about the importance of staying in school, answered questions, and shared stories of being a pilot and a mom in hopes of empowering these young women to look beyond the harmful stereotypes and cultural stigma that is rampant within their reality. The girls were eager to share their enthusiasm and love of music with performances of dancing, singing and playing their musical instruments. Music, an obvious passion, unifies these girls and provides hope and strength within their home. 

   When Aviation for Humanity asked the girls how we could best support them, the response was for art supplies and a guitar. We have provided funds for procuring paints and canvases while on-site. And, once back in the United States, we fundraised and received enough donations to purchase a guitar for the girls of The House of Hope. Thank you to our wonderful donors, you make the world a more beautiful place!

  Aviation for Humanity reached Mongolia thanks to friend and ally, Cheryl Pitzer!  Cheryl is a full-time Fed Ex pilot and a volunteer pilot for Orbis. It was through her volunteer work that she was able to bring backpacks and school supplies to the Lotus Children’s Centre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
 
   The Lotus Children’s Centre is home to roughly 50 abandoned and abused Mongolian children.  Many of the children were found on the street or abandoned on doorsteps.  The Centre’s priority is to give these children primary care in a safe and loving home.  They have been in operation for 23 years and receive little regular funding, which means they rely heavily on volunteers. Aviation for Humanity would like to continue to support the Lotus Children’s Center, so if you or a friend is traveling to Mongolia and would like to bring supplies, please contact us. You can visit their website directly at: http://www.lotuschild.org/
 
   A big thanks to Cheryl, the volunteers, and all of the children at the Lotus Children’s Centre! 

    Aviation for Humanity was honored to revisit The Homes of Ulu Wini in Kona, Hawaii.  On our previous visit to the facility, we asked what the children needed most.  When we were told they needed shoes, friends of Aviation for Humanity reached out to their local communities to fundraise for new and used shoes. Aviation for Humanity was able to secure 33 pairs and deliver them this past week.  Additionally, we donated baseball gloves, Frisbees, basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, and a few other sports equipment items.
 
  Aviation for Humanity would like to continue to support the children within The Homes of Ulu Wini. If you are going to Kona and would like to bring supplies or visit with the children, please reach out to us at AviationForHumanity@gmail.com to discuss logistics.  
 
  We appreciate the opportunity to support children while creating a worldwide community established through aviation.    

 Aviation for Humanity was honored to visit The Homes of Ulu Wini in Kona, Hawaii.  The Homes of Ulu Wini serve as affordable and transitional homes for families with minor children.  They currently support 96 households, which include roughly 200 children. Their mission is to end the cycle of homelessness through educational programs, affordable housing, and community support. 
 
  The residents of The Homes of Ulu Wini come from diverse backgrounds with the majority of the population from the Marshall Islands. With the current lava flow devastation from the Kilauea volcano, the facility has seen an increase in demand.  The lava started on May 3rd, 2018, leaving roughly 1150 people homeless in Puna, and the losses continue!
 
  Kimberly Perkins, of Aviation for Humanity, was honored to receive a tour of their facility.  The children showed her their after-school program, which included a program that focused on nutrition using a bicycle-powered blender for healthy smoothies.  The children proudly showed off their garden, which consisted of cacao, cotton, papayas, and other tropical fruits.  The children and faculty forged life in a previously dry lava field. While the facility is not completely sustainable, they are working on ways to use their produce in productive and meaningful ways.
 
 Aviation for Humanity hopes to create a lastly relationship with The Homes of Ulu Wini.  If you are traveling to the Kona area and would like to volunteer at their facility to support the children with reading, sports, a career day lecture, etc. or if you would like to bring supplies to the facility, please email us to coordinate logistics: AviationForHumanity@gmail.com
 
  We thank the community of The Homes of Ulu Wini and look forward to our next visit.  Mahalo!

  ​Aviation for Humanity visited the Modupe Cole shelter in Lagos, Nigeria last week. 
 
   The shelter operates as a school for children with disabilities during the week and provides full-time shelter for abandoned children in the region.  Currently, the facility houses 450 kids.   
 
   Thanks to the generous donations from Aviation for Humanity supporters, we were able to bring books, crayons, pencils, notebooks, and art supplies to the classrooms of the Modupe Cole shelter. Additionally, over 130 pieces of children’s clothing, hats, and shoes were donated for the children residing in the orphanage. 
 
   Aviation for Humanity is grateful for our friends in Nigeria (Seki and Tosin) who organized the in-country logistics, and appreciative to the students and faculty of the Modupe Cole center for allowing us to be part of their community for the day.   

   ​Aviation for Humanity ambassadors, Abigail Jacobs and Adam Parker, organized a school-supply donation to Quang Chau Pagoda in Da Nang, Vietnam where the Blain family were able to connect with the children of this orphanage.  The facility, a Buddhist Temple serving as an orphanage, is home to more than 100 children (newborns to teenagers), many of whom live with special needs.  Through donations and volunteer hours, Aviation for Humanity was able to provide backpacks, notebooks, crayons, pencils, pens, erasers and socks.  Additionally, the volunteers delivered 10 kilos of sugar, soap, toothpaste, soccer balls and art supplies for the orphanage. 
 
   Aviation for Humanity would like to recognize and acknowledge our ambassadors for their in-country coordination and to Libbe, Ben, Bea, and Walter Blain for graciously giving up part of their vacation to bring school supplies to the children of the Quang Chau Pagoda orphanage. And, a huge thank you to all of those that donated monetarily and with school supplies.  Your donations help create a global community in support of education!