CHARLES FOUNDATION:
The Charles Foundation (www.charlesfoundation.org) is one of the charities WAB has supported for the past five years.
Josephine (Jo) Charles works in the Liangshan area of China where girls traditionally enjoy a very low status in society. Jo and her colleagues build schools in remote areas and offer all girls an education. She also offers accommodation and care to orphans and those whose homes are too remote for the children to attend day school.
In the past years WAB has sent the Foundation clothing, toiletries, stationery and toys. Via the Angels project WAB has been able to provide some of the elderly in the villages with pigs and chickens to help support themselves. The proceeds from the 2007 PTA Charity Bazaar went to the Foundation to build a new school.
From Josephine Charles, Founder:
"I would like to say a heartfelt 'Thank You' to everyone on the WAB Charity committee for all the kindness and support you have given us over the past few years, enabling us to achieve many things . You are wonderful friends.
I though that you might like to know what is happening here in the Liangshan, so below is the Foundation's plan for the coming year.
I wish to take the Foundation back to it's roots and spend more time with the women and children. This year will not be about about constructing new schools, but on refurbishing existing ones similar to that at Lou Gu Po, and caring for the women and children."
Charles Foundation's Plan for 2007/8:
CONSOLIDATION
The purpose of the Foundation is to assist in the education, health and welfare of severely disadvantaged children in the Liangshan. As always, this will continue to be our main priority.
Following a period when our focus has been toward construction of schools, I believe that it is now a good time for consolidation.
While the Foundation will continue to work in close partnership with Government departments of the Liangshan, It will seek to develop stronger ties with the Womens Federation in each County who have a clearer perspective of women and children's issues at local level.
With this in mind our focus from August 2007 until June 2008 will be:
CHILDREN
1. To complete the school for Tibetan children at Peach Orchard Village, Muli.
2. At each of the schools we have built we will continue to monitor the welfare of children, making certain that they remain safe, healthy and have enough food and clothing. We we also ensure that they have sufficient school books and equipment.
Every three months, our team will inspect the buildings, playgrounds and gardens of each school to see that they are maintained at a high level.
In older schools such as Lou Gu Po and Si He, we will consider repairing and improving classroom and dormitory conditions if assistance is requested.
3. We will provide ongoing care for each of our sponsored children and support others who will come to our attention during this time.
EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH MICRO-ECONOMICS
There are grandmothers and widows in our villages, who are suffering extreme hardship in their effort to provide food and care for their children, or orphaned grandchildren.
To enable these women to gain economic empowerment, The Foundation has introduced micro-economics into two villages with great success.
Through the "Chickens and Pigs" programme, these women are able to support the children in a dignified way and keep them in a secure, familiar environment.
During 2007/8 we plan to expand this programme and provide more women with a Grannie Starter Kit.
Following a meeting with the women at Peach Orchard village, some of them asked for a greenhouse instead, to grow vegetables to sell at the local markets and for their own consumption. We are currently conducting a feasibility study into this programme.
To instill a sense of responsibility, we have asked each woman who receives the "Grannie Starter Kit" to give us one piglet and two chicks, at the end of each year. These will then form the basis of another Starter Kit.
The women with greenhouses will be asked to give some of their vegetables to the local school to provide healthy food for the children.
PEOPLE AFFECTED BY LEPROSY
Although we can only assist people affected by Leprosy in a small way, we will continue to send clothing and books to some of their remote mountain communities whenever possible.
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