Dear Aura's House Donors, Friends, and Supporters,

WE DID IT! We had an excellent end to 2005 at Aura's House with the completion of our $1850 goal to build a new well for the village of Khordanahala in India! The well is currently under construction, and soon we will have photos to share of 11 year-old Rituparna and her fellow villagers who no longer have to worry about sickness or death related to not having a safe water source. Special thanks to our donors, Anastasia Yecke's recent Fundraiser (see photos), and Mike Epler and Countrywide with their matching donation of $800. Thanks also to Christina Sidoti for keeping the site running over the holidays!

Also in 2005, $1407 was raised for children in Zambia to attend school! We will have the latest photos, details, and exact numbers of children sent to school as soon as they come in, but sadly this project is temporarily on hold as of 12/22/05 while Children International continues to iron out logistics and details with Zambian school officials. Most recent details.

Just in from Honduras are new photos of Maria Rosa Rojas and her family with their new furniture, along with new thank you letters to Aura's House donors. Also, after a long wait, we have photos to share of Aura Hernandez of Guatemala and the new desks our donors purchased for her entire school! Anastasia and Kristen are keeping their fingers crossed that they can bring you even more photos in the April 2006 Newsletter if and when they visit both families in person this March! It's sure to be a memorable experience that we'll be sure to share with you.

As for 2006, we are off to a great start! Currently we have two new projects: A Classroom Project in Manila, the Philippines for the 4,611 students of a cramped schoolhouse where the student to teacher ratio is aprox. 57 to 1. So far, as of January 5, 2006, we've raised $1,537. Our goal is $7,000. More Details. Expect to see our site redone for this new project within the next two weeks.

We also recently opened a "Small Projects" section to the site to allow other Children International sponsors to raise money for special projects that cost $500 or under. Right now, Liz King of Sydney, Australia is raising funds for her sponsored child, Levy and her family of the Philippines to buy much needed beds for the new home Liz kindly purchased for them. Only $236 left to raise! Check it out!

Thanks for making 2005 a year to remember for so many needy families around the world. Here's to another year of trying to improve education, health, housing, and living conditions for deserving children and their families. Happy 2006!

Best wishes from Kristen Palana, Anastasia Yecke, Mike Epler, and the crew at Aura's House.

What's Next :

Well, we'll be re-doing the site and updating graphics in the coming days and weeks for the Manila, Philippines Classroom project. We are expecting more photos and letters from children who would be positively affected by the construction of a new classroom. To keep up with any new developments, please check out our Community Forums for news and updates.

We'll be making changes to our Online Shop as well as adding new designs and products. Don't be shy! 25% of all purchases go towards the Philippines Classroom project. Also, coming very soon will be an Art Contest! Winning designs will end up on shirts and products in our online shop. Stay tuned for more details.

We're also always looking for people to help out with fundraising, design, graphics, promotions, and keeping the site going. Interested? Please contact Kristen (kpalana@aurashouse.com) if you have any comments, ideas, questions, or suggestions. Volunteer Job Positions can be found here.