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

This has been a busy and exciting month at Aura's House. First, we are getting ever closer to reaching our goal for the Philippines Classroom project for Christian Capin (8) and over 4,000 of his classmates in Manila. As of May 1, 2006, we have raised $4700! Aura's House partners Mike Epler and Anastasia Yecke have started a new matching funds challenge for this project. See the article below for more details. We also have raised $517 for food, supplies, and furniture for Kenci Julissa (6) and her family from Honduras, completing and exceeding our goal! Visit this Small Project. Special thanks to donor David Michael for his generous $180 donation that put this project over the top.

In other news, we finally have the pics and details of over 20 children from Lusaka, Zambia! Not only were featured children, Elizabeth Tembo and Kalambulwa Chalwe able to finally attend school, but over 20 other kids were given tuition, uniforms, supplies, and books. See their photos. Special thanks to the 10th graders at The Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota, FL. led by Dr. Karen J. Kriebl. They were among our most enthusiastic fundraisers and donors for this project. We hope to start up the Hosie's School Project again as soon as Children International and School Officials in Zambia come up with a lasting plan.

Also as of April, Aura's House was featured in two articles over at the Children International Website. Check them out here and here. We now also have some of our web pages translated into Spanish thanks to Venezuelan volunteer, Mariana Gil Sir. There is also a new letter from Aura and a new video clip from Kristen and Ana's visit to Guatemala and Honduras. (More coming in the weeks ahead. Check back soon.)

Finally, make sure to check out new photos from Small Project #2 for Luis Marcos and family of Guatemala and Small Project #3 for Cindy Villamor and her family in the Philippines. Both children and their families were in dire need of beds, furniture, food, and supplies. Check out the two photos below and on their respective webpages to see what they received!

Here's to another month of little good deeds adding up!

Best wishes and Happy May,
Kristen Palana and the Aura's House Team

Cindy with a new place to sleep. Small Project #3

What's Next :

We'll continue fundraising for our Philippines Classroom Project and work with interested Children International sponsors on our Small Projects Section. Our upcoming Small Project #5 is for two toddlers and their families from Zambia. Our goal will be to raise $350 each per family. Stay tuned for more details in the days ahead.

We'll be awaiting more photos and details from the Zambia Hosie's School Project as well as any other updates from previous and current projects. To keep up with any new developments, please check out our Community Forums for news and updates. Don't forget to stop in and introduce yourself.

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) The summer is a good time to help out since Kristen has more time to devote to Aura's House as things slow down at work for her. if you have any comments, ideas, questions, or suggestions. Volunteer Job Positions can be found here.