I'm so happy that you and Kristen have brainstormed and decided to pursue the
idea of building a home for another needy child in our program.  Several of us
had the same idea -- but were hesitant to mention it!  So, we're very glad that
you did!

I can assure you that we can select a very deserving family in one of our
locations who desperately needs new housing.  Because our Zambian project is so
very new, I'm not sure our staff is ready to tackle a housing project just yet.
I will, however, ask them just to make sure!  Perhaps there are families there
who own their land but are simply unable to build a house.  If the right family
can be found, and if the staff is capable of overseeing such a project, I'll
surely let you know.

I hope to be able to select a family (somewhere!) within the next two weeks.  As
soon as I have the information, I'll share it with you.

Thank you again, Anastasia, for your great support.  We are grateful to both you
and Kristen for the many efforts you have made on behalf of the children.

Vickie

-----Original Message-----
From: Anastasia Yecke
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 2:22 PM
To: Vickie Wiedenmann
Cc: kpalana@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Your sponsored children

Hi Vickie,

Thanks so much for your reply.  The fact that all of the three girls have
adequate shelter is GREAT news, although of course that does present
problems with dedicating a website like Kristen's (cc'd in this email,
www.aurashouse.com) to build a new home!

Kristen and I brainstormed last night and came to the following three
conclusions:

1.  We still want to build a home for a child via an online website
2.  The child does not necessarily have to be sponsored by me
3.  It should be someone in great need/most deserving

We were talking about CI's new sponsorship of Zambian children and were
thinking that perhaps building a home for a child in Kanyama could help
build awareness of the new project as well as the importance of sponsoring
children with HIV-positive parents.  I read Violet's story
(https://www.children.org/zambiaCompanion.asp) and was deeply moved;
however, I did note that they rent their home and realize that perhaps it
may be difficult to find a sponsored family who owns their own land.

Regardless, we would like to know if you are aware of a family (in ANY
country CI works in) who does own their own land and is in desperate need of
a new home.  Please let me know ASAP so we can revamp the website for the
new project.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

Anastasia Yecke

From: "Vickie Wiedenmann"
To: Anastasia Yecke
Subject: Your sponsored children
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 09:10:03 -0600

Dear Anastasia,

I have just received the housing reports for your three sponsored children,
and I'm happy to share the information with you.  I believe you'll agree
that the news is fairly good with regard to their situations.  To summarize
briefly, our agency workers in all three locations have indicated that none
of the children need new housing at this time.

Dipika Mandal - India - The family owns the land and the house in which they
currently live.  The house consists of two large rooms and an outdoor
verandah.  The walls and floor of the home are in good condition; however,
the tile roof requires some repairs.  The front door of their home is in
poor condition and they would like to replace it.  The total cost to repair
the roof and replace the door is $275.

Maria Coca - Dominican Republic - Maria and her family live in a family
house - owned by her stepmother's stepfather.  They have no plans to build
or repair.  The stepmother would, however, like to purchase a small plot of
land in the same community.  She indicated that they would be able to build
their own home; they simply need help purchasing the land.  The approximate
cost of the land is $1,540.

Keyla Rodriguez - Honduras - Keyla's family owns the land as well as the
house in which they are living.  The house is in good condition; it simply
needs some repairs made to the roof - at a cost of $400.

Anastasia, I know this probably isn't the news you were anticipating,
especially given your plans for appealing for funds on a dedicated website. 
But I'm sure you are as pleased as we are to know that the three children
are living in homes that are comfortable and fairly secure.

I'll be sending this information in the mail to you also; I have a few
photographs of Keyla's house and one of the house in which Dipika lives that
I thought you'd like to see.

Please don't hesitate to give me a call or send an email if you have any
additional questions.  We appreciate the generosity you share with all three
of the children and your desire to improve their lives.

Sincerely,

Vickie Wiedenmann
Assistant Vice President

Children International
vwiedenmann@children.org
www.children.org