The charity that we have been working with to collect used books to send to Africa and Syrian Refugee camps, is collecting used toys. There is a box in front of 207 so If you want to clean out that closet of old toys and have them go to a good cause, drop them off this week!
The charity will still accept used clothing too if you want to get rid of some clothing as well.
Dear STAR Participants
It is very important to USACF that everyone participating in the STAR Program sees the value of what we do and that our efforts make a difference. We never want students, teachers and parents to collect donations, box them up, put them on a truck and never find out what happened to them.
Last year with the help of the United Mission Relief and the Yemeni Women's Association, we shipped two containers of assorted donations to Yemen and one container to Somalia. We also shipped a additional container of 50,000 T-shirts to Somalia. These T-shirts were donated by another partner, - Tough Mudder.
Both shipments to Somalia made it to the port, were off loaded into a ware house and were later distributed to refugees living in camps. About 100 boxes of books and school supplies were included in this shipment were earmarked for three Somali schools. The four pictures above were taken that one of those schools.
We have not had the same success with the Yemeni shipment. The day before our container ship was to arrive in the port of Aden in Yemen, fighting broke out between government troops and people of are seeking to establish an independent South Yemen. For weeks, everything in the port shut down. The fighting has finally ended and government offices are starting to open up again and process the release of containers. Our partners on the ground in Yemen, are hopeful that our two containers will be released shortly.
UMR and the Aboud Foundation have promised to send me more photos from Somalia. Pure Hands, our partner in Yemen will send photos once the donations get to the camps.
What we are doing remains incredibly important to the people living in these camps. We do not want to stop our efforts. The need is too great. We are hoping to repeat the STAR Project within the next two months and ship a container to Syrian refugees living in Jordan. As soon as we get more pictures, I will send them. Please share these pictures with all your students so they can be proud of themselves and your school.
Thank you for being part of the STAR Project. Not only do we help refugees, but we teach our own students that they do not have to be bystanders in a troubled world. It is a knowledge that we hope stays with them for a life time.
We do make a difference.
Sincerely,
Mark Grashow
President: U.S. - Africa Children's Fellowship
