NPH International Family Fall 2008 - Friends of the Orphans

Nuestros Pequeños HermanosFamilyUn Gran CorazónFriends of the Orphans honor Reinhart Koehler“Corazón” is Spanish for “heart”. TheCorazón award is presented every yearby Friends of the Orphans to someonewho has given their heart, in one wayor another, to the children of NuestrosPequeños Hermanos. Past winnersinclude donors, Godparents of ourchildren, and all-around cheerleaders andadvocates of our mission. This year, itgoes to someone who has given not onlyhis heart, but also his life to the service ofour children.When I arrived at NPH in Mexico in1984, our founder, Father Wasson toldme of this wonderful German volunteerwho was finishing up his year of serviceto our children there, named ReinhartKoehler. Father Wasson described him asa long-haired German, wild-eyed with hislove for the children. Father Wasson hada knack for latching on to exceptionalpeople, and he had great plans forReinhart – plans that Father had forgottento share with Reinhart.Those plans led Reinhart to the secondpoorest country in the hemisphere,Honduras, where Reinhart co-foundedthe second NPH home. He served as thereal father of up to 500 children at anygiven time, in what he would describe as“the best job that any man could want,”for 20 years. In 2005, Reinhart was askedto leave his first love of working directlywith the children to become Director ofFamily Services for NPH International. Inthat role, he has put together a team ofchildcare professionals to ensure that thebest care possible is given to our childrenin all nine countries where NPH hashomes.The power of the love in one man’s heart,his vision and his zeal, have touchedand bettered the lives of generations ofchildren of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanosfor the last 25 years.In honor of the Corazón Award, havingbeen so moved by the story of Reinhart’slife service to the children of NPH, ananonymous donor gave a gift of $100,000to build a home for the children of NPHNicaragua, as they relocate from thepresent site near the suddenly activevolcano to safety on the mainland. Also,the donor requested that it be namedin the honor of Reinhart’s mother, thewoman who gave the gift of such a life toNPH and to the world. Congratulations!Contributed by Father Phil Cleary,President of NPH International.Photo: Father Phil, Reinhart and SharonSaxelby, CEO of Friends of the Orphans, USA.“Thank you for theCorazon Award. I feeldeeply honored. Thisaward is an inspirationto continue our work onbehalf of disadvantagedand unprotected children.I dedicate this award tothose who taught memost about love: Myparents, my wife, our sonand daughter, the childrenof NPH and FatherWilliam Wasson.”Reinhart Koehler

Message from Father Ron HicksA Great LifeDuring the months of September andOctober, 2008, I had the opportunityto work with Friends of the Orphansin the USA to raise funds and sharethe beautiful message of NPH.I traveled to Virginia, Washington,D.C., California, Washington State andArizona. Often times when I wouldpreach, I would share a story about agirl named Wendy who lives at NPHEl Salvador. As we come to the endof the year, I thought her story shouldbe shared with as many people aspossible.At 11 years old, Wendy is a very tinygirl. She was born with a severe birthdefect in which her spine curves outand then connects in a different wayto her hip so that one leg is about teninches higher than the other.Wendy was abandoned by herbiological family at a very young age.However, we are thrilled that sheis part of our NPH family. She is abeautiful gift with eyes that sparkleas she smiles. She is a talented artist,does very well in school and shesings in our church choir. She has adetermined personality and refuses tolet her birth defect diminish her spirit.For a moment I was perplexed as tohow I was going to explain to ourkind visitors that Wendy thought shedid not have a good life with us atNPH. However, without missing abeat, Wendy added, “Father, I do notwant you to tell them that I have agood life at NPH. I want you to tellthem the truth. Tell them that I have agreat life here at NPH.”That is the magic of NPH! Together,we are breaking the chain of povertyand giving our children a secondchance in life. On behalf of all thechildren at NPH, I sincerely say toyou, THANK YOU. Thank you formaking it possible for countlesschildren like Wendy to say that theyhave lives that are not only good, butlives that are great.May God bless you and your familiesthis season and always.Peace,Padre Ron HicksRegional Director, NPH Central AmericaPhoto: Wendy (in red shirt) with her friends.“Tell them that I have a great lifehere at NPH.”A little while back, we had a largegroup of people visiting our NPHhome in El Salvador. They wereinteracting with all of our children inour basketball court. A small group ofvisitors had gathered around Wendyand called me over. They asked meto translate something. They said,“Father, can you ask Wendy if she hasa good life here at NPH?” I translatedtheir question to Wendy, and with amischievous smile on her face, shereplied to me, “No!”

NPH Home SnapshotsAdvancementsEl SalvadorGuatemala Hosts NPHInternational Soccer TournamentThe final games brought hundredsof spectators to the fields to observethe heated match-ups between theremaining girls and boys teams. Inthe end, Nicaragua girls defeatedGuatemala girls in an overwhelming7 to 0 victory, making them the 2008NPH Soccer Tournament Champions.Both teams played with all of theirheart and soul, and the support andenthusiasm were vividly alive inthe stands.Next, the gifted boys of Honduras faced off against the speedy Nicaraguan team, agame in which neither team could sneak in a goal, leaving the score 0 to 0. With thetime finally expiring, there was a shoot-off with five players from each team facingoff with the opposing team’s goalie. The Honduran goalie was amazingly able tomaneuver two blocks, thrusting the Honduran team into an exhilarating victory, andinto the role as the men’s NPH Soccer Tournament champions for 2008.The closing ceremony took place directly after a delicious meal of beans and friedplantains. The directors handed out a number of deserving awards, and the victoriousteams received their trophies. After the ceremony, a dance was held in the dinningroom that lasted long into the evening.“Even better than the soccer and festivities was the electric atmosphere among all theteams from the different NPH countries and the children of Guatemala. This eventgives the players and host country children a real life experience of what it means tobe a family of so many children in 9 different countries,” said a spectator.The 2009 tournament will be held in Mexico. Lookout Mexico, here we come!Contributed by Christine Andrews, Academic Tutor VolunteerOur home in El Salvador received a generousdonation of $75,000 from Future First, a globalprogram which supports children in developingcountries initiated by the bank HSBC.In countries where HSBC operates, Future Firstendeavours to improve the lives of children whohave been abandoned, orphaned or living onthe streets, helping them build a better future.Representatives from HSBC were invited to the 2007 International meeting held inEl Salvador where they were impressed by our home and organization. Hearing aboutthe homes specific needs, the bank then began helping us by provided games, toys,food and piñatas for the children.NPH is a great partner for Future First which is a 10 million dollar program slated toprovide services until 2012. Congratulations to the Public Relations department ofNPH El Salvador for building this important relationship.MexicoDominican RepublicHaitiGuatemalaEl SalvadorHondurasNicaraguaPeruBoliviaNPH InternationalHome Correspondent WorkshopEight NPH homes, UKBS Germany andNPH International were represented atthe First Annual Home CorrespondentWorkshop held at NPH Honduras.Thanks to funding from the NPHGerman board, these valuable volunteersand staff received a 3-day trainingworkshop on Project Coordination andoverall job responsibilities. The roleof the Home Correspondent is vitalto every NPH home, creating a linkbetween the fundraising offices,the public and the home.All HC’s expressed interest in furthertraining and stated that it was importantto offer job training at the beginning oftheir service. One HC, Robin Schwartz,who just started the week prior inNPFS Haiti, was lucky to be able toexperience the training as a starter tool.One full day focused on how to developprojects on the NPH Intranet systemand best practices. Other days focusedon the many tasks of the HC such asaim of the job, website content, design,photography, reports and diversity in therole per country—just to name a few.For more detailed information about theHC Workshop or the job, please contactMonica Gery at: mgery@nph.orgPhoto: Olegario Campos, National Director of NPH El Salvador graciously accepts a check.

Our Worldwide CommunityStaff and ProgramsIf there is to be peace in the world,There must be peace in the nations.If there is to be peace in the nations,There must be peace in the cities.If there is to be peace in the cities,There must be peace between neighbors.If there is to be peace between neighbors,There must be peace in the home.If there is to be peace in the home,There must be peace in the heart. --Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.)Donna Egge with the early educationMontesorri Teachers at NPH Honduras.Digyana, fourth from the right, iscompleting her year of service afterstudying elementary education in highschool. Digyana also lived and workedpart-time at Little Steps Daycare Center,an outreach program of NPH Honduras.The program offers affordable childcareand educational programs for singleworking mothers.Peace Education for Our Children and StaffA joint proposal of the Peace Education Foundation [PEF] and NPHI, this pilotproject seeks to provide justice and peace education training and curricula inconflict resolution (i.e., community building, peace rules, dynamics of conflict,role of perception, anger management, and communication skills), peermediation, and early childhood education to the NPH homes in El Salvadorand Honduras.“If we can begin with our youngest children to teach conflict resolution skillsand how to live peacefully in an ever more violent world, then the possibilityexists for our children to be agents of change. As Fr. Wasson dreamed, theycould then be the change within their own families and communities outsideof NPH,” explains Donna Egge, educator for NPHI Family Service Team.The NPHI Family Service Team will coordinate the onsite arrangements for fullfaculty and staff training at each location. The Peace Education Foundation,a US-based leader in conflict resolution training with significant experiencetraining in Latin America, will send teams to each location to conduct trainingworkshops and provide grade specific curricula and materials to the schoolsand conflict resolution materials for staff. NPHI Family Serviceswill also recruit implementation teams of five persons from eachlocation. Each team will be responsible for implementation andfollow-up in their respective homes. The goal of this initiativeis to promote violence prevention strategies for the wholecommunity and staff development designed to enhance theculture of justice and peace in each home.“We are seeing a rise in violent behaviors within our homes,attributed primarily to the rise of violence worldwide and inthe communities/cities and countries where we are raising ourchildren. For this reason, our homes, staff and oldest pequeñosare asking for tools and curriculum that will teach conflictresolution skills, communication skills and anger managementstrategies within a climate of peace and justice. We believe thatby investing in a model that includes grade level materials, suchas the Peace Education Program offers, we can provide anin-depth, ongoing, sustainable program that will address theviolence prevention needs of all our children and staff for yearsto come,” states Donna.The Peace Education Foundation Program is an approved NPHI program thatwe would like to offer to all of our nine homes. Due to travel and materialcosts we are looking for funding to begin this program in two homes.Please contact Monica Gery at: mgery@nph.org for more information or viewthe project listed on our website at: www.nph.orgHow to Help/ Projects/International Education/ INT-08010.

News from EuropeDenmarkIrelandFrance ItalyGermany SpainNetherlandsBelgiumAustriaSwitzerlandNPH Germany Launches Online ShopUNSERE KLEINEN BRÜDER UNDSCHWESTERN Germany is implementinga new online fundraising tool:www.MyGoodShop.de It is an onlineshop where you can find items such asshoes, t-shirts, eggs, seeds, etc., which ourhomes urgently need. Like in a real onlineshop, you can look at different “products”and chose the ones you would like topurchase for the children. The chosengoods, you can easily donate online viadirect debit or remittance (payment viacredit card will come up soon). MartinWeissberger, a volunteer in charge ofMyGoodShop, will coordinate that exactlythose items are bought. Furthermore,Martin will make sure that your “purchase”gets to the children as soon as possible,and he will correspond in return by emailwith a photo.Can you imagine a more direct andtransparent way to support our children?The German actress Lara Joy Körnerloves the idea of direct and transparentdonations through our shop. She wastotally enthusiastic about the project andwill be the patron for MyGoodShop.The first home that will start this brandnew fundraising tool in cooperation withUKBS Germany will be NPH Honduras.A special thanks to National Director,Stefan Feuerstein and his team for startingas the pilot project. Please visit www.MyGoodShop.de and give the new art offundraising a try! See you there.Contributed by Nicole PoodyFundraising Director Direct Mail andOnline, UKBS GermanyThis fall, we welcomed a new memberto our NPH Family, NPH Denmark.They have established a bank accountand are in the process of receivingnon-profit status. The presentBoard members are Grete Plaehn(secretary), Leif Jensen (bookkeeper)and Mogens Vibe (spokesman). Othermembers are Per Sommer, RasmusSommer, Britta Johnstone and HelleKristensen.They have already received somesmall donations but their goal isto establish 50 more contacts tohelp support the organization withnetworking and fundraising.To contact NPH Denmark, their emailaddress is: info@nphdenmark.org andwebsite is: www.nphdenmark.orgThey are working on translating thehome page and other documents.We wish them an excellent start!From our FriendsNPHI Board meets the Friends of the Orphans National BoardIn October, the NPH International board and Friends of the OrphansNational board held a joint meeting to discuss numerous topicsregarding building a better understanding and working relationship.Between both boards thetime frame of association andinvolvement with NPH spannedfrom 2 to 45 years.One board member mentionedthat she has been on six otherboards and that she neverfelt part of a family like she doeswith NPH. “That’s what makesus special, you are joining andexpanding the family whichmakes us very different fromother non-profits.”Since the meeting was such asuccess, the boards hope tomeet on a yearly basis.Photo left to right top: Esq., James A. Vallez, Ryan Egge, Father PhilCleary, John Smith, Father Rich Prendergast, Kristen L. Smith and AlexDaniels. Left to right front row: Dr. Pilar Silverman, Tina Wells, SusanHammel, M. Virginia “Ginger” Perry/Vice Chair, Kathy Standing/Chair,Donna Egge, Sharon Saxelby. Not shown: Claire H. Topp/Treasurerand Michael Gibbs and Hernando Manrique.Photo left to right: Fernando Gres, NPHI AssociateDirector, Miguel Venegas, NPHI Director of Finance,Reinhart Koehler, NPHI Director of Family Services,Heiko Seeger, Exeutive Director, NPH Germany,Father Richard Frechette, National Director NPFSHaiti, Dr. Michael Maccoby, Board Secretary, BernardG. Greer, NPHI Administrator, Father Philip C. Cleary,NPHI President.Not shown: Nancy Krafft Moyer, Board Vice Presidentand Treasurer, Dee Campbell, Director Major andPlanned Gifts, Friends of the Orphans SW, RafaelBermudez, National Director NPH Mexico.

Pequeño ProfileWaiting to HearJuan Manuel is an amazing young man.He was born unable to hear or speakand joined our NPH family at nine yearsold. Because of his troubled early lifehe has had difficulty learning, especiallyreading and writing. Now, nine yearslater at the age of eighteen, a highschool student, he has shown throughhard work and determination that hecan persevere.This past July we had the pleasureof seeing him graduate from middleschool and he now attends a local highschool as part of a special group ofdeaf students. Theytravel as a groupthrough their dayand enjoy all thesame teachers astheir peers, butwith the help ofa sign languagetranslator. Theparents of the deafstudents all sharethe costs of thetranslator. In thisway, Juan Manuelis able to attend aregular high schoolbut have his owncommunity ofdeaf friends thatcommunicate bysign language.Juan Manuel liveswith the other highschool students in Cuernavaca and isoften seen with his big headphones,listening to music with the soundturned up all the way. As the otheryoung people here do not know signlanguage, Juan Manuel has inventedhis own type of sign language tocommunicate with them. Though itappears that he would be lonely, healways has a smile on his face and willtry to communicate with anyone withthe patience to try.Now, Juan Manuel has the chance tohear for the first time in his life, andcommunicate with those same peers byspeaking, and hearing them respond.This new hope is provided by aCochlear Implant, which is a surgicallyimplanted electronic device whichworks by directly stimulating auditorynerves. It is made up of four importantparts: a microphone that picks upsound, a speech processor which selectsand arranges sounds picked up by themicrophone, a transmitter and receiverwhich convert the information from thespeech processor into electric impulsesand an array of electrodes, whichcollect the impulses and sends themto different parts of the auditory nerve.The implant will then be followed bya year of Auditory Rehabilitation sothat Juan Manuel can understand andprocess the sounds heis hearing for the firsttime in his life.This implant firstbecame available inthe 1980s but onlywithin the last fewyears did it startto become morecommon in Mexico.Juan Manuel willhave his surgery ata prestigious MexicoCity hospital. Hewill not be the firstpequeño to receivethis implant. Hector,a deaf boy from ourhome in Honduras,had this implantseveral years ago andnow, after years oftherapy, is a successstory, he is able to hear and speak. Wehope that we can make this possible forJuan Manuel as well!The costs for the implant are as follows:Cochlear Implant $25,000Auditory Rehabilitation $15,000for 1 yearSurgery Hospitalization $9,000Ear Image Tomography $500Total: $49,500This project is also listed on our websiteat: www.nph.orgContributed by Daniela GreilichHome Correspondent NPH MexicoWhen asked how he managedto evoke such generosity inpeople, Fr. Wasson replied...“The generosity of those whohelp is due to the fact that theyare offered the opportunity todo so…All I have to do is totell them about the children,and what the children need,and how the children are andtheir hopes and desires for thefuture and either they respondor they don’t. It has to do withtheir own heart and their ownfeelings. It is as simple as thatreally.”— Fr. Wasson.

Hollywood in HaitiSpread the wordCelebrities help spread awarenessfor Haitian children in need.In December, Paul & Deborah Haggis,Madeline Stowe, Josh Brolin, Diane Lane, MariaBello, Bryn Mooser, Jimmy Jean-Louis, MichaelStahl David, former Senator John Edwards andfrom Italy, Italian model and actress MartinaColombari, were in Haiti with NPH/NPFS, forthe inauguration of KaySaint Germaine, the firstrehabilitation center fordisabled children in thecountry and the launch of“Francisville–NewWork City.”Two-time AcademyAward ® winner PaulHaggis went to the slumsof Haiti last Februaryto meet Father Richard Frechette, priest andphysician, who has been working with thechildren of Port-Au-Prince for over twenty years.Haiti is one of the two poorest countries inthe world. “Father Rick,” as he is known to thepeople of the massive slums, is the NationalDirector of Nos Petit Freres et Soeurs (NPFS,French for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”and our home in Haiti) is a humanitarianorganization founded in 1954.In Haiti today, 250 children die every week,most from easily preventable diseases. Onechild out of three dies before reaching the ageof five. Of those who survive, one child out oftwo does not go to school. Seventy percent ofits people are unemployed.While in Haiti, Haggis visited several NPH/NPFS projects, including the orphanage thatFather Rick founded twenty years ago withFather William Wasson, the founder of NPH.Haggis also saw the beautiful new pediatrichospital that Father Rick built–the largest in theCaribbean. He also spent time at Father Rick’sstreet schools in the slums, which provide aneducation and a hot meal a day to over 3,000children, and NPH’s water distribution center,which provides the only clean water availableto thousands of people in the slums. FatherRick also built the only free mortuary andcemetery.Paul was also there to witness the beginningof construction of NPH’s rehabilitation centerPhoto: top left, Bryn Mooser, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Maria Bello,Father Rick Frechette, Josh Brolin, former Senator John Edwards,Martina Colombari, Madeline Stowe.Bottom left, Mariavittoria Rava, Diane Lane, Michael Stahl David.for disabled children. On December 3, 2008 a date internationallycelebrated as World Day for Disability, Paul and a group of friends wentback to Haiti for the inauguration of Kay Saint Germaine–House of LittleAngels, the first rehab center in the country for disabled children. Thelife of these children is especially difficult in Haiti. According to voodooworship, the disabled are considered cursed. They are therefore shunned,abandoned, or worse.Those visiting on this occasion did so to support NPH and FatherRick in spreading information and awareness about the plight of thehandicapped children in Haiti and the urgent need of help for all thechildren in this forgotten country. They attended the inauguration ofthe rehab center, together with hundreds of disabled children and theirmothers. Messages were also sent by the Pope and by Andrea Bocelliwith a moving video.Actors and actresses wore a special, limited edition T-shirt designedby Elio Fiorucci for Fondazione Francesca Rava NPH Italia Onlus(representing NPH in Italy), specifically to raise funds for Kay SaintGermaine–House of Little Angles. This t-shirt can be purchased on theNPH Italy website at www.nphitalia.org (donation, 25 euro/$32, plusshipping), or by phone +390254122917.During their staying in Haiti, the group visited the NPH/NPFSSt. Damien pediatric hospital and its little patients, witnessed a movingfuneral ceremony for two children who died in the night, went to theslums of Wharf Jeremy and Cité Soleil where Father Rick has builtthe street schools, helped unload a container of humanitarian items,and attended the kick-off of a new project, Francisville, a site wherevocational workshops and job training along with production facilitieswill be built. Francisville will produce basic goods such as bread, soapand shoes in order to relieve social stress, provide jobs and training,and create resources to at least partially sustain NPH/NPFShumanitarian projects in the country.Press Release NPH Italy / Photos by Stefano Guindani. All rights reserved.