Introducing....

Happy Sponsoring Day!!

I am so excited!

Excited for the girls, and excited for you that you get an opportunity meet these lovely ladies and to help shape these precious lives.

Today, you are going to meet 8 beautiful girls. Tomorrow there will be 8. And 4 on Friday.

Here we go!

Delice

Delice is 21 years old. She speaks excellent English and is a natural leader.

Born in 1991, Delice was three years old when both of her parents and her four brothers we killed in the genocide. Soon after, she was taken in by an aunt who she stayed with for the next 6 years. In 2000, her aunt fell ill and traveled to Belgium for medical care; she never returned and Delice was brought to Noel. She was 9 years old.

Delice says that she is thankful that the orphanage is somewhere to live, but she is not happy there. She says she must do her best to continue on with a good life. She plans to attend university (preferably in America) and would like to study Computer Economics or Business Management. Her goal is to start her own company, one day, and help emancipate the women of her country.

Delice is thankful for the sewing school because she can continue to study 

and learn a new skill for her life and help to improve her standard of living.

She would like to say to her sponsor, thank you. And please come to visit someday so I can know your face.

Amelie

Amelie is 20 years old, the sweetest little ball of sunshine, and she looooves America, High School Musical and celebrity gossip.

Amelie is an only child, who never knew her father, so when her mother was died in 1998, Amelie was taken to live with her aunt. She was six years old. Her aunt had other children, and at best, Amelie was treated as a step-child. She said that she has never known the love of a family. In 2003, at 11 years old, Amelie asked a friend of her mother to help her come to Noel for a better chance at life. A chance to study and get a good education.

Amelie says she is thankful to the orphanage for the things it has given to her, but it is a miserable life of surviving only. Amelie wants to study Tourism at university (in America, duh) and she is excited to get a job and achieve her big dream of working in America.

Amelie says the sewing school is a good opportunity to study. "It is good to me and I like it." Her objective is to know sewing very well.

She would like to tell her sponsor (a hot white man), thanks to God for bringing us together. I am happy for him and pray for him. I will obey you as your friend or your child. My promise to you is that I will never deceive you. And I will do my very best to achieve.

 We all tease with Amelie about her boy craziness. She is a jokester and loves to laugh. But she came back later and said, "Tara, I really do want a man to sponsor me, but it's because I have never known a father to love me and it would make me so happy to have that." Come on, fellas!

Beatrice

  First of all, I'm thrilled to say that Bea was our first girl to be sponsored. By the Madre! :)

Beatrice is 23 years old. She is hilarious and her laugh is contagious. She can also yell louder than anyone you know.

Born in 1988, Bea was 8 years old when her mother was killed in the genocide. Leaving her father with seven children to care for. Unable to do so, he felt he had no choice but to bring the children to Noel. Today, four of the children are still living in the orphanage, 2 sisters are living with other family and one of her brothers is a police officer in Kigali.

Sweet Bea says the orphanage is her greatest family. When she is able, she will help the children of the orphanage. Life is good. She told me that she would like to study at the Kigali Institute of Health and would like to become a doctor. When I asked her what she would like to specialize in, she said she would like to help as many people as possible. After she found out other were saying the would like to study in America, she added that she would, too, and if given the opportunity, she would like to be a professor.

Beatrice says the sewing school is good because she can get some skills and some money. She says she is going to save her money and probably share some with her brothers.

Mom, Bea would like to tell you that she is happy to know you. Because I know Tara, I know you and I love you so much. I wish you will come back to Rwanda; I will show you my brothers and sisters. When I am able I will come to visit you in America. Thank you for being my sponsor.

Josephine

Awww, Josie. I love this girl. Very sweet and fashionable and she will dance your face off.

Josie is 21 years old, in 1994, at the age of four, Josie and her four brothers and sisters were orphaned when their parents were killed in the genocide. She, along with one brother and one sister, has been living at Noel ever since; the other brother and sister are living together in Kigali. Josie says she is thankful to the orphanage for keeping the family together and for looking after them.

She would like to study Business Management at university in America and she wants to become a business woman working in fashion.

Josie says she is thankful for the sewing school because somebody is thinking about them. She is happy to be sewing and making money and she says it will help with so many problems.

To her sponsor she would like to say, thank you for sponsoring and choosing her. She hopes you all will be a good match for each other and can build a strong relationship. Thank you for your help.

Chantal

Chantal is Josie's sister. Shy and quiet, she has a sweet silly side that sneaks out every now and then. 

Chantal is 19 years old and has lived at Noel for as long as she can remember. She is happy to be at the orphanage. She is thankful that she has been able to study well and be together with her siblings.

Chantal would like to study at ULK in Kigali, she also says she wouldn't mind studying in America. Like her sister, she would like to work in the fashion industry. Her big dream is to create and manage her own company.

She likes the sewing school so much and she is happy to get knowledge and skills for her good life. She is very happy with the money and she is going to share the money with her brother and ask him how to best spend their money and solve their problem.

Chantal would like to tell her sponsor, thank you for everything you will be helping to provide. She is so happy to have a sponsor and friend.

Valentine

Valentine is the strong, silent type. She is 18 years old and she takes her work very seriously.

When Valentine was a baby, she was living with her parents in Congo, before she was two years old, they were killed in the war and she was brought to Rwanda to live with a friend of the family. She was mistreated most of her life and at the age of 16, decided to come to Noel to get a better life. She is thankful to the orphanage for taking care of her and for saving her from her old life. 

Even though primary school is free, the family that she had been living with couldn't afford to buy school books, so Valentine hasn't attended school in years. When she came to the orphanage, it was not possible for her to make up all the years that she had missed. Her dream is to work in a salon making braids and doing hair and make-up.

She is happy to be in the sewing school; to get knowledge for the first time makes her very happy. And the money is very wonderful. She is going to save it to help her achieve her dream.

She would like to say to her future sponsor, thank you for finding her and helping her. Thank you for enabling her to gain knowledge and make a business.

Franciose

Franny is 19 years old and so dang cute. She is silly and quirky and verrry laid back.

Both of Franny's parents were killed in the genocide in 1994 and at two years old, Franny was brought to Noel. She has two older sisters who are both married and living outside.

She is happy that the orphanage allows her to go to school and continue to study, but she is ready to make a life for herself and move on to her good life, outside. She would like to go to university in America to study Economics. Her goal is to be a banker anywhere in the world.

Franny really likes the sewing school and she is happy that the money will be able to help her with many of her needs.

She is very happy to be getting a sponsor and she will be very thankful for their kindness. She is going to be kind to them and work very hard to make them proud of her.

Pascasie

When we were planning the sewing school, I wasn't sure if Passi was even a child of the orphanage, I knew that she was always working in the store and that I loved her; I knew, no matter what, I wanted to offer her a place in the school. Well, she is a child of the orphanage and I was so happy when she showed up for our first meeting.

Passi is 23 years old, she spent the first years of her life in Congo with her family; father, mother and 3 siblings. In 1997, their mother became very ill and eventually died. With 3 children, her father made the choice to move the family to Rwanda. He had no house, no land, and no way to provide for his family. He decided to join the Rwanda Army and the children moved to Noel.

She was 8 years old.

Passi is thankful to Madame Director who accepted them and cared for them until now. Her wish is that when she is finished with her studies, she will thank Madame by paying for others who are still living in the orphanage. Passi wants to study Journalism in the best place possible. And, one day, hopes to be a broadcaster.

The sewing school is very nice for her because if she wasn't here, she wouldn't be able to find other work for herself. She would like to be a manager here (and will be) and thinks it will help her to have a good life.

She would like to thank her future sponsor so much for their kindness and love. She will be kind to you and work very hard to make you very proud. She would like to have a strong relationship with you and hopes one day you will come to visit her and see how you have helped her to achieve a happy life.

So there you go! 

I am so stupid excited!! Thank you so much for loving these girls like I do. It's $34/month to be a sponsor. You can donate through His Chase, recurring every month, on the link above (right hand side of the blog, second photo down, it says 'donate here'). Let me know which girl you would like to sponsor and make sure to designate her name on the His Chase site. The girls are excited to set up emails and facebooks to keep in touch with you. We are praying for all seven girls to have sponsors by morning.

Ready. Set. GO!