Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
A New Year Begins With a World of Hugs
Hugs for Orphans in Guyana
U.S. Navy Lt. Jo Guzmán, currently assigned to the U. S. Embassy in Guyana, S. America, gathered a few volunteers from our Embassy, including Captain Joe Vanty as photographer, and a few members of the Guyanese Defense Forces (GDF), to bring joy and smiles with our ‘hugs’ for Christmas to children in an orphanage where Lt. Guzmán volunteers to teach in his spare time. Below is an excerpt from two Guyanese newspapers about this wonderful activity of the giving of our ‘hugs’ to those precious children…“EMPOWERING HUGS
Members of the U.S. Military Liaison Office (USMLO) from the U.S. Embassy in Guyana and the Guyanese Defense Force (GDF) united over the holidays to bring joy into an orphanage. Deputy Commander of the USMLO, LT Jo Guzmán, partnered with "LOVING HUGS, INC.," an NGO headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, that takes donated stuffed animals and sends them all over the world to children in need. The 'hugs' give the children a sense of warmth and love, which are so often missing in their lives.
You can see an immediate transformation in these children’s' eyes when they receive the hugs, a realization that someone cares. Guzmán organized this donation event on Christmas Eve to bolster the Civil-Military relations program between the GDF and the Guyanese citizens… Since the U.S. and Guyana share similar security concerns, these acts of compassion benefit both nations and enhance peace in the entire hemisphere. Poverty, loneliness, and desperation create a breeding ground for crime and terrorism. Leaders of gangs and terrorist groups capitalize on these harsh realities to recruit influential youngsters. By intervening with hope, the U.S. makes it less likely that these kids will fall prey to these evil networks. Without weapons, this aspect of the war on radical fundamentalism is vital to keep U.S. citizens safe, and today was another victory.”
Loving Hugs, Inc. has sent an additional 214 hugs to Guyana, which will also be distributed by Lt. Guzmán, and his military ‘hug’ and hope-giving group, to four or five additional orphanages. Those ‘hugs’ will help spread the care and loving outreach of American’s through their donations to Loving Hugs, Inc. As you can imagine, ‘hugs’ have an immense, full-circle of good purpose for all of us living in this world together. “Hugs” are so much more than ‘just a stuffed animal’! They represent love, comfort and a sense of security. News articles and great photos will follow. Stay tuned!
Hugs For Hospitalized Children in the Congo:
Loving Hugs, Inc. has been working on building partnerships and collaborations to provide self-sustainability for our Vocational Training Programs in the Congo. It has been one of my deepest desires to help bring together a partnership between Les Ecoles du Coeur, one of the schools that Loving Hugs, Inc. helps to support,(the school that we have partnered with for its Vocational Sewing and Woodshop Training Programs), and the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital in Kinshasa. The hope has been to supply the hospital’s need for hospital garments and other sewn goods, and for hopefully supplying certain wooden furniture needs they might have, to bring income to our Programs for self-sustainability. The Founder of the school and I met with the Chief Administrator of the hospital when I was there in November (see November Blog with photo). Positive results have come from the wonderful meeting we had!
The first activity for good between these two organizations occurred on this recent Christmas Eve. Staff members from Les Ecoles du Coeur took our hugs made in our Vocational Sewing Program to the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital, and were given by the hospital’s doctors and staff to the children being treated in the hospital.
A partnership agreement has also now been reached whereby our Vocational Sewing Program will start making the needed hospital gowns, supplying the hospital with the sewn goods they need, made by and supporting the local population, and earning much-needed income for our Vocational Sewing Program and the school.
The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital is the first hospital to have been built in the Congo in over 40 years. It was built by the still-famous former Denver Nuggets basketball player, Dikembe Mutombo through the Foundation that he started, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation (www.dmf.org). He named this beautiful hospital in honor of his mother, Biamba Marie Mutombo. I could not have received a better Christmas present this past year, than the news that this great good is coming to fruition for our Vocational Sewing Program with this great hospital, in a positive activity that promotes Congolese helping Congolese for the greater good of all. What a beautiful and perfect Christmas present for me to enjoy with immense gratitude!
A partnership agreement has also now been reached whereby our Vocational Sewing Program will start making the needed hospital gowns, supplying the hospital with the sewn goods they need, made by and supporting the local population, and earning much-needed income for our Vocational Sewing Program and the school.
The Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital is the first hospital to have been built in the Congo in over 40 years. It was built by the still-famous former Denver Nuggets basketball player, Dikembe Mutombo through the Foundation that he started, the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation (www.dmf.org). He named this beautiful hospital in honor of his mother, Biamba Marie Mutombo. I could not have received a better Christmas present this past year, than the news that this great good is coming to fruition for our Vocational Sewing Program with this great hospital, in a positive activity that promotes Congolese helping Congolese for the greater good of all. What a beautiful and perfect Christmas present for me to enjoy with immense gratitude!
Hugs to Afghanistan Continues:
Hugs on Board!
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