Restoring Dignity 08-2012

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Restoring Dignity- An URGENT Matter that ANYONE Can Help With

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27)

THE PROBLEM:

On July 20th, a young 18 year old woman that I had known for over eight years passed away, leaving her widowed mother and four siblings behind. This family traveled to America as refugees from Southern Sudan, due to the violent war that only recently ended last year. It has been very difficult for them here in America, ever since the father passed away in 2004. They have lived in poverty since then, as the mother has had a difficult time finding meaningful employment, as well as raising her children without the financial support of her deceased husband. Even with support from the local Sudanese community, this family still lacks basic necessities such as cleaning supplies and basic household items (sheets, bedspreads, curtains, garbage cans), etc. Now this family has gone through another devastating tragedy, with death of this mother’s daughter. I have been over to their house many times over the past three weeks, to help with funeral planning, bringing water, etc, and have noticed that the house is in serious need of cleaning and repairs. Myself, along with several other friends and family members of the family, want to come together and bless this family in a BIG WAY, by cleaning, repairing, and providing for their basic needs. We want to do this BEFORE school starts, so that the children are able to start the new school year in a “re-done house,” with sheets on their bed, lamps in their rooms, and a deeply cleaned house. Join us, next weekend, Saturday August 18, 2012 to Sunday, August 19, 2012, as we bless this family in a real, tangible way.

THE PICTURES:

Stairs — The carpet used to be white, but now it is brown, and is in desperate need of being cleaned. The family has no carpet cleaner, and cannot afford to rent one.

Blinds — There are over 5 windows that have broke blinds.

No sheets — The children are sleeping on beds with no sheets or bedspreads. They throw small blanket throws over the bed, to avoid sleeping on the plastic covering.

Hallway — The hallway carpet is in desperate need of being cleaned.

Bathroom — The bathroom has broken fixtures, including a broken towel holder. There is no garbage can.

Walls — All of the walls are covered in dirt and grime, needing to be deep cleaned, with some of them needing to be repainted white.

Front Porch — This is the front porch, right what you see when you walk up to the house. It needs to be cleaned and possibly re-painted.

Broken Glass — There are sheets of broken glass in the backyard that need to be disposed of.

Glass — Another sheet of broken glass in the backyard where the children play.

Weeds — The backyard is full of weeds that are over 8 feet tall, all of which need to be cut down.

Window Screen from the front of the house — There are several window screens that need to be repaired.

THE SOLUTION:

Sunday K. (a cousin of this family) and myself are working together to organize a mass house cleaning and repair weekend, Saturday, August 18 to Sunday, August 19th, 2012. However, we need YOUR help, and the people around you, to make this a reality for this family. We need help with cleaning, doing basic house repairs, yard work, painting and with supply donations. The more people, the faster we can work, the more we can get done, and the more we can BLESS THIS FAMILY during this extremely difficult time in their life. Right now we have 6 volunteers. We need at least 20.

SUPPLIES THAT WE NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN:

(Many of these can be donated from used or unused items in your home.

Five plastic bed coverings in size: (1) queen, (3) full, (1) twin. Walmart sells them for around $11 each.

PHYSICAL LABOR THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:

Washing down walls
Cleaning carpet
Scrubbing the bathroom
Scrubbing the kitchen
Yardwork (cutting down weeds, trimming bushes)
Yard cleanup (getting rid of the glass)
Painting (some of the walls need to be repainted white)
Hanging blinds
Hanging curtains
Dusting
Vacuuming
Bombing the house to get rid of the cockroaches
Basic house repairs (fixing broken screens, fixing broken fixtures in the house)

***We need a “handyman” who can fix things***

HOW TO GET SIGNED UP:

You can call, text, email, or facebook Hannah or Sunday, to either donate supplies, volunteer to help, or BOTH! We will give in depth directions to the family’s house in North Omaha, to all volunteers who contact us. We appreciate each and every one of you so much! Let’s all work together to bless this family and restore dignity and hope to their life.

Here’s our contact information: