Our current priority is to raise another $20,000 to expand our farm by another 10 acres.
As our farm grows, more food will grow, and therefore we intend for our profits to grow! Profits from selling produce helps to fund the operational expenses for our orphanage! Currently farm profits fund 62% of the annual operating costs at the orphanage. The expansion of the farm will provide a sustainable income stream to help decrease the reliance on outside donations.
Schooling
In Ghana, it is common for school age children to be on the streets working, selling items either because they are orphaned or their families are poor. Oftentimes families cannot afford the school fees, uniforms or books and as a result many children do not attend school. These kids need outside financial support to attend school.
Since 2013, we have been providing funding for school fees, uniforms and books and health insurance to get kids off the streets and info schools. We support over 120 children annually.
Shaisiri Home
Our orphanage is home to twenty-five (25) orphaned children, many have lost their parents to aids or were rescued from child trafficking/slavery. They are provided a safe place to sleep, nourishing meals, healthcare, clothing, transportation to and from school, and much more.
Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Houston offers a home away from home providing care, compassion and hope to families with seriously ill children being treated in Texas Medical Center (TMC) member institutions. What started in 1981 as a 20-bedroom House near the Astrodome, now consists of 105 private bedrooms and 14 Family Rooms/Lounges spread across our flagship facility, Holcombe House, and our spaces inside Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, and MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. Each location offers communal living areas, unlimited access to kitchens, complimentary meals and snacks, laundry facilities, computer access, and plenty of quiet areas for hugs and deep breaths. For the families staying at Holcombe House, complimentary parking and shuttle service to and from the hospitals is also available.
Located in the 4th largest metro area in the US, and immersed in the largest medical center in the world, RMH Houston welcomes families who are in the midst of fighting cancer, heart disease, awaiting organ transplants, managing birth defects, and numerous other life-threatening pediatric health conditions. In the hopes of helping the families staying at Holcombe House persevere through so much uncertainty, beyond just providing the daily necessities, a Licensed Master-Level Social Worker (LMSW) is on-site as well as student interns from the University of Houston, School of Social Work, for crisis intervention and case management. Our interns also coordinate with our Family Activity Manager to schedule creative, social programs for fostering relationships with others on similar journeys. They also confer with the hospital social workers to ensure wrap-around care for the families.
One consistent issue RMH Houston is addressing across all of our locations, is food insecurity. All too often our families’ days blend from one to the other, making it exceedingly difficult to purchase, prepare or plan a family-style meal on a regular basis. By offering complimentary meals and snacks in our hospital Family Rooms, the parents can be steps away from their child, while maintaining their own physical strength, without relying on vending machine fare for sustenance. After long days of appointments and procedures, the families staying at Holcombe House are so appreciative of a hot meal served in the dining room, giving them one less detail to manage, and an opportunity to check in with other families, their new friends. Offering meals and overnight stays saves a family as much as $250 per day, and positively impacts any housing and food insecurity they are facing.
To learn more about RMH Houston go to our website: rmhhouston.org.
