Happy New Year! You Tube clips from ACTION, Romania

From our colleagues in Romania, still going strong with the Association we helped Found when we were there. "Give this Christmas Away".

Christmas Greetings

Joy to the World

No matter what your faith might be, Christmas is a time of year to think about Joy, Love, Peace, Angels and Giving. Our wish this Christmas is that more people will enjoy these gifts, which are the real meaning of life.

We would like to give you a gift. It is a true story of a Christmas angel that you can download here.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!

Fundraising for Children in Need

Robert twisting balloons for the children.

On October 27 we once again helped fund raise for Children in Need, along with the charity Home-start Barnet. We contributed our face-painting and balloon modelling talents, to help raise about £200 at the Colindale Grahame Park Community Centre.

Funded by Children in Need, Home-start Barnet provides a safe place for youngsters to play every Thursday and Friday while their parents take part in courses such as first aid, healthy eating and emotional health and wellbeing.

I also volunteer for Homestart one day a week, by supporting a family with children under 5 years old.

You can view the complete article from the Barnet Times on-line newspaper here.

Two of the children I face painted.

Making a Difference in Ecuador

Recently I had the pleasure to meet up with two old friends of mine: Jenny and Gonzalo. They have a volunteer work in Ecuador, where Gonzalo is from and were here in the UK for a while to help care for Jenny's elderly mum. Now they are returning to Ecuador and we will be helping to support their work there.

In Ecuador, there are no such systems as the NHS, nor government benefit programs. So the people depend on NGOs and Charities for some of their most basic needs, especially the poor.
 Gonzalo and Jenny will be shipping down supplies of inspirational and educational books in Spanish, that they had been able to aquire while they were here.

Gonzalo's brother, who is a doctor, also gives of his time and expertise to the needy  in his country. Here he is giving a free medical check to a handicapped patient.

Activities include a training course for other volunteers called 12 Founation Stones. Here are photos of the graduation of those finishing the course.

"Chocolatito" is the name of a program for deprived children, which often involves the apprearance of a clown!