Looking Back on 2023
Hello Friends and Supporters,
What a wonderful year of blessings this has been for PHFTC! We have been blessed by all of you from General Donations, our March Madness Fundraiser, our many Sock Fundraisers in local churches, donations from our favorite local organizations like Rotary, our Annual Online Auction, and our Giving Back Online Fundraiser. In a time of inflation and rising costs, you have played a vital role in helping us maintain our commitments to our partners as well as with rising travel costs. I (Ramona) have seen so many of the ministries we help struggling to accomplish their missions due to lack of funds. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
News from Romania
This past year in Romania, we were given the blessing of two new orphanages that were really lacking in funding- The Baby Jesus Orphanage and the St Angela Orphanage, translated from the Hungarian language. This year we purchased much needed shoes for all the children at one orphanage, food, hygiene products, and craft supplies to keep them occupied plus much more!
We have continued to help the Afterschool Program of 60 children and were able to spend a relaxing afternoon with many of the children, playing and bonding with them! The program continues to have cash needs to be able to pay for a full time farm worker to keep their farm project sustainable. If you are interested in helping cover the cost of that person's salary, please contact Ramona for details.
Ramona also visited with Forget Me Not ministries and their Joy Beadz Project Ladies, where we spent the afternoon making bracelets and fellowshipping. PHFTC also stocked their Food Co-op with the proceeds from selling their beautiful bracelets.
PHFTC was also able to continue helping Ukrainian Refugees this year. The group of special needs moms and their children that we had assisted in 2022 had moved back to Ukraine only to be forced out again when the fighting increased. They ended up in a different area of Romania, but reached out to us and asked for our help in setting up two classrooms with safe, sensory toys for these children, who have lost so much security and resources. We were pleased to be able to show Jesus' love for these little ones in this way!
We still are able to minister in the Pediatric Hospital of Sibiu, where we provide basic baby essentials, toys, books, and medical items needed by the hospital. Ramona and Romanian Outreach Coordinator, Andrea, spent a few afternoons holding the babies and giving them love and attention. We also had the opportunity to play with the sick and abandoned preschoolers- we tried not to wind them up too much for the nurses on duty :) Nurse Cornelia does an excellent job storing and distributing the supplies for the babies on the different wards and communicates with us when there are needs.
Lastly, in December, PHFTC purchased more musical instruments for the Sinca Foundation. They have had so much success with the music lessons for at risk children that they are expanding with more instruments and more lessons. This not only gives the children a sense of pride, but keeps them in school, and the children that can pay helps fund the project.
All in all, we saw an increase in our giving to Romania and carrying out our goal of eliminating abandonment at the roots by attacking the current issues! YOU have made that possible!
News from Puerto Rico
This year, Henry our Educational Sponsorship Student, attending a deaf school on the island, left the program. He was so close to graduating, but was unhappy in his foster placement and still dealing with past trauma. We were sad to see him struggle so much and pray that he will always remember his time with CSCD and PHFTC with fondness.
Through a series of very interesting events, Ramona and Vice Chair, Kristen were led to a new orphanage on the island that houses a dozen foster children. They also administer adoptions after a child has been freed. We purchased a large amount of clothes, diapers, and supplies for them.
Our visit to the Afterschool program, Casa Juan Bosco, welcomed us and our car load of supplies. We spent the afternoon with the children and helped put away the supplies. We were also shown the progress on the Agricultural Club that PHFTC helped initially fund. To see the bright and smiling faces of these beautiful children who come from the darkest areas of the city, brought tears to my eyes.
Another children's home near Isabela, PR had a long list of items. We were able to find almost everything for them, plus play with the little ones who had awoken from their naps when we delivered the supplies. We are always encouraged in sharing with other Directors and hope they are equally as blessed.
This year, we were finally able to take a tour of the Pediatric Hospital of San Juan, where we have been delivering supplies for the last few years. Due to covid and the medical fragility of the foster children living at the hospital, it wasn't safe for us to enter. However, this year, we were able to see first hand the care they give the children there! We were also able to purchase a truckload of baby supplies, diapers, and books for the kids residing there!
This month, Ramona was able to speak with some local Puerto Rican pastors that are interested in PHFTC partnering in some of their projects that align with our mission. We are planning a trip in March and praying for wisdom and open doors.
Prayers & Praises
- Please pray for our upcoming trips to Puerto Rico this winter. Ramona was able to make some new contacts with pastors on the island, who have some outreach programs to area children and mothers.
- Please pray for wisdom in planning the trip to Romania this spring, travel costs, and priorities for helping the abandoned and needy.
- Pray for new Directors on our Board. We currently need two or three new directors. If you are interested, please contact Ramona.
- Our current Directors and their families all need prayer and wisdom.
- PHFTC will once again be hosting a Ladies Tea fundraiser on April 13th - Save the Date!
- Continued funding and prayers
- We at PHFTC are so grateful for the support of our friends! You encourage us with your questions, interest, donations, and help!
- We are very appreciative for the new churches that had Ramona speak this year!
- We are thankful for answered prayer in finding three new orphanages to assist in 2023.
- We are thankful for contacts made with more Puerto Rican ministries as we continue to grow our ministry on the island.
- Ramona ( Executive Director) is so grateful for the hard work and dedication of all current and past Directors on the Board. Without their selfless time and effort, it would be very hard to accomplish all we do!
- PHFTC is grateful for the immense help that Andrea and Cornelia, our Romanian staff are to this foundation!
Financial Status
If you donated this year whether via check or PayPal AND you did not receive any goods or services in return, you will be receiving a tax receipt from PHFTC by the first of February. If you gave through a Facebook fundraiser, then you will be receiving your tax receipt from Network for Good or other Meta offiliate. Whatever way you supported PHFTC, we are very grateful and honored as you could have chosen so many other wonderful ministries! If you have moved in the last few months, please send your new address to caring@projecthopeforthechildren.org so your tax receipt can arrive to you safely!
Our Mission
Project Hope for the Children is a non-profit ministry that seeks to mobilize the generosity of donors to provide for the tangible needs of orphans, disadvantaged children, and at-risk families in Romania, Puerto Rico, and Beyond.
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