Just Love Coffee

You can now buy your coffee and send children to school at the same time. Her Star Scholars has teamed up with Just Love Coffee to raise funds for our scholarship program.

If you go to https://justlovecoffee.com/herstarscholars, a large percentage of every purchase is passed on to Her Star Scholars. They have coffees from around the world, fair trade, and eco-friendly.

Just Love Coffee

Universal Children's Day

Universal Children's Day was celebrated on October 19th and 20th this year.

Each of the girls dresses in a costume to represent a different country in a parade through the local community and in performances at the school. 

(The costumes were donated to the school and do not come out of the sponsorships.)

Beans and Rice!

The girls in Burkina Faso also received a large bag of beans and a large bag of rice to help feed her family.


Here is Biba, our volunteer, with the beans and rice.  

One girl with her bags for her family!

Her Star Scholars- Burkina Faso- 12-13

Here they are... all 19 kids we are sponsoring this year. (One is not in the picture as she was not feeling well.)

And here is a picture of the parents.

When the problems of the world seem overwhelming, I have to remember Her Star Scholars is making a difference in each one of these lives, both children and parents.  Thank you sponsors!

Thank You Letters from Burkina Faso! (And a Translator!)

The girls who were sponsored for the 2011-2012 school year all sent thank you letters to their sponsor.  We have found a volunteer in Ohio who translated the letters from French to English.  We are hopeful this volunteer will allow the sponsors to be able to correspond via email more often with the girls they sponsor in Burkina Faso in the upcoming school year. 

One of the letters read

Dear L.-

It is with great joy that we, the parents of Samira S., send you our news.  Here, everything is going really well, the children are also doing very well, and we hope the same for you.  We want to say thank you so very much for your financial support for the education of our daughter.  And, it is with huge regret that we tell you our daughter must repeat the school year.  Being an illiterate family, we were not sure that sending the child to school was of great importance.  But we promise to ensure her studies next year especially with your financial support.  In advance, we send you great thanks and ask that God bless you and reward you a hundredfold for your kind deeds. 

The parents of Samira.

Here she is... our new volunteer translator. Tricia.  :)

New Bikes in Bukina Faso!

 The girls who are sponsored in Burkina Faso each receive a bike to get to and from school safely.  The new girls received their bikes recently. Here are a few pictures! 

Cousins sponsor a girl!

This cute group of cousins (from 2 families) decided to get together and sponsor a girl in Burkina Faso this year.  (With a little help and a lot of money from their parents!)

Because they were some of the first to volunteer to sponsor, they were able to select a girl from the pictures we had.  Tucker, age 7, selected Anasthasie for the group. She is ten years old and in his words, "Let's pick an older girl so that she won't have to get married right away."  His parents had explained that education delays arranged marriages for these girls.

Here is Anasthasie, a beautiful girl!

Thank you, cousins, for helping her go to school!

-Heidi

Half the Sky: A MUST SEE !

Last week, PBS showed a documentary entitled "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide", based on a book by the same name.  I have both read the book and watched the show and I highly recommend them both.  It is hard to watch... to see a 14 year old rape victim, who is then shunned by her family, or a 3 year old girl rescued from a brothel.  But these are real girls and these are real things that happen and it is up to us, all of us, to do what we can to help.

CLICK here to watch the trailer.


One of the quotes from the show that stuck with me was : "Many people see the problems and they want to do something so big to help, that they end up doing nothing.  It is better to start small.  It may not seem like much, but it means the world to that one girl that you help."  (My paraphrase)

Although I wanted to rush around the world and save every girl, I am thankful to be part of an organization that is helping girls in three countries.  Each one of those girls that Her Star Scholars sponsors is getting a helping hand, which will lessen her risk of all the oppression, and improve her opportunities.  It does mean the world to each child we can help.

What can you do?

Here are a couple of ideas!  Read the book!  Watch the documentary.  Better yet,

• Have your book club read the book, and brainstorm ways you can join together and do something.  My book club decided to join together and sponsor a girl in Burkina Faso this year.  Your book club can help somewhere too!

• Have a movie night, and invite others to watch the documentary with you. Again, maybe your group of friends will find something you can do.

Can you help just one?  We all can do something!  Contact us for more info about how you can join in Her Star Scholars in making a difference.

-Heidi

Twice as Many Girls This Year in Burkina Faso!

Last year, Her Star Scholars sponsored 8 kids in Burkina Faso. This year,  we were able to send an additional eleven girls to school, more than doubling our number for a total of 19 !  Here is Samira, one of those girls, who is attending school for the first time.  Hurray! We are thankful for sponsors who made it possible for these girls to go to school as well as receive their own bike and a six month supply of food for their families.