New Backpacks!

(Heidi) I was able to visit Burkina Faso last week and met our girls that are sponsored.  I took with me a new backpack filled with goodies for each of the girls. Biba, our liaison, had a huge party for the girls and their parents so we could meet them all. It was great to see them!  We currently have 19 kids sponsored in Burkina Faso, and 18 of them were able to make the party. It was fantastic!

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.)

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.  :)

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

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. 

School Shoes

This past weekend Edgardo and Yenyen with the help of some of the children's parents took 50 girls out shopping for school shoes!

These 4 girls had never been in a store before this day. They'd never  owned a pair of new  shoes.

Burkina Faso

This is the school attended by 2 of our sponsored girls in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Fousseina and Assana in class.

Fousseina

Assana

Music

Thank you to Katie Nyblom for purchasing a month's worth of music lessons for the Ninos!

Chores

Novah watches as her father repairs his fishing net and then helps her mother wash clothes.

Teacher Flor

In the Philippines our pre-school teacher is Teacher Flor. She is an excellent educator and the children just love her. I think they sense how much she cares about each and every one of them.

During the summer, Teacher Flor offers free tutoring to children who need help catching up before they enter the next grade level. She takes her responsibilities to the children very seriously. If a child arrives and is hungry, she'll find food for them. If a child misses classes, she'll check up on them to be certain they aren't sick or experiencing a family difficulty.

Honey is 7 years old, but she has never been to school. Fortunately this year she has found a sponsor and will be starting first grade in May. Teacher Flor has been working with her regularly to help her learn the basic skills she will need for entering school.

There was some concern that due to severe malnutrition learning might be hard for her, but hard work with Teacher Flor has paid off. After only several days she is learning her letters.

Here Honey receives a home visit for some extra tutoring.






Thank you to Teacher Flor for all she does for the children!

Matching Grant Challenge

A supporter of Her Star Scholars has offered us a matching grant challenge. If we raise $1500 by May 1, the donor will donate an additional $1500.

This is a great opportunity for us to help us support the children!

That means every dollar you donate will go twice as far.

Please consider using this opportunity to help us change the lives of girls through education!

Click here to donate through paypal.

Congratulations to our Littlest Stars!

Your Gift of Learning, Our Tool for Nation Building

On March 24th the Obod-Obod Christian Learning Center held their closing exercises for the year. Seventeen girls graduated from Kinder 2 and will be moving on to Grade 1 in the fall.

The children and parents arrive for the ceremony.

Receiving Certificates of Completion.

Part of the Graduating Class

Congratulations to our 1st Grade Scholars!

In the Philippines, Her Star Scholars' seven 1st Grade students have completed their year successfully.

Several of them even won special honors.

Congratulations to all of the girls and a Huge Thank You to all of our sponsors!

Aprilyn

Aprilyn is 19 years old and ready to go to college! Unfortunately her mother is a widow with 13 children so it will be a struggle for her to find the money to send her youngest daughter to continue with her education. Aprilyn's goal is to study computer education so that she can become a teacher of computer education. It will cost her $714 to attend college the first year.

Burkina Faso

Samiratou outside of school.

Sephora in her classroom.

Presents in the Philippines

Several sponsors gathered presents for the children in Her Star's Philippine project. They didn't make it in time for Christmas, but the children were so excited when they did arrive!

Presents unpacked

Waiting is so hard!

A Huge Thank You to Everyone Who Helped Make This Such a  Special Day!

Melisa

14 year old Melisa is entering her 9th and final year of school on January 16th. She is an excellent student who hopes to continue with junior college and university to become a music teacher. Please consider helping her by sponsoring her this final year or donating to her college scholarship fund.

Sergio

Sergio is 13 and will be starting grade 5 on January 16. He has been with Ninos con Bendicion for 5 years now, but he needs the assistance of a new sponsor.

Julio

12 year old Julio is one of 8 children. He enjoys soccer and social studies. This year he will be entering 5th grade, but he needs the assistance of another sponsor.

Banessa

Banessa is 11 years old and will be starting Grade 5 on January 16. 

She needs another sponsor to help her continue with her studies.