Sometimes I have these flashbacks of my first days (more like months) in Malawi and I remember just how harsh and foreign the conditions can be. The days of building fire. Unsuccessfully. Of hovering by a candlelight. Of drawing water from a water pump. Of my hands numbing from washing my clothes in the freezing cold water. Of bathing with cold water.
It all started with a man’s $7,000 mistake (cutting down a tree by himself instead of with others) resulting in destroying our whole mission’s electricity transformer… meaning I don’t have electricity. Yes, I know, it’s a privilege taken for granted all too much, but sadly, I actually rely completely on it since I have no alternative mean of cooking and heating water without it. Usually, I would stress, but it has happened so many times (that is… black outs, unpaid bills by the mission, bad wiring, melting sockets, etc., but not a destroyed transformer) that I have resorted to just shrugging and telling myself, Oh well, I’ll figure something out.
Even though we were told the transformer would be replaced in two weeks’ time, I somehow doubt it will be. Another site about 16 kilometers has been waiting three months… and the site where my friend is located 8 km from me has waited two years. It doesn’t surprise me, since Africans don’t have a good sense of time… even if they are the only electric company in Malawi.
I’m starting to contemplate the idea that I might have to live my last year of service without electricity (which was what I thought coming to Malawi anyway), so I’m trying to adapt as quickly as possible. The first thing I did was, after a week of waiting for market day (Tuesday and Saturday), buy a charcoal stove... which I still have to master. (It can’t be harder than building a fire… can it?) I’ve been making paper briquettes, so I don’t have to use regular charcoal… which is just too expensive and too detrimental for the environment. I just have to pretend that I’m camping everyday!
And I’ve resorted to taking cold baths… even though it’s winter (which was exactly what I had to do last year when I first moved to my site). It’s not the most pleasant experience, but I’ve learned little things like… NOT pouring cups of cold water on myself! Instead, I’d scrub myself with a loofah while squatting to maximize contact with my body heat. And I’ve mastered washing my hair without touching my face and body. Granted, I’m not as clean as I’d like to be… but I figured it beats losing all my body heat through the water vapors. (By the way, if you don’t know this already, I do bathe outdoor.)
But in all honesty, it wasn’t that fun losing electricity. It’s one thing to not ever have electricity and become accustomed to building fires and all that good stuff, but it’s another issue to be totally unprepared when you rely completely on electricity.
My situation really isn’t that bad, but the unfortunate issues are:
1) our health center operates completely on electricity, so it’s crippled without it,
2) our water taps also depend on electricity, so our whole mission is crippled without water, forcing people to walk to further to water pumps, which might cause…
3) the water pumps to dry out earlier than usual since it is dry season and is currently overused by my mission
Other than the electricity ordeal, I also had these other moments. I had become so accustomed to the lifestyle here that I have forgotten so easily how strange they once were to me. I tried to think… if YOU were here, what would stick out to you? I thought of things like… the roosters crowing at the break of dawn and often at my door… the hens and chicks parading around, digging into my garden… the Land Cruisers (private vehicles) and Toyota caravans (public vehicles) rumbling over the rocky roads and kicking up dust… men on bicycles carrying their usual katundu (“parcels”, i.e. firewood, boxes, chickens)... women carrying buckets and pots of water or vegetables on their heads… the children running around barefoot twirling some old bicycle tire… the pounding of maize and women’s heaving breaths before the sunrise… the overwhelming smoke and smell of burning plastic and leaves… the eee and the ah-ahhhh and the ohhoooo departing their mouths… the tinsmen pounding into the metals fashioning watering cans and charcoal stoves… the acapella chorals reverberating in perfect harmony in an abandoned house on a Sunday morning… Palibe wina opanda nanu…
Amazing, isn’t it? They created this… indescribable feeling within me. There are some days when I feel at such a loss about why I’m here or what I’m really doing… some days when I’m bubbling with anger within me… some days when I just yearn to be at home in my own bed eating watermelon… some days wishing that I could do away with all the guilt within me… some days wondering if I should be doing something more than just reading and thinking… some days when I think that people just have absolutely no idea… But when I stepped out of my own shoes for a moment – just a moment – to see the little niches of Malawi that makes it special and my life different, all I can think is, Life ain’t a cakewalk, but right now, it’s worth the walk for a piece of that cake. :)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Conate to Camp GLOW Online!
Thanks to those of you who were waiting patiently to donate online! Thanks to those of you who have already sent your non-tax-deductible checks!
If you would still like to make tax-deductible donations, please...
1) go to www.peacecorps.gov
2) click on "donors", then "donate to volunteer project"
3) type in "malawi" under keyword search
4) you will see this: MALAWI Camp GLOW 2008 - Perlman M. - MD 614-196 - $3,014.27 (the amount we're trying to raise)
5) make your contribution!
That's it! Thanks again for your continual support!
I'm actually pretty excited about this camp! I'm one of the camp counselors, as well as the activities coordinator, and there will be 2 girls from my area who will be attending!
Let me know if you have any questions!! Zikomo!
If you would still like to make tax-deductible donations, please...
1) go to www.peacecorps.gov
2) click on "donors", then "donate to volunteer project"
3) type in "malawi" under keyword search
4) you will see this: MALAWI Camp GLOW 2008 - Perlman M. - MD 614-196 - $3,014.27 (the amount we're trying to raise)
5) make your contribution!
That's it! Thanks again for your continual support!
I'm actually pretty excited about this camp! I'm one of the camp counselors, as well as the activities coordinator, and there will be 2 girls from my area who will be attending!
Let me know if you have any questions!! Zikomo!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
FOOD CRISIS
Maybe some of you have heard; maybe some of you haven’t. There is a crisis taking place in our world.
We are running out of food. The food and gas prices are going up. There’s competition for maize for food and biofuel.
Did you know that just last year, while consumption rates increased (shopping for A&F), donations to the World Food Program decreased (byebye food)? In fact, it decreased so much that WFP had to withdraw aid to perhaps the most heavily damaged people – the refugees and the displaced.
I think being Americans and the richest country in the world, we don’t see the impacts of the crisis. Of course, the rich are always the last to feel it. It’s not so much that people – particularly the Africans – just lack food. I’m not saying that we should just keep handing out food (or “redistributing” America’s surplus food), because that’s all the international aid seem to keep doing - creating dependency rather than self-sufficiency – when they could create a better balance of investing in immediate relief but more so in long-term benefits, such as basic financing and agricultural skills. (Never underestimate the good checking and balancing can do, something that no Malawians seem to know how to do.) And it probably would help if the agricultural officers were…. actually working. The health workers, even the ones who had been here 7 years, could not seem to identify who our agricultural development officers were. I’ll be honest – the government and the world are pouring tons of money into HIV/AIDS and the likes, yet little of that money touches the agroforestry department. Don’t get me wrong, HIV/AIDS is a major problem that needs to be addressed immediately… But the reality is that while 14% may be affected with HIV/AIDS, it’ll be the 75% who are starving and malnourished, including those with HIV. Those with HIV don't die from AIDS; they die because of their illnesses, which are exacerbated by their inability to nourish their own bodies.
So guess who bears the brunt of the world’s problems?
Africa's hunger - a systemic crisis
By Martin Plaut BBC Africa analyst
More than half of Africa is now in need of urgent food assistance.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is warning that 27 sub-Saharan countries now need help.
But what appear as isolated disasters brought about by drought or conflict in countries like Somalia, Malawi, Niger, Kenya and Zimbabwe are - in reality - systemic problems.
It is African agriculture itself that is in crisis, and according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this has left 200 million people malnourished.
It is particularly striking that the FAO highlights political problems such as civil strife, refugee movements and returnees in 15 of the 27 countries it declares in need of urgent assistance. By comparison drought is only cited in 12 out of 27 countries.
The implication is clear - Africa's years of wars, coups and civil strife are responsible for more hunger than the natural problems that befall it.
Critical issues
In essence Africa's hunger is the product of a series of interrelated factors. Africa is a vast continent, and no one factor can be applied to any particular country. But four issues are critical:
Decades of underinvestment in rural areas, which have little political clout.
Africa's elites respond to political pressure, which is mainly exercised in towns and cities. This is compounded by corruption and mismanagement - what donors call a lack of sound governance.
Darren, Lobatse, Botswana
"Poor governance is a major issue in many African countries, and one that has serious repercussions for long-term food security," says a statement by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
"Problems such as corruption, collusion and nepotism can significantly inhibit the capacity of governments to promote development efforts."
Wars and political conflict, leading to refugees and instability.
In 2004 the chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, reminded an AU summit that the continent had suffered from 186 coups and 26 major wars in the past 50 years. It is estimated that there are more than 16 million refugees and displaced persons in Africa.
Farmers need stability and certainty before they can succeed in producing the food their families and societies need.
HIV/Aids depriving families of their most productive labour.
This is particularly a problem in southern Africa, where over 30% of sexually active adults are HIV positive. According to aid agency Oxfam, when a family member becomes infected, food production can fall by up to 60%, as women are not only expected to be carers, but also provide much of the agricultural labour.
Unchecked population growth
"Sub-Saharan Africa 's population has grown faster than any region over the past 30 years, despite the millions of deaths from the Aids pandemic," the UN Population Fund says.
"Between 1975 and 2005, the population more than doubled, rising from 335 to 751 million, and is currently growing at a rate of 2.2% a year."
In some parts of Africa land is plentiful, and this is not a problem. But in others it has had severe consequences.
It has forced farming families to subdivide their land time and again, leading to tiny plots or families moving onto unsuitable, overworked land.
In the highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea some land is now so degraded that there is little prospect that it will ever produce a decent harvest.
This problem is compounded by the state of Africa's soils.
In sub-Saharan Africa soil quality is classified as degraded in about 72% of arable land and 31% of pasture land.
In addition to natural nutrient deficiencies in the soil, soil fertility is declining by the year through "nutrient mining", whereby nutrients are removed over the harvest period and lost through leaching, erosion or other means.
Nutrient levels have declined over the past 30 years, says the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Consequences
The result is that a continent that was more than self sufficient in food at independence 50 years ago, is now a massive food importer. The book The African Food Crisis says that in less than 40 years the sub-continent went from being a net exporter of basic food staples to relying on imports and food aid.
In 1966-1970, net exports averaged 1.3 million tons of food a year, it states.
"By the late 1970s Africa imported 4.4 million tonnes of staple foods a year, a figure that had risen to 10 million tonnes by the mid 1980s."
It said that since independence, agricultural output per capita remained stagnant, and in many places declined.
Some campaigners and academics argue that African farmers will only be able to properly feed their families and societies when Western goods stop flooding their markets.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4662232.stmPublished: 2006/01/31 02:32:22 GMT© BBC MMVIII
We are running out of food. The food and gas prices are going up. There’s competition for maize for food and biofuel.
Did you know that just last year, while consumption rates increased (shopping for A&F), donations to the World Food Program decreased (byebye food)? In fact, it decreased so much that WFP had to withdraw aid to perhaps the most heavily damaged people – the refugees and the displaced.
I think being Americans and the richest country in the world, we don’t see the impacts of the crisis. Of course, the rich are always the last to feel it. It’s not so much that people – particularly the Africans – just lack food. I’m not saying that we should just keep handing out food (or “redistributing” America’s surplus food), because that’s all the international aid seem to keep doing - creating dependency rather than self-sufficiency – when they could create a better balance of investing in immediate relief but more so in long-term benefits, such as basic financing and agricultural skills. (Never underestimate the good checking and balancing can do, something that no Malawians seem to know how to do.) And it probably would help if the agricultural officers were…. actually working. The health workers, even the ones who had been here 7 years, could not seem to identify who our agricultural development officers were. I’ll be honest – the government and the world are pouring tons of money into HIV/AIDS and the likes, yet little of that money touches the agroforestry department. Don’t get me wrong, HIV/AIDS is a major problem that needs to be addressed immediately… But the reality is that while 14% may be affected with HIV/AIDS, it’ll be the 75% who are starving and malnourished, including those with HIV. Those with HIV don't die from AIDS; they die because of their illnesses, which are exacerbated by their inability to nourish their own bodies.
So guess who bears the brunt of the world’s problems?
Africa's hunger - a systemic crisis
By Martin Plaut BBC Africa analyst
More than half of Africa is now in need of urgent food assistance.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is warning that 27 sub-Saharan countries now need help.
But what appear as isolated disasters brought about by drought or conflict in countries like Somalia, Malawi, Niger, Kenya and Zimbabwe are - in reality - systemic problems.
It is African agriculture itself that is in crisis, and according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, this has left 200 million people malnourished.
It is particularly striking that the FAO highlights political problems such as civil strife, refugee movements and returnees in 15 of the 27 countries it declares in need of urgent assistance. By comparison drought is only cited in 12 out of 27 countries.
The implication is clear - Africa's years of wars, coups and civil strife are responsible for more hunger than the natural problems that befall it.
Critical issues
In essence Africa's hunger is the product of a series of interrelated factors. Africa is a vast continent, and no one factor can be applied to any particular country. But four issues are critical:
Decades of underinvestment in rural areas, which have little political clout.
Africa's elites respond to political pressure, which is mainly exercised in towns and cities. This is compounded by corruption and mismanagement - what donors call a lack of sound governance.
Darren, Lobatse, Botswana
"Poor governance is a major issue in many African countries, and one that has serious repercussions for long-term food security," says a statement by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
"Problems such as corruption, collusion and nepotism can significantly inhibit the capacity of governments to promote development efforts."
Wars and political conflict, leading to refugees and instability.
In 2004 the chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, reminded an AU summit that the continent had suffered from 186 coups and 26 major wars in the past 50 years. It is estimated that there are more than 16 million refugees and displaced persons in Africa.
Farmers need stability and certainty before they can succeed in producing the food their families and societies need.
HIV/Aids depriving families of their most productive labour.
This is particularly a problem in southern Africa, where over 30% of sexually active adults are HIV positive. According to aid agency Oxfam, when a family member becomes infected, food production can fall by up to 60%, as women are not only expected to be carers, but also provide much of the agricultural labour.
Unchecked population growth
"Sub-Saharan Africa 's population has grown faster than any region over the past 30 years, despite the millions of deaths from the Aids pandemic," the UN Population Fund says.
"Between 1975 and 2005, the population more than doubled, rising from 335 to 751 million, and is currently growing at a rate of 2.2% a year."
In some parts of Africa land is plentiful, and this is not a problem. But in others it has had severe consequences.
It has forced farming families to subdivide their land time and again, leading to tiny plots or families moving onto unsuitable, overworked land.
In the highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea some land is now so degraded that there is little prospect that it will ever produce a decent harvest.
This problem is compounded by the state of Africa's soils.
In sub-Saharan Africa soil quality is classified as degraded in about 72% of arable land and 31% of pasture land.
In addition to natural nutrient deficiencies in the soil, soil fertility is declining by the year through "nutrient mining", whereby nutrients are removed over the harvest period and lost through leaching, erosion or other means.
Nutrient levels have declined over the past 30 years, says the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Consequences
The result is that a continent that was more than self sufficient in food at independence 50 years ago, is now a massive food importer. The book The African Food Crisis says that in less than 40 years the sub-continent went from being a net exporter of basic food staples to relying on imports and food aid.
In 1966-1970, net exports averaged 1.3 million tons of food a year, it states.
"By the late 1970s Africa imported 4.4 million tonnes of staple foods a year, a figure that had risen to 10 million tonnes by the mid 1980s."
It said that since independence, agricultural output per capita remained stagnant, and in many places declined.
Some campaigners and academics argue that African farmers will only be able to properly feed their families and societies when Western goods stop flooding their markets.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4662232.stmPublished: 2006/01/31 02:32:22 GMT© BBC MMVIII
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
My One-Year Mark
I can hardly believe it. I’ve made it through one year! Another year seems so long, yet I know it’s not enough time to do all that I want to do.
It’s good to be back again. I was initially wary about coming back, but once I saw my counterpart, the youths, and the babies, I was content. A part of me was still saddened, because I had lost my best youth who was my best friend (for a good cause though! like nursing school) and my other confidant/tutor/friend who was a teacher at the mission (also for a good cause! like teaching at another school). It seems that everytime I befriend someone, he or she leaves me for a better cause.
I’ve only been back at my site for one week before having to take off again for another 2-week trip. This time, it’s not pleasure. After attending a few Peace Corps demos and a really early 4th of July celebration at the Ambassador’s house, I’ll be back at my old training ground for our Mid Service Training and meeting the new health group. I can’t believe I was in their shoes just a year ago. It literally seemed like it was just yesterday (I still remember that sense of bewilderment very well, or maybe it’s just because I still feel it.)
After cleaning up my cat’s potty messes and taking cold baths due to lack of electricity, I got to thinking about my projects again… and that was when the waves of doubts started hitting me. There were a few issues.
As some of you may know, I was helping my church (in Malawi) raise money for their new church building, and I was enthusiastic about helping them. But when the time came to buy the materials, I started wondering if I really was doing the right thing. After thinking about it some more, I decided that I am. The church had been raising funds for the last 7 years and all I (and other gracious donors) did was to help cover the roofing portion.
Then I started wondering if I should also be writing this proposal for a shelter. After a youth suggested for a permanent shelter to use (we’ve been using an assembly hall that’s not always available), I discussed with my medical in-charge and counterpart, who also suggested that the shelter be used as an under-five clinic. Technically, all health centers are supposed to have a shelter where mothers and children can wait and be weighed, but mine lacked one because it was part of a private clinic. Initially, I was excited at the thought of a shelter for the youths and children, but when I came back and learned of the low attendance in our youth club, I started doubting. It was when I went to my youth club on Friday that I remembered how much I enjoyed their company and appreciated the great things they’re doing, no matter how slow they’re going or how few they are. I still have my doubts, but I try to remember of my love for the youths and children. Even if the youth club completely falls apart with not a person left, at least I know there will always be children and mothers in need of vaccination to use and appreciate the shelter come rain or sun.
I guess in the long run, I want to make sure that I’m not being more detrimental to my community by letting them think that we foreigners have the money and the solution to all their problems. I don’t want to take away the “sustainability” of their own skills and resources. The moment I cross that line and do their job for them is the moment I’ll know that I have failed my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
But until my next update, let’s hope I can still do something right! J
Tiwonana,
Elaine
It’s good to be back again. I was initially wary about coming back, but once I saw my counterpart, the youths, and the babies, I was content. A part of me was still saddened, because I had lost my best youth who was my best friend (for a good cause though! like nursing school) and my other confidant/tutor/friend who was a teacher at the mission (also for a good cause! like teaching at another school). It seems that everytime I befriend someone, he or she leaves me for a better cause.
I’ve only been back at my site for one week before having to take off again for another 2-week trip. This time, it’s not pleasure. After attending a few Peace Corps demos and a really early 4th of July celebration at the Ambassador’s house, I’ll be back at my old training ground for our Mid Service Training and meeting the new health group. I can’t believe I was in their shoes just a year ago. It literally seemed like it was just yesterday (I still remember that sense of bewilderment very well, or maybe it’s just because I still feel it.)
After cleaning up my cat’s potty messes and taking cold baths due to lack of electricity, I got to thinking about my projects again… and that was when the waves of doubts started hitting me. There were a few issues.
As some of you may know, I was helping my church (in Malawi) raise money for their new church building, and I was enthusiastic about helping them. But when the time came to buy the materials, I started wondering if I really was doing the right thing. After thinking about it some more, I decided that I am. The church had been raising funds for the last 7 years and all I (and other gracious donors) did was to help cover the roofing portion.
Then I started wondering if I should also be writing this proposal for a shelter. After a youth suggested for a permanent shelter to use (we’ve been using an assembly hall that’s not always available), I discussed with my medical in-charge and counterpart, who also suggested that the shelter be used as an under-five clinic. Technically, all health centers are supposed to have a shelter where mothers and children can wait and be weighed, but mine lacked one because it was part of a private clinic. Initially, I was excited at the thought of a shelter for the youths and children, but when I came back and learned of the low attendance in our youth club, I started doubting. It was when I went to my youth club on Friday that I remembered how much I enjoyed their company and appreciated the great things they’re doing, no matter how slow they’re going or how few they are. I still have my doubts, but I try to remember of my love for the youths and children. Even if the youth club completely falls apart with not a person left, at least I know there will always be children and mothers in need of vaccination to use and appreciate the shelter come rain or sun.
I guess in the long run, I want to make sure that I’m not being more detrimental to my community by letting them think that we foreigners have the money and the solution to all their problems. I don’t want to take away the “sustainability” of their own skills and resources. The moment I cross that line and do their job for them is the moment I’ll know that I have failed my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
But until my next update, let’s hope I can still do something right! J
Tiwonana,
Elaine
Supporting Burma and China
Dear friends,
I know that some of you may be sitting at home anxiously wondering how some of the world’s leaders will respond to the disasters taken place in Asia, while wondering how you can assist yourself. I’ve thought a bit about how we can best support the displaced by following the news and donating to organizations that can place your funds most appropriately:
www.irawaddy.org (an independent publication of Burma and southeast Asia)
www.chinadaily.com.cn
(I don’t know how reliable these sites are but you’d get more information about the countries from their perspectives)
www.unicef.org (based on what I’ve seen in Malawi, they seem to give to established institutions, i.e. schools, health centers, and sometimes local organizations but doesn’t monitor the distribution of funds)
www.wfp.org (same as unicef, they seem to only give to established institutions but not much to local organizations)
www.redcross.org (it seems that Red Cross has the most leverage in terms of getting access and support to refugee camps)
If you would like to support other NGOs, I highly encourage you to go to www.charitynavigator.org and evaluate their ratings and effectiveness.
I’ve already gone ahead and did some research for some NGOs within China and Burma you can support from the ground. You can click on the link and view the ratings and websites of each NGO. These are the best NGOs (four stars) suggested by Charity Navigator:
CHINA:
· ACCION International
· Islamic Relief USA
· Mercy Corps
· Operation Blessing International
· PATH
· Project HOPE
· World Relief
· Kids Alive International
· Global Volunteers
· Doctors of the World-USA
· Half the Sky Foundation
· Church World Service
· Himalayan Cataract Project
· ADRA
· International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, U.S. Office
· China Care Foundation
BURMA:
· Action Against Hunger-USA
· Save the Children
· World Vision
· Kids Alive International
· Church World Service
· ADRA
And last but not least, sometimes the only and best thing to do is to pray which would never go unheard.
I hope this helps to make giving less stressful!
Blessings,
Elaine
I know that some of you may be sitting at home anxiously wondering how some of the world’s leaders will respond to the disasters taken place in Asia, while wondering how you can assist yourself. I’ve thought a bit about how we can best support the displaced by following the news and donating to organizations that can place your funds most appropriately:
www.irawaddy.org (an independent publication of Burma and southeast Asia)
www.chinadaily.com.cn
(I don’t know how reliable these sites are but you’d get more information about the countries from their perspectives)
www.unicef.org (based on what I’ve seen in Malawi, they seem to give to established institutions, i.e. schools, health centers, and sometimes local organizations but doesn’t monitor the distribution of funds)
www.wfp.org (same as unicef, they seem to only give to established institutions but not much to local organizations)
www.redcross.org (it seems that Red Cross has the most leverage in terms of getting access and support to refugee camps)
If you would like to support other NGOs, I highly encourage you to go to www.charitynavigator.org and evaluate their ratings and effectiveness.
I’ve already gone ahead and did some research for some NGOs within China and Burma you can support from the ground. You can click on the link and view the ratings and websites of each NGO. These are the best NGOs (four stars) suggested by Charity Navigator:
CHINA:
· ACCION International
· Islamic Relief USA
· Mercy Corps
· Operation Blessing International
· PATH
· Project HOPE
· World Relief
· Kids Alive International
· Global Volunteers
· Doctors of the World-USA
· Half the Sky Foundation
· Church World Service
· Himalayan Cataract Project
· ADRA
· International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, U.S. Office
· China Care Foundation
BURMA:
· Action Against Hunger-USA
· Save the Children
· World Vision
· Kids Alive International
· Church World Service
· ADRA
And last but not least, sometimes the only and best thing to do is to pray which would never go unheard.
I hope this helps to make giving less stressful!
Blessings,
Elaine
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)