Now this is what we have been working towards – getting safe shelters up and running to provide the much needed support for the new moms and babies of Nepal. We are thrilled to share these amazing images and video from rural Nepal, where just hours before they were captured another devastating earthquake had occurred.
If you want to help but aren’t sure what to do, take a look at our #safeshelternepal project where 100% of your donation goes straight towards the supplies, shelters, power, and light needed for these soon-to-be mommas. Donate here and watch each week to see what your donation has done for these incredibly strong moms.
Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Well family, we have arrived! The first shipment for #safeshelternepal has dropped down and arrived in Nepal – and we are awe inspired. Just to think, last week the teams from Barebones Living, Tifie, Goal Zero, and First Mile got together to create one incredible story that begins with filling a shipping container full of tents, power, lights, and basic needs for moms and newborns of Nepal.
Our partner on the ground, One Heart Worldwide has met up with our shipment and will start to distribute it to the parts of Nepal in need. These supplies will serve as emergency birthing centers for the soon-to-be moms of Nepal who would otherwise be delivering in unsafe and unhealthy environments with little to no support.
This is just the opening chapter of an incredible journey that will be filled with amazing stories of Nepal moms, newborns and the community trying to make a difference. Let’s show the world how strong and fierce we all can be by standing up for the soon-to-be moms of Nepal, and give your secure donation here!
Simply put, moms are incredible. No matter what part of the world they are in this is true for them all – moms are strong, their love is fierce, and when they stand together nothing is impossible.
After the devastating earthquake in Nepal, these soon-to-be moms are going through one of the biggest battles of all – delivering their baby without shelter, support, or basic supplies. We are urgently fundraising to send safe shelters to be used as emergency birthing centers for laboring mothers in rural Nepal, providing a clean dry place of comfort in the first critical hours of recovery for mother and newborn. We have already sent one shipment of temporary shelter, power and lights and need your help to send more.
This Mother’s day show the world just how fierce we can be by coming together and giving your support to the moms of Nepal. With just a click, your donation can begin to make waves in even the newest of beginnings. Donate securely here.
After you send your donation, we’ll send you a free download of our #safeshelterNepal printable that is a wonderful reminder that no matter where you are in the world, moms are unstoppable when they stand together.
Have you ever had that feeling that your life was marked with a purpose? One moment to another, all linking to a greater good? That’s the life story of Kofi Johnson and one of the reasons Tifie wanted to support him and his dream of giving back to the school he grew up in, in Accra Ghana. Kofi is from Alpine Utah, adopted from the Peace and Love orphanage when he was 15, twelve years ago.
Kofi knows what life is like for the students at the school, and understands firsthand how this place can make all the difference for children who have nowhere else to go. His own mother passed away when he was just six and he survived on his own before finding his way to this school.
“Growing up, I was always put in a leadership role in my orphanage. I was one of the older kids and that comes with a lot of responsibilities. Of the 66 kids in my orphanage, 15 kids (including myself) were adopted. This helped me understand that I was adopted for a reason and it wasn’t a mistake,” Kofi says.
For the past three years, Kofi returns to Ghana to put on sports camp, remodel the orphanage and support the needs of the Graceful Grace school. This year, Kofi raised over $26,000 from friends and family for the 300 students at the school. All of that money was spent in Ghana to remodel each classroom, provide new desks, chairs and bookshelves, install hand washing stations, updated cooking area, and a new playground.
Healthy Habits & Flexible Goals in Humanitarian Trips
Kofi spent time in each classroom, reminding them of the blessing of their new facilities and the importance of caring for their school. This reminds us of Nana Prah’s commitment to cleanliness in Assin Kushea, just a few hours away. Two great Ghanian minds who think alike!
“I believe that having a clean environment is very important to human society and to children. With the money from our donors, we were able to help students and teachers organize each room with cupboards and garbage cans to promote a tidy environment.”
Kofi Johnson
While he was there, Kofi spoke with teachers and students about the importance of respecting themselves and their surroundings. From reminders of hand washing during Covid-times, to having nurses talk to each classrooms about health concerns, to personal development and self-esteem, Kofi is instilling the values of paying attention to the mundane minutia of daily thoughts and habits that end up creating the world we live in every day.
As often with these international humanitarian trips, the plan and the actual work look different than expected. Kofi had a great plan for how he wanted to help and how he saw that taking place. But of course, once arriving, the reality of the situation is often different, especially after a year away and a year of quarantine during Covid.
The roofs were in far more disrepair and he had to budget more money to fix each roof before they could rebuild the desks. He had set aside money to upgrade the kitchen facilities but the cooks were adamant about continuing to cook over their open fires and keep things as they were. Kofi honored their request and was able to deep-clean their kitchen area and adjusted the work plan to what they wanted. Flexibility and cooperation is key for a successful project.
Students came back into session before Kofi returned to Utah. They were excited to see new painted murals, a fun new playground, and new desks. Teachers and students sent a big ‘thank you’ to the donors through videos on instagram and in a signed letter from the school officials.
Extreme Home Makeover – Kofi’s Edition
It seems that whenever we have an open heart to help others, the opportunity will present itself. One day in the market, Kofi saw Esther Nartey and her family living in a run-down shed.
They had laborers and money for the supplies, and decided to surprise the family with a new home. They built a simple 10×8 structure with windows and a secure door in just a few days. Some might look at the structure and think it’s hardly an upgrade since it’s still a one-room living situation. However, based on the environment, Kofi and Esther wanted to be careful to fix the concerns that she had with her current structure (no locking doors, no window for ventilation, cracks in the patched walls that creepy crawlies could get into) without compromising her safety and visibility in the area to theft and unwanted attention. She was grateful to Kofi and his friends for quickly helping out her and her family.
Sustainability and Community Involvement
Kofi wanted this trip to be as sustainable as possible and one of his commitments was to invest into Ghanaian workers to fulfill the projects at the school. In the course of the four weeks that he was there, he hired 8 carpenters, 6 painters, 2 plumbers, 12 cleaners, 3 cooks, 2 electricians, 2 welders and 3 masons to complete the work at the school. Supporting local craftsman and businesses is essential to sustainable humanitarian work.
The importance of having local community support in any project is key to its long-term success, as well as the emotional stability it provides students to know that their community wants them to succeed. Kofi values the importance of the local community supporting their own youth — through sports, leadership opportunity, scholarships and awareness. In 2020, he was able to put on soccer and basketball clinics in the community and do a community-wide clean up of a local basketball court.
Just a little note to say hi, we’re still here, and looking forward to great things in 2021. We simplified 2020 in several ways, for a variety of reasons, which many of you had to do as well, I’m guessing. But we’re jumping back in, and excited to let you know about what we have going on.
Education is at the forefront of our 2020 and 2021, and we have so many students that we’re cheering on, here in Utah at Roots and in four different schools in Democratic Republic of Congo. Students have experienced an unprecedented school year, and our teachers have shown themselves the heroes that we always knew, but perhaps didn’t realize entirely. We’ll have some exciting scholarship opportunities and ways to help coming up in the next few months, so be on the lookout for more connection points.
2021 marks the first year that Tifie has set aside funds to help folks in Salt Lake City who need shelter, food, clean water, access to power, assistance getting job – almost all of the pillars that Tifie’s supports in our projects. Through the process of getting to know the various SLC organizations who work together to provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness, we learned about how complicated the problems and solutions are to ending homelessness. It truly is amazing what each group is doing every day to provide the best help possible, balancing the resources available to them with the constraints they are experiencing across all organizations this year because of funding and city ordinance changes.
Tifie gives $30,000 to 3 Local Organizations
After interviewing various organizations, we narrowed down our options to Utah Community Action, the Food & Justice Coalition, and the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake City. It was wonderful to hear each of the organization speak so highly of each other, and essentially tell us that regardless of where we donated to, the money would be spent well.
The mission of the UCA is to empower individuals, strengthen families, and build communities through self-reliance and education programs. They specifically have programs that assist with rent relief, nutrition, utilities, a preschool program, and adult education classes to help with job skills. Our mission statements mirrored one another, and it was an obvious connection in programs that provide long and short term solutions for people on the brink of homelessness or who are currently don’t have a stable housing situation. They work with local shelters to provide these services as people are looking for nightly stays, as well as access through holistic case management.
The Food & Justice Coalition is a newer organization that we are proud to support and volunteer with. They focus on providing fresh vegan meals to individuals in SLC, all powered by community support. Food is purchased from donations or gathered from local farms, then volunteers cook, prepare and distribute the fresh meals. The Barebones team has come along side the Food & Justice Coalition, having weekly volunteer shifts, donating supplies, and promoting the organization. For many team members, its been a heart-warming, humbling and meaningful experience to not just prepare the meals, but to hand out tasty meals and have a few conversations to connect with the folks they were feeding.
The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake is a long-time SLC program provider, offering meals, beds, addiction recovery programs, food boxes, showers, day space, as well as dozens of other services. Many of the folks served here actually have jobs, but don’t make enough to afford the almost $1200/monthly average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in SLC currently. The “hidden homeless” make up almost 25% of their population, as well as the “working homeless” who are saving up for their first month or last month’s rent. Many have elaborate ways to stay warm at night: doing laundry slowly all night so they can sleep in between loads, taking Trax to the airport, snoozing in a chair under the guise of waiting for an early flight, or working out a gym as late as possible to stay out of the cold. These very real life stories are heart breaking to hear, and we’re so thankful these organizations are making a real differences for these individuals.
