Sylvia's Update

So much has happened since the last newsletter it is hard to believe that we continue to progress, move forward and impact to many lives.

1.  Summer trip is cancelled since there was no response to the newsletter.  Our next trip will be the Christmas party trip November 12-19 when we go to Uganda and put on a Christmas party for the children.  This year each child will get a new blanket and of course the regular "goody bag" with sunglasses, mardi gras beads, candy, crayons, etc.  Please let me know if you are planning on joining us.

2.  Lydia Nunes, the nurse at our school for the last seven years, was recognized by HireNurses.com as the nurse of the week, in celebration of National Nurses Week.  Please read this release and her submission as to why she is a nurse at the end of this newsletter.

3.  And, thanks to Lydia and her shepherding of Matia and his mother, the baby (who is 3 months old) has had an operation to cure spina bifida as well as a shunt to drain the water.  Of course, as with everything, we now discover he has a club foot!  We need to get this corrected as soon as possible.  Stay tuned ... I am trying to find out what this will cost.

4.  Met with the Dean of Nursing at the Minnesota School of Business and we will be working with them to enlist of the aid of nurses and other healthcare professionals for the next medical trip in March.  Great opportunity as they are part of Globe University which will allow us greater media exposure.

5.  We have added 3,000 chickens and a pig farm to generate revenue for the school and allow them to begin earning more money.  Each chicken is $2.00 ... if you want to donate money for chickens that would be great.  From a pig standpoint, thanks to Beth and Bob Almerini who paid for the pig farm!

6.  And, lastly, thanks to the Holmdel Community United Church of Christ for donating the money from the turkey dinner to Sylvia's Children to pay for Evaline's college where she is learning to be a nurse/midwife.

AMAZON SMILE

Do you buy from Amazon? If you do they will donate to Sylvia's Children if you tell them to. Just go to Allenconsulting.com and scroll down on the left hand side, click on the Amazon Smile link and you are ready to help! It is really easy!

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Ugandan Nurse / Sylvia's Children Nurse Lydia Nunes Named

"Nurse of the Week" by HireNurses.com

HOLMDEL, N. J. - To honor this year's National Nurses Week, Boston-based HireNurses.com named Lydia Nunes, a 28-year-old Ugandan nurse, its first "Nurse of the Week,"  Nurses who had been nominated for this honor had to submit a description of their job and why they are a nurse. Lydia's winning entry was both heartwarming and touched the hearts of the judges. .

The first of its kind online recruiting platform for the nursing community, HireNurses.com honored Nunes for the outstanding work she does around the clock caring for and nursing more than 1,000 children, one fourth of which are orphans, at the Mbiriizi Advanced Primary School in Uganda. HireNurse.com has formed an alliance with Sylvia's Children to solicit health care professionals for upcoming medical trips thereby allowing Sylvia's Children to fulfill its mission of providing quality health care to the school, its employees, the family members of the children and the village of Mbiriizi in general.  

Nunes is the primary nurse responsible for caring for the children at the school, as well as managing the new 6,000-square-foot Medical Clinic and orphan housing unit, which are both located on-site and were donated and constructed by Sylvia's Children.

On a daily basis, Nunes sees close to 100 children, dispensing medication, opening the clinic, admitting patients from local communities, and even tending to some of the children during the night-time hours.

Since 2003, the school has been a beneficiary of Holmdel, N. J.-basedSylvia's Children, a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by businesswoman and philanthropist Sylvia Allen. Started more than a decade ago, its primary mission is to provide quality education and health care for the children attending the school. 

The school is learning how to be self-sustaining through revenues generated by various profit centers including a chicken farm, pig farm, agriculture, sewing business and, of course, the medical clinic. Allen's goal is to make them totally reliant while teaching them entrepreneurship and business models for profitability so they will no longer be dependent on donations but, rather, operate independently.

"When I read Lydia's submission I knew she would be the one to select," stated Rebecca Love, founder and CEO of HireNurses.com. "Her passion, her selflessness and her love of the children and her profession represent all the values that nurses represent. We are humbled by her ability and dedication and are thrilled she was willing to be nominated for this prestigious honor."