May 2023 Newsletter
Hi Nyayo Family!
May was filled with more blessings and exciting new updates, primarily in that we were awarded another generous donation from the KODA Cares application process, which helped our cattle herd grow by two heifers. Continue reading for all the details of these updates, as well as the financial report so that you can see how much we’ve raised and expended.
May 2023 Giving Report
Donors gave $5,077 towards Basic Needs this month and we once more met this priority! $4,950 was sent for this month’s allocation and we were able to save $946 for next months. In addition to Basic Needs, the below graph shows all of the many other projects that were given to this month. Please click Monthly Financial Report for a full detailed breakdown.
Below is a breakout of how the money raised was expended this month. As you can see, not all funds are expended in the same month that they are raised. Only amounts shown in green are sent over to be expended. Amounts shown in yellow are those amounts that are being saved until the next goal is reached or, in the case of the washing machine project, until we finish costing out that project. Grey indicates amounts already sent within this calendar year and blue represents money sent in previous years.
A few things to note:
There are two additional operating costs that don’t normally appear on our breakout: CPA fees ($500) and Website Fee ($252). These are annual expenses that only require funding in May of each year. If you recall, we made the decision to hire Mrs. Carol Crews, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), to help us file our taxes. She has taken a great load and burden off of our shoulders for which we are grateful. The website fee is what we pay Squarespace to host our website and renew our web domain name (“nyayo.org”).
We completed raising money for 2 more heifers this month due to a successful KODA application! More details are below in What’s New. Once these heifers are purchased we will be up to 21 total cattle!
We collected another $500 to purchase two more wheelchairs for the local outreach program.
We also received a very unexpected $2,000 this month to go toward the school construction project!
We continue to save money from a specific donor whose heart is attached specifically to the Washing Machine Project. Another $724 was added this month for a total of $6,346 raised since January 2023.
A special thanks to our regulars and one time givers for this month’s allocation:
Arman and Leslie Jahandafard, Stacey and Earl Sutton, Lauren Russo, Ryan and Sydney McKenna, Curran Hyde, Cayce McAlister, Shellie Mitchell, Sebastian and Eun Joo Tarchala, Jordan Anderson, Lydia Foutch, Armin Jahandarfard, Christan Yarbrough, Anna Barrera, Josh Cornett, Taylor Sutton, Mahalie and Brandon Todd, Angi Keel, Janice Embrey, Joyce McConnell, Amanda and Jacob Patterson, Ashley Kennemer, Alex Moore, Sierra and Sam Smith, Cindy Dorsainvil, David Phillips, Jarrod and Sam McNatt.
Thank you all, we truly would not be close to meeting the needs and are already seeing the fruit from the sustainable projects. We couldn’t do this without your help!
What’s New?
Meet Our New Caregivers!
This past month, a few of our caregivers moved on to new opportunities and have ended their amazing service to the kids of Ibonde. We appreciate everything these caregivers have done for the kids and the impact they will forever have on the kids’ lives. We are sad to see them go, but are happy for their future opportunities and pray that God guides and protects them on their journeys. Thank you Jackie, Doreen and Nyangoma for all your hard work and commitment to the kids!
Welcome Hellen & Zamboki!
Now that Jackie, Doreen and Nyangoma left, we were blessed to gain more volunteers, as we have now added Hellen and Zamboki to our caregivers team! We thank God for always providing and we appreciate Hellen and Zamboki for serving selflessly for the kids of Ibonde.
Words from Hellen and Zamboki
“I am Hellen and I am also a mother. I love working with kids in our villages, mostly orphans. I serve and train them to be future leaders.”
“My name is Zamboki Apuuli. I help with our children’s daily operations and also help with daily transportation needs. I love working with children because they are humble and genuine.”
KODA Cares Application - Awarded!
Our KODA Cares application was successful and we were awarded $3,000! This donation has allowed us to purchase two more heifers for our herd, bringing us now to a total of 21 cattle! This is now our third donation received from KODA Technologies and we truly appreciate their support! We will be sure to keep you all updated with pictures of the new cattle once we purchase them! Michael got to talk to many more of the KODA employees, including the owner, and it was neat to see how connected they have become to helping us. They told him how it is nice to actually see pictures of the cows that they have helped purchase and that we are the only nonprofit that seeks funding from them that does this. Michael also received many comments about how they appreciated all of the detail we provided them in cost breakouts and updates about the herd, especially in that is leading to something sustainable. The own of KODA grew up on a diary farm so she said she even knew what breed of cow we were purchasing. Needless to say, in addition to the funding received, we were also encouraged by the comments received.
Things We Are Praying About
We continue to ask for your prayers for God’s continued guidance as we follow along wherever the Spirit leads. Prayer is clearly being answered in ways we aren’t even asking for help in. If you’d like to pray along with us, these are things Michael, Gordon, and Hunter are currently praying for:
Blessings for the children and caregivers of Ibonde and Jinja Children’s Home
Guidance for Michael, Gordon, and Hunter as they continue to lead Nyayo
Guidance for others who are helping
Guidance on upcoming projects for the children’s homes
Bible Study
Weekly Zoom Studies
Please reach out if you’re interested in joining our bible studies via zoom every Sunday at 7pm CT! We welcome anyone who wants to learn more about Jesus, even if you just wish to keep your camera off and only listen in on our discussions! We like to keep it light and informal as we have casual conversations about the various chapters we read throughout the Bible! We are currently reading 1 Samuel.
Peace and blessings,
Michael, Gordon, and Hunter
