We have had many of you reach out asking what specific projects we are working on and we thought it would be a good idea to send you our list! We regularly update our website with current projects. But let’s dive a little deeper into the why! To see the bullet point list, you can visit:
* Water Purifier: We go through 10-20 5 gallon jugs of purified water per feeding at each of our centers. Right now, the government supplies our non-purified water to our bases free of charge, however we are still spending a good portion of our monthly expenses on purified water. Having the purifier would not only create long term sustainability for our centers, but would reduce expenses and reallocate funding to other needed areas.
*Soccer field: We have an incredible space, the largest field among our communities, however it is dirt and gravel. Daily we are patching wounds and cleaning blood stains off of clothes due to the intensity of our players (ha!) and the condition of our field. To put grass, paint lines, hang nets for the goals, build bleachers and add a fence would help not only the community, but our players as well. It not only invites more people into the space but creates and teaches a healthy culture of celebration among our communities.
*Pool Table & Fooseball table: Our heart in this is to create a safe place for children and teens to come and simply play before and after school. Reducing the amount of time they are “on the streets” or at home in abusive situations.
*Punching Bags & Work out Equipment: Not only does this offer another safe alternative for the boys and young men in our communities (girls too). But it helps give them tools to put their anger somewhere else as they are being mentored through our MARKED soccer program.
*MARKED truck: Our vehicles (2) have lived really full lives, and we are needing a new vehicle to replace one of the existing ones! These vehicles are used multiple times daily, from transporting children/adults, to hauling supplies, trips into the city and so forth. These vehicles have been some of the most impactful tools we have had.
*Computers: Daily we have groups of children cycling through our community center for our before/after school homework club. Currently all the children are sharing one computer! To make the most impact, we are needing more computers for the children to use!
