Blessings Video Podcast

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - At 9 a.m., a chorus of young voices rang out in the middle of Camp Dadadou, a tent city in the heart of Port-au-Prince.

Sixty children had gathered under a large 40’ x 60’ tent for their first day back to school more than a month after the earthquake that devastated their island nation in January.

When Operation Blessing’s Kumar Periasamy arrived on site, he heard the children singing in Creole—and while he could not understand the words, he immediately recognized the familiar hymn.

“Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee…how great Thou art, how great Thou art,” the children sang out.

The singing was enticing.

“Within minutes, children were coming from every corner,” Kumar said. By the end of the first day, more than 500 children had registered in the school.

The week before, Kumar and OBI teams had cleared the area for the school, erected the tent and coordinated a team of teachers and volunteers—creating quite a buzz of excitement among the camp.

Dr. Jounie, the camp coordinator, told OBI teams that as she was walking among the tents the night before she could hear children crying out, “Mommy, Mommy! Tomorrow is the first day of school!”

But the excitement didn’t stop there.

Operation Blessing coordinated with a battalion of US Navy SeaBees to help build desks and benches and within a week of the school opening, were already delivering the first batch to the school.

“Every one of my men and women who’ve come here to put these benches together, deliver them and spend time loving on these kids, have come home changed,” said Captain Jim Webb, Seabee battalion commander. “It’s really been a life-altering event for them – just the ability to give something back.”

The school is currently teaching grades 1-6, and in addition to learning basic subjects such as math, science and history, the children are also given a free lunch every day.

“These kids were traumatized and they need a place where they can be themselves,” said Dr. Jounie, camp coordinator for Dadadou. “My dream has come true through Operation Blessing…this school will change lives.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Be a part of Operation Blessing's efforts to bring food, clean water and medical care to Haiti's earthquake survivors. Your online contribution can help us continue to reach these families in need.

In one of the many tent cities that have sprung up all over Haiti following the earthquake, OBI aid workers see the resilience of the Haiti people as markets open and thousands of displaced families try to return to life as normal.

To make a donation to help the victims of this tragic earthquake, visit

www.ob.org/haitiprojects

GUATEMALA CITY – Maribel’s bright green eyes are a startling contrast to her dirt-stained hands and clothes—a constant reminder of the life she lives in Guatemala’s city garbage dump.

Maribel is just 4 years old, but already she understands about hard work, poverty and going hungry.

For several hours each day, she sifts through garbage at the city dump with her parents, looking for items that can be salvaged and recycled and, most importantly, earn her family enough money to survive another day.

But life offers them little guarantees. After working alongside about 150 or so other trash pickers, Maribel makes her way across the piles of trash to a shanty made of scrap metal and plastic bags that is home to her, her parents and her 4 siblings.

If she’s lucky, there may be dinner for them all.

“I’m not able to eat every day,” she says, “And sometimes it’s just once a day.”

But thanks to an OBI-supported ministry, Maribel is getting the help—and hope—she so desperately needs.

Every Thursday evening, Operation Rescate (Operation Rescue) and volunteers from Operation Blessing, arrive to the dump to provide families like Maribel’s with a hot meal such as soup, bread and coffee.

When Operation Rescate’s director Giuseepe saw the overwhelming needs of the children, however, he decided he needed to do something more than just hunger relief. So he opened a school.

Every morning, Maribel, along with more than 100 children who live at the city garbage dumps and impoverished areas of the city, are picked up by a bus and arrive to Guiseepe’s school where they not only get an education, but also a free breakfast thanks to support from Operation Blessing.

For Maribel, it’s a guaranteed blessing and one of the few things she looks forward to every day.

“You can see the excitement on Maribel’s face on being able to go to school,” said an OB staff member. “Not only for the chance to study and play with her friends, but also for the security of knowing she will have something to eat.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Operation Blessing is helping to transform the futures of children like these by providing clean water, education assistance, nutritional feeding programs, medical care and more.

Please make an online contribution toward OBI's orphan care programs today and help us continue to reach those in need.

www.ob.org/orphancare

Operation Blessing is partnering with Lifesaver to help distribute the world's first ultra-filtration jerrycans to communities with no access to clean water.

To make a donation that will help bring clean water to families around the world

www.ob.org/cleanwater

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.– It’s as close to winter as Florida can get.

Thousands of white plastic bags filled with food and gifts blanketed the grass of a city park in Jacksonville, Florida, earlier in December, creating a visual winter wonderland of blessing.

For the last 10 years, this one-day community event has been helping struggling families with food and gifts during the holiday season, thanks to Operation Blessing’s partnership with NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Winn Dixie and Wachovia.

“It’s such a positive way to have an impact on the most needy in our community,” said Holly Cleveland, director of community affairs at Wachovia. “This is the single largest event that I manage throughout the year – and to see the amount of the work that gets done in a 5-hour period is absolutely incredible and everyone has a great time doing it.”

More than 250 volunteers came out to help with the event, including former alumni players with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“The community is part of us so we’re extremely fortunate to have an opportunity to come out and participate in an event like this,” said Bryan Barker, a punter with the Jaguars from 2000-2005.

But the real blessings of the event were felt by the recipients.

More than 3,000 families received bags of canned goods, drinks, produce and more, as well as gift bags for children containing books, dolls and special toys.

For Tamara, this event was the only way she was able to make Christmas happen for her two young sons.

“It’s been a hard year financially, we’ve had some illnesses and sickness in the family so money’s been tight and hasn’t quite been there,” she said.

“We were trying to see where we could get some help to make sure the kids had something. It’s all worth it to see their faces and them being happy.”

Over the last 10 years, more than 800,000 pounds of food has been distributed to help more than 25,000 families in need.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Every day, the fleet of Hunger Strike Force trucks are on the road, delivering nutritious food and essential supplies to thousands facing hunger and poverty. With your help, we can continue to impact lives and give hope to those who need it most. Consider making an online donation today.

To make a donation that will help bring food to the hungry, visit:

www.ob.org/endhunger

Operation Blessing teamed up with the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals for the 9th annual "Two Teams, One Goal" event. For the families who came to the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs’ Two Teams, One Goal event on May 30, the thrill of meeting MLB and NFL athletes was undeniable. But the day was about more than just meeting the players. It was about meeting a need. During the one-day event, more than 3,000 people received bags of groceries with enough cereal, canned goods, pasta, and potatoes for a week’s worth of meals. Over 200 volunteers from AT&T, Sprint, Thrivent Financial, and other local organizations put together the bags of groceries, as well as special bags for the children containing books, stuffed animals, and other treats. Dana, who also brought her children to meet the players, was touched by the compassion and generosity of the teams, the volunteers, and Operation Blessing. “I know a lot of hard work went into this, and we really appreciate everything you’ve done,” she said. “It was definitely a blessing.” HOW YOU CAN HELP Every day, the fleet of Hunger Strike Force trucks are on the road, delivering nutritious food and essential supplies to thousands facing hunger and poverty. With your help, we can continue to impact lives and give hope to those who need it most. Consider making an online donation today. www.operationblessing.org

A hospital with no running water gets a life-changing transformation in just two days.

For the last two years, the hospital has been without running water, the lack of which presented unique challenges to both the staff and patients of Belladere.

Surgeries had to be postponed for lack of water to sterilize the equipment; families were forced to bring in their own often contaminated.

Together with Partners in Health, Operation Blessing installed new underground piping, connected the hospital to the city water line and installed a chlorinator to purify the city water before being stored in a large 30-foot-high water tank all in just two days.

To make a donation or learn more about Operation Blessing International's clean water projects, visit:

www.ob.org/cleanwater

In a desolate part of Africa, in a nation that doesn't officially exist, Somaliland's orphans are in a desperate situation. Learn more about these forgotten children and how you can help to change their lives.

www.ob.org

1 in 6 people do not have access to clean drinking water. Approximately every 14 seconds, someone dies from a disease brought on by unsafe drinking water. Of the estimated 42,000 deaths each week from diseases related to unclean drinking water and poor sanitation, more than 90 percent of the victims are children. Sadly, many of their deaths could have been prevented had proper sanitation and clean water been available.

Take action and stop this cycle of suffering. You can help by donating, sharing this video, and spreading awareness of this dire need. Together we can solve it.

Be a part of the solution: www.ob.org/cleanwater

Operation Blessing International is partnering with people like you to bring clean water to those that need it all over the world.