We are glad for the prompting to give in regard to the recent flood disaster in Pakistan. NLV contributed $200, while on the spot collection was $120. We decided to channel the $320 through Mercy Relief.

Faith Garden Hostel, the name of the hostel in Chiangmai that we are serving currently has 18 children. Almost all of the families of the students currently cared for by our partners cannot afford the full expense of school fees, related expenses of living away from their village. Their families contribute what they can by way of cash and produce like rice. The couple supplements this with sundry income from weaving, and growing food in their garden.

We have a report from a visit to our partners in February, that on average, monthly overall expenses for the Faith Garden Hostel in past year was about S$2000. After deducting receipts from the students and the sundry income earned by the couple, the shortfall per month was about S$1,100 per month in the initial months. For the last 4 months, however, the shortfall per month has dropped as the student’s parents were able to increase their contribution, and the foreseeable cash shortfall now stands at about S$600 per month.

Sponsorship
A sponsorship program has been requested by our partners that will support and enable them to continue the good work they are doing with the Karen students. Our partners hope that each sponsor will commit to give an amount equivalent to one month’s cash shortfall needed to run the Faith Garden Hostel, or S$600.

The sponsorship program allows concerned parties to give according to their preference. A sponsor can elect and indicate in the sponsorship form to give S$600 in a lump sum or in installments over a one-year period or less. (For instance, you may decide to give S$50/month for a year, S$300 upfront and S$300 six months later, or the full S$600 upfront.)

A sponsor may also elect to give toward the direct sponsorship of a student. Alternatively, a sponsor may choose to give toward the overall running of the hostel. In both cases, sponsorship monies will all go to our local partners to pay for the maintenance of the hostel/school fees and expenses for the students. In the event you choose to give toward the direct sponsorship of a student, our partners will “match” a specific student to the sponsor, and provide the name and photo of the student to the sponsor. To the extent possible, subject to practical limitations, our partners will facilitate the provision of information regarding the student to the sponsor for the latter to know the student’s general progress and development. In either case, you will receive an acknowledgement of your sponsorship from our partners.

The new hostel has taken in 19 children for this school year. From the pictures below, we can see that they are settling into their “home” in the city.

The construction of the new hostel at San Pa Tong, Chiang Mai is near completion as the photos below show. Dear Tamla and Chai are quite exhausted from the process. She says that they have both become quite dark as it has been really hot! And they still need to prepare the place for the intake of the children who should come very soon.

If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will be like a noonday. Isaiah 58:10

Nong Tao, and the new hostel and high school sponsorship
Nong Tao was first introduced to a member of NLV by Phii Chaay and Phii Tamla and the Karen couple have since become the church’s missionary partners. The Nong Tao hostel takes in children of about age 5 to 12 from the Karen tribe and is located in the highlands in the Mae Wang province, which is about 2 hours drive away from Chiangmai city. Phii Chaay and Phii Tamla now have plans to build and run a new hostel that can house the Nong Tao children who are coming to attend high school in the city. As many of the children are too poor to pay for school fees they wish to secure sponsorships for the payment of their school fees and other related expenses.

Resulting from NLV’s most recent missions to Nong Tao, the church has decided to:
(1) Share with concerned parties about Phii Tamla and Phii Chaay need for funds to defray the construction cost of the new hostel; and
(2) Offer sponsorships for the batch of students “graduating” from Nong Tao and coming to the city to attend high school

The purpose of building a hostel in the city is to continue offering a conducive and spiritual lodging place for the high school students from Nong Tao. The hostel would be manned by Phii Tamla and Phii Chaay, and they will also be responsible to administer and monitor the NLV sponsorships for the high school students and oversee their development in high school. A simple plan which Phii Chaay and Phii Tamla have for the hostel to become sustainable in the long run is to inculcate a desire in the students that on successfully finishing high school and university, they will in turn sponsor kids from the Nong Tao to go through high school. Furthermore, when the new hostel becomes more established we envisage they shall take in full fees paying students from more well to do families. The hostel could also accommodate a church plant since Phii Chaay is currently receiving theological training to be a pastor.

Our missionary partners have raised the funds for the purchase of the hostel land on 19 January 2009. (The site is in San Pa Tong, which is at the peripherals of Chiangmai city.) They will borrow from a relative the amounts needed for the construction of the hostel, or sell family land in Nong Tao as a last resort to raise funds. As noted above, they are seeking for concerned parties who are willing to donate and give toward defraying the cost of construction. The high school term in the city will commence in the beginning of April 2009. Construction will take a month and will have to commence by the end of February. It would provide relief to Phii Chaay and Tamla if support for the construction costs can reach the couple by March.

For 2009, there are 12 kids from Nong Tao going on to high school, 9 of whom require need sponsorships. NLV is committed to finding sponsors for these students for an amount of SGD 500/year/student.