By Margie C. Sweeney, MD, SFO
I have a dream that I can help those less fortunate than myself. It is a big dream but one that has already begun to be realized. You see, this dream that I have had since childhood started taking shape when I went to East Africa in 2001. I went to East Africa to follow a dormant dream that I had in college to help those in poverty in distant lands. Little did I realize how that dream would unfold! I landed in Nairobi, Kenya on the infamous September 11, 2001 and had a very blessed trip!
When I returned home from this awesome trip, I had a lot to think about. How were the experiences of my trip to be used so that my childhood and college dreams could become a reality? I prayed long and hard about this. Over the ensuing months the vision of founding a charity organization started to form and Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. was born on December 26, 2002. Through this volunteer-run, grassroots effort, nonprofit charity we aim to bring hope and healing to the ends of the earth by serving the needs of the poorest of the poor in developing countries. Your prayers and generosity have made and continue to make this dream a reality!
I have a dream that Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. will complete projects that are low cost and will have a high impact on those that are served. It is my dream that these projects will be self-sustaining and will help people become self-sufficient so that they feel empowered to help others as well. An excellent example of this dream is our very first project in 2003! With $516.68 we were able to provide electrical hookup for St. Francis Community School in Itimpi, Zambia in Central Africa which serves over 900 students from grade school through high school. Because of this source of electricity, this school can now also provide evening classes for adults in the community. It is incredible how such a small amount of money can go such a long way. Thousands have been helped to get an education which is so vital to breaking the cycle of poverty and your generous response will continue to make a difference well into the future for this school and the community that it serves.
Another example of low cost, high impact projects is the dairy farm established at Mgeta Parish in the Uruguru Mountains in Morogoro, Tanzania, East Africa in 2004. This community of 6,000 impoverished persons including those who are malnourished, the elderly, and those with AIDS is receiving nutritional support from 5 cows and one bull purchased with $4,242. This grant from Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. to this community also provided for enough fencing material to house a total of 30 animals in the future as this farm becomes populated. An additional benefit of this farm, is the biogas for heating that is generated from the manure of these animals making this an environmentally friendly project as well.
The school electrical hookup and dairy farm project are just two examples of how this dream to provide low cost, high impact assistance to the poorest of the poor is becoming a reality!
I have a dream that Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. will be a good steward of donations received by providing for the needs of the impoverished on a shoestring budget. This dream is already being realized in part by your generous response to our quarterly newsletter appeals and online donations. Because we are a volunteer-run organization, we do not have any staffing costs. We also keep our overhead low because we do not have advertising costs. We rely on ‘word of mouth’ marketing and social networking on the Internet to spread the word about the work of this ministry.
I have a dream that others will be as passionate about my dream to help our brothers and sisters in need as I am. To this end, I have been blessed with a board of directors that agrees that this is a ‘love of neighbor endeavor’ and agree that we are providing direction to this charity on a volunteer basis. We have additionally had other volunteers at various times to assist with administrative duties and community awareness events for Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc.
I have a dream that my family will be able to understand and share my passion with me. My daughter, Kelly has visited Tanzania with me in 2005 and Liberia in 2006. My son, Patrick has visited Liberia with me in 2006. Kelly has experienced Easter and Christmas in Africa and Patrick has experienced Christmas in Africa. Through these trips their lives have been enriched by a new awareness of an attitude of gratitude and generosity. My husband, Mike has been financially supportive of our trips so he has not been able to travel with us, but I dream that some day he will be able to take time away from his busy work schedule to join me. In the meantime, he shares my passion through stories and pictures shared about trips to Africa and projects completed.
I have a dream that Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. will expand beyond the borders of Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, and Zambia in Central Africa to serve others as well. A leap of faith was all that was needed for this dream. In 2006, that dream became a reality as we raised $25,000 to build a medical clinic for Our Lady of Fatima Rehab Center in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. It took us 18 months to raise this money but I am amazed at the size of project that we were able to complete in the fourth year of this ministry! An additional blessing to this leap of faith—I was able to afford to travel to Liberia in December, 2006 with my two children, Patrick and Kelly, to visit and learn first-hand the needs of the residents of the rehab center. It was a Christmas we will not soon forget! When you say yes, God’s providence knows no bounds!
I have a dream that besides the financial assistance that Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. provides, we will also be able to provide spiritual assistance. This dream has been realized in answered prayers and assistance with providing spiritual materials, items for a retreat center, and a healing service in 2005. While Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. is not a religious organization per se, part of the human condition needs spiritual nurturing and we offer direction in this capacity when it is requested.
I have a dream that all people will have an equal opportunity for education and quality of life consistent with the dignity that is theirs. Toward this end, we have provided electrical hookup for St. Francis Community School in Zambia, tuition for various students in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, school desks for St. Monica School in Tanzania, and repaired school buildings for Tawa Primary School in Tanzania. We have also formed the Eric William Bissmeyer Scholarship Fund within the framework of Helping Hands Healing Ministries, Inc. to meet additional educational needs that will help to break the cycle of poverty for the recipients of the funds. For this dream to remain a reality, we will need an ongoing funding source.
I have a dream that you will join me in prayer, passion, and provision as we experience God’s providence and enter into His promised land!
