A Labor Of Love
It has been ten years since Dori Shimoda first stepped off a cargo boat on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang and fell in love with a country and its children. The dream began when he spent time with those children. He left Laos knowing that he would come back and that he would make a difference. After several trips back and personally funded projects, Give Children A Choice was incorporated in March 2002 and later that year received its 501c3 nonprofit designation.
We completed our first preschool in March 2003 and are excited to announce that we just completed our 26th last month. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have supported us over the years. We thank you.
Give Children A Choice remains a small, all volunteer organization. Dori, his wife Barbara and Debbie Davis run the organization as volunteers in the US. Thongchanh Vilayvong, based in Luang Prabang, coordinates our activities in Laos. Vilakone (Na) Chansamouth recently joined us as a volunteer in Vientiane, Laos and is coordinating our Vitamin Angel Project. We have several volunteers who travel with us each trip at their own expense and work hard along side us; we could not do what we do without them. We thank you.
As 2009 ends we look back and are proud of our accomplishments. We wish all of you the happiest New Year and offer our heartfelt thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
Happy New Year from all of us at Give Children A Choice.
Vitamin Angel Update
Give Children A Choice’s mission is to build and fill preschools with children. In fulfilling that mission we must consider the health of the children.
Barbara Shimoda, who works tirelessly for Give Children A Choice, saw that need and in 2006 organized our first health fairs. The health fairs were so well received and much needed that they are now a part of every new preschool opening. Our health fairs focus on health; hygiene and nutrition education as well as providing medical checkups and immunizations for the children.
We have a group of dedicated doctors from the New York City area that have traveled with us each year for the last three years. They are committed to the well being of the children, they are volunteers who at their own expenses travel to Laos and provide care for hundreds of children.
We have partnered with Vitamin Angels to distribute vitamins to 24,000 preschool aged children in Xieng Khouang Province, Laos. Vitamin Angels is graciously procuring and shipping the vitamins to Laos. Give Children A Choice will be transporting the vitamins to Xieng Khouang’s capital Phonsavan, assisting in the distribution to over 550 villages throughout the province and educating parents on the importance of vitamins for their children’s health.
Malnutrition is a real concern; in the areas where we build preschools 40% of the children under the age of 5 are suffering from malnutrition. The parents are poor and the children’s nutrition is poor. Multi-vitamins will not erase malnutrition but they are a first and significant step in improving the health of the children.
In late August 2009 we asked for your help to raise the funds necessary to distribute vitamins to 24,000 preschool aged children. Thank you to those who donated, we appreciate your support! We have not yet met our goal and continue our fundraising efforts.
These are trying times for many and we feel blessed to be able to continue our efforts to help the children in Laos.
Please, if you are able, make a small donation to this project so we can get the vitamins to the children of Xieng Khouang Province.
Mail:
Give Children A Choice, Inc. P.O. Box 2298 Matthews, NC 28105 You may also donate securely via our website: www.givechildrenachoice.org/donate.php
