Imagine the Difference You Can Make...

2008 Wildflower Society

Individually, each of us may not be able to make an impact on the quality of life for people who live so far away. But together, we can join forces and make a tangible difference in the lives of women and children who struggle with life’s basic needs. Because of your generous support of the Wildflower Society, lives are being changed and those who have received our help are greatly encouraged to know that we care. Thank you for your ongoing faithful commitment to women and children in crisis.  

ZAMBIA - LIMULUNGA COMMUNITY SCHOOL - $3,400 donated for 2 Rocket Stoves to cook meals for 600 children, and 600 stainless steel plates, cups and spoons.

This year, teams of volunteers visited Zambia (at their own expense) in February and again in July. Much time was spent visiting with teachers and the children who attend Limulunga Community School, who are the most vulnerable children in the community. Making sure that the children have at least one nutritional meal a day has been a critical need. The World Food Program provided a healthy porridge dry mixture for children’s lunch at school.

However, preparing food for the almost 600 children daily has proven to be very challenging because of inadequate cooking equipment. Wildflower funds were used to purchase 2 Rocket Stoves, cups, bowls, and spoons for 600 children. The design of the stove is fuel efficient and requires just small branches, which are more easily gathered and helps reduce the over-harvesting of trees.

SOUTHERN SUDAN - $2,000 donated for Hoes and Seeds

In 2006, the people of Southern Sudan began to return home after 21 years of war. Most of us have heard of the unfathomable suffering of the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” the more than 27,000 boys displaced and orphaned during the war. Boys and men were hunted down and killed so that there would not be a generation left to fight back. They were forced to flee their country as young children, most never to see their parents again. Ariik Ajak, who now lives in Elgin, IL, was one of these “Boys” who miraculously made contact with his mother after 21 years.

This summer, William Mou and Ariik Ajak traveled home for joyful reunions with their families who thought they were long dead, bringing hoes and seeds funded by the Wildflower Society. Arik said, “Our villages never expected to see us alive again. We returned with help from Hands of Hope. They were astonished that we not only returned home... but returned with help.” 

SOUTHERN SUDAN - $10,000 donated for a Brick Making Machine to Build a High School in the Northern Bahr Al Gazal in Southern Sudan.

Only 10 years ago the Northern Sudanese government hunted down boys like these. If captured, they would have been killed. These “Lost Boys,” who spent their entire childhood as orphans helping one another survive in the Kaukuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, came to understand the power of education.

They began to dream about bringing high schools to their homeland in order to educate the next generation. These “Boys” who are now young men, living in the Chicago area, founded an organization called Lost Boys Rebuilding Southern Sudan. Wildflower funds will be used to purchase a brick making machine that is eco friendly and uses manpower and not fuel or electricity. The brick making machine will allow the builders to make 1000 bricks per day using clay and other locally found material. The bricks will be used to build a high school, but the jobs that will be created will build up whole families who have been displaced by the war. When the high school is completed, the brick making machine will be used for other projects that will continue to benefit the community.

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