Little Flower

MARY MOTHER OF PEACE-MEDJUGORJE CHARITY, Inc.
8617 Irvington Avenue, Bethesda, MD20817-3603, USA; Tel 1 301 530 5416 ;
E-mail: mmpcharity@gmail.com ; Web: www.mmpcharity.org

REBUILDING CHILDREN’S LIVES AFTER KATRINA

The tragedy of hurricane Katrina is bringing the best in America through helping victim families of all faiths and races rebuild their lives, especially children. This will be a determinant factor in strengthening our communities through solidarity and generosity and will unite us instead of dividing us. Protecting children, easing their access to education, promoting family values will also prepare us for a better America.

Project Objective

The objective of the Project, with main focus on Louisiana, is to develop a recovery program that will help 100 children and their suffering families rebuild their lives with the support of corporate sponsors, and through a God-parenthood program (go to www.mmpcharity.org and click blue link on Katrina on top of page). Volunteers, who want to be part of the team for this initiative, understand their actions will be, with God's help, for the good of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They will accept to donate time and talents in conformity with MMP-MC mission statement and with the law.

Program

The project is a two-year development program (Dec 2005-Dec 2007) and will be managed professionally during a three year implementation/disbursement period (till Dec 2008, each selected child being helped during two full years). MMP-MC assistance money will go directly to well-identified victim families to help their children in need for an agreed purpose (school tuition, clothing, food, clean water, health and dental care, other needs) and/or to pay bills for non-donated goods/services that will benefit victim families (utilities, home repairs, other basic needs).

Organizational Capacity

MMP-MC is a small and humble non-profit NGO, and the project will complement in a useful way what the big charities do or fail to do. Organizational capacity is therefore at small-scale, but action-and results-oriented. The NGO management team consists of a Board of seven directors, an advisory Board including VIPs, and a network of volunteers of all ages. Donors are partners. We work in full transparency and we are beneficiary-oriented. We are known for our strong financial discipline, low overhead and we believe our donors are entitled to know where each dollar they give is spent.

Implementation

Project implementation (Dec 2005-Dec 2008) will be supervised by a volunteer who is a ret. World Bank financial management official and development programs manager (US Citizen). When useful, we are open to partnerships with other reliable organizations while keeping control on the use of our funds. For the God-parenthood program, volunteers will help identify beneficiaries and family, community and corporate sponsors, and establish a dialogue with local authorities in Louisiana coordinating recovery operations. The God-parenthood program protects the children and gives the Godparents the right/ obligation to influence the intellectual, social, cultural growth and development of the Godchild in harmony with the sponsored family. The child is to be raised in a spirit of peace, justice and mutual respect. The Godparents promise not to impose their religious belief if it is against the beliefs of the parents/ guardian. Adhoc material help will cover specific basic needs of victim families to help them rebuild their lives and the lives of their kids. Goods, services, psychological services, school and spiritual counseling will be provided as needed within budget limits.

Budget

The two-year program foresees to help a target of 100 children in need on the basis of $1,200 per child per year during 2 years each child through direct assistance and/or by making operational God-parenthood agreements (model contract with copyright MMP-MC is available) at same dollar amount of support per child sponsored. In view of the gradual phasing-in of the sponsoring agreements, budget would be implemented in 3 years as follows for a total project cost of US$240,000, plus 10% admin expenses:

Program Years 2006 2007 2008 Total

Number of Children 75 25 -- 100

2 years of help
per child (in 000’$) 90 120 30 240

Project Justification

Fellow citizens of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, desperate for material and emotional support, are in need of healing, physically, mentally and spiritually. The Project will cover basic needs so that victim families (100 children) of Hurricane Katrina are healed and able to work again and making sure that children are taken care of and can go back to school.

Outputs

Anticipated accomplishments/ outputs --and positive long-term impact-- will be the result of prompt action/funding now: when a safe environment is re-created with basic needs, proper housing, clean water, healing, people can work again and children safely go back to school, key for the future.

BD/HS October 31, 2005