10 YEARS. It may feel like just a flash in time, like it was just yesterday, but so much can happen in 10 years; so much life that can grow and shift and change. For Help One Now, our story began 10 years ago when our founder, Chris Marlow, visited the country of Zimbabwe. He had no idea what to expect, going with a close friend to visit Pastor John Chinyowa and see the work he was doing to care for orphans in the small town of Marondera. At the time, Help One Now wasn’t even an idea or concept, but that would soon change. While in the capital city of Harare, the team stopped at a small gas station on their way through town, in the middle of the night. At the station was a large group of homeless kids, all huddled together to find a little warmth to get through the night. A few of the boys approached the team and one asked if there was any work they could do to make a little money. The team felt helpless, and Chris had to tell the boy there was nothing he could do to help him. The team returned home, but the weight of the night stayed. That feeling of helplessness sat heavy and ran through Chris’ mind endlessly. He knew he had to do something. With what he had seen and experienced, he now had a responsibility to act. Thus, the heart and concept behind Help One Now was born. It began with small support of Pastor John and his work, but has now grown to touch the lives of thousands of people across 7 countries. 10 years may seem like a short amount of time in the long run, but there is no limit to what an idea and experience and a community of people behind them can accomplish.
KEY MOMENTS
We have some big things planned to celebrate these 10 years, and we want you to be a part of them! We are setting a goal to raise $10,000 TODAY ($1k for each year) to finish out the new girls’ dormitory at His Mercy School in Uganda, which will serve as a home and a place of peace, safety and opportunity for up to 56 girls! The fundraiser will start now and run though 6pm EDT tomorrow, May 12th. We believe we can accomplish this goal together, as we have so many others over these great 10 years. Follow the link below to find out more or donate to help us reach our goal!
His Mercy Dorm Completion
We also want you to share in the celebration with us! From today through the rest of the month, we are asking all of our tribe members to post videos on Instagram and Facebook sharing how your lives were interrupted by the Help One Now story. You can share some of your favorite parts of the work we have done together, or just a favorite memory or two. Whether you have come on a trip, sponsored a child, thrown a garage sale, or been one of the faithful donors who have kept our work on the ground moving forward each and every day, we want to celebrate you as well! Post your videos with the hashtag #10yearsofprogress so the rest of the tribe can celebrate your stories too, and we will be sharing some of our favorites through the rest of the month!
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You can also click below to see this year’s annual report and the progress that has been made in just a year!
2016 Annual Report