As you hopefully have read in our e-newsletter earlier this week, it is an exciting season for Help One Now! Our Garage Sale for Orphans initiative is in full swing, Ferrier Village & The Legacy Project are moving forward and we are sending a team to Africa next week to plan for the future.
God continues to show favor and provision as we look to the second half of 2013 and beyond. While this energy propels us ahead at full speed, it is important for us to to reflect on 2012.
Therefore, we are ecstatic to share with you our first ever Annual Report.
This is your story.
In the 2012 Annual Report, we celebrate lives being changed, pinpoint growth opportunities, and identify ways to transform communities and break the cycle of extreme poverty. All the while, we are trying to communicate and ensure the following:
Transparency. It is one of the core ethoses of our organization. We believe that trust is earned through honest engagement and commitment to integrity. We think that listening well and often to our tribe, embracing a posture of humility and openly sharing our progress are keys to increasing our credibility and impact.
Finances. They play a crucial role in all that we do, and we recognize that each and every penny spent comes from a generous donor. Thus, we are not only transparent with our finances, but extremely meticulous with our spending and expenses, from administration to projects on the ground.
Data. It is imperative that we collect information and measure the direct impact to truly know that we are making a difference. We use four key indicators to ensure we are doing holistic work and to measure our progress: education, job creation, access to proper health care and spiritual development. Here is an example of a Direct Impact Report.
Opportunity. We have come a long way in helping to provide basic needs for the children and to assist our leaders in guiding their communities, but our work is far from finished. Our child sponsorship program is a great example. Out of 1138 potential sponsorships available in Haiti, Zimbabwe and Uganda, we have 380 sponsors. That is 33%. We see this as a huge opportunity to engage even more people to help us rescue and care for orphans and vulnerable children.
Story. The catalytic driving force of why and what we do is the living, breathing, ugly reality of extreme poverty. The story of a young church-planting pastor meeting a starving orphan in an old abandoned gas station in the middle of the night in Zimbabwe, and how it changes his life. The story of a young girl who passes out because she has not eaten in days, and thus, the food program that is created for a community. The story of an earthquake that terrorizes a nation resulting in modern-day shepherds caring for helpless orphans. We could go on and on, but you understand. These stories, and many like them, make our redemptive work real.
Thank you again for joining us on this mission to change the world. We believe that our work will have optimal impact when it is rooted in strong relational partnerships. We are not just inviting you to join a cause, but we also are inviting you to a lifetime of friendship.
Remember:
This is your story