GivingTuesday2021: Together We GiveDownload a PDF version to print and share with friends! Where has 2021 gone? That seems to be a frequent question, especially when we realize the holiday season is upon us. In stores, Thanksgiving paper products and Christmas ornaments are competing for shelf space and the possibility of making it into your shopping cart! At SIFAT, we hope that you will add another celebration into your holiday season — GivingTuesday! GivingTuesday began in 2012 when two organizations came together with the idea to set aside a day that was all about celebrating the generosity of giving, a great American tradition. Along with many other organizations, SIFAT joined with this idea in 2013. Your response has been overwhelming and humbling. This year, we will celebrate GivingTuesday on Nov. 30! Now, instead of dreading the end of the year with worry about our finances, we are excited to experience your response to our needs and to feel the love and commitment our SIFAT Family has to the mission our staff carries out each day. After GivingTuesday, we are able to work on our budget and focus on setting goals to start the coming year off with hope and motivation, instead of putting all of our energy into simply surviving. October 2021: Final Phase of Construction in Aida LeonEditor’s Note: Each month, we mail an article with our contribution statements to the previous month’s donors. Click here to download a PDF version. Written by Sarah Corson, SIFAT Co-founder The long-awaited dream of having a safe place for the children of Aida Leon is about to become a reality. When SIFAT could no longer travel to Ecuador in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID pandemic, Esperanza Eterna’s Pastor Wilson realized that the church community center our SIFAT teams had been building for two years would be put on hold and not completed when the children of Aida Leon needed it the most. SIFAT donors did not allow that to happen! In the best of times, Aida Leon is one of the poorest communities in Quito. As in most marginalized barrios, the children suffer the most when the parents have no work, the schools are closed and even two meals a day is often a luxury. During this time of shutdown, many have been displaced from their homes, and child abuse increases drastically. The promise of a day care center for children, where they could be safe and have a hot meal, seemed a long way in the future. |