We are excited to say that we have been the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Loyola Foundation!  This is a real blessing for LeapingStone and for the children of Dédékè, Togo.  What this means is that we are $4,000 away from having all the funds necessary to complete our primary school project — the final three classrooms and office for the teachers.

Thanks To Loyola, LeapingStone is Now Just $4,000 Away From Full Funding!

We are so grateful to the Board of Trustees and to

Mr. A. Gregory McCarthy IV of the Loyola Foundation for their generosity and for their confidence in LeapingStone.

Mr. McCarthy was willing to give his time to answer all our questions and his genuine kindness and the charitable effort of Loyola Foundation is truly making a difference in this world.

Now, when I say us, I really mean Donald Peterson.    He should get the credit for winning this grant.  He led us through the process from start to finish.  He helped us to draft all the correspondence starting with the Letter of Inquiry all the way through to the grant itself.  He spent hours writing and rewriting, making sure every detail was accurate.  He was invaluable to us and deserves all the glory for this achievement.

We are pleased to announce we will be participating in the      Annie B Fund drive again this year.  This drive runs from August 1 to September 30.  Our goal is to raise the last $4,000 needed to complete construction on the school.

More about this to come!  Thank you to everyone who has supported us.  We could not do it without you.

Cheers,

Natalie

This last trip to Togo gave us a deeper understanding of Togolese culture and what it will take to continue to help the people of Dédékè make the changes they want.  Change is hard.  Just think of things you would like to change in your life, and you realize the commitment needed to accomplish those changes.  The changes are happening, slowly, slowly.

The women’s group is strong and well organized.  They have a bank account and have managed to save over $200 US.  Considering that the average adult in the village earns a little over $200 per year, this is a major accomplishment.  The building to house the cassava mill will be completed by August.  Claire will then purchase the mill and provide the women with the training to properly prepare and mill the cassava.  They will then sell the cassava meal at the Thursday market.  They will also be able to offer the service to others wishing to mill their cassava.

Enjoy!

Women’s Group
There were 50 births in Dédékè last year.

This means the need to complete the school is stronger than ever before.