FFK Newsletter 2003

7/31/2019 FFK Newsletter 2003

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Nuestro Pequinio Hermanos(Our Little Brothers and Sisters)

Ometepe Island is about a one-hour

ferry ride out on Lake Nicaragua. It was

formed by two active volcanoes. Thevolcanic ash has made the soil of the

plains very fertile, so farming is the pri-

mary occupation of the 35,000 people

who live there.

The island is home to two of NPHs

facilities. San Marcos was the first prop-

erty bought on Island in 1994. It was

soon too small to serve the needs of

children, so a second property was

bought and developed. That site, calledCasa Santiago, houses a primary and

secondary school for the children of the

orphanage. As the school is reported to

be the best on the island, students fromthe surrounding communities are en-

rolled in both sections. Workshop train-

ing is available in computers, cosmetol-

ogy, welding, carpentry, electricity and

sewing. For recreation, the children play

soccer, learn the folkloric dances of the

region and swim or play on the lakesshore.

The San Marcos property continues

Ometepe Island

Boys from Casa Santiago on the

island of Ometepe. The volcano

Conception is in the background.

acquired in San Jorge to accommodate

the younger children (7 and under) and

property was purchased on the Island of

Ometepe for the older children. Today

they are home to almost 300 children.If you look closely at the pictures in

these pages you may see clothing, furni-

ture, bikes or some other contribution that

you recognize. Your generosity has really

helped to make this growth possible.

Pepito(Continued from page 1)

Casa SantiagoThe chapel was completed in 2000. It was

designed by Constantino Azuara, an ar-

chitect and former pequeo, and funded

by parishioners of St. Isidores church.

to be used for farm land. Every effort is

being taken to raise and grow the food

consumed by the children each day.

Staff receive training in organic farming

methods in order to eliminate the use of

chemical fertilizers on the farm of SanMarcos and in the gardens at CasaSantiago.

Father Frank has been deeply in-volved in the development of these fa-

cilities. Besides collecting and sending

many shipments of supplies and equip-

ment, he coordinated the involvement of

parishioners from St. Isidores church in

Danville, who funded the construction

of the chapel.

Miguel Angel Sanchez GarciaBorn January 03, 1985

Like so many young people who

arrive on our doorstep, Miguel Angel

Sanchez Garcia has had a difficult life.

His mother abandoned him at a very

young age so he lived with his father, an

abusive alcoholic, and his stepmother.

Miguel's father worked as a street

vendor. Alcohol consumed most of his

income so Miguel Angel had to go to

work when he was very young. He

suffered mistreatment from both hisfather and stepmother and, to escape

from this conflicted situation, Miguel

started to spend most of his time out on

the streets. He tried alcohol and spent

some time in jail for fighting.

Miguel knew that he had gotten into

a vicious circle and he wanted to escape

from it. He came to the NPH (Nuestro

Pequinio Hermanos) offices asking for

help. He was 16 and he knew this would

be his last chance.

Miguel Angel joined our family in

January 2001. He is developing into a

fine young man on our San Marcos farm

on Ometepe Island and is doing very

well with his studies. He recently went

to the finals of the Nicaraguan National

s p e l l i n g c o n t e s t a n a m a z i n g

accomplishment!

There are many others just like

Miguel who come looking for help. God

willing, we will never have to turn any

of them away.


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As Father Frank and Father Cardelli look on, volunteers are busy sort-

ing and folding clothes in the St. Isidore Rectory. A lot of work goes into

preparing the donations for shipping. Help is always needed and very

much appreciated.

Another shipment arrives in Guatemala. The clothing,

medicine, bicycles, computers, toys, sports equipment

and school supplies that youve donated are a tremen-

dous help for the orphanage and school. Aside from themedicines and some of the school supplies, most of these

items are not new. They have been repaired and cleaned

and given a new life among these less fortunate people.

If everyone had the opportunity to see how important

these discards are here, the landfill problems in

America would be resolved.

Two boys (obviously

sports fans) and two

girls in Guatemala

check out some new

clothes. It is obvious

they are very happy

with their choices. It

doesnt take much to

bring a smile to their

faces. Children here

are just as active and

hard on their clothes as

children everywhere

else. These shipments

of clothing are always

well received.

Father Frank and the Ferrante family stand in front of a container that

is just about ready to ship.


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A Visit to Casa Asis and Casa Santiago

Several parishioners from St. Isidores Church in Danville, California traveled to Nicaragua with Father Frank. They had anopportunity to see, first hand, the work that is being done to help these children.

Ali Ferrante fits right in with these children in

Nicaragua. What a wonderful perspective she must

have by being able to see your donations get col-

lected and packed at St. Isidores Church, to wit-

ness the poverty in the country and then to see how

the shipments are making a difference there.

Ann and Tori Ferrante help out with the feeding. Notice how the wall behind

them is painted to create a warm and caring environment for the children.

The Ferrante family has been helping Father Franks Kids for over five

years. This is their first trip to see one of the orphanages. Ann writes: Our

family was truly blessed to witness first hand Gods love shinning in these

childrens faces. Thank you so much for contributing to a cause that makes

such a big difference in the lives of these special children.

Love makes all the difference!!!

Pat Black spends time with two boys at

Casa Asis in San Jorge. You can see in

the background how the walls are

painted with bright colors and murals to

make this a happy place for the children.

Last February my wife Pat and I at-tended our first NPH conference in Nica-

ragua. It was a large attendance with

strong representation from Arizona, Illi-

nois, Virginia, Minnesota and Europe.

We intermingled with the Directors from

the eight Latin American Countries.

Nicaragua is a very poor country.

Lots of bare feet, donkeys and carts, and

tin shacks. It was devastated by a long

civil war. The capital, Managua, suf-

fered a major earthquake a few years

ago and hasnt recovered. It is very

bleak.The highlight to our trip were the two

trips to the orphanages. Casa Asis has

about 50 orphans under age 5. They

looked healthy and happy. We saw some

loving care from the Nun's and their

teachers. The children put on a play

"Cinderella" and their presentation was

very advanced for their age. Their home

was highly self-sufficient with fruit trees,

vegetable gardens, a cow, pigs (to be

slaughtered) and chickens and nets to

catch fish (Casa Asis is on the watersedge).

We took a one and one-half hour boat

ride to the island Ometepe in one of the

worlds largest lakes (Lake Nicaragua).

We had Mass with the children in a

beautiful church built by Fr. Frank's

inheritance funds which he donated.

The children here are 5 to 18 years old.

The orphanage has several large, clean,

and comfortable dormitories and a large

school on about five acres. The children

all looked happy and healthy. In a

country with an average third gradeeducation level, these children will com-

plete high school and some will go to

college. They will be the future leaders

of their country and will be blessed with

a strong moral fiber.

It is remarkable what is being accom-

plished here amidst this poverty. The

donations that are coming in are really

making a difference. We left inspired

and full of determination to continue

supporting this great work.

Our Journey to NicaraguaBy Richard Sanders


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This young man enjoys painting.. Here he is happy to show us an example

of his work. Art supplies are always an important item to include in the

shipments.

Father Frank enjoys spending time with the children at the orphan-

ages in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras. Their welfare

is the reason he is constantly working to gather more clothing and sup-

plies. There are hundreds of them whom we affectionately call Father

Franks Kids.

As of January 1st, there were 1421 children in these orphanages. Hon-duras had the largest number with 563, then Guatemala with 320, Nica-

ragua with 284 and El Salvador with 254. Six hundred and twenty-three

were in primary school and 308 are attending secondary or vocational

school. Nineteen are in the university. Forty-five children are disabled

and 314 are in rehabilitation therapy. One hundred and five have had

major surgery and 16 minor surgery.

Its hard to imagine what would have happened to these children had

these orphanages not existed. There are many more who are living on the

streets and in desperate need of the love and care that these orphanages

provide. As father says: There is much yet to be done.

Joel Sequen Sacrapalby Constantino Azuara

Dir. Nuestros Pequeos HermanosGuatemala

Imagine a race so difficult that only a few

make it to the finish line. Now imagine it the

other way around. Everyone makes it except

you. Well that is almost what would have hap-

pened to Joel Sequen had he not realized that he

possessed the potential to make it. Joel has had a

very hard time in school all his life. He always

preferred doing something else instead like

painting or drawing. These are two areas inwhich he is excellent.

Joel joined our NPH family in 1998. He lost

his father to lung disease and his mother was

unable to provide for him. So she decided tolook for a better place for her son, a place where

he could develop and mature. Luckily, he came

to us and despite the complexity in meeting

some goals he is still ready to become a better

person.

It did not make any sense to him. Why did he

have to go to school when he had such a hardtime learning the subjects that he was being

taught. Nevertheless, he knew and it was highly

instilled in him, that he had to finish his school.

He did not have to be the best student in his

class, he already knew he couldnt. But he did

know that he could make it to the end and every-

one pushed him and helped him to make it. This

past October 30th he graduated from Junior High

or Basico as it is called here in Guatemala. He

was very proud to hold his diploma up to metelling me how happy he was and of course I was

very proud of his success.

He still has a way to go but at least now he is

more sure of himself and with your help and our

help he will make it. Who knows? Maybe some-

day he will become a doctor or an artist. It is up

to him to decide. He certainly has the potential.


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Father Franks KidsPO Box 478Alamo, California 94507

Sewing Machines - good working orderKnitting Supplies - Yarn & needles

Houseware pots & pans, silverware,

glassware in good condition

Tools for home (metric) and garden

School classroom supplies (blackboards,

chalk & erasers, paper, scissors, pencils) Coloring Books & Crayons Musical Instruments (all kinds including

some larger items like pianos, etc.)

Bicyclesin good working order (all sizes) Sports Equipment (soccer equipment,

basketball equipment, balls, etc.)

Toys (Frisbees, balls, Barbie dolls,

stuffed animals, tricycles, wagons, cars,

etc)

Vitamins (children & adult - Must not be

past or even close to expiration date)

Medical Equipment (blood pressure,

stethoscopes, wheel chairs, crutches, lab

equip., hospital beds, dental equip., etc.)Medical Supplies (Bandages, soaps, etc.)

Medications (Antibiotics, Asthma, Blood

Pressure, Heart, First Aid & snake bite

kits, etc.) (Medicines must not be past or

even close to expiration date)

Financial Assistancefor shipping and to

purchase needed items.

Our Wish List!Father Frank is providing a link

between families in Northern California

and orphanages in Guatemala, El

Salvador and Nicaragua. Container

shipments are planned at least once a

year to each of them. As you can see

from these pages, the donations are a

tremendous help for the children and the

operation of the orphanages.The following is a list of some of the

things Father is looking for to include in

upcoming shipments:

Baby items (food, chairs, strollers, beds,clothing)

Disposable and cloth Diapers (all sizes) Powdered Soapfor washing clothesItems for Personal Hygiene (like soaps,

shampoos, tooth brushes, tooth paste)

Childrens Clothing (including socks

and underwear)

Father Franks Kids, Inc. has been

registered as a non-profit charitable

organization. Your donations are

tax deductible.

Contacts...If you have any questions about the

program please contact one of the follow-

ing:

Mike Hertel

(925) 855-9407

[email protected]

Ann Ferrante

(925) 743-1935

Lauren Retagliata

(925) 552-8002

[email protected]

Dick Sanders

(925) 837-0307

[email protected]

Brent Smith

(925) 838-7743

[email protected]

Volunteers Needed...There is always a need for help with sort-

ing and packing. Are you interested in

lending a hand? If so, call one of the peo-

ple listed above.

Documents

FFK Newsletter 2003