| |
5.05.07: Pujols Family
Foundation Helps Build Vocational School in
the DR
On Saturday, May 5, 2007, Albert Pujols
and the Pujols Family Foundation presented
a check for $65,000 to the Orfanato Niños
de Cristo (The Children of Christ Orphanage)
in the Dominican Republic, to complete a vocational
school for impoverished orphans. "We
have fasted and we have prayed for someone
to help us build this school," says Orphanage
Officer Ann Vasquez. "Today, God has
answered our prayers!"
PFF Executive Director, Todd
Perry, explains: "The project is a Vocational
Training School situated directly adjacent
to Orfanato Ninos de Cristo in the Dominican
Republic. This school will benefit over one
hundred boys and girls currently living at
this orphanage."
"Some of these children's
mothers are prostitutes and they have been
rescued from the darkness of life," says
Ann Vasquez. "They would be in the streets
running and have no future whatsoever if not
for the Orfanato Niños de Cristo. "Some
of their parents are in jail, some have been
abused - they don't have anyone but us. There's
no government help for any of them so we are
their parents and we need to provide them
with skills so they can function in the outside
world. That's why we need to build the vocational
school for them. We had a donor that gave
us $10,000 and we began building the school
with that. We built for 4 months and with
$65,000 more, we can finish this project.
In the vocational school, we plan to teach
the children cooking skills, baking, computer
skills, have a sewing shop and teach arts
and crafts. We are even planning to have our
own gift shop at the school where they can
make things and sell them, which will give
them the skills to equip them better in the
outside world."
Ann continues, "Sometimes when the children
arrive, they are 12 and 13 and they've never
been to school - not even to the first grade.
It would be very difficult for us to academically
train them to go to college so those will
be the ones who will benefit most from the
vocational school where they will learn a
trade. We don't have that many people helping
us serve the children because we cannot afford
to have a big staff, so the older children
are the ones who handle the operation here
and if we provide them with the skills in
the vocational school, they will be even more
helpful."
"While the PFF has helped support the
orphanage for the last couple of years, this
is by far our most ambitious investment in
these children," continues Perry. "It
feels great to build something that will make
such a huge difference in the lives of these
children for decades to come. I am just glad
we could help."
The school is scheduled
to be operational in the spring of 2008.
Click
here for photo slideshow.
See
the Video
|
|
