Our Photography Concern

“Photos are how we tell our story across the globe so our camera is our most valued tool. -Christa Horst, Give Amore Director”

With school and home-based sponsorships, provision of clean safe water for consumption and adult tailoring training being the core focus of Give Amore’s activities, continued quality pictorial update on these and more is a fundamental reliable channel of keeping up with our activities in Kenya.

However, our photography department has been disadvantaged with the sudden performance troubles of our old DSLR camera, the only camera the organization relies on for quality pictures.

Being your “eyes” in Kenya, we are looking for used Canon camera and/ or lenses for a Rebel T3i for our organization. We also require a long lens for quality pictures. We could purchase inexpensively or it would be super amazing if donated.

For details on the same, message us on Facebook via www.facebook.com/amoreministires or www.instagram.com/giveamore or visit our website www.giveamore.org . We are a 501c3 so we can provide you with a tax receipt as well!

Kenyan Economy Struggling, How Can We Help?

Soaring food prices characterize the Kenyan economy with the fundamental staples like corn, sugar, beans, rice and vegetables retailing at double prices compared to how they did two months ago.

Economists blame this on the inflation that has hit its all-time high of 12% and the persistent drought that has rocked most of the food producing parts of the country.

This concerns us as most of the children under our care; their families and many more live below poverty lines and largely depend on the staples we provide them with, on a termly basis, for survival. Prayers needed!

On a rather skewed lighter note, it is almost mothers’ day and the humongous question weighing on everyone’s mind is; “What gift befits a mother?”… Well, we have the answer for you! Give Amore’s fourth batch of tote bags are now on sale and 150 more have been dispatched from Kenya to supplement the stocked variety so that we have enough for everyone.

Remember you can now place your orders online by clicking www.giveamore.org and your favorite fabric patterns will be shipped to you.

Proceeds from the sale are injected in our charity activities, one of them being; feeding poor families and keeping their children in school.

2017 Trip to Kenya

“ “People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live.” Martin Yan.”

 In September all roads lead to Kenya for Heather and Christa and in as much as Christa has made three of these trips in five years, it will be the very first for Heather.

Last year she was accompanied by Melissa and just like in the previous visits, Kenya received them in the best way only Africa can.

Song, energized dance, bumpy earth roads, rains, fellowship, singing of birds, nature trails, gigantic smiles and long hearty laughter, safari tour and so much more branded their visit giving them that much needed homely feeling.

Further, the many setbacks in their itinerary offered teachable moments and also a spectrum of opportunities to meet and bless many lives.

If you would want to join them for an amazing life changing trip, message Christa on www.giveamore.com and Give hope! Give joy! Give Amore!

Christa's Corner-April 2017

We are so thankful for everyone’s support this year! 2017 has already delivered:

•  Two completed wells and a third almost funded!
• 100 New Made with Amore tote bags en route to USA
• 40 children sponsored and educated (we’ve added one new child to our program but we have many in line and waiting, we just need sponsors! 
• A growing team helping plan fundraising events
• Planning our next trip to Kenya (Fall 2017)
• Community involvement and more! Our community garage sale raised over $675!

I’m excited to feel the momentum building for even bigger things in store! My pastor, Randy Phillips, always says that if something is not growing, it’s dying and I’m happy to report that Give Amore is growing! It is alive and thriving and God has big plans in store…better than we can even ask or imagine!

We thank you for your prayers, your financial support and your giving of your time and treasures! If you haven’t already joined us in any of these ways, please consider answering the tug on your heart to make a difference, use your talents and support a ministry doing mighty things in the name of Jesus!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.-Ephesians 3:20-21”

Our 6th Well is Overflowing with Blessings

Fredrick and Walter’s village received a new clean water well dug and built by Give Amore to supplement its underground water source whose collection capacity has since dwindled over the past months due to harsh drought conditions experienced across the country.

The well which was launched on 6/4, is deemed the main source of water for the village currently and many families throng its spout to quench their thirsts while fetching from it water for their animals and countless domestic uses.

It can, however, be recalled that the digging and building process of the well wasn’t an easy sail through progression. Since the digging is done by hand, the digging process hit a snag twice due to a widely spread bedrock across the compound and only the third attempt was a success hence the new serving water well.

The well is the sixth to the name of Give Amore and it is located in the home of Fredrick and Walter (both under the Give Amore children sponsorship program).

A number of the villagers jostled to get a glimpse of the new “baby in town” and those who spoke were full of gratitude and praises for the blessing. “It is amazing how God uses thoughtful servants from thousands of miles away to sense and provide a well towards our great need of water; we thank you so much!” reads an excerpt from Elizabeth’s Luhya language version speech. (Elizabeth is Fredrick and Walter’s grandmother)

More Made with Amore Tote Bags En Route!

Our fourth batch of Made with Amore tote bags are complete and have been dispatched for the United States of America and should arrive soon.

The multipurpose bags have been seamed from original African fabrics with trendy patterns to suit your ‘African taste’. Therefore, you can be part of making and living the change in the Give Amore fraternity by purchasing your favorite patterns at $25 which translates to food, clothing and education provision for a needy child in Kenya.

Further, part of the proceeds is absorbed back into the Made with Amore adult sewing program and purchasing of sewing machines for the students upon graduation to set up their own businesses for financial independence.

On a lighter exciting note, the bag purchasing hassle has been simplified! You can order online via www.giveamore.org and get your favorite bag shipped to you wherever you are in the U.S.A.

Remember, as you busk in the bright beauty of your favorite Made with Amore tote bag, a needy child nay family in Kenya, sleeps on a full belly…

Before Emmanuel’s Hopeful Smile

Malnutrition, hunger, weak immune system and constant tears characterized little Emmanuel’s daily life which left him frail and miserable until we took over his care four years ago.

His pains and Pangs were evident when we received him and the doctor recommended a special diet, deworming and vitamin supplements for him; remedies that worked well to restore him back to great health and active life.

We watched a little frail child blossom to an energetic playful boy and created a niche for himself within the face of Give Amore through his catchy smile, gaze and networking with peers.

Emmanuel and his mother Praxidise were driven out of their family land after his Father’s mysterious death. His uncles occupied their portion of the land, forcing them to wander in the cold nights looking for places to crash for a night.

This went on for a while until Praxidise married his now Step father and though they live in deplorable conditions, they love their new sense of belonging and home.

Emmanuel is in 2nd grade, has two siblings and loves soccer to the core.

Having gotten a second chance at life, Emmanuel enjoys free interaction, play, school and homebased sponsorship, protection and love from his parents and Give Amore. With, all these he is geared for greater things ahead.

Christa's Corner

Paul, who is still in our program, was one of my first children to sponsor back in 2010! This is him from my first visit 5 years ago! He's displaying how I feel this year! 

2017 is off to a great start! 

• One well behind us, another in process and another almost financially supported! 
• Our next batch of Made with Amore tote bags will be shipped AIR soon! The fabrics are stunning!
• Our children are all sponsored, in school and healthy! 
• Our first Give Amore volunteer coffee was well attended and great ideas were shared and are in the works! 
• We have taken social media by storm with active updates/posts daily on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Please be sure to follow us on any/all of those mediums for inspiring ways we are truly making a difference!

Thank you to everyone for their support! God is moving and momentum is building! Great things are in store!

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”-Proverbs 19:17

Prayers for our sixth well

Work on our sixth well commenced in the mid of February and so far no water has been reached.

This is courtesy of the encounter with a bedrock which stalled the digging for some time before the digging team resorted for a new location in the same compound where the digging is underway.

Indicators report that soon enough, the well will be flowing with clean safe water for human and animal consumption since no major barriers have been met so far in the current spot in the past week.

We therefore should collectively synergize in prayer and ask God for provision of clean safe water for thirsty souls who look up to the well as a solution to their numerous water needs and troubles.

The well is being hand dug by courageous men in the home compound of Fredrick and Walter, just about 2.5 miles off Ebulechia Village.

1st Graders, First in Love

In the recent past, the giving paradigm has shifted from giving out of financial endowment and stimulus to giving from the heart. The latter has, however, been mainly associated with adults who sacrifice heftily from their income to help support a variety of needs in the charity spectrum.

Nevertheless, a first grade class in Austin Texas is redefining and taking the art of ‘giving from the heart’ a notch higher when they dug into their piggy banks and donated school books mounting to $85 to Give Amore’s primary school children courtesy of funds raised from their classroom holiday party.

The books were largely story books, both English and Swahili, which has not only boosted our community library’s stock, but also will go a long way in instilling a reading culture in our growing sponsored children and quenching thirsts of their curious minds while enriching their grammar and spelling knowledge.

This is giving redefined and Give amore is proud and encouraged by the love from these young stars and much more humbled by the new trend set.

More Made with Amore Tote Bags Coming Soon!

The very first batch of Made with Amore tote bags of 2017 is in our to do list and will soon be shipping to the United States.

This will be our fourth batch in a period of eight months after the launch of the program last June.

The bags are made from detailed select pure African fabric matched with quality liners and ‘knitted’ to perfection by our skilled tailoring students, who have mastered the art and skill over time.

The multipurpose bags go for $25 each and the proceeds go towards funding the program, other Give Amore programs, and purchasing each of the tailoring students a sewing machine to start their own tailoring businesses upon graduation.

We still have a limited supply of bags from our previous shipment and you can purchase those online at www.giveamore.org. Shipping is available. 

 Keep up with the progress of the bags via www.facebook.com/amoreministries fan page or follow us on Instagram @giveamore.

What's Next for our Graduates?

Frida A, Evangeline, Wallace and Alice are some of our 2016 12th grade graduates who attended our just concluded Give Amore general items distribution.

Motivated and enthusiastic, these energetic young adults have their dreams in focus and are charged towards them.

Currently, three of the four i.e. Evangeline, Wallace and Alice are working in different places, an opportunity that helps them meet their personal needs and also building up on their résumés as starters.

·      Evangeline works as a cashier in a mobile phone money transfer shop locally dubbed as M-Pesa.

·      Wallace helps his uncle in his public address equipment   leasing business.

·      Alice works in her aunt’s clothing shop while,

·      Frida on the other hand is not attached with any employment.

Their future aspirations include:

Ø Wallace – to train and become a professional music producer.

Ø Evangeline – would love to become an Early Childhood Development (ECD) teacher.

Ø Frida – to go to college and become a public certified accountant.

Ø Alice – has her eyes fixed on interior design as a profession.

We wish them all the best in their future aspirations.

Christa's Corner-Praises and Needs!

Kenya Visit 2017?

We are excited to see what God has in store for 2017 and whether or not that includes a trip to Kenya for myself and anyone else who wants to go. So, at this time, I’m trying to gauge interest to see if anyone would like to join me on a trip to Kenya, potentially in June or July of this year. The estimated expense is around $3000, not including vaccines (if you need them). We are looking at a 10-day trip. 

Please email me if you are interested! 

Also, if anyone has any airline miles that are going to expire or they would like to donate to me for my next trip, please let me know! That would be a huge blessing to Give Amore and our programs as I need to go be with my team and our children.

Praises and Needs:

God is so faithful to provide for Give Amore and we are in awe at all he’s done in 2 years since I started Give Amore (formerly Amore Ministries). Whatever we have asked in His name, he has provided. All of our children have a sponsor! All of our sponsors seem to be paying! Our wells are off to a great start! Made with Amore tote bags are selling and allowing us to pay our teacher and maintain our sewing machines and buy the fabrics! God is so good!

Where we currently have major needs is with our General Donations. We have very few unassigned donations. Meaning, when money comes in and you want it to go somewhere, it goes there. But, in the beginning, I was covering my staff’s salaries and we had a faithful general donor who was helping cover our overhead. But that has diminished and our overhead has increased. We purchased a much needed computer for my team. We still need one more (a MAC). A donor purchased a motorbike for my staff, but repairs, gas, tires and maintenance are high. We’ve had to pay more for more consistent internet and electricity for our offices, etc. 

So, I ask, with expectancy, that God will raise up general donors or our current donors could increase their current amount even a little to help us cover the needs of running Give Amore. Our overhead is minuscule compared to what it costs to pay one employee here in America, but without general donations, we may fail to be able to execute our programs.

We need $1000 per month of NEW GENERAL donations. Please join me in prayer for this need to be met.

Please check out or FB page www.facebook.com/amoreministries and our Instagram @giveamore! I post photos, updates and information there weekly.

Access to clean water shouldn't be a luxury, but to this community, they can't believe they were chosen for this priceless gift!

Give Amore’s fifth well is now flowing with a bounty of clean safe clean water and is open for the community to drink from.

The well strategically located at Fridah Mutika’s is complete after three weeks of prayers, digging hard work and patience.

The celebrations and laughter exuded by the congregation gathered to witness the dedication ofthe well to the communities’ use, was evidence enough of a thankful glad beneficiaries of the timely supply of safe clean water.

Led by Fridah’s guardian, the communities’ representation thanked Give Amore and vowed to collectively; responsibly look after their new well and reach out to the larger community to drink from it too.

It is evident that dry spell is widely felt across multiple villages and thus most of their distant water streams have dried up leaving the thirsty many traversing through distant neighboring villages in search for this scarce precious commodity.

Therefore, this new well provides a long-term remedy to their daily needs of safe clean water.

“Drinking from this well’s crystal clear safe water for the first time, assures me that I am protected from waterborne pathogens and the daily lengthy treks to distant sources,” was Fridah’s mother’s parting shot before the gathering blessed the well in prayer and departing for their buckets.

Our New Addition-Violet!

Violet has proven to be dedicated, hard-working and passionate about her newly acquired skills We are excited to have her join our team!

The second fastest growing docket of Give Amore has acquired a new assistant teacher!

Violet is coming into the tailoring class as an assistant teacher to Evans after her exemplary display of skill, hard work and determination in the tailoring field.

As the leader to her peers in class, her mastery of the tailoring concepts, creativity and prowess in sewing gave her cutting-edge recommendation to work alongside Evans as his assistant.

Aside from teaching, Violet is well placed to learn even more from her teacher, Evans, whose scope in tailoring is wide and competitive.

Later on she will receive a sewing machine upon her graduation, a promised empowerment by Give Amore to all her Made with Amore tailoring students who complete the free tailoring training successfully. 

Our Next Well!

Our 6th well will be placed near Fredrick and Walter's home! Our goal is for each of the children in our program (past and present) to have access to clean water! 

Immediately after her fifth well situated at Fridah’s and Gladys’ community, Give Amore geared up and focused on her sixth well.

The new well will be situated at Fredrick’s and Walter’s home and with its strategic location just next to the village’s main path, it is promising to attract even the larger community to its sprout, inclusive of passersby.

The family based just about 2.5 miles from Ebulechia, fetch their water from a distant underground stream which is open for contamination and coupled with the great demand of water from the community, the family regularly end up with insufficient supply of clean water for their daily needs.

Therefore, the well will not only serve the community, but also provide the best alternative supply of clean water symmetrical to its daily demands.

A spot has been picked in the compound and digging will commence soon. Let us all pray towards this well.

Meet Eugene!

Eugene is one of Give Amore's 36 children receiving monthly food provisions and education thanks to sponsors. 

Meet Eugene

We all remember a distant reserved Eugene who was greatly infested with jiggers and soaked greatly in its misery and couldn’t afford a smile for weeks until the turning point came when she was jigger free and received a new pair of school shoes, the first she had in years.

The 18 year old’s love for industry and business is obvious in all she does, based on the fact that she was exposed to selling of sugarcane at a tender age to help her mother make the ends meet in order to provide food for her family to eat.

Courtesy of Give Amore’s home-based and school sponsorship, she is in school full time because her family’s food supply needs have been greatly supplemented and her school needs catered for.

Eugene is in 7th grade and has siblings inclusive of Lorine, Beverlyne, Shelton, Arnold, Ian and Paulette who look up to her for inspiration and leadership.

Please join us in praying for Eugene and all of our children as they strive to excel in their education to end the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. 

2016 Recap and What's In Store for 2017!

What an amazing year 2016 was for Give Amore! We are so thankful for everyone that has come on this journey with us and through prayers and financial support made all that we’ve done possible. 

We can’t move forward into 2017 without first reflecting on what we’ve done in 2016. Here’s just a few of the highlights:

• Our 40 children are healthy and thriving! They’ve been clothed, fed, received medical care and another year of education! But most importantly, through our sponsorship program, they feel loved and they know that they matter! Of all the children in the world, they have been chosen and supported and their lives are being transformed
• 5 students graduated from high school this year and will be able to stay in our program while they wait on the results of their national exams. Meanwhile, they will take advantage of the free community computer classes that Give Amore is helping support
• Our 4 completed wells are providing clean, healthy water and blessing hundreds of people daily!
• Our free community sewing classes are going well and adults are being taught skills so they can provide for themselves! 
• Over 200 Made with Amore tote bags were sold in 2016 to support our programs
• Each of our children, staff members and sewing students received a chicken for Christmas
• Each of our children received a much needed coat for Christmas
• We put a roof on Cornerstone Ebulechia’s school/church building
• We’ve supported area midwives with much needed supplies
• We’ve purchased bunk beds, mattresses and bedding for a new orphanage opening up on our campus through Cornerstone Church! More details coming!
• We launched our new website
• We have promotional materials such as postcards and flyers
• We have had over 150 donors (not including anyone that may have purchased a Made with Amore tote bag)
• All of this and more has been done with just over $62,000 that was donated to Give Amore in 2016!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!

Now, I’d like to share with you our plans and goals for 2017:

• We have two wells funded and ready to be dug! We have chosen the site for one of the wells and as soon as all the children are registered for school, we will begin the process of the first well! Our goal is to complete at least 6 wells this year!
• This year, we need to do something to avoid us scrambling for school fees in December, along with Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, we were not able to pay all of our children’s school fees up front due to our accounts being depleted. Our sponsorship program covers the school fees but we have to pay in advance and most sponsors pay monthly, this creates a shortage that takes us nearly all year to catch up on. Then, the fees come again. So, please pray with us for more general donors that will help alleviate the “close call” that we seem to have every December. General donors help cover unexpected expenses.
• We would like to add more children to our sponsorship program, but haven’t been able to because it’s taken us almost two years to have all of our children sponsored! I’m excited to say that we do have them all sponsored and pray that the sponsorship funds will come in regularly and consistently. That was not the case last year but we didn’t drop any children from our program despite them not having a sponsor. Thanks to an up front sponsor, we are adding the youngest sibling of one of the poorest families in our program to our sponsorship program on a minimum level.
• We need to upgrade/improve our teams’  computers, get new camera lenses and get everyone on my team a Smart Phone for better communication. Please contact me if you can help with any of these needs.
• We’d like to grow Made with Amore as our first batch of students will graduate this summer. We’d like to see more sewing machines, more students and opportunities to contract graduates of our program to make the school uniforms for our children. 
• We’d like to take a team from the US to Kenya in June 2017. However, in order to do this, I need help covering my expenses. We’ve always covered it in the past, but I’ve always gone every other year. Now that I’m running Give Amore, I need to be there more often and will need financial support in order to make that happen. All donations are tax-deductible. I need to ensure that I’m able to go before I can secure a team to go with me.

Please pray over these details and goals. One thing we’ve learned is that God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called. He’s called us to do big things in his big name! We trust for his provision and know that our plans are just that, our plans. But we do believe He is calling us to grow Give Amore and we will be respectfully responsible for all that he entrusts us with.

We hope this overview reminds you that while each one of us may not be able to do huge things, together, we are making a huge difference to this community. We are excited to see what God has in store for 2017! Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Next in Line to Graduate

Our 2016 and 2017 Graduating Classes are prayed over by our team.

Unlike previous years, 12th grade national exams results were out earlier than expected.

In the past students had to wait until February to know their fate but this time round the results came out in the last days of December.

Our students performed averagely well and are inclined to join middle level tertiary institutions in the hope of furthering their education and make steps towards their desired occupations.

The middle level tertiary institutions specialize in vocational training and business diplomas that bridge students for degree courses in universities later on. However, no scholarships are guaranteed in these institutions.

On the other hand, graduates from such institutions are given equal chances at job opportunities and thus it could usher them to their careers of choice.

Pertinently, some of them are undertaking computer classes courtesy of Give Amore and further still, continue receiving food and toiletries supply in the forthcoming four general distributions.

Waves of Joy

Our children proudly line up in their new school shoes and wave to their sponsors.

Seeing them for the first time they were just some regular faces consolidated in hopelessness, with bleak futures to look forward to. But beyond the bloodshot eyes, you saw something special in the child you hold on to and sponsor today.

The cute little drooped faces you used to know have mushroomed to brilliant, healthy succulent smiles thronging your inbox every two months and relentlessly unleashing showers of gratitude to you, their God sent angel, who watches over them in even bigger ways.

From the remote rural of the community Jayden, Emmanuel M, Paulette, Michele, Brian, Fredrick, Walter, Brenda, Sherlyn, Yvonne, Noel, Emmanuel O, Ian, Arnold, Shelton, Ben, Asman, Paul, Beverlyn, Zainabu, Lauryn, Eugene, Daisy, Elizabeth, Everlyne, Grace, Mercyline, Fridah, Emily, Abednego, Elvis, Gladys, Lydia, Valery, Evans and the entire Kenyan Give Amore family wish you a blessed 2017 full of good health and prosperity.