Today is Mother’s Day in Thailand, and our team had the incredible experience of sharing it with some of the kids from the children’s home. The children all go to one of four local schools (where they are allowed to attend but not use any of the government subsidies like all of the other children). […]
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Here in Thailand, our team is experiencing life in a whole new perspective. As our eyes are opened to what is going on in the world that we are currently immersed in, our hearts are being broken by the obvious exploitation and pain of poverty that is stealing so many futures, hopes, and dreams. This […]
...continue readingTons of smiling faces ran towards the van as we hopped out. Friendly smiles, giggles and laughs, and hugs were given to me by children I had never met in my entire life. I instantly fell in love with them - before knowing their names, their stories, or anything about them, I knew I loved […]
...continue readingHey Everyone! We are here! After leaving Vancouver, flying to Shanghai, transferring to Bangkok, staying overnight, flying to Chiang Rai and driving an hour to Chiang Saen, we are finally here! And, we are excited to see what kind of adventures and incredible moments we are about to be a part of.
This week we will […]
If you have joined us on a Dominican Republic Hero Holiday, chances are you know who Pastor Garcia is and you are familiar with the Arroyo Seco school project. Many of us have memories of laughter and camaraderie as we worked together, brick by brick, cement shovel by cement shovel to help make a community’s dream come true: the dream of a school for their children and for their future. That dream has become a reality through the help of hundreds of Hero Holiday participants since 2006, and we are excited to announce that our school is now recognized by the Dominican government as a certified private school! As well, their entire community project is now a recognized Dominican foundation, another part of the success of working together.
There are over 100 students at the Arroyo Seco school, many of them able to go to school for the first time because of your hard work! The school is now running from junior kindergarten to grade 5, with students aged 3 to 15. Many of the older students have never had a chance to go to school before, so they are just as excited as the younger ones to have a chance to learn. Thanks to the generosity of some Canadian friends, our school now also has a computer lab, something that these students are completely new to but eager to learn on.
The best part about certification for the school is that they are now part of a standardized curriculum that requires consistent reporting and accountability - something that is lacking in many schools across this tiny nation. These students have many hopes and dreams and many of them are a result of education.
For those of you who were a part of the love, sweat and tears that went into the Arroyo Seco Community School project, this is your success.
Thank you!
Hey Everyone
Just wanted to let you know that our Absolute people who are on the ground in Port au Prince, Haiti have confirmed that our friends at the orphanages we work with are in fact, all alive and accounted for. However, they have all suffered much loss as they have lost friends and family in the rubble around them, not to mention lack of proper shelter, etc.
Today, our Absolute members helped people who were still trying desperately to reach their family members who had been buried deep beneath the rubble. There is little hope of any survival at this point, but one can always hope for a miracle. We have two nurses from our Hero Holiday arm that have taken it upon themselves to get there and are now on the ground, helping out where they can.
Our hearts are grieving with all of our friends who have lost those closest to them. Frantzo, one of our Hero Holiday Dominican Republic translators has lost 5 members alone and yet he is beside our team, helping to dig through the rubble. This is what it is to be the hands and feet of compassion and we are honored to work alongside of so many Haitian people such as him.
There is great need for tarps, mosquito nets and basic needs of survival for thousands upon thousands of people. If you want to help us, you can go to our homepage and donate at www.absolute.org/donate.
We are also encouraging people to give to the Red Cross, World Vision and St. Joseph’s Home for Boys.
We will continue to keep you updated as we much as we are able to. Thanks for your support, encouragement and prayers.
The developing world faces many challenges, but one of the greatest is the lack of access to health care. This summer, we hope to be a part of the solution. From August 15th-25th, we are returning to Dominican Republic with 50 Western-Fanshawe Collaborative BScN students and the Fanshawe College Practical Nursing students. In addition to some regular projects, we will be hosting medical and dental clinics in villages and communities, free of charge. Each day is an adventure, and each day is filled with incredible memories as a result. The trip, affectionately called “Danica’s Dream,” is named after a little girl who inspired the building of a clinic that we continue to support and partner with.
However, we have an urgent need! We need another physician to accompany our medical supplies, to help with clinics, and to share their expertise and knowledge with those who need it most.
Do you know anyone who can help us? Are you a medical professional who may know a doctor that would be willing to invest some of their time this August to be a part of the Hero Holiday experience? Would you be willing to approach your family physician or any doctors that you know, on our behalf?
If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact our Hero Holiday department as soon as possible: nettie@heroholiday.com or call 1-866-432-4464 and ask to speak to the Hero Holiday department.
Together, we can bring love, hope, and change!
The following is a blog from one of our paricipants, Danielle Clouse, who has been on our Hero Holiday Thailand trip with us:
Christmas came early this year. The gift of giving has left me humbled and at ease. These past two weeks I’ve spent my time meeting amazing new people from all over the […]
The following entry is from Heather Bourque, one of our adult participants here with us in Northern Thailand. Heather is a flight attendant with Air Canada (which is how she first heard of Absolute: she was on one of Vaden’s flights!) and she is also a professional photographer. Much of her work can be seen […]
...continue readingMy apologies, but we are currently unable to upload our photos to this blog site from where we are at. We will do our best to get them up asap!
When you are on a Hero Holiday, there is no telling what kind of adventure is waiting for you around the corner, across the street, or […]