Thanks to new partnerships with the Bwaila Rotary Club, the Levelland Rotary Club and Rotary International, the Grace Center will soon have an easily accessible, reliable, and most importantly, clean source of water.  Under the leadership of Jim Cole, the Rotary has raised more than $18,000 for the drilling of a well which will serve as the water source for the Grace Center and the local community.

Presently, the only source of water for the community is a tapped spring, which due to agricultural development in the area as well as a break in the pipeline, has become engulfed in mud.  The space between the clean water pouring from the pipe and the surrounding mud puddle is only a few inches, making water very difficult to collect. 

Working in conjunction with the Bwaila Rotary Club, plans have been made to begin drilling the well as soon as possible.  The electricity needed to power the well is on the way to the Grace Center, bringing us yet another step closer to completion of the project.  Once the well is dug, the Grace Center will have a reliable source of clean water located on campus.  Persons from the community will benefit as well, drawing water for a small fee set to help cover the cost of electricity.

Having access to sanitary water is essential for the health of the children and the local community, as well as the ongoing development taking place at the Grace Center. We are so grateful to both the Levelland Rotary Club of West Texas and the Bwaila Rotary club of Lilongwe for their efforts.

The total cost for this project is $24,000.  Circle of Hope still has $4,000 to raise to complete the project.  If you would like to help provide clean water for our children and the local community, please click here to make a contribution.

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new website! This new site will allow for timely communication with our Circle of Hope Community.  Here you will find current postings highlighting the latest news in a blog format. Check back often for updates on Circle of Hope, and we welcome your thoughts and responses!

Also, be sure to check out our photo albums featuring the children of the Grace Center and Timothy's home!

Update January, 2009

• Teams are forming for Summer 2010.  A teaching team will depart on June 13th and a team of 30 Mighty Men will depart on July 24th. The 30 Mighty Men team will be building a church/ community building. Before the team departs, we need to raise $36,000 to build the steel structure.  The team will be adding walls, floor and plastering.  If you are interested in joining a team, send an email to Karen@cohcommunity.org. We would love to have more team members!
  
  
• We will soon have electricity at our campus! This makes our development prospects so exciting. Plans are in place for a maize grinding mill providing a service to the local community, local jobs and income for the church and children’s programs. The cost of the Maize Mill is $30,000 if your church or club is interested in this project which will move our programs toward self-sufficiency, please let us know. 
  
  
• Training has already begun for women from the local community to learn to sew. Their skills will be put to use in a Textile Center. Construction on the center will begin soon thanks to a generous donation from the Busby Family. We can’t wait toget started! The women will begin by sewing clothing for the children, as their skills develop they will be able to sew a product to sell in the local market, to tourist and eventually on the international market. The first $10,000 has been donated toward this project, your gift will help move this project to its next phase.
  
  
• Our children’s programs continue to grow. Our children are healthy and happy! And they are learning. That makes us happy and their sponsors happy, too! We were very happy to hear that all of our eighth graders passed their exams and are eligible to attend secondary school! We are very proud of our children who are working hard for a better future. If you are interested in sponsoring a child for $20 a month, send an email to sponsor@cohcommunity.org.
  
  
• We are also very excited about the Community Health work that is beginning at our Msipe campus. Ten home care givers are visiting the sick to provide prayer and simple medication. Fundraising has begun toward raising $60,000 for Phase One of our Community Health Education center. This center will provide a base for the home caregivers and classroom space for pre-natal classes, as well as classes in living with HIV/AIDS, caring for small children and much more.