The HOINA staff was very upset by the shootings in Mumbai and the image of India it has portrayed to the world. Many organizations in India have been forced to shut down or reduce their services. Although we received less Christmas donations than we did in 2007, we were still able to get each child a small gift at Christmas. Our donors have allowed us to maintain the same level of care for all our children, and we are very thankful.

Darlene will not be heading to India until February this year, so she can oversee the moving of the girls in April. The construction continues at a steady pace now that the rainy season is over. We are hopeful that by moving the boys’ and girls’ homes to the same location we will be able to operate more efficiently.

We are currently working on purchasing dairy cows. They will provide milk for the children, and hopefully provide income as we sell the extra milk. We currently have funds for 5 cows, and hope to have 10 by the end of 2009. We are researching which breeds will provide the most milk and do well in the Indian climate. Darlene has been talking to people at Heifer Project International to see if they can help us.

While Bruce was in India this summer, he brought a colleague along who is producing a video about HOINA. The video includes interviews with the children and staff. We hope to have this completed soon, and think it will help us spread the word about HOINA to potential new donors.