Angels Newsletter #29
Dear Friends of Angels of the Amazon,
I hope you have had a great start to your 2023…time flies! Here at AoA, we ended 2022 with many great accomplishments, life-changing stories, and successful results for our programs. The year ended with the installation of a new solar-powered potable water and plumbing system for the Angels of the Amazon Hospital in Esperanza village. This key investment has improved service to our patients, made our professionals’ jobs more efficient, and will save us time and funds in the long term. We thank BJ Montgomery Discovery Foundation for their assistance in funding this project. With this major investment completed, now is the time to continue with the next major project required for our Hospital. We know that with your assistance, we can accomplish this important goal.
Project for Installation of Electricity with Solar Power for the Hospital
Our Hospital in Esperanza village has limited electrical power. We need reliable electrical service to provide emergency services at night to our patients. Currently, a gas generator is used to supplement a modest solar power installation, but this is not sufficient for the hospital’s growing needs. Our clinical staff needs good lighting and the use of electrical-powered equipment. I have witnessed how our clinicians had to deliver babies with a flashlight or make sutures with very little light, making an already difficult job much more challenging. Together, we have decided that the installation of solar power in the clinic would be the best solution in this remote region. The system will be installed by an electrical engineer from Lima, whose specialty is in solar installations. We will be using a system comprised of solar panels, large lithium batteries (10-year life guarantee) to store electricity for use at night, and a converter which can be used to provide electricity to all the rooms, including bathrooms. Reliable electricity is also important when we have visiting groups of dental and medical volunteers (please contact us if you wish to bring a group).
Education
The school year on the Tahuayo started at the end of March. The children in the villages were so happy to return to school with their friends and meet their teachers while starting a new school grade. We are so proud to say that we have now had several students who graduated from Jane Gordon Cook High School last year. Before Angels’ partnership with Be The Change Volunteers Foundation, the children of the upper Tahuayo communities had no opportunity to continue their education beyond the elementary grades. Now our high school graduates are motivated to continue with their education by attending universities or technical schools in Iquitos City. This is an amazing opportunity to break the cycle of agrarian poverty.
The new graduates have seen the examples of our previous graduates that have gone to study in the city and are now succeeding. All of them now wish to have a career and be productive adults and fulfill their goals and dreams. Some of these students come from impoverished situations and needed assistance from Angels’ sponsors to attend elementary or high school. But now the needs of attending schools of advanced learning and training in Iquitos, along with living expenses, requires a greater investment. We have had a good response the last couple of months from our Angels’ donors in supporting these aspiring young men and women with part or full scholarship donations. But we still have a few students who need sponsors to help them. Even modest donations would be appreciated. Please contact us if you are interested in potentially sponsoring one of these students.
Your Donation
No donations to Angels of the Amazon go to administrative salaries, benefits or compensation. All such overhead is subsidized by Amazonia Expeditions travel company. 98-99% of donations go to programs, while slightly more than 1% goes to government fees and newsletter cost. You can feel confident that your donation goes to help the indigenous people of the Tahuayo with their basic needs.
Thank you for your support! One child at a time!
Hope Lives!
Dolly
The Jungle’s Daughter
