50 New Clucking Residents Arrive at Semillas de Amor
By · CommentsThey have been a long time coming but our egg laying chickens arrived today! Futuro de los Niños built our gorgeous safety fenced chicken coop (El Coop), adding running water, electricity and all the food and water feeders and today the Mazariegos/Girón family, with donations from their friends, family and co-workers, brought our gorgeous new ladies who will be providing lots of eggs for our kids. Our 50 hens are ready to lay so we hope to have eggs over the weekend. The kids, as well as all of us adults, were so excited that the chickens are finally here. We have food to feed them for the next few months and the hens will be dining on leftovers from our garden as well. Truly these girls are living the life of luxury, floors made of cedar shavings, nesting bins filled with pine needles, lots of food and water feeders and a very large outdoor area for them to hang out. I just love the fact that this was a joint effort, for the kids, by three wonderful families, that don’t know each other, one Guatemalan family and two families from the United States and what has brought them together is the love of the children at Semillas de Amor. In the next few months we will add to our hen population, perhaps bring in a rooster or two, purchase more feed and accessories with money donated by the Sebastian family who sold hand made Easter cards to raise money for our chickens. I am thrilled with the chickens but equally as important is the collaboration by so many people to make this happen. We are grateful.
A Thank You Video From The Kids!
Las Gallinas from Nancy Bailey on Vimeo.
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Happy Mother’s Day!!!!
By · CommentsI hope you will join all of us at Semillas de Amor in celebrating mother’s day. Friday we had a big celebration, live music by pianist Gaby Bailey, dancing, singing, food, and so much fun. The celebration brought tears to my eyes as I received a long stem red rose from each of the children. One of the dances the kids each had a letter that spelled out GRACIAS MAMAS and then when they turned around again the sign read GRACIAS MAMA NANCY. I can’t even put into words how special the day was. The difficulty of this work is equally as joyous and I feel blessed.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there and a very happy mother’s day to all the moms who are waiting for their children to come home from Guatemala. We truly hope they will be home soon.
This is a rather long video of our mother’s day celebration. I didn’t have the heart to edit anything out. This day was very special for me in may ways. I have had dreams of a music program, not only for our children at Semillas, but children living in Parramos. I was surprised with Gaby playing piano at the celebration. She played several songs, which were wonderful, but just seeing her, under a tree, playing piano brought tears to my eyes. The beginning of our music program. Enjoy the video and Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY 2010 from Nancy Bailey on Vimeo.
The Guatemala900 Marches on Washington DC
By · CommentsToday, May 6th, 2010, the Guatemala900 marched on Washington DC to, once again, to bring awareness to our elected officials of the plight of the more than 600 children left behind in Guatemala after adoptions closed almost 2 1/2 years ago. The children left behind were not new adoption cases but children who have adoptive parents and who had been promised to be “grandfathered” into the old adoption system and allowed to finish their adoptions. That did not happen and children have been left in institutions, foster care and some families do not even know where their children are. Many are not allowed to see their children. This is a tragedy and has gone on far too long. These children are being use as political pawns and treated as criminals. We must bring an awareness to not only the United States government but to the Guatemalan government as well. These children must be allowed to go home. What is happening is cruel to not only the children but their families as well. These families have been living a nightmare.
Take a look at the grief on the faces of these families. Take a moment to sign the petition to First Ladies, Michelle Obama and Sandra Torres Colom, MOTHER’S DAY PETITION TO THE FIRST LADIES
For further information on the Guatemala900 What an awesome group of people! Committed and truly dedicated to seeing everyone of these kids get home. All of us at Semillas de Amor send you a huge thank you for you kindness, compassion and never forgetting the kids.
The photos below were taken by Gary Cooper, Futuro de los Niños, at the Washington DC march today.
