Why We Have so Much to Celebrate and be Thankful For

Few people realize that a team can accomplish so much an individual cannot and that’s why behind the scenes of Give Amore’s shared accomplishments lies a capable hardworking team whose coordination, competence and integrity is unrivaled. Over the years they have been integral cogs of the wheel of change and that’s why we celebrate them and thank them for such great service.

It all started when four young men sat across a courteous poised intelligent mama on a mission of building a better tomorrow. All through her coaching and great sense of organization and leadership she built a brilliant team that now boasts of almost ten employees with admirable temperament and love for change and embrace for empathy.

One important motivation this team embodies is the knowledge that working together not only drives success for an organization but also success for an individual. As we grow together, intercession for one another is vital and on the flipside, this team adores and acknowledges you as a vital cog in our aspiration of making lasting change in every life we touch.

Meet Our Amazing Irene

With her husband always away and three children to look after, Irene 24, still works from home despite graduating from our sewing program years gone. She manages her homestead, as well as running daily errands, add that to her enterprise and this mama is a multitasking guru. She has a knack for children clothing and so far, so good.

The driving force for her industry is her children who since she started sewing have never lacked food and on the other hand have an impressive school attendance record due to consistency in school fees payment. Irene aspires one day to start her kids clothing shop but until then she vows nothing will stop her from even doing it from home.

She is thankful for the trajectory this program created for her and hopes of the same for others.in terms of profitability and growth, she is glad her venture is growing and prays the upward trajectory keeps on. We love you Irene and all the best in your dreams.

Another Year for Restarts and Firsts

Hope is such a beautiful thing. It helps us to see opportunities and possibilities around us and sometimes even lay out a plan drawing from previous endings. It inspires rewriting of our lives’ scripts capturing our wants and needs as well as aspirations and that’s why the New Year is so powerful because we all look forward to restarts that can reinforce ourselves better and those we love.

Also, hope inspires us to think about the delta of how we are currently living and how we could be living. It points out anything that sparks the light in us that is worthy of our attention and adoption without emphasizing the latter. Therefore, this year, it is in our prayer that the new you, us and all our laid out resolutions materialize with necessary mitigations underscored as we sail.

Turning on this page inducts a feeling of freshness which also invigorates, but it is also worth noting that “New” has a short lifespan that gives way to familiar structure of struggles, pains and obstacles in previous chapters that we so gladly hope to permanently evade. So, lets larch on bite sized sustainability of our hopes, dreams and aspirations; and as we do so a foot a day, allow prayers, sweat, kindness and love fuel us on.

Happy New Year.

Paul Mukami

Give Amore Communications Director

Harvest Time Well of Wellness

Currently underway is the sinking of ‘Harvest Time Church’ well and just as its amazing name suggests, it will be free and open for tens of families and more to draw and drink from. Successfully, commissioning of this well will be way before schedule because the process was speedy despite challenging topography of its home village. This will be 43rd in our well babies.

In a community where every drop of water isn’t meager, many families are bracing up for a life free from long treks to rivers and streams in search of such a rare commodity in terms of safety and round the clock availability. This is due to rampant pollution in and about these sources, a fatal disaster to precious lives.

Cholera and typhoid are the prevalent diseases therefore this well is a sustainable solution to such hazards that these families are susceptible to. To Pastor Freeman and friends, we thank you and the community immensely thanks you for such confirmation of love.

Continued Success Trail

Despite tough global economic turmoil, one woman isn’t taking it lying down. Having been offered free space in front of a local shop by a friend, Zelpha took the opportunity and ran with it. She hit the ground running by setting up a sewing business months ago after successfully graduating from Give Amore’s sewing program and the journey is paying off.

Single and least holding her back, this 24 year old, has dedicated all her time, energy and creativity in redefining women fashion, testing out all kinds, old and modern. Every fabric she says is very special and there is no harm in trying them out.

Alongside her job, she has also found a passion which she confirms has focused her life in her hearts direction. So far she is mentoring a number of young women for free in the light of hopefully giving back to a community that gave her a chance when no one else could. We love and pray for your prosperity Zelpha, all the best.

Wrapping Up Another Blessed Year-2023 Recap

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength. And Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. ”

— Mark 12:30-31

Dearest Partners,

I pray you are enjoying this beautiful season of celebrating Jesus’ birth and what that means for all of us! A Savior is born! Hope was born!

I recently received all the photos of the Christmas Party for our children and it brought tears to my eyes! It felt impossible, but God! We still haven’t raised all that is needed to bring us out of this deficit, but we have time and I know it’s possible! If you have last minute, year-end giving looking for a place to make a difference, be multiplied and you can trust is being used where you want it to then look no further than giving to Give Amore! We are 100% funded by generous individuals giving what they have to make a difference to our brothers and sisters across the globe.

We are starting our 10th year of non-profit ministry soon. Can you believe it?

Here is a recap of 2023! Isn’t God so good?

JANUARY

We paid half year school fees to 41 children both in primary and secondary school

We supplied school items including shoes and school uniforms.

 FEBRUARY

We supplied food items to 46 children

We dewormed our 41 children under sponsorship

 MARCH

We dug well # 37 at Ebuhai village for the community.  

40 computer students graduated and received certificate of completion

 APRIL

We supplied food items to 46 children

We dug well # 38 at Ekombe village for the community.

5 students of the sewing school graduated and were supplied with 5 new sewing machines

 MAY

We paid and completed full year school fees to 41 children both in primary and secondary

We supplied school items including shoes and school uniforms.

We bought window curtains, paints, and toilet drainage material for some repairs on the building.

  JUNE

Christa, Larisa and Ann Visited Kenya

We supplied food items to 41 children

We bought one cow for Violet and Moses family

We did jigger clinic at Ebuchinga primary school and treated over 40 children, we also supplied shoes, toys and balls to the infected children

We bought black paints and painted blackboard of Cornerstone classrooms.

We dug well # 39 at Bumweche village for the community.

We commissioned Well # 39

30 computer students graduated and received certificate of completion

5 students of the sewing school graduated and were supplied with 5 new sewing machines

 JULY

We bought utensils for Cornerstone school

We bought food stuff for Cornerstone school

We bought school supplies for Cornerstone school

We bought one complete computer and its accessories for computer class

We bought 1 big wooden conference table for the office

We bought 10 new chairs for the office

We did another jigger clinic within Shibuli area and also visited 4 homes and did fumigation in those homes

We dug well # 40 at Epanja village at the late Brian’s home for the community.

AUGUST

We supplied food items to 41 children

We dewormed 41 children under sponsorship

We dug well # 41 at Ebuhai village for the community.  

 SEPTEMBER

We dug well # 42 at Buhuru  village  next to pastor Bernard’s cornerstone church for the community.

25 computer students graduated and received certificate of completion

We did major repairs on our two motorcycles

 OCTOBER

We supplied food items to 41 children

10 computer students graduated and received certificate of completion

DECEMBER

46 Children received food stuff and shoes during this Christmas

We also had Christmas party for the children and guardians.

All the families represented in our programs received a warm, thick blanket.

15 computer students graduated and received certificate of completion

4 students of the sewing school graduated and were supplied with 4 new sewing machines

We had Christmas party for our staff

 SUMMARY

• We dug 6 new wells for the year

• We paid full school fees and school requirements for 41 children  

• We have supplied food stuff six times to 41 children for the year approximately 4 tons of food

• 14 sewing students from our sewing school graduated and each received a new sewing machine, table and bench.

• 110  computer students graduated and received certificates of completion during the year.

• We treated over 50 people infected with jiggers and also did home fumigation

• We dewormed 46 children twice during the year.

• We bought 1 cow for Violet and  Moses family

• We bought black paints and painted blackboard of Cornerstone classrooms

• We covered medical insurance for 41 children

• We bought utensils for Cornerstone school

• We bought food stuff for Cornerstone school

• We bought school supplies for Cornerstone school

• We bought one complete set of computer and its accessories for computer class

• We bought 1 big wooden conference table and 10 new (much needed) chairs for the office

• We bought 1 new laptop for computer class and 3 new iPhone for the staff during the year

• We bought new blankets for 22 families of our sponsored children

• All our staff received Christmas bonuses in addition to our monthly salaries

• We bought window curtains, paints, and toilet drainage material for some repairs on the building

• We had Christmas party for the children, guardians and staff

•  School fees for the year 2024 to be paid in early January and

• In January 2024 we will commence  Well# 43

We thank God for all that we have accomplished this year and we thank you for being a part of it!

God bless you and Merry Christmas to everyone.

Christa Horst and the Give Amore Team

Santa Came to Town Early

This month, Christmas came early within the walls of Give Amore to our esteemed beneficiaries from vast parts of western Kenya in a celebration of love, a conduit that binds us and has for more than eight years now. With a feast that befits a true African definition of rare… prayer, song dance and community graced this wonderful occasion as all gave thanks for thoughtful gifts of food among more supplies handed out with joy.

Keeping in mind that a new school semester starts with the new year, just like the preceding years, we consolidated the main food and toiletries distribution with the supplies of school effects majorly encapsulating books, stationery and shoes (the favorite).

A great sense of cheers engulfed the atmosphere as the once in a while special meal of chicken, Indian spicy rice, beef, chapati and more, was served amidst great conversation and hearty laughter. This year’s chief gifts were blankets that were supplied per family given the current potent cold weather. On behalf of our great family, “asante sana” which is a Swahili translation for thank you so much.

Happy Holidays

The wheel seems has come to a full circle once again as we join with family and friends and the entire world in celebration of Christmas which has a significance of the birth of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. As a happy and fulfilling as it is, we are thankful of our partnership year long as indeed minded.

Moreover, it is prudent to acknowledge that the year has been one big series of examinations and massive tests but our concerted prayers, consultation and largely help, our triumph is all that counts and that’s why this festive season we largely celebrate you, and then us. The choices we made reflect as whether to put marmalade on a toast or honey; to step off with our left foot or right and all that has culminated to the accomplishments we so celebrate in our score list today.

So, as you personalize those Christmas cards with family in mind and adorn those trees with your favorite ornaments and hang those amazing socks on your hearth as you bustle through which and what gifts to get your loved ones, remember it’s memorable and counts. From our family to yours, Happy holidays and have a Merry Christmas.

Leaping Happily into the Future

In a different twist but alongside the spirit of giving, another set of individuals under Made with Amore were gifted a sewing machine, a stool and sewing kit each upon graduation from our vibrant sewing school after successfully completing six months of training in everything embroidery. This reality empowers them both in skill and equipment to take on their bright futures ahead,

As a show of their prowess, each graduate made their own dresses from African fabric of choice as a special equivalent of a graduation gown which also sufficed as a unique parting gift from us to them. As they posed as amateur fashionistas, it was evident from their radiant faces, the satisfaction of a job well done.

Drawing from their frontrunners, it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that this docket has not only empowered these young women, but also changed their lives immensely, a continuity that keeps reverberating across communities they reside and come from. They set out hopeful of a beautiful and brighter future for them and their families.

Thankful for You!

Dear Partners,

In this season of gratitude, I want to first start by saying how very thankful we are for you! We know there are a million amazing causes and a million and one ways to spend your money and time so we appreciate your support and prayers more than you know!

Since I’m often telling you all about our needs, I wanted to do something different this month and offer a gift of Thanksgiving to our ongoing givers who give so generously without expecting anything in return!

I would like to gift you a Made with Amore tote bag (of our choosing, while supplies last), along with the card that tells our story so that you can keep it or gift it to someone else this Christmas season! We’d love for you to wear/use it or gift it and let the receiver know our story and how you are involved! I believe this is a great way to bless you all and can be a blessing for others and/or help us tell our stories.

The Made with Amore tote bags are handmade by our sewing students out of beautiful African fabrics we choose from the open-air market in our area of Kenya. We sell them online as a way to raise funds for our sewing program which offers every graduate skills to provide for their families. As we are able, we provide a beautiful Singer sewing machine, table, stool and needles/threads for our graduates to be able to immediately provide for their families. It’s a remarkable, one-of-a-kind program and we’d be honored to bless you because of your support!

If you’d like to receive a complimentary tote bag (while supplies last) please Venmo @Christa-Horst $7 for shipping or let me know you’re mailing a check to cover the shipping and we will get that out to you! Please mail/make out any checks to Christa Horst, 14407 Wildflower Loop, Fort Smith, AR, 72916. If you’d like to purchase any more for yourself or as gifts, they are available on our website, www.giveamore.org.

The urgent needs we have are still active but we are trusting God for his provisions to see how we proceed for 2024. Please see previous update from me on our blog for more information about that.

As always, we thank God for your support and can’t wait to see how He continues to provide for His children here and in Kenya. You are in our prayers and our daily gratitude reflection!

God bless,

Christa Horst

Founding Director

Give Amore

What Are You Thankful For?

For over eight years now, Give Amore’s growth and sustainability in service and persons empowerment has been tremendous even beyond our understanding given how small we started. But now looking back, it is without doubt that your support and alignment of your hopes with our cause has been the backbone that has catapulted us this far without forgetting God’s grace that binds us.

The hundreds of families that we have touched and still continue to bless through our programs are pure proof of how a seed no matter how small, if planted and well cared for can grow into a huge tree and bear so much fruits over and over to reach and nourish multitudes for a life time. You inspire each day to be such an honor to serve, giving hope, joy and love a whole new meaning.

Therefore, we take this chance to toast to the goodness and solutions our partnership has been able to realize and hope for even much thrill this journey will offer in the coming future despite potent challenges there have been and will be. We so dearly celebrate you and from us to the rest of your families, happy thanksgiving.

Here for Every Child

In retrospect, almost all of the children we encountered had an understanding of grief and sometimes proved quite a challenge to mitigate given how different children cope with loss in contrast to adults. As a mushrooming organization, we had little skills to best handle them both psychosocially and emotionally but however, we took up the task non the less and they turned out so well beyond our prior imaginings.

At the passing on of a parent most children tend to worry about ‘’what next? which if left unchecked, lands them to depression which breaks their wellbeing in so many ways even sometimes fatally. Significantly, entities like ours come in not mainly as a loss replacement but as a shoulder they can lean on in collaboration with their existing families. Continuation of education more specifically is key in the reassurance that they are not alone and that their dreams are valid.

In our sponsorship program, we have seen gradual improvement in our children over the years, some even graduating college and raising their own children in line with everything they learnt under our guidance and we are even prouder when their life long dreams are achieved. Like Mother Theresa said, “Let no one come to you and leave the same.”

A Day with Justa

Justa Gakii is a graduate from our sewing program and since last year 6/30 has been an impactful alumnus. Upon completion of her training and award of a sewing machine and compliments, she immediately took to setting up her own workshop evidently specializing in women clothes and children fittings and so far, this vibrant young mama couldn’t be prouder of the difference and privileges her business has achieved.

 She is grateful for the opportunity of earning a living that has kept her one son in school and supplemented her food rations her loving husband tables daily. She works from home sometimes to cut down on workshop rent but sometimes during the peak seasons as this, she dares her competition for the market share.

During our visit she had quite a number of dresses made and ready for sale and as we found out lately only a handful are in stock. We pray for her greatness in the very competitive fashion industry and as she soars higher, inspire even more to follow in her footprints.

URGENT NEED!!!!

Thomas is one of 43 children in our sponsorship program! Our sponsorship program is in urgent need of financial support to keep the children fed, medically cared for and in school!

Dearest Partners,

We pray that you are doing well and that God is providing for you and your family! We thank you so much for your generosity and continued support over the past almost 9 years! God has been so good to provide for the needs of so many by stirring in the hearts of complete strangers to support what He has called me to do with Give Amore. It’s a constant reminder of His goodness and faithfulness.

 Because of your generosity I find it so challenging to ASK for help. You already give! You already support us! But we’ve had quite a few of our ongoing partners cancel their recurring child sponsorship donations for various reasons. Our orphan sponsorship program is our most challenging of our programs because of the constant varying prices of food, supplies and school fees based on each child’s location, grade and health status.

Basically, I’m saying we are consistently under-funded for this mission. But right now, we are EXTREMELY short in school fees that will be due in the coming months!

We must act NOW to keep this vital program going and keep all our children in school! Our goal is to raise an additional $4850 in monthly recurring donations immediately. The best ways to support us are as follows:

• Create a new recurring donation in any amount to start monthly for October!

• Make a one-time donation in any amount toward our sponsorship program to help us cover the current deficit.

• Spread the word of what we do!

• Gift the sponsorship of a child in someone’s name. We can provide a certificate that you can print and wrap/digitally share!

• See if your company has an employee match program and if so, please reach out to me so we can set that up!

The wait list for our sponsorship program is lengthy but we’ve not added anyone to our program because our donations for sponsorship are extremely inconsistent. Please help us stabilize this extremely important program immediately!

With Utmost Gratitude and Appreciation,

Christa Horst, Give Amore Founding Director

See the Beauty in Water

Because you care, Give Amore just clocked its 42nd well and we cannot ignore your unrivalled generosity in shaping our current achievements for a better tomorrow, keeping in mind hundreds of families impacted so far by your act of faith and love. This thoughtful blessing has commenced its purpose and now many can sleep easy knowing that clean water is available round the clock.

As most perceive in Africa, water crisis is a woman’s issue, but it is certain now that the same women will reap widely from the convenient blessings that this well holds. Time once lost in wandering in search of water will now be channelled in other productive activities that were prior overlooked creating another window for even more tagged blessings and opportunities.

Drawing from it for the very first time, this deserving community exuded their fathomless gratitude in song and dance and reassured everyone present of its safety and that its purpose shall be felt by even people beyond its scope for many more generations to come.

It’s Never Too Late to Change the World

For years now generous giving has explored life with Jesus like kindness through empathy, stories and conversation. Somewhere along the way while we were telling stories of our sponsored children who could not afford the luxury of basic education, you heard one and joined in to help hence sowing the seed of hope through unconditional love bettering their tomorrow full of meaning and zeal.

Once again, our education program needs your help for immediate and recuring donations to keep it sustained and thriving. Due to inflation, we are experiencing increased costs such as fees and more and therefore we invite you on board once again to keep these precious children in school to avert any chance of possible dropouts.  

Your much needed help will keep the wheels of the program spinning giving them a chance to stay in school and fed. If you feel called towards this noble cause, you can visit our website for more information and just like their predecessors, you will shape their future and dreams for a lifetime. Amen.

A day in the Life of Shelvin

Radiant as her demeanor exudes, this 23-year-old mom has taken up to daily sewing for five hours while still enjoying watching her three children run around and play in the yard terming it as a necessary distraction. Her name is Shalvin Wekhoba.

She is hooked to making anything African wearable from men African print shirts and women dresses as well as children’s. Her husband and children enjoy the spoils from left over prints as so far clothing isn’t much of a concern like before; as well as the extra income the venture fetches. She enjoys her new found occupation and the love towards it is gratitude enough.

Immediate, Urgent Need!

Dearest Partners,

We pray that you are doing well and that God is providing for you and your family! We thank you so much for your generosity and continued support over the past 8.5 years! God has been so good to provide for the needs of so many by stirring in the hearts of complete strangers to support what He has called me to do with Give Amore. It’s a constant reminder of His goodness and faithfulness.

 Because of your generosity I find it so challenging to ASK for help. You already give! You already support us! But we’ve had quite a few of our ongoing partners cancel their recurring child sponsorship donations for various reasons. Our orphan sponsorship program is our most challenging of our programs because of the constant varying prices of food, supplies and school fees based on each child’s location, grade and health status.

Basically, I’m saying we are consistently under-funded for this mission. But right now, we are extremely short in school fees that will be due in the coming months!

We must act NOW to keep this vital program going and keep all our children in school! Our goal is to raise an additional $5000 (that’s 50 $100 per month donors) in monthly recurring donations immediately. The best ways to support us are as follows:

• Create a new recurring donation in any amount to start monthly for September!

• Make a one-time donation in any amount toward our sponsorship program to help us cover the current deficit.

• Spread the word of what we do!

• Gift the sponsorship of a child in someone’s name. We can provide a certificate that you can print and wrap/digitally share!

• See if your company has an employee match program and if so, please reach out to me so we can set that up!

The wait list for our sponsorship program is lengthy but we’ve not added anyone to our program because our donations for sponsorship are extremely inconsistent. Please help us stabilize this extremely important program immediately!

With Utmost Gratitude and Appreciation,

Christa Horst, Give Amore Founding Director

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

— Matthew 7:7-8

Well #41 in the Works and to be Unveiled Soon

It’s always a wonderful feeling launch sustainable projects in the community and this month we are more than happy to report the ground breaking of yet another well to a deserving community courtesy of your cherished support. The borehole sinking is currently underway and is completion eminent.

With hundreds of families eager to draw from this life changing well, its strategic positioning was well evaluated and this well is among the most well placed for its service in respect to accessibility. This is our 41st well in our books and we couldn’t be happier to commission it to its beneficiaries.

The bedrock of our water project program is sustainability and safety above all else. With such a gift that keeps giving, the community is guaranteed of convenient and consistent supply of clean water up to lifetime. More will come from far to draw from it and health will be restored back in a society that was so prone to malady.

Hope Soaring as Love Empowers More

Equipment are a vital necessity in imparting skills and delivery of effective services and thus in their last visit to Kenya, Christa and friends donated computers and accessories as well as office furniture. This boost has gone a long way in effecting service delivery to all immensely.

Our computer training program offers free training to many across Kakamega a county in Kenya and so far there has been record enrolment from students who would have rather paid exorbitant fees in other institutions despite their deprived backgrounds. The skills acquired will go a long way in levelling the playing field of opportunities in a fast changing world.

Despite most of the students being from very poor backgrounds their commitment and consistency is something so admirable. This motivates us to even do more for these much deserving individuals.