News From RYDA 2004

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December 2004
St. Margaret's donates $AUD1250 to RYDA work. The money was used to buy cement and aggregate stone for the completion of the computer and secretarial classroom at the Buloba Centre.

November 2004
The DVD, RYDA on the Move, arrives in Australia. It is an excellent production and every person on RYDA staff must be congratulated for both the quality of the film and for the amazing development of the organisation which it shows.

August 2004

1. St. Margaret's transferred the next term fees to support Diana.
2. Ron Goldie and wife Iris met Geoffrey during his first visit to Australia. (See photo and message in the article titled A Special Story.) Iris died recently and Ron has now moved to special accommodation. As part of bringing his affairs to order Ron has made a $AUD500 donation to the work of RYDA. It was indeed a very special meeting in 1998. Thank you Ron.

June 2004
Wednesday 16th St. Margaret's Uniting Church, Mooroolbark, Australia, transferred Diana's school fees for the next term to the RYDA account. A further donation of $AUD500 (500 Australian Dollars) was also added to the account in the form of $US345.40. This amount was made up of weekly donations into our RYDA offering box which is placed at the entrance each Sunday.

May 2004

• Currently 100 children sleeping at the centre. There is room for more, but they don't have the appropriate bedding at the moment.
• The 5 pigs they started with have had piglets and there are now 30 pigs altogether. Many will eventually be slaughtered and eaten by the children and staff.
• The 300 chickens they now have produce 7 trays of eggs a day. Some of these are sold. Some are consumed on site.
• A TV is now available for the kids in the recreation area.
• The canteen is about half finished, but is already providing snacks for kids during the day as needed.
• Lydia, the first young lady sponsored through school by St. Margaret's, largely through the dedication of Cathy and Peter Millar, is now 20 years old and will be going to university later this year to study to be an artist. Her favourite areas are painting and drawing. Her fluency in English and her intelligent conversation are a testimony to the value of the educational support Cathy and Peter organised.

February 2004
Diana, the young student sponsored by members of St. Margaret's, has passed her primary examinations with flying colours. She has now been found a place at a secondary boarding school and the support group will be looking for donations for fees, books, shoes and bedding.

January 2004
The December half-yearly donation from St. Margaret's church, Australia, is $US567.90. What miracles will be performed with this amount?
We have now found out that some of the donation was put towards extending the piggery project, "to buy more Pigs to strengthen this new project" and that one of the pigs has recently produced piglets, so the project is doing well.