Coming soon!
Amurtel’s International Boutique opens at the Masonic Lodge in Waitsfield next Saturday, December 6. The annual event is the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser and Amurtel president Joni Zweig said that this year it is more important than ever due to deep federal cuts in international aid.
“With international cuts our teams working with vulnerable communities have seen a devastating rise in hunger, preventable diseases, and violence against women and girls. It is disheartening to witness successful programs that truly made a difference to thousands be gutted. And worse – it is women and children who bear the brunt of the resulting hardship,” Zweig said. “
Against that backdrop this year, Zweig said the Amurtel team is still “awed and uplifted” by the successes brought about by the people we work side by side with. Women enduring inhumane conditions coming together to provide for their children, families pooling resources to find solutions benefiting the whole community.
“We hold onto these powerful examples of resilience and hope, and it encourages our teams to continue going as well. This past year, Amurtel has worked in over a dozen countries as well as in the U.S.; here are just a few highlights,” she said.
JAMAICA
Currently, Amurtel is providing aid to those hit hard by Hurricane Melissa. Helping families rebuild their homes, replace roofs, and reestablish farms and jobs destroyed by this brutal Category 5 storm is an ongoing effort.
VERMONT
Partnering with True North, a local wilderness-based program, Amurtel was able to provide shoes, boots and winter clothing to numerous programs serving unhoused teens and adults in Washington and Chittenden County, as well as many families facing the winter with limited financial resources.
GAZA
Amurtel continues to sponsor truckloads of water and food for communities facing starvation. With lack of food, water and shelter, disease is rampant. Upon learning medical staff working in the few remaining hospitals were collapsing due to hunger and malnutrition, Amurtel partnered with other NGO’s to provide food for workers and their families. This month, Amurtel has begun raising funds for much-needed blankets as the cold weather sets in.
GHANA
Some might remember the Kente cloth bags at the International Boutique. These were made by a young woman from Ghana. Arati came to Amurtel’s children's home in Accra when she was a small child, and her sister Eunice joined soon after. When Arati grew up, Amurtel supported her dreams to go to college by helping her become a seamstress, providing a sewing machine and training. This allowed her to continue her higher education and help Eunice do the same.
“Recently we received this update: Arati just finished her master’s in human resource management, got married and bought her first car. Eunice has finished her degree in political science and philosophy and is now enrolled in grad school for international relations! We are so proud of these amazing young women. (And we have Arati’s bags for sale this year),” Zweig reported.
HAITI
Two years after fleeing the violence in Port au Prince, a new children’s center is rising in Sante Suzanne! Music, one of the foundations of the children’s program, has a strong outreach in the local community. Older children are offering classes and are often asked to play for local weddings, funerals, and parties, giving them a small income and sense of pride, Zweig noted.
At 19, Chupatine, who came to the home at just a few months old, is now a much sought after DJ. Moving forward, as the closest medical care is over an hour away, the next project is to establish a clinic in the area. Micro-credit programs for women in some of the more difficult areas of Haiti continue to thrive and expand, providing opportunities for families in the face of the ongoing gang violence and embargos.
“As we celebrate Thanksgiving, Amurtel offers heartfelt thanks to this incredibly generous Mad River Valley. Your ongoing support makes it possible for us to continue our grassroots work empowering women and children here in Vermont, and around the world,” Zweig added.
You might also like
