Monday, October 6, 2014

Update on July Appeal : Jovi's case


There’s a well known school of thought that has and continues to prevail among us till date. It says that “you do not have to share wealth to be charitable.. share your time and experience”. We at OH couldn’t agree more.  Because, at every hour of need, each one of you have come forth with your wealth, in the form of time, experience and generosity collectively put together to strengthen us towards each of our mission for the domestics in distress.
3 months ago,  Jovi’s (paralyzed Filipino maid) case was one such mission.  And you helped us pull through it.  Today, Jovi after having been repatriated home continues to receive the medical attention and family care she much needed. Because of the overwhelming support we received in donations, we will be able to provide Jovi financial support (KD 250, monthly) for the next 6 months to cover her medical and other incidental expenses.
Thank you everyone, for sharing the wealth of your time, experience and generosity.
Please watch this space for updates on her through these months.


Operation HOPE wishes everyone Eid Mubarak


OH team wishes everyone a Happy and Safe Eid!


Friday, October 3, 2014

HOPE House closed for Eid Holidays


Dear all
Eid Mubarak

We hope you all are set for a well deserved time off.

Please note that in light of the upcoming Eid, OH would be closed for our weekly Saturday sorting activities on Saturday Oct 4th, 2014.

We would resume on Saturday October 11th at 730 am for our usual sorting activities at HOPE house.

We appreciate your support and wish you a happy Eid.


Friday, September 26, 2014

Save the Date: OH Yard Sale and Esther's Attic Opening !



Event: OH Yard Sale & Esther’s Attic Opening
Day & Date:  Saturday, Oct 18, 2014
Time:  7 am - 11 am
LocationRumaithiya, Block 9, St 92, House 23
What to expect: Household items, books, CD’s, DVD’s, knick-knacks, furnishings, children’s toys, clothing and lots more!
Contact #99375613 or hope@ohkuwait.org for queries
Interested in Volunteering: Contact Volunteer@ohkuwait.org
Reminder:  To be respectful of the neighborhood parking space, we would appreciate if you would kindly park your vehicle next to the cooperative ahead on the street of HOPE house on sale day.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Thank you for supporting us with the toiletries donations.



Dear community, thank you for your support in helping us collect the items for our outreach activity for the deportation centre. The support has been great. We are scheduled to pack and drop these items on Saturday ( Aug 23) at 730 am. Those interested to volunteer and haven't confirmed your presence yet, please email us on volunteer@ohkuwait.org

Volunteering activity on Saturday Mornings at HOPE House.



Our young volunteer Cole Stanley busy hanging clothes getting things ready for Esthers opening in October.



Volunteers Cole, Matt and Caleb Stanley this morning on sorting and steaming duty at HOPE house preparing for our October opening

Volunteer Tumi this morning on steaming duty at HOPE house


Our enthusiastic volunteers Marina, Christian, Janice, Tamara, Allyson, Marina and Chita busy sorting and posing for our camera at HOPE house this morning.





Special Thanks



A special thanks to our donor Ms Zeina Al Khatib for her donation of Non perishable food items during Ramadan. The embassy shelters were the blessed recipients of these items. Should you wish to donate in kind, here's a lovely and blessed w...ay to make your donation. Rice,Sugar,Oil,Dry beans,Tea bags,Canned foods w/ flip-top openings,Dry milk (Nido Milk Poweder)
,Tomato paste, Pasta. For more donation details, visit our website
www.ohkuwait.org

Special note from the Hateen Shelter


Dear community, here is a special handwritten thank you note from some ladies at an embassy shelter that have expressed their appreciation on receiving donations over the past few weeks. Your community donations have made this possible. Thank you for being their HOPE in every little way.


Friday, August 1, 2014

Message from Operation HOPE Team on July appeal.

Dear Friends of Operation HOPE Kuwait,

What a week we've had here at the premises of OH Kuwait! The phone didn't stop ringing, messages arrived throughout every day and long into every night, while our door bell rang and rang and rang. All of this activity due to the incredible outpouring of support which arrived soon after our APPEAL for support went out last week. So here's the latest (and greatest) news:

The 5 AC units, which were desperately needed at the Embassy Shelter, were immediately purchased by a very generous Kuwaiti patron, and installed the very next day! And now, the more than one-hundred shelter wards staying at that shelter are finally being kept cooler in this summer's stifling heat!

Syed's wheelchair was also purchased ~ by the same Kuwaiti patron! He has been measured for his custom-made wheelchair and it is expected to be ready for his use within 45 - 60 days.

On an aside, the salesman at Al Eassa Medical Supply mentioned that there is another child in need of a wheelchair. Saleisha, a 3 year old Philippino boy who has had numerous open heart surgeries amongst other health-related challenges, has now also been gifted with an expensive custom-designed wheelchair through the generous sponsorship by a second Kuwaiti patron, and his wheelchair will be delivered in the same time frame as Syed's!!

And finally, Jovi ~ the Philippina who was left paralyzed through a traffic accident, will be returning to her native homeland immediately following the Eid holiday. Through the generosity of this amazing community Jovi's needs will be met for years to come. The overwhelming response to her plight has brought donations in excess of anything we could have expected. She has also been gifted with a wheelchair, a suitcase full of new clothing, a beautiful leather handbag with matching wallet and travelling funds. Her three daughters and one adopted son will be flown from their province of Mindenao to Manilla to receive the mother whom they haven't seen in more than 10 years. Accomodations for Jovi's daughters are being covered by another Kuwaiti family who are led to support this family's needs for now.

Kuwaiti sisters, Mariam and Nooriyah have blessed Jovi. They have spent much of their time in Jovi's room, taking in freshly made Philippino foods and desserts; and they have even Skyped with Jovi's daughters from Jovi's hospital room so that mother and daughters could begin their reunion! They sing songs to and with Jovi, and they bring a cheerful spirit each and every time they see her. And these amazing sisters have collected an incredible sum of support for Jovi and her family. They are the wisdom behind posting Jovi's case on Instagram, Twitter and What'sapp, and they are a blessing to my life and to the mission of Operation HOPE Kuwait.

We can all agree that God works in amazing ways and to prove His provision I wish to conclude this update with the narration of a recent conversation...

Chita and I had gone to visit Jovi a 2nd time and stayed with her about an hour. As we were preparing to leave her hospital room I bent over Jovi's bed and whispered into her ear, "Jovi dearest, soon you are going home to be with your family. Do you believe me?" With tears pouring down her face she answered, "I prayed and prayed that God would send someone to help me, and He sent you. Yes, I believe you. I am finally going home." When Jovi prayed for God to send someone to help her He also sent you! We serve a mighty God who hears the crys of His children all around the world. This is one truth we can depend on no matter what. So on that note I wish to thank each and every one of you for the support which has brought blessings to these needy brothers and sisters of ours. Your love, compassion and willingness to serve others has brought joy in volumes too great to articulate. You are appreciated.

Gratefully,
Sheryll Mairza
Founder

Eid Wishes From the team at Operation HOPE Kuwait.

The team at Operation HOPE wish everyone a blessed and Safe Eid.

Saturday Moments at HOPE House.

Meet the A team - our hands on, energetic and upbeat group of volunteers that make sure donations get dropped off at the embassy shelter every Saturday. Pictured here (left - right) Frieda, Marina Mcguire, Christian Agnelo, and Marina Desouza with Embassy shelter staff on Saturday morning during donation drop off.
 


Non perishable food and toiletry donations received earlier last week from the G4S team, waiting to be unloaded at the embassy shelter.



Food donations being unloaded at the embassy shelter on Saturday morning.

Friday, July 18, 2014

G4S Kuwait Team donates to Operation HOPE Kuwait as part of CSR initiative.


Operation HOPE founder Sheryll Mairza received the enthusiastic group from G4S Kuwait who visited HOPE house with donation packages of toiletries and non perishable food items collected as part of the firm wide Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. We are thankful to the team for this wonderful collection drive that would benefit a womens shelter soon. You are all stars!


G4S staff with donations made at HOPE house on Tuesday morning.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Special Outreach Activity with Phillipines Embassy Shelter.

Last week Operation HOPE successfully initiated a special request from the Philippines embassy. Donation of formula for infants, milk powder, Johnsons Baby gift packs of powder, baby oil, shampoo, soap and women undergarments were provided to service the request for an ongoing current need at the shelter.

 We are appreciative of the embassy staff to allow Operation HOPE to help in this request.

To the community, that keep pouring in donations, we Thank you for having faith in our mission and allowing us to be a part of such special moments.

Summer Time Activities in Operation HOPE Kuwait.

Dear all,

Despite the heat reaching its challenging peak as the summer continues, we hope each one of you are being able to enjoy the little pleasures among us, whether it is the shorter working hours, slower pace of things, the luxury of working in air conditioned shaded space, perhaps even those well planned forthcoming weekend / summer getaways, and not to forget enjoying that juicy watermelon at the end of a long hot day.

No matter what your choice of blessing may be, we hope you are counting it every day. 

The team at Operation HOPE continues to be appreciative of its blessings as well that come every week in the form of donations from the community. Volunteers continue to meet all through summer every Saturday from 730 am - 830 am to sort through these donations. Here's how you can also join in. 

  • Be a sorting volunteer by joining us at HOPE House at 730 am on a Saturday and help us sort through weekly donations till 830 am.
  • Be a drop off volunteer - Every week the team drops off clothing donations to the embassy shelters between 830 am - 930 am. We always need volunteers with vehicles for this.
  • Be a stocker at Esther's Attic - As we prepare to reopen Esther's Attic for the fall in October, new stock of clothing donations are sorted and steamed for display.
  • Be an OH ambassador from home- If coming during Saturday morning is inconvenient for you, dont feel bad about it. We understand how this schedule may not suit all but you can always contribute should you wish. Spread the word among your friends and family and you could be the collection point for all the donations from them and have it delivered it to us . Our donation drop off time is Saturday's from 7am - 11 am. 

Have a great weekend all.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Movenpick Hotel Al Bidaa Kuwait supports Operation HOPE Kuwait with Donations.



On behalf of Operation HOPE, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to  Ms Manal ( Learning and Development Manager), Ms Khadija ( PR Incharge) and the team at Movenpick Hotel Al Bidaa for donating gently used rugs, lines and other clothing donations to the Embassy Shelters.

The Embassy Representatives at
both the Sri Lankan Embassy and the Philippines Embassy were overjoyed to receive the donations. The linen will be extremely handy for the shelter residents, providing them comfort and solace in their difficult and challenging circumstances.

We thank you for considering these shelters as suitable recipients for your donations and look forward to serving beside you again in the future.

Toiletries Packing at HOPE House, June 14.


A special thanks to all the volunteers that were present at HOPE house this Saturday from 8am - 9am to help us pack the 275 friendship bags of toilteries dispatched to the embassy shelters. Your presence was a blessing!

 

Representatives from the British Girl guides in Foreign countries, helping with the toiletries distribution at the embassy shelter on Saturday morning. Thank you for all your efforts and donations made.

Vote of Thanks : Equait

Operation HOPE was recently blessed with a donation of KD 178.75 KD as a result of the fund raising initiatives recently conducted by the energetic and youthful group at Equait.
 
Thank you for choosing Operation HOPE as the recipient of this donation and know that this is a well timed one with the ongoing efforts of the collection drive on our toiletries donation for the embassy shelters.
 
Thank you!

Operation HOPE Mothers Day feature in the Arabtimes.

Novartis supports Operation HOPE as part of CSR initiative.



A special shoutout to the ever enthusiastic group from Novartis that joined us this week to help us with our weekly Saturday sorting. We appreciate each and everyone of you that made it such a productive morning.

A special thanks to Chita w...ho oversaw a smooth flow of the mornings activities along with Marina and Freeda who helped with embassy shelter donation drop off and one of our new student volunteer Stutti who helped with stock count on toilterries donations currently being collected from the community towards our embassy initiative!

Kudos to the positive presence of you all!



Friday, March 21, 2014

British Embassy Mattress Donation.



Operation HOPE was blessed with a precious donation of mattresses from the British Embassy of Kuwait earlier this week which was passed on to the Sri Lankan Embassy for the sleeping arrangements of the ladies at the embassy shelter.

Embassy official Mr. Aruna Dasanayake along with other staff were available to receive this donation.

Once again, our deepest appreciation for the kind and generous donation initiated by Ms Maria. Fernandes from the embassy and allowing Operation HOPE to be the beneficiaries of this donation.

Indeed a blessing more precious than you can ever imagine!

Little actions can make a big difference.


Operation HOPE was recently blessed by a very young volunteer - little Tanvi Shetty only 9 years old. Tanvi visited Operation HOPE with her dad 2 weeks ago to drop off some donations. Touched by our mission, last Saturday she asked her dad to drop her off at Esther's Attic so she could volunteer with us while her dad was running some errands.

What a wonderful and productive way indeed to spend a Saturday morning! And when leaving for the day, she has offered to bring her friends along next week. Tanvi, we applaud you for your kind and caring heart!

As an African proverb goes, "If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito".

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Schools in Action: More toilteries from Students at BSK.



A special shout out goes to the folks at the British School of Kuwait that put together 25 bags of toiletries to support Operation HOPE for its ongoing toiletries initiative for an embassy shelter.

Every bag collected, every bag donated continue to matter, helping us meet our target number of 300 bags!

Thanks Ms Patricia for the donation drop off earlier this week.  

Schools in Action: Toilteries Donation pour into HOPE House from ASK



The amalgamated efforts of an energetic group coupled with the drive to serve Kuwait’s neediest, resulted in the collection of 75 Packs of toiletry hampers by Ms Lauren and her group of volunteers from the American School of Kuwait.  Donations were dropped off at HOPE house earlier this week as we continue to work towards our current toiletries initiative for an embassy Shelter. We deeply appreciate you guys!
 The collection towards the target number of 300 persist.



Sunday, February 2, 2014

Esther's visits Esther's Attic.


Esther (centre) with her teddy and mother with the OH team

2 weeks ago a young visitor by the name of Esther visited Esther’s Attic. She came in with a little mission. A mission that involved parting ways with her precious teddy bear with the objective of providing it a home.

This teddy made its way home that afternoon to the Philippines embassy shelter along with the other donations received from the community and ear marked for the 2 mothers currently being sheltered there.

Thank you dear Esther for being so young yet generous to part with something so dear to you. Thank you for supporting our mission with yours.

Thank you dear Esther : ) 

ASK donations sent from Lost and Found.


Operation HOPE recently received 3 bags of gently used donations from the American School of Kuwait. Donations that made their way to our humble abode as a result of items that collected over time in the lost and found section of the school. Thanks to one of our key benefactors Ms Summer Al Hajjaj who initiated communication with the school to ensure these items could be channeled to Operation HOPE as donations.

With the help of our Saturday volunteers we were able to home these donations to a designated embassy shelter where they are needed.

Thank you American School of Kuwait for cooperating with this transfer of donation.
Thank you Ms Summer Al Hajjaj for being that ambassador of Operation HOPE and initiaiting the effort to make this happen.

We continue to remind ourselves that every bit counts.

Every Bag of donation.
Every KD.
Every effort.
Every volunteer.
Every one of you.

Thank you.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Donation Drop off Day at HOPE House.



FYI: OH must change the timings for when we can receive your donations.

From today onward we'll accept your new and gently used items on Saturday's from 7 - 11 AM.

We appreciate your continued support and patronage and hope this change does not cause too much inconvenience.

Thank you for partnering with us in serving Kuwait!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

HOPE in 2014. Happy New Year.


Every ending starts with the hope of a new beginning.

With the commencement of the new year, one element remains constant, the HOPE for a new start and HOPE for fresh beginnings, whether its for mending old ties and relationships, reinforcing beliefs and principles, kicking an old bad habit, defining more time for the finer and simpler things in life, loosing those extra kilos, more reading time, restoring faith in yourself towards humanity and the greater good, We HOPE for better against all odds.

So as you'l kick start the first day to 2014, here's the team of Operation HOPE wishing you people a happy 2014 and the reminder to never loose sight of that HOPE every minute of this year.