LifeNets Program Highlights for the year 2000 

Ukraine Transcarpathia

In order to better serve our Ukrainian programs that continue to develop and grow, LifeNets organized a legal chapter in Khust. We were pleased to be able to offer the following aid in 2000:

In 2000 LifeNets organized a legal chapter in Khust and were pleased to be able to offer the following aid:

• Assisted refugees resettled from Tajikistan to the Kherson, Ukraine, area. LifeNets provided over 190 refugees with winter food staples that included 19 tons of potatoes, sunflower oil, grain and rice.

• Opened a LifeNets computer school with 10 computer workstations and Internet access. Over 100 people were trained in basic computer skills. The school operates during the day for area children and during the evening for adults. In order to provide Internet access, we have provided a reliable ISP service that benefits all of Khust.

• Established a micro-loan fund whereby families can borrow up to $400, interest free, in order to purchase tools or livestock with which they can earn income. More than 20 loans have been made thus far.  

• Conducted three sessions of summer camp for area children in nearby Shayan. Over 350 campers were able to participate in the activities. This was the first time a camp of this type has operated in post-Soviet times for these children.

• Administered a scholarship and construction fund for a U.S. donor. A committee in the village of Uglya recommends candidates and LifeNets distributes the scholarships. Ten deserving students received scholarships to Uzhgorod University in 2000. This donor has also provided funding for the computer school in Khust and Uglya along with funding for school and hospital repair in Uglya.

Ukraine Chernobyl  

Our support of the “Ukraine Revival” Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children in Chernihev continues. Many children in the area continue to suffer from the devastating effects of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. In facilitating our pledge of “Not Forgetting…. the Children of Chernobyl,” we provided the following services in the year 2000: 

• Shipped a 20-foot, 10-ton container of medical equipment and supplies to the Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children. The container arrived in February 2000.

• Funded the construction of a sports/play pavilion at the center.

• Served 100 children each month at Ukraine’s only medical/vocational children’s rehabilitation center. Through cash grants, rehabilitation services for disabled children are paid for by LifeNets.

• Hosted the center’s founder, Dr. Pasichnyk, on a national tour of rehabilitation facilities in the United States. The tour, which included the Mayo Clinic and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, provided Dr. Pasichnyk with many valuable contacts and resources that will benefit the Rehabilitation Center.

• Shipped medicines valued at $56,000 to the Rehabilitation Center from the Netherlands.

Estonia and Eastern Europe 

In the Baltics, we are focusing our efforts in Tartu, Estonia.  LifeNets provided the following in 2000:   

• Purchased gym equipment, toys and musical instruments for Emajõe Kool, one of two schools serving blind and disabled children in Estonia. This was the second year of this program, and we plan to continue helping supply items that are not provided by the Estonian government. We have directly benefited 95 children at Emajõe Kool.   

• Shipped a 40-foot container of used clothing from the United States.

Central America  

LifeNets is actively working in Guatemala and El Salvador. We provided the following in 2000:   

• Installed concrete floors for indigent families living on dirt in Guatemala. In 2000, we funded seven floors, and our goal is to complete eight more in 2001.   

• Constructed an outdoor commercial-sized bread oven. Three families in La Tinta, Guatemala, will cooperatively use this oven to bake bread that will be sold to neighbors. This oven ensures the three families future self-sufficiency. 

• Shipped over $12,000 of medicines to Guatemala. Five local physicians oversaw the distribution of medicines in Guatemala City and outlying areas on behalf of LifeNets.   

• Collected donations for a 40-foot container to be loaded in Houston, Texas. The primary goal of the shipment is to aid with items that will help provide employment and health care. Goods in this shipment will be distributed in both El Salvador and Guatemala. The container shipped in early 2001 and contained tools, medical supplies and equipment, dental offices and supplies, household items, school uniforms, school supplies and clothing. 

 
Malawi 

LifeNets has been assisting a medical clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi, was founded by Gladstone Chonde in 1991. Chonde continues to direct the clinic. Our commitment to the clinic continues, and our activities in the year 2000 reflect that commitment:   

• Started construction of the new Malakia Birthing Center and Clinic in Lilongwe in July.  The clinic will serve the primary medical needs of the inhabitants of a neighborhood of 15,000 people. LifeNets collected items needed to furnish and supply the Malakia Clinic: medical equipment, supplies, hospital linens, furniture and food. The shipment left for Lilongwe in February 2001 from Minneapolis, Minnesota.   

• Provided medicines quarterly to the clinic. This medicine is the only medicine available to the Malakia Clinic. LifeNets purchased these medicines for less than 8 percent of their wholesale value.   

Zambia 

Zambia was added to our family of projects in 2000.  Here is our progress thus far:   

• Completed initial program development work for a cattle restoration project for two remote communities in the Mumba area.  Many residents in this area lost all their cattle due to corridor disease three years ago. Through collaboration with Heifer Project International, we hope to restore cattle that will provide draft power along with protein from dairy products for people living at subsistence levels. Our plans are to move aggressively on the cattle restoration program in the year 2001.   

• Provided five deserving families with bicycles, which are the chief means of transportation in rural Zambia. We also provided a cart to the community that serves as the main source of hauling.   

Philippines 

For the second year we have provided aid in three areas of need:   

•  Supplied tents, shoes, sleeping bags and backpacks for a youth camp near Davao City where about 60 campers attended.   

• Fulfilled requests for more than 200 Bibles and assorted office supplies   

• Provided cancer medication for a remote resident.

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General and Administrative expenses were minimal at $4,079 representing less than 1.8 percent of revenue. We put your money to work!

No salaries are paid by LifeNets so virtually all contributions are used for relief efforts. Donations to LifeNets are tax deductible in the United States and donors will receive a receipt for tax purposes. Many medicines are purchased at 3 - 8% of wholesale cost, dramatically increasing the value of contributions for medical relief.

How you can help:

LifeNets relies on the efforts of volunteers to make a difference in the lives of people around the world. Contact us to see how you may help. Your donations to LifeNets may be designated for the general fund or directed to a specific program.

Contact:

Victor Kubik, President
LifeNets
3707 Turfway Court
PO Box 88165
Indianapolis, IN 46208-0165

Phone    888 821-0095 or 317 216-0802
FAX     707 202-3313 

Email: kubik@lifenets.org