#savethebabies: Help Children Rise out of Poverty

“When roots are deep, there is no need to fear the wind.” refugee and recipient diapers from Jake’s programs

Moving to a new home is exhausting and overwhelming. In many circumstances, relocation is forced and unexpected – adding to the challenges. 

Recently, Jake’s has been able to help a refugee to the area through its Eastern Wisconsin Diaper Bank and in partnership with Parent Connection of Family Services NEW.

Kenlin Grams shared this story: 

This parent is a refugee and often struggles to communicate her needs and advocate for herself. Recently, she has begun making her own phone calls, responding to letter, and asking for help when she needs it. She was able to pay off bills with the help of a financial agent, because she never gives up.

During the last month, this parent has received 3 packages of diapers because she cannot afford both diapers for home, as well as diapers for daycare. Without the help from Jake’s Diapers, she would struggle immensely keeping up with her child’s diaper needs.

This parent is so exuberant and full of life! She will be the first person to give a hug and the last person, too; she always wants to make sure people know how loved they are.

This parent always carves out time for self-care. When she is having a rough day, she paints her nails and makes herself a family recipe for comfort. She always expresses gratitude in times of hardship and often says, “when roots are deep, there is no need to fear the wind.”

January through October this year, we’ve supplied 302,694 disposable diapers to 6,741 babies in need.

Links:

• #GivingTuesday campaign

Jake’s partners with community nonprofits to distribute hygiene products, including diapers, to people in need. This is a rural area pilot project in Green Lake County.

People living in poverty in rural areas typically face unique challenges due to a lack of resources and inability to reach existing resources. Recognizing the scarcity of options for families in need, Jake’s Network of Hope partnered with Green Lake County Health and Human Services and Children’s Wisconsin Start Right program to provide parents in poverty with much needed diapers for their littles.

We launched our project to serve Green Lake County in early 2021, and started delivering diapers in February. Currently our partnership is serving 33 families. 

Here’s a bit more about the impact this has made, from both our partners: 

Green Lake County Health and Human Services: 

Our partnership helped a young mom keep her second child after the of her child was using drugs and went to jail. The mom, now a single mother, is also struggling with mental health issues. Her first child (of a different father) is now living with the father’s family. 

She enjoys working with her case worker to manage her mental health issues and is now trying to do well for her baby boy. She has no income and lives in low income housing. Her caseworker is helping her apply for disability because of her mental health issues. She’s almost done with the caseworker, but they are hoping to transition her into a new program to continue getting help. 

Start Right program

A family that just registered to the program, only Spanish-speaking and the mother is an 18-year-old with a 5-month-old baby. She is going to be starting to work but she wasn’t working because of the baby, so they really needed diapers and wipers. Diapers are so expensive and babies run out of diapers really fast. She lives with her boyfriend, a stepdad, both as first-time parents. 

This is a pilot project made possible by funding from the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Their generous gift does not cover all expenses related to this work. Consider giving a donation as part of our Circle of Change to make a lasting difference, and give diapers to families in need.

We love our nonprofit partners, they are like that best friend that you can catch up with at any moment and they just get you. Because we’re in this together, serving people in need and improving lives one at a time.

We’ve partnered with other organizations since the beginning (when we launched in 2013) as a strategic way to reach more people than if we were directly distributing to those in need on our own. In this way, we serve two groups of people: our nonprofit partners and the people they serve.

Our nonprofit partners benefit from us because they don’t need to stress out about where to source the basic needs items that their clients need. Their clients benefit because they more regularly and easily have their needs met. Win-win!

Here are some heart warming stories from one of our great partners, CNY Diaper Bank. Since our partnership began in 2019, we’ve provided cloth diaper kits to 114 kids in need. That means 114 kids have stayed covered from birth to potty training, whose parents otherwise would have struggled to provide for this need. Plus, we’ve converted a few cloth lovers along the way. 

Check out two of their stories: 

After losing both incomes in what she says felt like overnight, Tiffany turned to CNY:

“We couldn’t afford even the bare minimum. This free cloth diaper program allowed us to save extra money while my husband looked for a job. And we continue to use them as we potty train our son and try to expand our family. CNY Diaper Bank has helped my family a lot. Not only with cloth diapers but providing a huge comfort in the form of an understanding, caring and compassionate person who not only helped my family but also listened to me during my time of need. Thank you.” – Tiffany L. 

And here’s one of those cloth lover converts:

“I would have never tried cloth diapering if it were not for your program. I was intimidated and didn’t think I would keep up with it. I’ve been cloth diapering for over a year now, with plans to keep going!” – Melissa B.

Over the past three years, thanks to your support, we’ve been providing reusable cloth diapers to Ekisa Ministries. Located in Jinja, Uganda, Ekisa supports children with disabilities so they can thrive in families and communities. Most recently, they received cloth diapers for six kids in their Transitional Home, bringing cleanliness and dignity to the children Ekisa serves. 

Ekisa recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary, and Kristen, their founder, shares this letter: 

It is hard to believe that it has been exactly ten years since Ekisa first opened its doors as a residential home. It still feels like yesterday that we drove across town to pick up 3 children from another children’s home and introduce them, and one little one who had already arrived, to the Ekisa house. That first night with only 4 children and a handful of staff members, I don’t think any of us would have been able to imagine how much Ekisa would grow and change over the next decade. Not only have we cared for over 40 children in our residential home but we have had the opportunity to work alongside hundreds of families in Jinja as well as starting to extend our reach further to provide support and training for other organisations around the world.

It has been such a privilege to be a part of the story of Ekisa, and to have a front row seat to see all that God has grown it into over the last ten years. I think everyone who has worked at Ekisa would agree that it is not always easy; there have been heart-breaking and difficult times along the way, but I doubt anyone has left without being changed for the better by these children and their families. I know that is true for me even now that I’m not able to be a part of day-to-day life at Ekisa.

While so much has changed since that first night, the heart of Ekisa still remains the same, we want to celebrate each child for the unique and amazing people they are and we want to see every child grow up in a family and community that sees their worth. If I think back to those 4 children I tucked into bed that first night, I never could have guessed what God would do in each of their lives. They are all teenagers now and each has a different story, but they have all been given gifts and talents that make the world a better and more joyful place and I’m so grateful for each of them and all of the other children and young people that Ekisa works with.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, whether you have supported us since the beginning or if you have joined the journey just recently; Ekisa would not be what it is today without your prayers and support. Thank you for being a part of this story, and I look forward to seeing all Ekisa can achieve in the next ten years! 

Sincereley,

Kristin, Co-Founder, Ekisa Ministries

Jake’s Network of Hope partners with Abide, a Uganda nonprofit, to provide cloth diaper kits to parents struggling to provide basic needs.

Monica, a 24-year-old single mother, fed her infant sugar water and black tea as a last resort - all the while wondering whether this is how raising her son would go.

“On a lucky day, well wishers from my community would give me cow's milk for the baby," she told Abide Family Center Uganda, a Jake’s Network of Hope partner. Monica believed that her son Henry belonged with her, the organization wrote on this Facebook post. She wanted the best for him; however needed additional support to achieve this important goal in her life.

"I found life hard," Monica recalls. “I used to think, is this going to be my life? Is my son going to grow up this way?"

After connecting with Abide, the organization explains what happened next:

• Monica received formula (she still does) for her son Henry.
• She was enrolled into our business and parenting class where she graduated and received certificates upon graduation.
• After graduation, Abide worked with Monica and helped her start a second hand clothes business which is doing very well.
• Monica's goal to stay with her son and be able to take care of him has been achieved.

Monica’s little boy also received cloth diapers from kits sent by Jake’s Network of Hope.

Abide works with parents to help them achieve self sufficiency. Over 80% of the children living in orphanages in Uganda have at least one living parent, being raised away from their families because of poverty, not because they are unloved or unwanted.

Our cloth diaper kits provide an additional resource so that more parents like Monica can afford to better their situation and take care of their children. It won’t be long before another mom like Monica walks through their door, and we need your help.