We were recently featured on Premier Dalton McGuinty’s blog – BlogOn(tario). Here is what he had to say:

“This time of year, especially, we all try to look for ways to make a difference. The spirit of the holidays helps us open our hearts to families and communities who don’t have the same opportunities we enjoy here.

That’s what Robin Mednick has done in spades. Her “accidental journey” started with a phone call in 2005. “A friend who was just back from Niger told me that 30 kids there were sharing one pencil. I couldn’t just leave that sentence hanging,” Mednick says. And so her Pencils for Kids adventure began.”

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This year, in honour of those you love, give the gift of education to a child in Liboré, Niger, Africa.

It has been a challenging year for the people of Liboré, Niger. Pencils for Kids has officially launched its Farmers of the Future program together with our partner, Eliminate Poverty Now, in three villages, teaching children how to practice agriculture as a business. Our first ever scholarship recipient from our Scholarships for Girls program has gone on to University, and the sewing centre continues to thrive.  But amidst this uplifting news, there was massive flooding in August, displacing thousands of families, who not only lost their homes, but their crops as well. Many P4K supporters  responded to our appeal and, as a result, we were able to send money to purchase tons of rice, thousands of dollars of medicine and hundreds of bed-nets.

We remain deeply committed to helping this community get on its feet and develop programs that are self-sustaining. All of the Kindergartens begun by P4K are now run by the government and fully sustainable. The Cooper sewing centre sells creations and sewing supplies to local villagers, and the money from this,  along with modest student fees, help support the centre and teacher. The women’s tree nursery that was begun as part of our Farmers of the Future program will sell its trees to local farmers and use the money to support other women’s gardens. Despite the setbacks imposed by the flooding, Liboré continues to make tangible progress on all these fronts.

Please join us on twitter and facebook and read our blog. Check out our website www.pencilsforkids.com which is filled with descriptions of all of our projects, inspirational stories, videos, photos, and more!

Thank you for supporting the work of Pencils for Kids and letting the children in Liboré, Niger know that you care!

- Pencils for Kids

The wonderful P4K supporters rallied and raised over $11,000 in a week to help the people of Libore buy food for those displaced by the flooding in August.  Along with our partner Eliminate Poverty Now, over $22,000 was sent to buy bednets, medicine and bags of grain.

The good news for Farmers of the Future is that our 3 pilot schools were not flooded and the mini-farms are in tact. Unfortunately, many in the villages are homeless. They are being housed temporarily in the classrooms. We don’t know when these families will be relocated and whether the start of the school year will be affected. Nonetheless, we are moving forward with our launch plans and will be ready whenever the school year begins

Our partners on the Farmers of the Future (FOF), Eliminate Poverty Now, recently posted this update on the FOF program.

Please click here to learn more.