Ah...I can breathe again!

All praise to our Great God! Thirteen of the Fifteen U.S. Visas were issued. The only reason two were not is due to glitches that can be remedied. In one case, it's a matter of working with the college involved and it's a Visa renewal - Pray that MATC and SEVIS work through quickly on behalf of Clarel. The other is for one of our ESL students who's parents will have action to accomplish what needs to be done. All others have received approval for Visas - AMEN! Thank YOU for your prayers!

ESL Experience Host Families Needed - For your consideration

Hello my dear ones!

We still need to secure host families for our precious top scholars from Institution Univers for their U.S. adventure! We have a few families committed to host students but still need more.

I am attaching information for you to share with you and please share with others in your church.  

Click on the link for the ESL Experience promotion video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ecXm5ZxlY

You are welcome to share this with others! 

The cost is $2,800 per student for the entire time. The cost per student per week is $700. 

An estimate of dates of arrival is July 25 through August 22 in Ohio.  

Please let me know as soon as you can if you can host a student and please give me a first choice week and a second choice week, based on give or take a few days, July 25 through August 22 (8/22/14 most likely is the date for me to get them to NY to meet up with Hugues Bastien, as has been the tradition) with transfer from home to home, to take place on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon/evening each week.

Please contact me with any questions and THANK YOU for your prayerful consideration!

Much Love,

Marylee

Wilnese

Today my little friend Wilnese will be sitting for her entrance exam to attend Institution Univers, to return to IU, entering in Grade 7. Please keep her in your prayers as she is excited yet nervous to take the exam.
Here's Wilnese visiting me in my office at school:

Girls for the World Workshop Week coming to Institution Univers

We are very excited to welcome Karen Hanson from Girls for the World who has chosen Institution Univers as the place to introduce Girls for the World to the country of Haiti!
Karen will join us during our third week of Summer Camp 2014, to work with our Grade 12 girls. Karen has been very generous with her time and travel. We need to raise $750 to cover lunch and dinner for the girls, Karen and her translator, for the week.
If you could help with the raising of these funds please send your donation to:
COCINA
P.O. Box 12695
Columbus, OH 43212
and write on the memo line "IU Summer Camp-Girls for the World Workshop"
Every amount counts!

Here's the objectives for the week:

We strive to accomplish these objectives during each five-day workshop:

Heighten Self-Awareness
Promote Healthy Body Image
Understand Health and Hygiene
Promote Nutrition and Fitness
Spark Imagination
Build Confidence
Boost Action
Embody Compassion
Develop Leadership Skills
Introduce Business-Related Competencies
Strengthen Relationships and Community Building
Build Resilience

Please click on their website for further information: www.girlsfortheworld.org

Thank you so much for helping us help our young women!
Marylee

Please be praying for all those affected...

CIDRAP News Scan for May 23, 2014

63,000 Caribbean chikungunya cases

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Caribbean chikungunya outbreak tops 63,000 cases

The Caribbean chikungunya outbreak grew by 6,303 cases in the past week to reach 63,489 suspected, probable, or confirmed cases, according to an update today from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The count is up from 57,186 cases a week ago.
Martinique continues to report the largest numbers by far, with 26,670 suspected (up from 24,180) and 1,515 confirmed or probable cases, the ECDC said. Cases on Guadeloupe continued to soar over the past couple of weeks; the island now has 18,000 suspected (up from 13,000) and 1,328 confirmed or probable cases.
Suspected and confirmed cases in the Dominican Republic held steady at 8,017 and 17, respectively. The French side of St. Martin reported 3,280 suspected and 793 confirmed or probable cases.
Also reporting chikungunya are Dominica, with 1,578 suspected and 121 confirmed cases; St. Barthelemy, 510 suspected and 135 confirmed or probable cases; Haiti, 632 confirmed cases; the Dutch side of St. Martin, 325 suspected and 301 confirmed cases; French Guiana, 176 confirmed or probable cases; Anguilla, 33 confirmed cases; St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 24 suspected and 3 confirmed cases; British Virgin Islands, 20 confirmed cases; St. Lucia, 5 confirmed cases; Antigua and Barbuda, 4 cases; and Aruba and St. Kitts and Nevis with 1 confirmed case each.
Haiti's count rose from only 14 confirmed cases last week to 632.
Also this week, Florida reported its fourth chikungunya case, in a man who had traveled to the Caribbean, according to a May 21 press release from Palm Beach County's health department. The man is recovering, the agency said. Media reports said he is 66. The first US cases were reported in Florida 1 week ago.
The chikungunya outbreak is the first known in the Americas and began in December on the French side of St. Martin. Seven deaths have been reported.
May 23 ECDC update
May 21 Palm Beach County health department news release

Updates from Univers...

 News from Ouanaminthe:

• Hugues returned from a trip outside the country quite sick, spending a week under the weather, but is back in form again. 
•  We have about 14 students scheduled for visa interviews in early June – for the August ESL experience, first-time college student visas and renewals. 
• At the national Genie Royal (a.k.a. It’s Academic), Univers lost out to a rival school from Ouanaminthe – grrr!  However, at a first-time-ever similar local academic knowledge competition, Univers easily topped that same school.  Sweet!
• Univers sent four qualifying teams to the national volleyball championship tournament in Port-au-Prince.  However, the organization of the host committee was sadly lacking, causing our delegation to spend their first night sleeping on the gymnasium bleachers! 
• And we have two more grads who have returned with Bachelor degrees from the U.S. to join the I.U. staff – Marie-Claire Charles and Emmanuel Joseph.

Some of our "Philo" (Grade 13) in front of the school:

Marie Claire and her precious family at graduation from Millersville University:

 Our Genie Royal Team:

 Wesley at graduation from Gloucester County College, now onto Berea College for his Bachelors degree (see post from May 16, 2014):

Follow up to my May 15 blog - we have a partial sponsor, now we need the other half PLEASE!!!

The prospective host family for this student has just pledged $6,000 a year toward this student! Is there anyone out there willing to pledge another $6,000?
PLEASE contact me as soon as you can if you want more information or are willing to be a benefactor for this student, even partially! 
You may feel you are benefiting the student when you will be the one to receive the benefit and the blessing! You are investing in changing a life, a family's life, a nation - that is HUGE!
Thank you so much for your consideration and if you are not able to, can pass this on to others who are able to?
Thank you!