One by One

It has been two years since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. At that time, Amway and its employees and distributors rose to the occasion with an outpouring of generosity for several causes, including the building of a new SOS Children’s Village Home. Following is an update from SOS on the recovery efforts.

Dear Jesse and All Amway Employees and IBOs,

Two years after the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, killing over 200,000 and deeply impacting the lives of nearly 10 million survivors, SOS Children’s Villages staff remain dedicated to helping build a stronger Haiti. The generosity of Amway employees and Amway IBOs has helped us to develop programs to improve the lives of thousands of Haitian children and families. This report provides an update on the impact of these programs.

You have, no doubt, read the sad reports about the 500,000+ people still living in tent camps rife with violence, about the thousands of children who do not attend school, and about basic infrastructure projects that have not yet begun. Now I want to share with you some positive news…news about SOS Children’s Villages in Haiti.

I recently visited the Port-au-Prince SOS Children’s Village known as Santo on the second anniversary of the earthquake. At SOS Santo, almost 200 children are growing-up in safe, happy, family homes nurtured by very dedicated SOS Mothers. The true affection shown for these children by their SOS Mothers reminded me how the SOS model, developed over 60 years, raises orphaned children to be secure, responsible adults who value family and work to strengthen their communities.

Again and again, I witnessed scenes that reminded me of my childhood and could have taken place in any neighborhood in the world. I saw mothers serving wonderful meals to their hungry children who had just returned from school. They encouraged the children to concentrate on homework and monitored chores like laundry and bedroom cleaning. In their free time, the boys and girls played soccer and tag and interacted like any other brothers and sisters.

Across Haiti, we are providing long-term, family-based homes to children with no biological family to care for them. We have two established SOS Children’s Villages in Port-au-Prince and in Cap Haitien in the north. A third Village will be constructed beginning this year in Les Cayes, with help from our friends from Amway. A fourth Village in Port-au-Prince is in the planning stages.

Thank you again for your support.

Lisa Vogt

SOS Children’s Villages – USA

Amway will once again recognize four of its Independent Business Owners from across the US, Canada and the Caribbean through the 2012 Amway Hero Awards.

Through May 31, 2012, you can share your stories of inspiring IBO heroes that fit one or more of these categories:

DETERMINATION: Recognizing personal responsibility, work ethic, and dedication to self-improvement despite difficult circumstances.

GENEROSITY: Recognizing commitment to improving the world through extraordinary volunteerism or philanthropy.

LEADERSHIP: Recognizing a positive focus on mentoring, teaching, and helping others succeed without personal gain.

PATRIOTISM: Recognizing noteworthy service to community or country through civilian or military endeavors.

Click here for the nomination form.

The stories of last year’s winners are on the Achieve Magazine website. We will be sure to share the stories of this year’s winners after they are announced.

For 120 Amway distributors and employees in Guatemala, their annual trip ended with tired bodies and happy hearts.

They came from across Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States to begin construction on an entire neighborhood of 40 homes in Usumatán, with land purchased by Amway and top Amway distributor Tim Foley.

This week in, ten of those homes took shape for local families, many who will own a home for the first time in their lives.

The volunteer group gets bigger every year, and as the volunteers make their way home, they are already talking about what they might be able to accomplish during next year’s trip.

Thanks to Nancy Cortez for her remote reporting from Guatemala.

Note: Originally posted incorrectly as 12 homes – corrected to 10 homes on 3/4/2012. -JH

You can’t succeed in the Amway business without helping others to succeed, and giving them some inspiration.

Amway Independent Business Owners Victor and Julia Cid in the Dominican Republic have been inspiring others by helping children in need.

In the Dominican Republic, Amway sponsors a daycare facility in the Parrish of San Martín de Porres that works with low income families to give 46 children an early start on their education. Since 2008, Amway has helped with meals, teacher salaries and daily vitamins for the students.

The Cids wanted to do more for the children. So they organized a medical drive with doctors in their Amway downline. Through these efforts, they provide anti-parasite medicine for the children and paid for school uniforms.

The volunteers recently came together to host a holiday celebration with the children, and to teach them about science and health.

With Amway’s matching donations, the project is making a positive impact on the families, and setting an example for others to follow.

Thanks to Ruben Familia for sharing this story.

It’s a basic need and a basic right – safe, clean water.

Amway affiliates in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are partnering with global health agencies and our own R&D scientists to bring water solutions to those who need it, on both sides of the island.

The water treatment system being used is called Hydraid, an innovative filter with enhanced by technology provided by Amway and implemented through Safe Water Team and partners on the ground. The unit costs around $180 and provides up to 50 gallons of water per day without the need for water pressure or electricity.

In Haiti, Amway is providing safe water to the Orphanage Rose Mina de Diegue in Port Au Prince, serving 90 orphan children. The project was introduced by Marcelo Oehlenschläger, an Amway Independent Business Owner (IBO) who had been involved personally, before getting Amway involved.

In the Dominican Republic, Amway volunteers recently installed 35 Hydraid units in a small working community in the middle of a sugar cane field. During their last visit, volunteers planted flower trees and introduced a health and hygiene workshop and children’s activities for sugar cane field workers and their families. They broke through language and cultural barriers to form a bond with those they served. Many left barefoot, leaving their shoes behind as a final gift.

The community now has units in 60 homes, and Amway staff and IBOs are already making plans to return and cover the remaining 30 homes, so all will have access to the foundation of clean water.

Donations can be made on the Safe Water Team website. Thanks to Ruben Familia for sharing this story.

Some kids just need to play. And thanks to the Society of Education and Rehabilitation (SER) in Puerto Rico, some special children can do just that.

Opened in 1950, the SER is focused on the rehabilitation and education of thousands of special needs students in Puerto Rico. SER is an affiliate of Easter Seals, a longtime partner of Amway in the US and Canada.

The majority of SER donations come directly from individual and private contributors and are used to help students with disabilities receive emotional and physical support so that things such as studying and playing can become easier daily tasks.

Amway Puerto Rico kicked off a new partnership with SER with a $20,000 donation, and they hope to raise an equal amount from Amway Independent Business Owners by the end of the year.

A new donation option on the ordering website will facilitate fundraising, and special events and promotions will continue the momentum for SER.

With the support of Amway and its IBOs in Puerto Rico, more and more children will lead more active lives, leaving more time for the important things … like playing.

Thanks to Ruben Familia for sharing this story and Samantha Bourque for writing.

Twelve months ago today, we began hearing scattered reports about an earthquake in Haiti. It took awhile to grasp the magnitude of the damage and the loss of lives, but we soon found that this was one of the most devastating earthquakes in modern history.

Amway and its employees and distributors were quick to find ways to provide assistance. Cash donations … flights for for surgeons and aid workers … personal hygiene kits … water filters … vitamins … deliveries to Haitian Amway distributors.

We quickly raised over $1 million, and soon began to plan rebuilding projects. Our efforts in the past few months have been focused on a home for orphaned and abandoned children through SOS Children’s Villages.

So what’s happening today? Well, Haiti had its problems before the earthquake, and in many ways it is still in emergency relief mode. Yet there has been great progress as well.

The Red Cross reports that it has 24 international staff and more than 320 Haitian staff and paid workers at our headquarters in Port-au-Prince. The Red Cross is currently providing:

• Transitional homes for 150,000 people
• Cash grants and microloans to help more than 220,000 people with basic needs and to invest in small businesses
• Clean drinking water for 317,000 people each day
• Disaster preparedness programs to protect 500,000 people
• Medical treatment at health facilities for 217,000 people
• Community-based health services for 288,000 people
• Emergency shelter materials for more than 860,000 people
• Latrines for 265,000 people
• Emergency supplies for 125,000 people for use during hurricane season

SOS Children’s Village recently sent this update:

• The SOS Children’s Village in Santo, outside of Port-au-Prince, tripled in size. 421 children who lost their biological families now have stable homes at SOS-Santo. 124 children lived there prior to the earthquake.
• At 100 distribution centers, SOS is currently providing 14,000 Haitian children per day with a nutritious meal. During the peak of the crisis, SOS fed 24,000 children per day.
• School enrollment at the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School in the Santo Village has doubled to 921 children. Classes are now offered in two shifts for 1st through 9th grades.
• Last January, the SOS Children’s Village in Santo proved a safe haven for 33 Haitian children whom U.S. missionaries attempted to transport to the Dominican Republic without proper documentation. SOS worked with Haitian child protection authorities to identify the biological families of these children and to reunite them.

Today is a good day to pause and take stock, pray for our friends and neighbors in Haiti, and remember those who are lost. It’s also a time to deepen our efforts to help. If you haven’t participated yet, please consider a donation through our Haiti Project.

Thanks to all the Amway employees, distributors, customers and friends around the world who continue to make a difference … one by one!