HAITI EARTHQUAKE

Smile International is working in partnership with the “Haiti Hospital Appeal” to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. We are currently donating humanitarian aid and if you would like to help either through offering your time, money or aid, please contact the Smile office on 01689 870932. To donate to Smile online please follow the link below to the Just Giving website: www.justgiving.com/smileint/donate and mark your donation Haiti Appeal. Thank you for your support.

There is a growing movement for Haiti's one billon dollar debt to be cancelled and to ensure that any financial help given is in the form of grants and not loans. A petition will be delivered to the IMF and G7 finance ministers at their meetings in the near future. You can read more and sign the petition at:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/haiti_cancel_the_debt_7/98.php

MARATHON RUNNERS REQUIRED

We have places available on two marathons this year and are looking for runners to raise funds for our projects. Full details are on our Challenges page::

• Arctic Midnight Sun Marathon, Tromsø, Norway – 19 June 2010, raising funds for our child care programme for AIDS orphans in Africa.

• Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, London – 10 October 2010, raising funds for our palliative care project in Kosova.

We are delighted that Ruth Adams is running in the London Marathon on Sunday 25 April to raise funds for Smile. If you wish to support her with a donation, you can do so via her Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/Ruth-Adams

SHOEBOXES TO KOSOVA

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken part in our 2009 Shoebox Season, through donations of boxes and finance for the truck. We also heartily thank all those who have given their time and energy to collect, store, sort and transport the shoeboxes, and all those who have been knitting the hats and gloves to go in the boxes.

We are so grateful for your practical demonstration of care for those in need and for the children and families who would otherwise have very little to look forward to. The shoebox total will be posted here in due course, and on behalf of the children we thank you for every single box and for bringing so many smiles through your generosity.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Shkelzen and Klodiana Halilaj as our new Centre Managers at our Smile Centre in Gjakove, Kosova, and also the appointment of Project Coordinator, Albert (Berti) Frroku. These appointments are in line with our worldwide strategic development by employing national Christians to run our Centres. We are looking forward to seeing the Lord continue to bless the work of Smile in Kosova.

A GAP YEAR TO REMEMBER!

SMILE ETHIC TRADE SHOP

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Gift ideas for Christmas at http://smileinternational.ethictrade.com Choose from an extensive range of over 1,000 quality, ethical and fairly-traded products from only £5: Jewellery – Toys & Stocking Fillers Stationery – Homeware Accessories – Winter Fashion Christmas Cards & decorations 100% safe and secure online shopping The online shopping site is run by EthicTrade Ltd and Smile International receives a remarkable 20% of everything you spend.

COMPUTERS TO THE CONGO

We recently received a request from the Baptist World Alliance for 9 Pentium 4 computers, one scanner and one printer for the Community of Baptist Churches in Eastern Congo. We were able to source these through our Smile contacts in Uganda. The General Secretary, Reverend Banyangiriki M Thomas, said, “We would like to give a huge thank you to Smile and all those involved for supplying this equipment”.

COMPLETION OF SCHOOL IN GHANA

We are delighted to report that work is now complete on the extension to the Doubleday Educational Complex in Ghana, undertaken in partnership with Mission Care and with the help of Graeme Thompson – full reports on our Ghana page.

SMILE COLLECTION BOX

Is your purse too heavy? Is there a jangling noise in your pocket? Then drop it in the box! Just pop your loose change in our new Smile collection box and help us turn tears into smiles. Smile supporters will receive this flat pack box with their magazine, but if you would like a free box please contact the office today, letting us know how many you would like.

FIND US ON YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK

Smile's YouTube channel has videos of Step Out Trips/Career Breaks and our projects around the world:
www.youtube.com/smileinternational

Smile has a Page and Group on Facebook – you are very welcome to join us!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smile-International/165222844556?ref=ts

TASTE & SEE WEEKENDS TO KOSOVA

If you are unable to give a whole week to mission in Kosova why not come for a long weekend Friday to Monday? We will fly you direct to Kosova with British Airways from London Gatwick. You will have the opportunity of visiting Smile projects on Saturday, fellowshipping with local Christians on Sunday and an opportunity to meander through the old town of Gjakove and sightsee on Monday, before flying back to the UK in the afternoon. These action-packed four days will give you a real opportunity to see first-hand the work of Smile and are a great way of sampling life in Kosova without being away from home or work for too long. Cost £299 per person. Contact Richard Westbrook on trips@smileinternational.org for further details. More details on Step Out Trips page.