2017 Impact Report

Wow, what a journey we went on in 2017! Since we embarked on this journey early last year, God has put His glory on full display and showered us with His provision and blessing. And He did so through the generosity and kindness of all of YOU!

Here are some highlights of the positive impact God has allowed ANSI to make to benefit the children of Happy Times Childcare Initiative in 2017.

Funds Raised

• Cumulatively, we were able to raise a total of $66,777.72 to support the children, staff, and mission of Happy Times!
• We kicked off our child sponsorship program, and we are so pleased to let you know that we have 41 children sponsored at Happy Times! We are still marketing and encouraging engagement in our child sponsorship program with a goal of 145 child sponsorships.
• ANSI encountered several incredibly kind and generous donors this year with hearts for vulnerable children, and felt called to support the mission of ANSI. These generous individual donors account for greater than $17,000 of the funds that ANSI received last year.
• This fall, we were blessed with the opportunity to partner with Double Edge Fitness, a local Reno fitness community, in a fundraising event called Metcon 4 Hope. God went to work for ANSI through this event which proved to be our largest fundraiser of the year bringing in a total of $31,640.97.

How Funds Have been Used

• The children have received a balanced nutritional diet.
• Long overdue staff salaries were reimbursed and salary payments have since been paid on a regular basis.
• Tuition was paid for 15 secondary students throughout the year, which would not have been possible without the kindness of a couple very generous donors!
• Two Happy Times children were reunified with family members this past year!
• Happy Times has hired a full time, on site nurse who cares for all of the children’s healthcare needs. We cannot say enough about how this provision benefits the children.
• New mattresses, bedding, and mosquito nets were purchased for the children of Happy Times to replace old mattresses that were falling to pieces.
• Additional property has been purchased adjacent to the existing campus which provides for safer access to the school and children’s home, and also opens the door for a master planned play area for the children.
• Five acres of land will be purchased this month which is the start of Happy Times’ agriculture project where they will grow and harvest food crops for their own consumption and for resale to the Wobulenzi community at a profit. This is one of the major milestones in the sustainability objective for Happy Times and ANSI. Our goal is to purchase a total of 50 acres for agriculture and livestock.
• Energy saving stoves were installed which decrease firewood fuel costs and consumption by 70% and increases the ability to cook large quantities of food at one time for the day students, resident children, and staff of HT.
• Every permanent resident child at Happy Times received a wrapped Christmas gift, many for the first time in their lives.

The greatest gift of all, however, is that Happy Times has received the gift of HOPE this past year! It has been such a blessing for us to walk alongside the directors, children, and staff of Happy Times and see God work. But we are nothing without the love and support of all of you.

Joyce Namigadde, the founder of Happy Times, appropriately summed up the reason for our gratitude when she said:

“I know that we still have so much to achieve, but we are currently not in the acute pain like it used to be. We are seeing ourselves in a better position, guided by God.”

We have accomplished much together this past year, but we have much further to go. We extend our sincere thanks to all of you who have entrusted your hearts and finances to ANSI, and we encourage you to stay along for the ride to see what God will continue to do. He is hard at work, and we firmly believe we still have a few gears left in the transmission before we get up to full speed.

God bless,

A New Song International Board of Directors,

Travis Coombs

Laurie Coombs

Thomas Grant

Sarah Grant

Christy Turner