This year has been a great year for CUDA. The Living Libraries program has had a great year, as you’ve seen in our newsletters. Students have improved their ability to read and teachers are better prepared to teach future students. In the micro-loan program we surpassed our goals for both no-interest and low-interest loans. Interest in the program remains strong and we have been blessed recently to begin a new bible study with members of one borrower group. We are prayerful that more opportunities for in-depth bible studies will present themselves next year.
The reality of all development (and mission) work is that without supporters it is impossible to sustain. We have taken steps to generate funds with Cafe Connection (Arequipa), Passport Language School (Arequipa) and in 2014 we will begin selling CUDA Coffee in the USA. These business ventures will help us but they will not be able to provide all of the funding required to sustain our staff and programs. The fact is we need your help. Giving has been down this year and we find ourselves without sufficient operating funds for the coming year. We have been soliciting grants and there are still possibilities for funding in that area, but the processes move more slowly than our needs. We are asking that you, as you all have done many times in the past, decide to help.
If you want to make a donation there are a few ways you can help:
Go to www.cudaperu.org and donate to our operating funds or to a borrower with an open loan.
Go to www.purecharity.com/living-libraries and donate to the installation of one new Living Library in 2014. We want to open 3 new libraries and it takes $6000 to install just one.
You can send a check made out to “CUDA” to:
c/o Mark Adams
1200 Cedar Lane
Tullahoma, TN 37388
Once we begin selling CUDA coffee (very, very soon!) you can buy a bag, ten bags, or a subscription. We’ll be sure to mail you once everything is ready.
This isn’t the first time that we have been short on funds. Every time people have risen to the challenge, often surpassing the need. We are grateful for the way God uses you to keep us working here in Arequipa.