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Starfish Updates / May 2017
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MAY 2017 UPDATES

Dear <<First Name>>

 

Empowering Communities &
Crafting Brighter Futures


The process of transformation is a long and windy journey with ups and downs, victories and set backs. Over the last few months, our team has been on their toes juggling a number of new projects and ventures and we've gained new partnerships with local communities and generous businesses that have come alongside us and our work to make a difference. We are greatly encouraged by the people and resources that have come our way as it is a definite indicator that we're on the right track towards transformation. Thank you, friends and partners, for putting your hands on the plow! 

Read on to find out more about our happenings and we're delighted to announce our Sponsor-a-Child program which you can be a part of. To learn more, please scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter to learn more! 
Hostel Rose Kudat.
It's open! After months of renovation and refurbishment, we've finally opened the doors at our latest secondary school hostel in Kudat. This hostel underwent a major facelift and it's physical transformation is a sight to behold. When we first saw the hostel a couple of years back, it was in a dilapidated and sad state - termite infested walls, leaking roof, collapsed ceiling, broken windows, rusty stairs... the list goes on. It was so bad that many students opted out of the hostel. 

We worked on this hostel for 8 months seeing the potential that this building can offer. In April 2017, Hostel Rose Kudat is beaming with newness and there is a fresh sense of hope in the air. With the help of partners and donors, we are able to give this hostel an infrastructure makeover.

The most exciting thing is that this hostel could potentially be a safe haven for up to 100 students to thrive and excel in their studies - and our new "houseparents", Daini and Balbiniah are gearing up to make that happen. Do keep them in prayer. The work is intense and physically demanding, especially in the first few months of starting.

You can contribute to this work by learning more about our Sponsor-a-Child program. Contact us if you're interested. 
We are partnering with SOS Organic Liquid Fertilizer in our recent agriculture projects and we're seeing wonderful results in the field. SOS Organic Liquid Fertilisers generously gave away litres of liquid fertilizer to help local farmers reduce their farming costs and improve the quality and quantity of their harvest.
The above picture is of John Wayne (from SOS) and the local community of farmers at their first dialogue organised by Starfish. These rice farmers from Kampung Talantang 1 are about to embark on a new way of planting rice using System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method with promises of a greater yield and is more environmentally friendly. SRI Organic Rice Sdn Bhd will contract to pay a substantially higher minimum price to buy the paddy from these rice farmers grown with SOS Organic Liquid Fertiliser.
Our first Soursop harvest!
Over the last several weeks together with World Vision, Starfish has helped to move more than 700kg of soursop harvested by the farmers from at a village in the district of Sook. We did so by interrupting the 'middle man service' and purchased the harvest from the farmers at a price 2-3 times higher than they were getting. We help to provide the transport, labour and wholesale the fruits in Kota Kinabalu. We are looking at more market streams in future possibly to West Malaysia and Singapore.

Contact us if you're interested to learn more. 
Starfish Team Retreat
Every team needs time to reflect, review and rejuvenate so that they can be more effective. Same goes with Starfish, as we took time off in March to brainstorm, pray and fellowship for the year and the years ahead. We thank God for each of our team members and together we can do much for the lives and community within our influence.
Warden Retreat
It was a historical weekend in March where "houseparents" from 11 hostels across Sabah gathered to share, plan and pray with each other. The job of a warden is physically, emotionally and spiritually demanding - and it's literally round the clock, sometimes even more taxing than doctors because they are "on call" all the time having to care for children and youth under their care. In fact, it's not a job - it's a different way of life that they have chosen. Hence, we realized it's not for everyone, but for those who are called. Even so, it requires supernatural & divine strength, grit, patience and endurance to be excellent in it. 
During the retreat, we were able to fuel and ignite the common camaraderie for the good of our next generation.
Starfish Stakeholders Report (2016)
For those of you who have not read or view the Stakeholders Report we produced early this year, feel free to read it through this link.
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