VIRIDIANE'S HOPE FOR CHILDREN

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To donate to this mission, visit https://arlingtonmissions.org/mission/viridianes-hope-for-childrens-heal...

Viridiane’s Hope for Children’s Health and Education (VHCHE) is a Virginia 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

and a Catholic Charity of the Arlington Diocese.

Established in 2019 in Springfield, Virginia, its mission is to improve the lives of children in underserved and underprivileged communities locally and globally. VHCHE’s mission of bringing joy to other children was born out of sorrow, and the help VHCHE is providing to children in need was built out of desperation; it was founded by grieving parents to celebrate and remember their daughter through health and education programs that support its mission. VHCHE current geographic focus is rural and very poor areas in Cameroon, Central West Africa. It is a country with wide areas of poverty. Family life in some of these areas is dramatically compounded by large numbers of internal refugees fleeing ongoing armed domestic unrest in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of the country. In these areas, young people suffer the most and VHCHE is currently working there the hardest.

Since 2021, VHCHE has completed a wide variety of projects in several impoverished villages in five dioceses of Cameroon. Examples include the construction of a new building at a catholic school; the drilling of six drinking water wells powered by electricity along with a 1,000 to 3,000-gal reserved tank; the construction of four toilets; a major renovation of a catholic school, a chapel, and a presbytery; the construction of multi-student workstations (bench/desk sets); the funding for the purchase of instructional materials for teachers and scholarships for students. The cost of each drinking water well project including the tower is between $10K and $16K, depending on hydrogeological conditions and the specifications of the associated tower.

Mission appeal donations will be used towards our project to build an English speaking 1-6 grade school with a clinic and computer literacy center in the diocese of Nkongsamba, at Saint Anne Catholic School in New Melong to help many English-speaking families who are fleeing the war and have no local infrastructure to accommodate their learning curriculum in English. We also plan to build a pastoral care center in the Archdiocese of Bamenda for victims of violence in the war, and drill additional drinking water wells in other villages of rural Cameroon so that children and families may have water to drink. For more information about the work of VHCHE in Cameroon, visit www.vhche.org.

 

A Tribute to Viridiane on her 25th Birthday – June 19, 2024

A child is not meant to die
Happy 25th Birthday, Viridiane

25 years ago, you were welcome into this world -

a great gift from God to all who encountered you

A beautiful child with a glorious smile that filled any room by her presence
A thoughtful child that always brought cheers and happiness to others
Handmade birthday cards under the door the night before

– a signature of yours I’d never forget

A child is not meant to die

At a very young age you were already impactful
As a little child, you had lots of dreams and aspirations
You always said - You wanted to be a nurse or a doctor when you grow up
A reflection of your strong desire to help others, especially those suffering and in need of care
You brought immense love to me and those around you

A child is not meant to die

You were the most healthy child anyone could ask for
A very athletic youth involved in soccer, swimming, basketball, and running
You had an angelic voice that you used to praise God while singing in the church’s children choir

Your talents were incredible and you were also very smart as shown by your school grades

A child is not meant to die

Yet, God had a different plan
Which we all learned about during your last basketball game on February 17, 2007
That day, your beautiful smile often taken for granted, dissipated for the last time in front of many

When you collapsed at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the best basketball game of your life
Despite all the efforts by medical professionals, friends, and family
God called you home on February 19, 2007

A child is not meant to die

You were only 7 years old
Many of your goals and aspirations collapsed on that day
The physical separation was devastating
The feeling of loss was grave
The grief was immense
Much suffering unfolded
A child did not die
You didn’t die

God determined that your many talents were needed in His Heavenly Kingdom
He chose you to join the choir of Angels
You now live in heaven for ever, preparing a place for us

A child is alive and is now an adult
You live on earth as well
In thousands of children and families you have impacted through Viridiane’s Hope VHCHE
You bring hope to those who despair
You live in many underserved and underprivileged communities, very poor villages
Some of which have suffered the impacts of war
You’ve built schools and furnished them, drilled water wells, and provided school supplies
You supported the propagation of faith with church vestments and vessels donated to many priests

You provided medical supplies and equipment to those in need of critical care
You provide opportunities to those who suffered the loss of loved ones

To channel their grief through Viridiane’s Hope
You inspire and empower youths, to push to their maximum potential through the Swim A Thon
And you provide them with leadership opportunities through the Youth Advisory Council
Yes, that’s what you wanted to do when you grow up, be of service to those who are suffering
Or just to help and serve others while providing opportunity for growth and personal development

Your goals and aspirations didn’t collapse with you on February 17, 2007
They were repurposed on February 19, 2007
Today, on June 19, 2024, you’re 25 years old
At 25, you’re an accomplished nurse, a well-rounded doctor, a faithful servant, an Angel in Heaven

You have shaped me, inspired me, motivated me, and more importantly, you have helped me channel my grief
by doing good deeds to those around me who are most in need, and to those who are going through excruciating times as I did as a result of a loss of a loved one, you
There’s more work ahead and today I’d like to pause to wish you a Very Happy 25th Birthday Viridiane! You’re an Angel in Heaven, until we meet again.

For the love of Viridiane
With much love
Your loving father
Joe Tiago