Update on Fundraising Efforts to help 7 year old Mateo and his family

We want to keep those of you who are followers up to date on our effort to help Mateo and his family.  You will remember that Mateo is a 7 year old boy whose leg was mangled by a public bus when he was 4 years of age.  His family is poor and lives in the hills above Cuenca.  While we were working with his caregivers, doctors, hospital auxiliary volunteers to help with his care, we learned that the family's house had collapsed in a violent rain storm.  Thus, we started raising monies to assist with this worthy cause.  

We have held a bingo game, we have published this blog and a similar blog on my husband and my personal blog.  We have been very fortunate to acquire an anonymous donor in the U. S.  This donor will match dollar for dollar each dollar that we raise up to $2,000.  So at this point CEBA/Cuenca Expatriate Benevelent Association has raised $650.00 between our internet efforts and our fund raising efforts here in Cuenca.  That amount will be matched by the anonymous donor, bringing the total to today April 2, 2011 to $1300.00 so far.  Many thanks to those of you who have donated or participated in the bingo or "hat pass" here in Cuenca. 

Our primary contact with the family is a volunteer from the hospital auxiliary.  She along with an Ecuadorian architect and Bill Keyes, my husband a retired civil engineer have been out to the house last week.  The architect has compiled a list of building materials needed to complete the new house up to the second floor.  Remember this house had started being built before the old one collapsed.  Our Ecuadorian contact has gotten materials donated which include, concrete blocks, sacks of concrete and sand.  The husband of the family is in construction and has indicated that he has help to rebuild if we can provide the materials.  This is the plan at this time. In the next 7-10 days a truck will deliver materials mentioned above that have been donated or purchased with CEBA donations to the building site. Then we will document the progress of these materials as the house is built and keep you updated.  We thank you again for your kind donations.  Stay tuned to this blog for further updates.  For those of you who might like to make a contribution, you can do this at: pay pal address: ceba.ecuador@yahoo.com.