Water is life – we need it for drinking, to wash with, and to grow food. But across the globe, one in six people do not have access to clean water. We can make a difference!

Now is the time to collect coins through Penny Power, which will benefit Mennonite Central Committee water projects. It’s a great way for kids to help other kids!

We will have a special “visitor” at the 2014 Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief: this Water Quilt pictured at left. Designed and pieced by Connie Lapp of Ephrata, Pa., this colorful quilt is one of MCC’s traveling quilts, which are displayed at relief sales across North America, raising awareness about MCC’s work and raising funds to support it.

Children are invited to learn about the Water Quilt through a new four-week story card that introduces them to MCC water projects and shows why funds raised through Penny Power are so important. They can see the quilt in real life on October 11 at the festival – and bring the money they collected through Penny Power.

You can download the story card and Water Quilt image using the links here. We've found that a 13 x 19 poster is big enough to show the quilt to a small group.

Week 1: Invite the children to explore the different patterns in the quilt. They remind us of the many different ways that water is important to us and to people all around the world. Ask the children to find the teacups. Everyone needs clean water to drink. In fact, a person can survive for up to two months without food, but will die in a few days without water. In many places, women and children begin their day by fetching water from community faucets, wells, or springs. They carry the water back to their homes in buckets balanced on their heads or in containers strapped to donkeys. This chore can take hours and sometimes prevents children — especially girls — from attending school. MCC works to help villagers create safe, reliable sources of drinking water close to home.  

$12 buys a bag of cement to build a cistern in Brazil (it takes 10 bags to build one cistern)

$40 trains people to maintain wells and cisterns in Cambodia or Bolivia or Palestine 

$42 provides irrigation hose and accessories for a 500 sq. meter garden plot for growing vegetables for one family in Bolivia 

$50 provides water storage for four people to meet their daily water needs in Jordan 

$100 provides materials to install systems for clean drinking water in Nepal 

$186 is the cost per family for a sustainable water system in Colombia 

$207 covers the monthly salary of local well technicians to maintain wells in Mozambique, saving hundreds of hours for girls and women

$235 helps connect a home to a clean water supply in Egypt 

$300 helps a household build a biogas system to boil water and cook food in Vietnam 

$500 provides building tools, equipment and supplies to build a sand dam in Tanzania (What's a sand dam? Watch this MCC video.)

This year’s Oregon Mennonite Festival for World Relief is focused on raising support for MCC water projects around the world. A Penny Power poster with this theme is now available and a story card for use during the children’s time in worship services is coming soon. Find them at  oregonfestivalforworldrelief.com  under "Kids.”

Gifts collected through Penny Power or at the summer concerts make difference worldwide through projects like this:

• $100 provides material to install systems for clean drinking water in Nepal
  
• $300 covers the cost of a well or a water filter system in Vietnam
  
• $3,000 buys the cement for a sand dam in Kenya
  

Each year congregations collect coins in the months preceding the festival, showing how small change can make a big difference for people around the world. It’s a great way to involve children in the festival.

For our 30th sale, congregations and families are invited to participate in a special Penny Power Challenge that supports Mennonite Central Committee food projects. During the 30 days of September, your group can choose a goal and raise funds for:

• 30 food shipments of MCC canned meat, dried soup mix, and dried apples to North Korea ($70 per shipment, total goal of $2,100)
• 30 units of seeds for farmers in Nicaragua ($43 per unit, total goal of $1,290
• 30 pairs of rabbits for Palestinian farmers ($24 per pair, total goal of $720)
  

Penny Power resources have been sent to each congregation, and more can be ordered or downloaded from MCC by clicking HERE.

This summer kids at Portland Mennonite Church worked on two fun projects for the festival. 

THE PEACE KIDS HONEY PROJECT
John Hess Yoder had the idea of having kids help him with his honey harvest this year and donating the money to Mennonite Central Committee. Over the course of one summer evening, a group of six children ages 5 to 10 (with several parents) helped to cut open the comb, put it into the extractor, fill jars, and put on labels – yielding about 100 pounds of honey.

“It was a big sticky mess, and the kids loved it,” said Curt Weaver, who helped to coordinate the project.

The children sold the honey at church, and a few jars were reserved to take to the festival. Get ready to bid!

MCC ART BAGS
This year a supply of sturdy, decorated shopping bags will be available, thanks to participants in Portland’s Peace School.

The children were given art supplies and free rein to express their creativity. Heather Gingrich, who is coordinating children’s activities at the festival this year, also was at hand to talk with the kids informally about MCC and how their efforts would help other kids around the world.

Thanks to everyone who participated in these fun summer projects!

Portland Mennonite Church used their PEACE SCHOOL this year to make bags for the Festival. Below is a Video that was made by four 4th and 5th graders who attempted to capture the essence of the day. We think they did a great job and are excited to see kids catch a vision for the Festival and what it means.