Backpack Project Update

This past February we completed the third annual Backpack Project and we reached out to over 500 children living in poverty. Through the project every one of the children received backpacks with pencils, pens, and paper to the academic year.

The project expanded to four different elementary schools located in both Lima and Piura. Through this work over 60 volunteers participated over a couple of weeks to reach out and make a difference in their community. This project would have been impossible without your support and we encourage you to both provide your feedback and continue to support the work of Umbrella Initiatives. Please visit http://goo.gl/I055K to see images of the both the children who benefited and the individuals who volunteered their time.

Umbrella Co-sponsors Nutrition Course in Maryland

April 2013, Umbrella sponsors a women's nutrition class for local area women.Through much of March and April we have been active in reaching for the first time here in the United States. In coordination with Norma Mendoza from the University of Maryland as part of the Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) we hosted nutrition course for women.

As a part of the Life Project the courses provided free information on how to provide nutritious food for families on a budget with a focus on eating fresh and local food. Over the course of 6 sessions each lasting about 2 hours the women learned how to best provide healthy and affordable food.

For the coming year we will be looking into ways to reach out not only in Peru but into communities of need in other areas.

IRS and Annual Report

As we do yearly we have analyzed our spending and fundraising from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 and have recently submitted the mandatory 990-EZ to the Internal Revenue Service. To find out more about where your donations went and how we use your donations are wisely used please visit Form 990 EZ. This year we are pleased to say that well over 94% of donated funds went to outreach work as many of the necessary administrative cost were lower compared to previous years. For this year our goal is to raise $25,000 in order to expand the Backpack Project to over 1000 children and also expand other projects and initiatives currently being developed.