Orphans Aid International founder Sue van Schreven, of
Queenstown, inspects clothing at the organisation's South
Dunedin charity shop, which celebrated its first
anniversary yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Celebrating the first birthday of Orphans Aid
International's South Dunedin charity shop is a milestone, its
founder, Sue van Schreven, says.
Sales from the shop, another in Invercargill and an online
shop were an important source of funds for projects in New
Zealand and overseas, she said, during a visit to the South
Dunedin shop yesterday.
More than $80,000 is channelled annually into projects,
including an orphanage in Romania, help for children living
on the streets and in state institutions in Russia, and a
medical programme in Kolkata, India.
Mrs van Schreven, of Queenstown, a former youth pastor and
financial adviser, began the charity in 2004 with her
husband, Carl, after being moved to help Romanian orphans
during a visit to Romania.
Mrs van Schreven said she had aspirations to start a charity
from an early age.
"The motivations go quite deep." The genesis and development
of Orphans Aid International is the topic of a book.
Mrs van Schreven said she was prompted to write the book
because of questions about how and why she began the
organisation. It would also outline the process of converting
the idea of creating a charity into a reality, she said.
The edited manuscript would be sent to the printers at the
end of the month and the book would be released later this
year, she said.
Last year, Mrs van Schreven edited a "Help the World"
cookbook featuring favourite recipes from well-known New
Zealanders.
- Tegan Mcknight
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