Un-Real Estates...

Something to bear in mind....

 There are 100 million homeless in the world.

On December 9th, 2011, a single dwelling apartment in Miami, Florida sold for 21.5 million dollars.

The 21.5 million dollar penthouse (above), and it's roof view with private pool  below.

The living room of the colossal Miami penthouse, above and below.

 A couple of  things to remember....

1. There are 100 million homeless in the world.

2. As many as half of these are children.

Not to be outdone. This week Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev bought his 22 year old daughter Ekaterina an 88 million dollar apartment in New York. Just pennies shy of the house he bought for himself in 2008 for 95 million dollars cash...oh, and the 300 million dollar yacht. The sellers of the new property are former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill and his wife Joan, who bought the apartment themselves for a then record $42.4million. Mr. Weill said when it went on the market that the proceeds would be donated to charity. Dear Mr. Weill, I hope it is not too presumptuous on my part to ask you to donate the remaining 18 thousand and some change that Prishan Foundation needs to finish this home for the orphans in Rayagada. To our readers, if anybody knows Mr. Weill could you pass on that message. Love you. Mean it.

Rybolovlev above and his daughter below.

Above and below, the views from the billionaire daughter's apartment. At 88 million dollars the almost 7 thousand sq ft  dwelling will be the largest dorm room ever for the 22 year-old who will be attending college in New York.

The 300 million dollar yacht above and it's internal parking garage below.

Several facts to place in that important file in your brain:

1. There are 100 million homeless in the world.

2. As many as half of these are children.

3. And half of these are orphans.

Oh and then there is another billionaire heiress Petra Ecclestone, who earlier this year bought the Spelling mansion, which was listed at a selling price of $150million - America's most expensive home.The 22-year-old is said to have bought it for a mere $85million. Petra is the daughter of British Formula One exec Bernie Ecclestone, whose worth is estimated at $4 billion.

Petra Ecclestone and pop, Bernie Ecclestone. Below her house/resort.

Four desperately important things to keep ever close to your heart.

1. There are 100 million homeless in the world.

2. As many as half of these are children.

3. And half of these are orphans.

4. An estimated 18 million orphan girls are homeless.

Two 22 year olds, both have won life's lottery, both born into unimaginable riches and 18 million homeless orphan girls susceptible to every sort of abuse. 110 million dollars for two properties that house just 2 girls while 18 million other girls are on the streets! Stop the freaking planet!!! I want off!!!!!

This is not a rich vs. poor rant. Come to think of it, hellz yes it is!!!!!!! I do not believe the government should tell billionaires what to do with their money. They own the governments anyway. Who do you think will be on that yacht when the bombs drop? The point is this: to all the billionaires and millionaires and thousandaires and hundredaires out there....what would you want someone to do for you if you were homeless and hungry, cold and alone? Better question, what would you want for your own daughters????

And if Mr. Weill's check to us doesn't come through....could you out there, the ones who care enough to read this, please help us keep these girls off the streets, out of the grips of the evil that would destroy them. Thank you! XOXOXO

Leave The Girls Alone!

The headlines are full of woman being battered today. A woman protesting in Egypt stripped and stomped on the street. Another was set on fire in a New York elevator and burned to death. But not to worry, the same web page that carries the gruesome story of an unimaginable horrible death has several links to stories in their right hand column scroll about Kate Upton's sexy curves, about Sofia Vergara's sheer tights, about FHM's nude front cover model. So simultaneously we are supposed to be shocked at the dehumanization of women and then to see them as objects of sexual desire. Leave them alone!

A 42 year old Helena, Montana man was arrested today for videotaping young girls. A 35 year-old Phoenix, AZ man was arrested yesterday for hundreds of images of child porn. Same story for Athens, GA. A 54 year-old man who gets off on the the sexual exploitation of tiny kids! It is perfectly legal to have in your possession child porn in the entire nation of Japan! While all the while the ad execs of major companies are titillating the buying public with child sexuality to separate you from your dollars and your heart from your conscience. Then a French Fashion magazine proffers this type of anti-innocence, hyper-sexualization of an EIGHT YEAR OLD!!!! Leave the girls alone!!

Thylane Blondeau, at 8, her childhood being stolen, the flames of lust being fanned in the minds of perverts everywhere.

Last week a nine year old girl, was raped by a  man in the district of Samundari Tehsil, Faisalabad, Pakistan. The child is still in a state of shock and suffering both physical and psychological trauma.


"On December 10 the third grader returned from school to bake chapatti bread with her sister-in-law. She went with her 7-year-old cousin to collect firewood in a nearby sugarcane field. After a short time, the cousin came home and reported that Gulfam had been dragged away by a man. When relatives arrived at the scene, they caught the rapist red-handed, who then immediately fled.


Gulfam's mother took the half-naked girl home. Then the parents went to the police to report the rape, who then arrested the suspect. But the family is still terrified. The relatives of the rapist have already tried to intimidate Gulfam's family withdraw the charges. The girl said when she refused the rapist's offer of money, he then taped her mouth and assaulted her. The assailant reportedly told his victim “not to worry because he had done the same service to other young girls.”"

Or what about precious 7 year old Jorelys Rivera (above) who was raped, stabbed and then beaten to death on December 6. LEAVE THE GIRLS ALONE!!!


Everyday in India girls are the victims of gendercide. This story from the International Business Times suggests that number is 50 thousand a month and that the total missing from this generation are 40 million girls. The article goes on to state, "Since 1980, Elizabeth Vargas reports that an estimated 40 million girls are "missing" due to sex-selective abortion, neglect or murder. Vargas spoke with Ruchira Gupta, a women's rights activist, who said, "It's an obliteration of a whole class, race, of human beings. It's half the population of India." He said, "We put very little value to girls or to women. So they are always in danger, from birth to death. If they are born, then they might be murdered just because they are girls."


The main reason for the gendercide is money. Families must pay expensive dowries to marry off daughters. When a boy is born, he will bring in the money; when a girl is born she is a steep expenditure. This is the main reason families promote abortion of daughters. Dowery expenses increase year after year. Once a girl weds, her family is required to pay this fee. If they do not, the girl is "often beaten, tortured, even burned to death. And while dowries have been illegal for decades, the law is often ignored."


Despite the fact that one might assume the gendercide tactic is practiced by the poor and destitute, it is the rich and educated who use sex-selection abortions most frequently. Vargas reports that census data shows that the problem is becoming more severe in the most elite areas. In some neighborhoods, there are only 300 girls for every 1,000 boys.


Vargas spoke with a female doctor who described her harrowing tale of struggle and torture when her family discovered she was pregnant with twin girls. The doctor's husband's family demanded she get an abortion, but she refused. Because she did not give her husband a son, she was deemed a "useless wife." His family then tried to force her to miscarry by denying her food and feeding her eggs, which she is allergic to. When her daughters were born, the grandmother pushed one of them down the stairs. 


This woman is not alone. Her story is familiar to many. Yet, for others forced to give up their daughters, there is hope and salvation. In the northern region of the country, Vargas traveled to orphanages, known as "Cradle Houses." Unwanted daughters are brought here, dropped down into a drop box and given over to those willing to shelter and care for the discarded."Mostly these girls are half-dead," said one volunteer, "because their mother take [sic] so many medicines for the killing, to try to poison them."

LEAVE THE GIRLS ALONE!!!!!!!!!

Below the original ABC news story from reporter Elizabeth Varges. Please watch these both, the story starts after a 30 second commercial and is incredible. Both are worth the few minutes of your time!!! 









Throughout this world there are millions of women trapped in the illegal sex trade. 100's of thousands of them are young girls, some as young as 4 years old. They are brutalized ten sometimes twenty times a day. For as little as a couple of dollars so disgusting men can get a few seconds of perverse pleasure, leaving these babies scarred for a lifetime. There are no excuses. There is no apology that will suffice. We must stand as a united front of loving people and end the mentality of second class citizens and gender imbalance. We must celebrate the differences between the sexes, we must champion the rights of women. We must demand the laws be enforced. We must get on top of our soapboxes, at work and play and church and we must scream from the top of our lungs:

LEAVE THE GIRLS ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please before another generation of women is systematically erased. Please for your daughters, your mothers, your wives and yourselves. This is the fight of our lives. If you would like to help Conspiracy of Hope and Prishan Foundation with our current project to protect 34 precious orphan girls from a life of homelessness you can do so here or more preferably directly to Prishan Foundation here.


From all of us at Conspiracy Of Hope thank you for caring about justice for women, for being their voice when they are silenced by brutality, enslavement and draconian law. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

For NKA

Human Trafficking In The News: December 12, 2011

Homeless girl on the streets in the US.

Human trafficking, modern slavery and child exploitation in the news. Click the bold headings to link to the full stories. As always thank you for caring about justice and for being a voice for the voiceless.


Homelessness in the US on the rise: According to the National Center on Family Homelessness the amount of homeless children in the US has risen 33 percent to 1.6 million children compared to 1.2 million in 2007.

Missing children in China

Gendercide in India: Watch the 2 part video by ABC about the rise of infanticide and gendercide in India. As modern technology collides with Indian tradition it is girls that pay the ultimate price. A sonogram to determine a child's sex is much cheaper than the dowry a girl's parents will have to pay to her future groom. 


178 kids rescued in huge anti-trafficking sting in China: BEIJING - "Chinese police arrested 608 suspects and rescued 178 children in busts of two separate child trafficking networks, authorities said Wednesday. 5,000 police across 10 provinces cooperated for six months on the investigation and moved in to arrest the suspects last week. Child trafficking is big problem in China, where traditional preference for male heirs and a restrictive one-child policy has driven a thriving market in baby boys, who fetch a considerably higher price than girls. Girls and women also are abducted and used as laborers or as brides for unwed sons." CBS/AP


Shared Hope International releases state by state report card on anti-human trafficking: The state of Maine has been given an F by the national advocacy group for its laws dealing with sex trafficking of minors. Mississippi got a "D".

Human Trafficking In The News: 11-13-11

Human Trafficking in the news. Stories of forced labor, sex trafficking and child exploitation. Click the bold headings for links to the whole story.

20,000 girls sold in the last 8 years: 'Over 20,000 girls belonging to Chhattisgarh's tribal region have been sold by human traffickers in the last eight years in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, Congress leader Ajit Jogi said on Sunday. These girls mainly belonged to Jashpur, Surguja and Raigarh districts and were taken away by human traffickers in the name of jobs and trainings, the former Chhattisgarh chief minister said in a statement.' (Hindustan Times)


Hollywood set to release ant-trafficking film Bleeding Sunshine: "The best actors and actresses on the African continent have been brought together to feature alongside Hollywood actors in a new movie 'Bleeding Sunshine', which is set to hit the theatres soon. 'Bleeding Sunshine'  is about the “illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour, and human trafficking." The film tells the harrowing tale of a young Ghanaian girl [Suzzy Nabor] whose life is turned upside down when she is plucked from her humble fishing village and thrust into the gritty world of international human trafficking." (Modern Ghana)

Coach Joe Paterno, what did he know, and when????

The Penn State Child Abuse scandal: Great article from the Washington Times on the reality that the sex abuse scandal is not about Paterno or Penn State, this is about pedophilia. Those at fault will be punished but the victims remain and the cycle is unending without addressing the root causes. Thanks to retired Chicago Police Officer Peter Bella for such wise words.

Dakota Fanning ad is pulled in the UK: Yet another instance of the sexual objectification of children. Miss Fanning, though seventeen in the ad is featured in a dress that was made for her when she was twelve and made up to look much younger than her age.

Somaly Mam, once a a victim of child trafficking herself, now rescues children like the one above, from  brothels.

Fearless woman raids brothel to rescue children: Great op-ed piece in the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof about Somaly Mam. "Somaly dedicates her life to battling forced prostitution, for she herself was sold as a child to a Cambodian brothel. After enduring torture and rapes, Somaly escaped and reinvented herself as an anti-trafficking activist."

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As always, from all of us at Conspiracy Of Hope, thank you for your passion for justice, thank you for being a voice for the voiceless, thank you for making the world a safer place for children. Please support our newest project to build a home for 40 precious orphans in Rayagada, India. To keep them from the evils that would seek to ravage them. You can donate here.

A Home For The Holidays.

In India there are 30 million child laborers with some estimates approaching 100 million, the highest concentration in the province of Andhra Pradesh, where almost 20% of the school age population are working. A very large percentage of these children, perhaps upwards of 40% find themselves in the very worst forms of child labor including child prostitution and bonded slave labor. As always there are none more at risk for this type of exploitation than orphans and street children. Nestled near the Andrha Pradesh border is Rayagada, just south of Orissa. It was in this small town that Narges Ashtari of the Prishan Foundation met 40 little orphans that would change her life forever. Narges has dedicated her life to keeping kids such as these out of harm's way. We spoke with her about her current project and the beautiful girls of Assist Orphanage she is helping.

Narges K. Ashtari and the sons of Assist Orphanage's caretakers Abraham and Jainy.

Tell us about the children you are fundraising for.

They are amazing! They are all little princesses with so much love and affection to give. They have all been through the worst things imaginable. They have seen and felt things that no one deserves to have felt and I had such an amazing connection with all of them. I would wake every morning cuddled up between all of them. I loved it and I loved every single second I spent with them. They allowed me to get so close to them and leaving them was SO incredibly difficult. I left promising them I would come back and build them their own home. I am more determined than ever. I send them letters every week and they send me drawings and little cards. My backpack has more letters and cards in it than clothes or anything else.

Some of the 40 little princesses at Assist Orphanage.

All girls, wow. Is there one little princess that stands out?


Gosh, it's so difficult to just tell you about one because they are all so special and have their own unique personalities. Without a doubt the little girl I spent almost all of my time with was Emi. She was the youngest in the orphanage so I felt like she needed more love and care. She's the little girl on my back (below). Every morning, around 6am, she would come and stroke my hair until I woke up. So gently and lovingly. She is 4 years old and lost her parents to Malaria, I don't think she remembers them and thinks of Abraham and Jainy, the orphanage caretakers, as her parents. I love them so much for that. For allowing her to call them mummy and daddy and not making her feel anything less than a daughter. After 2 or 3 days of living with her I became aunty Narges. Kids at that age have that CUTTEEEE voice and every time she wanted a bit of attention she would come and find me, pinch my leg, say aunty Narges in that adorable voice and then she'd be sorted for a couple of hours. We'd play until it was bedtime.  

Emi and Aunty Narges.

Her parents died when she was a baby and the villagers had pretty much kept her until they found Assist orphanage. Abraham had told me that when she first came to the orphanage she would often speak about her village people, her little friends so I wanted to take her back to her village. I think that she understood that she hadn't said goodbye to them properly and you could see that sometimes she would just be thinking so deeply about something. Me, Abraham and Emi got on a motorbike and after 3/4 hours got to her village. It was tiny, dirty, not a place for children. It just made me realize how much Abraham and Jainy changed this girls life. She would have still been in this area, miserable, not going to school... She had her new dress and shoes on and she walked with us through that village with the biggest smile on her face. 

Emi in her new dress (above), and Emi and Abbi goofin' below. 

After coming back from her village I could tell she was so different. She wouldn't wake up as much during the night, wouldn't be so lost in thought sometimes. It was the closure she needed. She understood everything. I miss Emi so much now! Ahhhhh!!


What is the current situation of Assist Orphanage and the children?

When I was there the landlord of the home they had lived in for over 10 years told them they had 2 weeks to leave because his daughter was giving birth and he wanted her to live there. We literally knocked on every single door in Rayagada after that to see if they had space or an empty room for the girls to move into. Finally we found a 2 bedroom apartment. But that was SO small and so expensive to fit all the children into. We convinced the landlord of the orphanage to let half of the girls stay on the first floor of the house and we moved the other remaining 20 into the new home. Thankfully he agreed. So now, half of the girls are living on the first floor of their previous orphanage while the top is occupied by the landlords daughter and husband, and the remaining girls are in a small apartment 20mins walk away. Right now we are paying rent for 2 homes, money we could be using for other things! 

Abraham and Jainy, their new orphanage will be more than a house for orphaned children, it is a home, it is family.

The orphanage was given a piece of land 5 years ago by a charity but just never had the funds to build anything on the land. Abraham never even told me about this piece of land because he thought it would never be possible to build anything and said he didn’t want to burden me with it. It was either the day I was leaving or the day before that he mentioned it to me. I rounded the girls up, took them to piece of land, took some photos of it with them and I promised them I would raise the money in 6-12 months…

Do you talk to your princesses while you are back West?


I call the children all the time telling them how much we have raised, I see myself as one of them but the one who is lucky enough to be able to go to the West and raise the money.  I really do believe we are all the same, no matter where we are from or what we look like. At the end of the day we all just want to be happy right!?

How much will it cost to build the orphanage? 


20 lakh rupees. This is the cost of building permission, to dig 200m underground to pump up fresh water, to have an electricity line, labour charges and materials. All of it together comes to $43,000. If not a little more.



Who will oversee the building?


I will oversee the whole thing. It will take 3 months to build, I will be there for the entire process.



How much have you raised so far?


$9557 Raised, $33,443 to go!





Last year you raised over 7000 dollars by shaving your head, what types of fundraisers are you doing now?



We do bake sales every Sunday morning in downtown Vancouver. I spend the night before, my Saturday nights in style, wrapping 200+ cookies in plastic wrap. I wouldn’t change that for the world. I enjoy it because I know how many donations we get from each one, plus, those ‘broken’ cookies aren't going to eat themselves! I know that sometimes I may upset the people around me because I do not spend as much time with them but I feel like if they were my genuine friends they should understand. These children are my life now. Last year there was a lovely girl who baked cookies for us, it is just too much work, it takes so much time, time that we could spend doing other fundraisers so I buy the cookies this year. Superstore has an amazing deal, 20 cookies for $5.99 so I buy 6 or 7 packs, if it’s going to be a sunny day then I will buy more… 

Life at Assist Orphanage....

Right now I have around 6 people helping every week. We have a great time trying to sell them, we joke around with people as much as we can. We stand at a great location as well, right behind a busy Art Gallery, in between two busy roads and next to a road always packed with cars… sometimes we even stop the cars and sell them cookies! We raise around $400 every time. I am trying to find more volunteers so we can start doing it on Saturdays too! I love the bake sales, we get to meet so many people who share their stories with us. We meet many people who have been to India and have fallen in love with the country just as much as I have. 


Also I sell jewelry that I purchased while in India. A lovely friend of mine donated around 100 brand new t-shirts for me to sell. I babysit as often as I can, ‘babysitting children for children’ the parents make a donation on my website every time. What ever time I have left during the day I spend it by sending out as many emails as possible to who ever I feel could help us in the fundraising, every business, charity, humanitarian worker or celebrity you can think of, I have emailed! 



Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years I want to have already lived in India for a couple of years, surrounded by children, a few perhaps adopted by me and be working to fund raise. Instead of having to come back to the west once in a while to raise money I want to stay there and find a way to do it there. Find a way to support myself and the children… That’s my dream. 


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This holiday season, when we have so much to be thankful for, so many reasons to give let's remember the 40 girls in Rayagada. Let's give them a home for the holidays. Conspiracy Of Hope is donating all of our funds raised until Prishan Foundation reaches their goal for the building project. Below is a short video highlighting that campaign. Please donate with boundless generosity. And as always, thank you for being a voice for the voiceless and Happy Holidays!

Donate here!!! Thanks!!!! XOXOXOXO

8 Reasons Why You Should Support Respire Haiti.

Here are eight reasons why we at Conspiracy Of Hope think you would love to support Respire Haiti's work in Gressier, Haiti. In no particular order, the following reasons highlight the methodology, the core beliefs, and the ongoing commitment of RH to the people of Gressier.

From Bellevue Mountain. At the heart of Respire Haiti's story and at the heart of Gressier itself. The story of Respire and Gressier's future will always be inextricably linked to this pristine peak.

Stability and Strength: The earthquake of 2009 devastated Gressier, destroying 70% of the homes and leaving many vulnerable people and especially children at the mercy of the elements. It was in this post-apocalyptic landscape that Respire's founder Megan Boudreaux found herself. That reality stayed with her, the fragility of life, the realization that more storms would come. For that reason, RH is building a school and a community hub that can withstand another earthquake of similar magnitude and be ultra resistant to hurricane force winds. The attention to detail in this respect has been painstaking and sometimes slow, but the reward is safety and security for the impossibly gorgeous children of Gressier.

The deep footings and steel re-enforcement that will help the Gressier school withstand another major disaster. Cutting corners is not an option when the lives of children are at stake.

Social Justice: One of the most exciting things about the school RH is building, and the most compelling for us at COH is that many of the students will be restaveks. In a country of 9 million people there are an estimated 300,000 restavek children. Through education, opportunity, and a true sense of community that the school will afford these kids, RH hopes that tolerance of this injustice will quickly become a thing of the past in Gressier. There are 300 thousand children with no voice in Haiti, Respire is deeply committed to being a voice for those voiceless kids.

Stewardship: Part of every NGO and non-profit's reality is limited resources. Respire Haiti is ever mindful of this. When many other humanitarian orgs in Haiti ride around in new Landcruisers, the staff of RH takes a tap tap or hires a driver for longer trips. This keeps them intimately connected to the community, engenders respect and doesn't foster mistrust, and besides costing less, it also keeps money in the community by using these local businesses. RH shops locally, buys building supplies locally, and in every sense is committed to helping the local economy by buying Haiti first. The majority of RH's staff are Haitian, in fact other than RH's founder Megan Boudreaux, the only other resident non-Haitian is Kyle Fishburn the general contractor who oversees the day to day construction on site.

Kyle the contractor and Bernard, translator and backbone of so much of Respire Haiti's day to day operations.

Sustainability: One of the keys to self-reliance for the Haitian people and one of the tenets of stewardship for RH is sustainability. This means that even as they provide food for local orphanages they also facilitate those same orphanages in planting crops and raising livestock. RH will also use solar panels and wind power at the school and surrounding buildings to lower the communities dependence on an ever temperamental power grid and keep utility costs affordable.

Self-reliance: The reality of humanitarian aid is that sometimes helping hurts. The best intentions of the kindest people often provide immediate relief but do permanent damage or provide no lasting change. Respire Haiti understands this implicitly. In every sense they elevate the people of Gressier by staying out of the way. From the construction of the school to the weekly feeding programs, Haitians serve Haitians. There is no breeding of dependence on foreign hand-outs, no heavy American footprint, only the desire for the Haitian people to be self-reliant. Respire knows that the people of Gressier want to work, and that they work extremely hard when given the chance. Every day 60-70 Haitian men and women walk to the top of Bellevue Mountain and build the future of Gressier: a school for their kids, and soon a church, a medical clinic, a computer lab, a market, a library, and more. The residents of Gressier are pouring their blood and sweat and prayers into these buildings and beautifully taking ownership of the project in their hearts and minds. And, they are being paid almost double the average worker's daily rate! Money that goes back into the local economy and stimulates growth for all of Gressier.

Above, the residents of Gressier, men and women, build a school for their children and their brothers and sisters in the Haitian sun. Below, food is prepared on site everyday.

Scholarships: One of the realities of poverty is that sometimes even a free education is unaffordable. RH partners sponsors with impoverished children to put education within their reach. This means smart new uniforms for children who have never had a brand new piece of clothing. This means two meals a day for a child who would otherwise be hungry and restless, unable to concentrate on learning. This means school supplies and books in the hands of children like Floencia (below), who at 8 will be attending school for the very first time. She was one of the last children to register and I had the deeply humbling honor of walking with her and her precious mom to the little concrete church house that glorious Monday afternoon to sign her up!

Floencia in pink pants!

Sublime Beauty: The Caribbean Sea and the mountains of Gressier are the stuff of poems but their majesty pales in the presence of the Haitian people themselves, especially the children. What a noble people, unconquered in spirit in spite of the deluge of despotic rulers and natural disasters. And what hard workers, what gentle souls, what deeply passionate people are the Haitians. No wonder they so captured Respire's heart. No wonder they have rebounded so quickly with just a little help from their friends.

Haitians are hard workers, from the fisherman and farmer above, to the lovely girl below who helps her mom collect bottles for a recycling program that cleans up the cities and countrysides while putting money in the pockets of Haitians facing an 80% unemployment rate.

Below, some of the beautiful children of Gressier. The future of Haiti.

Sisters: RH began in the heart of Megan after she met a little girl on Bellevue mountain where the school is being built. Michaelle was throwing rocks in the air trying to kill a bird to eat, such was her hunger and her relentless determination. Megan was deeply affected and through a whirlwind of events Megan now has legal guardianship of Micha and her younger sister Jessica. These two girls have become the lifeblood of Respire and the endless stream of guests that come to Gressier to see what God is doing. These girls change everyone they meet with their indefatigable smiles and constant mischief. I have never loved a child other than my own more than I love Michaelle. There is a look she gets in her eyes that reveals a hint of the hurt she still holds but then that unsinkable smile breaks across her face, joy dawns, and the whole world is brighter because she is loved, because now, Michaelle is free.