Unite in Love - Hope and Healing for Families
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"Hunger is bad--worse than the deadly coronavirus."
After hearing such comments from her Bible students and brethren who were going to bed on an empty stomach and even begging on the streets when they lost jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, blind and physically disabled philanthropist Dr. Shirley Cheng established "Unite in Love" on May 21, 2020, to provide relief to families impacted by lockdowns in developing countries--families left to face hunger and eviction on their own without government assistance or food banks.
Unite in Love has provided emergency relief to forty-nine families and dozens of individuals in seven countries, covering funds for food, rent, and medical care (medicine and hospital procedures), including a new wheelchair and walker. Unite in Love has covered the rent for eight families and one individual, preventing the eviction of families with small children. Additionally, Unite in Love aims to help families become self-sufficient through planting of crops and raising of hens at their own yards.
Every donation to Unite in Love counts. $5 can buy twenty-two pounds of maize in Kisii, Kenya, and $32 can pay the monthly rent in Pakistan. 100% of the funds are distributed as soon as possible to the families, providing basic assistance until they can return to work.
"Thanks for the help to all the persons who are sent by God. I'll never forget donors' help. Thanks from my family " --Hariganesh, disabled father of two, India
"I and my family was hopeless, struggling with what to eat. We were in house rent arrears and the landlord had given us an eviction letter to vacate his house by September 1, 2020! As the fundraiser comes close to a year, I take this golden opportunity to thank all our gracious donors who have sacrificially stood with us in providing us with foodstuffs, house rent, medication, a Solar Cooker, and covering our pit latrine hole." --Pastor Christopher, father of five, Uganda
"Thank you so very much for your love and support to me and my daughters through your donations when we thought all hope was lost. I could remember how my girls used to cry because of hunger. I can't thank you Angels enough." --Faith, single mother of three, Nigeria
"The fundraiser has been a blessing to me and my family and other people within my community. All I can say is thanks much for your help toward families around the world." --Moses, Liberia
"Since May last year I, my family and my ministry have been helped and supported by Unite in Love, through the blessings and the will of our donors. The whole of these days I eat; also have received all kinds of support from Unite in Love (for hospital bill, seeds for planting and fertilizers). May God bless you all." --Geoffrey, father of nine, Kenya
"You have truly made a difference to us, and we are extremely grateful! We felt that our lives would end when the disease was reported. But because of you, donors--you make our faces shine again. My children are able to eat loaves of bread because of your support." --Kibet, Kenya
"First of all I am thankful to God who is very merciful and loves us very much. I am also thankful to sister Shirley Cheng. She is also merciful and she loves humanity, helping and struggling for needy and poor people. I am also very thankful to donors who are donating to sister Shirley Cheng for needy peoples and sick and disable peoples. For one year sister has been helping with food money nine families, and another one recently; not only helping with food but for one disable person helped with wheelchair, and for one lady with walker and medicines, and helps three families in house rent." --Khan, Pakistan
This fundraiser, Unite in Love VI, continues the five previous ones hosted on Facebook, as Facebook runs their fundraisers for only ninety days. The earlier fundraisers can be found at (they're no longer taking donations) at:
The first one:
The second one:
The third one:
The fourth one:
The fifth one:
Unite in Love is supporting the following families. Please give them the gift of life:
1) Perveen and her eleven children--four daughters and seven sons--live in a rented house in Pakistan. Her husband passed away two years ago due to hepatitis c and liver cancer. One of her sons in his early twenties was working in a factory before this pandemic stripped him of his job. The family is facing a lot of problems as hunger and house rent mount.
2) Obonyo is a 90-year-old gentleman in Kenya, with six adult children--one daughter and five sons--the eldest is 65 and the youngest 38. They all suffer from the disease known as elephantiasis and thus cannot work and the children have never gotten married. They have been assisted by the "well wishers" in their community but the pandemic has stripped much of their assistance as many of them have lost jobs. Consequently, the family is lacking food and money for medical care. Their community has managed to raise funds to buy a wheelchair for Obonyo, but he and his family still need support to cover their daily bread.
3) Some days, Enibe Shemuel with his wife, Esther,and their eleven-month-old baby boy whom Esther is still nursing, go with little or no food. Their region in Nigeria has been negatively affected by the pandemic, as Shemuel noted that it has caused an economic stalemate for several months, making it difficult for the family and many others to make ends meet.
4) Susana Johnson from Liberia lives in a bad conditioned zinc round (a house built out of old tin sheeting) and hardly gets a meal a day. She has only a son who helps her, but he cannot do much as he is just a store boy (someone in a shop who packs and arranges goods and brings them out to the customer) who makes $80 a month and has his wife and two children to take care of. Susana used to get some support from community members especially for her medical needs, but now many community members have lost their jobs and businesses during this Covid-19 pandemic, so life is very difficult for Susana because her helpers are in need, too.
5) I'm Faith from Nigeria, a single mother of three girls, aged five, three and a one-year-old baby whom I'm nursing. My husband abandoned us for over a year now, when I was pregnant with my third daughter. Ever since then life has been unbearable for me and my kids. I was blessed to have a group of wonderful brethren; they help me from my childbirth until the pandemic. When I thought all hope was lost, I met Dr. Shirley Cheng; she's like an angel sent by God. She has been the one feeding me and my daughters. All we need is food and cooking gas, and our house rent will expire on December 22, 2020. Our rent is 2,500 Naira/month (less than $7). Please help me and my kids before we become homeless.
6) Faqeer Mohd is a gentleman from Pakistan who has lost both of his legs from the knee due to diabetes. He is married with two children. Due to the pandemic, his family is struggling to survive. He is receiving a bit of support from brethren who themselves are struggling in this crisis.
7) Gulistaan is a widow and mother of five children in Pakistan. Her husband passed away in early 2020 from liver cancer. Her oldest son, age sixteen, is the family's sole breadwinner as a worker in a clothing factory, but due to the lockdown, he couldn't work to support his family as the factory shut down. For months they haven't been able to pay their rent and are in need of food.
8) Martha Sackie of Liberia lost her husband years ago during the ebola outbreak. She is left with their three boys: Moses, Joe and Alocious. She used to wash dishes at a restaurant but because of the lockdown she is unable to work, leaving them without money for food.
9) Praise the Lord, beloved! I appreciate all the brethren who have sacrificially stood with me and my family during this pandemic through Dr. Shirley Cheng (Unite in Love fundraiser).
I'm Pastor Christopher from Uganda, a husband to my dear wife Peace Glorious and a father to five children. During this covid-19 pandemic, we were evicted from the house in which we had lived since 2009, because paying rent and feeding has been so difficult for us since the churches were closed for months. Now the government has eased on the lockdown by reopening some businesses and churches but the attendance is very poor.
Please, brethren, I'm hereby requesting your prayers and support through this hard time so that we may have food to eat, pay our house rent and school fees. God miraculously gave us a house but it needs a lot of work before we can move in and stop needing to pay rent, as it's not yet roofed, shuttered, and needs power connection, etc.
May God bless you all for your unceasing support for the needy!
"For I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in." (Matthew 25:35, WEB)
10) My name is Geoffrey Osiemo Nyakeyo from Kenya, a born again Christian. I'm married and blessed with two children, Franklin and Michelle, as well as seven adopted children, Stephen, James, Ruth, Mary, Damacline, and Faith and Darimas who are brother and sister. I was working in a restaurant which I was depending on for feeding them, but now since there is no work, it has become so hard for me to meet all the basic needs of all my children. I pray and believe that God will provide. Amen.
After the pandemic started I have been feeding my family as well as my children's ministry through the money that was raised by sister Shirley through Unite in Love. It is not over--we still need your help as the coronavirus has not gone away. May God bless Unite in Love more so many that God uses will continue to make our family smile. Amen. Be blessed all.
11) Qaim's brother, Saleem, who has diabetes and the sole supporter of his large family of twelve, including nine children, and his sister, Shahida, who has hepatitis C, with her husband, who had kidney-stone surgery in 2019, with their seven kids, all are going through hardships in Pakistan.
12) Teresa, 69, lives in Kenya with her daughter and four grandsons after her husband passed away from covid-19. Her daughter, whose husband died years ago in a car accident, worked at a floral shop but lost her job due to the pandemic, so the family is in need of support for daily necessities.
13) Jackline, age 38, divorced, lives in Kenya with her three children and grandmother who is 116 years old. For a living, she used to wash clothes for people before the pandemic struck; the lockdown has forced the family to depend on begging for survival.
14) Jani lives with his wife and two children in Pakistan. He worked in a factory until the lockdown forced him out of work. Even though the lockdown has eased, he still has no employer but depends on anyone calling him up for house repair, which does not happen often in this pandemic, so his family continues to struggle meeting their daily necessities.
15) My name is Sunday Tersen from Nigeria and I stay with my mother, Veronica, and younger brother, Stephen. I worked as a math teacher in a small primary school. Mother, who's old and unemployed, is sick now and we are in need of food and money for medicine.
16) Junaid from Pakistan lives with his mother, two sisters and three brothers; his father passed away years ago. He was working in a cotton factory before his job got terminated by the lockdown. Some months ago, heavy rain and flooding destroyed his house in the village, and then a bike accident injured him, fracturing his hands. At this time, being the breadwinner and yet unemployed, Junaid and his family are facing a lot of problems and in need of assistance for their daily bread.
17) Muneer of Pakistan lives with his wife and four children in a rented house. He was a patient of tuberculosis, and although he's tested negative for it now, he's been ill for months and unable to work at his barber shop. He has no money to see a specialist for a diagnosis. His monthly rent is 5,500 PKR (about $33).
18) Josephine Okemwa, 25, lost both of her parents five years ago and lives with a relative in Kenya. In order to walk, she requires the aid of canes. She would appreciate any support to meet her basic needs and daily bread.
19) Raeesa and her husband from Pakistan share both joy and sorrow as a couple--joy, for they are expecting their first child; and sorrow, for they are facing mounting challenges. Raeesa is a patient of epilepsy and lost her father years ago. Her husband worked as a table cleaner in a hotel but lost his job due to the pandemic. Additionally, he has a very frail health that keeps him from working at the moment. They are three months behind on their house rent and their landlord has threatened to evict them if they cannot pay up. Their monthly rent is 5,000 PKR, which is about $31.65. Any support with their daily bread and/or rent will be much appreciated.
20) Joseph, 47, lives with his wife and six children in Kenya. Half a year ago, he suffered a stroke, stripping him of full mobility. He uses walking staffs, and his wife stays home caring for him. Prior to the pandemic, he was the breadwinner, working as a security guard. Now the family needs support for daily necessity, along with a wheelchair, which costs between 15,000 and 20,000 KES (about $145-$192).
21) Florence, 66, of Kenya, a widow of about twenty years, was left destitute when her only son and child passed away in August 2020 from covid-19. She lives with the five children he left behind (his wife had also passed away years ago) in a rental with one room. Their monthly rent is 2,600 KES (about $26) not including electricity, which is 800 KES/month. Additionally, they need assistance with daily bread.
22) Life has been hard for Kousar of Pakistan after her husband left her and their four young children, ages from two to eight, in 2020. She works as a cleaning lady at people's homes. She's struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. Her monthly rent is 4,000 PKR (about $26.32).
23) My name is Hariganesh from India. I'm married and blessed with two children, Reshmaa and Pravin. I lost the use of my legs due to polio at the age of five months, and at the age of 22, I was reattacked by polio--it's called post polio syndrome. Now my age is 33. Ever since then, I can't move even with halifer or crutches, only moving by crawling and using a wheelchair, and I feel pain every day. My wife is also physically disabled; she can barely walk with little balance and has heart disease with low pulse. I lost my mother 6 years ago. My father, who's 71, is my only support in regard to my daily, physical needs. I can't manage to feed my family. The government provides no support in this critical time. I'm the only source of income in my family. I'm a writer so I don't have a permanent or regular income.
24) My name is Marcy from Kenya. I am a mother of two boys, 7 and 5 years old. I am currently expecting my third, due on the 13th next month. We became homeless when my ex-husband threw us out of the house and brought in a new wife. I was forced to seek refuge with a friend who accepted to host us for a month. So far, we have gone way too far from the time we agreed upon and I feel like I am not doing any justice to my host. My humble plea is to at least find someone who would bless us with a roof over our heads. A single room goes for ksh 4500 (about $42) ( iron-sheet walled room) per month while a concrete walled single room goes for ksh 5500 (about $52), with a security deposit of the same amount for both. My unending appreciation to sister Shirley together with all the donors of this great foundation and I pray for God's blessings in abundance. Gracious.
25) This is a three-generation family of ten from Liberia. Wachen lives with her mother and both of her sisters, along with her and her sisters' children. As the breadwinner of her family, Wachen sells vegetables at the market but is struggling to make ends meet.
100% of donations are distributed to everyone according to their needs.
"There is strength in number; there is power in love. When we unite in love, we can achieve common good for society. I believe that when we have the resources and ability to act, we should act. As one individual, I can do only so much. I therefore hope that our community will stand with me to provide assistance where it's most needed," says Dr. Cheng.
About the Founder of Unite in Love
Dr. Shirley Cheng is a blind and physically disabled award-winning author of nine books with twenty-seven book awards, Bible teacher and founder of www.Ultra-Ability.com Ministry, motivational speaker, poet, a contributor to over twenty-five books, and an editor of one. Due to years of hospitalization, she received no schooling until age eleven. Back then, she barely knew English but after about 180 days of attendance in a special education class in elementary school, she mastered grade level and entered a regular sixth grade class in middle school. She was a top student, earning "Student of the Year" in sixth grade, "Student of the Month" in seventh grade, and received an excellence award for earning the highest grade of 97 in Earth science in eighth grade. She's also a three-time winner of the National Reflections Program in the visual arts. Her high school GPA is 3.9 (97) with no advanced placement factors. After she lost her eyesight at age seventeen, Dr. Cheng had to complete chemistry by balancing long chemistry formulas and equations in her head, and earned a high school equivalency diploma. She took the entire GED test, including mathematical calculations, graphs, and an essay, without Braille or vision. She received a special recognition award for scoring an exceptional 3280 on the GED test. She became an author at age twenty, completing three books within the first year. Since 2011, Dr. Cheng has been teaching the Bible in depth one-on-one to students from around the world; she has written five volumes of expository lessons and tests in seven years. She creates and maintains her own websites and self-published her books, designing and formatting her manuscripts on her own. She uses the screen-reading software Jaws which reads computer text and tells her which keys she types.
Listen to the podcast "Adapting with Blind Minister Shirley Cheng" with host Alex Garrett where Dr. Cheng spoke of her life, ministry and purpose:
To learn more about Dr. Cheng, visit http://www.ShirleyCheng.com
Follow Dr. Cheng at http://www.facebook.com/drshirleycheng
Organizer
Shirley Cheng
Organizer
Hartsdale, NY