Also this year Dakota Youth Project has handed out Christmas bags to children on the reservation.
These 200 bags contained fruit, nuts and candy. Also included were small gifts from Holland. Additional contributions from the United States, Germany and Austria made this Christmas Gift Drive possible.

Although most Lakotas do not celebrate Christmas according to the religious sense, the children on the reservation are happy to receive presents like any other child. Many families on Pine Ridge Reservation live below the poverty line and do not have money for Christmas presents. DYP thanks everyone who has contributed donations to treat these children.

One bag for you...

The children of Children's Village have lined up for a photo, before they unpacked their bags:

(Children's Village is an emergency foster home for children from problem
families on the Pine Ridge Reservation)

DYP "REZ KID OF THE MONTH"

The DYP "Support a Rez Kid" project that was launched in the fall, has started succefully. Maya, the first "Rez Kid" presented on the DYP website, received contributions and Christmas gifts from Germany and Austria. An Austrian visitor bought a warm winter jacket for her.

Dakota Youth Project has modified its website. This new website provides more detailed information on

• Problems that children/youth on the reservation are facing day by day
• DYP activities
• Ways you can support

With the brand-new DYP "Support a Rez Kid" Project you can support a certain youth directly.

CLOTHES FOR REZ KIDS

On February 16, 2004 DYP long time friend and supporter, Shep Gurwitz, traveled from Boston to the Pine Ridge Rez bringing clothes and food to help some of the needy families here. The 15 passenger van he drove here was packed full of large bags of clothes.

Getting dozens of piles of clothing organized kept the DYP members busy for quite a while...

James Robideau, who is working with the South Dakota Child Protection Service, found out that some of the kids he visited in the course of his work don’t go to school because they don’t have clothes. One teacher told him that kids come to school with the same clothes each day. Then people wonder why there are so many dropouts.

Many thanks to Shep, his son Aaron, and their close friend Brian who brought the donations.