A Raffle for Microsoft Zune 4GB

Hey, everyone!

Diego and his aunt are going to get the help that they need. Thanks to Kristen and all of the other Aura's House partners, Deigo will get a chance, and hopefully show a real smile from the inside out. The link to his fundraiser is here:
http://aurashouse.com/2009/06/emergency-project-for-diego-of-columbia/

I know Diego needs the nutritional supplements, tuition, uniforms, and textbooks ASAP, so I have started a raffle. He will be delivered the help he needs as the funds are raised little by little.

As soon as the first $150 is raised, he will be delivered the Pediasure immediately, and so on (in order of priority).

To help him get the help he needs quickly, here is my offer:
For every $10 donated, you will receive 1 raffle ticket. At the end of the fundraiser, I will get a spread sheet of the donors. I will use this spread sheet to print off the raffle tickets. My daughter Jaden will draw a number out of the hat to determine the winner. The winner will receive a brand new black 4GB Microsoft Zune Video and Music MP3 player found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WG1QRS/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
Thanks everyone for helping out this family! This is going to change Diego's life forever!
Heather

Get your kids involved in helping others!

This week, Jaden, Morgan & I will be gathering up books to send to the orphans in Uganda. It is never TOO early to show your kids that they can make a difference in the world. Anyone who would like to do the same (sending books), but who does not have books to send, let me know. I will gladly share the books we have with whomever needs them. Stay tuned for pictures of the project, and let me know if you need some books to send.
FamilyCares is partnering with LEAD Uganda to educate orphans in Uganda. LEAD Uganda finds forgotten children with innate talents and molds them into leaders. They provide bright, motivated AIDS orphans, former child soldiers and child laborers, with the 21st-century skills needed to lead Africa into the future. Uganda, located in eastern Africa, has 1.9 million orphans. Some of them have been child soldiers, abducted from their villages and forced to fight; some are street kids and some are struggling to raise their brothers and sisters after their parents have died. Education is the route to transforming their lives, and your family can help. These children are desperate to attend school, but schools are not free in Uganda. Children need uniforms and supplies. These items are beyond the reach of poor families and orphans. LEAD Uganda pays for school fees for AIDS orphans and former child soldiers, with the goal of getting students into elite Ugandan schools. Their program is work; students are now attending top schools.
Your family can help in the following ways:
Collecting T-shirts or dresses (ages 8-18)
Contributing laptops (PC & Apple), consumer DV video cameras or digital cameras – they can be used but should be in good condition
Collecting paperback books (ages 8-18)
Making a contribution or sponsoring a child's education
Steps Involved:
Talk to your children about what it is like to go to school in Uganda (See facts, map and resources below). Discuss why it is important to go to school, the fact that schools in Uganda are not free, that these children are desperately poor and lack basic necessities.
Decide how your family will help. It could be as simple as looking through your own closets to asking other families to contribute the following items:
T-shirts – i.e. team shirts and camp shirts that are often only worn for one season. Dresses and skirts - African girls do not wear pants. Please send children's sizes for ages 8-18 only . Do not send stained or ripped shirts or dresses.
Laptops, video DV cameras and digital cameras - perhaps your company or your family has used (but in good working order) items that they no longer need. Outside the Dream will be conducting a workshop this fall to give university bound students marketable skills. Laptops are especially needed. Place all adaptors, cables and instruction books in a zip lock bag and send with the equipment.
Paperback books - English is the official language in Uganda. Books for ages 8 yrs to 18 years are requested. Books should be in good condition. At media rate, you can mail 10 lbs of books for $4.84, 25lbs of books for $9.84 and 50lbs at $16.84. Bookmarks - If you send books, your family can include homemade bookmarks made of cardboard or paper. Bookmarks with stickers, drawings or phrases encouraging kids to read are fun and easy to make and fun for the Ugandan children to receive. Enclose letters and/or drawings from your family members in your package.
Consider making a contribution or a commitment to support a child's education. Your children can help raise funds by doing chores, holding a tag sale of household items, setting up a lemonade stand or collecting cans and bottles to redeem.
$5 feeds a child at school for a month.
$10 buys books and supplies; helps keep a child in school.
$25 boards a primary school student.
$50 boards a high school student at a good school.
$100 boards a high school student at a top school.
For more details, visit http://www.leaduganda.org/.
Mail items to:
LEAD Uganda 202 Saint Marks Ave. #4 Brooklyn, NY 11238
For more information, photos of children in the LEAD Uganda program and a recent newsletter go to http://www.leaduganda.org/.
Education in Developing CountriesEducation in developing countries is not free. Poor families are not able to pay for fees, uniforms and supplies. Orphans and children living on the street rarely attend school consistently. Consider the following facts gathered from UNESCO, UNICEF and CARE:
125-140 million children worldwide do not receive even an elementary education.
60 percent of them are girls.
1 billion people live in absolute poverty living on less than $1 per day
15 million children worldwide are AIDS orphans 2 million children have died in the last decade from war and violent conflict
300,000 plus child soldiers are exploited in over 30 countries
250 million children – that is one out of six work as child laborers
Education benefits not only the child and her local community, but our global community as well. Your family can help make an education for a Ugandan orphan not just a dream but also a reality.

Uganda
ResourcesThe World Fact Book at www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ug.htmlUnicef- Africa's Orphaned Generations at www.unicef.org/publications/africas_orphans.pdf

My loving girls

In case you haven't read the article about Jaden and Morgan on the Children International web-site yet, you can check it out here:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/FeatureStories/2009/Pages/SponsorshipExperience-AFamilyAffair-2-17-09.aspx?sid=108CBC7-EDA9-458E-9D2B-BBFD0D7CB51F1

It will probably be up for just a few more days. Jaden is already 1/4 of the way into reaching her goal of buying beds for all 4 children with HIV/AIDS. She raised $125 to send to the Dominican Republic to buy a bed for Dulce. Next on her agenda is to raise $160 to buy a bed for Jonathan in Ecuador.
She has a million other ideas that involve helping others, and she wants to do them all (some of the things she will be able to do without spending money, but rather time). Every day, her show of compassion for others amazes me. Morgan sees what Jaden is doing and automatically wants to do what her big sister is doing! What a great example she is to her little sister (and to others)!

A Family Affair

The article about Jaden and Morgan is now live & will be up on the Children International web-site for the next 2 weeks. Enjoy:
http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/FeatureStories/2009/Pages/SponsorshipExperience-AFamilyAffair-2-17-09.aspx?sid=F22461C-840F-4BFE-9097-ADAF89036C931

Jaden & Morgan will be famous tomorrow!!!

Big announcement! Of course, we all know how special both of the girls are, but soon the world will know. Jaden and Morgan have done a few projects to help others and already understand that there is a world beyond themselves with people that have less than they do. For Christmas, you may remember they put together Christmas gift bags for 40+ families in the Dallas area.
Now, Jaden and Morgan have decided to get money together to purchase beds for 4 children who do not have a bed. None of this came by my persuasion but rather by Jaden seeing a need and asking questions. Of course, all of that will be in the article that will go live tomorrow. It will be on the home page of the Children International web-site for a week. To see it, starting tomorrow morning, go to: http://www2.children.org/en/us/Pages/Home.aspx?sid=7AEBEA10-4811-443D-BCFE-6EBCE651AB41 , and scroll down to the bottom of the home page on the left hand side.

Great books for children

Three great books to teach children about how people all around the world live. Children only know what they see and what they are told. It is so easy to see how they would think that everyone is just like them. Morgan and Jaden love these books! They are packed with information, so they are not books that you read through in a 30 minute reading session. Every time we pick up one of the books, we see something new.

Why Giving Feels So Good... Financially

This article was taken from fool.com I thought it was very interesting, so I wanted to share it with the rest of you:
As the holidays set in, and the season of giving begins to brush elbows with the cabal of commercialism, we're presented with -- to borrow from the classic education vernacular -- an ideal "teaching moment."
So exactly how do you convince those in a material world to love giving as much as getting? Easy: Explain how one begets the other.
Giving makes you happier
Behaving charitably really is good for you -- and not just in an "eat your peas" way. Research has shown that the benefits of generosity are twofold.
First, we get a psychological lift from helping others. According to Knox College psychology professor Timothy Kasser, people who focus on generosity are happier (and healthier!) than those mired in materialism.
A recent University of Oregon study found that charity stimulates the brain centers that tell us that our basic needs are being met (the foundation for success, according to Abraham Maslow -- as in the man behind Maslow's hierarchy of needs), letting us know that it's safe to dial down our hunt-gather-hoard-guard setting.
You don't even have to write a check to get good giving vibes: Offering time or lending skills to a good cause takes us out of our navel-gazing routine and connects us to something grander. This perspective allows us to see just how precious a helping hand can be to others.
Besides helping others, a nice side effect of being generous is that it boosts your own standing, which leads us to exhibit B in our "It Pays to Be Good" presentation ...
Giving makes you richer
Giving has been shown to tangibly boost the benefactor's bottom line -- and not just taxwise, either. Research shows that people who are observed behaving charitably are often recommended for leadership positions in their professional lives.
The Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey further supports the two-way correlation between giving and getting the financial warm fuzzies. As you might expect, we're more generous when we're flush with cash (a 10% raise increases our altruism by about 7%). But the survey also revealed generosity's boomerang effect: A family that donates just $100 more a year than its neighbors (all else being equal) earns, on average, $375 more.
The cycle of wealth doesn't stop there: Every $100 in extra giving increases the U.S. GDP by $1,800; and each $100 increase in a household's income generates an average of $1.47 more for charity. So, give more, and you boost the economy, which helps you earn more and become capable of giving more.

Raising a Philanthropic Child

Jaden (my 4 year old) and I have been sitting at the computer watching all of the Childen International You Tube videos. Jaden never ceases to amaze me. We have been sitting here for about an hour, and watching the videos has led to discussions. Some of those discussions went like this:
Jaden~ Why doesn't that girl have shoes on?
When I went on to explain she questions, "Does Henry and Katherine and the other kids have shoes?" I told her that I wasn't sure, but it was a possibility that they did not. Her simple reply, "Then let's send them shoes"
The same conversation went on for the sink, water, toilet, house, clothes, dishes, bed, etc (you get the idea). Her response always was, "Well, then let's send them some!"
I got to these 2 Wrold Vision videos (links below). They are very moving, and informational. I had sponsored with them before, but I have had a much better experience with Children International, so I wouldn't go back to them. However, the information they give holds true for both organizations. Anyway, after we got through watching the 2 World Vision videos, Jaden asked why they were sad. I said, "Because they are hungry and dying." She said, "Well, let's go there and help them. Come on mom!!!" I told her that we couldn't go right now... She asked "Why not?" I replied, "Because it costs a lot of money to go there." That wasn't a good answer for her, of course. Her response was, "Mom, Do you have ANY money? because I have $1. So, let's go!!"
By the way, the music in the one video is by Mercy Me, and can be found on the album "Almost There"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utsOBE6iFj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_2GAEzJL6I

And for those of you who want more information about the HIV/AIDS crisis specifically:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEqi4jcUA2I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYLWWVh8_ic

The Stigma of HIV/AIDS can devastate a child

Can you imagine standing by as your child is teased by other children and even ADULTS? Or, watch as your child's "friends" are told they can no longer play with your child because he/she has HIV/AIDS? Or can you imagine not being able to get a job or losing your job because you are HIV+? Can you imagine your child watching as her father gets sick and dies of the same disease she has? Then, she watches her mother or siblings die of the same thing, and now, she sits back and waits until it happens to her (because what else can she do? She doesn't have access to the medicine she needs to stay alive). This is a reality that many children face!! Look at the beautiful faces above. Do you care that they have the medicine that they need? Do you care that they have the support of someone who loves them unconditionally? Someone that knows that they are a child, not a disease!!!! Who would stand up for your child, if they were in their shoes? Would you? Will you? All 4 of these precious gifts from God are in need of a friend that will not let them down. Will you be their strength?
Below is more information on the epidemic as it concerns the Dominican Republic (2 of the children above live there. The other 2 live in Ecuador):

HIV/AIDS affects everyone in every region and the response to the pandemic is global. HIV/AIDS is primarily a disease of poverty, its spread is intricately linked to the wider inequalities of poverty and gender, and it disproportionately affects the most marginal and disempowered. Once infected, people living with HIV and AIDS face further marginalization and discrimination because of the extreme stigma associated with the disease.

HIV/AIDS is heavily affecting the Caribbean region and its population. Only sub-Saharan Africa has a higher percentage of its population living with HIV/AIDS. According to UNAIDS, AIDS is now the leading cause of death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 44 living in the Caribbean. Infection rates currently stand at an estimated 2.3 %. However, despite successes in some countries, the epidemics in many Caribbean countries are growing. The total number of people living with the virus in the region is estimated to be 300,000, with 30,000 people becoming infected in 2005.

This report is based on the findings of Amnesty International (AI) research into the connection between human rights violations and HIV/AIDS in two countries in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic and Guyana. It shows how abuses of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights increase people's risk of HIV infection. It also shows how those affected by HIV/AIDS are denied their human rights.These findings highlight the close interrelationship between human rights and HIV/AIDS, a theme reflected in AI's recommendations which focus on the need for comprehensive rights-based approaches to HIV/AIDS in all areas of prevention, treatment, care and support.AI believes that this is a crucial time in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Caribbean countries differ greatly in their culture, their political and legal systems and in the epidemiological development of HIV/AIDS. Most countries in the Caribbean are island states with small populations. This has implications for the particular dynamics of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

People living with HIV/AIDS have to deal not only with the disease itself, but also with society's response to it and to them. All too often that response is characterized by fear, stigma and discrimination.
"Stigmatization occurs because of misinformation about transmission, fears of infection and the incurability of the disease, and its nature and degree are determined by a variety of social, cultural, political and economic factors, including the stage of the disease and the sex of the infected person."The UN Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences.
The consequences of stigma and discrimination for people affected by HIV/AIDS can be very far reaching.
"Not only are incidences of stigma and discrimination upsetting to the individual affected and may cause serious problems wherever they occur, but stigma and discrimination in health care settings can have particularly severe consequences. Fear of being identified as vulnerable to infection or as HIV-positive prevents many people from coming forward for voluntary testing, with the result that they are less likely to adopt measures to protect themselves and others from the virus. Inappropriate behavior towards those who are ill can lead to depression, social isolation and a worsening of their condition, which in turn places a greater burden on those who care for them. Furthermore, international conventions agree that discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS is often also an abuse of their human rights."
AI interviewed a wide range of people from policymakers, to activists to community members in rural areas. All without exception highlighted stigma and discrimination as obstacles to an effective response to HIV/AIDS. The stigma affects people in a whole variety of ways; it may discourage people from seeking information on prevention, as well as testing, counselling and treatment.

Poverty
"Ill health is both a cause and a consequence of poverty: sick people are more likely to become poor and the poor are more vulnerable to disease and disability." UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health.
Poverty is a significant problem in both the Dominican Republic and Guyana where 20 and 36 per cent of the population respectively live below the national poverty line. Treatment for HIV/AIDS is in theory available free of charge (without direct user fees) in both countries. However, AI repeatedly heard stories from people who were unable to access treatment and care because they could not afford the travel costs to get to clinics or hospitals, or they could not afford adequate food to take the medicines with.

Poverty and the lack of economic opportunities also affect the behaviour of young women and men, increasing their risk of HIV infection. While the number of women entering the labour market has increased over the past years, many women work in the informal sector, for example as domestics, where wages are very low or may largely consist of payments in kind, making it harder for women to support themselves.

As this report shows, people living with HIV/AIDS also face discrimination in the workplace. Some may lose their jobs after disclosing their status. Some employers force workers to take HIV tests, others test them without their knowledge or consent, in clear violation of human rights obligations and government guidelines, which stipulate that testing should be voluntary and with full consent of the testee. In some cases, people living with HIV/AIDS are unable to find work because of their status; in others, employment may be conditional on a negative HIV test. Similarly, children and adolescents might face discrimination in their access to education, based on their perceived or actual HIV status. If no mechanisms are available to allow people to challenge such discrimination then their rights are further violated by denying them access to justice.

*The Dominican Republic has a population of 8 million people, some 25 per cent of whom live below the national poverty line.
*According to UNAIDS, 88,000 people --1.7 per cent of the population-- in the Dominican Republic are living with HIV/AIDS, of which it is estimated that between 10-15,000 people need antiretroviral treatment. Some 2,700 people living with HIV/AIDS were receiving these medicines at the beginning of 2006...(What about the other 7,000-12,000 people?)
*HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age in the Dominican Republic
*HIV/AIDS infection rates are also particularly high in bateyes which are predominately populated by Haitian migrants or Dominicans of Haitian descent.
(For a more extensive report, here is the link:http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGAMR010022006 )

What a difference!!

Henry~ a couple of weeks before he turns 8 years old
I checked my online account with Children International, so that I could put all of the children's birthdays on my calendar. What a wonderful surprise to find a new picture of Henry!!!! The top picture is his latest photo, and he is wearing one of the shirts that I sent him. The bottom picture was taken 2 years ago, and is his first sponsorship photo. I know I can't take all of the credit for his smile, but I do think that sponsorship is making a difference. I spoke with one of the sponsorship reps yesterday, and he told me that Henry will get his bed by the time of his birthday (October 28th), and he is putting a special note with the bed to let him know that it is for his birthday. I can't wait to see those pictures!!
I wish I could explain the feeling to those of you who have never sponsored a child before~ what it feels like to see the difference you make in their lives. It is an amazing feeling, and I believe that the giver gets more out of it than the receiver. Every time I get a picture of one of my children with a big (sincere) smile on their face it warms my heart.
By the way, for a limited time, when you sponsor a child through my "Lift One" page, one of my sponsored families will receive a food basket worth $50!!!! If seven kids are sponsored through this page, all seven of my children's families will get a food basket! Perfect for the Thanksgiving and holiday season. So, if you are thinking of sponsoring, please go through my site, or mention my name when you speak with a sponsor rep. Then, let me know, so that I can make sure my children get the food. If you have a particular child (of my 7) that you would like the food basket to go to, let me know, and I will specify that family.
http://www.liftoneproject.org/goto/ilovemykids08

Raising money to buy a bed

I received a thank you letter from Henry today, along with some pictures. I sent him some workbooks for himself and his 5 year old brother Esneiver. The reason I sent the workbooks (besides giving them something fun to do) is because he needs a bed, a towel, and dishes... I know that doesn't make sense, but I will explain. I had asked him awhile back if his family needed anything. He told me that he did not have a bed or a towel, and they don't have enough dishes for everyone to eat. Since, I don't have extra money laying around, I decided to raise the money using Ebay. I bought some workbooks, and have been selling them for the past 3 months now. I wanted Henry to know that I had not forgotten his request, so I sent him some workbooks, so that he could see what I was selling in order to raise the money for his bed (and the other things). Now, I finally have the money to get him those things!! His birthday is October 28th, and he will be 8 years old. For his birthday, he will receive a bed and dishes. I am raising more money in order to send him a Christmas package which will contain a towel set for him and his brother, a soccer tie blanket that I made a while back, and a soccer ball. Yay for Ebay!!!!! Thank you Mack and Su for your purchases of workbooks that helped contribute to making him happy!!! I will keep you posted as I get more pictures. By the way, my brother Kevin has left for school again, so I don't have him to scan my pictures for me. I took a picture of the pictures that I received. I know they didn't turn out very well, but at least you can see his smile!

Fly for cheap

Since beginning sponsorship, and getting to know the kids in 5 different countries, I have begun to think about international travel again. I would like to meet the kids that I sponsor one day, but I just didn't know how I was going to do it. It is expensive to travel, especially, if (like I) you plan to take your kids with you. Anyway, my friend Mack has given me hope. I am following her direction of raking up frequent flyer miles. Along with the directions she has given me, I have found other web-sites where you can earn miles. Microsoft has games that you play on live search to earn points and redeem for miles, and even some survey companies offer them as prizes. I wanted to pass on her good info, in case any of the rest of you would like to go somewhere for less. Here is what she wrote:

My friends are always asking me how I can afford to travel so much. I tell them that one of my big "secrets" is saving up Frequent Flyer Miles to trade in for otherwise too expensive flights.
If you want to do this, your first step will be to choose a FF program. I have no knowledge about which program is the best, because, like many people, I automatically signed up for the services of our state's small, local airline – the one I fly with the most often, and the one most likely to offer low fares from my nearest airport hub.
If you are researching different FF programs, my best advice is to look for one with a long list of partner airlines. With my program, for instance, I am able to earn miles by flying on American, Delta, Continental, NWA, British Airways, + more, in addition to my primary airline.
TIPS FOR EARNING FF MILES:

1. The obvious and expected way to earn miles is by flying. This is expensive, so if you aren't planning to do it anyway, I don't recommend it. That said, if you have the ability to travel spontaneously, it's fun to watch for super low airfares that make the trip almost worth it for the mileage you will earn. For example, I once found a flight to Paris for under $300, so I booked it even though I had no need to go to France. Between the FF miles I got, and the opportunity to check out some famous art, I felt the trip was worth the money.

2. Apply for a credit or debit card that will earn you 1 or more miles per dollar spent, then use it to buy EVERYTHING. Just be careful you aren't spending more than you can pay off at the end of each month, or you will risk paying finance charges!

3. If there's an expense you can't pay for with your mileage credit card – say, your mortgage or utility bills – use the card to purchase a money order from a department store (Wal-Mart has the best deal in my area). Your bank will see it only as a charge at the store, and you will collect FF miles for your purchase.

4. Be aware of your airline's various mile-earning programs and use them judiciously. I am able to earn extra FF miles by renting cars, buying groceries, sending flowers, shopping online, eating at restaurants … the list goes on and on. Research and determine how you can get FF miles for STUFF/SERVICES THAT YOU WOULD HAVE PAID FOR ANYWAY. If you are buying things JUST to earn miles, it kind of defeats the purpose of being thrifty.

TIPS FOR REDEEMING FF MILES:

1. Book early! Each flight only offers so many FF seats, so if you want to ensure that you snag one to a particular destination on a particular day, you'll need to plan ahead. Find out how far in advance you are allowed to book (usually about a year) and call on the FIRST DAY that you are permitted to make your reservation.
Some programs will allow you to book your outbound and inbound flights separately, so that you don't miss your opportunity to be the first in line if your return date is well past your departure date.

2. If no FF seats are available to your chosen destination, don't give up! Keep checking back, because new FF slots open up at the whim of the airlines or because other travelers canceled. Also, you can try flying into neighboring cities or countries. Note: The more popular your destination, the better chance of securing a FF seat.

3. Before you trade your FF miles in for a ticket, make sure there are no special airfare offers to your destination. Sometimes it makes more sense to pay for your ticket rather than relinquishing valuable miles.

4. Don't be afraid to change or cancel your FF flight if a better deal comes along. You will probably pay a fee to do this, but it can be worth it!

5. Save FF miles by flying into "cheaper" regions of the world first, then continuing onward from that point. For example, let's say you are sponsoring a child in India. Your FF program requires you to exchange 100,000 miles for a ticket to Calcutta, but only 60,000 to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fly into the neighboring country and travel overland or grab a cheap flight to India. Note: Cheap fares to all over the world can often be booked from Hong Kong.

6. Take advantage of "Open Jaw" options. Most airlines will allow you to fly into one country and out of another on your FF ticket. With this money saving method, you can fly into Colombia to visit one child, then fly out of Ecuador after visiting another kid!

7. If you are not on an Open Jaw itinerary, you are generally allowed 1 free stop-over at a scheduled connection city. This probably will not help you to visit your child, but you can enjoy a "mini-vacation" along the way at no additional cost.

The joy of a small package

I sent Mwanza a small package way back in May. I only put a few things inside~what I could fit in a priority flat rate envelope. Soccer themed pencils (wth a sharpener), journal, markers, photo album that he can fill up, and pictures of our family. As you can see, he was very excited! He just became sponsored when I started sponsoring him, so he will start school this fall (thanks to sponsorship). He turns 13 years old tomorrow and does not yet know how to read and write. I can't wait to watch him grow!

***Recycle and help a family***

I have a great opportunity, and I hope some of you take me up on it. I am recycling my printer cartridges and unused cell phones for cash. It is a fundraiser to raise money to help my sponsored children's families. If you have some empty cartridges in your house, or if your office doesn't already recycle, please send them my way. Also, if you have a fund raiser that you need to raise funds for, let me know. I will give you the link to sign up. If you sign up with my ID I get something like 10 cents for every cartridge you recycle. The money will go to the childrens' families on a most needed basis (whichever family needs me the most first). Thanks everyone!

Hard Choices- Children International

It costs Venita Njovu $1.60 a month to send her children to school. Pocket change for most of us, but worth about two days of food for her four children.
It’s a tough balancing act for a 41-year-old widowed mother…to decide between feeding her children and sending them to school. But Venita says the hunger they endure is a small price to pay for the long-term possibility education provides for her four children, ranging in age from 11 to 14. It is, she says, the only way her children will ever rise above the disaster that awaits nearly every child growing up in this part of Zambia.
“I want my children to be educated,” she says, “because education means a job, and jobs mean a better life.”
She made this commitment after the loss of her husband a little more than a year ago – that regardless of what happened, her children would stay in school. So she rents a part of their property as trash storage to a couple of home-based businesses and sells vegetables on the street to supplement her income. The money she earns keeps the children in school and pays for a few scraps of food, but little else.
“I thank the sponsor”
Despite her razor-thin existence, Venita is confident she has the fortitude to keep her head above water, especially now that her 11-year-old son, Stanley, is sponsored. The educational and medical assistance will reduce her expenses, she says, making it easier to survive each month.
One day, she muses, there might even be money to fix her tiny, crumbling brick box of a home. There is nothing to speak of in the dwelling, just a few blankets the family sleeps on, a couple of dented pans and a clothesline strung from one wall to the next. The walls are listing badly and the corrugated tin roof rattles with the slightest of winds.
Venita concedes that her situation is more severe than she likes to admit. But as she stirs some nshima – a local dish made of corn, oil and water – outside her tiny home and stands up in the searing midday sun, a gentle smile brightens her face. “I thank the sponsor for [helping] my children stay in school and do well.”

Alleviating AIDS in Africa (Children International)

By Damon Guinn
It’s taken the lives of more than 25 million people and orphaned some 15 million children. By the end of the decade, it’s projected to orphan another 10 million. Since it was first detected in the early ’80s, AIDS – Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome – has become the worst pandemic of our time. Today, more than 33 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that leads to AIDS. Worse still, the United Nations reports that “every minute of every day, a child under 15 becomes infected with HIV.”
No place is the impact of the illness more apparent than African countries like Zambia, one of the many underdeveloped countries where Children International works. And even though our sponsorship program isn’t designed, or equipped, to treat AIDS, sponsors and staff working with our program in Zambia are making valiant efforts to protect children against the world’s deadliest disease.
In recognition of World AIDS Day which took place on December 1, here is one story that demonstrates their courageous action.
A living Memory At the tender age of 4, Memory Banda was destined to become nothing more than her namesake...a memory. Her father, Nelson, had passed away – most likely from HIV/AIDS – leaving Memory and her pregnant mother, Agness, with nowhere to stay. Adding insult to injury, Agness discovered that she, too, was HIV-positive.
Searching for a place to live, Memory and her mother were forced to leave their home in Kanyama, the community where Children International provides sponsorship assistance. Memory had no choice but to leave the sponsorship program as well.
Her hope for the future – along with her family – was fading fast. Every day in Zambia, 100 people die from AIDS. Long lines at public clinics and the fear of being stigmatized discourage many from seeking treatment. Even with an increasing number of antiretroviral drugs freely available, people are turned away from overburdened clinics and told to come back another day. Given the circumstances, it was only a matter of time before Memory’s mother died and the little girl would be forgotten like so many other AIDS orphans. But all the while, Memory remained in the forefront of someone’s mind...her distant sponsor.
Memory and her mother, Agness, are benefiting from life-saving assistance care of Memory’s sponsor.
Michael Bottoroff refused to forget Memory. Determined to have her re-enrolled in sponsorship, he made special arrangements and began sending special donations so she and her mother could rent a house and return to Kanyama. He helped them get settled by furnishing household goods, extra nutritional support and the funds Agness needed to open a small grocery kiosk and start earning income. And just for safe measure, he made sure Agness received the best possible care during her pregnancy.
More than eighty sponsored children in Zambia are HIV-positive. But far more have been orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. Memory is not one of them, and never will be if her sponsor has anything to do with it.Sponsorship ensures that we can provide essential nutritional supplements to those children in Zambia who are HIV-positive and need extra nutrients to keep their immune systems strong.
Meanwhile, ongoing partnerships with the Zambian National AIDS Network make it possible for us to train volunteers to counsel infected children about treatment and the prospects of recovery. And then there are sponsors like Michael Bottoroff, who will do whatever it takes to save one more life from the tragedy of AIDS. Read more about our efforts to alleviate AIDS in Zambia in this news update from Clementina Chapusha, our communications coordinator in Lusaka.

School Supplies

Do any of you have new school supplies that you bought last year when the prices were good, but you never used? I know I do! I bought about 100 spiral notebooks last year. I thought that I would send them to my sponsored children, until I looked at the price of shipping! It would probably cost me at least $200 to send these spirals that only cost me $10. Well, I have a solution! I can get these supplies to Children International, and they will ship them to the children that need them. Although they serve many countries all over the world at the present time they are only sending shipments to the following locations due to import restrictions: Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, Chile, The Philippines, Zambia, Uganda and Kenya.
So, I have started a nationwide school supply drive, and you are invited to participate. Here is the post from Children International's blog regarding the details:

One of the most powerful things the sponsorship program does to combat poverty is help children have the supplies they need so they can go to or stay in school.
Now one of our great sponsors, Heather, would like to go the extra mile. She is organizing a drive to help gather large quantities of school supplies for sponsored children…and she’d like your help.
“I need people that are willing to organize a drive (or maybe willing to donate a lot by themselves). They can contact me regarding what they can collect and by what time (and where I need to meet them to get the stuff),” says Heather.
The items Heather is looking for are school supplies, pencils, pens, notebooks, coloring books, crayons, children’s books and backpacks. So if you’re up to the challenge, contact her at heatherlecount@yahoo.com.
Thanks, Heather!

A closer look- Kanyama (Lusaka, Zambia)

Key poverty-related issues:

*Most families in the Kanyama compounds (communities) cannot afford adequate or nutritious food. In fact, children may go hungry for days because families can’t buy food. Malnutrition is widespread, causing significant developmental issues.

*With only one clinic serving 150,000 people in Kanyama, most children are rarely able to see a doctor or get medicine. This has had a devastating effect as diseases such as malaria, cholera, parasitic infections and tuberculosis take their toll.

*In Kanyama, a dusty squatter settlement on the outskirts of Lusaka, as many as 75 percent of the children can’t go to school due to the lack of classrooms. Access isn’t the only challenge – most families can’t afford supplies, tuition or uniforms.

Don't forget...

Don't forget these children! To take a look back at their story, go here: http://wehatemanagers.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-is-means-to-be-alone.html If you have ANYTHING that you want to send them (clothes, school supplies, things for the home, books, toys, etc.) let me know. I will be sending them a package by the end of the month. Remember, they have nothing, so anything would be wonderful. Or, if you want to help with the cost of shipping, that would be great as well. They live in Zambia. It gets cold there in July, so they will need warm things for then... But, the rest of the time it is warm, so you get the idea. Upon further inquiry, I found out that they were taking pictures of the children, but the children weren't smiling. When one of the field agents asked if they were OK, they said they hadn't eaten all day. Imagine!

You Did It!- Children International Blog Update

You (our sponsors) are truly awesome people!
Within a matter of hours of posting the "What It Means to Be Alone" story, I'm thrilled to report that both Mwanza and Lavmo have found sponsors! Just think...it was only a few days ago that these five orphans literally had no future. Now, thanks to people like you who really care, they have a future -- and it's a bright one!
Thanks to our special sponsors who opened their hearts to Mwanza and Lavmo (and their brother and sisters)!