Nonprofit-Aid Organizations

Just have to share this wonderful slide show from Swallow's Nest Foster Home which is in Henan. Two families in our travel group adopted children who were there and are also in this slide show.

I have a few links to some other blogs I've been wanting to post for awhile. First there is my friend Jen over at The Road to Ethiopia and Back. She is doing a series of posts on first family contact in adoption. I think she has some good things to say especially since she is on two sides of the adoption triad.

Then there is my newest fav charity, Drawn From Water. This is a new organization devoted to helping the children of a tribe in southwestern Ethiopia. The Karo tribe is bond by superstitions which require parents to kill children who are considered cursed or imperfect for such things as the circumstances of their birth or the order their teeth erupt in. Drawn From Water is working to provide the parents an alternative and to save the lives of these children. They presently have 10 of these children in their care and are looking to expand their orphanage. They need support. Check them out.

And lastly, I wanted to link to an incredible story and a family who is taking on a huge task. This family adopted a 13 year old girl from China giving them 5 children at home. They thought they were done. However when they arrived in China they learned that their new daughter had TWO biological brothers!! They are now on a crazy ride trying to get these two boys adopted as well. Go read their story.

I've written before about Amanda who runs the Starfish Foster Home for orphan children in China. Well, Amanda needs our help. She has been ask to take in a group of cleft affected babies who have no where to go as the orphanage is overflowing. Amanda had hoped to start a Cleft House for such babies some time in the future when she had the funds, but now there is the need so she is stepping out in faith that the funds will come. She had taken in 9 beautiful little ones. You can see their pictures here, here, and here on her blog. Amanda needs 80 people to commit to donate $25 a month for a year to care for these 9 precious little ones. If more money comes in she will take more children. You can read all about it here.

As most of you know from reading this blog, our Katie is cleft affected. Children born with cleft lip and palate often struggle to suck and are very difficult to feed. In orphanages, there are often not enough caregivers to take the time that is needed to feed these children as much food as they need. To make things worse, the special bottles that help make feeding cleft affected infants easier are not available in China! I have read that something like 90% of cleft affected children in China do not survive infancy, primarily for lack of the time and special tools to feed them properly. How awful!  Please, consider supporting Starfish as they make a difference for one more little cleft affected baby!

I found another wonderful organization, Mocha Club. Check it out.

Check out this video too. 

I have a new favorite charity!  Charity Water.

Their mission is to bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.  They give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need. And they also work to raise awareness of the water crisis through events, fundraising exhibitions and other public awareness campaigns.

Clean water won't fix all the world's many problems, but it's hard to even start fixing the others if people don't have the basic need of water.

Ethiopia's numbers are staggering. Only one in every four people in Ethiopia have access to clean water. There are more people in Ethiopia without clean water than any other country in Africa. Women bear the brunt of water shortage. Many women in Ethiopia walk up to 3 hours, carrying 40-pound jerry cans filled with polluted water that is likely to make them sick. And many girls never get an opportunity to go to school because the responsibility of collecting water takes precedence.  Right now Charity Water is working to provide 333 wells in Ethiopia. 

Charity Water is running a campaign in the month of September to fund these 333 wells in Ethiopia.  They are asking that people with September birthdays have all moneys donated to Charity Water instead of gifts.  Can you help?

Their site has photos and video which show the great needs but also the wonderful Ethiopian culture. And they have already drilled the first well!!

Looking to buy Ethiopian items and help out a good cause?  Check out this little online store. They have clothing, jewlery, toys, decor, and other Ethiopian items. All proceeds go to benefit Ethiopian Orphan Relief. Check it out.

I have an online acquaintance who made me aware of a child sponsorship program in Ethiopia. This woman knows the family that started and operates this program very well and can verify that they are legit.  Coolest part is 100% of sponsorship money goes to the child! That's amazing!! Here is the summary of what they do:

I found a couple of You-tube videos of Amanda de Lange from Chinese Starfish. I wrote about her blog here.

Interview with Amanda: Part I

Interview with Amanda: Part II

The follow letter from Amy Eldridge, founder of Love Without Boundaries, has been posted on a number of forums and lists that I visit. It is a real tear jerker... I think I'll let it speak for it's self.

I thought from time to time I will talk a little bit about some of the blogs that I read.

First up there is Chinese Starfish.
This is the blog of a South African woman living in China running a foster home for children with special needs. Her story is interesting, heartwarming, sad, and a powerful testimony to the good still in this world.

I love reading this blog for so many reasons. It gives me a look into the culture of my future daughter. It allows me to feel a connection to real children in China. But perhaps the biggest thing is that, if I were single, I would love to to be doing exactly what Amanda is.