How you can help lower the orphan population!

A "vulnerable" family in Ghana. Before sponsorship.

I just got through updating AAI families on the humanitarian projects ongoing in Ghana. It occurs to me that I really don't share much about that here, and there's no reason not to! I figure there might be folks reading this blog that are open to learning about tangible ways they can assist orphaned and/or vulnerable children.

You can go HERE (scroll down a bit) to learn about the main projects AAI assists with in Ghana. Yes, the adoption fees our families pay help with these projects. However, what remains of the adoption fees after actual costs incurred during the process are not NEARLY enough to fund these programs! We rely on the donations we receive throughout the year (especially THIS time of year) to make ends meet. I'm responsible for budgeting every month and I can tell you--some months it's very difficult to support the kids and families we have now, let alone adding more to the list. I worry about the month that I might have to say, I'm sorry. There are no funds to give "X Orphanage" a food donation this month." or "I'm sorry. We just don't have the fund to send "child Y" to school this month." I promise--it could happen.

The cool thing about AAI's program--I think--is that the projects are not just focused on orphaned kiddos. In fact, I would say that the bigger emphasis is on family preservation. We AAI donors get to be involved in keeping families together rather than the families being separated by poverty! Is that not cool? It's possible to sponsor a "vulnerable" child's education, or assist a "vulnerable" family to meet their food needs each month. $35 a month for education or $50 a month for food will get it done!

This family does not yet have sponsors. They are needed! Can you sponsor one of the kids' education, or for the family to receive food assistance each month?

Every year at this time AAI has a Holiday Project. It's a time when there is a big push to raise money so that we can provide all of the kids and adults in the AAI "family" with some Christmas goodies--luxuries that just aren't possible the rest of the year. What a treat it would be to get a toy or a new traditional outfit when most of the time you are just hoping to get food every day! This year our goal in Ghana is to raise about $1700. You can go HERE and click "Donate Now" and then note "Holiday Project" if you'd like to help. Every penny counts! For a minimum donation of $30 you can even give the donation in honor of someone else, as a gift. You can go HERE to do some Christmas shopping where all proceeds go to the project. You can contact CYNTHIA to purchase a super-cool Africa-shaped ornament with a heart over your country of choice! Or maybe you want to do a fundraiser yourself? Tons of ways to help!

I don't plan to turn my personal blog into a constant commercial about ways you can help. Sometimes it just weighs heavily on me. We have it so very good here. We're worried about how many gifts we might be able to give our kids, not if we can feed them. We're worried about the quality of our kids' education, not if we can provide education for them. I think our concerns in this country are beyond luxurious. We need to be more concerned for the could-be-future-orphans of this world.