Ways you can help in Ghana

Today I sent out an email to my AAI families about ways they could assist with humanitarian projects in Ghana. If you read my blog often you know I don't usually "push" AAI stuff, but I figure maybe there are a few out there who aren't AAI families but are looking for great ways to support orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana! Family Preservation Sponsorships: For $35 a month you can sponsor a vulnerable child to go to school and receive lunch each day. These are children who are still living with their families, in part, because we are able to help with education. Alternatively, you can sponsor a vulnerable family by giving a food donation each month. This is a bundle of basic foods (oil, rice, beans) that will help the family fill the gap in their nutritional needs. Again, this food may literally be the difference in a child staying with their family or being put into alternative care. Currently there are FIFTEEN children ages 4-15 years who desperately need sponsors for their education. Please email anita@adoptionadvocates.org to choose a child or family to sponsor. You can set up ongoing monthly sponsorship through the AAI website. This is our greatest current need! Survival Paks: Our partner NGO in Ghana is collecting "Survival Paks" for women and children living on the street or in the marketplace. These are 2-gallon ziploc bags that contain essentials like soap, 2-yard cloth, flashlight and batteries, protein bars, and socks. [Those are the basics, but you can add other things that you think would be "essential."] Please consider putting together 2-5 bags to deliver when you travel to Ghana, or being willing to carry over bags that others have put together. If you're not an AAI family I can have our partner NGO meet you in Ghana! Diapers and Wipes: Although infants are only rarely available for adoption in Ghana, there are children in care of foster homes , hospitals, or birth families who are in need of diapers and wipes. Please consider donating disposable diapers in sizes 2, 3, and 4. Our partner NGO will distribute them to children as there is a need. Again, we can hook you up when you are in country if you are not an AAI family! Nyame Dua Boys' Dorm: Nyame Dua Foster Home cares for six teenage boys who are not able to be adopted. These boys are currently living in a wooden structure outside of the main house. This structure is literally falling apart as termites eat away the wood. Nyame Dua is currently fund raising to rebuild the structure with wood and concrete, including running water and electricity. The total estimated cost is $5000. We still need about $3000 in order to meet the financial goal and begin construction. This Boys' Dorm will provide a solid long-term home for these young men as they complete their teen years and enter into adulthood. Donations can be made to "Ghana: Boys' Dorm" on the AAI website. CKO Rent Money: Charity Kingdom Orphanage is a small orphanage in Teshie that cares for 30-50 kids at any given time. When Eban House (AAI's Children's Home) closed last April we were able to "give" the home to CKO rent free for a year. This home is currently raising money to pay their rent. for the next two years The total needed is $10,000 to pay 2 years rent. Someone has offered to match donations up to $5000, so each dollar you donate turns into $2. The rent is due at the end of May. Donations can be made to "Ghana: CKO Rent" on the AAI website or through Feeding The Orphans. Food: Sometimes this need is overlooked, but there is always a need for a simple donation of food! Each month we give several hundred cedis worth of food to a handful of orphanages and foster homes in Ghana (as much as the budget allows). We do not give cash, but an actual food donation. At the top of this post you can see this month's food donation to Nyame Dua. Food donations can be made in any amount. Just designate "Ghana: Food Project" on the AAI website. Every dollar received is directly added to what AAI already gives each month. With the rising cost of food in Ghana the homes have a greater need than ever. Caregivers: Most of the children's homes in Ghana are greatly understaffed. $150 a month can provide a home with a much needed additional caregiver for the children. Recently, a few homes have had to reduce the number of caregivers because they simply don't have the funds to pay their salary. If your family is in the position to make a monthly donation (or one large donation) to provide a caregiver to an orphanage, please email anita@adoptionadvocates.org for more information. The salary is distributed monthly by our partner NGO in Ghana. Maybe you're adopting through an agency that isn't set up to do much family preservation work in Ghana? Maybe you've already adopted but are looking for ways to stay connected with the country? Maybe you aren't adopting at all but are hoping to meet the call to care for orphans? As I mentioned at the top, this is just a handful of ways you can assist AAI's humanitarian efforts in Ghana. As a reminder, all donations are tax deductible, and there are no administrative costs taken out of your donation. Every penny you donate goes directly towards your intended purpose!!