How Can I Help?

A few people have asked how they can support the trip to Ethiopia. Thank You!

If you weren't wondering and didn't even know I was going...

I will be part of a small group of people traveling to Ethiopia in October of 2010. We will be there for 6 days, during which time we will be visiting a few different orphanages and working to build a library/resource center for the Dahley community. We will also be delivering as many medical supplies as we can transport (thanks to the kindness and good work of Partners for World Health here in Portland, Maine).

Some things you might've heard me say before:

-Ethiopia is one of the 5 poorest countries in our world.

-4.8 MILLION children in Ethiopia are orphans. This is 3.7 times the population of the state of Maine. Read that again. 3.7 times the population of Maine.

-There is 1 doctor for every 100,000 people (In the United States there is 1 doctor for every 390 people.)

-1 in 10 children die before they turn 5. Half of these children die from diarrhea.

And this is directly from Wendy and Erin's blog:

Just 1 in 3 people have access to clean water. Most women in rural Ethiopia spend hours a day collecting water from distant and polluted sources. Many girls never get an opportunity to go to school because the responsibility of collecting enough water to keep their families alive takes precedence.
I honestly appreciate your interest in helping. There are a few different ways to do that:

1. Make a tax deductible donation through Elim. Donations made here will directly support the Dahley community! The bonus is that Erin's company will match dollar for dollar up to $4,000. Elim does NOT take an administrative fee! Go here: http://www.elimfellowship.org/

2. Make a donation (literally, every penny will help) through my paypal account. My goal is to raise $4000 to help defer the cost of the trip and the shipment of supplies, to provide financial assistance to the library project, as well as purchase livestock and health and safety materials for the orphanages. See my fancy DONATE button below!

3. Buy stuff. Erin and Wendy are the women behind the trip and behind www.lobstersintherough.wor

dpress.com. They are committed to improving the lives of orphans. Read their blog- subscribe to it. Buy their cool t-shirts and notecards and jewelry. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the orphans and the library.

4. Please help to spread the word. Ask 5 people to donate $5 each. Post this on facebook or tweet about it! Our team is @EthiopiAteam.

5. Be the change. Local friends, please consider emptying your change jars or donating your Clynk cards. I am happy to drive around retrieving donations. The pennies that pile up on all of our dressers really will add up. (Get it, "Be the change," clever right?)

6. Consider hosting an Africa Party. If you are interested please let me know! Lots of opportunities for a girl's night... or co-ed night or a family night. Any excuse to par-tay!

7. If you're an artist or crafter would you consider a project to help raise money? Lets talk!

8. Donate "stuff." We ARE helping to build a library, but books are extremely difficult to transport. Some things we are collecting are: blankets, fleece jackets, shoes (think light weight and avoid the Doc Martins), boxes of crayons and colored pencils, notebooks and coloring books, small toys like bouncy balls, soccer balls, beach balls, and lollipops. You get the idea. They need everything, and if we bring things that are easy to transport we can bring more of it. The toys and fun things for the kids are the "frosting."

Other opportunities will be coming as they develop... but in the mean time... THANK YOU!