Three years ago today we met all four of our Ethiopian children for the first time. I’ll always remember that day which was filled with so many unknowns and emotion. [...]
AHOPE
You all know how near and dear to my heart AHOPE is. By the grace of God, AHOPE saved my daughters’ lives. I’m not saying that to be dramatic; it is simply true.
AHOPE is From HIV to Home’s featured partner for our World AIDS Day 5 for 5 campaign.
Welcome to Day 2 of our Five for Five campaign for World AIDS Day – a chance to give $5 a day for 5 days – each day funding a different project serving orphans living with HIV!
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Today’s project is “AHOPE for Children” in Ethiopia. AHOPE Ethiopia provides two children’s homes exclusively for the care of children infected with HIV, with a capacity of about 100 children total. The Child Development Center is a community outreach program that provides services essential to enable a destitute extended family to keep its orphaned children at home. The first Child Development Center was opened in September of 2007 in an impoverished neighborhood of Addis Ababa. It has the capacity to assist 100 children and their guardians and is designed as a model that is suitable for replication in other needy areas as funding allows.
All “5 for 5″ donations received today (December 2) will be designated toward AHOPE’s Child Development Center – enabling extended families and communities to keep their orphaned children at home.
To give:
click here to be directed to our donor page at Network for Good and type “5 for 5″ in the designation box.
To share:
share the link to www.fromhivtohome.org wherever you can today – Facebook, Twitter, emails, blogs!
Come back tomorrow for a new project!
Our Tuesday’s Answers will be up in just a bit….I’m working on it while packing to leave for Seattle. This is probably not the best example of multi-tasking.
~Lisa
Confetti
Something important happened in the world today, President Obama announced the end of a 22 year ban on travel for HIV+ people wanting to enter the United States. This ban has prohibited adoptive families from easily getting their new children’s visas and bringing them home.
I can only write intelligently (or somewhat) about how the ban affected HIV+ children being adopted from Ethiopia. HIV+ children go through the same adoption process as all other children. With the ban in effect, after the child passed court, the family was issued an appointment at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. The family then traveled to Ethiopia (unless they chose to have their child escorted), attended the appointment and was told that their child’s application for a US Visa was denied based on his HIV status. At that point the family would submit a waiver along with multiple supporting documents, and pay an extra $545.00.
A few years ago, there was no way of knowing how long a family would wait for the waiver to be processed and the visa approved. Often the waivers sat for a long time on a particular desk in the USCIS office in Nairobi; according to one agency representative, this resulted in an average processing time of five months for the waiver. Due to the efforts of Project Hopeful and EACH, the waiver time was successfully shortened to ten business days, which was a dramatic improvement. However that still lengthened a family’s stay in Ethiopia and prevented children who had been adopted by US citizens from coming home to their families as quickly as possible.
Today this ban was lifted, which benefits all families adopting HIV+ children internationally. As President Obama stated, the ban was “rooted in fear rather than fact”. I should note that it was President Bush who signed this into law in July of 2008 as part of approving legislation for reauthorizing funding for PEPFAR. President Obama states he is now “finishing the job.”
You can read more about it in this Washington Post article.
We are particularly happy for our special friends who are bringing home a sweet little girl we adore!
~Lisa
Here we are post-race getting ready to eat a big lunch!
More of Team AHOPE before the race.I experienced my first Bloomsday race on Sunday and I both loved and hated it. The loving happened before the race, the first mile, the last half mile, and the rest of the day. The hating started right in the middle of the first hill and lasted until about mile four or so, then I felt good, until I caught my first glimpse of Doomsday Hill. Wow – it is one long hill.
I even found it mentioned in an article titled Famous Hills in U.S. Races at RunnersWorld.com:
4. Doomsday Hill Where: Lilac Bloomsday Run (12-K), Spokane, Wash., May 3, 2009 When It Hits: After you cross the T. J. Meenach Bridge, at about 4.75 miles How Long, How Hard: .72 miles, rising 145 feet, 3.8 percent average grade; a 6.5 percent grade after a steep downhill How to Conquer It: “I used to run a five-mile uphill climb at 5,000-feet altitude once a week,” says seven-time Bloomsday champ Anne Audain. “After those runs, Doomsday Hill was a breeze.”
My true confession is that I knew if I ran up that hill, especially at the pace I was going, I just might vomit at the top. I knew for certain that I would be in serious pain and that I would not be happy. So I made a decision to be free of the “never walk” mindset, and walk that hill. I walked fast, and I passed many runners as I walked. As soon as I got near the crest of the hill I began to run again and although I felt tired at times, the last few miles were okay.
Prior to Sunday, my entire history of running races consisted of five, two in Seattle when I was 18, one in Yellowstone Park when I was 19, and one ten years ago when I lived in Colorado. I have actually never cared about running fast, or being competitive. I’ve always been content to just cover the distance and do my best to have a reasonable level of fitness.
I would not have run Bloomsday on my own, but a group of friends decided to train and run it together, so I decided to give it a try. At mile two I decided I would never run it again, but then I slowed my pace and settled into something I could maintain for the duration of 7.5 miles. I hope to run it again next year, and improve my time, even if I’m not sure that my time matters!
One thing I learned is that it helps to know the course. As I was running, I could not believe how far apart the mile signs were! Surely they must have been joking when the sign said I had only run three miles and I had over four miles left to go. Near the end, I could not figure out for the life of me where the course was going or how much farther I had to go. People on the sidewalks were yelling, “Way to go – you’re almost there”, but as far as I could see, the end was nowhere is sight.
Then the course took a right turn and there it was – the finish line! I kept plodding along until I realized that the crowd was surging forward. I saw the big clock and it finally occurred to me that I might just care a tiny bit about my time. I picked up my pace and ran as fast as my wobbly legs could carry me for the last block.
I didn’t realize that my stats would be available for all the world to see…I didn’t even know that I would see them. But here they are in all of their internet glory:
Finish Time: 1:16:59
Overall Place: 9,485 out of 44,490
Ran with a pace of 10:19 per mile
The average pace for 45-year-olds was 14:50
Placed 164th among 784 people the same age
Placed 1st among 1 people with the same last name
( I thought this was funny – but I was also surprised that among nearly 45,000 people, there wasn’t one other person with my last name. True, we’re the only family with our name in the local phone book, but still….45,000?)
Placed 3,596th among 26,349 females
Placed 50th out of 447 among 45-year-old females
(This is my favorite stat of all. Next year I would like to place in the top 10% for women my age…we’ll see!)
Other things I learned:
1. My running partner was much more competitive and faster than I was – not to mention fifteen years younger. Once I told her to take off without me, I was happier, and she was too. She finished in 1:12:54 – good job Kelly. It was perfectly fine running alone in a crowd of 45,000.
2. I should have had more to drink before the race and a little more to eat. Somewhere around mile three I grabbed an Otterpop from the sidelines and that made me feel much better.
3. I should have tied my shoes once more before the race. Somehow my left shoe felt loose and floppy and I finally had to stop and tie it.
4. I felt reasonably recovered five minutes after the race, which might be a sign that I should have run a little faster.
5. Nothing can prepare me for running hills more than, well…running hills. I often run on my treadmill and never use the little arrow button that increases the incline. I can also run miles around my hilly town without ever running a big hill – I can detect even the slightest incline and avoid it. As I ran Bloomsday, I had serious regrets about all of the hills I neglected to run while training.
One of the best moments of my day happened Sunday night when I called Signe to see how their group had done (the other half of Team AHOPE). She said that as they ran by one of the bands, the musician called out, “There are more AHOPE runners. They are our favorites!”
~Lisa
Our family loves the AHOPE bracelets which feature the name of a child living at AHOPE in Ethiopia. We wear them so we don’t forget the many HIV+ orphans in Ethiopia, and we pray for the specific children on our bracelets. Not long ago Boo began wearing a bracelet with the name Kidist on it. We talked about praying for Kidist, especially that she would be healthy and that God would give her a family.
Soon after Boo began to wear it, I read a post on an HIV Adoption list from a woman who said that she was adopting Kidist and her brother! We were so excited to hear this good news. I emailed the mother and she sent me a wonderful reply. Better still, she sent an email to Boo, who was excited to email her back. She asked me to send her a photo of Boo wearing the bracelet – so sweet.
We must remember these children and pray earnestly for them. Every child needs a family to love them. Honeybee tells me about the children who pray to be adopted and wish that they will be chosen, but as they get older, their hope begins to fade. Children who are HIV+ can live long and healthy lives when they have excellent medical care; the kind of care that is available in America.
Through my work with From HIV to Home, I have a small list of HIV+ children who are waiting for families. Some of them have grants available to assist with the expenses of the adoptions.
6,000 children will be orphaned by AIDS today. Could you love one?
~Lisa
Shhh….my family is still sleeping, but in a few hours we’ll gather for a simple Valentine’s Day brunch. For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
I love holidays, even the small ones, and I really enjoy letting my family know how much I love them. I’m not a big shopper, so Christmas (and even birthdays) can be tough for me, but Valentine’s Day is a good one.
Yesterday I made a breakfast casserole that is patiently waiting in the refrigerator. Then last night I whipped up two simple cinnamon pull-aparts, currently resting in bundt pans. It will be the easiest thing to pull it all together this morning. Mimi set a pretty table before going to bed, to which I added little cups of candy. Sweet Pea is going to cut up fruit while Rusty makes the juice, all while I am gone running. At 10:00 we will gather for brunch, taking a minute to be together before everyone is off and running for the weekend.
I also wrote the references for eighteen Bible verses on strips of pink paper that I put in a jar. We’ll pass it around and take turns reading what God’s Word says about His love for us, our love for Him and for one another.
It should be a fun morning!
The AHOPE Store photo shoot went great! A very special thank you to Mark LaMoreaux, our wonderful photographer who donated his time to help AHOPE and support Rusty’s Eagle Project. We hope to get the new photos up on the site this weekend. Of course, I am generally unrealistic about how long projects like that take, but we’ll give it a try.
Here is a better picture of the new AHOPE t-shirt. We hope you will join us by wearing yours often, but especially on May 7th, World AIDS Orphans Day. Click on the image to see a larger version of it.
This shirt comes in both a men’s and women’s style. We are going to make some changes on the Store site to make the women’s shirt easier to find, but for now, click on Apparel and then on Women’s.
Have a great Saturday.
~Lisa
The end of Rusty’s Boy Scout Eagle project is in sight! Coordinating a photo shoot with a commercial photographer has been his focus for the past several weeks. Today he got all of the store items boxed up and ready to go. Several friends are volunteering to help and a great photographer is donating his time. We hope this will give the AHOPE Store a more professional look which will help us raise funds even more successfully.
Thank you to everyone who has placed an order for the new shirts. The design is fantastic! We are especially eager to get them on youth groups or other small groups. If you have any suggestions for us, please email me at thankfulmom@gmail.com. If you are involved in a youth group, Sunday school class, service organization, or anything similar, we would love to give you a special deal on a group order. We would also love to see employers supporting AHOPE by letting their employees wear these shirts on World AIDS Orphan Day (May 7). Our goal is to get people familiar with the AIDS orphan crisis and share the amazing work that AHOPE is doing to care for these children.
AHOPE is very dear to my heart! If you are a blogger, please help us spread the word and join us as we care for the children of AHOPE. It would also be a great boost for Rusty to finish his Eagle Project with such a successful campaign.
Order shirts or other wonderful items by going to the AHOPE Store.
Post-script: I just reread this hoping to catch any glaring grammatical errors. As I was reading, I felt compelled to say, please do not forget the most important thing of all, AHOPE is saving the lives of children. I know these children. I have held their hands, kissed their faces, sung with them, and prayed with them. They are beautiful, wonderful children many of whom would not be alive without the care provided by AHOPE. If you don’t want a shirt, consider sponsoring a child, a much larger financial commitment to be sure, but another way that you can connect, give, and make a difference in the AIDS orphan crisis.
~Lisa
We have been working on a new t-shirt to promote the cause of HIV+ orphans and the work of AHOPE. Our efforts have yielded a fabulous new design that we hope you all love. Marissa, the AHOPE Store Manager, wrote the post below. Please join us in raising awareness of these precious children. At only $10.00, these shirts are a great deal.
Please feel free to copy this post and share it on your own blogs. Help us spread the word!
I’ll have more to share on the feedback from my post abut dealing with hunger soon. Thank you everyone!
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There’s a movement growing. Everyday in the Western world someone’s eyes are opened to the orphan crisis that’s ravaging the developing countries. The problem seems so large and we seem so insignificant. We can make a difference though. By raising awareness we foster a community and as a community we can provide. We’re asking you to help us in creating that community.
World AIDS Orphan Day is May 7th. The AHOPE Store has developed a t-shirt to commemorate this day and the community of supporters that are growing year after year. Please join us in raising awareness. It’s simple. Order our newest t-shirt from the AHOPE Store for a $10 donation. (All proceeds go towards care of the children served by AHOPE.) Wear your shirt as often as possible, and especially on World AIDS Orphan Day. It will serve as a reminder to your community. It may even create a dialogue. That dialogue could open someone’s eyes. You might inspire them to do more, give more. We are asking you to join us in creating a community that is committed to orphan care.
After seeing what one little t-shirt can you might be inspired yourself. If that’s the case be sure to check out the World AIDS Orphan Day website. Here you can find further information on this grassroots campaign and how to organize an event in your area. The campaign was founded by FXB International in 2002 and continues to grow year after year.
The new t-shirts images, designed by my son, Rusty (Rusty) are shown below:
T-Shirt Front
T-shirt backTo order your shirts, please visit www.ahopestore.org. For orders of 20 or more please contact Marissa Baker at store@ahopeforchildren.org. Thank you very much for your support of AHOPE!
Thank you so much,
~Lisa
Here is a great opportunity to knock something off your Holiday “To-Do” list and help the children of AHOPE at the same time. AHOPE is selling wonderful holiday cards to support the children in Ethiopia. For $15.00 you will receive 12 cards and envelopes. The text inside says:
May your heart be filled with the joy and festivities of the holiday season.
You can see the cards and many other wonderful items at the AHOPE Store . To go directly to the cards, click HERE. Quantities are limited, so order soon.
We aren’t showing a photo of the children’s faces because AHOPE has a very strict photo policy to protect the children’s privacy. HIV carries a great stigma in the United States and an even greater stigma in Africa. Out of respect for the children, we don’t use photos that fully reveal who they are. The photo on the card shows a spontaneous, playful moment that we hope conveys child-like joy.
On a personal note, thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. I am thankful to know many of you. I met even more of you when I took a peek at your blogs. I just ordered a new book that I hope will have some helpful suggestions, Beyond Logic, Consequences, and Control . I’ll let you all know what I think.
~Lisa
AHOPE Hoodies are now in the AHOPE Store . Little Man loves the pockets!
The AHOPE store has Hoodies, Holiday Cards, Jewelry, T-shirts, and more – it’s not too early to do some Christmas shopping! All proceeds benefit the children of AHOPE.
More family news soon!
~Lisa
Lisa Qualls
