Wednesday, November 10, 2010

donations for ethiopia


ryan and i will have 100 lbs of excess luggage space with us on this first trip to ethiopia, and we want to use it wisely. we have decided to carry over some items for our agency's partner non-profit organization, eyes that see, and we want to invite you to join us!!


eyes that see is a christian, non-profit organization that recently launched in ethiopia and is dedicated to fighting poverty and injustice while coming alongside the children and families that remain in ethiopia. i love that! while we all know the importance of adoption, it is definitely not the only answer to the global orphan crisis and poverty as a whole. as much as i wish it was not the case, not every orphan in ethiopia is going to be adopted. children will be left behind, and many have very little resources to pull from or hope for their future. eyes that see is changing that for a few ethiopian children right now, and we want to help with that.



specifically, eyes that see has recently launched an after school program for ten children, almost all who are at least single orphaned {meaning that at least 1 parent has died}, ranging in age from 12 to 18. these kids could not afford school, uniforms, food and many of the very basics. through eyes that see's program, these kids are now receiving school tuition, uniforms, books, after school tutoring, meals, and clean water to take to their homes. they are also getting spiritual nourishment, encouragement and love that unfortunately many orphan children their age do not receive. in the words of matt ness, one of eyes that see's founders, he said that these particular children were chosen because, "they are usually the last to get help, and the first to give up hope".

if you'd like to be a part of the hope for these children, here's what we are collecting to take over to them:

*school supplies:
-notebooks
-pens/pencils
-loose leaf paper
-glue/glue sticks
-pencil sharpeners
-chalk

*art/craft supplies:
-markers
-paint/paint brushes
-colored pencils
-crayons
-coloring books
-drawing pads
-scissors {keep in mind that these kids are 12+ so we probably don't need the kiddie type}

*office supplies:
-1 printer/scanner combo {if you have one you're not using that's in working condition, or if
you see one on sale somewhere, please let me know! this is a high priority item since they
are having a lot of trouble with their current one}
-reams of printer paper
-staples/stapler
-paper clips

*Bibles {used or new, english is fine}

*kitchen supplies {keep in mind that we're having to travel with these so the sturdy plastic kind would probably be best}:
-plates
-cups
-bowls
-utensils

*snacks/treats:
-granola bars
-hard candy
-other things that won't melt or get crunched in transit!

*toys:
-soccer balls {preferably deflated with small pump}
-jump ropes
-bubbles
-any small trinkets that kids might like

we would like to receive all donations by sunday, december 12th so that we have plenty of time to pack and shift around things that we are taking. if you live near me in the bluegrass state, i would be happy to pick up these items from you. however, if not, please email me at mrsleslisweeney{at}yahoo.com and i can give you my address for you to ship items. also, if you would prefer to send a gift card or to donate through my paypal/chip-in link, i will be happy to shop for you. just make sure if you make a donation through paypal/chip-in that you put in the notes "eyes that see" so i know it's not for our adoption account :)

we would love nothing more than to get so much stuff that we cannot possibly carry it over all on this first trip. rest assured that if that happens, there are plenty of other arise families traveling in the next few months and we'll have our second trip too!

thanks in advance for helping us out with this fun project, and for more importantly bringing some hope and encouragement to these kids in ethiopia!!!!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

would love to get some things! maybe sometime after thanksgiving (black friday sales) after i get some items, then i can use it as an excuse to drive it down to ya'll!! :)

ps- i stumbled across this blog- another couple adopting from ethiopia! they get their son in january!
http://laurenalexis1.blogspot.com/

lesli said...

thanks, jamie!! just let me know. i'd love to see you sometime :)

Ann said...

I live in the Somerset area and can get you several jump ropes and some school supplies. What area do you live in and where can we meet?

nancymomof4@gmail.com