Ethiopian Students Need Sponsors

What would the world look like if each of us made it our responsibility to see one less orphan without an education…one less orphan without a growling hunger… or one less orphan without a bleak future of poverty? In the next 45 days, our goal is to find a sponsor for every single child who has yet to be sponsored at our school in Lifesong Ethiopia. (Gulp! That’s a tall order! See below how YOU can help.) We are asking for an investment of just $19/month that will result in a future leader for the renewal of Africa from the inside out. Invest in a life of a child. Invest in self-sufficiency. Invest in bringing hope to one more orphan. Together we can get EVERY child sponsored! Will you help us? How can YOU help each child find a sponsor: PRAY: Join us in praying for the 587 children who are unsponsored in Ethiopia. Pray for the thousands that will be given the opportunity to sponsor–that hearts would be open to helping a child in need. Pray that God will raise advocates to help spread the word! ADVOCATE: Maybe sponsoring a child isn’t an option for you at this time but you have a platform and a voice to let the need be known! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and share the One Less campaign with your friends & followers. SPONSOR: Commit to sponsor a students at Lifesong Ethiopia School long-term for $19/month to help ensure that they get the incredible education, spiritual mentoring and food that they need to break the cycle of poverty. To see the children yet to be sponsored, please visit: www.zatproject.com/oneless To learn more about the Ziway + Adami Tulu Project and details of sponsorship visit www.zatproject.com.

 

Special Health Alert for Ethiopian Children: Codeine

 

“The FDA recently announced that there have been 3 deaths in young children related to the administration of oral codeine after tonsillectomy. Children at risk have a specific enzyme that concerts codeine to morphine more rapidly and completely than the average person. The prevalence of this gene in African-Americans, Caucasians, and Asians is typically low (1-6%), but the prevalence in Ethiopian children is about 30%. It might be a good idea to inform parents who have adopted from Ethiopia that they might talk to their child’s doctor about this if their child needs medication for postoperative pain.”

Nancy Curtis, MD, FAAP

International Adoption Clinic at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm313631.htm

Ethiopia Family Night!

YOU'RE INVITED! Bring the whole family and learn about Loving Shepherd Ministries (LSM) in Ethiopia! If you're in the Bluffton (IN) area, please join them for a great evening to learn about Ethiopian culture, buy ethnic items and sample foods. You'll also have a chance to hear from Allen and Susan Stoller (LSM Missionaries in Addis Ababa) and learn how you can be involved in rescuing children and their mothers from prostitution.

Read some stories of rescue in Ethiopia here. Join LSM on April 26th as they band together to care for these vulnerable women and children! Share the event on facebook here!

Child Sponsorship in Ethiopia

LifeSong for Orphans is excited to share with you the Lifesong Ethiopia Child Sponsorship program that has just launched!

For just $19/month, you can sponsor one of the kids at the Adami Tulu School and ensure that they get the incredible education, spiritual mentoring and food that they need to break the cycle of poverty. Many of these kids are already orphans; all are vulnerable children sitting on the razor’s edge of extreme poverty that can rip families apart and create orphans for life.

There are 189 children at the Adami Tulu School and thankfully as of today, 45 have already been sponsored!

You are invited to connect your heart with one of remaining 144 students...

Students like...

Abonesh - Age 5

Habtamu - Age 4

Abanezer - Age 4

Head over to the Adami Tulu website to see the 144 students who still need sponsorhip and

how YOU can join this exciting opportunity!

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/

Hope Ethiopia: 100 Challenge Results

A message from LifeSong for Orphans.......

Do you remember that Hope Ethiopia:100 challenge we gave you? The one where YOU all completely exceeded our goals? 

And that one phone call where an AMAZING donor committed to match ALL donations (up to $130,000) to Lifesong Ethiopia through the end of 2011?

Well, we found out about that donor on November 17th! That's 45 days to raise $130,000... which made this goal seem next to impossible... in OUR eyes! However, as you all know... GOD had different plans for THESE kids -

and these kids - 

Plans that we could never had imagined... plans to give them hope and a future! 

Thanks to an AMAZING TEAM of individuals and their fundraising efforts, coupled with the provision of our Lord, THE MATCH HAS BEEN MET! Did you hear me? All ONE HUNDRED THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS has been donated for the children at the Adami Tulu and Ziway, Ethiopia schools! 

We stand in complete awe of our MIGHTY Jehovah Jireh! 

Thank you fundraising team for your efforts, for the way you never stop advocating for these children, and for our faith in our Lord God Almighty to provide for ALL of their needs! 

Thank you donors who stepped up to the challenge and did not let the dollar amount get in the way... but trusted that EVERY one of your dollars mattered! 

Thank you to all of you who advocated for these children, pray for them, and have invested in their lives... it will surely be an invest with an eternal reward! 

Check the Adami Tulu site often to learn more about The Project, the fundraising priorities, and what's in store for 2012! 

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/

Hope Ethiopia: 100 - LifeSong for Orphans

Hope Ethiopia from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.  (Please mute blog music before starting video)

Children at the Lifesong Ethiopia school are fed 2 nutritious meals per day, provided with a quality education, and taught the message of Jesus Christ. This gives kids like Beza the hope they need in order to break free from gripping poverty.

We currently have a need to build a 12-room expansion to our existing school, in order to reach more children like Beza. We have been blessed, by the generosity of a donor, to be able to MATCH all donations to the Ziway and Adami Tulu Schools between now and December 31st... up to $130,000!!!

This week, the 5^th through the 9^th, we invite you to join Hope Ethiopia:100. We are looking for 100 people to give a one-time $100 donation! We have currently raised $59,472.21 of the $130,000 needed, which is about 46%. 

  

Joining this team will not only give hope to kids like Beza, but your dollars will be matched AND you'll be entered into a drawing for a FABULOUS gift basket (details below). 

  

Donate Here: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=ppqgOrAcYI3SXUERUeoITJCJRWMzEB2sqOf4-gzr4Xw3HSeCqlYJRoVA3Li&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8db2b24f7b84f1819343fd6c338b1d9d60

Help us achieve the next $10,000 by being a part of our Hope Ethiopia: 100 Team!  

*Gift basket includes: $100 itunes or amazon gift card, Lifesong t-shirt, Lifesong cookbook, Journey On CD, handmade necklaces & note cards by orphans in Zambia, handmade ornament from a child in Ukraine, 5 bags of Gobena coffee, Gobena coffee mug, Gobena t-shirt, and Gobena tote bag. This basket is worth over $250!

*To commit via check, please send an email to info@lifesongfororphans.org. Make check payable to Lifesong for Orphans, indicate 'preference Hope Ethiopia: 100' in the memo.

  

www.lifesongfororphans.org

Buckner Seeks Volunteers to Deliver Shoes to Orphans in Russia & Ethiopia

DALLAS, TX – Shoes for Orphan Souls is currently accepting applications for trips to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and St. Petersburg, Russia this fall. Both trips are scheduled from Oct. 6-15.

The trip to Russia will focus on delivering shoes to and bonding with children in orphanages.

Reb Wayne went to Russia with Shoes for Orphan Souls in November 2007. A native of Austin, Texas, he said the cold was a shock, but the trip was worth every minute.
“When we got to the orphanage and I was told we were their first visitors in a year. I understood my purpose and it was life altering,” Wayne said.

He has been back to Russia once since that trip and plans to go again later this year. He has kept in touch with several people from his original mission trip team, and said that besides those friendships, the biggest blessing has been working to raise funds to sponsor two young boys he met at one of the orphanages he visited.

Travelers to Ethiopia can expect much warmer climates.

The Ethiopia trip involves spending time with children in the communities, distributing shoes and putting on a Vacation Bible School.

Leona Wynne went on the first Buckner mission trip to Ethiopia in November 2009. She said she was struck by the beauty of the country and the contentedness of the people.

“When we arrived at the school where we would be working with 200 young children, they were all in a huge circle singing a song of welcome,” Wynne said. “Afterward the mayor of the village called Getahun, the country director for Buckner, to let him know how appreciative the people were to have us visit and share our hearts and much-needed shoes.”

“I think it’s important not only to get out of my comfort zone but to see how other cultures live and not assume I know what their experience is from what I’ve seen on the news,” Wynne said. “The first thing I noticed in Ethiopia was how happy and joy-filled they were with very little of what we’re used to.”

For more details, view the trip flyer for Russia at http://itsyourmission.com/downloads/RU11-0002.pdf and for Ethiopia at http://itsyourmission.com/downloads/ET11-0013.pdf or call
1-877-7-ORPHAN.

U.S. Dept of State Annoucnement: Ethiopia

The following post is taken from The Joint Council website, www.jointcouncil.org.

The following announcement was issued by the U.S. Dept of State, Office of Children’s Issues on March 16, 2011. It can also be found on their website.

U.S. Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues, Adoption Division hosted a conference call for Adoption Service Providers on March 11, 2011 at 10:45 am to discuss recent announcements made by the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA). Below is a summary of information presented on the call.

As was stated in the March 9, 2011 Adoption Alert, the Department of State received information on the announcement made by the MOWCYA regarding the planned reduction in workload processing.

■MOWCYA planned to implement a reduction of case processing from approximately 50 cases reviewed per day to no more than 5 cases reviewed per day.
■MOWCYA has stated that this reduction is to improve screening of adoption cases while also devoting existing resources to other priorities on vulnerable children.
■MOWCYA reviews each adoption case at two points in the process: after the match with prospective adoptive parents and after the final court decree to approve issuance of new birth certificate and passport for child.
■MOWCYA has not announced any implementation guidelines on how reduction in processing will affect each stage of the process
■If only 5 cases are reviewed per day, delays could be significant. Calculations based on rough estimates of cases in process (around 1000) indicate delays of one year or more.
■Department of State defines ‘cases in process’ as those whose dossier has been accepted up to those cases that have received the final letter approving issuance of passport and birth certificate.
■We are working on getting more details on implementation guidelines.
Since announcement, the Department of State has heard many rumors, but none have been substantiated. The U.S. Embassy can confirm that the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs has shuffled the portfolios of key adoption personnel. The Embassy has not been able to confirm how this reorganization may affect the processing of cases through the ministry.

Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is discussing the possibility of developing a consolidated assistance proposal to MOWCYA to find out what the resource needs are and find what assistance can be given to allow MOWCYA to accomplish their goals.

Ehtiopia Adoption Update

Adoption Alert

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

Government of Ethiopia Plans Major Slow-Down in Adoption Processing

March 9, 2011

Citing the need to work on quality and focus on more important strategic issues, the Government of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) will reduce to a maximum of five the number of adoption cases it processes per day, effective March 10, 2011. Under Ethiopian adoption procedures, MOWCYA approves every match between prospective adoptive parents and an Ethiopian child before that case can be forwarded for a court hearing. The U.S. Embassy is working with Ethiopian government officials and adoption agencies to learn more about this change in procedures. We will continue to share information as it becomes available.

Given MOWCYA's current caseload, the U.S. Embassy anticipates that this change could result in an overall decline in case processing of some 90 percent. If this change is implemented as proposed, we expect, that parents who have begun the process of adopting from Ethiopia but have not yet been matched with a child could experience significant delays. It is not clear if this change in procedures would have any significant impact on cases in which MOWCYA has already approved matches.

Prospective adoptive parents should remain in close contact with their adoption service provider to obtain updates on individual cases.

The Embassy's Adoptions Unit can be reached at consadoptionaddis@state.gov.

Please continue to monitor http://adoption.state.gov/ for updated information as it becomes available.

Urgent Call to Action: Ethiopia Update

The following, is a message from the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS). They are issuing a "call to action" regarding the pending changes in adoptions from Ethiopia. Please be in prayer about this urgent situation. Pray with me for the children, the families who are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, and those in leadership at the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs. Below are two posts, one from March 7th as well as a "Call to Action" on March 8th.


Post from Tom DiFilipo, Executive Director of JCICS
Dear Colleagues,

March 7, 2011

Statement on the Pending Reduction of Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia

Last week the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs announced their intention to reduce intercountry adoptions by 90% beginning March 10, 2011. The Ministry’s plan for a dramatic reduction is apparently based on two primary issues; 1) the assumption that corruption in intercountry adoption is systemic and rampant and 2) the Ministry’s resources should be focused on the children for whom intercountry adoption is not an option. Without further announcements by the Government of Ethiopia, it is our understanding that the Ministry’s plan will be initiated this week.

The Ministry’s plan is a tragic, unnecessary and disproportionate reaction to concerns of isolated abuses in the adoption process and fails to reflect the overwhelmingly positive, ethical and legal services provided to children and families through intercountry adoption. Rather than eliminate the right of Ethiopian children to a permanent family, we encourage the Ministry to accept the partnerships offered by governments, NGOs, and foundations. Such partnerships could increase the Ministry’s capacity to regulate service providers and further ensure ethical adoptions.

The Ministry’s plan, which calls for the processing of only five adoption cases per work day, will result not only in systemic and lasting damage to a large sector of social services, but will have an immediate impact on the lives and futures of children. Moving from over 4,000 adoptions per year to less than 500 will result in thousands of children languishing in under-regulated and poorly resourced institutions for years. For those children who are currently institutionalized and legally available for adoption, the Ministry’s plan will increase their time languishing in institutions for up to 7-years.

Joint Council respectfully urges the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs to reconsider their plan and to partner with governments, NGOs and foundations to achieve their goals and avoid the coming tragedy for children and families.


March 8, 2011
JCICS Call to Action

Joint Council: Emergency Campaign for Ethiopian Children

What You Can Do:

1) Sign the petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi – and pass it on! http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43714.html

2) Have you adopted from Ethiopia? Please send us up to 3 photos and 50 words or less with what you would like the Ministry to know about your child – we’ll compile the information and send a book to the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs. Send your photos and stories to advocate@jointcouncil.org by Sunday, March 12, 2011 to be included. Please note that sending photos and stories gives Joint Council unrestricted right to use the information you provide.

3) Share…Please send this Call to Action to family members, other adoptive parents, and everyone you know! Post, forward and share your adoption stories via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Make sure you include us in your posts so we can all hear your stories! Here’s links to our pages: Facebook, Twitter and our our blog.

4) Stay informed: Get up-to-date information regarding the situation in Ethiopia by signing up to receive information from us: click here to do so, make sure you choose “country and issues specific information” and “Ethiopia.” And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our our blog.

5) Help ensure our advocacy can continue: Joint Council is a non-profit and receives no government funding. Please join us in ensuring more children live in safe, permanent and loving families. Donate today! https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/JointCouncilonInternational/OnlineDonation.html

Twietmeyer Family on NBC's Today Show

Please click on the link below to view a wonderful piece by Jenna Bush that aired on the Today Show this morning about the Twietmeyer family from the Chicago area. Be sure to watch the video portion.

http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/03/07/6204973-so-what-if-we-have-7-other-kids-how-one-family-adopted-6-children-from-africa-

'So what if we have 7 other kids?' How one family adopted 6 children from Africa

Carolyn Twietmeyer and her husband, Kiel, had seven children when they decided to adopt just one more. So how did they end up with six adopted children from Africa, including two who are HIV-positive? It wasn't an easy road, Carolyn Twietmeyer writes -- but it's been worth it.

By Carolyn Twietmeyer, special to TODAY Moms

After years of grazing the topic of adoption with my husband, he finally agreed to ONE special needs girl from India. So, I wasn’t really sure what the big deal was when I enthusiastically informed him that I had actually found our K-I-D-S.

I mean, one or three, they needed a family! OK, there were two boys and a girl, and a little HIV involved. I mean, if you’re willing to go to India, then what’s Africa? I was certain he would look at their picture and fall in love. When I saw them I could almost hear their laughter in my living room. Instead, he refused to look at the picture and began sweating profusely. He was doing the math in his head, 7 kids plus 3 more!? Mortgage? Groceries? Braces? College? HIV/AIDS!!!???

He stared at me in terror and a look of confusion that reminded me of a cocker spaniel hearing a high pitched sound. Once the twitching began, I could only do what any desperate mother- to- be would do to fight for her future children: I clobbered him with our faith. He fled the scene. I followed him up the stairs. Trailing close behind, I read him the riot act. What kind of man are you? Children are starving and dying and you’re concerned about our finances? SO WHAT if we have seven other kids?

Kiel and I were rarely at odds. We have always been able to communicate well, even our disagreements were short-lived. My maternal instincts were in overdrive, his male logic was on fire. I knew none of this made sense. But did it have to? I couldn’t bear the thought of his strong arms not protecting them. The idea that his reassuring eyes wouldn’t look into theirs and pierce right through them with his unconditional acceptance and love was unspeakable. However, instead of telling him these things, I let him know what a horrible, selfish decision he was entertaining. I did that disgusted squint thing that I do, followed by a louder than usual exhale and huffed and puffed my way back downstairs.

It was then that another miracle happened. I decided to not say another word about it to him. Yes, me…silent. (I just broke out in hives at the the very memory.) I decided if this was meant to be, then he would come to this decision without my prodding, bullying and emotional, guilt-driven hijacking.

Exactly two weeks later, he informed me that every day since I told him about these kids, the topic of adoption had come up. He was pale and clammy, with a deer-in-the-headlights look. He works on construction sites, where apparently adoption is not usually a big topic of discussion. But it kept coming up. He walked up to a reception desk, and the woman seated behind it asked him if he wanted to see the pictures of the kids that her sister just ADOPTED.

On his way home that day, he asked for ONE MORE CRYSTAL CLEAR SIGN. Immediately a song by Toby Mac came on the radio that he had never heard. It was about orphans and the refrain said, “Father to the fatherless, be with your sons and daughters this Christmas.” He was undone, and has been ever since. He let me know he was meant to be a father to these fatherless kids.

Sure enough, by the following Christmas, they were laughing in our living room.

It isn’t always easy, but we wouldn’t change a thing. We now have 13 children. No, I am not the most patient or organized woman, I don’t always talk softly with a smile and I despise laundry. But, I can say for sure as a married couple and an individual, very imperfect woman, this is doable and has enriched our entire family. Our adoptions weren’t simply about saving some kids -- in so many ways we have been saved and forever changed.

To learn more about adopting and advocating for children with HIV/AIDS please visit: www.projecthopeful.org and www.adoption.uchicago.edu.

Little Ephrem in Ethiopia

Ephrem from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

“What first drew me to this little boy was his sweet round face. Obviously, he has suffered a great deal from malnutrition. When we visited the school he and the rest of the children were so focused on their meal. It’s amazing to see how Lifesong was changing their lives. After lunch, I found myself surrounded by children playing a name game. He reached out and kissed my hand. My heart melted... I think of him daily.”

Jenny Anderson, Orphan Advocate

Sometimes it can be hard to imagine the hardships that go on around the world. We sit in our comfortable homes, with pantries full of necessities, and it seems strange that most of the world doesn’t have a pantry, let alone food to fill it. But for millions of children in Africa this is their reality. Hunger is a part of their daily lives. Then add the fact that many of these children are also orphaned, either by death or abandonment… it’s almost more than we can bear. It’s hard to go there mentally and we protect our hearts by pretending it doesn’t exist. But it does. Children are suffering.

Little Ephrem is one of those children. Born in Ethiopia, his father is now dead and his mother disappeared years ago. He was taken into his grandmother’s care, but she has struggled to provide for him. At 4 years old, Ephrem is extremely small for his age, and most likely suffers from a type of growth disorder, though the lack of specialized medical care keeps us from knowing for sure. And since he has been malnourished most of his life, it is no wonder his health is affected.

Praise the Lord, Ephrem is now enrolled in Lifesong’s Adami Tulu Nursery School, where he is getting two meals a day and seems to be flourishing under the care of his teachers. His sweet demeanor and precious smile easily capture your heart.

*Want to use your blog to advocate for the fatherless? Click here to learn more.

Ethiopian Orphans Need Families

The Washington Post May 28, 2010

By Johnny Carr,
National Director of Church Partnerships,
Bethany Christian Services

Americans are adopting fewer orphans from overseas, except from one country: Ethiopia. But international adoption, sending an orphan to live with a family in another country, is most frequently not the best option for many children in need.

I recently returned from Ethiopia, traveling from the outskirts of Addis Ababa to Nazret and Hawassa, several hundred miles south of the city. We were there to meet with local pastors to discuss domestic orphan care. In Ethiopia, the orphan crisis did not receive the media scrutiny it deserved until recent years. High profile adoptions by celebrities including Angelina Jolie, and books, such as "There Is No Me Without You" by Melissa Faye Green, have helped educate many of us concerning the rapid acceleration of new orphanages in Ethiopia. I'm not talking one or two orphanages in a city, but rather five, six and seven orphanages within the span of a couple of years. But the crisis has not stemmed.

According to United Nations Human Development, United Nations International Children's Emergency and Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, today there are an estimated 5 million orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia; 800,000 of them are AIDS orphans. The country's cities and villages are overwhelmed; Addis Ababa alone has more than 100,000 orphans. The system is overtaxed, and sadly, new orphanages are not the answer.
While most orphanages are built in good faith they are usually built in response to a crisis. In 2009, Americans adopted 2,277 Ethiopian children. It is easy to see that the numbers just do not add up even with the addition of other countries adopting from Ethiopia. We must be proactive in our approach and not just responsive. Orphanages should not be viewed as acceptable long-term solutions for children. Man has made orphanages for children, but God made the family for children. How then do we place as many children in families as possible?

Bethany Christian Services has started bringing together churches in the United States with churches in Ethiopia into long term foster care projects. These are one-on-one relationships; essentially, the U.S. church provides the necessary financing for foster care and the Ethiopian partner inspires its members to help find families and develop loving, local communities. The two churches coordinate their efforts in a symbiotic fashion, working not only on adoption issues, but also any other missions projects that they wish.

These figures I mentioned previously show that the future of Ethiopia's children is heading toward a crisis of epic proportion if measurable and immediate action is not taken. The existing structure of orphanages can only do so much and a large number of orphaned children still remain helpless. They are lost, confused, hungry and crying out for a family that will provide them with the basic human need: unconditional love.

We must continue to create other ways of putting children in families. We must continue to direct our efforts in and through the Church. It is our responsibility as believers - it is our honor and privilege to be able to serve the least of these.

For more information about the work of Bethany Christian Services, please visit www.bethany.org.