I am OUT OF MY MIND excited about this trip. I am going to Ethiopia March 29 – April 5, 2008! We will be working with an orphanage called Layla as well as AHOPE. Both of these organizations are near and dear to my heart. Layla is the orphanage for the children who do not have HIV virus. Many are waiting for their adoptions to be finalized. There are many older children waiting for families. This is a wonderful option for families considering adopting from Ethiopia. http://www.adoptionadvocates.org/layla/index.htm
AHOPE is especially dear to me. AHOPE is an orphanage for children who are HIV positive. http://www.ahopeforchildren.org/
AHOPE gives them a future. Without medication many of these children would die by age 5. They are given medicine to suppress the virus to the point that they can live full happy lives.
These precious children are shunned by people because of false fear. There is not enough education about HIV in Ethiopia (or in the US for that matter) and people still do not understand that you can't catch AIDS from normal contact. With these repressive drugs the virus is almost non existent anyway!
HIV is now considered a manageable disease as long as you take the medications. Children from AHOPE are now adoptable and are coming to the US. There is absolutely no danger to anyone around them. They can live normal, happy lives with their families. It is considered on par with childhood diabetes.
However, because of this special need many of these children will not find families. They will need sponsors. These sponsors pay for these children to receive food, clothes and most of all... life saving medication every day. I am working on an awesome way for us to help sponsor these wonderful children together!
I am HONORED to go and serve the children of Layla and AHOPE.
Wanna come with me to Ethiopia???? Come on! Let's GO! It's going to be AMAZING! LIFE ALTERING! WAAAAYYYYY OUTSIDE OF THE BOX! You know you want to come.
Here is the organization who is managing this trip. http://www.heartsofhopeadoption.com/home.html
PLEASE contact me if you have any interest in going on this trip. Just let me know in the comment section and I'll get in touch with you. It would mean the world to me to have a group of my awesome friends with me to experience this.
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James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
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If you would like to educate yourself more about HIV or would like to see the story of a little girl adopted from AHOPE check this out. http://transracial.adoptionblogs.com/ You can go to the categories on the right and find out all you need to know. It's very informative.
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If you are interested in adopting from Layla or AHOPE you can contact these awesome folks. http://www.adoptionadvocates.org/AAI/Home.htm
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There will be much more info coming. :0) WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! Angel