Paperwork all done? Twiddling your thumbs? Wondering what on earth you will do while you wait for your referral or for your child to come home? Why not plan an orphanage shower?

We had one before our first Ethiopian daughter came home, and it was a great success. People donated dozens of diapers, underwear, and socks, plus plastic diaper covers, vitamins, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other useful items. I went to Ethiopia loaded down with great stuff to bring to my daughter's orphanage.

Planning Your Own

Start by asking your agency what your child's orphanage most needs. Ethiopian orphanages routinely use cloth diapers for the babies, and plastic... more

In honor of the 4th, I thought I'd share a little more perspective on poverty in America versus poverty elsewhere. Awhile back I read the interesting statistic that nine out of ten people in the world have never made a phone call in their lives. The phone is such a normal part of life in America that I could hardly imagine that so many people go through life without it. That statistic got me thinking and digging for more stats on life in our world.

According to a recent U.S. Census, forty-three percent of all families defined to be poor by the U.S. government own their own home. The average home owned by these families has three bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch... more

After reading some of my recent posts, a friend asked me why I am so passionate about helping in Africa. What about America, she asked? After all, there are plenty of needy people right here in the USA. She asked if it was because I thought people in the U.S. have it easier.

This is a question worth addressing. I do think that the people here in the US have it easier, in general. The vast majority of Americans have access to clean water and free public schooling-- even poor Americans. There are also massive public assistance programs available in the US that just aren't in place in 3rd world countries. People who live in America truly are blessed.

In America people... more

When families decide to adopt from Ethiopia, often their eyes are opened to the tremendous need there. That need is way too enormous to be addressed through adoption alone. Currently there are 4 million orphans in Ethiopia. In 2006, 732 children came to new adoptive families in the U.S. Though adoption was a great solution for those children, it is obviously not helping the vast majority of the needy people in Ethiopia.

So what can a family do? Some adoption agencies have programs that help the community from which children come. Adoption Advocates... more

I read an interesting article in the New York Times on May 20th. It featured a new flashlight that runs on solar power and was designed with the poor in Africa in mind. The flashlight was developed by Mark Bent after he visited Africa and realized how awful night can be when there's no easy source of light.

Since August 2005, when visits to an Eritrean village prompted him to research global access to artificial light, Mr. Bent, 49, a former foreign service officer and Houston oilman, has spent $250,000 to develop and manufacture... more

This is the second part of the interview with John Bul Dau. (Part One here.) Dau wrote God Grew Tired of Us, the story of his experience as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. John works with Direct Change, an organization created to help fund projects in Africa. Direct Change provides online fundraising tools to volunteer supporters and has recently expanded to raise money for groups working in Ethiopia including AHope and AAI's... more

Looking for a way to talk with your children about the kids in the world who have less than they do? I briefly mentioned this project the other day after reading Erin's post about it, but I wanted to make sure you all didn't forget about the special Build A Bear project on Saturday, May 19th. If you are one of the first 200 customers at your local Build-A-Bear store next Saturday, you will be able to make a bear for an orphan for free.

The bears will be donated to the Joint Council of international Children's Services. The Joint Council will deliver the bears to domestic and international adoption... more

My sister's baby is getting closer to coming home! Their case went to court this week, and we're hoping they will be heading to Ethiopia by early April. She is planning on bringing some supplies for our agency's orphanage. One of the things Ethiopian orphanages need constantly is plastic pants. Most (if not all) of the orphanages use cloth diapers, and plastic pants are impossible to find over there. It is not uncommon to see the workers using plastic bags as plastic pants.

My older Ethiopian daughter came home with scarring on her upper legs. I am guessing it was from ill-fitting plastic pants... more

Don't miss this excellent article about Ethiopian adoption.

Also be sure to check out this project www.change4orphans.com begun as a bat mitzvah project of a 12 year old girl named Leah who is interested in helping out Ethiopian orphans. Now that's my kind of kid! I am currently on my second reading of "There is No Me Without You" and I have been almost in physical pain thinking of all the children in desperate need there right now.

And finally, here... more

I've written before about the extreme poverty of the people in Ethiopia, and how difficult it is to see little children begging everywhere. I found the experience of being surrounded by beggars overwhelming at times, and at times refused to give out money for fear of being mobbed. But looking back, I can think of some of the specific people I saw, and wish I had done more. This evening I happened upon this... more