Did you know??

Every 15 SECONDS, another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa


Every DAY 5,760 more children become orphans


Every YEAR 2,102,400 more children become orphans (in Africa alone)


143,000,000 Orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home


Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…


Every YEAR 14,050,000 children still grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system


Every DAY 38,493 children AGE OUT


Every 2.2 SECONDS, another orphan child AGES OUT with no family to belong to and no place to call home

The spine-chilling statistics on African orphans estimate that the numbers of orphans in various African countries are:

Nigeria … 8.6 million
Ethiopia … 4.8 million
Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) … 4.2 million
Swaziland … 2.5 million
South Africa … 2.5 million
Tanzania … 2.4 million
Kenya … 2.3 million
Uganda … 2.3 million
Sudan … 1.7 million
Mozambique … 1.5 million
Ivory Coast … 1.4 million
Zimbabwe … 1.4 million
Angola … 1.2 million
Zambia … 1.2 million
Ghana … 1 million
Cameroon … 1 million
Malawi … 950,000
Madagascar … 900,000
Rwanda … 820,000
Niger … 800,000
Burkina Faso … 710,000
Mali … 710,000
Somalia … 630,000
Chad … 600,000
Burundi … 600,000
Senegal … 560,000
Benin … 370,000
Guinea … 370,000
Central African Republic … 340,000
Sierra Leone … 340,000
Eritrea … 280,000
Congo … 270,000
Liberia … 250,000
Mauritania …170,000
Lesotho … 150,000
Botswana … 150,000
Namibia … 140,000
Guinea-Bissau … 100,000
Gabon … 65,000
The Gambia … 64,000
Djibouti … 48,000
Comoros … 33,000
Equatorial Guinea … 29,000

Read more: here

Woman left for DEAD

A Woman Left for Dead on the Side of the Road - A tear-jerker
http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/09/a-woman-left-for-dead-on-the-side-of-the-road-a-tearjerker.html

Freed to Visit Orphans (Ethiopia)

Keep the Federal Tax Credit Alive!!!

The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213

Write your US Rep!

Write your US Senator!

Orphan Sunday

November 8, 2009

Join an event, or plan an event in your area:
www.orphansunday.org

Click on Hold an Event to see the many ways YOU can be apart of Orphan Sunday!!

Social Justice and the Poor

Here's the blog of author, Kevin DeYoung.

He's starting a series of posts on Social Justice and the Poor.

Check-out his books as well.

Celebrating a Birthday? Give creatively!

Last week our son from Ethiopia celebrated his 1st-birthday! It was a special day! Da-Da took off work and we went to the zoo, opened presents from family/friends, and of course smeared some cake!

So, what did we give Micah for his 1st birthday (other than spending the day with him...time being a most precious gift to give)?
A very inexpensive toy from Target. Yep, that's it...not because we couldn't purchase anything else, but because we chose not to purchase anything else!

Instead, we are sending a wal-mart gift card to a very dear family who is traveling to Ethiopia this week to pick-up their two children! This family has had quite a long journey on the road of adoption, but they have remained joyful and faithful! This adoption has required great sacrifice for their family and I could think of no better way to celebrate/honor Micah's 1st-birthday than to fill this family's fridge and pantry as they transition from a family of three to a family of five!!

I don't share this to toot my own horn, but to hopefully encourage a deeper consideration: what are you teaching your children/friends/family through what and how you celebrate??