Zambia
So for the few of you who read this, I want to let you know I’ll be taking a team to Zambia this summer. We leave July 17th. David will have the kids; he of course has to go to the grandparents. Whimp.
We are going as a photojournalism team to create materials for a Children’s Village to be completed. There are over 200 children on the waiting list and their situation is desperate. We will be documenting through photos, interviews, working with the children to tell their own stories. We’re going to create a book to help fundraise for the Village and have a formal art show in the artist district of downtown LA.
I have many worries and problems in my own life, but nothing compared to these children. I have a home with plenty of food. I am loved. I am cared for. I will hopefully live for many years. These children have no stable home and are being threatened with a huge drought this year. The average life expectancy for much of the population is 33 years old because of AIDS, malaria, poverty, etc… I have so much, so much compared to what they have.
Here is a support letter I’ve been sending out to people. If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information, please let me know.
April 2007
Dear Friends:
Africa is in a state of unprecedented crisis, due to the HIV/AIDS endemic, malaria, and drought. In Africa, AIDS alone has taken more than 20 million lives, leaving over 15 million children orphaned. The nation of Zambia is at the center of this storm. About two-thirds of the population lives on less than one $US dollar a day. AIDS has left nearly one and a half million children without one or both parents; resulting in many households headed by children. While the growing number of Zambian orphans surpasses one million, some 130,000 are living in the streets of its capital, Lusaka, giving Zambia the highest per capita number of street children in the world.
Caring for children orphaned by the impact of HIV/AIDS, the Breath of Heaven Children’s Village is creating a community and a second chance for Lusaka’s youth. The vision of this Children’s Village is to build twelve homes (they will have children of various ages and a live-in “house mother�), plus a school, clinic and church. Ten acres of land have already been purchased and the groundbreaking has been completed. However, they need all of our support to continue building and finishing this community.
Mosaic and Awaken Humanity, a non-profit continuing to make a difference in the issues of poverty and HIV/AIDS, have teamed up with the Children’s Village project. Our goal is to assist the Children’s Village through media development to create an international charitable campaign. Sending a photojournalism team this summer, we hope to give voice to the voiceless, sharing these children’s stories and building a worldwide support network.
Judy Lawler, an aid worker with Breath of Heaven Children’s Village, will never forget one Zambian child she met last year. “[Sam] was ten years old, his parents were dead and he had no family members that could take him in. [He] explained to us how he found work during the day carrying charcoal for people…at the end of the day, he used the money he made to buy glue. The glue and gasoline are sniffed at night to help [him] to sleep and to produce the sensation of being warm,â€? forcing him to choose between survival today and his health tomorrow.
Children like Sam are counting on you to make a difference. Awaken Zambia is a chance to change the world with the gift of compassion and humanitarian service. Your donation helps support the shelter, health, education and development each child deserves. As Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.�
You can help in a variety of ways. All donations are tax-deductible. Please make all checks payable to “Mosaic,� with “Awaken Zambia Journalism Team� on the subject line to contribute to our summer assignment, or “Awaken Zambia� to give directly to the Children’s Village. You can mail donations to Carrie Arcos, 5633 Adele Avenue, Whittier, CA 90601.
With grateful appreciation,
Carrie, Jess, Chad, Jennifer and Anthony
Awaken Zambia Journalism Team
Email: awaken.zambia@gmail.com
On the Web: www.myspace.com/awakenzambia