Change 4 Orphans

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Current count of PENNIES Donated (298,955)total since I started

updated  07/11/08

Local Time In

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

 

Hi, my name is Leah. I live in Colorado. I am 14 and I am in 9th grade. I started this as a mitzvah project when I was in 7th grade to help children in Ethiopia. There are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone. Many of them live in crowded orphanages, with neighbors, relatives or on the street because their parents are poor, sick, or have died. Some have family but they have no money to feed them or put them in school so they are brought to the orphanages. I decided that I want to start a penny drive and donate the money to help the people. My goal is to get one penny for every orphan in Ethiopia. The orphanages need supplies and medicine and the children have no toys.

My family adopted my sister from Ethiopia and that is what helped me with the idea. I have been collecting donations since March 2007.

We personally delivered the money donated so far to Ethiopia in November 2007 when we went to bring home my new sister. There was $2084.00 collected by the time we traveled to Addis Ababa, ET. Just over $1000.00 went towards putting in a playground at The Hope For The Abandoned Children and Orphan Care Association (HFTA) where my sister lived. They now have red ash placed down to cut down the mud and a merry-go-round for the children to play on. This was completed January 2008. You can see the before and after pictures below.

$170 was used to purchase a rocking chair and other furniture for the orphanage.

We also purchased basic supplies like diapers and bottles along with medicines and 3 large storage containers to hold clothing. We delivered 6 large duffel bags of donated clothing, shoes, notebooks and crayons directly to the orphanage.

The playground is complete at Hope for the Abandoned!!!!!!

 

 

As of January 2007, $800.00 of your donations have been used to sponsor the 4 children pictured below for a year to attend school, receive a school uniform, school supplies and a meal. These children live with family members and your donations will help them to remain home instead of in an orphanage or on the street. We intend to continue support for them for at least 3 years.

This sponsorship is handled by the Sele Enat Mahiber which translates to "in place of mother association".

Their address is Sele Enat Mahiber
P.O. Box 25136
Addis Ababa. Ethiopia
phone # 251-114-42 31 14

 

I will continue collecting change to donate to help the children. You can be sure that the money is going directly to help the children. You can check back here for updates.

The reason I chose pennies is because most people when they see a penny on the ground they just walk by it, like they didn't even see it.  Most of the world is doing the same thing to the Orphans of Ethiopia.  Please don't just walk by them. 

Make a difference.

PLEASE DONATE YOUR PENNIES TO A GOOD CAUSE!

Click the donate button above.

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Country comparison

  Ethiopia USA
Average Annual Income $110 $41,400
Life Expectancy 48 years 78 years
Access to Safe Water 22% 100%
Adequate Sanitation 6% 100%
Under 5 Mortality Rate 166 deaths/1000 live births 8 deaths/1000 live births