Chicks 4 Orphans

What's the Deal?
This Sunday (Nov. 6th) is "Orphan Sunday!" (http://orphansunday.org/) So... I'm kicking off my own little get-involved-campaign. There is a Christ-centered organization in Zambia called Every Orphan's Hope (http://everyorphan.org/). I found out about it and heard about the things they are doing this summer when a friend of mine went on a mission trip to help put on Camp Hope. A giant camp that Every Orphan's Hope puts on during the summer for the large population of HIV/AIDS orphans and "at risk or disadvantaged" kiddos in Zambia, Africa.

They are doing a fundraiser called Chicks 4 Orphans (http://www.chicks4orphans.org/) to help fund the work they are doing, and I want to get involved.

So I'm asking everyone I know if they'd like to get involved with me. Chicks 4 Orphans is asking for a onetime donation of $4 to buy a chicken to help get the orphan's chicken farms going. Just $4 bucks. If you're interested just let me know and I'll pick up your cash or check whenever its convenient for you. At the end of the month I'll mail in the total I've collected. I've set a goal for myself of 40 Chicks in the month of November.

Why Every Orphan's Hope?
I really love that this organization is not just throwing money at a problem and hoping it helps. Their website says that, "We don't build orphanages. We build homes..." The model they use is simple. They build a home fill it with 4 orphaned boys, 4 orphaned girls and a "Mama" who is usually a widow who has devoted her life to serving God and these kiddos in the homes. They start a micro enterprise (such as chicken farming) within each home and with some time the home becomes self-sustaining freeing up resources to build more homes for more orphans.

The way EOH works is on a community level. Instead of building a large institution in a central city they are addressing the problem in the smaller communities and are placing the orphans in family units that are right there in the same community the kids are from.

Why Chicks 4 Orphans?
I'm a recent college grad and am building a small business. I don't know exactly when my next check is coming in and I don't have $40 a month to sponsor a child. But I do have $4 in my wallet right now that is not promised to anything (except maybe a white chocolate mocha and I can probably do without that this one time ;-). So this is something I can do. And since I can, I'm hoping others will see that they can too and get involved with me.

Can I just give online or do I have to give it to you?
Yes! You can and if it won't work out for you to give me your donation then please do donate online. The chicks 4 orphans link above has a tab that's called "buy a chick." You can give online right there.

However, if we can work it out to get a check or cash to me then I'd ask you to do that. (I understand that takes you having faith in me that I'm not going to steal your money. All I can give you is my word that I won't.)

Here is why: In any type of online or electronic money exchange there is typically a debit charge or some sort of processing fee set up by whatever company is actually running the credit cards (EHO has no control over this). One of the online site where you can donate gives you the option:"I would like to pay the processing fee for my gift." It adds like 31 cents to a $4 donation. Which I agree is not much, but the fee is based on percentage. So if can get 40 people to buy a chicken, but we all do it online that is three chickens ($12.40) that are not going to Every Orphan's Hope. So instead of losing $12 of our collective donation I figure it would be better to pay the 75 cents in postage and mail all of the checks at the same time.

So... please let me know by comment, facebook post, text message, phone call, whatever... if you'd like to buy a chicken with me. Come on... it's just $4! :-)

Karen

P.S.-Oh... and I'm making stickers for anyone who gives me $4 for a chicken. You know you want one!