A great big blessed 180

Throughout our last four months in Liberia, a big part of my job was working the political side of things. Even though we were very blessed to have special access to orphanages that other organizations were barred from helping, the government was still adamant that those homes on closure should not be helped in any lasting way--"we're only moving those kids next month anyway." Really, as much as everyone involved agreed or disagreed with the closures, there was simply no place to move all those children, and reunifying those with relatives up-country would take years. So we were limited to relief efforts: dropping off food and providing very basic healthcare; patching a leaky roof or buying a dozen mosquito nets.

Fast forward to October. President Ellen visited an orphanage near our home--one that has been 'on closure' for over two years--and was appalled at the conditions, but was even more appalled that her government was preventing foreign aid agencies from helping! Partly as a result of that visit, a new Deputy Minister for Social Welfare has been installed, and a reversal of policy has taken place: now, instead of shutting out aid in hope of pressuring orphanages to give up non-orphans, the government's stance is, "Do whatever you can for these places!"

After meeting with the new minister last week, I'm very excited to have his blessing to do whatever we're able to this time around. Add that to the increase in resources behind us after a successful fundraising time in Seattle, and I believe God will do some incredible things through our humble little organization!

Video Update 10-25-07

New and exciting

After going our separate ways for the month of August -- a little downtime with family and friends in our respective countries -- we reunited at the Pratt Mansion for September. Much planning was done, much fun was had, and now we're back on the road together. We're in Seattle for the next two weeks hosting all sorts of benefit dinners, speaking engagements big and small, and church talks. If you're in the Seattle/Tacoma area and would like more info on our events, please email us -- we'd love to have you.

We've also launched a new program that we're very excited about, called Project 23. Twenty-three dollars buys a 100-pound bag of rice. It could also buy effective malaria meds for 30 kids. Or it could buy a wheelbarrow for fetching clean water from a distant well. But when we give to a big charity, does our money go to help the faces we see -- to the people whose stories effect us so much? Maybe. Maybe not. By the time you take off 3% for the transaction and 10-20% for administration fees and overhead costs, how much is left? Is a small donation lost between the cracks -- salaries, gas money, paperwork, advertising...?
We're asking for $23 and we're making a promise: 100% of it will go, in cash, to buy essentials for the kids in Liberia who need it most. Rice. Water. Malaria meds.
It's a really exciting program for us, and we're already seeing a terrific response to it. Learn more at http://www.orphanreliefandrescue.org/project23.

After you've checked out Project 23, take a walk through the rest of our new website -- more information, more detail, more pictures. (And much more to come soon!)

Lastly, the field team is shipping out for Liberia again in two weeks. We're going to be in-country for much longer this time, and we're all excited to get back into it. We have direction, we have drive, and we're excited to meet the many new challenges that will face us. In addition to expanding the Relief Program and taking on new Construction Projects, we'll be starting training programs for both teens in orphanages and adults. The goal is to see the kids 'graduate' from their orphanages with skills that will keep them out of trouble, and to give the directors some means of building self-sufficiency.