UNICEF listed in 2005 that they estimated 4.8 million orphans(children under the age of 18) in the country of Ethiopia.
4.8 MILLION.
To put that in perspective, New York City has 8 million residents. HALF of NYC could be filled with Ethiopian orphans. Chicago has almost 3 million residents. It would have to be filled one and a half times to hold all of the current Ethiopian orphans.
Anyone else sick to their stomach? But wait, it gets worse.
There are not very many cushy orphanages, nor is there a foster care or adoption system. (No matter how broken a system may be, it is better than no system at all.) Most of these children become street kids.
Best case for street kids is they simply live on the streets. They are semi-safe within their "gang", they are hungry, but not dying of starvation. They run in packs, coming out of what seems like every nook and cranny of the city.
Sadly most are not "best case". Many die of starvation. Girls are forced into prostitution at a young age. Even more are maimed by "handlers" in hopes of getting a higher payout during begging. Throw in thier an AIDs epidemic and you have a nightmare most of us in the west can not even imagine.
We can't save every kid, as much as we want, but we can save one. We are confident that one little girl will not enter prostitution, but will rather be going to school. She will know love both from an earthy father, and a Godly one. She will go to bed full and tucked into a comfy bed, even if that bed is in a shared room with her new brother and sister. She will have hope.
Consider helping us give her hope. Come to our kickoff party on the 30 @ 7:30. Check out our Shaklee Shop. Send up a prayer or two. Together, we can bring her home!
With love,
The Garrett's
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