Can you imagine a world where millions of children roam the streets, scavenging for food and shelter? Can you imagine what life must be like for children who face life in the streets alone, unprotected and unloved? I don't have to imagine, because this is what I saw in Africa.
As you may know, the AIDS pandemic in Africa is creating orphans on a scale unrivaled in world history. It is estimated that there are more than 36 million orphaned children under 15 in sub Saharan Africa today. For many of these children, access to even the simplest of things, food, shelter, clean water and education are out of their reach.
I was able to spend a few weeks this summer volunteering in Zambia with Mothers Without Borders, an organization whose mission is to nurture and care for orphaned and vulnerable children. MWB achieves its mission by supporting local, community-based programs that provide safe shelter, nutritious food, clean water, education, health care, vocational training and access to caring adults.
While I was in Zambia I had the opportunity to work in community schools, orphanages, and villages doing various volunteer work. We were able to spend some time at the MWB orphanage which has 22 children living there. Since MWB is a charity, they are required by law to take in any more orphans that social workers find on the streets or in bad circumstances. I was also able to work on the 88 acres of new land that MWB has bought. We helped make bricks that will soon be used to build new orphanages that will hold up to 300 orphans.
I have all of my pictures posted at www.fllickr.com/granolaq.
I would like to say THANK YOU for all those who made donations to help me get to Africa and support this great work. About $1000 of my trip cost was donated to MWB to help feed, clothe, and school the orphans, as well as to buy cement for the bricks for the new orphanages and school.
If you are interested in continuing to support this great work, please contact me, or visit the Mother's Without Borders website.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Jenny Quinn
