iGive to AAI!

We are at the height of holiday shopping season! Did you know that if you do your shopping through www.igive.com up to 26% (but usually 1-5%) of your total is donated to AAI's humanitarian projects? It's true! These donations can add up to make a difference in countries like Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda.

If you aren't already a member and sign up now (adding a button to your toolbar) AAI will get $5 for your membership! If you share the link with a friend and that friend signs up, another $5 for AAI humanitarian projects! Click HERE to learn more about the 1 Million Buttons for Change campaign. The campaign goes through January 9th, 2012.

Thank you to all who remember to give back at this time of year.

AAI Family Quilt--A Longstanding Tradition

The AAI Family Quilt is coming along nicely! If you have made a donation to AAI and would like to see your name on a leaf, star, butterfly, or other items that will adorn the quilt, just contact us!

Did you know that fundraising quilts are a longstanding tradition in the United States? Recently, an AAI supporter wrote a blog post about these quilts, and featured the AAI Family Quilt as example. You can read the entire (very interesting) blog post HERE.

The bidding is on!!

2011 AAI Holiday Project Auction

Open for Bidding!

Head right over to this link to get a look at 100 beautiful gift items that benefit AAI's ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia and Ghana.   Jewelry, artwork, clothing and household items and vacation opportunities await you there.  Get your holiday shopping done extra early this year and your gift recipients will also appreciate that your purchase did "double duty" and helped an orphaned or vulnerable child in one of our programs.  The items were all donated by friends and supporters of AAI, many of whom are adoptive parents.  

 

Report from AAI-Ghana

Our Ghana Coordinator, Anita Gillispie, traveled to Ghana for two weeks in June.  It was a very busy trip, with visits to around 15 orphanages and non-profits in 5 regions of Ghana and Togo.  In this part of the world in-person relationships are of the utmost importance.  Culturally, some things must be communicated in person rather than by email or phone.

Thanks to generous donations by AAI families and friends, Anita was able to take over 300 pounds of donations, and give over $2500 in food and supplies to orphanages and non-profits in Ghana.

AAI helped a group foster home receive 12 new mattresses for the children.

Directors of the group foster home choose donated shoes and clothing for their children

  

Earlier this year families raised $5000 for the construction of a new dormitory at Nyame Dua Foster home.  Anita was able to tour the dormitory that is now nearing the end of construction.  When finished, the addition will have a new sitting area, 2 new bedrooms, a western-style restroom, and a storage area.

construction of the Nyame Dua boys dorm

The current restroom facility at Nyame Dua--a new one is planned.

Family Preservation is a significant part of our program in Ghana.  Anita was able to observe these programs in action when she went along to deliver food to vulnerable families and to visit the sponsored children in school.

The trip was very fruitful, in part, thanks to the private vehicle Anita was able to use during her time in Ghana.  Unfortunately, The Ripley Foundation (our primary NGO sponsor in Ghana) is in dire need of vehicles to be able to effectively do their work in Ghana.  Currently, they are borrowing one vehicle (to be returned in August) or using public taxis/buses. Please consider a donation to our Ghana Vehicle Fund to help put this program back on the road.  

The roads are sometimes almost impassable even for a 4X4 SUV, so you can imagine how difficult it is for TRF Humanitarian Director Muna Saeed to do her work hiring public taxis each day.  Many times she can only take a taxi to a certain point before she is left to walk the last few miles on foot (often with donations in hand and her son on her back).  This is, at best, an inefficient way to accomplish the work that must be done on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children. 

 Muna, walking with a mom whose children are sponsored through AAI

Joha, TRF's Director of Development, often takes a public bus from Accra to Bolgatanga--a 17 hour ride--in order to work on adoption cases in the Upper East Region.

 Joha (in brown shirt) settles in for the 17+ hour bus ride

Without access to a dependable SUV, Anita would have been unable to visit at least 5 of the orphanages she visited during the last trip.  The SUV barely made it through the muddy road below.

In the coming months we hope to assist The Ripley Foundation in purchasing two used vehicles--one for city travel and one for "rough" travel.  The organization is doing its best to raise money within Ghana (including their own personal funds) to meet this need, but they ask that we come along side them.  The fact is, at this point, AAI adoption and family preservation work is being inhibited by the transportation problems.

Thank you for your continued support in Ghana.

Anita Gillispie

Adoption Advocates International

Holiday Project Kicks off with an Online Gift Auction!--Items needed now.

 This year we are trying something new and different for our annual Holiday Project.  Coordinator and volunteer extraordinaire Mandie Doak just sent this message to our country yahoo groups and I'm sharing it here for those who read the blog.  And wow--look at some of the items she's already received--they would make great gifts!
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Hi All! I know its hard to believe that I'm posting about the Holiday project and its only the middle of July... but I have to tell you, I've already been thinking about it for a month now, and today I saw aisles and aisles of  Christmas decorations out at Hobby Lobby.... so apparently, I'm not the only one!

The reason I'm typing is because I am putting together a silent online auction (and possibly an event in Kansas at its end...) to raise money for this year's Holiday Project. The auction will take place the beginning of October, but I wanted to get the word out early so that those of you who are crafty and quilt or knit, or do some other great thing that requires a bit of time to put together, could have time to do it! I'm asking for donations from all of our AAI Africa families , since this project will touch children and caregivers in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda this year!  

My name is Mandie Doak, I'm an Ethiopia adoptive parent, volunteer with AAI, and I have
been organizing the Holiday project for the past 5 years.... I put the word out, beg for money, do the shopping, beg for more money, remind you all that we still have money to raise, and finally carry all the gifts to Ethiopia and oversee that portion of the project. You can visit this link and see photos from last year's projects in both Ethiopia and Ghana.

I'm very excited to be including AAI's new program in Uganda in this year’s project, and I can't wait to see the photos of their celebrations!

Last year’s project brought in more than $20,000... Half of which went to AAI's humanitarian aid projects. The remainder of the funds went to provide gifts for all of the children in AAI's care, special Holiday party and foods, modest bonuses for the caregivers, special treats for our sponsorship kids, and holiday meals for several of AAI's partner orphanages. The project will touch more than 500 orphans and caregivers in all three countries.

Please help us to make this year’s project a HUGE success! If you are able to donate an item or two, please let me know and I’ll send you my shipping address! If you are crafty and you know it...raise your hand! Calling all quilters, clothing makers, bow makers, photographers, jewelry makers, artists, etc.!  Travelers, you can help out too! If you are traveling soon, and would be willing to pick up some souvenir type items (drums, baskets, scarves, clothing, coffee, spices, jewelry, etc...) to donate to the cause, let me know!

The auction is not limited to physical items.... If you own a salon, how about' a do? Own a restaurant or have a friend who does?   How about donating a dinner for two? Maybe you can donate a weekend getaway or charter fishing trip? You can see where this is going! If you can offer a good or service that someone else could bid on, let me know!

You don't have to be a crafty-traveling-business owner to participate, either! If you have an item, or want to purchase an item to donate to the cause, that would be welcome too! Just as a reminder, donations should be new or like new items that you would want to give or receive as a gift during the holidays... We are hoping that folks will use this auction as a place to do some of their holiday shopping, so please keep this in mind!

I have the Holiday Project FB page up and running, and have started posting previews of the items that will be offered for auction! I will update it as I receive the items. Stop by, "Like" it, and get ready to bid! Please be sure to check out donor's websites, many of them work with organizations in Uganda, Ghana and Ethiopia.

If you have a website associated with your goods, I would be happy to link it to your items. They will also be linked on our Facebook page, where I will have a preview of the items as I receive them. Take a look; there are some beautiful things already that will make great gifts for a special someone on your list.  

Please feel free to contact me with questions! Items need to be shipped to me by Sept. 16th.

Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks so much for your help with this!

Mandie Doak

Report from AAI- Uganda

AAI needs new vehicles! Can you help??

Children piling in the van for another trip to the doctor's office

If you've visited Layla House in Ethiopia, you have undoubtedly seen and probably ridden in one of our old red vans.  Each day when they are not "in the shop," these vans travel miles and miles with children, staff and visiting parents.   They go to medical and dental clinics, the airport, the U.S. embassy, passport offices, the Mercato for food and supplies, and often to small villages in remote areas.   They carry social workers to visit children in our sponsorship program, adoptive parents to meet birth family, and staff to visit our partner orphanages all over Addis and well beyond.  At this point, they are really on their last legs with engines, bodies, seats and upholstery falling apart.  They are spending more and more time in the repair shop which wreaks havoc on the schedule and prevents us from operating as efficiently as we'd like.  As our staff there informs us, it's finally time to say goodbye to the oldest red Toyota van and to thank it for serving us well all these years!

Although the situation with our present vans has gone from bad to worse these past several months, we have GOOD NEWS to report.  New vehicles are usually very expensive in Ethiopia but because of our recent official agreement with the Ethiopian government to operate and expand Opportunity House, our home for special needs children, we have special permission to import a duty-free vehicle.  That means we will be able to purchase a vehicle for about $10,000, a deal we don't want to pass up but also a cost we don't want to pass on in increased adoption fees.  A generous adoptive family has already come forward with a $5000 challenge grant----if we can raise the other $5000, they will match each donation dollar for dollar.  So every dollar donated to our ETHIOPIA VEHICLE CAMPAIGN, is actually $2! Make your donation count twice.

Abraham, one of our drivers, embarking on yet another trip with a full van of kids

Our Ghana program is also in need of a new vehicle.  The Ripley Foundation, our affiliate in that country, has had no van for months now and families and stuff are increasingly reliant on taxis and public transportation to get around Accra and to travel to other parts of the country.  As our adoption program in that country has grown, we able to do more and more humanitarian work and reach out to more orphanages delivering food and supplies donated by our families and supporters.  The lack of a reliable vehicle is the biggest impediment to improving our work there and to giving visiting families a quality experience in that country.  Anita Gillispie, our Ghana coordinator, is in-country right now and she reports that sometimes it is very difficult to find a taxi big enough to take three or four kids and a staff member to a medical appointment and that without their own van, they are having to forgo many important errands.  So we are also starting a Ghana Vehicle Campaign and welcome any of your donations to get the Ripley Foundation staff moving again!

Rock for Layla House

Adam Ezra and percusionist Turtle rock the house!

In March, AAI Director of Development Susan Poisson-Dollar led a trip to Layla House for 12 high school students and 3 chaperones from the Emma Willard School in Troy, NY.  One of the high school girls, Hayley Kohler from Westwood, MA, was so moved by her experience that she and her parents organized a fundraiser for friends and family with Boston Area rock musician Adam Ezra who often devotes his considerable talent to good causes.

Haley (left) with 2 friends

Haley's June fundraiser brought in $2000 for Layla House and Hayley has chosen to help the Grace Fund, the Good Neighbor Fund and a medical fund for the children of Layla.  Her family recently sent these photos of the event.   Hayley did a fabulous job decorating with pictures she took in Ethiopia and also gave a short slide show during the intermission so that her friends and family could learn more about our work!

Thank you so much Kohler family.  We hope it inspires more people to do something fun for a cause.

Bright Futures Fund Girls--an update

The Bright Futures Girls

Just nine months ago, we learned that all of the girls pictured above were too old to receive US Visas and therefore ineligible for adoption.  Birthdates are not generally recorded in rural Ethiopia and children are often smaller than a typical child that age would be here in the U.S.   Therefore it is always a bit of an art to guess the ages of children who arrive at Layla House.  We rely on both doctor's reports, relatives' recollections and technology like wrist x-rays that can show at what stage of puberty a child is in.  Even though these girls had been at Layla House for some time we had hoped that they would still be eligible but it was not to be and other plans had to be made to assure that they would still have a "bright future."  Thus the Bright Futures Fund was born and the girls were enrolled in a boarding school outside of Addis so that they could continue their education and begin preparation for a life in Ethiopia. 

Recently Merrily and Susan Holmgren were able to see the girls on their trip to Ethiopia because the entire group were on a weekend visit to one of our partner orphanages--Sele Enat.   Merrily returned with photos and a social worker's report about how the girls are doing.   Here is an excerpt from that report:

It has been nine months since the girls have joined the school. At first, though they struggled a lot so that they can adjust themselves to the new environment, gradually they have been becoming acquainted with the school system, surroundings and with the other children whom they learn together. At this time they are also doing better day after day and following their schooling courteously. I have been able to see some of the class exams they have taken in the past nine months and they are all doing acceptable. The last semester of this year is at hand and they are doing their best to prepare themselves so that they are getting good result. They are going to have a final exam that starts from June 13-17/2011.

Many people have met the girls over the years and have have received some donations to help us with this project.  The cost of boarding school, books and necessities comes to about $1300 per girl/per year.  If you would like to help ensure that these girls do indeed have a Bright Future, click here.  Please contact Brooke Cole, AAI Sponsorship coordinator.  Donors to the Bright Futures Fund will receive periodic updates and may send letters to the girls via the AAI office in the U.S.  Let's encourage them to do well and succeed!  

Layla House Playground is Fixed!

The deteriorating quality of the Layla House soccer area has been a big concern for quite some time.  Almost two years ago, we raised what we thought we would need to fix it only to have skyrocketing construction costs outpace our budget.  Finally though, we are happy to report that the necessary repairs have just been completed thanks to a number of generous gifts from our AAI family.   The soccer/play area is in constant use of course and the deepening cracks were a safety issue.  The photos below show the area under construction (drainage being added for help in rainy season) and the the beautiful smooth surface that is now present.  

Thank you!!  On to the next project....new seat covers for our aging vans, anyone???

AAI Gathering in Salt Lake City

Recently, AAI parents organized a family gathering in Salt Lake City, Utah.  About 70 people attended and brought many items for donation to Layla House.  Many thanks to Amy Brandt and Kristie Wilkins for doing so much to put the gathering together.   Below is Amy's description of the event:

 children doing crafts at the kids' table

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Several AAI families and friends gathered in a Salt Lake City area church on Saturday, April 9 to meet Merrily and Ted Ripley and support AAI’s humanitarian projects in Ethiopia.  Merrily and Ted were in town to visit family, and it was wonderful for adoptive (and prospective and waiting adoptive) families to be able to put names and faces together and to share conversation with the agency’s director.

Children of all ages, from babies to teenagers, were in attendance and the younger ones enjoyed impromptu games of ball and tag while families met the Ripleys and each other.  Several families only knew each others' names from the AAI listserve, so it was great to be able to meet in person. 

As people arrived, the donation table for Ethiopia overflowed.  Families brought formula and cloth diapers for Wanna House, and school and art supplies for Layla and partner orphanages.  A family traveling in April offered to transport the donations; hopefully they had lots of room in their luggage!

After families shared a potluck dinner and conversation, Merrily began her presentation about adoption and humanitarian projects in Ethiopia.  She showed a video of waiting children created by Emma Dodge Hanson, photographer for the book Faces of Layla.  She also spoke about Opportunity House, AAI's facility for special needs children at Layla House and other humanitarian projects.   AAI's Family Quilt Project in the photo below helps fund all these efforts.  Families at the gathering were the first to see it in person.  It's starting to look so beautiful as leaves, stars and animals are being added when people donate to honor a loved one! 

Thanks to Merrily and Ted for being the impetus behind this gathering.  Salt Lake City area families are planning a fall fundraiser for AAI Humanitarian Programs on September 17, at Washington Park in Parley’s Canyon, with Ethiopian food, children's activities, and Ethiopian items for auction.  Anyone in the area is welcome to attend!

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We are always happy to help people organize gatherings.  If you would like to do one in your area, please contact Susan Poisson-Dollar, AAI Director of Development.

Books for Adua Honors High School!

Volunteers Brooke and Anoushka sorting books

One of AAI's most recent humanitarian projects has been collecting and shipping math and science books to Ethiopia.   The books are for the brand new Dr. Tsegaye Berhe Woldu Academy of Honor Students.  AAI Volunteer Barb Patton has done an amazing job of coordinating the shipping and storage of some very fine textbooks.   AAI also purchased a number of dictionaries for the school and more books are en route with upcoming travelers.  We are so pleased to be able to help with this worthy effort.

Traveling parents have been carrying boxes over for the last several months and at last count, we have at least 250 books.  Here are some photos of staff and volunteers inventorying the books as they arrive at Layla House.

Our accountant Addis helping out

The school is a project of Dr. Tseghuye for his hometown in a very poor area of northern Ethiopia, about 10 hours from Addis.  Once the books arrived at Layla House, we rented an ambulance to bring them to Adua so they could arrive in time for the opening ceremonies on March 1st which were reportedly attended by many dignitaries including the Prime Minister.  Temesgen, AAI's legal representative, was also in attendance.

The GRACE Fund

Check out this YouTube video about how families are created by AAI's GRACE FUND.  The fund helps families who want to adopt our longest-waiting children but need financial assistance to do so.  The photos are by professional photographer and GRACE FUND founder Emma Dodge Hanson with "welcome home" ones at the end submitted by recent AAI families.

Read more about the GRACE FUND here and make a donation at this link.

 

AAI Family Tree Quilt

Help us fill up the new AAI Family Tree Quilt!

 

Make a donation to

AAI's Humanitarian Projects and an

animal, branch or leaf will be placed on this beautiful quilt

in honor of your family, an adopted child or another loved one.

Your generous donation will support:

• Student sponsorships in Ethiopia and Ghana
• Our partner orphanages in Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda and Burkina Faso
• Opportunity House--our program for special needs children in Ethiopia
• Building a boy's dorm at one of our partner orphanages in Ghana
• Supporting a housing project for vulnerable children in Uganda
• "Good Neighbor" projects to improve sanitation and literacy in the poor neighborhood near Layla House in Ethiopia
• Specialized medical and dental care for orphan children in our programs
• And many other projects benefiting orphan children in the countries where we work

For the past few years, AAI volunteer and quiltmaker Barb Patton has made an annual quilt for us with the drawings of Layla House children.  The quilt was then raffled off and the proceeds supported our humanitarian mission.  This year we are trying something unique and different---Barb's quilt, shown above, will grace the walls of AAI's office in Port Angeles, WA.  It's just waiting for one thing to be complete---the names of our families and supporters---on the leaves, branches, trunk or background!   When you make a donation to the AAI Family Tree Quilt, Barb will add your name or that of someone you wish to honor to a section of the quilt.  Help us "leaf out" this beautiful tree with a generous gift today!

Donation levels:

• $1000 and up: Name on an animal or star to be added to the background (see examples below)
• $500-$999:  Name on the trunk of the tree
• $250-$499: Name on a branch of the tree
• $100-$249: Name on a leaf to be added to the tree

Donations can be made online at or by check to the AAI office. Unless an honoree is otherwise specified, your family name will be added to the tree.  If you have a special request or questions, contact Susan Poisson-Dollar, AAI Director of Development. 

and...Holiday Project in Ethiopia!

Post submitted by Rita Radostitz, AAI parent of Hanna and Sabella.  They were visiting Ethiopia and helped out with the Holiday Project celebration at Layla House last week.   The pictures are small because they were sent from Ethiopia---hopefully we'll have bigger ones soon!  Suffice to say though, our 2010 Holiday Project was a great success and will benefit our humanitarian projects all through 2011.  We are deeply grateful to all who donated this year. 

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Thursday -- Christmas Eve -- in Addis

Just like on Christmas at home, my twin daughters got up early with no prompting (an unusual event for teenagers!) so that we could get to Layla House and help set up for the Christmas activities.  We slammed down the pancakes that the cook at the Ritmo prepared for us and grabbed our bags and headed out.  (Christmas is celebrated a day early at Layla so that the staff can participate and then are able to spend Christmas day with their families.)

 

We arrived at Layla to find the kids excited about the morning activities -- though the excitement ranged from full on anticipation to wariness -- depending on whether the child had been at Layla for Christmas before.  Since Ethiopian Christmas is mostly about going to church (and in Orthodox churches, the service lasts 3 to 4 hours…) and eating with relatives, for children new to Layla, the idea of Santa Claus and presents is not entirely clear.  But they did know, from the other children, that it would be fun.

The children had been working on their version of the Christmas play for weeks.  Teacher (as the beloved head teacher is known by) was dressed in a beautiful suit and scuttling around getting the actors into their costumes and rehearsing their lines one more time.  The older kids moved the Christmas tree from the dining room to the play yard where the activities would be held, and spruced up the decorations.

 Mary and Joseph eat while babies and toddlers look on

As with most things in Ethiopia, the planned 9:30 start was delayed…the cakes weren’t quite ready, and Mandie had to run up to Churchill street to get two more traditional outfits for children who hadn’t been on the original list.  But by 10, the process of gathering all the children into the play area had begun.  And a process it was -- first, all the babies were brought out -- and I mean ALL the babies…from the tiniest child to 18 month old Mikias, they were carried one by one by the volunteers and the staff and laid out on mattresses set out in the play yard. 

Once all the babies were settled, the toddlers came out -- two or three at a time, holding hands with a volunteer and settled onto the steps.  Then the KG kids, then the older children all gathered and settled on the steps.  As they waited for the actors to put the final touches onto setting the scene and pinning up costumes, they sang Christmas songs in Amharic and listened to a Christmas mix album that Addis, the wonderful AAI accountant and full time Christmas fan, had put together (rumor has it that Addis has been playing Christmas music while he works since mid-November J)

And then, the play began.  Although there was no curtain to raise, the audience did settle (though Opportunity House child Yohannes thought that the chairs set up for the scene were set there just for him and he ran out to sit in one before a quick staff member corralled him and got him settled back on the steps.)

The angel announced, Herod was ferocious, the donkeys brayed on cue, lines were remembered and forgotten, and scenes changed fluidly.  The children did a fabulous job telling (in English!) the story of Joseph and Mary and the birth of Jesus.  The kings brought their gifts of gold, myrrh and Frankenstein. (yes, that is a difficult word for even a native English speaker!)  And in the end, the real live baby who played baby Jesus was held high by the priest and we all were awed by the miracle of Christmas.

After a few more songs, cake and soda was served and then the children were again seated in the play area, waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus.  One of the guards, Mesfin, played Santa this year, and he was fabulously jolly.  The children did recognize him, and some tried to pull off his beard, and poke his big belly -- just as you would expect.

Names were called one by one and the children came up to receive their gift directly from Santa -- and they tore open the wrapping with whoops of joy as they found a traditional outfit (which I think they expected) and then the unexpected - a ball or a car or two (yes, TWO) Barbie dolls.  No matter what the present, the children were thrilled and played with them all day.

Enormous kudos go to Mandie Doak who did an amazing job -- mostly all by herself -- organizing and wrapping the toys for the children and then measuring and shopping for their outfits.  Every child had a gift, every child had an outfit (and one that actually fit!) and the smiles of gratitude were genuine.  The babies looked darling, the older boys handsome -- and she took photos of every child in his or her outfit.

It was a fabulous day and I know that the staff appreciated seeing the joy on the faces of the children and also appreciated the special gifts purchased through the generosity of donors. 

So, as the story goes -- Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!