Meeting the Team!

Today, Sunday, January 17, Lori and I are in Lincoln City, Oregon.  We met with all of the other volunteers going to Ethiopia.  It was outstanding to see such enthusiasm and concern.  We were given supplies to take over with us and many, many instructions.  Boy, are we excited!  Now......we go back to Scottsdale and put all of our plans together and get the last of our shots.  (Ouch!)

Just an update

It is hard to believe that we will be leaving for Gimbie, Ethiopia in just one month!

Now that the holidays are over, I am able to once again turn my focus back to not only the upcoming trip, but also trying to continue gathering donations. Specifically, we are trying to collect toothbrushes, prenatal vitamins and childrens vitamins with minerals (both sealed and in plastic containers), tee shirts in adult sizes small and medium in dark colors, and money to help provide a pump for clean water.

It's amazing how once we find a way to fill one need another comes up. Like the tee shirts.....one of the people who sponsors several children in this community has dark colored tee shirts made for each of them. As they had them out, there are always other children present asking for a new shirt too! For these kids the only shirt they have is the one they are wearing, so a new tee shirt is not only exciting to receive, but also a necessity. We want to thank you all for your on going help in finding ways to meet these needs!

I think of these women and children often and pray that we will find a way to help them get all of the things they need. The things that they need seem so simple, so I have no choice but to continue to ask for your help. Thank you again for responding with your generous hearts......Lori

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Our excitement continues....

Now that we’ve finished celebrating Christmas and New Years we can concentrate on preparations for our trip to Ethiopia. We were pretty surprised with the amount of immunizations needed and the time we needed to allot in getting them. Are arms feel like pin cushions and we’re not even done yet! Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hepatitis A & B, Meningitis, Rabies, Polio, Diphtheria/Tetanus/Whooping Cough, H1N1……and we’re still considering Malaria! And, these were simply recommended….not required. However, we’d rather be safe than sorry. We purchased 25 great water filters that attach to five gallon plastic buckets so the people can go collect their water from the rivers, have the water go through the filters, and receive perfectly clean, healthy water! Then, we got lots and lots of vegetable seeds from Feed The Hungry. We’ve requested drip system/irrigations supplies from a couple of companies but have not had any replies. Are excitement and interest continues to grow.

It's been a while!

Hello again! We haven't posted new information for awhile because we're busy planning for our trip to Ethiopia in February. We get our travel shots December 16.  I believe we each have to get inoculated for at least eight diseases! That does not include Malaria and we wonder if we shouldn't get it anyway. :) We're also busy looking into funding an outstanding filter system for the people of Ethiopia to use. Since our fundraiser raised more than we needed for the surgeries we’re investigating other life saving issues. You see, they get their drinking water from various rivers. Unfortunately, the rivers contain lots and lots of germs which produce lots and lots of disease. So....why not start with clean water to try to stop the disease. Actually, this problem is worldwide. We are SO blessed here in the US. We’ll let you know what we decide in our next blog.

On to other fundraising endeavors...

Now that Women Helping Women - Ethiopia Project 2010 is over Lori and I are looking for new ways to fundraise for Ethiopia.  We are both so grateful that, with the help of many, we were able to raise such a large amount of money.  But, we both realize that the need is ongoing and vast.  We're focused on getting that fresh water well up and going at the school, purchasing mattersses for the boarding students and the hospital, and purchasing new shoes and clothes for the orphans.  We are ALWAYS looking for fundraising ideas.  If you would like to you may send them in the "comment" area.  We  would love to hear from you.  Anna

Outstanding Success!

Women Helping Women – Ethiopia Project 2010 was an outstanding success! We had more attendees than we thought we’d have and they were very generous. We were told by many that the silent and live auction items we accrued were very high quality and much appreciated. All in all, we were able to raise $10,000 to put toward the work in Ethiopia. We are so thankful to all who participated in this endeavor. Rest assured that Lori and I will remember your kindness and generosity when we work with the people in Gimbie, Ethiopia in February. We are not finished fundraising! There is still a good deal of time before we leave and we intend to use that time efficiently. We’ll keep you posted. Anna

Whew! Last night Lori and I did the final arrangements for the donations. We can't believe how blessed we are with so many wonderful auction items. And, the list of attendees just keeps growing! This is going to be a great function for an even greater cause! My daughter, Molly, and her friend, Amy, are coming in today from Seattle to visit and help out. Aren't they going to be surprised when I start them on their jobs! Anna