The Howletts 5, er, 6.... better late than never!

Calling All Pillowcase Dress Seamstresses!

2011-03-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I am taking another team to Shanto around the first of June.

FOVC is beginning to expand to three more villages. So, we will work in Shanto again, and we will also visit the new villages.

It would be sooooo amazing to bless those little village girls with pillowcase dresses.

Anyone up for another round of sewing? For a simple tutorial on how to make these simple dresses, go here. Or go here.

Important note: please use thick, grosgrain ribbon, or real fabric straps for the ties! We would also love to take simple, elastic-waist skirts and t-shirts for the bigger girls. Culturally, once a girl is 10 or 11, a mid-shin-length skirt is more appropriate for her.

Simple boy pants and shirts would be greatly appreciated, too....I hear the clearance racks at Walmart, Target and Kohls are full!

Let me know if you are "in" for this project!

LOVE!
lory

FOVC T-Shirts Available Now!

2011-03-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Now available on the fovc website: our fantastic t-shirts! We are selling these shirts for just $20--includes shipping.

(Shirts can be purchased via paypal or credit card on www.fovc.org's secure site.)

Buy some shirts!

Help get the word out about FOVC!

And bring clean water to Shanto and beyond, too!

Berry pink, says "Friend of Orphans" and "fovc.org." Female cut, and these run small! Available xs, s, m, l, xl, 2xl.

Charcoal, Africa outline with water splash behind. Says "FOVC.org." Limited edition for our water fundraiser! Unisex cut, 100% cotton Anvil shirt. Available s, m, l, xl, 2xl.

White "Let's Talk" t-shirt with "fovc.org" in the talk bubble. Unisex/men's cut, 100% cotton Anvil shirt. Available s, m, l, xl and 2xl.


White "Let's Talk" t-shirt with "fovc.org" in the talk bubble. Female cut, 100% cotton Anvil shirt. Available s, m, l,xl and 2xl.

This kind of retail therapy is good for everyone!

You Made It Happen!!! Sewing School and Widows Hope Updates

2011-03-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Here is a note from Desalegn, and PICTURES! of our widows (YOUR

widows, dear sponsors and supporters!) at sewing school:

Hi Lory,
 
I have attached for you the pictures which I took yesterday from
widows training class. These all are FOVC widows. As their teacher
told me they all are doing very well. Especially Beauty is doing

very well.
 
Lory, would you please share it on our blog and yours and with the
sponsors of widows training class? Thank you Lory for this wonderful
thing! You are great!!!
 
Desalegn

Dear Sponsors and Supporters, you are changing the lives of these

women who have lost so much...and the lives and destinies of

their children.

Thank you!

LOVE!
Lory

Weekend Update!

2011-03-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend!

Thanks to our church's adoption and sponsorship focus during weekend services, twenty FOVC orphans gained sponsors!!!

Thanks to a whole lot of people who showed up at our house, we raised $5000--enough to drill one well in Shanto!

Thank you, everyone!
Thank you, God!

Video

2011-02-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

This is the video our church will show this weekend because it is sponsorship / adoption Sunday. It's weird and humbling, on a personal level. On a Kingdom level, may it move many people to adopt or sponsor children! Many members of Team Tasfa have flown in to get the kids sponsored!

Dave & Lory Howlett from Rocky Mountain Christian Church on Vimeo.

Water Works 4 Shanto -- you're invited!

2011-02-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

Please join us for our "Water Works 4 Shanto" open house fundraiser on Sunday, February 27. This is your chance to help FOVC drill life-saving water wells in Shanto, Ethiopia and beyond. Every drop of your support adds up to make a big difference!

Team Tasfa members from all over the world will be present, as well as a water expert and the local seamstresses who helped us deliver 800 dresses to girls in Ethiopia. You can learn a bit of Amharic and chat with old and new friends over "buna" and popcorn!

We'll sell our fantastic new FOVC t-shirts and hold a silent auction featuring all kinds of goodies--including jewelry, handcrafts and coffee from Ethiopia, work by local artists, and much more!

We hope you will stop by, lend your support and learn more about FOVC's work and our partners in Ethiopia. We CAN change the world together!

What: Water Works 4 Shanto

Where: Dave & Lory Howlett's home in southwest Longmont, CO

When: February 27th, 2011, 3pm - 6pm

Please let me know if you can come to our event! For even more information, visit the Water Works 4 Shanto webpage. Even if you cannot join us, there is a link to donate.

Finally, if you can give something for our silent auction, please contact Becky!

We have been given an incredible opportunity (really, "miraculous" is not too strong of a word!) to serve our dear friends in Shanto--and beyond. I'll share more details soon. In the meantime, please plan to join us on the 27th!

Save the Date!

2011-02-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Things at FOVC just keep heating up. Oh yea!

On Sunday, February 27, our church will focus its messages on the plight of orphans and widows. I understand Dave and me, or Dave and me and Team Tasfa, or our adoptions, or our trip, or FOVC...or a combination of all of these topics...will be included. Please pray that people will be inspired to "do more" for orphans and widows!

We will also have the opportunity to get the FOVC children sponsored by folks at our church. Wow! We are hoping and praying that the remaining 35 children will get sponsors that weekend. That would be amazing, truly more than all I would have considered asking or imagining. (Yes, I'm dealing with the possibility that my faith may be too small...)

In anticipation of this exciting day, several Team Tasfa'ers are flying in, including Sharon, who is our Social Worker and Sponsorship Coordinator....and Julie, who has come onto the FOVC Board with us...and Dr. Jo, who with her husband, has come onto the FOVC Board, too, and who started this amazing medical aid organization in Africa.

Of course, our Colorado Contingent will be around, too.

Team Tasfa just doesn't quit!

Finally, to take advantage of the excitement and momentum, we'll have a fundraiser for FOVC, too. Here are the details about our "Little Bit of Tasfa" event:

It's an open house on Sunday afternoon, February 27, 3pm-6pm;
At the House of Howlett in southwest Longmont;
We'll have coffee and popcorn (or course) and maybe some additional treats, too;
There'll be a silent auction for Ethiopian handcrafts and other items;
And we'll debut our fabulous new FOVC t-shirts!

Please plan to stop by! There will be so many friends and adoptive families...."Little Bit of Tasfa" will be THE PLACE to BE that day!

By the way, if you have anything to donate for the silent auction, please let me know. If we all do a little bit, we can all do a LOT!

(And real invites will soon be plastered on Facebook and sent via email, by the way.)

Things are Hoppin', Whadya Think?

2011-02-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

We have been working hard to get our Board in place, to make progress on by-laws and the 501c3, to get the website up and more.

Miss Creative Melissa A. has created some logos for our consideration. We are thinking of going with this one:

Once the logo is finalized, YOU could have the opportunity to OWN an FOVC t-shirt! So exciting, huh?

And here's the mission statement currently under consideration:

Our mission is to educate orphans, vulnerable children and widows,
empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and hunger
by offering them hope and independence for the future.

Whadya think?

Stay tuned for more announcements!

Sewing School Update

2011-01-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Five of the eight widows are sponsored for sewing school. Thank you!

If you can't sponsor an entire course ($135), can you sponsor one month, at the cost of $45?

Email me if you want to get involved.

I realize it's not exactly a popular worldview these days, but I DO BELIEVE we can change the world. Little bit by little bit, we can change the world.

LOVE!
Lory

PS Really, truly, we are going to have a "real" website soon!

Needed: Short-Terms Sponsors for Widows...Will You Help?

2011-01-29T09:26:00.002-07:00

Dear Ones,

I have been awake much of the night, thinking and praying and tossing and turning about how we can do more. How I can live with myself, in my comfortable life, while too many are suffering desperately.

Here is an email I received from Desalegn last night. He has found a way to send the FOVC widows to a sewing school. The school goes for three months. It is run by a Catholic organization that is only about a fifteen-minute drive from FOVC.

Hi dearest Lory,

I have been working to find more effective ways to teach Beauty and other widows how to prepare materials and how to sew it. Luckily, I found a wonderful Center which offers a short term sewing training in Boditti. Its monthly training fee is only 40 birr ($2.5 USD). It is very amazing for me Lory. The widows will have a good training and that will help them to change their lives completely, I believe that!!!

And Lory, I worked out the break down which is needed to teach a widow at the Center per month:

1. For training fee = 40 birr per month

2. For meals=12 birr per day (360 birr per month)

3. For transportation = 10 birr per day (300 birr per month)

4. Miscellaneous = 50 birr per month

So, we need 750 birr or ($45.5 USD) per month per widow to teach widows a life changing skill. And we need three months training for each widow. Before finding this cheapest and effective way, I was thinking to teach only Beauty. But as this is very cheap and effective, I think it is good if we teach all widows to have basic knowledge there in the Center. By the way the Training Center is Catholic based and it will offer good skills in how to prepare materials for sewing and how to sew it. Thank you so much for bringing this idea and you will see the impact and result which the sewing project will bring soon.

With much love in Christ,

Desalegn

FOVC currently serves eight widows. For $135, a short-term sponsor can send a widow to sewing school for three months. $135 will cover her tuition, transportation and meals.

If you know very much about the problems faced by orphans and widows in poor countries, you know that providing an education for the orphans is the key to lifting them out of poverty. And the key to giving the widows a hand up is to provide them with job skills.

A widow in Ethiopia is typically responsible for four to ten people. But she has no means to earn an income. No social status. No help from the government.The churches have no means to help. The community is struggling to survive, so the neighbors can't help. In the small villages where we work, there is no other NGO or NPO presence.

It's up to us.

Please email me if you can sponsor a widow for this destiny-changing opportunity.

Because it's up to us.

Kathy helps a little boy put on a clean shirt. Even though this child is
surrounded by adults, his body is covered with flies.

Mom is so proud for her baby. These moms are me.

Gift of food that we delivered to each of the FOVC widows.

Another family stands back, looking on. Looking in.

These kids are NO DIFFERENT from our children...
except that were born on the other side of the world.

After we delivered our gifts, we climbed into our vehicle and drove away.

LET US NOT DRIVE AWAY AND FORGET!

"Born to Shine"

2011-01-26T19:02:00.015-07:00

Here's an article from a developmental economist whose blog we follow. (Owen Barder lives in Ethiopia and it was through him, sort of, that we met Desalegn. And as they say, the rest is history!) I'm so proud and amazed that from Team Tasfa are already looking at ways to reduce and treat preventable diseases in Shanto!

(And I don't know why my normal typing is showing up as ALL CAPS! Or why I can't get the YouTube video to be a more reasonable and smaller size. I guess that's what you get when you put an otter on the job!)

Born to shine

January 24th, 2011

Save the Children has today published a new report, No Child Born to Die: Closing the Gaps. It is accompanied by an excellent new video which is well worth two and a half minutes of your time:

Eight million children die each year before their fifth birthday, mainly of easily preventable and treatable diseases. About 1.6 million children under five die of pneumonia, and 1.3 million of diarrheoal diseases. These diseases two account for three times as many deaths as malaria and HIV combined.

Save the Children are right to highlight the success of vaccines to combat these preventable deaths. And they are right to emphasize the need for donors to give enough money to the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI) to enable it to fund more vaccinations. GAVI says that it needs $500m a year more to enable it to provide existing and new vaccines. Donors should come to the London meeting in June 2011 ready to pledge it.

I am not however persuaded by SCF’s call to “bring down vaccine prices”. They should be careful what they wish for. If prices for vaccines used in developing countries are too low, pharmaceutical companies are less likely to develop new vaccines for diseases predominantly in developing countries and less likely to manufacture such vaccines in large quantities. If anything, we should be trying to sustain vaccine prices at a reasonable level which provides a decent return to vaccine manufacturers who get involved in these markets. I have no quibble with any measures to reduce the actual cost of those vaccines (eg by reducing unnecessary regulation or by reducing uncertainty) but it would be unwise of donors to use their monopsony purchasing power to make the production of vaccines for developing countries more unattractive for pharmaceutical companies. We want vaccines to be affordable, but it is likely that subsidies are a better way for donors to do this than by limiting the economic value of this market.

The SCF is also wrong to call for an end to health worker recruitment by developed countries from developing countries. First, we do not know whether this kind of migration reduces or increases the number of health workers in developing countries. There is a positive relationship between the number of African health workers inside a particular country and the number of health workers from that country working abroad, which suggests that the opportunity to emigrate may play a role in recruiting more people to the health professions, more than compensating for the number of people who end up emigrating. Second, this kind of regulation is not an effective way of influencing the migration choices of skilled workers: we should instead be asking how the health system would need to change for them to want to stay. Third, this treats health workers as a human resource not as human beings. Why should they be denied the opportunity to make their own lives better, if that is what they choose to do?

Not every country is constrained by lack of money; but some clearly are. Ethiopia, where I live, is a case in point. Health spending per person is about $30 per person per year; and of that, the government spending is about $17 per person. With a committed Minister, the government has achieved an extraordinary amount with very little money, especially through the introduction of health extension workers, but they could clearly do so much more if they had more money to spend. Save the Children is absolutely right to call for long-term commitments of funding for health systems to enable governments to increase these basic health services.

Well done to Save the Children for starting this campaign: it is a global scandal that so many children die of easily preventable and treatable diseases. As Save the Children rightly says, we should mobilise funding for vaccines and improve the provision of long-term funding for health systems.

FOVC Child Sponsorship Update! (A Message From Sharon)

2011-01-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the current Sponsorship update from Sharon Bonnett, our child sponsorship director. Sharon is doing amazing work for the kids of FOVC!

If you would like to sponsor an FOVC child,

please contact Sharon!

*****************************

Happy 2011 Sponsors!

Team Tasfa arrived home about a week ago from our journey to FOVC. It was a gift to finally meet the FOVC staff and all of the children that you sponsor. So much is happening at FOVC these days...I am going to try to sum up our amazing and life-changing trip with a few highlights:

Team Tasfa was greeted by what seemed like the entire community of Shanto, and a special greeting by the FOVC children. They greeted us at the compound with flowers and singing and had special traditional dances that they performed for us.

FOVC is currently responsible for caring for 57 orphans and 71 children that attend school there. Every child is provided a uniform, school and 1 meal/day (as well as much love and care from the FOVC staff).

I was able to interview almost all of the 128 children and gather social histories and other information that will help us as we continue to develop our sponsorship program.

Each child had a complete medical exam by our team doctors.

Each child received a Genna (Christmas) backpack compliments of Ethiopian Orphan Relief's donors. They were delighted to receive the backpacks and the gifts inside.

I was honored to be able to hand deliver the gifts you had sent along for your sponsored child, along with a hug. Desalegn Daka, FOVC's Executive Director, made a huge deal about each gift that was sent from one of you. Thank you for your generosity.

Each girl received a new dress, shirt and underwear (with some set aside for the rest of the school year as needed). Each boy received a new shirt and pants/shorts.

Team Tasfa was able to witness the last game of a soccer tournament-what fun and excitement!

We watched as the children performed a drama entitled, "How Children Become Orphans"; a true-to-life story of pain, sickness, HIV, AIDS and hunger that many of these children have lived through.

Lots of time was spent playing!

Some team members were able to visit homes of some of your sponsored children, meet with their families and deliver Genna food. I will send you a specific update if we visited your sponsored child's home.

I came away from FOVC with a deeply ingrained image in my head of the many children that lined the outside of the fence everyday, wishing that they could be a part of FOVC. As the team looked around the village of Shanto, there was no question which children were FOVC children and which were wishing to be FOVC children. The FOVC children are bright, fed, cared for and thriving...a stark contrast to those outside of FOVC's walls. I say this to encourage you that your sponsorship is making a huge difference; a difference I was able to see with my eyes. But, I also say this to encourage you to please spread the word about FOVC to your family and friends...for the sake of those children still standing at the fence.

You will be receiving a specific email and updated photos of your sponsored child. I will also be sending via USPS a letter to you from your sponsored child. The children are so excited for you to receive these first letters-they worked so hard on them!

Be looking for some more information in the weeks to come regarding our new website, payment arrangements and program updates.

*A business note: Now is the time to send in your donations for the months of December and January (if you have not already done so). $35/month
Payable to FOVC.

Seeking the best for the children of Shanto,

Sharon Bonnett
FOVC Sponsorship Coordinator

I met...

2011-01-19T07:51:00.003-07:00

...Bereket's first mom (his birth mom) while we were in Ethiopia.

It was a needle-in-the-haystack, one-in-a-million kind of thing.

Being able to "see" Bereket's life before he joined our family...explains a lot about him. Helps us understand more.

I am so thankful to now have photos of Bereket's "home town," and of his little home, and of his first mom. His memories have been fading, and I hope the pictures will help him hold on to the first years of his life in Ethiopia.

EOR Video for backpacks and pillowcase dresses!

2011-01-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a video that Ethiopian Orphan Relief put together following Team Tasfa's trip. Be grateful and enjoy!

LOVE!
Lory

Project Gena & Pillowcase Dress Project Smiles from Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. on Vimeo.

World's Biggest Thank You (and pictures, too!)

2011-01-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends & Supporters of Team Tasfa's recent trip to Ethiopia,

First, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and encouragement of our trip. Because of your love and support, we were able to deliver love and hope to so many children. Our team transported and distributed approxiately 2000 pounds of donated items--including shoes, school supplies, medical supplies, hygiene items, clothes, pillowcase dresses, backpacks, toys, books, computers and money--over to Ethiopia.

You may recall that we were very concerned about passing through Ethiopian Customs--after all, we were twenty-eight westerners with over sixty suitcases. Well, we had no trouble at all! Customs officials didn't scan even one of our bags, let alone open any of them. It was like God parted the Red Sea so we could pass through!

We thank you so much for thinking of us, and praying for us, while we were away. Every aspect of our trip was led and covered by God. We experienced once-in-a-lifetime heartbreak and difficulty, and we also experienced joy and beauty like we have never known. Our venture would have never succeeded if not for your love and support!

We would like to share, in short, some of what Team Tasfa accomplished during our short time in Ethiopia:

Visited Project 61. We delivered food to families and prayed with them in their homes. Our medical team was able to evaluate a very ill baby boy who is now in the US receiving life-saving surgery.

Received the welcome of a lifetime from the village of Shanto, where FOVC is located.

Made great progress on building FOVC's new orphanage (and decorating the new kitchen).

Played with and loved on FOVC's orphaned children.

Met and learned about the widows that FOVC serves.

No, Desalegn is not a widow...he took some of us to visit their homes.

Made continued progress in our Orphan Sponsorship program. (Please contact Sharon if you're ready to sponsor a child!)

Our team's pastors taught and encouraged the local pastors for two days, then preached to over ten thousand Ethiopians from all over the area on the third day of the conference.

Outfitted the girls of FOVC and Children's Heaven in beautiful pillowcase dresses and provided lots of additional supplies as well. The FOVC boys got new outfits, too, and all of the FOVC kids will receive new shoes this week.

An FOVC boy's shoes...he couldn't help with the building project because they were so tattered....before Team Tasfa member Ingrid outfitted him with new shoes. The boy was found, crying and alone, a couple of hours later. Investigating the reason for his tears, Ingrid learned he was overcome with tears of joy because he had been given a real pair of shoes.

Thanks to the efforts of Ethiopian Orphan Relief, delivered backpacks, filled with needed supplies and "fun" things, to the orphans of FOVC and Children's Heaven.

Outfitted nearly 300 girls from the village of Shanto in pillowcase dresses, too...for many of us, this was among the most powerful aspects of our trip. I have NEVER seen the level of abject poverty and need as we witnessed in the village of Shanto. Which made all the greater the pride, joy and enthusiastic applause of the community members as the proud and beautifully-robed little girls marched out of the FOVC compound and back into their lives in Shanto.

Our medical team treated so many people--from saving bus crash victims on a very dark night, to treating village children, orphans, mothers, and the girls at Children's Heaven. Our medical professionals are even making plans to try to return with fourth year medical students, and to bring a real medical clinic to Shanto and surrounding villages.

Connected with and encouraged FOVC's amazing staff. We learned that the FOVC staff had not been paid for about five months. We were able to provide backpay, and put in place a plan to continue to pay modest wages to the staff....praise God! FOVC's staff members are the unsung heroes of FOVC's ministry.

Borrowed a sewing machine and began to teach the widows how to sew. Purchased a sewing machine, too, and "met" five cows that your donations have purchased. A flock of chickens is in the works now, too!

WHAT'S NEXT?

We will complete US-FOVC's 501c3 status this year.
We will get a US website up and running.
We will continue to grow the Orphan Sponsorship program, in order to provide education, food and healthcare for the children of FOVC.
We will raise money to drill a well in Shanto. Currently, the thirty year-old well there is open for one hour each day, and the water is contaminated and filthy. Each family is allowed to obtain one jug of water per day--this meager amount is all a family gets for drinking, cooking, cleaning and washing.
We will continue to partner with Ethiopian Orphan Relief in any way we can, to include finding ways to fund building the much-needed orphanage at FOVC.
We will support the efforts of our medical team as they seek ways to promote health in and around Shanto, including the establishment of a clinic.
We will continue to spread the word about these beautiful children and this amazing organization, FOVC, with the hopes that more and more people will join us as we work to break the back of the cycle of poverty that devastates so many people in Ethiopia.
We are considering returning with a smaller team in June....the FOVC teachers are in desperate need of training, and some of the FOVC staff needs training, too.

We believe each member of Team Tasfa has returned home with a great resolve to continue the work that we started. It is our hope and prayer that God will continue to fan the flame of our love for our dear friends in Ethiopia, and our passion for their cause.

Dear Supporters and Encouragers, please know we are forever grateful for each of you!

Lory and Dave Howlett, on behalf of Team Tasfa and FOVC-Ethiopia

From Desalegn

2011-01-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Still getting organized....my heart, my mind, my family, our home.

While I continue to work and wonder, here are a few gracious words from Desalegn Daka, FOVC-Ethiopia's Executive Director....and our hero and great friend.

LOVE!
Lory

Beautiful FOVC kids. Do you see the hope in their eyes?

A sign in the FOVC compound.

Dr. Jo examines one of the children.

Al, Dave, Desalegn and me.

Fresh bread AND a new dress....what a great day!

LeeAnn and Kevin with the boy they sponsor.

Where to begin?

2011-01-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

After many delays, each member of Team Tasfa is home.

I have so much to say, so much to share, so much to show you.

I need a bit of time to process and get organized.

In the meantime, please know this:

If you helped in any way, you helped plant seeds of HOPE....wait till you see the proof in pictures!

And there will be a Team Tasfa, the sequel. There are some specific things we need to empower FOVC to accomplish, "sooner" rather than "later." We are praying about going as soon as June.

Thanks to so many people for their love, support and prayers.

Stay tuned for pictures and narrative!

LOVE!
Lory

We. Are. Outta. Here.

2010-12-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It looks like we will all make it out....except our two KC team members will be a day late. :-( This is a tremendous disappointment, but we are thankful they can make it at all!

Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts while we are away:

That Team Tasfa will be unified and flexible;
That we will accomplish all that God asks us to do;
That we will bring great glory to Him;
That our team members will be changed forever;
And finally, that we will deliver hope, love and lasting change to the dear people we will serve.

Our friends, family and communities have rallied around this grass-roots effort that is TEAM TASFA. I could tell story after story after story about all the ways people have helped and encouraged each of us. So many people have done so much....not for us....but for the people of Shanto, the children of FOVC, and Children's Heaven, and Korah.

Am I scared? Terrified! Do I struggle with leaving my kiddos? Absolutely. May I press resolutely ahead, in response to this call and opportunity. Amen!

"The One who is calling us is faithful, and He will do it."

1 Thes. 5:24

Help!

2010-12-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Twenty-six members of Team Tasfa are scheduled to meet at the Newark Airport tomorrow afternoon.

So far, the flight out of Colorado has been confirmed, then briefly cancelled, and now it is again scheduled to go on-time.

The news isn't so good for everyone on our team. Tomorrow's flight out of Kansas City has been cancelled, and two of our members are scheduled on that flight.

Nobody can get through to the airline, and I don't know how to advise our team members.

Please pray that nothing will thwart our plans to serve in Ethiopia!

Packing Party!

2010-12-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Contingent of Team Tasfa had a BIG packing party Sunday afternoon.

Kids lunching.

The local Girl Scout Troop made sooooo many dresses, complete with a pair or panties and a little doll for each girl.

Our former neighbor and excellent friend, Hailey Ewing, models a dress!

The Colorado Contingent....Ethiopia, here we come!

Thank God for organized, engineering types who were able to make sense of all of the donations,
and help us get everything packed up!

TWO WEEKS & a birthday & some pictures!

2010-12-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

Let me begin by getting this out of my system:

We are leaving in two weeks!!!!!!!

Ok, back to business.

Dave's parents came to town this weekend to (finally) meet Bereket and visit the rest of us. It was good to see them again!

Nana and Grandad and a bunch of grandkids (plus a grandschnauzer)

Amelia spent a lot of time trapping Nana in the bathroom with her!

Life has been so crazy and busy, we didn't tell Bereket that his (randomly assigned?) birthdate of November 29 had come and gone with a birthday party. Instead, we held a proper celebration Sunday night. Honestly, in our defense, he didn't know the date had already passed. And it was much better this way, with Nana and Granddad in town, and DAVE in town, and a house in which to celebrate, etc etc.

Note the semi-homemade birthday cake...that is my tray and we installed the candles!
With all the sprinkles and drizzles, the birthday boy was thrilled!

Yes, he's a boy, and yes, he's attracted to guns.

Brother and Sis together!

First birthday gift!

Yep, we're already sorry we bought the Nerf gun.

Abby the Techno-Sis assembles the PlayMobil hero set.

A boy and his dog!

A boy and his daddy!

The aftermath!

Finally, I guess I am dealing with my Mary and Martha issues. Trying to discern between what I need to do (help my kids get to Christmas, prepare for our trip, pay attention to my kids, go to work, not ignore my kids, focus on the meaning of Christmas, take care of my children...do you see a pattern here?) and what I ought to do (create really fabulous Christmas cards and decorate the whole entire house for Christmas).

It has not been easy for me, but I am scaling way back on things that don't really, truly matter, in order to make time for the things that do really, truly matter. Many, many boxes of Christmas decorations remain packed away in the basement.

I'm trying to be more of a Mary and less of a Martha, but I'm not a Scrooge---we do have a Christmas tree!

And I think this Christmas time will be a really special one for the Howletts Six.

"He's the Mother Teresa of Ethiopia"

2010-12-09T09:12:00.003-07:00

Here is another excellent article from the Denver Post, about a doctor people call "The Mother Teresa of Ethiopia." This American doctor, who lives and works in Ethiopia, and who has adopted five sons there, is also featured in the excellent book, There Is No Me Without You.

I cannot wait to get the new book, This is a Soul: The Mission of Rick Hodes. Let me know if you have read it, or seen the HBO film, Making The Crooked Straight.

Oh, to be chosen to change the world!

We Did Move

2010-12-06T08:36:00.002-07:00

We spent last week moving to our new house. Well, the kids and I spent the week moving. Dave spent the week in sunny, beautiful Detroit--that dirty dog!

So.....if you have been waiting to hear back from me about anything, I will try to get unburied this week. We spent several days without any internet, and I am very behind!

Dave just realized that exactly 10 years ago, we had lost most everything. Most significantly, we had both lost all hope. It was a very dark time for us.

I appreciate that Dave is striving to live with thanksgiving and gratitude. He says he never, ever dreamed that our situation would be redeemed and greatly blessed over the course of ten years. He never dreamed we would have two more children. That we would have such a great family and such rich friendships. That we would be back in our beloved Longmont, and at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. That we would have traveled to many places in the world. That we would have such a beautiful home. And that God would have worked so much in our hearts and lives, to heal so much pain and to begin to free us from many of our fears. All praise to Him.

P.S. We leave for Ethiopia in three weeks!

Going to Ethiopia Soon? Check this out!!!

2010-11-22T08:10:00.006-07:00

We get this swanky catalog from a company called Horchow.

This Ethiopian cross is "on clearance" at Horchow for "only" about $2300.

Team Tasfa, you will see these beautiful crosses in Ethiopia. We purchased one when we were there earlier this year. Our cross is smaller than Horchow's "clearance" cross. But we paid a very small fraction of Horchow's price.

Crazy, huh?

Team Tasfa, we will start our journey soon!

much love,

Lory

We Didn't Move (yet)

2010-11-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

So, our buyers' lender dropped the ball big-time.

Our buyers scrambled over to a different lender a couple of days ago.

We won't clsoe for another eight days. Not the end of the world, but not fun! Our house is 95% packed up and we're just tryin' to survive the next week or so.

Grrrrr!

Actually, the worst part is that Dave will be traveling when we do move. So I'll have to juggle all the kids and do a lot of loading. Did I say GRRRRR?

New School Uniforms for the Children!

2010-11-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Look at these beautiful, smiling FOVC children

in their new school uniforms!

Desalegn wrote on FOVC's blog that the children had been wearing only tattered clothes, and no shoes. What a joy to see that FOVC was able to provide new school uniforms for the children. I cannot imagine how proud a young boy or girl must feel to have a complete, new, clean, matching outfit to wear to school.

Team Tasfa, it's almost time to travel!

Let's go change a little corner of the world!

God, I bless your name today.

While Mom's Away (Packing Boxes)....

2010-11-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

the two year-old will wash her hands!

The girl!

The soap!

The hands!

The mess!

Article about Ethiopia in today's Denver Post

2010-11-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — For many people around the world, mentioning Ethiopia brings to mind its devastating 1984 famine. The specter of the disaster haunts the country's international image and still hurts the growth of its fledgling tourism industry.

But here's the reality that awaits those few adventurous visitors who do make the trip: a high plateau of lush, green hills that's more like Scotland than a desert; decadent nightlife in Addis Ababa; and historic sites such as the island monasteries of Lake Tana and Lalibela, a remarkable complex of 12th-century churches.

In addition, Ethiopia's wildlife parks are teeming with game, but unlike Kenya, where packs of tourists compete for a glimpse of lions, here you might have the animals all to yourself.

Traveling in Ethiopia, however, can be uniquely disorienting. Ethiopians insist on doing things their own way. They have their own calendar — with 13 months; their own year — it's currently 2003; and their own time — 6 a.m. is their midnight. The national language, Amharic, has Semitic roots, like Arabic and Hebrew, and a unique alphabet. (Rest assured, English is widely spoken.) Roughly two- thirds of the people are Ethiopian Orthodox — a creed with its own rites, different from those of the Russian or Serbian Orthodox churches — while a third is Muslim.

A trip to Ethiopia, then, is less like a sojourn in Africa than a visit to some far-flung island, where everything is strange and compelling.

You'll need a couple of weeks to even begin to do justice to this sprawling country — bordered on the north by Sudan, on the south by Kenya and Somalia and on the east by Djibouti and Eritrea, which gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war.

Roads are generally poor, and it can take long hours or even days to travel several hundred miles overland — particularly in the April-September rainy season. Luckily, Ethiopian Airlines — widely considered Africa's premier carrier — operates flights from the capital, Addis, to the main must-see sites, including Lalibela.

Addis is a sprawling city of congested thoroughfares and hidden residential neighborhoods with narrow streets that dissolve into thick mud every time it rains, and it can seem a dismal place to start an Ethiopian sojourn. But resist the temptation to flee, and the city will open to you, revealing scores of cute cafes, hot nightspots, chill lounges and gourmet restaurants.

Top suggestions include Eyoha or Fasika national restaurants, where remarkably athletic dancers showcase the country's unique shoulder-shaking traditional dance styles as diners tuck into heaping plates full of local delicacies.

Ethiopian cuisine, which is heavy on sauces and served on spongy crepe-like bread called injera, leaves no one indifferent. You either love it or you hate it. Love it, and you can eat like a king, splurging on multidish meals of wot, a sauce of goat or lamb, and kifto, marinated raw meat. Made from an Ethiopian grain called tef, injera is eaten at every meal and also serves as cutlery, used to scoop up the juicy sauces.

Hate it, and you stand a good chance of shedding some serious weight. Besides a dozen top-notch places in Addis, restaurants serving foreign cuisine are few and far between. Order the spaghetti marinara in some provincial town, like I did, and you might find yourself using scraps of injera to scoop up earthworm-sized bits of cold pasta drenched in what appeared to be ketchup.

But there is some decent Italian food to be had if you know where to go. Indeed, the best foreign cuisine in Ethiopia is a result of Italy's brief occupation of the country in the 1930s. Try Castelli, an Addis institution that has been serving up an antipasti buffet and fresh pasta for generations. Another option is the Ristorante da Bruno, which has won well-deserved acclaim for its wood-fired pizzas.

Another legacy of the Italian presence are the coffee houses that serve up strong espressos and macchiatos. At Tomoca, you can get vacuum- packed bags of Ethiopian grown beans roasted to perfection in oversized colonial-era machines.

Vegetarians be warned: Ethiopian Orthodox adherents normally go vegetarian twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and fast for the 56 days preceding Ethiopian Orthodox Easter. But for the month after Easter, so-called "fasting foods," or meat- and dairy- free dishes, are scarce.

For all-night dancing, try Club Platinum or the Gaslight, at the Sheraton hotel, where the mix of Ethiopian and R&B beats is infectious. Just be aware that at both establishments, as in other clubs across Ethiopia, most of the women on the dance floor are prostitutes.

Addis has the best shopping in the country, with a wide range of regional specialty products and styles. Try the area around Piassa for the heavy silver disc earrings from the northern Tigray region and Persian Gulf-inspired necklaces in oversized beads of silver and resin — all sold by the gram.

After a few action-packed days in Addis, you'll be ready to hit the road.

Most visitors head north to visit Ethiopia's tourist triumvirate — Bahir Dar, Aksum and Lalibela, the crown jewel. Ethiopian Airlines sells multi-leg tickets from Addis with stops at each site.

A winding complex of 11 churches cut out of the rust-red granite tucked into a wind-swept moonscape, Lalibela is frankly astounding. Legend claims it's the work of angels, but in reality the complex was commissioned by the powerful 12th-century King Lalibela and picked out of the rock with hammers and chisels over decades.

The roofs are at ground level, so to reach the churches — clustered in two separate sites — you have to climb down steep stairs cut into the rock and worn smooth by a millennia's-worth of bare feet. Priests swathed in cream-colored robes live inside the cool, dark interiors, lit by sunlight that filters in through cross-shaped windows sliced into the rock walls.

The most impressive church is Bet Giorgis, or Saint George, a towering structure with a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross.

The churches are still used — during the Easter period, tens of thousands of pilgrims converge on the site — so you can't visit them without a guide.

Bahir Dar is perched on Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. The once-mighty Blue Nile Falls has been largely choked to a trickle by a dam, but dozens of monasteries and churches dot the lake's islands, making Bahir Dar well worth a visit. Built mostly in the 16th and 17th centuries, some sites have fantastically painted interiors and ceilings. Boat tours will take you from island to island, but some sites are off-limits to women.

Axum, near the sometimes volatile northern border with Eritrea, was the capital of an empire that flourished for centuries beginning in the fifth century B.C. Ruins of what was a major hub on a trade route between the Roman Empire and India can be found in the outskirts. Towering obelisks and remains of royal tombs and ancient castles are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Head south of Addis for the country's best safaris, at the Yabelo or Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuaries or the remote Omo National Park. The sprawling park, which covers some 15,400 square miles, and the surrounding Omo Valley region are also home to a patchwork of tribes: The Mursi are known for their elaborately scarified bodies and oversized clay lip plates, while the Hamar people are herders with distinctive clay-colored rag-doll braids. They are known for their bull-jumping ceremony. (An initiation for young men, it's exactly what it sounds like.)

With all these possibilities north, south and east of the capital, the hardest part may be deciding where to go.

Fall

2010-11-02T11:02:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted photo. So here's a pictorial update of life at the House of Howlett!

My own little Wild Things.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?

Oh, and by the way--we put our beloved house on the market, and sold it on the second showing. We are moving in 2 weeks! (The new house has--drum roll--a laundry room that's not in the basement and an office for Dave....

and it's closer to all of our schools and jobs!)

Abby was not too chicken to dress like a chicken for Halloween...

she even wore this costume to school!

They're shakin' their tail feathers!

Bereket ran like an Ethiopian at his school's jog-a-thon!

Eyelashes to die for!

He raked all the leaves while Lil Sis looked on adoringly.

Abs as the "Good Neigh-Bear" at Longmont's Halloween parade.

A Dad and his Littles.

They're just waitin' for a parade.

Here comes Sissy's school!

Al and BFF Morgan dressed as "black-eyed P's."

All four of the Howlett kids, after the parade.

World's most beautiful butterfly!

Allison's friends threw a surprise birthday party.

She's 15 now!

She really liked her birthday cake!

Our annual chili-eating-trick-or-treating-Halloween at the Webers'.

Yes, the hippie in the back is an elder at our church! :-)

Gifts We Want To Deliver To Ethiopia--Will You Help?

2010-10-27T13:06:00.000-06:00

I asked for, and just received, a list from Desalegn that details the types of things FOVC and the orphans there most desperately need at this time. Here it is!

clothes (gently used or new, boys & girls)
shoes
sneakers
jackets & sweaters
skirts
jeans
socks
underwear (new)
towels
watches
earrings, necklaces
hair do-dads
headbands
deoderant
soap
shampoo, conditioner
body lotion
toothbrushes, toothpaste
educational games for little children
first aid kits
school supplies
notebooks
markers, pencils, pens, crayons,
mathematical sets (flash cards?)
books for library
office supplies
printers (very important)
printer inks for HP Laser Jet 1010 and 1005 series
photo copy machine (very important)
laminating machine (very important)
digital video camera (very important)
digital camera
rechargeable batteries (AA type with 220v charger)
AA batteries for digital cameras
another laptop and desktop computers for office use
blankets (can be bought in Ethiopia)
bed sheets (can be bought in Ethiopia)
beds (can be bought in Ethiopia)
mattresses (can be bought in Ethiopia)
kitchen materials (very important and can be bought in Ethiopia)
adding machine
coffee machine
staplers
toys

It's a big list, but it should be easy for Team Tasfa to gather lots and lots of these items. Please let me know if you can help! If we all do a little bit, we can make a HUGE difference!

with so much love,
Lory

Kids Sponsored!

2010-10-23T13:24:00.000-06:00

Some FOVC kids have already been matched with sponsors. What are you waiting for? They are all in such desperate need. Since Shanto is in such a remote area of Ethiopia, it is an area that is not served by foreign aid, or by aid organizations or NGO's. These kids are all in such desperate need, and they are depending on us!

Here's a note from Desalegn about the meaning of "Seeds of Hope:"

Thank you so many million times for giving this great name for our (FOVC's) child sponsorship program. It is really very blessing name.

By the way Seeds of Hope stands for "Yetasfa Zer" in Amharic and it has much blessing meaning. Some times due to heavy drought and lack of regular rain the farmer uses his all seeds for feeding and some clever farmers save a few seeds for sewing (it may not be more than 10 gm, imagine how small it is). Now that small amount of seed which helps to revive again is "Yetasfa Zer"/ Seeds of Hope in our context!

So thank you for this name. You are always great for us!!!

More Sponsorship Insights

2010-10-14T07:52:00.000-06:00

Dear Ones,

Please see Desalegn's blog post here.

I'm not much of a cry-er, but this one tore me up.

Humbled. Amazed. Grateful. Even broken. Thank you, God!

We are thinking of naming the sponsorship program Seeds of Hope. Here are some of the children the government has just referred to FOVC. As you can see, these kids are hungry and they hardly have clothes to wear.

Please contact Sharon today if you will plant a seed of hope!

From Our Social Worker & Prayer Needs

2010-10-12T16:56:00.001-06:00

Here is US-FOVC's first official communication regarding the orphan sponsorship program!

Thank you for your interest in sponsoring a child through Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (FOVC) in Shanto, Ethiopia. It is my great pleasure to announce that FOVC is ready to get the sponsorship program off the ground!

The past couple of months, US-FOVC has been in the process of developing the sponsorship program and anticipated beginning the sponsorship program in January 2011. It has come to our attention that the need for sponsorships to begin is very urgent. FOVC-Ethiopia is currently responsible for 57 orphaned children in Shanto. Twenty-four of these children joined FOVC in mid-September after the local government, seeing the work done by FOVC, requested that these children be admitted into the program. While we are thankful that the local government is supportive of FOVC's projects and is seeking help for the children in their community, the admittance of 24 new children has placed a significant burden on FOVC. FOVC-Ethiopia's Executive Director, Desalegn Daka, reported that these children "need immediate support to sustain their lives." Because of this, we feel it is in the children's best interest to begin the sponsorship program and not wait until after Team Tasfa travels in December.

All 57 children are in need of sponsors. $35 a month will provide a child with food, clothing, education and medical care. Sponsorships help children living in poverty begin to break the cycle of poverty and hunger through education As a sponsor, you will receive photos and biographical information of your child, and the opportunity to communicate with your child 3 times per year. It is our hope that a long term relationship will develop between children and their sponsors.

Your tax-deductible gift will have immediate impact and will offer hope to a child desperately in need. Please contact me at followingthewayhome@gmail.com for more information or to begin your sponsorship.

Seeking the best for children of Shanto,

Sharon Bonnett
FOVC Social Worker
http://fovcethiopia.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Sharon! You are a gift to us and to the children of Shanto!

Because of the urgency of getting children sponsored, here are our most pressing needs. Will you pray, can you help?

That we will get US-FOVC's website (and email accounts) up and running.
That we will continue to make progress on the daunting 501(c)(3) application process.

with so much love,
Lory

Ready to Sponsor a Child?

2010-10-11T18:06:00.001-06:00

FOVC is ready to begin its child sponsorship program now! FOVC has been made responsible for over 50 orphaned children in the village of Shanto. $35 per month will provide food, clothing, education and medical care.

The need is so great, we don't think we should wait until Team Tasfa travels....it's time to start helping these kids NOW.

If you would like to learn more about the sponsorship program, or if you're ready to sign up, please contact Sharon.

Let's give these children a reason to dance!

Tasfa Ethiopia

2010-10-10T19:31:00.000-06:00

Tasfa Ethiopia happened last night in Denver...and the event raised about $20,000. Wow!

Thank you, Ethiopian Orphan Relief, and thank you, Shawn, for your hard and wonderful work.

The members and supporters of Team Tasfa had a terrific time!

Thankful and Community.

2010-10-06T15:48:00.000-06:00

I found myself getting more and more sick late last week. Saw a doctor Saturday afternoon. Went to Urgent Care for an anti-nausea shot Saturday evening. Went to the local E.R. late that same night. Doctors couldn't decided whether to send me home or keep me. I knew something was really wrong and I was afraid to go home.

After some tests, it turned out I had an intestinal blockage. The pain was legit!

Transferred by ambulance to a different hospital for surgery. This is my second middle-on-the-night, unplanned surgery in less than six months!

So, after several days in a couple of facilities, I am home, and resting, (un)comfortably.

Thankful and Community.

Dave had a can't-miss work trip today. But, thankfully, my mom flew in to save us all. Thankfully, friends have sent flowers and are bringing meals. And checking on us. Generally making me, all of us, feel loved and thankful.

Thank God for our community....not just our town, but the people we know, the ones with whom we do our day-to-day life.

I guess it would have been more fun to have gotten, um, something augmented and maybe something else tucked.

But I'll take my community, and I'll be thankful.

In about 80 days, Team Tasfa will travel to join the community in Shanto, Ethiopia. Can't wait to experience the community, and the thankfulness, that we will all absorb and process together in Ethiopia.

(And now I'll take something to help me sleep, followed by a pain pill chaser!)

We interrupt this travelogue...

2010-09-25T11:00:00.002-06:00

...for some pics from the Silver Creek High School Homecoming!

Friday night: Flute girl!

Flute girl and friend Morgan!

Anthony and Allison's cheering section.

It's Anthony: excellent friend and also player on Team Tasfa!

Al and Anthony and Morgan are out there somewhere, really.

Show's over, back to the game!

Post game pic of Al and Anth.

Three good friends--Victoria, Al and Morgan.

How did these cute girls become high schoolers?

Gotta love the foot-wear!

Al and Victoria.

All the girls!

Just Al.

Corinne N.

Al and Mia!

The whole gang arrives at....Noodles for dinner!

Al and Nathan.

Some of the gang.

More of the gang.

Mia, Morgan, Nathan and Al....on the way to the dance in the mini-van limo.

Beware, this one is very difficult to see

2010-09-22T15:12:00.006-06:00

Dear Friends,

Below is a recent post from Desalegn in Shanto (first my note, then his note, then the photo and article to which he refers):

I am humbled beyond thoughts or words to be able to go and do what is within my ability to break the back of the cycle of poverty. Thank you, God! Let's go, Team Tasfa! If we are able to do even a little bit begin to break the cycle of poverty, THAT, even more than feeding programs, is what will change the lives and the destinies of these communities, families....and children. These kids are no different than our kids, really, except they were born into really desperate and difficult lives.

Please, please if you read all the way down to the photograph, be aware that the picture is graphic and terrible. This photo was taken, and the article written, about two years ago. But the problem is as acute now as it was then. I hesitate to include this photo...maybe I'll end up removing it...I don't want to sensationalize the situation ("slumdog tourism?"), but how else can we realize that it's time to do the right things to end this suffering?

From Desalegn:
You can’t imagine this kind of trouble thing happens in the lives of human being. But this had really happened one year ago in and around Shanto, FOVC’s Village and my birth place. It was killed many little children. Killed many beautiful mothers. Killed many old people. Killed many animals. Killed “Enset” false banana, our multipurpose plant. Killed many things.This is still happening to many families in our area.

Today Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (FOVC) straggles to break this cycle, the cycle of poverty and hunger. Let us stand together to break a cycle of poverty in Shanto, Ethiopia! Let us make it history for my children!!! Let us make it history for Bizunesh and her friends!!! Thank you all for joining us to break a cycle of poverty in and around Shanto, Ethiopia!!!

Here is the article:
(Associated Press) SHANTO, Ethiopia — This year's poor rains have nearly killed Bizunesh.

The 3-year-old weighs less than 10 pounds. Her long limbs, weak and folded like a praying mantis, cannot carry even her slight weight. She cannot speak. She doesn't want to eat. Health officials say she is permanently stunted.

Bizunesh — whose name, sadly, means "plentiful" — is one of untold numbers of children hit by this year's double blow of a countrywide drought and skyrocketing global food prices that has brought famine, once again, to Ethiopia.

"She should be bigger than this," said her mother Zewdunesh Feltam, rocking the listless child. "Before there was maize, different kinds of food. But now there is nothing ... I beg for milk from my neighbors."

The U.N. children's agency said in a statement Tuesday an estimated 126,000 Ethiopian children urgently need food and medical care because of severe malnutrition — and called the current crisis "the worst since the major humanitarian crisis of 2003."

The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 2.7 million Ethiopians will need emergency food aid because of late rains — nearly double the number who needed help last year. An additional 5 million of Ethiopia's 80 million people receive aid each year because they never have enough food, whether harvests are good or not.

In Shanto, a southwestern agricultural area that grows sweet potatoes, recent rains arrived too late to save the harvest.

The crisis here is vivid. A feeding center run by the Irish charity GOAL has admitted 73 starving children in the past month.Aid agencies say emergency intervention is not enough and are appealing for more money to support regular feeding programs.

Some, like Bizunesh, are frail and skeletal. Others, like 4-year-old Eyob Tadesse, have grossly swollen limbs in a sign of extreme malnutrition.

Eyob, whose mother said he used to be a lively, talkative child, sat in a stupor, unable to speak, not moving even to brush away the flies that swarmed over his face. The sunny room humid with a recent, too late, rain shower was made gloomy by an eerie silence despite being full of sick children. Chronic malnutrition can affect children for life, stunting their growth, brain development and immune systems, which leaves them vulnerable to a host of illnesses.

Many mothers said their families were trying to survive on a gluey, chewy bread made of the root of the "false banana" plant — one of many wild or so-called famine foods that Ethiopians depend on in times of trouble.

It's not known how many children have died or are starving now. Local and international aid and health workers say between 10 and nearly 20 percent of Ethiopia's children are malnourished — 15 percent is considered a critical situation. In 2006, Ethiopia had 13.4 million children under age 5, according to UNICEF.

Samuel Akale, a nutritionist with the government's disaster prevention agency, said the hunger will get worse. "The number of severely malnourished will increase, and then they'll die."

WFP officials say the drought has affected six of Ethiopia's nine regions, stretching from Tigray in the north to the vast and dry Somali region in the south, though not every part of each region is affected.

Spokesman Greg Beals said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is preparing an appeal for additional tens of millions of dollars.

"This is a real crisis that needs to be addressed," he said.

Ethiopia is a country with a history of hunger. It's food problems drew international attention in 1984 when a famine compounded by communist policies killed some 1 million people. Pictures of stick-thin children like Bizunesh were broadcast onto television sets around the world.

This year's crisis is far less severe. But drought and chronic hunger persist in Ethiopia, a Horn of Africa nation known for its coffee, a major export. In 2003, droughts led 13.2 million people to seek emergency food aid. Drought in 2000 left more than 10 million needing emergency food.

Drought is especially disastrous in Ethiopia because more than 80 percent of people live off the land, and agriculture drives the economy, accounting for half of all domestic production and 85 percent of exports. But many also go hungry because of government policies. Ethiopia's government buys all crops from farmers at fixed low prices. And the government owns all the land, so it cannot be used as collateral for loans.

"What we're doing at the moment is waiting until children get severely malnourished, taking them into the feeding program, getting them back to a level of moderate malnutrition and then watching them cycle back," said Hatty Newhouse, a nutrition adviser from GOAL.

There are fears that the next harvest also will fail.

"We are crying with the mothers and the children," said Akale, the nutritionist.

Fundraiser Photos

2010-09-21T15:59:00.000-06:00

The Irish Music Fundraiser for FOVC was a great success! The Mewes'es organized an evening of great music, great Silent Auction items, great people, a great location...and a great big gift to FOVC: about $1800!! Wow! And thank you, Dirk and Debbie, for making this event happen!

Here are a few pictures:

Handsome guy's Ethiopian outfit doing a pre-concert swing....

Meels is a swinger, too.

Amelia's friend (and Bereket's future girlfriend?? He does seem to like her an awful lot!), Lidya Rodda.

Sweet baby Sullivan....ah! the baby days!

The musicians. These guys are GOOD!

This guy LOVES to dance!

Meelsie is a doll.

Our big beauties: Victoria, Al, Rebecca and Abs.

Mr. Handsome

Lovely Lidya listens.

Thank you again to everyone who supported this wonderful event!

Note from Desalegn

2010-09-12T09:34:00.002-06:00

Here is a note Desalegn posted on the FOVC blog. I guess to say we are humbled and honored would be an understatement. As regular and flawed and misguided as we can be (or at least I can be)....to have been picked to partner with this dear young man, for such an exceptional cause...there are no words to suffice.

MY EYES ARE FULL OF TEARS: TEARS OF JOYS, HOPE AND HAPPINESS
In our new year (01/01/2003) I received the following wonderful email from our Board Members which made my eyes full of tears. Do you know why my eyes are full of tears: tears of happiness? I never dreamed and thought that these all great things will happen on behalf of FOVC for the poorest children in Ethiopia. When I started Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (FOVC) four years ago things which I had plenty were hope, belief, commitment and love to help poorest orphans. Thanks to FOVC’s hard working Board Members, Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children succeeded these all wonderful achievements. I have many million thanks for Lory, Dave and Stacey and their families and friends for making these things happen for FOVC on behalf of poorest and vulnerable children!

Hello Desalegn,
How are things in Soddo and Shanto? We cannot wait to be there! Thank you for your update this week. I wonder if you have any recent pictures to share of the construction site, or of any recent happenings in Shanto? Also, as you prepare to welcome the new children in to FOVC’s program, would you be able to send their photos and basic information? And please don’t forget: save some orphanage-building work for Team Tasfa! This is soooo important to our group.

Here are some of the things we have accomplished for FOVC recently:

1. Team Tasfa paid for our in-country travel (we are using a company called Spring Ethiopia Tours, for our in-country travel and to arrange our hotels)! We are also going to stay one night at the Sabana Lodge at Lake Langano, so we paid for that as well. Since we are such a big group, it seemed that hiring Spring Ethiopia’s vehicles would be the most reliable way to get us to the Sidama region.

2. I opened a bank account in the U.S. We think this is the best way to accumulate funds for FOVC, and then to get the funds wired over to Ethiopia.

3. We registered the US charity for FOVC. It is called US-FOVC Ethiopia.

4. We also obtained a 501c3 number for US-FOVC. We are still in the early stages of completing the difficult 501c3 process, however. Many, many thanks to Stacey for leading us through this huge effort!

5. We purchased a couple of URLs– www.fovc.org and www.us-fovc.org. Hopefully, we will finally get going on the website!

6. I had a long conference call with Sharon Bonnett, who, as you know, is the social worker who is working on the sponsorship program. Sharon has lots of great ideas and she is working hard to put things in place for the FOVC children! With your current children, and the 12 children you want to add this year, and the 21 children the local government has asked FOVC to help, we think there will soon be 57 children, is that correct? We believe we will be able to get them sponsored.

7. The local adoptive family held their fundraiser last night, and raised over $1700US for FOVC!

8. As generous people begin to financially support FOVC, there is a lot of tax and record-keeping paperwork for us to do here in the U.S. I am figuring out how to support these aspects of the organizations.

9. The church of two of Team Tasfa’s members has donated $1500US to FOVC.

10. I am communicating often with EOR as they plan their big fundraiser and as we generally partner with them. For Ethiopian Christmas, EOR is preparing small backpacks full of gifts and supplies for all of the FOVC children. Team Tasfa will deliver them. Will 36 backpacks be the correct number when we arrive?

I think this is all for now.

Happy New Year and God bless!

Lory, Dave and Stacey

It's beginning to look a lot like Gena! (a fun, easy way to help!!!)

2010-09-09T19:52:00.001-06:00

Hi Friends,
Please see this post below from Ethiopian Orphan Relief's blog. Team Tasfa has the distinct honor of playing Santa, and delivering all of these backpacks to the kids at Children's Heaven and FOVC.

Maybe this sweet and simple project is a great way for YOU to get involved....change the world for a kiddo!

And P.S.--please don't forget that the Celtic Music Concert & Silent Auction for FOVC is tomorrow (Friday, September 10) in Boulder! Come! Join us! Let's clog! :-)

much love,
Lory

*****************************************
Christmas in Ethiopia is called Gena and it’s celebrated on January 7th in Ethiopia. Here at Ethiopian Orphan Relief we’re gathering gifts to put in backpacks for children of Children’s Heaven & FOVC (Friends of Orphans & Vulnerable Children). Through “ProjectGena2010“ your generosity will brighten an orphan’s life. EOR provides the backpacks~~ can you help us fill them

Boy or girl? Email kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org to make plans to shop for a specific child. Too busy to shop for all the special someones on your personal gift list? A backpack for an Ethiopian child makes a wonderful gift for others. For a donation of 15.00 we’ll shop for you AND send a special card to the honoree of your choice. A personalized letter or photo makes a wonderful addition to any backpack – we welcome yours. We can’t wait to share a photo of the children receiving their gifts, please include your address with your donation so we can send you one too. Here's a short video on ProjectGena2010:

Gena Giving Project - 130 backpacks to children in Ethiopia from Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. on Vimeo.

For those counting, it’s 106 days till Christmas! Let EOR help you take some gifts off your list. Do your children have a service project at school? Feel free to pass along our flier and…

Melkam Gena!

Gift Ideas
Toothbrushes, socks, underwear, small toys, pencils, hair do dad’s, small cars, yo-yo’s, jump ropes, etch a sketch, markers, journals.

Please contact kim@ethiopianorphanrelief.org for questions and address on where to ship your treasures.

FOREIGN TO FAMILIAR -- A Super-Important Book!

2010-09-06T11:03:00.001-06:00

Foreign To Familiar has been called a MUST-READ for anyone who is involved in cross-cultural communications or who plans to do work (aid, mission, short-term, long-term) in a foreign culture.

Here's what one expert says about this book:
Foreign to Familiar is a splendidly written, well researched work on cultures. Anyone traveling abroad should not leave home without this valuable resource! Sarah's love and sensitivity for people of all nations will touch your heart. This book creates within us a greater appreciation for our extended families around the world and an increased desire to better understand them.

As a requirement for traveling with Team Tasfa, I am asking every member of the team to read this short book. Our time in Ethiopia will be brief, and an understanding of cultural norms and expectations will be INVALUABLE to each of our team members as we seek to maximize our time and effort in-country!

Here's a review of the book:
In her book Foreign to Familiar, Sarah Lanier seeks to aid the reader in cross-cultural communication and relationships by highlighting the differences between hot- and cold-climate cultures. While these concepts are unfamiliar to most readers, Lanier quickly introduces and defines the categories before discussing them in detail. Having lived in the Middle East, South America, Africa, Europe, and New Zealand, Lanier (who is American) is certainly qualified to address the issue. The reader gets the impression while reading that this book is the fruit of her own experiences and frequent lectures on the subject in different settings.

According to Lanier, "the population of the entire world can roughly be divided into two parts. The two groups represented are 'hot-climate' (relationship-based) cultures and 'cold-climate' (task-oriented) cultures". Lanier recognizes there may some overlap in the two categories, and cites one unnamed person who suggested that she use the terms "hot/tribal" and "cold/urban". She also recognizes that personalities differ within each culture. The primary distinction between the two cultures is that of relational focus as opposed to task focus. Those in the warm-climates tend to emphasize the relationships involved between individuals while those in cold-climates focus on the efficient performance of tasks.

After defining the groups and explaining the primary relationship/task distinction, Lanier spends the next six chapters explaining further manifestations of the cultural differences. In Chapter Three, the focus is on direct versus indirect communication. Chapter Four emphasizes the individualism of the cold-climates over against the group-identity of the hot-climates. Privacy, highly valued in the cold, is contrasted with inclusion as the norm in the cold-climate in Chapter Five.

Chapters Six and Eight discuss two elements of society in which the differences between hot- and cold-climates are very evident: hospitality and time. Those with international travel experience will find themselves laughing with familiarity as they read of Lanier's experiences. Of course, the hot-climates demonstrate much more warm hospitality, while the cold-climates are extremely conscious of time and planning.

In Chapter Seven, Lanier introduces a different distinction between cultures which sometimes clouds the distinction between hot- and cold-climate cultures. This distinction is between high- and low-context cultures. Drawing from Edward T. Hall's Beyond Culture, Lanier defines the high-context culture as the one which has a long history wherein traditions have become very formalized. Low-context cultures are those whose history is briefer, whose population is more diverse, and in which very few traditions have developed.

Some of the strongest points of Lanier's book are its brevity, clarity, and engaging tone of Lanier's style. The reader is aware that Lanier is not writing an academic treatise. Her aim is pragmatic. She delivers fully in Chapter Nine, entitled "Practical Next Steps". Here simple steps are outlined to aid the international traveler or other person who finds himself or herself developing cross-cultural relationships. Perhaps the most beneficial element of the book is the summary found at the end of each chapter. It is not as if the chapters are so lengthy that this is a necessity, but the brief outline form of the summaries makes relocating information very easy.

This book has made a positive contribution to the field of cross-cultural communication. In Foreign to Familiar, Sarah Lanier has provided a clear, brief, practical introduction to several key issues. The book is written on the popular level, making it accessible to a wide audience. This reviewer enjoyed the book and recommends it as a primer for anyone involved in cross-cultural communication.

********************************************************

Team Tasfa, please get this book as soon as possible (here's the link on Amazon). It's only $8.99, and I am confident we all receive a great deal of value by increasing our understanding of the culture in Ethiopia before we travel!

Powerpoint, anyone?

2010-09-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

I am creating a simple powerpoint presentation about FOVC, and Team Tasfa's upcoming trip to work with FOVC. Please let me know if you would like a copy of it! Some on Team Tasfa are using it for fundraising presentations, for example.

love,
Lory

PS According to one member of Team Tasfa, it's only something like 113 days until we travel!

Local Fundraiser for FOVC!!!!!

2010-08-28T17:53:00.000-06:00

IAN mom Debbie Mewes is putting together this fun concert (with the help of her talented uilleann pipes--and whistle-playing husband!!!) and benefit for FOVC!

It's Friday, September 10 at City on the Hill Church in Boulder. Can you come? Will you join us? Let me know!!!!

love,
Lory

Keep Changing the World

2010-08-23T20:31:00.000-06:00

This song just runs through my mind as I think about Team Tasfa's trip to Ethiopia. (Even though it sounds a little bit like a song the cast of "Glee" might sing....I still love it!)

Let's! Go! Change! The! World!

"She said she was happy for me."

2010-08-21T08:21:00.000-06:00

Now that David has been home for six months, his English is really, really good. Occasionally, I try to talk to him about his life in Ethiopia: His memories are fading, and I hope to learn as much as I can before he forgets. I figure everything I can learn about his "first life" will be a gift to give back to him someday.

The other day, we were talking about how it was when his first mom said good-bye. This is a subject we have talked about before. I'm still not clear about all of the details, and I still can't tell if she was tearful or stoic.

He did share this time, that his first mom told him she was happy for him as they parted.

As a mom, I cannot imagine. Putting my child in a car. Knowing I would never see him again. Being aware that I would not have any idea where my child would end up. And bravely telling my son that I was happy for him. Because I hadn't been able to give him food and shelter and medical care. So I was happy for him that he might be able to find these fundamental provisions, and a chance at a brighter future, somewhere else in the world.

I cannot imagine.

It makes me more thankful than ever that Team Tasfa is traveling to Ethiopia in just four months. We can't do everything. But we can create an environment where the children will have a place to live, and an education. And perhaps we can get some livestock to the widows And the community members can learn some job skills, and perhaps we can help them sell their products. And in the process, we can bring some joy and some hope. Tasfa.

I Guess It's True

2010-08-15T20:24:00.000-06:00

I have always heard that little boys love their mommies. I guess it's true. Bereket picked a bouquet of flowers for me today.

And isn't it kind of neat that this way of showing love...giving flowers....it must be universal!

Bereket has been home for six months now. It hasn't been easy, but it has been good. We are thankful and proud to call Bereket our son.

Oops--by the way: He will start kindergarten this week. He tells his teacher he would like to be called, "David...like my daddy."

Needs -- from Desalegn

2010-08-14T09:33:00.000-06:00

Desalegn sent this email to Aneata, one of our group members:

(By the way, Aneata works at our adoption agency, IAN. She has overseen over 65 adoptions from Ethiopia, but she has not yet been there! She has a HUGE heart for the orphans. Aneata has committed to traveling with us, but she must raise funds. She's an artist by training, and she is selling beautiful hand-made (and affordable) jewelry so she can make this trip. Click here to check out her stuff!)

Ok, back to Desalegn's message:

....My children's big problem is shoes and clothing. As you may haveinformation many Ethiopian children are wearing one cloth for longyears or may not ever wear any cloth. So I need your great support to have any types of clothes and shoes for my children. Please notice that most of the children are somewhat big and need at least L size clothing and medium size shoes. The shoes may be new or old no matter (it looks like boys and girls sizes 7-14 could be really helpful). Any type of exercise books/note books/, pen, school supplies etc are also needed. Any types of toys are also important......

And now, here is Team Tasfa's "take" on Desalegn's message:

I know we are hoping to take up to 200 pillowcase dresses (with t-shirts) for the girls! I know, too, that some in our group have ideas about how to bring clothes for the boys.

Because of the parasites in Ethiopia, shoes are so important. People walk around in bare feet (particularly in rural areas like Shanto), and the parasites get into their skin, and they get terrible diseases like elephantitis. Also, the lack of shoes keeps people from going to many places--like school, or the market, etc. CAN YOU, CAN WE, EVEN IMAGINE???

I'm sure each of us has been asked, "How can I help?" With summer coming to an end, maybe we can ask those who have offered to help to purchase some clearance-priced, end-of-the season shoes? Close-toed shoes are best--like little flats for females and whatever looks sort of comparable for boys. Or, ask people to pick up tops, packages of underwear (these kids have NO underwear), skirts, jeans, etc.

Better yet, maybe some of the big-hearted people you know will donate even $10-$20 that you can take over to Addis. Shoes, in particular, are plentiful and cheap (by U.S. standards) in Addis, and we can easily buy shoes in the city and take them down to Shanto. Dave and I are less confident about buying clothes and underwear over in Addis, however. So, possibly our best plan is to try to collect a few shoes, more clothes/underwear and to plan to buy more shoes in Addis. Remember, too, that we are a greater help to Ethiopia when we buy all that we can buy there, in-country!

This is also a great time of year to pick up cheap school supplies! Just be aware that paper, in particular, gets really heavy in terms of the weight allowance in your luggage. You will be shocked at how easy it is to accumulate 100 pounds' worth of stuff for your luggage!

By the way, when Desalegn says the children are bigger....I think he means they are not babies/toddlers. FOVC primarily serves kids from about 5 years to 15 years. Aneata is right, sizes 7-14 will likely be the best.

Desalegn also mentioned that any type of toys are important, too. I know Aaron has obtained full sets of soccer uniforms for the kids! That makes me think he'll probably bring some soccer balls, too, right? I want to say that our son, Bereket, really loves the little toys that come in Sonic kids' meals, happy meals, Chick-Fil-A meals, etc. Maybe we can start collecting those kinds of little toys to take? Also, we really can't take stuffed animals or stuffed dolls. It is just too dirty there, and soft toys quickly get very unsanitary and have to be thrown away. I recently read about one little Ethiopian girl: her ONLY toy was a tooth she had lost. CAN YOU, CAN WE, EVEN IMAGINE? Let's deliver some fun and joy to Shanto, too!

with so much love,
Lory

Dave's Response to "Slumdog Tourism"

2010-08-13T12:59:00.000-06:00

The "Slumdog Tourism" post yesterday has generated some good conversation, in a variety of forums. Love it!

Here's the response my Dave wrote: (By the way, I'm a feeler and he's a thinker...are you surprised?)

The point I wanted to make was that I hope that this won’t be the last trip to Ethiopia for any in our group. This is Lory's and my third trip, and I hope there will be many more. I wouldn’t mind someday relocating to Ethiopia if given the opportunity. The one point this article doesn’t make is the impact that we can have once we return home…and upon return visits. There is nothing that creates true empathy more than seeing the challenges and problems faced in Ethiopia firsthand. But, we can’t let that one visit languish. I view the roles of Team Tasfa members as gaining experience and observing the problems firsthand so that we can best understand what we can do with the resources we have to empower and enable places like Shanto and Korah to move toward becoming self-sustaining, viable, and livable communities…and to provide them with some of the resources and advantages that we have had from the blessing of having been born in America. I know that we can’t even begin to solve the problems outright, but we can be one small step in helping Desalegn and others achieve their goals for their communities.

I don’t know if any of you are familiar with “design thinking”, but it is a methodology used by innovators and designers to develop solutions to problems and challenges predicated on the necessity for firsthand observations. Design thinking methodology was used by my good friend and co-worker when he founded his company, Husk Power Systems, which provides portable power plant systems to rural communities in India driven by the use of “rice husks” or the waste product from rice harvesting. He traveled throughout rural India observing the challenges of not having power and developed a way to deliver electric power by observing how the rural poor lived their lives and the types of resources these people had access to on a daily basis. Understanding that rice was the main crop in rural India, he and a friend developed a way to take the waste product that was being thrown away and use it to generate power…now they have 150 employees and have deployed close to 50 systems which charge rural Indians $2.00 per month for power (where the average income is $3.00 per day).

The bottom line is that there is much we can learn about helping to solve problems in developing nations through observation. The key is taking what we observe and acting on it…not sitting idle after having had the experience (i.e., slumdog tourism). I sent this article out because I know that each one of us will be transformed by the experience and know this will most likely not be our members' only trip to Ethiopia…nor will we forget about all we observe...which will drive continued contemplation and hopefully action in helping to be a part of the solution to some of the challenges and problems we’ll see. It is also our responsibility to carry the message forward through the passion that will come from our firsthand observations and experience.

"Slumdog Tourism"

2010-08-12T08:05:00.000-06:00

Frm Dave:
This is a great article that appeared this week in the New York Times and I think should be required reading for all of us contemplating the visit to Korah. It is very important to realize that our dropping in for a day of observation can't be the end of our involvement.

Sharing this article is not meant as a criticism in any way. It's not easy to read, but it's important to think about. It offers an insight and a perspective that can help shape and guide our thinking as we plan and process our roles in the world.

By the way, the writer of the article is a young college student who founded, and runs, a social services organization that serves his "home town," the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

Thoughts, anyone?

August 9, 2010
Slumdog Tourism
By KENNEDY ODEDE
Nairobi, Kenya

SLUM tourism has a long history — during the late 1800s, lines of wealthy New Yorkers snaked along the Bowery and through the Lower East Side to see “how the other half lives.”

But with urban populations in the developing world expanding rapidly, the opportunity and demand to observe poverty firsthand have never been greater. The hot spots are Rio de Janeiro, Mumbai — thanks to “Slumdog Millionaire,” the film that started a thousand tours — and my home, Kibera, a Nairobi slum that is perhaps the largest in Africa.

Slum tourism has its advocates, who say it promotes social awareness. And it’s good money, which helps the local economy.

But it’s not worth it. Slum tourism turns poverty into entertainment, something that can be momentarily experienced and then escaped from. People think they’ve really “seen” something — and then go back to their lives and leave me, my family and my community right where we were before.

I was 16 when I first saw a slum tour. I was outside my 100-square-foot house washing dishes, looking at the utensils with longing because I hadn’t eaten in two days. Suddenly a white woman was taking my picture. I felt like a tiger in a cage. Before I could say anything, she had moved on.

When I was 18, I founded an organization that provides education, health and economic services for Kibera residents. A documentary filmmaker from Greece was interviewing me about my work. As we made our way through the streets, we passed an old man defecating in public. The woman took out her video camera and said to her assistant, “Oh, look at that.”

For a moment I saw my home through her eyes: feces, rats, starvation, houses so close together that no one can breathe. I realized I didn’t want her to see it, didn’t want to give her the opportunity to judge my community for its poverty — a condition that few tourists, no matter how well intentioned, could ever understand.

Other Kibera residents have taken a different path. A former schoolmate of mine started a tourism business. I once saw him take a group into the home of a young woman giving birth. They stood and watched as she screamed. Eventually the group continued on its tour, cameras loaded with images of a woman in pain. What did they learn? And did the woman gain anything from the experience?

To be fair, many foreigners come to the slums wanting to understand poverty, and they leave with what they believe is a better grasp of our desperately poor conditions. The expectation, among the visitors and the tour organizers, is that the experience may lead the tourists to action once they get home.

But it’s just as likely that a tour will come to nothing. After all, looking at conditions like those in Kibera is overwhelming, and I imagine many visitors think that merely bearing witness to such poverty is enough.

Nor do the visitors really interact with us. Aside from the occasional comment, there is no dialogue established, no conversation begun. Slum tourism is a one-way street: They get photos; we lose a piece of our dignity.

Slums will not go away because a few dozen Americans or Europeans spent a morning walking around them. There are solutions to our problems — but they won’t come about through tours.

Kennedy Odede, the executive director of Shining Hope for Communities, a social services organization, is a junior at Wesleyan University.

"Little Dresses for Africa"

2010-08-11T16:25:00.001-06:00

For those of you who are sewing pillowcase dresses, or who are interested in sewing pillowcase dresses.... check out this darling site that Shawn, my friend and EOR board member sent.

Really, take a minute to look at these pictures!

If these darling pictures, of these darling girls, in these darling dresses don't inspire us, then nothing will!!!

I know I feel pretty when I get a new dress. How special will the girls feel when they get their first-ever new dress?

Let's! Get! Sewing!

More News!

2010-08-10T21:07:00.001-06:00

Hello Friends!

Surprise, surprise, more exciting things are happening as we prepare for our trip.For one thing, Team Tasfa has grown to twenty-three confirmed travelers!

My friend (though I have never met her!) and IAN mom, Sharon, is coming. Sharon is a real, live social worker who has--for years--been burdened to help orphans. It has been her heart's desire to work in on orphan sponsorship program. And now she has her chance, because Sharon will be taking on FOVC's child sponsorship program. Those of you who are interested in sponsoring a child--stay tuned, because your opportunity to change a life is coming! If you can't wait to meet Sharon, visit her at her blog!

Here is what Desalegn wrote when I told him Sharon is coming:
Thank you Lory sooooooooo much for sharing this wonderful news with me. This is the answer for my prayer. Please appreciate Sharon on behalf of my staff and me and the Board of FOVC. And tell her also all about FOVC and its Orphan and Vulnerable Children Care and Education Program (OVCCEP). I think you are familiar with OVCCEP now.

Also, Mitch C., a pastor from our church is coming, along with his wife. When I emailed Desalegn about the possibility of Mitch teaching and encouraging the FOVC staff, and possibly any interested local church leaders, here is how he responded:
Lory I have a strong but smooth and life changing question for you. Lory: Shall we also prepare a church conference in Shanto? Please, please let me know this soon. Because I should have to contact the local churches and other concerned bodies about this issue soon if we want to prepare church conference. If we do so the pastor will preach to 1000 to 10,000 people in and around Shanto and will draw many souls to Christ. It will be the second fold opportunity for FOVC and your church Lory. So shall we try it????! Thanks!!!

Obviously, we are all overwhelmed to the point of goosebumps, at the many incredible opportunities that are unfolding as we prepare to travel to Shanto. In addition to these new opportunities, we're taking the pillowcase dresses to the girls, something special for the boys, full sets of soccer uniforms, a medical team, lots of expertise and passion, builders, an architect, engineers, seed money to purchase livestock for the widows, art projects for the kids, a mini-VBS for the kids, skills training for the widows and community members...plus a few other initiatives that are still in the works. And, or course, lots of love and encouragement!

Thankfully, our group is focused and gifted and talented and passionate. I love that each member of Team Tasfa has a unique calling for this trip. I can't wait to see how everything is going to unfold.

With so much love,
Lory

Travelers and Dress-Makers--NOW is the time to do your shopping!

2010-08-04T21:51:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone!

I was at Target tonight, and it occurred to me that NOW is the best time for many of us to purchase supplies for our trip. When we travel in December, it will be winter here in the U.S. BUT, it will be summer in Ethiopia! Summer stuff is on clearance in most stores right now, so stock up! Also, you can be sure that "summer" clothes will be hard to find in November or December, right? Here are the kinds of items you will need:

Females can wear jeans, long pants, longish skirts and crop pants (not shorts)
Guys can wear jeans or long pants (not shorts)
Guys and gals can wear short sleeve shirts and t-shirts (not tanks, not sleeveless)
You will want washable sandals/flip-flops to wear in the guest house and hotel
You will want close-toed shoes for Addis and Soddo/Shanto....at least 2 pairs!
You will want a hat or two
Sunscreen, bug spray, chapstick, lotion, etc etc....you will be hot and dry, especially in Shanto!
A jacket, hoodie or sweatshirt
Plan to dress humbly and simply. There is always the chance that some of your clothes might not make it back....so don't bring your designer duds! Also, we do not want to draw even more attention to ourselves by wearing anything but the simplest of clothes. Keep in mind, too, that Africans tend to dress a bit more formally than we do--and not entirely in graphic t's!

For our pillow case dress makers: please plan to send a simple, inexpensive, solid-color t-shirt with each dress. These types of tops are REALLY CHEAP right now....and you won't be able to find them once fall gets here. Dear friends, please sew some of these dresses! We can't wait to share pictures of the joy on the girls' faces when they receive their very own, new dresses.

By the way, our group has grown to twenty travelers!

with love and thanks,
Lory

Korah: We Will Go There

2010-08-02T17:53:00.000-06:00

The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

YEAR: 2010

SYNOPSIS
This is a short documentary that explores the current state of one of Ethiopia's poorest villages, the village of Korah and the challenges the people there face every day.

ABOUT KORAH
The village of Korah is a small village just outside Addis Ababa, the capitol city of Ethiopia. The village was founded over seventy five years ago by people inflicted with leprosy, seeking treatment in Addis. Three generations later, over 100,000 people live in Korah, most of whom have leprosy, HIV/AIDS, are widows or orphans. Their extreme poverty has forced many of the villagers to forage through a local trash dump to find enough food to survive each day.

For more information about Korah, visit:
MissionEthiopia.com
HelpKorah.com

SPECIAL THANKS
To our guide Samuel Liben and all the people of Korah who opened their homes and hearts to us, trusting our intentions with the footage and stories we collected there. They will not be forgotten and our work for them has only just begun.

And Then They Were Sixteen...I mean, Seventeen!...er, Eighteen!

2010-07-31T08:13:00.005-06:00

Update: ~~Sixteen~~ ~~Seventeen~~ Eighteen people have now purchased airfare for our trip. Amazing! We are "in negotiations" with several more. Can't wait to see where we end up! (But I know we have to stop soon!)

Fillin' Up Fast

2010-07-27T09:42:00.001-06:00

Hi Friends,

When we started planning this grand adventure just a few weeks ago, we wondered if "enough" people would come with us.

Now, we find almost all of the available "slots" are filled!

It is looking like an architect might join us--yea!

And a few more fantastic females--yea!

There are a couple more people who are about to jump in, too.

But we still need some men! Really, what's the deal: So many females have hopped right in. But the men seem to be more tentative? Man up! Let's go change the world!

More Projects We Will Tackle

2010-07-24T17:19:00.035-06:00

Hello Dear Friends!

So much is happening, there is new news every day, and new details to work through. (For someone who doesn't really wrangle details all that well, I am being stretched in every way!) But, oh!, I have been so blessed in this support role!

We still need a man or two, and we still need someone who knows about bookkeeping. And maybe someone who has the passion and ability to help formalize FOVC's orphan sponsorship program (see Desalegn's plea below!). We are also looking for someone(s) who has skills in building or design....it looks like we will have the opportunity to work on more projects than only the orphanage. All of these needs are so important for the purposes of our trip!

In addition to everything else we want to take on, I have been in communication with Desalegn about some of the needs for the village--especially the orphans and widows--of Shanto. Desalegn is such a wise and smart young man! Because his writing is so eloquent, I will share it all here:

Lory's question: If we are able to raise funds to purchase some livestock for the widows and children, what types of animals would you recommend, what would be the cost, and how would you implement such a program?
Desalegn's answer: Through my experience I understand that the people of Shanto need cows, sheep, goats and hens to completely change their live and their children's live and to help their children with school supplies and food and clothes. And they depend on these animals to break the cycle of poverty. In our culture, anyone who has these animals together with "inset," or false banana, in is garden is considered as wealthy and has the ability to do everything others do.

So providing one or two or all of these animals to a widow having no any animal means changing her life, her children life and her family life completely from poverty to wealth and brings mental, spiritual and physical satisfaction for her. In our community, each widow has five, up to seven, children and siblings and sometimes her own parents and husband's parents who are very old to do anything by themselves so they are waiting on her to help them. So providing these animals to a widow has many values, not only to herself but also for her children and siblings and parents. Here are the current prices of the animals in the markets of Shanto and Boditti (9 km away from Shanto). Please note the prices have been raised in the last two or three years:

• Cow = $350 USD
• Oxen = $275 USD (helps a widow to plough her own farm land)
• Sheep = Female - $35 USD, Male - $32.50USD
• Goat = Female – $32 USD, Male - $35 USD
• Hen = Male - $3 USD, Female - $2.75 USD

Rather than giving these animals to a single widow, it is better if we train the widows as a group how to develop livestock before giving animals. The reason is because, everyone around Shanto uses traditional methods to develop livestock. So it is better if I train a widow in a group with other widows, in our case in a group of seven widows, how to develop livestock in a modernized way. This will also help a widow share her ideas with others and working in a group ("daguwa" in our language) is better for a widwo and makes her feel strong and has working friends. "Daguwa" means doing anything better, standing together and etc. in our language. So a daguwa of seven members will have much more strength than one widow.

The other thing what I know about the people of Shanto and other people in the region and what I want you to know is that, asking them for matching fund of 10%-20% makes them more happier, feel stronger and the owner of the animals. So I am thinking of this strategy in our case. For instance, if we buy a cow with $300USD for a widow, we will ask her to provide a matching fund of $30USD.I want the fund returned back after one to three years and given to the other widows in the region to help them funded with animals. This method will help me sustain our Widows Hope Program (WHP) in a good manner.

Lory's question: If we raised funds for metal bunkbeds for the orphanage, could you purchase them in Ethiopia? How many would you need, and what do you think might be the cost?
Desalegn's answer: Yeah, I can purchase the metal bunkbeds here in Ethiopia. I know there are some good workshops in Ethiopia which provide these types of beds with good quality. If the price includes blanket, bed sheet and other necessary things it costs $250-$300USD for each pair of beds. We need nine metal bunkbeds for eighteen special orphans and three reserves for some other orphans.

Lory's question: Would there be any value in supplying the screens and installation materials to cover the windows in the new buildings, in order to keep mosquitoes and other insects outside?
Desalegn's answer: Yes, window screens have large values. As you know well the most difficult diseases in Shanto are malaria and other preventable diseases. So the screens and installation materials will help us prevent malaria.

Lory's question: What is the current status of sponsors for the children?
Desalegn's answer: I am always concerned with the children to have long-time sponsors than short-time donations. The reason is that it is very difficult for me to look at a child who is suffering with lack of food, clothing, shoes and other things. As I informed you before, among twenty-four orphans, only two are being sponsored. But the others do not have any sponsor. So I beg you to find sponsorship for each child. If a child is sponsored and educated or trained, he will feed and clothe himself and the other orphans in his own area later. That will help us to have good foster families in the area in the future. So let's work hard and hand-in-hand to find sponsorship for each orphan. If we can find sponsorship for the children, it will make all of us so much happier.

The other thing I want to let you know is that there are also many orphaned children who are in our waiting list. And I am thinking of admitting some twelve and more orphans in the next Ethopian new year.

So....who's ready to change the world? Even if you're not traveling with us, what will you do? What CAN you do? Before our family got involved, I somehow thought the people in countries like Ethiopia were different than me. Pain wasn't so painful to them. Love wasn't so full for them. Need didn't feel so desperate to them.

Oh, I was so wrong. Our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia experience love and need just like we do. They definitely exhibit love and joy more fully than is common here in the U.S. And they experience pain and need--often on a daily basis--far more deeply than most of us ever will.

So, what can you do? What will you do? I really believe God is watching our responses.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Pillow Case Dress Update!

2010-07-23T17:29:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,

For those of you who are interested in making pillowcase dresses....will you consider picking up a t-shirt to go under the dress? Modesty is highly-valued in Ethiopia, and it could cause offense if we dress the girls in sleeve-less dresses. So, an inexpensive t-shirt--long or short-sleeved--with the dress will truly be a PERFECT gift for these little girls who have probably never owned new clothes, let alone a new dress!

So much thanks and love,
Lory

O.M.G(oodness)!

2010-07-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

Here is Desalegn's most current post on FOVC's blog.

Thank you Ethiopian orphan Relief, Inc. (EOR) so many times for this beautiful building which will be started soon. We do not have enough words to express our pleasure for your great supports. This will be the first and the most beautiful building in Shanto that your money will build for my children and people. Any suggestions and comments are welcome in order to improve the buildings quality. As I have BSc degree in Civil Engineering, I can adopt some good suggestions and comments which fits with our soil property and other aspects. Thank you all for participating to build a home for homeless children in Shanto!!! This is really great for the people of Shanto. -Desalegn

A Great Update (hint: it's about toilets!)

2010-07-21T21:13:00.001-06:00

Here is a great email from Desalegn...scroll down for pictures!

UPDATE: NEW TOILET FACILITY
Our current toilet facility is somewhat very difficult to use, especially for little children and my staff. (Lory's note: click here for pictures of the previous facility!) It was our primary need to build a toilet with its full facility. So we have started building a toilet house with four rooms. Here are some pictures, which my documentation and record staff, took from our new toilet facility building site.

Thank you all for this newly under construction toilet. We are so much happy and it is a huge love and support from you all to us. We will keep updating you with all other progresses.I think you have received my email which is about updates of our new toilet which is currently under construction. If you have any comment please let me know. In my consideration we are progressing well. How is it for you?

We are highly prepared to start our other buildings such us bedrooms and bathrooms for orphans with especial need, kitchen facility, multipurpose hall, school, and bedrooms for different guests who come to visit their sponsored children and/or to provide service for our children and villagers and etc. These all is new in the life of Shanto and me. Thank you all for your huge love and support for this great change in Shanto!!! -

Aren't they doing beautiful work?!?

love,
Lory

THIRTEEN!

2010-07-21T06:36:00.000-06:00

Thirteen travelers have purchases tickets for our Ethiopia trip.

We're goin' to Ethiopia, baby!

It's not too late for you to join us!

In particular, we still need a man or two and a bean-counter type!

Send Some Dresses for the Little Girls (Pillow Case Dress Instructions)

2010-07-19T09:39:00.002-06:00

Hello Again!

A few of us have seen a great idea for "pillow case dresses." These are easy (and affordable) to make. Perhaps some of you would like to make some of these dresses for us to take to Ethiopia? Can you imagine the joy a little girl would feel to be able to pick out and OWN, a brand-new dress???

A google search yielded lots of "recipes" for these dresses. Here are a few sites that look pretty good to me:

Site #1 (you can click to get a pdf instruction sheet).
Site #2 (includes lengths for girls up to 8-9 years old)
Site #3 (includes tips for cute embellishments and etc.)

Most of these patterns are for girls size 2T to 8-9 years old. "Site #3" includes the following tip: You can adjust a pillowcase dress for older girls as well, by simply cutting a bigger armhole and adding fabric to the hem. The nice thing about sizing a pillowcase dress is that it doesn't have to be precise. So, if you are handy with these things, please consider making some longer dresses for girls who are 10'ish to 13'ish years old!

Here are photos of these darling dresses. They are so cute!

On a related note, here is a pattern for a little "bandana dress"--very cute, too!

I think this project would be a great way to get even more people involved in our Be The Change / Change The World Tour 2010-2011!

Who wants to sew some dresses?

God Gets Around!

2010-07-19T08:36:00.000-06:00

Is anything impossible for God?

Hello Everyone!

God AMAZES me! Read (below) the email we received this weekend.

Hi,

Our church takes on a mission project every year. We can submit a project proposal for the Mission Service Committee to consider. To be considered I need to put together a proposal and present it at a meeting on August 19th.

Requirements are that the project should have a fund raising goal over $2,000. I need to include the goal of the project, what resources are requested (financial, spiritual, people power, etc) and information about the project plan and the people who will implement the plan.

I looked at your blog and see you have a variety of projects you needed funds for. At this time what is your most important need to help the children?

This is very close to my heart and I would really like to be able to help the children. I gave up a daughter for adoption 35 years ago and she contacted me last year and six months after I met her she and here husband expanded their family to include a beautiful 2 year old boy from Ethiopia.

If you could help me put together a proposal I would appreciate it.

Thank you and God Bless.

Can you believe it? So now, we are hoping to work with this church in Wisconsin...because the emailer found FOVC and our blog online. This open-hearted woman has skills that would be soooooo helpful in Shanto, and she might even join us on our trip! God can use us to show His love to the orphans in Shanto. He can bring our group together in a matter of DAYS! Out of the blue, He can connect us with this church in Wisconsin. Travelers, we are going to see and do and be a part of amazing things!

After all, is anything impossible for God?

Fanta Vision!

2010-07-15T19:07:00.001-06:00

Fanta Vision: orange (or purple?)-tinted visions that follow too much of a certain fruity soda?

Nope!

It's actually the name of the hotel I will, whatever it takes, book us into in Soddo. Although there is no website and little information online, our friend Stacey P. stayed there recently and gave it the highest accolades....all things considered.

Here is a picture:

This place truly, truly appears to be the bees' knees' in comparison to any/every other option in Soddo. And it definitely has showers!!!!

Getting Your Shots and Staying Healthy in Ethiopia

2010-07-15T16:39:00.001-06:00

Here is the link to the Center for Disease Control's recommended shots and vaccinations before traveling to Ethiopia.

Health Information for Travelers to Ethiopia

If you are traveling with us, please read the article. In short, the CDC recommends that all travelers to Ethiopia be vaccinated for MMR, DPT, polio, Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, meningitis, yellow fever and rabies. Also, we should plan to bring meds for malaria (the Howletts will bring malarone, for example).

Some of these vaccinations are sort of "standard" in the U.S., so you should simply confirm that you are up-to-date.

I saw elsewhere online that someone got several of these shots for just $4 at her County Health Department. The out-of-pocket cost for the same shot at her local travel clinic was $175. If your health insurance doesn't cover all of these vaccinations, I recommend shopping around--call your County Health Department, call your primary care physician, call a clinic like the ones at WalGreens or Costco, and call a local travel clinic. It might be worth it to visit a few providers and save some money!

One Down, Twelve to Go!

2010-07-14T09:29:00.000-06:00

Travelers, be filled with hope and faith!

Our friend Derek's trip to Ethiopia is already fully-paid for!

Derek sent out support-raising letters to friends and family less than two weeks ago, and he now find himself fully-supported for our trip to Ethiopia!

Yea, God!

Of course, I should not be surprised, because I know God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and I know He is CRAZY about the orphans. The Lord put it on Derek's heart to take this huge leap of faith and join us in Africa. So, of course, the Lord would be gracious enough to make it happen!

After all,

"The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24

and

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'" Jeremiah 29:11-13

There are currently 13 travelers in our group! We still need more men(!!!!) and we still need a builder/construction type!

Toilet and News

2010-07-12T18:07:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends,

1. Our group is up to thirteen confirmed travelers!

2. We still need MEN, someone with building or construction experience and someone with bookkeeping/accounting experience.

These pictures (courtesy of FOVC's blog) show the toilet facilities currently used by the children, widows and staff of FOVC:

And now, here is a note from Desalegn:

Yeah, yeah! We will be at a place in the building process withespecially bedrooms foundation construction and I will make everymaterials ready at the time in order to enable your team to help uswith bed rooms foundation construction. By the way building a toilet is very urgent for us and it will be finished at the time your team come to visit us. If you have any especial idea with the toilet and bathroom construction please let me know before we proceed any more.
Faithfully yours,
Desalegn

Added Bonus

2010-07-12T14:17:00.001-06:00

Hi Travelers and Potential Travelers,

It is confirmed now that our trip will be tax-deductible. This means, whatever costs each traveler pays for him/herself can be deducted on your taxes. Also, if people donate funds to your trip, they will be able to deduct their gifts to you on their taxes.

If you need more information, let me know!

Also, we now have twelve confirmed travelers! WE STILL NEED MEN!!!

love,
Lory

Three Verses

2010-07-09T21:17:00.000-06:00

Hello Dear Ones!

I have been soaring on God's goodness and direction for the past two weeks! I cannot imagine what He will do as we prepare, and as we travel to Ethiopia!

I have three Scriptures to share. Even if they are not new to you, may they encourage you and build you up.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

...."I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18)

love,

Lory

Hey Travelers & Potential Travelers -- air itinerary and fare update!

2010-07-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends!

I spoke to Tesfa at Addis Travel today. Here is the scoop:

Our itinerary involves United Airlines and British Midland Air, with one leg "operated by Ethiopian Airlines." The fare is still $1285.

The Denver travelers will leave Tuesday, December 28 at 12:45pm. The Denver travelers will arrive back in Denver on Saturday, January 8 at 6:36pm.

Some of us have put our seats on hold, at no cost. The airline will give us 7-14 days to make payment (seems to be randomly determined by the airline) from the time seats are reserved.

So, please let me know if you are seriously thinking of joining us, and the thought of locking in this (incredible) fare while gaining some time to make your final decision, sounds good. I'll be happy to get your name on the list!

At this time, we have 10 confirmed travelers. About 10 more thinking seriously.

We still need MEN!!!!!

Let's go change the world!

love,
Lory

A message from Desalegn Daka

2010-07-06T07:52:00.000-06:00

A note from Desalegn today. FOVC has just received EOR's financial gift and knows some of us are coming to help. Here are his words:

I do not know how to express my great pleasure to all of you today. It is really beyond my mind and my thought and my every thing! Let me add a wonderful phrase from my home language to your dictionary today in order to express my deep feeling. Because I think it can express my pleasure as much as my heartfelt. The phrase is “keehippe gallatos”. In our language it is really stronger than “I thank you so much” phrase.

Now we can start our construction work for the children who are abandoned and have no shelter and sleeping in dusty street in Shanto. I really thank you all for great love and passion to our children!

I thank you with my all potential and words!!!!!!!

Faithfully Yours,
Desalegn Daka

Email -- continuation -- pictures still added!

2010-07-05T21:33:00.005-06:00

(Please read previous post titled, "Email -- pictures added!" for part one of this post.)

When we leave Addis, we will take the (BEAUTIFUL! GORGEOUS! SHOCKING! UNBELIEVABLE!) 6 hour drive south to Soddo. We will stay in the newest motel in Soddo. I don't yet have rates, but it should be even more affordable than our guest house in Addis. Soddo is a smallish city (approximate population of 80K people). It is a rugged, 30 minute drive over to Shanto, the village where FOVC is located. We will be based in Soddo during our time in the south.

Everyone walking to the market as we drive towards Soddo.

A farm.

Beautiful countryside.

FYI, I am in contact with a few reputable drivers. During our drive to Soddo/Shanto, and the whole time we are there, we will expect to have several vehicles--newer model SUV's, air-conditioned, etc--and English-speaking drivers that will be fully-available to us. The details are still in-process.

The motel in Soddo, as I understand it, is new. It will be very clean by African standards. I understand there is running water, shower/toilet facilities and electricity.

We haven't decided if we will spend 3 or 4 nights in Soddo. We have to balance being there long enough to truly make a difference, but not being there so long that it becomes too hard (see below).

Kids we "collected" as we walked in Soddo!

About Shanto: Hopefully, you have all read FOVC board member Stacey Penlon's post about her recent trip to Shanto. We must be prepared to be sort of...exhausted...by our time there. It is physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually like nothing you have ever seen. But beautiful and life-changing!

As you already know, we will be helping with the building, encouraging the kids, teaching English, teaching life skills to the kids and the widows. We are also looking for a bookkeeping/accounting person who can begin to train FOVC staff as they receive and spend EOR's financial gift. Our team doctor, Larry Dansky, will help medically---we are in the process of figuring out what kind of assistance will be most beneficial. We know the children and villagers plan to welcome us in the most lovely way they know how, too!

Desalegn's and Staff's office at FOVC.

The weather in Shanto/Soddo should max out in the mid-80s during the day. Nights are around 60 degrees. The elevation is about 7500 feet, and it's not humid at all--in fact, it's quite dry. (It feels more dry than Colorado, I think.) However, due to the high elevation and the fact that it is near the equator, it can feel quite warm, especially in the sun. Also, it's pretty dusty/dirty. You will be longing for a shower each time you return to Soddo! You will want to bring hats, sunscreen, lotion, lip balm and maybe even umbrellas (to shield from the sun). Women will wear longish skirt, pants or crop pants. No sleeveless shirts. Men will wear long pants, for the most part. Smoking or drinking alcohol will not be appropriate. Dressing and behaving modestly are very important! (Of course, more details to come as we get closer to travel!)

A guy on the road to Shanto.

When we leave Soddo/Shanto, we will return to Addis via the beautiful Lake Country. We will stay one night at a clean, nice lodge on Lake Langano. (When Dave, Bereket and I were there in January, the cost for our room was $35, I think, for the 3 of us. So we can plan on less than $25 per person, double occupancy.) There is a beautiful lake and beach there, walking paths and a beautiful restaurant. You will enjoy the relaxation and rest after your time in Soddo/Shanto. In the Lakes Country, we will visit several big, beautiful lakes. When we were most recently in Ethiopia, we saw wild monkeys, baboons, hippos and lots of indigenous birds. And never forget, the countryside and people will be forever seared in your memory!

The Lodge at Lake Langano.

Roadside view.

One of the lakes.

Dave, Bereket and me beside a lake.

Another guy enjoying a lake.

On the road back to Addis.

We will spend the final 1-2 nights at the same guest house in Addis. Our group will have the opportunity, hopefully, to return to places we might want to see again, and to do any last-minute shopping, etc. Amazingly, these last two days are Ethiopian Christmas! Ethiopian Christmas is nothing like western Christmas. I have heard from travelers that witnessing, and taking part in, Ethiopian Christmas, is an incredible event!

Celebrating in Addis.

The Square in Addis.

Another Addis shot.

We will expect to fly out of Ethiopia on January 8. Because of the time change, I believe we will arrive back home on the 8th, too.

This has turned out to be a lot of information, I know. Given the research I have completed this week, I still think that a $2500 per person budget is do-able. I will keep you all posted!

Again, if this trip is NOT for you, and you don't want to keep receiving these emails from me.....just let me know! :-)

Questions, comments or encouragements? Post and share!

So....Let's go change the world! Yippee!!!!!

And please be in prayer for the many who want to go on this trip, but who need to raise the funding to do it.

love,
Lory

Email -- pictures added!

2010-07-05T10:35:00.057-06:00

Here is the email I sent to the potential FOVC travelers -- but I added pictures to illustrate!

Hi Everyone!

I have various things to share today. At this point, there are 8 of us committed to traveling together. There are 5 more (who I am aware of) who are very seriously considering joining us. Is there anyone else out there?

We have a doctor and his wife, who is a nurse/public health professional, joining us! Yea!

Given the magnitude of the financial gift that EOR has given to FOVC, we are praying now for someone who can train the FOVC staff in basic bookkeeping/accounting skills. It's so important that we help FOVC make the most of this tremendous gift!

The best flight itinerary I can find at this time is $1285. That is REALLY, CRAZY AFFORDABLE! (Our previous trips were considerably more.) When we factor in the fact that we will be traveling over Ethiopian Christmas, it's just an amazing rate! HOWEVER, this rate is not "safe" until we reserve the seats. The agent I have been working with (I have been in contact with three different agencies) thinks he can get Lufthansa to hold the seats for up to 2 weeks after we put them on hold and before we pay for them. So, we "hopefully" have about one week to decide to put seats on hold--at no cost--and then up to another two weeks to pay for the seats. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that we won't get this itinerary. Even if you are not ready to sign up in the next week or so, you can still come! But it's possible that your cost will be somewhat higher.

We are still looking at traveling out on December 28 or 29.

We are looking to spend our first 2 nights / 3 days in Addis. I am lining up lots of different options for everyone. What you need to know is that most things (meals out, etc.) are far more reasonably-priced than comparable places in the U.S.! Here are the opportunities currently in the line-up during our time in Addis--and there are more to come!

A street in Addis.

"Strip Mall" in Addis.

Typical pedestrians.

I have made contact with the PR Director of the world-renowned Hamlin Fistula Hospital, who will arrange a personal tour for those in our group who are interested. What you need to do: RENT and WATCH "Walk To Beautiful," READ "The Hospital By The River" also "Cutting For Stone" in preparation for this opportunity.

For those in the group who have never been to Ethiopia/Africa, you will need some time to rest and begin to process the beauty and the suffering that will just fill your senses.We will be staying at the Yeka Guest House. The rate will be $25 per person per night for double occupancy. This rate includes a delicious breakfast.

View from the Yeka Guest House.

In the garden at the Yeka.

Those who are interested can spend time at Children's Heaven, a wonderful organization that many of us are familiar with (also another partner with EOR). Hanna and the girls at Children's Heaven love having visitors!

The girls in the outdoor area at Children's Heaven.

We can shop/sight-see at a market on Churchill Street. It's a shopping area that is safe and easily navigate-able. The braver among us might plan a trip to the Mercato, which is the largest market in Africa!

The Mercato--a busy place!

What to say?

My favorite product at the Mercato.

There is a traditional Ethiopian restaurant where we can go for dinner together. In addition to the food, there is nightly music and dancing in the Ethiopian tradition. Very fun!

The traditional restaurant.

Those who are interested can visit Ethiopia's National Museum. The guided tours there are excellent, and it's where Lucy, the famous ancient skeleton lady, lives! There is a well-known restaurant called the Blue Top (you can get western-style food there, and it is good) across the street for lunch!

Ethiopia's National Museum--

it's a good museum and they are very proud of it.

For those who are interested, there is a (fairly gourmet) Italian restaurant and art gallery that is good for lunch or dinner. If you have been to our home, we have a couple of paintings from the gallery, which features only original art by Ethiopian artists.
Anyone who wants to go can visit the small Leper Community, where you have a chance to meet some of the artisans there--who also have leprosy--and to purchase their beautiful handiwork.
Anyone who wants to do so can visit--and maybe we'll do a pizza party?--at Sele Enat, the orphanage where both Amelia and Bereket lived before they came home.

Entrance to Sele Enat.

Sele Enat's kitchen.

Laundry at Sele Enat.

I am investigating the possibility of going to a close-by village called Kore, which was a true leper village-combined-with-trash-heap, and is now a community where the people still live. One of our friends is currently in Ethiopia on a short-term missions trip. You can read her blog post to learn more about Kore.

To Be Continued ... Please see next post, "Email -- continued -- pictures still added!)

Nutella

2010-07-04T10:05:00.001-06:00

So, we Howletts are nothing if not impulsive.

Meet Nutella. Abby's new cat. He's a very handsome guy, and he is really the color of his namesake, which is also Abby's favorite Euro snack.

God Sighting

2010-07-02T19:32:00.003-06:00

So....Allison (our biggest Big) has been away at CIY Camp this week. She left Sunday, June 27.

Later that same day, we got word about EOR's investment in FOVC. The next day, we decided to get serious about a trip to Ethiopia, and starting contacting people about it. If you read our blog, you know the trip became a "go" over the course of this week, and we are on our way!

Allison got home from camp tonight. As we were having dinner together, she shared that she believes God has called her to do missions work with her life. Her experience last night was apparently very powerful for her, and she shared her heart with everyone at camp last night.

She has a friend from church who was also at camp. He shared, too, that God has called him to missions work. He said he wanted to serve in Africa. She and "Anthony" apparently talked and prayed together, and decided they will go to Africa together. Someday.

The scary part is this:

Neither of them had ANY IDEA that we are taking this trip in just six months.

Now that they know we are going to Ethiopia so soon, they are basking in God's direction over their lives and pretty much just crying because they are so happy. It's very sweet, and very confirming.

Of course, the parents of these two young missionaries are pretty stunned and overwhelmed, too.

(And, Anthony and Allison are really, truly, simply good friends!. Really, I mean it.)

Fundraising and...MEN!

2010-07-02T16:44:00.001-06:00

It's Friday. Just since Monday, nine people have committed to joining this trip! And several more are very seriously praying and considering coming, too. Wow!

We are still "in the market" for a bookkeeper/accountant type.

Also, we are sort of "low" on men....are there any men out there who want to join us?

It would be helpful to have someone like an architect, or a builder, come, too. Or someone who is generally handy...?

This is such a rare opportunity--in fact, Desalegn at FOVC emailed today that EOR's huge gift, and our trip, are by far the biggest events in the history of Shanto Village--we are hoping to truly make the most of it. It would be just so incredible if we could encourage the people who live in Shanto AND help FOVC make great progress on building the orphanage, even as they build systems for tracking expenses and expenditures, and even as they are provided with some good health care, and even as the children realize they are not alone....and even as, and even as, and even as....

Most of our potential travelers have to face the dreaded topic of....FUNDRAISING.

I have a few ideas.

Do you have any skills you can provide in exchange for a donation? For example, a friend of mine is a very talented artist. I suggested she hire herself out for decorative painting jobs, and use the money she earns to fund the trip. (I would happily hire her!)

Another idea is to send a letter to friends and family. We know a young woman who is in Ethiopia right now. She needed to put together $3400 for her trip. Well, she was able to raise over $4000 by sending a fundraising letter to friends, family and co-workers. Our dear friend who is joining us on the trip just emailed a fundraising letter this morning....and he has already been contacted by people who want to support him!

Our "Bigs" raised over $200 dollars, on one Sunday morning, for our 2008 trip, just by setting up a table in our church lobby, and asking people for pocket change. They called it "Change 4 Change."

On EOR's blog, there is a post called "Make A Stand." Apparently, people will spend a fair amount of money for lemonade, especially when they know it's for such a good cause!

Our Bigs also raised over $2000 by organizing at fundraiser at our local Chick-Fil-A.

What about scheduling a fundraiser, or a lemonade stand, or a "Change 4 Change" campaign, and asking your local newspaper to do a human interest story? Our daughters really raised awareness for their fundraiser because it was featured in our newspaper.

I believe that people WANT to help. Because I believe that people WANT to change the world. For any possible trip-goers who are concerned about the finances, I'm going to be praying for you!

Can any of you in the blogosphere share additional ideas for fundraising?

love,
Lory

The Next One

2010-07-02T09:04:00.000-06:00

Turns out, we really need someone who is skilled in accounting and finance to join us in Ethiopia!

Since Desalegn's and FOVC's dream of building an orphanage for the children is becoming a reality...they need training and encouragement in bookkeeping and accounting. The FOVC staff wants to be fully transparent and accountable with the great financial gift that EOR have given to them. Some training in bookkeeping/accounting would be most beneficial.

So.....are YOU the next one?

More About Shanto Village (home of FOVC)

2010-07-01T10:02:00.001-06:00

Hello!

Please take a few minutes to read this eloquent post, and enjoy a few pictures, from our friend Stacey P.

Stacey and her husband are fellow IAN adoptive parents. They just came home with their new son! While they were in Ethiopia, they traveled to Shanto to deliver supplies and love to the children of FOVC. I think Stacey's words are beautiful, objective and haunting.

Stacey is serving on FOVC's board, too. Even as she adjusts to being mom to a new son, she is working on obtaining 501(c)3 status for FOVC. Thank you, Stacey!

So, please read, and let me know what you think!

love,
Lory

The Incredible News Keeps Coming!

2010-06-30T16:11:00.005-06:00

So much joy and confirmation in one day! See email below from Lauren A., who is Ethiopian Orphan Relief's Partners and Projects Chair.

Desalegn,
I am so proud to inform you that parts 1 and 2 of phase one will be financed by EOR. We have your banking information and will be wiring the sum of $21,800 USD to your account. Time to start building Desalegn. We are so excited and proud to be a part of your dream.

What does this mean? When we travel to Shanto, we can help build an orphanage!

If our group moves fast, I have identified flights on Lufthansa for under $1300--a rate that is truly unheard-of. Of course, nothing is locked in until we reserve flights.

Do you want to come and change the world?!

2010-06-30T09:35:00.002-06:00

Hi, Friends!
Things are happenin' with regards to this FOVC trip! Today, I heard from an actual DOCTOR who is very interested in joining us. His wife is a nurse, and she would come, too. This man has experience doing medical missions to Haiti. I just can't believe how valuable it would be to have a physician with us--both for our group and especially for the villagers on Shanto.

We received this email (below) from Desalegn last night.

It looks like this trip is going to happen. Who is with us? I believe if we have hearts to go and serve and help and love and change the world, God will help us work out the details of the finances and logistics. I will be doing my best--for God, for our group, for FOVC, for the children and for Shanto.

love,
Lory

(This is a photo of Desalegn with Dave.)

I have a huge thanks to you all on behalf of the poorest children, FOVC’s staff, the community of Shanto and myself. When FOVC wasstarted in August 2006, the only things I had plenty was faith, hope and love and five/six impoverished orphans. But today those three things have become food, clothing, education and medical supply for my children. These all happen due to the help of mighty God and you all. I thank you so many times for these all uncountable things.

Today I am writing this email to you all because I have received anamazing email from Lory (our Promotion, Mobilization and Fundraisingwing Director) which tells that over twenty farenges will going to visit our children, and villagers. It is really miracle for me and my community!

Yesterday I was discussing the issue with my staff and we agreed all the dates considered for the trip are good. However, the first option that is December 25(29), 2010 to January 8(9), 2011 is the best time for our children and community. Because in this time we have our own annual festival on Dec 24/25 (which is called Mother’s Day for our children) and national festival (“Gena” or Ethiopian Christmas) on Jan8/9. I believe it will be three and four fold happiness for my children if that team visits us on this time. But every time which is good for the team and you is good for us.

The other thing what I want to inform you is “What would the team do then?” question: (It is still free and you can moderate it for the convenience of the team and you.)

•Some of the team members can help and train our Finance and Administration workers with accounting and finance skills and help External Auditing of the organization and prepare Annual External Auditing report to the Board.

•The Board members (I think the Board will be fully structured at that time) can have its meeting and evaluate every performance of the organization and forward its comments and prepare future plan for the next year.

•Some members of the team can help us with our orphanage building construction .

•Some can teach the kids and staff English Language and other moral and Environmental Science subjects.

•Some others can help us providing skill trainings for our staff and community members

•And so on.

For the question related with Motel, I will check whether it hasenough rooms for the team or not and forward it to you. I think I have provided you with all the necessary information.

If you have any instruction, comment and etc please let me know it. Thank you once again for the great works for our organization and the children!

With great Regard, Desalegn Daka

FOVC trip?!

2010-06-28T11:21:00.000-06:00

Here is an email I just sent out. Are you interested in coming, too?

Hi All,
You received this email because you have indicated a possible interest in traveling with us to visit Friends of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Southern Ethiopia.

I am not yet free to share details, but HUGE things are happening at FOVC! It's amazing! And it's time to start planning!

If you want to read/learn more about FOVC, then please visit their blog at http://fovcethiopia.wordpress.com/. Desalegn Daka, our friend and the founder of FOVC, is also very active on Facebook.

At this time, we are looking at potential dates to travel. The options currently under consideration are these:

December 29, 2010 to January 8, 2011
January 2, 2011 to January 12, 2011
March 10, 2011 to March 20, 2011

We expect to be gone for about 10 days. Currently, airfare is running about $1500 per person for all of these dates. I do not yet have in-country travel, food or lodging costs, but I have reason to believe the trip will run approximately $2500. A board member is working on getting 501c3 status for FOVC, which--I believe--will make our expenses tax deductible.

"What would we do in Ethiopia?" you ask.
We expect to spend the first couple of days in Addis Ababa. This is the capitol city of Ethiopia. We will stay at a guest house there, rest up and do some sight-seeing. There will also be opportunities to visit Children's Heaven (http://www.childrensheaven.org/), the leper community that is located in Addis, the world-renowned Fistula Hospital and possibly a service opportunity or two.

Next, we will travel approximately 5 hours south to the small city of Sodo. I am hoping we will stay in the new motel there. During our time with FOVC, we will be based in Sodo.

FOVC is located in the village of Shanto, approximately a 30 minute drive from Sodo. At the time of our trip, FOVC will be working on building its new orphanage facility. We will help with this project. We will also deliver much-needed supplies to the children there. Finally, our presence will provide life-changing support and encouragement to the orphans, vulnerable children, FOVC staff and villagers of Shanto.

In addition to the things we hope to accomplish for FOVC and the village of Shanto, I know the children and the villagers desire to welcome us with a festival, cultural dancing, street races and etc.

After three or four days in Shanto, we will travel back to Addis via the beautiful lake country of Ethiopia. You can expect to see hippos, monkeys, baboons and more.

And, or course, wherever we go in the country, you will see the beautiful, warm, welcoming people of Ethiopia.

If you decide to join us for this adventure, you will never be the same!

Please let me know if you have questions, and if you are interested in the possibility of traveling with us. Once we learn who is interested, we will need to set the dates for our trip.

I am praying that we will find a "medical type" person to travel with us. This could be a nurse, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, etc. Based on our family's travel experiences, it would be very beneficial to have a medical professional on our team. Also, a "medical type" could really serve the people we will meet in Shanto, too.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, insights and questions! For those of us who travel together, I look forward to planning and preparing for this trip.

With love,

Lory

Overheard...

2010-06-27T17:08:00.003-06:00

...as Bereket and I walked upstairs to get Amelia up from her nap:

BEREKET: I'll tell Amelia I went swimming today.

ME: No, don't tell her you went swimming while she was taking her nap, it'll hurt her feelings.

BEREKET: Amelia, I went to TARGET! (With a big smile, he whispers in my ear that he is teasing her.)

And he shops at Target? I guess he really is becoming an American.

A few of our favorite things

2010-06-24T19:13:00.013-06:00

Nephew Evan, Cousin River and Grammy came to town last week to take part in our annual trek to Grand Lake. (Dave was at a conference in Michigan for brainiac theologians/academicians.) Grand Lake is just about my favorite place in the world....love it there! (So basically, Dave and I were both in our own little corners of heaven. Just not together. Not that being together would be hell or anything. Just sayin' last week, we had our separate versions of heaven. And that's ok.)

Cousin Riv and Meels at Winter Park.

Sister Abs and her favorite Brother at Winter Park.

These two really do love each other!

The Big Boys of the Park.

A hug along the hike.

All the kids! (What a fun mini-van full....some of the time, at least...)

Every year at Grand Lake, we take a picture of all the kids on this old-fashioned farming thing-y. This year, we had a couple new kids in the group--Cousin Riv and BEREKET!

Abs and Ev.

Abs and Meels in front of our favorite cottages in the world.

La Piece de Resistance: A Moose! Every night, after dinner and before dessert, the tradition is to hop in the mini-van and go moose hunting in the park. This night, we found ELEVEN ELUSIVE MOOSE--a record!

Sister + Brother

Somewhat unrelated photo: Dave's favorite part of Father's Day!

Hittin' the Bowen Trail!

A Mama Bear and a few of the cubs.

A Mama Moose...calves (fawns? moose-lets?) hiding in the brush behind her.

Then and Now

2010-06-15T13:54:00.000-06:00

Bereket "then":

(Kinda pale, kinda sad, looks a bit lost.)

Bereket "now":

(Same sassy sense of style, right down to shoes on the wrong feet.

But TOTALLY different kid!)

Mr. Handsome

And he lost a tooth!