Paul Myhill's Blog

Give a Child a Gift of Hope This Season!

Dear Friend of the Fatherless,

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we remember that He was born into poverty under 'shameful' circumstances and then immediately fled to Egypt to escape death. As such, Jesus intimately understands the plight of vulnerable and displaced children around the world today.

I've listed a few special Project Opportunities on my blog here at Abandoned-Orphaned.Com. They include providing homes for abandoned children in China and Ethiopia, rebuilding lives in Rwanda and Sudan, giving backpacks for orphans in Bangladesh and India, rehabilitating former child soldiers in Burma, preventing child trafficking in Thailand and Moldova, and fitting orphaned kids with new shoes in Kenya and Guatemala.

As you purchase Christmas gifts for friends and family, will you please remember the gifts that were presented to our Savior on that first Christmas? Will you please give Him a birthday present by providing a gift of hope to the children that He identifies with so well?

"Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me." (Matthew 18:5, NIV)

These special project opportunities can be viewed here or by simply scrolling through the prior blog posts below.

Thanks and have a Blessed Christmas!

Until They All Have Homes,

Paul
President – World Orphans

Gifts of Hope in Guatemala and Around the Globe

GUATEMALA: Shoes for 329 needy children

In Guatemala City, many children make a living in the city's vast garbage dumps, picking out items that can be recycled. Working in the dumps is highly dangerous as hazardous wastes and sharp objects are plentiful. One of World Orphans' partner churches in Guatemala is reaching out to these precious children through various programs, one of which is providing shoes to protect their little feet from the broken glass, needles and ripped metal cans hidden in the heaps of garbage. This year, you can help. You can give the gift of shoes to a child, which our partner will use to build trust and relationships in order to eventually rescue them from the trash piles. Our partner is presently ministering to 329 children and desires that they each receive a new pair of or rugged leather shoes. To do this, we need to raise $4,277 (or $13 for one child.)

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: GUAT-Shoes

GLOBAL: Bible Distribution

In addition to our orphan prevention, transition and self-sustainability programs, World Orphans has provided indigenous churches around the world with over 500 homes for children in almost 50 countries. All these homes are owned and run by these churches who, in addition to providing quality care for the children, teach them about Christ. Most of these churches have given a Bible to each child, but we still need to raise $5,500 to purchase additional Bibles so that every child in our homes will have their own Bible. These Bibles typically cost less than $2 each.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: Bible Distribution

GLOBAL: Emergency Relief Fund for children

In May of last year Burma (Myanmar) was devastated by Cyclone Nargis. Suddenly a country that was closed to most of the world was opened as many rushed to provide aid. Due to strict government policies, many humanitarian organizations were not given access to the hurting people. Thankfully, our indigenous partner was already on the ground working with local churches to provide emergency relief to orphans in the area. Likewise, with the South Asian Tsunami, our churches were already present in Indonesia, Thailand and India to provide assistance to children affected by the disaster.

Our Disaster Relief Fund enables our church partners around the world to quickly and effectively provide assistance to children in the wake of tragedy. We need currently need $30,000 to replenish this fund.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: Emergency Relief

Gifts of Hope in the Middle East

EGYPT: Ministering to street children in Cairo

Cairo is a very strategic city in the Middle East with very few Christian organizations working there. Through our contact in the region, we have connected with churches who are reaching out to the many orphaned and abandoned children on the streets, especially those working in "Garbage City." As you can imagine these children are highly vulnerable are are often stolen into slavery or extremism. We need to support churches to aid and rescue them. Our goal is to raise $15,000 for this strategic task.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: EGY-Street Children

IRAQ: Medical care for orphans in Baghdad

The situation in Baghdad is constantly in the news. But the plight of the orphan is rarely highlighted. Many of these children are sick, injured, and have nowhere to go. Through our World Orphans office and partnerships in the country, we are providing much-needed medical care to these precious children. You can play apart in this vital ministry with a precious gift towards our goal of $12,000.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: IRQ-Medical Care

Gifts of Hope in India

Backpacks for former orphaned children

One of World Orphans church partners has built several homes for children around the slums of Hyderabad. These children attend local schools but the church needs help to pay for their backpacks and school supplies. We need to raise $890 for this task.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: IND-544-Backpacks

Clothing for children in church-based homes

New clothes are a rarity in the slums of Hyderabad. However, our church partner knows that clothing and shoes are necessary for the former orphans in their care. They reuse clothing when possible, but the children frequently wear them out. As such, the church needs to purchase new clothes and a pair of shoes for 95 children. Each set (a full set of clothes and a pair of shoes) costs $22 ($2,090 for all of the children.)

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: IND-544-Clothes

Computers for vocational training

Our church partner in Hyderabad provides the best care they can for the rescued children in their care. Teaching these children valuable computer skills sets them up for quality jobs, enabling them to provide for themselves and for their future families. We would like to supply the church with several computers for this important program. The cost of these computers is $4,400 and will enable dozens of children to break the cycle of poverty and abandonment.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: IND-544-Computers

Gifts of Hope in South and East Asia

BURMA: Child soldier rehabilitation fund

The use of children as soldiers is rampant throughout Burma (Myanmar) as both rebel and government forces make use of them. Our network partner is working closely with local churches to rehabilitate rescued child soldiers. While not easy, they are doing a remarkable job. We would like to raise $11,000 to support this precious and much needed ministry.

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: BUR-Rehabilitation

BANGLADESH: Backpacks for former orphans

At the World Orphans project in Bangladesh, our partner church is providing a home for 17 former orphans where they receive the love of a family, food, clothing and medical care. The church pays for the children's education fees, but they need backpacks for the kids to carry their books to the local school. You can meet this need by giving $130 (or $7.65 for one child.)

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: BANG-504-Backpacks

CHINA: School fees and supplies for abandoned children

Education is a privilege for most children, especially in China where it is highly valued. At the World Orphans project there, 55 children are living in apartments with house moms from local churches. The churches value providing education for these children who attend primary through high school. Would you like to help us meet this need? To provide quality education for these children, it costs $7,683 per year (or $139.70 per child.)

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: CHI-523-Education

CHINA: Clothing for abandoned children

Children grow out of their clothing rather quickly and although hand-me-downs are much appreciated, oftentimes they are not enough to fully clothe the next child. At our project in China, our partner churches need $6,785 to provide all the clothing needs for the children for a year (or $123.36 per child.)

Giving Options

Enter the following code on your check or online memo: CHI-523-Clothes

Resurrecting an Old Project in Nicaragua

PROJECT PROFILE:

Poverty is widespread in Nicaragua. In a country that has massive unemployment and with almost 50% of the population living under the poverty line, many families are struggling to survive, leaving their children extremely vulnerable to gangs, traffickers and drug dealers. Many children are simply abandoned - left to fend for themselves on dangerous streets and city dumps.

Understanding the link between these abandoned children and the persistent poverty cycle, Verbo, a denomination of 14 churches, reaches out to these children by providing feeding programs, schools and homes. Verbo is also building a model farm and agricultural training program for at-risk youth to provide valuable vocational training, Christian discipleship and safe housing. This farm will not only provide the youth with job and life skills, but will be an important source of income for the project itself and the homes the Verbo Church operates. For the farm project, Verbo is currently renovating an existing building that World Orphans constructed almost 15 years ago. The cost for the renovation is approximately $30,000.

NICARAGUA COUNTRY PROFILE:

Number of Single Orphans* (one parent lost): 113,000

Number of Double Orphans* (both parents lost): 3,900

*not including abandoned, sold or trafficked children

Population: 5,891,199

Average Income: $410 per person

NETWORK PARTNER:

CONTRIBUTIONS:

To give to this project please view our giving options (link below) and write "NIC-Nueva Guinea" in the online memo field or on the memo line of your check:

Giving Options

More on India Opportunity

A couple of days ago I presented the World Orphans Project Profile for Bethel Gospel Church in Hyderabad, India. The profile explained Pastor Sudhakar's vision to see churches planted to rescue and care for children in Bethel's surrounding communities. Yesterday I received Christmas greetings (below) from Pastor Sudhakar in a format that highlights Bethel's goal to establish 100 churches caring for 10 children each (1,000 children).

I invite you to join World Orphans, Bethel Gospel Church, and Pastor Sudhakar in this bold vision to rescue orphaned and abandoned children from the slums of Hyderabad. Would you prayerfully consider a generous year-end gift?

CONTRIBUTIONS:

To give to this project please view our giving options (link below) and write "IND-544" in the online memo field or on the memo line of your check:

Giving Options

Increasing Care Capacity in Uganda

PROJECT PROFILE:

HIV/AIDS is rampant throughout the developing world and Uganda is no stranger to its devastating effects. Over 600,000 children have lost both parents in this East African nation. Many young adults - the primary wage earners and caretakers of the children - have also lost their lives, leaving a severely diminished capacity to rescue and care for the littlest victims. Many families are stretched thin and simply don't have the financial resources to take in even one more child.

Thankfully, Dove Church in Wakiso is one of many World Orphans partner churches standing in the gap in Uganda. Situated on the edge of an area that suffers from great poverty and an extremely high incidence of HIV/AIDS, Dove church is well positioned to minister to dying families and to provide care solutions for the children who are being left behind. Pastor Davis Habaasa and his wife Grace, who first started the church as a ministry to children, are now reaching out into the community for the sake of the children. Dove presently supports foster families in the community to increase their ability to take in additional children. The church also has a home for twelve orphans on its church property.

Thanks to a great church in Tennessee this project is now fully funded, but we have many more like it in Uganda and East Africa that are still in need of compassionate partners.

UGANDA COUNTRY PROFILE:

Number of Single Orphans* (one parent lost): 3,200,000

Number of Double Orphans* (both parents lost): 620,000

*not including abandoned, sold or trafficked children

Population: 32,369,558

Average Income: $330 per person

NETWORK PARTNER:

CONTRIBUTIONS:

To give to a project like this please view our giving options (link below) and write "UGA" (Uganda) or "EA" (East Africa) in the online memo field or on the memo line of your check:

Giving Options

A Hope and a Future in India

PROJECT PROFILE:

India is home to over one billion people and 26,400,000 children who have lost at least one parent. With widespread poverty and massive HIV/AIDS rates, the situation is seemingly quite dire. But at World Orphans we instead view such problems as opportunities – to change lives and impact nations. Bethel Gospel Church is one of dozens of World Orphans partner churches that is seeking to make a difference in India. A few years ago Bethel decided to step out in faith to use what little resources they had to rescue and care for extremely vulnerable children in Hyderabad. Church multiplication has been part of that strategy. As such, Bethel is planting many cell-based churches in their surrounding community and slums. Each of these churches is being instilled with the value of reaching out to the at-risk children in their immediate vicinities. Bethel's pastor, K. Sudhakar, and his wife are leading these churches to serve in some very meaningful ways, including the response to care for orphaned, abandoned, and at-risk children through their slum child education program, street children feeding program, and homes for orphans who have no other options available to them.

One such home, located on Bethel's church property, presently provides security and care for ten rescued children. World Orphans still needs $6,500 to fully fund the infrastructure costs of this home.

INDIA COUNTRY PROFILE:

Number of Single Orphans* (one parent lost): 26,400,000

Number of Double Orphans* (both parents lost): 1,200,000

*not including abandoned, sold or trafficked children

Population: 1,166,079,217

Average Income: $370

NETWORK PARTNER:

Operation Mobilization

CONTRIBUTIONS:

To give to this project please view our giving options (link below) and write "IND-544" in the online memo field or on the memo line of your check:

Giving Options

Homes for Orphans in Ethiopia

PROJECT PROFILE:

Ethiopia, a land of great beauty and distinction, has an ancient recorded history and a proud Biblical heritage. Yet this nation has been devastated by poverty, famine and HIV/AIDS, causing 5,600,000 children to lose one or both parents.

The Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC) is one of the largest denominations in Ethiopia with over 5,000 congregations. The EKHC church in Ambo and its pastor, Tesfaye Gudeta Amenu, have been running a Compassion International project for many years along with providing food and clothing to orphaned children in their community. Because some of these orphans were left with no other options, EKHC and Compassion representatives asked World Orphans to help the Ambo church rescue the children through a family-style residential program.

Two homes, located on church property, are currently being built by World Orphans to provide families, care and love for twenty children. World Orphans still needs funds for the completion of the construction as well as $1,980 per month to help the Ambo church meet the ongoing needs of these sweet children.

ETHIOPIA COUNTRY PROFILE:

Number of Single Orphans* (one parent lost): 5,600,000

Number of Double Orphans* (both parents lost): 630,000

*not including abandoned, sold or trafficked children

Population: 85,237,338

Average Income: $100 per person

NETWORK PARTNER:

CONTRIBUTIONS:

To give to this project please view our giving options (link below) and write "ETH-543" in the online memo field or on the memo line of your check:

Giving Options