Heavy Heart

Just before we celebrated Christmas, I heard from a fellow adopting friend, that there is a major infant formula crisis in Ethiopia. I'm copying and pasting a note from her blog below, she explains it better than I.

Anyhow, having just heard this before Christmas...as we were being blessed by so so much good and wonderful things, I kept thinking about the babies in orphanages in Ethiopia. Basically, the currency in ET has lost a lot of value, having a lot of impact on what they can import into thier country. And, as a result, they have not been able to import much needed infant formula. Please Read below. I have 2 friends that I know, who will be traveling to get babies in about 2 weeks. They can take much needed formula (no liquid formula) in thier luggage, and check extra bags full of formula. If each of us donated on can, imagine the difference we could make for hungry babies! For some it's easier to make a monetary donation, and that is fine as well, you can send checks to AGCI noted "formula for Ethiopia" or give it to me and I will personaly buy it and pass along to my friend. It costs $50 per extra bag of luggage, so if you feel led to give in that way, it would be a huge blessing to my friends travelling as well. It seems that is the easiest way and cheapest way to get a load of formula there.

50 pounds of formula looks like this...

I am leaving in less than 2 weeks to pick up my sweet little girl, but my heart is heavy. Ethiopia is facing a critical formula shortage that impacts the whole country, but especially the orphanages.

I borrowed this from Charisa's blog, because she did such a great job explaining it and is heading a formula drive through our adoption agency. Please read and see how you can help.

From Charisa:

Hello friends!

We have recently been made aware of the formula shortage in Ethiopia right now because the birr (Ethiopian currency) has lost value due to the downturn in the Ethiopian economy. Because of this trading with the Middle East, the normal source of formula, has been hampered.

This has resulted in a shortage of formula in the country and more specifically, dear to our hearts, the orphanages. Imagine trying to care for those precious babies and not knowing how you were going to feed them! I cannot fathom the heartache that must be. They are desperate for formula. This comes straight from Almaz, the director at Hannah's Hope.

Some of those same babies that I loved on, specifically at Enat Elam, are becoming sick from lack of formula and being fed powdered milk.

I have talked to Julie, my case manager, about specifically what we can do, here it is:

If you want to purchase powdered formula (no liquid!) , specifically up to about 12 months of age, you can give it to me (AMY). If you are further away, email me and I can give you the address of a traveling family to send it to. We will send this with traveling families as they go to Ethiopia. This is the best way to get it to Ethiopia.

Monetary Donations-- Because God is faithful and we are going to receive an enormous amount of formula (I like to think big with God) and sometimes people would prefer to just give money, we can collect money to help pay for the extra luggage charge to send over with formula with families traveling to Ethiopia. This is the cheapest way to get it there.

As far as monetary donations, they can be marked Formula for Ethiopia and made out to AGCI and sent to address at bottom or you can also give monetary donations to me and I will send them on.

I know that I am always coming to you guys with one cause or another...and I am so grateful for your help each time. I just really want to help these precious babies! It absolutely crushes my heart to think that they are without the formula they need to grow and live. They already have so many odds stacked against them.

If we each just send one can of formula, what a difference we can directly make to those babies!

I can't imagine the pain and heartache the orphanage directors are going through...trying to feed all of those babies and not having what you need to do it. Can you imagine?

All God's Children

3308 NE Peerless Place
Portland, OR 97232
http://www.allgodschildren.org/