Giving to Africa

Off to Zambia...I love to travel!  I especially love to travel when I get to meet, get to know, and spend time with people and languages.  Africa has been on my list of places to visit for quite sometime and I would not want to go with anyone else, but my friend Heather.  We are going to Zambia.   She lived there for four years and I am really going to get an insiders perspective on this trip...just what I love to do.  She originally went to Africa on assignment through Mothers Without Borders.     http://www.motherswithoutborders.org

As mentioned before, I am allowed to take TWO suitcases to Africa that weigh 50 pounds each.  It is my goal to fill the suitcases with stuff for the kids.   Here are some pictures of some of the kids and the orphanage/ school where they live.   There are 40 kids at the orphanage school and 150 in the village (including the 40 orphan kids). 

If you would like to help me fill the suit cases, I will be taking donations until the bags are filled.  I will also be doing a pick up in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 13 and in Portland, OR Wed. July 25th.  Locations TBA

Items for collection are:

1) Socks and underwear for boys and girls from ages newborn to 15 years

2) Stickers, die cuts, vinyl cuts or other fun, light educational supplies

3) Cash donations:  Heather and I would like to take the orphans on a day long adventure outside of their village.  100% of all cash donations will go directly to the school (delivered by me).   $500 would give all the orphan kids (40 kids) a day to leave the orphanage on an adventure.  It would cover transportation, food and all accommodations for them to experience a local zoo, park or water park.  If we do not get enough money to go on an adventure, all cash donations will go towards buying new shoes and clothes for the kids.  Donations will be excepted via PayPal at margosmith.09@gmail.com.  You are also welcome to donate right to Mothers Without Borders website but I cannot guarantee that the money will go to the kids I will be visiting.  

4)  Gift bags:  There are 150 kids in the local village, including the kids at the orphanage.  We would love to be able to take something to all the kids in the village. For example, last year a group of people put together little ziplock bags that had a mini bag of skittles, a plastic bracelet, a deflated balloon, and a bouncy ball in it.  Just a little something all the village children could get, including the kids at the orphanage.  Remember, we can only take two suitcases that weigh 50 pounds each.  But if you wanted to get 150 of something...we could give it to the village kids.  

This is my friend Heather with some of the kids.  

If you are looking for a great way to serve this summer, this is it!  I am going to take pictures and try to show you as much as possible how you affected the lives of children in Zambia!    If you would like to see more pictures of the kids, please visit Heather Radditz on Facebook.  Thanks in advance for all of your love and support.  :)