We're So Close to Getting a Well!

Because of you generous donors, we are on our way towards providing a well with Until Then!

We are about 1/4 of the way towards our goal of $1,300. Its amazing that so little money will provide clean drinking water for about 100 people (for a very long time!). Our goal is to have 65 people donate $20 each.

Clean drinking water is something that Phil and I have just recently begun to learn about, and we have both suffered the consequences of drinking dirty water... remember the "Joys of Poop" post? When we were last in Kenya, we spent some time in a rural village outside of Kisumu. We were trying to do a well for a poor community that Until Then has been working in with Overlake Christian Church, and actually needed water to be able to dig. The nearest water source was about a 5 minute drive, and we were fortunate enough to have vehicles. If we hadn't, it would have been a 20 minute walk there, and then a longer return depending on the weight of the water. There were mostly children doing the walk for water from the village to provide for their families, and most of the children were girls.

I'm hoping you'll partner with us in providing a well so that children won't have to walk as far to get water, and will have a new chance to actually be children. Wouldn't it be more fun to play in water than have to walk to get some?

To join us, click the donate button to the right. All funds go to Until Then and are completely tax deductible. Every dollar you donate will go towards this project!

We can do it!

Children in Dago, Kenya, collecting water in buckets

$20

We are thinking that we can get just 65 of our friends to donate $20 each to help us build a well through Until Then.

The well will provide clean drinking water to those without. Every day, school age children have to walk for hours to find a water source for their family. If we provide a well, then these children can go to school instead!

If you're in, click the donate button to the right. It will take you to Until Then's secure PayPal account, where all donations are tax deductible.

What do you think, will you join us?

Ever Hopeful,

Dalene

"What if I Can't Afford to go to Africa?"

This morning I had the honor of speaking with a group of high school students during their Global Issues class (via Skype; I love Skype). A dear friend is the teacher of this Kentucky class, and she has the awesome ability of engaging high school students to care about global issues. The only global issue I cared about in high school was if I could afford an Italian leather handbag... my, how times have changed (but I still like Italian leather!).

She asked that I focus on children affected by poverty and what Until Then does. I had about 45 minutes to engage 17 year old hearts and minds with crazy statistics and hopefully empower them to do something once the video chat ended.

Between attempting to explain the differences of refugees and illegal immigrants and trying to hold back on how human traffickers are ruling the world, the students just wanted something tangible that they could do to make a difference. Texting $10 to a relief organization wouldn't satisfy their desire to help. Giving up their college tuition to go to a developing country for a personal experience of poverty is not an option for them.

Advocacy and Awareness, two of the most powerful tools for change... if you can advocate and create awareness then you are making a difference, and students are really good at both. One of our projects with Until Then is Kids For Street Kids. There is a group of high schoolers in Orange County that have an Until Then Club, where they raise awareness about homeless kids in Kenya, as well as in Orange County. They write supportive letters to street kids across the globe and raise money to alleviate poverty, but they are also making Easter baskets for local homeless kids. The students of this Until Then Club have made their peers (and faculty) aware that there are 150 million street kids globally, some of whom are in the United States. The kids, on their own and with little direction from us, decided that they were going to be the best possible advocates for street kids; hence the purpose of Kids For Street Kids.

If you would like more information on starting an awareness campaign and becoming an advocate for street kids, email us or leave a comment below! We're also on facebook.

meet Reggie, a 10 year old in Seattle, Washington, who decided that his church should put together backpacks for street kids as Christmas gifts. Reggie is an advocate for street kids.

Advocate for life,

Dalene

A Day Without Shoes

I use to think that I knew what jiggers were. My granny in Texas is always talking about the jiggers that we can potentially get playing in the pasture, and she follows by sharing with us her 'homeopathic' remedies for getting them out. So, when we were in Kenya last November, I heard a lot of talk of jiggers and couldn't believe that the caregivers (mostly volunteers with big hearts and strong stomachs) hadn't heard of my granny's home remedies, and was excited that I actually knew some way to contribute and help!

Well, if they were chiggers, I indeed would have known. There's something about that Southern accent my granny has that makes a few words with different meanings flow together; take snake and stake for example (yelling at me to watch out for the cows calling them stakes, my silly granny... oh, snakes..).

The only way to remove jiggers, if you are one of the millions of people in the world who suffer from having them, is to dig them out with a sharp object. In your mind, picture little maggots swarming around inside your feet, creating infection and terrible discomfort. Jiggers are the product of fleas that burrow in feet (most commonly in farm animals, but surpassing the goats and cows with infection are children in developing countries). The fleas lay eggs and turn into little white worm looking things. If your foot is itching like mad, you find something sharp to scratch at it; the infection is under the skin, not showing on the surface.

Alright, graphic enough for you? Me too. I think I'll skip breakfast.

Here is a photo for you!

courtesy of Amy Biemeck, www.safariofsix.blogspot.com

There are much more graphic photos I could share with you, but this should be enough to convey the intensity of jiggers.

So, how does one become infected with jiggers?

From not wearing shoes, usually because you cannot afford them.

Today is "A Day Without Shoes," a global movement that occurs one day a year, started by Toms Shoes. The objective is to raise awareness about diseases that stem from not wearing shoes, such as the potentially life threatening jiggers you've just learned about.

If you are not able to go without shoes today, then please spread the word about it.

Below is another awesome video, produced by my incredibly talented husband. It will encourage you, and will hopefully be a useful tool in engaging others to join the movement in fighting for social justice.

Have a wonderful Day Without Shoes!

Always for the Children

Siempre Para Los Ninos is a children's home just south of Tijuana, Mexico. We spent some time down there a few weeks ago, and Phil made this video to create awareness about the plight of Mexican children, and the rate at which they are abandoned. This film instills hopefulness, as well as encouraging the masses to love on the millions of orphans that we are obligated to care for. Who wouldn't fall in love with these beautiful children?!

If you are interested in visiting Siempre, you are more than welcome. There is a dedicated group from Southern California that goes down every Wednesday afternoon, and there are consistently groups that go down for short term trips from all over the USA. For more information send an email to Eric, eric@centralcommunity.com

Enjoy!