Mothers Without Borders

My camera battery charger is lost. I think the kids did something with it, because I never move it - it is one of two places at all times. But until I find it, I cannot upload pictures. The camera is filled with all kinds of things, Halloween pics, most notably. But also other adventures. I'll try and deep clean the house this weekend and find it.

The newest news in our family is that we have been adopted by a CAT. Five days went by and it would not leave, even though Sadie did her "roaring lion going after a gazelle" impersonation on the poor cat several times. Elina named the cat "Skittles," after the candy. Her inspiration was the classroom pet hamster Jelly-Bean. Jelly-Beans and Skittles do look a bit a like, I suppose. I finally broke down and fed the cat, and tonight for the first time we let it spend the night in our entry way, and made a bed from an old towel. It is not heated, but well-insulated, wind-free and won't freeze. I even bought a bag of cat food, and I am not a CAT PERSON! If anyone in Norman wants to adopt a cute, sweet tabby cat that is fond of children, let me know. I have yet to find a lost-cat ad, and I have checked.

The thing that has absolutely CONSUMED me lately is AIDS orphans in Zambia. I have since very early in life had a strong desire, no yearning, to be part of a solution for Africa. I remember the Christmas my parents bought the single "Do they know it's Christmas time?" I was 6. I listened to it over and over and had my mother translate the words for me, because I did not understand English at the time. I watched the documentary behind the making of the single with my parents when it aired on TV and the melody haunted me along with the images of desperation in Africa. I remember the feel of the single cover and I must have spent hours looking at the image of the two starving Ethiopian kids. And yes, the argument "Think of the children in Africa" usually worked to get me to clear my plate.

We lived without television for 4 years, Mark and I. But a few years ago we got satellite, except we pay only for the outdoor channel, a la carte. It's 5 bucks a month and we get twenty or thirty free channels. They are obscure ones, but we like them. BYU TV, UCLA TV, and a bunch of other university channels. We also watch China News and Al Jazeera in English and other Middle Eastern, British and German news casts along with American news and funky world music on LINK. We also get DOC, the documentary channel. That is where I saw the documentary "Their Brother's Keepers: Orphaned by AIDS" (will air again Dec 11, 6 pm central time) that kept me up crying like I haven't cried since I said good bye to my family at the airport in June, worse actually.

I mean, anyone who has not lived under a rock for the past 10 years knows how AIDS is ravaging Africa, but to see and follow day-to-day life for child-headed households in Zambia was almost more than I could bear. Ten year old kids care for their younger brothers and sisters, sleeping on burlap sacks on dirt floors, eating a few times a week. They wash them, play with them, comfort them and sing to them, telling them everything will be alright.

My response is always the same. I go into a mental frenzy on how to make insane amounts of money, get resources and just pour it into these children's lives and their communities. But fact is, I will never make that kind of money. But I am insanely rich already. I have MANY changes of clothes, as do my children. I have a warm house with all kinds of furniture, food, books to read and DVDs to watch, pretty things and things I don't want or really need. I eat too much. My kids are getting a great education. I have a college degree. I have a freaking cell phone! Would I give it up to feed an orphan child per month in Zambia? Absolutely.

I am not too trusting of charitable organizations, except The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose Humanitarian Aid program donates 100% of funds directly to the people in need, thanks to an all volunteer staff. Plan is the name of the organization that made the documentary I saw, or at least they were connected with it somehow. They use 22% of donations for administration and advertisements. If they had not, I would never have learned about Zambia the way I did. So I think 22% is fair. Someone has got to get the word out, or nothing gets done.

But then I looked at the organizations the Church works with in Zambia. They only work with the best. Here is a map of the Church's humanitarian efforts world wide. It has been Mark's and my dream since we got married to one day serve a Humanitarian mission for the Church, once the kids are out of the house. One of the charities the Church works with in Zambia is Mothers Without Borders. They use 94% for children's needs. An absolutely AMAZING organization now that I have looked at it. But again, they are not likely reaching the audience that Plan does, because they do not spend money on advertising. So I may do a one time donation to Plan to encourage them to keep up the good work. But Mothers Without Borders is in my heart and will be part of my life from now on. Perhaps I will be able to sleep at night.