Sycamore Street Press

A little while ago, Eva from Sycamore Street Press contacted me (you might remember them from the orange and gray letterpress alphabet poster I was longing for a couple of posts down). She and her husband were looking for an organization to donate a portion of the proceeds from their 2009 calendar to -- and they were considering AHOPE! Well, their calendar is now available and they are donating fifty percent  of the proceeds to AHOPE.  So exciting.  It comes in two absolutely beautiful colorways, and helps out an amazing organization which, as you know, is very close to my heart -- so how can you resist? Have a look...

in red and chartreuse 

a closer look- in yellow and gray 

Check out their Etsy shop or their website for more lovelies.

Thanks Eva and Kirk!  I hope it's an amazing success!

xo,

Amy

AHOPE update

A short time ago, Katie and I sent our first check to AHOPE. We were both really excited about this--and are even more excited knowing that we will be able to give more in the future. Katie received a letter from them today in the mail, which I of course made her read aloud to me over the phone--including the contents of the enclosed brochures. I then made her read it aloud again, so that I could type it all up and share it in my blog. Katie was not all that impressed with my "but I really can type very quickly" abilities, so she typed it up herself and emailed it to me.

So, here is a portion of the letter which talks about how the donation will be used:

"Your gift will help support AHOPE Ethiopia’s two orphanages for HIV positive children in Addis Ababa as well as the community outreach program that assists what is left of HIV orphan’s families to keep them at home rather than having to abandon them to institutional care. It will also help to build AHOPE Children’s Village.

The financial challenges of our building project and outreach program are a big stretch for us, but the need is definitely there- the statistics on the numbers of orphans in Ethiopia are staggering and many of those orphans are HIV positive. Beyond that however, we want to serve as a model of what can be done- and done right. We can’t do it all, but with your help we can make a difference!"

And here are some interesting facts about AHOPE, should you be interested in more information:

"The mission of African HIV Orphans: Project Embrace is to offer a two-pronged approach to the devastation caused by the AIDS virus in Ethiopia

- Provide a nurturing, stimulating, loving home for infected children orphaned by the disease.
- Provide comprehensive, accurate education to families, staff, and local community regarding AIDS prevention and care of infected loved ones."

It goes on to state that Ethiopia has been severely afflicted by the AIDS epidemic that is happening all over the world. As entire generations are dying, many are leaving behind children. Hundreds of thousands of children. Many of these orphans test positive for the HIV virus. Ethiopia has a serious need for more facilities to care for HIV orphans--those both affected by and infected with HIV. There is also a need to better educate the people of Ethiopia, to break down the superstition and misinformation about AIDS and HIV. One of AHOPE's missions is be able to place HIV+ orphans back into the homes of their existing family members when possible. This is currently very difficult as many are reluctant to adopt children whose parents died of AIDS.

"AHOPE for Children Provides:

-Pleasant and well-staffed children's homes that solely care for orphans that test positive for HIV.
- Love, nurture and education for the children in care.
- Comprehensive medical care, including anti-retroviral medication and counseling, in partnership with World Wide Orphans Foundation.
- Ongoing community programs to educate about AIDS."


For even more information:
Visit the AHOPE for Children website.
Visit the World Wide Orphans Foundation website


I have such mixed feelings right now. I'm so excited for the vision that AHOPE for Children has. And I believe so strongly in what they are doing, and in what they will do. But I know that there is still SO MUCH that has to be done. So much that MUST be done.

I am so incredibly thankful for everyone who has supported us on this journey. It's been a pretty incredible one so far. And I'm really excited to see how it all turns out.

xo,
Amy

Lulella Shop Update

I'm a little short on time this week, so I will have to leave the longer postings to a little later. However, I do have an update on AHOPE donations.

A few posts ago I mentioned that Katrina from lulella was donating a portion of the profits from this doll to AHOPE. Well, Katrina has added a second item! She will be donating 20% of the profits from this lovely to the children of AHOPE:



Check out those wings. Adorable. Thank you so much Katrina for your enthusiasm and for supporting such an amazing organization!

Okay. I hope you are all doing well. I hope to be back in a couple of days with a bit more.

xo,
Amy

give (and buy) a little bit...

I have had one of those weeks where I keep doing things like tripping and falling, and dropping things, and somehow getting caught in the middle of some sort of cycling event and almost (but not really) hitting a man after he fell off of his bicycle in the middle of my lane. But all is well, that week is in the past, and so I can blog about only good news and lovely things.

I have been emailing (through etsy) with the lovely shop owner of lulella who approached me about donating a portion of her earnings to AHOPE. How incredibly generous. Katrina lives in Vermont and is all about reusing goods that already exist and turning them into new and beautiful things. She has really adorable items in her shop--such cute plush items (love this owl), precious clothes for little girls and the sweetest greeting cards. She is donating 20% of her profits from this doll to AHOPE:



So cute. And completely handmade. I would have loved, loved this as a little girl. And part of it is going to a really great cause, so check it out. Thanks Katrina!

Some other exciting Etsy news is that one of my very favorites, Mati Rose McDonough of Suspect Shoppe is having a print sale. It's this week only (July 25-31st) and it's BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! So, should you be looking for my favorite cat-in-boys-underpants-and-tubesocks-robbing-a-bird-of-its-feathers painting, or the beautiful "believe" -- you could get them both for the price of one and then our walls could be doppelgangers (only without the bad-luck part). That would be splendid. She also has some ridiculously adorable zoo animal prints which would be so perfect in a nursery. I would buy them myself for my soon-to-be niece or nephew, but it isn't my child, or my home, and sometimes I have to let my sister and brother-in-law make those kinds of decisions themselves. But only sometimes. (hint, hint katie -- the monkeys and the elephant... )

Be on the lookout this week for some new items in the Project 8256 shop. I think that some more along the lines of this one might be making an appearance:



Be blessed. And thanks for reading. I really do appreciate it.

xo,
Amy

AHOPE Children's Village

Some of the children at AHOPE (Photo found here)



I was perusing the world wide web, and decided to check in on the AHOPE website. And I'm so glad I did, because there was some really exciting news. AHOPE is trying to raise $1.5 million this year for their building fund as they work towards building the AHOPE Children's Village. Here is what they are hoping to build:

"The plans include 16 cottages where children will live family style with house parents, 6 transitional homes designed for older teens and young adults who are being prepared to enter adult society, administrative buildings, library, clinic with isolation rooms, classrooms and an auditorium for events, including community events. We hope to obtain land from the Ethiopian government and will build as the money comes in. This project is a real stretch for our organization but the need is very great and we know how to do what needs to be done. Please spread the word and help us provide a wonderful facility for the HIV orphans of Ethiopia." (AHOPE Children's Village 07/2007 Update)

What a perfect, exciting time to be working towards supporting them financially. I love their vision so, so much. There are so many huge organizations that are working towards fighting HIV and AIDS -- trying to stop this epidemic from spreading, trying to treat those who are already infected -- and I think that is absolutely, unequivocally crucial. But I love so much that AHOPE is taking one area, one need, and seeing what can grow from that. If the children who are sick can become strong, if they can be nurtured and educated and loved, if the community around them can begin to break down stereotypes and the wealth of misinformation that is plaguing the AIDS crisis right now in Africa -- think what can come of that! What changes can be made when children are not merely labeled "orphaned" or "sick" and tossed aside -- but are allowed the freedom to grow and learn and then become leaders in their communities? I feel so blessed to be even the tiniest part of it.

Click here for more information on the AHOPE Children's Village as well other fundraising events. Keep A Child Alive also contributes financially to AHOPE, as well as to the Barlow Clinic which oversees the prescription and administration of ARVs to the children of AHOPE.

May you be blessed.

xo,
Amy

"HIV positive man sitting at home before taking his anti-retroviral (ARVs) medicines, Cambodia." Credit: UNAIDS/O. O’Hanlo (2)


This afternoon I made a short little jaunt to the bookstore, really only hoping to find some periodicals that were 1) interesting enough to fill my lunch hour and 2) willing to be sacrificed as I really planned to cut them to bits for some future projects. Now, I am all for recycling used magazines, but my stockpile is running a little low. Regardless, I was quite pleased to find that Vanity Fair is doing a special issue on Africa. This edition is edited by Bono and others such as, oh, Desmond Tutu, Oprah, Bill and Melinda Gates, Muhammad Ali, Barack Obama, Maya Angelou--you get the idea.

I've yet to really delve into the entire thing, but I did read the article on (Product) Red called "The Lazarus Effect". I was really thankful for an article that put the need for ARVs in such simple, easily understandable terms. I was aware that ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) are the ultimate necessity if anything is to be done at all to treat those already infected. I had no idea, however, just how fast they can work. There have been patients, it seems, that see unbelievable results after only 40 days of ARV treatment. Some even improve from being critically ill to "vibrant normalcy in just three months" (1).

And each pill is only 20 cents.

Now, certainly not everyone has such amazing results. And, yes, while each pill is only 20 cents--it's really 20 cents times _____ -- well, a lot. So much that it is still very much a crisis. But it seems as though there is a little light shining at the end, and I am encouraged by that. And if me buying a t-shirt or picking the red i-pod over the pink one is going to make a difference, then I'm all for that.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, father's day (if applicable) and that Monday wasn't too bad. All three were actually quite nice on my end.

xo,
Amy


Citations, should you want them:
1. Vanity Fair Special Issue: Africa July 2007 -- "The Lazarus Effect" article by Alex Shoumatoff p.156
2. UNAIDS Epidemic Update 2006 - Press Photographs

knowledge, power, change

"Kicosehp NGO, Kibera Community Self Help programme, Kenya, Africa. This is the largest slum area in Africa with over 1 million people. HIV/AIDS incidence is very high. Support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. Materials prepared by the youth for the youth." (Credit: UNAIDS/G. Pirozzi)


I've been challenged lately by the idea that "knowledge is power". This is such a cliche, I realize, and I usually try to avoid overused phrases, but I think that this one rings true. I think, though, that what is more important than having the ability to gain power through knowledge, is what is done with that power. The most important part, I think, is that with power can come change. This project has been such a process, and I really don't think that it would have happened at all, or at least in this form, had I not educated myself about the true scope of the crisis in Africa, and had my sister and brother-in-law not done the same. I will be the first to admit that, quite honestly, I still know very little and I still have so much more to learn, so much more to understand. But I am trying to learn as much as I can, and I thought I would share a little of what I have learned with you:

The are 25 million people infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. That's 63% of the world's AIDS population. Two-thirds. (1)

About 2.1 million Africans died of AIDS in 2006 alone -- that's roughly three-fourths of all AIDS related deaths in the world that year. (1)

There are some numbers that seem to be improving, and many are receiving the much need antiretroviral treatment. The need is so great, however, and there are so, so many to treat, that only about one-fourth of those infected are receiving treatment. (1)

"AIDS has a female face almost everywhere in the developing world especially in sub-Saharan Africa where, on average, three women are infected for every two men and among the 15-24 age group three women are infected for every one man. Women continue to bear the brunt of the pandemic by caring for the sick and taking in AIDS Orphans more often." (2)

"By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50-75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease." (3)

"The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million." (3)


It's staggering to me. And overwhelming. And really hard to wrap my mind around.

I guess, really, what I would love to get across more than anything is that maybe, for you, it isn't Africa, it isn't AIDS. Maybe for you it's something else. The truth, really, is that there are plenty of causes, plenty of needs, here in the United States and all over the world. So what is it for you? There are certainly many other causes that weigh so heavily on my heart. And I hope that one day I will be able to make some sort of contribution to those as well. So what could happen if we took those things that have meaning to us, and we dove deeper and we learned more and we were moved to action? What would happen? What could change? Something to think about, I guess. I'm certainly not wanting to sound like I have everything figured out, because I definitely don't. But this really has been on my heart lately. Yours too, perhaps?

Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine absolutely flew by. So, so fast. Happy June!

xo,
Amy

Some citations, should you be curious:
1. UNAIDS 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update
2. Keep a Child Alive
2. Until There's A Cure - Vital Statistics

A Hope For Children

The children of AHOPE have really been on my heart lately. I think that a little of this comes from the desire to have the ability to donate as much as possible to this organization. There are certainly moments when I feel like I am up against the impossible, that I am never going to make it, that it will never be enough. But I think of my sister and brother-in-law--they are going to be such wonderful parents. And I think of the children of Ethiopia--they need so much. And that certainly keeps me motivated. I was reading a little about AHOPE and thought I would share it with you. You can read more about them on their website, but I really love how Keep a Child Alive describes the AHOPE orphanage. Instead of paraphrasing, I thought I would just include the entire thing:

"The money that KCA has provided not only buys ARVs, but also provides psycho-social and educational support to these children. This care is facilitated by additions to AHOPE's staff. Specifically, an additional physician, nurse, and administrative assistant have been hired to support treatment and care for the children in the orphanage. Educational support is provided by two additional teachers: one to help children with learning disabilities and the other to teach dance, music and art. KCA's money is also being used to pay a psychologist to evaluate the children and counsel those in need. Finally, a community outreach coordinator has been hired in order to identify existing family members of the orphans and assist with reintegration of orphans with their families.

The health and economic figures for Ethiopia are devastating. According to the UNDP (HDR 2005), the life expectancy is 47.6 years old, only 22% of the population has access to clean drinking water, and 80% lives on less than $2/day. But this orphanage in Addis Ababa is bringing hope, light, joy, art, music and love to sick children, a Keep A Child Alive mission."

Both paragraphs were found here. How can you not get behind an organization whose mission is to bring "hope, light, joy, art, music and love"? So beautiful. When choosing the charity or organization that we would be donating to, Katie and I talked about supporting larger organizations, such as Keep a Child Alive. We decided, though, that while KCA is undoubtedly incredible, and does give financial support to AHOPE, we liked the idea of having a specific focus, and so decided to give directly to AHOPE.

A year ago, even six months ago, I never would have thought that this would be my focus, that this project would be so much of my daily routine, my thoughts. But while, at times, it has been so exhausting, and sometimes so disheartening, I have seen such good come out of this--more than I could have imagined. It is so humbling to see that goodness come out of something that was once so sad. It makes it well worth the challenge.

I hope you are all well. And I certainly hope that you can find the blessings in your own life.

xo,
Amy