EOR teams up with Water 1st

W-A-T-E-R!

26042010

I’ve asked people to include this on their personal blogs, so I thought I’d do the same:

You’ll probably remember that EOR had arranged to partner with Engineers without Borders to provide a well for the village of Boru. After a yard sale, a mail campaign and our Art for Ethiopia event, we had raised about 7500.00 for the well.

Problem: a few days before the EOR team left for Ethiopia last December, the planned well was tabled. While the team traveled anyway and did all sorts of thingsfor EOR our water project money remained in our account. Since then, Lauren, who is chair of our partners and projects committee, worked to find us a new water project to fund. She searched for months to find a water charity with a similar mission and finally, on Friday, Shawn was able to announce that we’ve chosen to work with Water 1st.

We looked over Water 1st’s various projects in Ethiopia and agreed that Ethiopian Orphan Relief would best meet our goals by funding a $10,000.00 project. It doesn’t take a math major to realize that we’ve agreed to fund an additional $2,500.00 we haven’t yet raised. That’s where you come in.

With all of our supporters on facebook and in the blogosphere, we feel it’s entirely possible to raise an additional 2,500.00 between now and May 1, 2010 (the day we send the funds). If one quarter of our facebook supporters pledge just 10.00 each, we’ll have the funds, easy peasy. Add a few blog supporters to the mix, and there’s no telling what we can do.

$10,000 will provide a mile of pipeline. $10,000 will fund the construction of the 20,000 gallon storage/distribution tank. $10,000 will fund the construction of all 8 public water points in Kelecho Gerbi.

Imagine walking 10 minutes to a clean healthy water source instead of an hour to a dirty stream. Imagine days spent in a classroom instead of on the road for dirty water. Imagine taking your TB or HIV medicines with water that won’t make you sicker. Imagine instead, yourself as part of the solution.

According to Water 1st, “A $10,000 donation provides safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education for an entire village in Ethiopia for life.”

Isn’t this something you can support? If so, please DONATE NOW

To get the ball rolling, I’ve allocated my birthday donations ($300.00) to the water fund. Only $2,200.00 to go!

TO Donate: http://networkedblogs.com/3hMN7

Racial Profiling

This has me absolutely outraged.

I want to share with you some breaking news — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer just signed SB 1070, a discriminatory law that would essentially legalize racial profiling in the state.

Arizona has gone too far. This law — one of the worst in the nation — is a moral outrage. We need to send a clear message that Arizona does not deserve economic support from the rest of the country. Tourism is a huge industry in the state — bringing in $18 billion last year.

I just pledged to do what I can to avoid visiting the state or spending my dollars there, as long as racial profiling is legal. Will you join me?

http://presente.org/ref/6274/campaigns/shame

Lucky #

Crunching the numbers

Ok the last post got me thinking about how many spots we have moved on average over the last year. We average roughly 4 spots a month. This puts us right into our vacation planned for mid June. Part of me (a very small part) thinks it will be sooner because we are higher on the list and you don't always make it to #1 when the call comes and more referrals seem to come in the summer.

When people get close they start telling you where they are for a boy and where they are for a girl. Have we actually reached that point? I didn't really think about it that way until speaking with Em last night.

So when I look at the list I guess it actually boils down to us being #4 for a boy or #7 for a girl. REALLY??? Can that be right??? Has anyone ever yelled at their case worker thinking they were playing a joke on them when The Call finally came? If not, I may be the first.

There has to be a mistake in my math??? Serioulsly I can't think. We are #8 on The List. One family is requesting sibs, 3 are requesting infant girls, the other 4 (including us) are open to an infant of either gender.

Are we really getting close enough to care about the phone ringing??? I still don't believe it.

My apologies, my brain is scattered (as I am sure you can tell).

6/18/2009

On 6-18-09 we were #50 on the list. Wouldn't it be great to have a referral by 6-18-10!

Moving along

Oh the possibilities...a random array of thoughts at 19 months

How is it possible to love a country that you have never been to?

To gain a wonderful friendship from a crazed email?

To wait 19 months and still not jump when the phone rings? OK, I am jumping but that is for Emily's call not mine. This is actually great for me. I am so glad to have some good news to look forward to.

Is it even possible that the end of this countdown will end with a referral? Really? I have my doubts. I feel like I am counting down to a vacation or a ... I don't even know what, but not to a referral. It's just too hard to believe that it is possible at this point.

Russia is (or I believe will be) closing adoptions soon. As many of you know that is where are journey began. I feel grateful that we are not getting that news (and hope we don't) but feel horrible for the families that are waiting and especially for the kids who need homes.

After 19 months I feel oddly ok. Maybe I have reconciled with not having children. I don't think that will last long.

Drawn from the Water

I can't get the video link to work but go to this website to check out this video:

drawnfromthewater.org

IF

another IF I could go on for days with all the IF's in my head right now, but here's one:

IF we have a referral in 90 days or less that means are daughter (or son) is born.

Suggestions Please

Let's hear them. I need a stroller, a car seat (or 2), hhhhmmmmm thanks to all the donations for the garage sale and to us in general that about does it for big items.

I really want an armsreach co-sleeper-the big one. Is that silly if we have a portable crib (thanks Ahdra) that can sit next to our bed?

Really, not sure what will be register for because I think we have almost everything. I guess that leaves diapers. Can I register for wine for mommy then???