Helping Orphans in Zambia
Donation protected
Being born in a remote refugee camp in Indonesia (that's no longer inhabitable), I was born with a passion to help the less fortunate. I've been volunteering for 20+ years from feeding the homeless at local shelters, to providing free resume/interview tips to low income families, to volunteering internationally in third world countries.
After a successful fundraising campaign and volunteer trip to Kenya , I've decided to return to Africa to do this again. A couple of years ago I hopped on a plane alone to go to Kenya to volunteer at the local orphanages. I had the hopes of raising enough money to buy a few necessities for the orphanage. Little did I know, the funds I raised ended up helping the orphanage move out of the dangerous slums into a house in the countryside with a large yard for the kids to play outside as well as purchase more beds as many kids have to share a bed in one room. (Before/after pics of the living conditions below).
I'm inspired to continue volunteer missions around the world. My next volunteer mission is to teach orphaned children in Zambia. Due to Zambia’s rapidly growing population and a shortage of government funding and teachers, local communities have informally developed ‘community schools’ to serve the immense need for education. A number of these schools offer reduced fees or free admission to students in need, many of whom are orphaned and cannot afford school fees. As these schools depend heavily on the involvement of volunteers, the ratio of students to teachers can be as high as 60 students to 1 teacher.
I will again be partnering with International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) for my continuing volunteer efforts. Please visit www.volunteerhq.org for more information.
Your donations will go to part of my costs to be able to volunteer, but the majority of it will go directly to the school. Thank you for your support.
Left is the orphanage house they lived in before in the dangerous slums made of thin sheets of tin. It's so dangerous, the kids weren't allowed to go outside. After, with the donations I raised, we worked with the organization to move the entire orphanage into a safe home in the countryside where they have a fenced off yard so they can play outside.
This is the house the orphanage moved to thanks to all the donations!
The kids were absolutely curious about the camera and always wanted to take pictures.
The kids ready for lunchtime. There were about 20+ kids from 2-13 years old and only one room.
The kids taught the volunteers local songs and dances and had such fun doing it!
David is such a sweetheart. You wouldn't believe his story on how he ended at the orphanage. I'm happy to see him turn out a happy kid.
It's not all smiles at the orphanage. Sometime you catch the raw emotions.
Some of the donations went to purchasing more beds for the orphanage.
We also purchased shoes for some of the kids who didn't have any or outgrew their shoes. Most kids wore shoes too big or too small because there were not enough to go around.
Perfect Smile Dental Care in Santa Clara, CA donated toothbrushes, toothpaste and $500 to Martha's orphanage!
After a successful fundraising campaign and volunteer trip to Kenya , I've decided to return to Africa to do this again. A couple of years ago I hopped on a plane alone to go to Kenya to volunteer at the local orphanages. I had the hopes of raising enough money to buy a few necessities for the orphanage. Little did I know, the funds I raised ended up helping the orphanage move out of the dangerous slums into a house in the countryside with a large yard for the kids to play outside as well as purchase more beds as many kids have to share a bed in one room. (Before/after pics of the living conditions below).
I'm inspired to continue volunteer missions around the world. My next volunteer mission is to teach orphaned children in Zambia. Due to Zambia’s rapidly growing population and a shortage of government funding and teachers, local communities have informally developed ‘community schools’ to serve the immense need for education. A number of these schools offer reduced fees or free admission to students in need, many of whom are orphaned and cannot afford school fees. As these schools depend heavily on the involvement of volunteers, the ratio of students to teachers can be as high as 60 students to 1 teacher.
I will again be partnering with International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) for my continuing volunteer efforts. Please visit www.volunteerhq.org for more information.
Your donations will go to part of my costs to be able to volunteer, but the majority of it will go directly to the school. Thank you for your support.
Left is the orphanage house they lived in before in the dangerous slums made of thin sheets of tin. It's so dangerous, the kids weren't allowed to go outside. After, with the donations I raised, we worked with the organization to move the entire orphanage into a safe home in the countryside where they have a fenced off yard so they can play outside. This is the house the orphanage moved to thanks to all the donations! The kids were absolutely curious about the camera and always wanted to take pictures.The kids ready for lunchtime. There were about 20+ kids from 2-13 years old and only one room. The kids taught the volunteers local songs and dances and had such fun doing it!David is such a sweetheart. You wouldn't believe his story on how he ended at the orphanage. I'm happy to see him turn out a happy kid. It's not all smiles at the orphanage. Sometime you catch the raw emotions.Some of the donations went to purchasing more beds for the orphanage. We also purchased shoes for some of the kids who didn't have any or outgrew their shoes. Most kids wore shoes too big or too small because there were not enough to go around. Perfect Smile Dental Care in Santa Clara, CA donated toothbrushes, toothpaste and $500 to Martha's orphanage!Organizer
Alina Mitchell
Organizer
Sunnyvale, CA