Amy.Gress

Last week I spoke to several Girl Scout troops about AFCA’s work with children affected by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The presentation, accompanied by pictures of several children in our programs, was part of the organization’s annual World Thinking Day activities, themed this year, “Together We can Save Children’s Lives.” I couldn’t agree more. What struck me most about my time with the Girl Scouts, ages 5 through 17, was how intently they listened to the stories of children who live half-way around the globe from them, surviving in the desperate circumstances they have been born into. The Girl Scouts I spoke to genuinely connected to AFCA’s mission. I told [...]

AFCA fully supports that the power of youth cannot be underestimated in a changing world. With this is mind we want to train youth in husbandry and gardening, and to purchase, transport, and deliver livestock and seeds to AIDS orphans. Once the orphans receive livestock (goats, chickens, guinea fowl, sheep, or pigs), they also receive non-genetically modified seeds to start personal gardens. While youth drink milk and eat eggs from their animals, their gardens grow, giving the kids green vegetables, corn, and peanuts while their animals reproduce and herds/flocks grow. After a predetermined amount of time, when the flocks are large, the youth are allowed to sell, barter, slaughter, and [...]

Hasn’t that phrase been completed by a hundred-and-one commercial companies?  Some try to convince you that you should buy a ring for your girlfriend at “so-and-so-store” or take him out to eat at “name-exclusive-restaurant-here”. Sometimes it seems as if that is all that Valentine’s Day means, getting caught up in some large over-rated commercial gimmick.  I tend to agree.  I don’t typically buy anything for Valentine’s Day.  I prefer to spend the money on something better.  And let’s face it; you know you often spend more than you should just because it’s the fourteenth. I have an idea.  I’ve tried it with my friends and it spread like wildfire.  Allow [...]

In the shadow of a shuttered mining operation in western Uganda, one thousand newborn babies are going home "in style," beginning their lives with dignity, thanks to the layette kits their mothers received from UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA). "It is pleasing to know that there are people out there who feel the plight of women; that it has touched their hearts to share God’s blessings with those in need," said Musoki Hellen, who gave birth to her first child, a son, a week before Christmas at Kilembe Mines Hospital (KMH), where the kits were distributed. For many new [...]

Clean water can do much more than you may think, especially for children who have less to protect themselves. There are two keywords to take into consideration when it comes to the reasons why access to clean water can drastically enhance people’s lives. One of them is hydration and the other is sanitation.   THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDRATION It is not hard to understand why water is important for humans. Water comprises about 75 percent of human body mass and is a major component in each cell. It is said that 80 percent of the human brain consists of water. One’s bodily functions are largely dependent on water. Studies show [...]

The pool stretches before me, leading almost to the Indian Ocean, but for a small strip of white sand. A waiter asks me for my opinion on Obama while telling me that Kenya’s elections are happening on March 4th. This is the 4th such conversation I’ve had here in 2 days. People are worried about the potential for renewed violence here, just like in 2007. They also worry about international policy from our own government. We pray for peace. I pray for the bishop who is at the Tana River Delta today, talking about peace to those who are killing each other. Peace, peace, there is no peace. The waiter [...]

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I believe that if something needs to be done it should be done now. What do you think? Do you have any special resolutions? Have you ever broken a resolution? On observation I would say that our resolutions tend to be personal and very individualistic. Most center on the amount of time at the gym, on your diet, or what to do with your money. It’s a personal choice and decision. What would be your New Year’s resolution if you had no water, no food, and no education? How could you speak of a diet when you do not have enough food? How [...]

Each dollar donated toward Project One Million can purchase an HIV testing kit.  How will testing kits help AIDS orphans and their communities, and why is it important for them to get tested for HIV? HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) can be transmitted from an infected person to another either through: Sexual intercourse Blood Breast milk An infected mother can pass HIV to her baby before or during pregnancy, and to her infant through breast-feeding.  It is important for each AIDS orphans to get tested for HIV because they might have been contracted with the virus. It is said that without intervention, 25 - 35% of pregnant women with HIV transmit [...]

Last Friday was the end of the world, supposedly. Rumors were rife that the Mayan calendar had come to an end. The day came and went, and there was much mock celebration that the world will continue as before. And just as the world will continue as before, so will the situation around the world continue as before. The end of the world seems to be a gigantic event, but when seen in individual proportions, how often does the end of the world come to people less fortunate than us? We don’t need to look far to observe this. Every day the end of the world comes to children who [...]

It is not genius, nor glory, nor love that reflects the greatness of the human soul; it is kindness. Henri-Dominique Lacordaire We are all struck with tragedies in our life, we all face difficulties - but there is something that brings us together in time of national or international disasters. Something that makes us come out of our shell. Our worries become minimal, compared to the mass of pain being endured by so many others. This spirit of feeling for each other is definitely something we should promote, something we should be proud of! We tend to create a spontaneous altruistic chain of kindness which can seriously never end. As Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (a Buddhist [...]