6.6 million (reasons to go)

Cassie, Jordan and I have sent in our applications to go on a mission trip to Ethiopia and Uganda with VisitingOrphans.org next summer. Why, you might be wondering…because there are 6.6 million reasons to go...

The third most populous country in Africa, Ethiopia is among the world’s oldest Christian nations, and the only African state that was never colonized. Divided by the great Rift Valley, this land, which is twice the size of Texas, has an orphan crisis.  UNICEF estimates that one in ten Ethiopian children, about 4.6 million, are orphans. 

The land of the Mountain Gorillas...Uganda shares its Eastern border with Kenya and it's Western frontier is the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Uganda has faced many tragedies since its independence but now has one of the fasting growing economies on the continent, and is a welcoming haven for travelers who wish to explore the tropical jungles and unique ecosystems. Of the 2 million known orphans in Uganda in 2003, an estimated 940,000 were orphaned due to AIDS.

What we will be doing…

Dates: June 21 - July 4, 2012

Leader: Carrie & Joe Chlebanowski

Location: Ethiopia & Uganda

Cost: Estimated at $3700 - $3900(trip cost varies depending on flight costs)

Details:  This trip will visit orphanages in two countries in Africa: Uganda & Ethiopia. While in Uganda our team will stay at Canaan Children's Home in Jinja. While there we will minister to the children at Canaan's and also have the opportunity to serve at Amazima Ministries. The team will also spend some time with an exciting new ministry partner, Sixty Feet. While in Ethiopia, we will be working in partnership with Project 61 which reaches out to the children who live and work in the city dump at Korah. We will also visit children in 2 or 3 different orphanages throughout Addis Ababa. 

Now the true work begins. We will need to start fundraising to pay for the trip. We will be selling t-shirts, candy bars, greeting cards (that I will be making), and maybe even some necklaces. We might be selling our two horses in the spring of 2012 too, which will be hard to do. We will also be asking our family and friends to support and pray for us on this exciting journey!