Matching Grants for Food Programs Now!
Dear Visitor:
One little girl or boy dies of hunger-related diseases every five seconds in developing countries. That’s 12 children every minute, 720 children every hour, more than 17,000 a day. These matching funds often bring starving children back from the brink of death.
Count five seconds in your mind. I’ll do it with you. By the time you reach “five,” one more child will have died. For ADRA, and thousands of children worldwide, these matching grants are an answer to prayer.
Right now, matching grant opportunities are available worldwide for food security programs that make every dollar you donate today worth seven times its original value. $50 is worth $350. $100 is worth $700. $200 is worth $1,400. And so on!
Make a note… To secure these grants worth at least $5 million, ADRA must raise $750,000 by its deadline date of December 25th, 2006.
If we can do that together, we can commit to working on select, life-saving food security programs in 2007!
Will you give a special matching grant donation today?
ADRA is doing something about hunger and poverty. With your help last year, ADRA distributed more than $11.5 million in food aid! Make no mistake about it; children are alive today because of the help of ADRA donors.
While you’re thinking about how much you can share today, let me tell you about some villagers in drought-stricken Ethiopia where ADRA’s food security programs mean the difference between life and death. This is the story of a family that is so hungry they gave away their only possession in the world—a field—for one bag of maize.
Usheto lies trembling on the dirt floor of his small mud hut in Chitugeto village, too weak to swat away the flies that swirl around his face. He’s very sick, but seeing a doctor is out of the question—the family doesn’t have a penny to its name. Outside the hut, Nuritu, his wife, gets ready for market, and Usheto prays that she will earn enough to feed their children.
Nuritu braces herself as she prepares to lift the heavy clay pot onto her back. She’s filled it with water from a nearby well, and she’ll walk two hours to the local marketplace where she hopes to sell cups of water. This is their only income.
“If I sell the whole pot,” she says, “I earn 10 cents. But most of the time, I only sell half.” Nuritu has lost two children to starvation, and she blames herself. “Walking for miles without food made me weak, and I didn’t produce enough milk. That killed them.”
Ethiopia still remains one of the poorest and most populated countries in Africa with a total population of 70 million people. About 85 percent of families live in rural areas where many of the most basic needs are unavailable.
The majority of villagers live in extreme poverty—on less than $1 a day! And sadly, they don’t have the capacity or ability to change their living conditions on their own. Unless well-planned assistance is provided—particularly in food security programs—many of these people will face sickness, starvation, and imminent death.
You can help change that, today. Will you?
Let me tell you more about Usheto and Nuritu. I think it helps for you to get to know more about the people who your donation will help.
“I was born in another village about a four-hour walk from here,” Nuritu continues. “When I was 15-years-old, someone brought Usheto to my people to arrange a marriage. My parents had already died and it was time for me to make my own life. We were blessed with seven children, but two of them died of starvation. I’ve already told you that I blame myself.”
As she talks, Nuritu looks inside the hut where her husband lies, gravely ill. Her eyes fill with tears as she remembers the birth of each of her children. That hut is where she gave life, oftentimes in agonizing labor for two or more days, without any medical help.
“Today, my husband is very sick, and I am the only bread-winner,” she continues. “We had a field where we planted crops before the drought. But we lost everything and had no way to feed our children. So we loaned our field to a neighbor for two years. In return, he gave us one sack of maize. The maize is gone, but my children still cry for food.
“When I earn a few cents, I buy some maize. It’s not enough to feed the entire family, so most of the time we go without. We dream of raising educated and healthy children. My oldest boy’s favorite subject is English. He walks four hours to school every day without breakfast. And the schools here don’t serve lunch. It makes it hard for him to learn, but he’s determined to raise himself and his family out of poverty.”
All they need now, today, is a helping hand.
Will you give a gift today worth seven times its original value for food security?
Food security matching grants enable ADRA to establish programs that protect the most vulnerable in society. These programs provide emergency aid, such as supplementary food for infants dying from drought. And they also establish long-term access to food supplies.
As a result, people become self-sufficient and ADRA can move from one village to another, one country to another, enabling and empowering. And saving lives. But we can only do that with your help.
Right now, in some other parts of Ethiopia, massive flooding has buried crops. The hardworking people of this country are suffering immeasurable pain. Whether it is land left barren by drought, or crops washed away by floods, more than 11 million people are facing hunger and starvation.
If you’ve ever prayed that your donation will go so much farther than its value, this is your answer to prayer. Donations for food security programs that are funded through matching grants are worth seven times their original value. $1 becomes $7. $100 becomes $700. $700 becomes $4,900. No matter how much you share, it will go much further today!
Read more stories of people who are hoping for your kindness in the attached three postcards. Please read them. You’ll meet Nuritu who I’ve talked about in this letter. She’s a good mother whose only source of income comes from selling cups of water in the local marketplace. And she’s struggling, tremendously.
There’s Beyene, a father who feels helpless because his land is barren through drought, and he’s unable to provide for his children. Despite his trials, he believes that God is watching over him. “We believe in God. If it weren’t for Him, my children would have died already. I’ve cried out and asked God why He is allowing me to face these trials. But that’s when I pray even harder to strengthen my faith!”
And then there’s eleven-year-old Chaltu who is fast becoming an economic burden. “When Chaltu is 15, we will have to give her to a family in marriage, because we can’t afford to feed her,” Fatma, her mother says. Learn how an ADRA goat, costing just $40, is helping provide a little nourishment. But this family needs much more. And this child needs your help.
Will you sacrifice a generous gift today?
In the past year, ADRA has ministered to more than 24 million hurting people worldwide. Little of that would have been possible without the generous support of people like you.
Your generous gift today, when combined with others, will help combat the deadly effects of hunger, sickness, and starvation, not only in Ethiopia, but also in other countries where drought and famine are claiming precious lives.
Thank you, in advance, for your generosity.
God’s richest blessings,
Pastor Charles Sandefur
President
P.S.: As the ADRA workers travel along dusty roads, they stop to give thirsty children a cup of clean water. Near one village, a young boy politely refused the water. Listen to what this young child said…
“No thank you, sir. Today is not my day to drink water.”
Struggling to survive in a drought-stricken region teaches children that water is precious. Mothers, like Nuritu, carefully budget every drop of water, and every grain of maize. Sometimes, children eat and drink every other day or so.
The little boy who refused the water knew that, in his world, it wasn’t his day to drink water.
P.P.S.: Remember our deadline date of December 25th for reaching our goal of $750,000. It’s the holiday season and mail takes longer to get from you to us. So if you’re mailing your donation, please get it into the mail early.
You can also donate by phone or on our toll-free number: 1.800.424.ADRA (2372). Be sure to tell the operator that you want your donation to go into the “matching grant” appeal when you call. Or you can click to donate online now.
When you prayerfully consider how much you can sacrifice for this tremendous opportunity to help more children, remember that a gift of $1 is worth $7. $50 equals $350. $350 equals $2,450.
However much you choose to donate today, please donate as soon as possible!
