volunteering – watercress words by Dr Aletha

The Christmas Gift Fund

The Christmas Gift Fund allows the OneChild Hope Center staff to purchase a gift for each child in the program. For many of these children living in the depths of poverty, it may be the only present they receive this Christmas. So that every child receives a gift, all donations are combined and distributed equally to children registered in our program.

$35 will help provide a gift for 1 child.
$70 will help provide a gift for 2 children.
$105 will help provide a gift for 3 children.

You can bless a child this Christmas at this link.

How Jesus blessed children

But Jesus said,

“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

Volunteer trips outside the U.S.A gives me the chance to treat needy people without charge

making friends with children during his trip back

Kids always love bubbles

A student nurse distributing new shoes to children

a group of children and adults watching people on a stage outdoors

young team members sing and act for kids.

How I bless children

My husband and I have had the privilege of blessing children here in the United States and on travels to other countries. In the collage above I’ve shared photos of us in VietNam, Mexico, and El Salvador serving on volunteer medical teams.

But we also bless children without even leaving our house. Through monthly financial support we have helped children in India, Mexico, Honduras, and now Ethiopia go to school, get medical care, and receive regular meals through an international organization named ONECHILD.

Like many similar organizations, OneChild, has seen a decrease in donations this year due to the financial hardship that the pandemic caused. But the children’s needs have not decreased and neither has the organization’s commitment to taking care of them.

“We advocate for children in poverty and they are paying (and will pay) a huge price for the economic and social policy decisions being made in the US. It’s our job to speak up on their behalf.”
Scott C. Todd, PhD, President of OneChild

How you can bless OneChild

For a monthly commitment of $39 U.S. you can help a needy child. If you’ve been wondering what you can do to help in this crisis, you can start making a lasting difference in the life of a child and family. If at any time you need to stop, OneChild will understand and still appreciate the investment you made to support their work.

OneChild doesn’t stop with receiving your donation. You receive a photo of your sponsored child and regular updates written by the child; you may get drawings, and pictures of their family and activities. The featured image at the top of this post is one side of a postcard sent in response to a letter I sent my child.

If you already sponsor a child elsewhere, or support other charitable causes, please continue. But if you aren’t, or are able to take on something else, I recommend OneChild without reservation. Check out their website and see if OneChild can be a blessing to you.

HOPE CENTER TOUR

sharing the HEART of faith, hope, and love

Dr. Aletha

1 Corinthians 13:13, photo from the Lightstock.com collection (affiliate link)

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Another post for you to enjoy

Sharing the HEART of health in Panama

I have volunteered on several teams with CompassionLink, an organization that serves to provide

HEALTH RESTORED-HOPE SUSTAINED.

March 10, 2015September 18, 2023

Master of Something Yet posted an interesting piece about the value of volunteering while travelling in other cultures.

Voluntourism – Helpful Aid Or Just A Warm Fuzzie?.

I’ve written here about some of my volunteer trips; based on my experiences I agree with this blogger’s observations that all volunteer trips are not created equal. Some do more good for the volunteer than for those being helped, although that may not always be a bad thing. If you come home more compassionate and passionate about helping others, then maybe it was worthwhile.

Some of the groups I worked with met the criteria this blogger suggests better than others; those are the ones I worked with a second time.

I encourage you to volunteer, either abroad or in your community.