 Heart4Kids is moving forward with some exciting plans that could have a profound effect on children affected by HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe – and we need your help.
Since she started Heart4Kids in 2003, Sandra Denenga has been working toward her dream of starting an AIDS orphanage in her home country of Zimbabwe. That dream will finally come to fruition in January 2011, when she travels with a group of mission workers to Zimbabwe to open the orphanage and deliver clothing, medical supplies and educational materials.
With an estimated one in seven adults living with HIV/AIDs in Zimbabwe, the epidemic has left children either without parents or infected by the virus themselves all over the country. Furthermore, international criticism of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has led to sanctions against the country and a major drop in international aid to help the country’s children. Some have been abused, exploited or sold into trafficking rings. The Heart4Kids orphanage will provide a safe place for children, staffed with caretakers, tutors and counselors who can drastically improve a child’s quality of life while making meaningful changes to positively affect his or her future.
Here’s how you can help make a lasting impact on a child’s life:
 Donate to Heart4Kids: Your financial contributions are tax-deductible, and because Heart4Kids has no staffing or overhead costs, 100 percent of your donation goes straight to the children’s care. Heart4Kids needs approximately $20,000 to stock the orphanage with supplies, pay workers and cover rent and utility costs for the first 12 months. The funds raised will go to the purchase of clothing, educational materials, cooking supplies and more.
Travel to Zimbabwe: Heart4Kids is looking for volunteers to travel to Zimbabwe from Dec. 26, 2010 to Jan. 9, 2011 and help launch the orphanage. During the two-week mission trip, you will help decorate and paint the orphanage, plant vegetables and flowers in its yard, read to and tutor the children and make their new home a safe and loving environment. You’ll also get to experience an African safari and shop for African art. For some of the children, this will be the first safe place they’ve ever had to live. You can help make that a reality by taking the trip of a lifetime this holiday season.
Get the word out: Follow Heart4Kids on Facebook, Twitter and help us spread the word about the important work we’re doing in Zimbabwe and the great need for people who will give their time or money to change a child’s life. You can also sponsor a child in Zimbabwe, or organize a Heart4Kids fundraiser in your area.
Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter for updates and information on the orphanage plans and stories of how lives are being changed by your generosity. You can contact us there with questions about the orphanage, the trip to Zimbabwe or ways you can help.
Thank you for standing up for the children of Zimbabwe.
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