My name is Ashley and I am a sophomore in college. Inspired by One is an upcoming nonprofit organization to help eliminate AIDS and poverty in Africa (specifically the North West province of South Africa). In September 2006, I spent a couple of weeks in South Africa and Botswana, and I have seen the devastation caused by AIDS and poverty...I've seen the tears and struggles. I went to help build homes for 53 orphaned children. They all live in an "orphanage" that used to be run by a pastor and his wife. Three other women also helped to care for the children. The pastor and his wife brought in the kids from several squatter camps where the children had been abandoned by their parents. Some kids were alone because their parents died of AIDS, and some were just simply abandoned. The pastor and his wife couldn't stand to see the kids on the street and wanted to take them in...but they did not have a home big enough. A friend let them use the one-room shack behind her home with a piece of carpet that did not even cover the entire floor. The corners of the room were nothing but dirt. There was no ventilation, electricity, or running water. The room is so small that the children have to pack in there and sleep sitting up. Unfortunately, the pastor died of a heart attack shortly after they started taking care of all of the children. After he passed away his wife was left with the children and a tent church. It is the desert, so it is very hot during the day and incredibly cold at night. They do not have any heating or air conditioning, and most of the children didn't even have a blanket to keep them warm. Our team made a bag for each child before we left and we took them with us. We put an outfit, a sweatshirt, toys, a blanket, and a stuffed animal in each bag for the kids. We also bought tons of food once we were in Africa to take to them. The team members bought the children chicken, and it was the first time some of the children had ever had meat. We spent a lot of time with the kids at the orphanage and the team put up 4 steel structures that will serve as houses for the children. The first time we went to the orphanage, we noticed the kids were kicking garbage around as a ball. The least we could do was buy a real ball for them to play with. When we gave it to them the next day, all they wanted to do was play with it. The crime rate is so bad that there are razors on the fences, barbed wire is all over, and some houses have very tall concrete walls surrounding them. The orphanage has barbed wire hooked around the stick fence. While the kids were playing, one of the boys tripped and tried to use his hands to break his fall...and landed in the barbed wire. He had a huge gash in his hand from it. We really wanted to fix him up...but had to be insanely careful in case he had AIDS. One of the guys on the team took our first-aid kit to try and bandage him up, but even after wiping it off, the little boy's hand was so dry and dirty that the band-aid would not even stick. When the kids would fall down and get hurt, it seemed that the women at the orphanage did not even care. My aunt and I would run over to the babies, pick them up and try to comfort them. It wasn't until the second day that they really started to trust us. But it is completely understandable...they have been abandoned by their parents and had no idea who we were. And while we did have a little language barrier with the children, the adults spoke English, so they translated for us. Love translates itself, and the kids knew that we were there for them. When I first said I was going on the trip, some people said that it was ridiculous to go to the other side of the world when some places here are bad too. But I knew it my heart that I was called, and so did the rest of the team. While being there, I realized something very important...the pretty wealthy people living a 10-15 minute drive away from Dinokana and these other villages did not seem to care what happened. But when we got there and spent time with them and they saw what we were doing for the orphanage, a fire started in their hearts too. They became more passionate and compassionate for the people living in their own backyard. That's why I went on the trip. That was the purpose. And if anyone wanted to go on a mission trip...I would say to not even think twice. Do it and you will not regret it. Extend your hands. Go beyond yourself and do something for someone else. This experience was life-changing and I cannot wait to go back. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions or are interested in helping out....please feel free to email me. [email protected]..
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