In March, I am planning a trip to Ecuador with 10 fellow photographers to visit orphanages that are in desperate need of support. While this is my first trip, others in my group have visited before, and have had the opportunity to interact with these abandoned and disadvantaged children living in poverty-ridden orphanages.
The purpose of our visit is three-fold:
1. To bring attention and aid to the thousands of struggling children and their caregivers.
2. To show these children love and affection, and to take portraits of them for them to keep as a positive memory and record of their childhood because no one has ever cared enough to take the time to make portraits of them.
3. To get out of my comfort zone, and experience their world so that we can, as a group, share these orphans’ stories with our friends back home.
Our trip is being arranged by a volunteer project leader through the Orphanage Support Services Organization (OSSO) (www.orphanagesupport.org), a nonprofit charitable organization that provides in-kind and volunteer support for more than 10 orphanages in Ecuador. The OSSO’s volunteers provide thousands of hours of service every week in the orphanages, so they are in a unique position to understand the material and financial needs in the orphanages. And, they are in an ideal position to see that donated funds and items are used most efficiently in the orphanages.
We’ve been told that teaching these children to speak English and to use computers will significantly increase their chance at survival and success once they leave the orphanages. With that in mind, last fall, the group I am traveling with fixed a roof in the computer room at one orphanage, and hired an English tutor for a full year.
I have worked with many different charities in the past, but I have never been able to personally decide where my donations go and then to actually see how they are making an impact!
My goal is to raise $2,000. This money will be used to help these orphanages during our trip in March. I humbly ask you to give what you can if you are inspired by these children as much as I am. I’m excited to do this with you, and I know you will be equally blessed by this opportunity!
So it is with much excitement, anticipation and a little bit of nerves that I embark on this trip to Ecuador. Little did I know when I wrote this paragraph in my FIRST blog post of the year how REAL it would become.
I have often heard it said that “we teach our children about life, but our children teach us so much more about what life is all about”! This year, I am taking a lesson from Chandler about tackling fear and turning it into faith…making life decisions based on hopes and dreams and even some RISK!!! Isn’t that how you accomplish anything worth having in life? It may not always be the most direct way to your goal, but it is letting go of control and letting God use you as he sees fit. That’s my hope for all of us in 2011…What would you attempted to do if you KNEW you couldn’t fail?!?!? This is the year that we can’t fail…so let’s go out there and attempt to do ________!!!
I truly appreciate your consideration.
Hi – I think this is fantastic and i applaud your efforts. I just relocated to India – with my husband’s job and as a photographer I am looking for a project to sink into….is this a global organization and if so who can i speak with about doing something similar here?
Looking forward to meeting you in person!
Oh how I would LOVE to do something like this. What an amazing and heartfelt experience this is going to be for you and the others! Safe travels to all of you!