What if...
you died of a treatable or even curable disease and your small children were left to fend for themselves in a country with no social safety net?
What if...
there was no one to care for your children and they had to literally beg and work to care for themselves?
What if...
your children, orphaned, poor and defenseless, were snatched up by organized gangs that forced them into prostitution and into begging rings and even purposely maimed and crippled them for profit?
We hear about the 300 million strong middle class in India, but don't be fooled. India is also home to another 600 million or more people who are poor or even destitute. Of these 600 million + people are 25 million orphans...
Don't believe the hype. The children of India need our help!
I look at children living like that in India and think aloud that but for the Grace of God, that could be me or my children. With this Grace that saved me and saved my children from this tragic life there comes a duty to serve those children who are suffering and to help them - as many as possible - out of these miserable conditions.
It's a matter of compassion. It's also a matter of justice.
This Ramadan I am trying to fulfill some of that duty.
These are blessed days and I'm grateful to be alive to partake once again in this month of blessings. This year I've chosen to push myself a bit harder than before. In addition to fasting and praying I'm also going to "run for relief".
"Running for Relief" in Ramadan is my way of giving more of myself for something bigger and more important than me. I'm no athlete and running doesn't come easy to me, but I do it. I've been at it for about 1.5 years now and I've gone from not being able to run 50 yards to running half marathons. And again, it's been challenging every step of the way.
Running is challenging for me in the best of conditions (well fed, well hydrated, rested) but running while fasting (no food or water from pre-dawn to sunset everyday for a month) is even more difficult. But I'm going to do it. I'm going to run at least 80 miles in Ramadan and pray that you will support my running for relief with donations to help these children.
I'm going to do it with the hope that my personal effort will inspire others to do something bigger too.
This year that "something bigger" is to give a little more money than usual in charity to help orphans in India. I'm working with FirstGiving.com and The Miracle Foundation (a 501(c)(3) secular charity) to raise money for a few of the 25 million orphans in India.
I'll push myself to run the miles. Will you partner with me and give a little bit beyond your comfort zone to give these orphans who have nothing a chance at a decent life?
I hope you will! Please click the donate button above and visit my FirstGiving.com website to make a secure and tax deductible donation to a highly rated charity working with orphans in India!
25 Million Orphans and Growing...
There are 25 million orphaned children in India and the number is growing. It is estimated that one million orphans enter the system each year. All of these children share a similar story. A life of poverty, with no family to care for them, nurture them or nourish them. Many live on the streets and the "lucky" ones live in overcrowded, under-funded orphanages.The state of orphaned children in India is heart-breaking.
- An estimated 31% of the babies surviving past the age of one will die before the age of five
- Approximately 18% of children under five in India are moderately to severely underweight
- The rapid spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has resulted in India possessing the largest number of AIDS orphans in the world
- UNICEF reports that an estimated 25 million orphans are living in India—a number equivalent to the population of the entire state of Texas
Most orphans live in overcrowded, under-funded, government orphanages. The rest live on the streets.
The conditions in the orphanages in India are far below the standards we have in the United States. Dilapidated, well-worn, and filled to over capacity, orphanages are no better than the conditions on the streets. (the foregoing was taken from The Miracle Foundation website)
We have the capacity to help these children. We can tighten our belts, skip venti designer coffee, or even eat more ethically and the money we save can go to these children and make all the difference in their lives.
Thanks for helping and God Bless!
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