We have raised another $20,000 for our Asha Mission Land Fund in less than a month! We are SO encouraged! To all of you who have helped us spread the word about this need, and to each and every person who donated - THANK YOU for being a HERO to our kids in India!

But the work is not over yet! We still have to raise another $55,000 and we only have 9 days to do it!

We are asking all of you to dig deeper and reach farther than you have before! Dig deep into your heart and ask what you can give. Reach out to your friends, family, co-workers, twitter followers, and blog readers and encourage them to get involved!

This Sunday is Mother's Day. I can't think of a better gift to give in honor or in memory of you Mom, than a donation to care for a child in India who doesn't have a mother!

And would you consider sharing this video with your church congregation? Your Sunday School Class? What about your friends and family who gather together to celebrate Mother's Day?

URGENT NEED :: Asha Land Project from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

These forgotten children need YOU to be their HERO! Help us reach our goal by May 20th, and be a part of a miracle!

URGENT NEED :: Asha Land Project from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

In case you couldn't watch the video - allow me to explain this need here. The children at Asha Mission need a new (bigger and better) home. There are several reasons why. The first is a simple lack of space. There are 33 kids sleeping in 2 tiny rooms - rooms that are the same size (or smaller) than some of our walk-in closets in America. There is only space for 12 beds total (6 in each room), which means over half of the children are sleeping on the cold, cement floor.

Another issue with the lack of space is privacy. As the kids get older, they need enough room for the boys and girls to have some separation. It is not appropriate (in any culture, but especially in India) to have the boys and girls living so close together.

In addition to the lack of privacy, there is a lack of space to play! There is no yard at all for the children to play in - the front door opens out into a narrow, crowded street with open sewers on each side. The only open space in this house is the roof (which is not safe to play on) and the main room - which can't be bigger than about 40 by 20 feet. The children barely all fit in the room sitting down for storytime. It is definitely no place for them to get exercise! There really is no where for them to enjoy being kids.

But the biggest cause for concern is that this small home is only a rental property. It is not a permanent home for these children. If the landlord decides on a whim that he wants them out, then these kids could be back on the street. We've seen it happen before. You see, in India orphans are considered to be some of the lowest people.  They are unwanted children. Some of them are the product of rape or prostitution. Many are born into extreme poverty. They are abandoned at hospitals, put out on the street to beg, sold as slaves, or left to die on the roadside. They are outcasts - forgotten by society.

But there's more. According to our Indian Partners, the government has been talking about passing a new law in India. This law would require every orphanage to own the land and building it is operating in. If they do not comply immediately - they could have their children taken away, separated from the only family they have ever known, and thrown into a government orphanage with horrible living conditions. This law has been under discussion for several years, and our partners are fearful that it could go into effect at any moment.

For all these reasons, it is IMPERATIVE that these children get a bigger, better, permanent home. A home that will last. A home that will be around to rescue children for generations! But before a bigger home can be built we need land. That's where YOU come in!

India is an overpopulated country and land is very expensive there. Our partners have put down a deposit on a piece of land, but in order to purchase it we need to pay the full amount by May 20th - and we are $150,000 short. The GREAT news is - we have a $75,000 matching gift - but it will not be released until another $75,000 is raised.

We need your help! If we do not get the $75,000 raised by May 20th then we lose the land, the kids lose a chance at a new home, and our partners lose thousands of dollars they put down for the deposit. This is a ONE SHOT DEAL. We get one chance to change the lives of these precious little girls and boys - and to save the lives of many others who have yet to be rescued. 

So we're asking you today - right now - WHAT WILL YOU DO TO SAVE THEIR LIVES? How much will you sacrifice to give them a future? What will you do to protect their innocence?

Will you give away 5% of your savings - your security - to invest in their future? How about 10%? What about 50%? As you save for the future of your family, can you consider these children who have no one saving for them?

If you don't have money to give, then what will you DO? Will you host a benefit show? A bake sale? A garage sale? Will you sell your bike? Your 4-wheeler? Your boat? Your car?

How much is the life of one child worth? What about the lives of 33 children?

BE PART OF A MIRACLE!



PLEDGE TO DO AN EVENT HERE.

One of our first days in Swaziland! We loved watching the sun set over the traditional Swazi huts made of mud, sticks and grass.

Check out the new Children's Library we started in the preschool at the Nsoko Carepoint!

This little girl was SO excited about the new books! THANK YOU to everyone who donated to this project!

Working in the Community Garden with Phindile. To find out more about this project CLICK HERE.

Nutritious spinach! Just one of the many healthy vegetables the kids will soon be eating!

School's out! The children are quick to run to the carepoint at the end of each day. Year end donations to The Sound of Hope provided the funds for 112 children in Nosko to go to school this year!

Here are a few of the older girls, hanging out together at the carepoint after school.

Thanks to a generous donation, all the preschool kids got new Auburn clothes! You can see the video HERE.

There were new shirts for the Swazi staff we are partnered with too! Our work would not be possible without the help of the Gogos that cook for the children, the D-team, the facilities supervisors, the Clinic Assistant, and the Preschool Teacher!

We're also grateful for the American family we're partnered with that lives in Nsoko full-time. THANK YOU Jen, Eric, Claire, and Jacob for the hard work you do around the clock!

We loved seeing some traditional Swazi dances at the Cultural Center in Ezulwini!

Only in Africa can you see a Journey of Giraffe on the way to lunch! The wildlife in Swaziland is truly unique!

I have known Senkhosi since he was only 1 year old. It's been amazing to visit him on each trip to Swaziland and watch him grow up over the past 5 years!

This is Sotja, a 3 year old double orphan who spends most of his days at our carepoint. When we see smiles like this one, it makes all our work worthwhile!

Stay tuned for more updates about our time in Africa, and find out how you can be a part of giving HOPE to the children of Swaziland!

The older kids (teenagers) RAN to the door while yelling for the little ones, who immediately rushed from the playground. The next thing I knew there was an excited MOB all around! I have never in my life seen children so excited about apples! They were not lining up for candy or toys - they were anxiously waiting for a single piece of fruit.

an apple a day... from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

For children who eat meals that consist of only pap (maize meal), beans, and rice, an apple was a very special treat. Their excitement for something so simple gave me perspective, and made me even more determined to see the Community Garden we're starting flourish. This garden will provide not only healthy vegetables for the children at the carepoint (which means more nutritious meals), it will also empower and provide for up to 18 families in the community! To find out more (and to donate to this project), CLICK HERE.

The container is needed to store additional food and supplies for the children, as well as gardening tools for the Community Garden we are starting at The Center. This garden will be a source of provision, income and empowerment for up to 18 families in the area, as well as a way for the children at the carepoint to get healthy vegetables in their diet. But it won't work without a safe place to store the gardening tools and supplies!

We need $1,600 total to purchase the container and have it shipped down to Nsoko. We have a matching gift of $800, so every dollar you donate will be doubled if you give to this project!

Please GIVE NOW and help us meet this need!

If you're a regular blog reader here, you may have heard about this project we started a few weeks ago. We've been asking for donated books and funds to start a Children's Library in each of our homes in India and Thailand, as well as our carepoint here in Swaziland! Books are so expensive overseas and very hard to find, so the children just do not have access to them (not even in the preschool here!) But today - that changed for the kids at our carepoint. Check out the videos below!

It was truly incredible to see the reaction of the kids and their teacher! She kept telling us how attentive the children were today because they were so excited about the books, puppets, and flashcards. "Before, they were getting bored," she said, "but now, I have something in my hand to teach them with, and they are concentrating so much!"

We believe this little library is going to make a big difference in the lives of these children. THANK YOU to everyone who donated the books and funding to make this project possible!


*Note - This is just the beginning of this library project here. Our American partners in Nsoko are already talking to some friends of theirs about bringing more donated books to fill these shelves. We can't wait to see the library grow!

Welcome to Swaziland from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

As long as the internet cooperates, we'll be sharing more videos and pictures in the next few weeks. So be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates!

But before we go, we wanted to post this highlight video. Last year we spent 5 months traveling overseas - serving our sweet kids in India and Thailand. We spent hundreds of hours in cars and planes (and a few extra hours in a boat or two!) It was an amazing, exciting, CRAZY year (and today it starts all over again!)

So check out what life looked like for us in 2011 - all wrapped up in 90 seconds!

365 days in 90 Seconds - 2011 Wrap from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

Music :: 29 by Justin Rosolino
Purchase the song here :: itunes.apple.com/us/album/wonderlust/id46928750

We just got a report from our partners in India that baby Aksha has made a complete recovery! HOW AWESOME! We also found out that Jyoti is doing well enough to start school in April, which is AMAZING! She is actually 1 year behind in school because she was not allowed to attend when she was having blackouts and seizures (due to safety concerns). We're so grateful that she hasn't had any seizures or blackouts in months and can finally go to school with the other children. Here's some video footage of the girls from our trip to India in November (and a THANK YOU from the House Mom & Dad for those of you who gave to this need). Don't the girls look wonderful?

Jyoti and Aksha THANK YOU from The Sound of Hope on Vimeo.

We are thrilled to share this good report! THANK YOU AGAIN to everyone who generously gave so that these precious little girls could get the medical care they needed!

This conference is a great way to find out more about how you can be a part of caring for orphans in the US and around the world. Everyone may not be called to adopt, but everyone can do something. So I hope you'll register today to be a part of this great event!

The Sound of Hope will be a part of the resource expo, so be sure to come by our table and say hello!

kNOw More Orphans Conference Promo from Jason Wood on Vimeo.