Allow me to tell you how your support has helped a family in Africa to grow - just one of the 250,000 families for which SOS has planted the seeds necessary to bring them back from the brink.
A Family Plants Seeds
While mourning the loss of her husband in the Angolan civil war, Abigail Cussucala and her seven children lost their home and fell on hard times. Their clothes became old and torn. The children had to drop out of school. The family was starving and lucky if they managed to eat once a day.
In such desperate circumstances, single mothers like Abigail are at extreme risk for abandoning their children. But SOS Children's Villages, which has a village in nearby Lubango, learned of the family's vulnerability and stepped in immediately to help.
We provided Abigail and her children with food, clothing, blankets, medical treatment and counseling. The SOS Village also gave the children the uniforms they required to attend school - and they are thriving! Abigail's second son is now considered to be one of the best pupils in the the SOS Secondary School.
But that wasn't all SOS did to lift this family out of danger. SOS provided the Cussucala family with a plot of land and seeds and taught them how to grow a vegetable garden. The first harvest of vegetables was good, which meant the family could use 20% of the money to buy more vegetable seeds. The following two harvests were also successful - resulting in an improved diet for the family. Soon, the Cussucala family was eating three square meals a day!
To be a part of more success stories like the Cussucala's, I encourage you to donate to SOS Family Strengthening Programs.
Strengthening Families
This uplifting story was made possible through SOS Family Strengthening Programs. As you may know, SOS Children's Villages helps children in two important ways. First, we build families by giving orphaned and abandoned children a home and a mother of their own inside an SOS Village. Second, for those children who still have biological families - however fragile those families may be - we strengthen their caring and coping mechanisms.
The financial cost of keeping a family together is far less than the cost of giving a child a new family and home. And it is certainly less than the emotional costs to a child who loses his or her family forever.
With your generous donation to our 2009 Annual Fund Drive today, you can bring health and hope to more families like the Cussucalas.
A Gift of Seeds for You!
With every gift of $25 or more, SOS will send you seeds that you can literally "plant for the future". As you witness your seeds growing and developing, you will be reminded of the seeds of change that you planted for a family in need. Donate now.
I thank you for helping children and their families grow stronger,
Heather Paul, PhD
Executive Director
SOS Children's Villages - USA