Charity Spotlight- Picker Family

This family isn’t really a charity per say but they have a mission worth sharing. I came across the family through a tweet by someone I follow. The tweet stated that a family was selling t-shirts to raise money to adopt their daughter from Ethiopia. It was what the T-shirt said that really caught my attention. The front of the shirt reads: “145 Million Orphans Worldwide” and the back reads: “Having Heard All This You May Choose to Look the Other Way But You Can Never Again Say You Did Not Know.” What an incredibly powerful statement that can apply to many things, I thought. Ignorance not indifference is the root of many of the world’s problems. When children are involved, I think no one should be ignorant to the issue. The t-shirts sell for $18. The family has two children already one of which they adopted from Ethiopia. They have received word that a little girl is available and they couldn’t be more thrilled. The little girl is about the same age as their youngest son so essentially they will have twins! The Picker family is a huge advocate for adoption and they have a really sweet blog that details their progress. By helping them, you can be assured that you are in turn helping children all over the world.

Here’s a few facts about Ethiopia in general:

• Nearly 45% of the population is under the age of 14
• Approximately 5 children are born to every mother
• Life Expectancy is about 49 years old
• Poverty, disease and war are the main causes which leave children without parents
• The Christian World Adoption Agency places over 200 children from Ethiopia in homes each year
• One site estimates that Africa has 42 million children in need of adoption

Adoption

• It generally takes a minimum of 18 months from the time a family submits an application until they get to take a child home
• Most countries require 2 trips to the country in order to take the child home
• The rate of adoption has decreased with the slumped economy but the need for homes remains stable
• International adoptions can cost couples as much as $30,000

So check out their website and if you feel inclined, purchase a shirt and start helping to bring awareness to all the children out there who need homes.