Project Vehicle

Dear friends and family,

As many of you know, Chad and I are currently working for Imagine Adoption in Ghana (which is located on the coast of West Africa). We arrived on January 12th, 2009 and will be staying until April 11th, 2009.

While we are here, we are helping out at a few orphanages in a city called Teshie, just east of the capital Accra. The orphanage is called Hands of Mercy Christian Outreach International (www.handsmercy.com). We are living at the newest of the three homes where the young babies will be living. The main orphanage is about 15 minutes away and currently houses the majority of the children. As of this date, there are 52 children at Hands of Mercy, ranging in age from a few months to 15 years old. Also, a third home exists in which there are currently about 16 children living, again ranging in ages.

While we are here, we will be helping care for the children by playing with them, teaching them and just spending time with them. We are also here to assist with the new international adoption program to Canada through Imagine Adoption. We will be working on obtaining the proper documents, as well as plan for families who will be traveling to meet and bring home their little children.

Since we have come to Hands of Mercy, we have noticed a few great needs. This orphanage is funded solely by North American sponsors and is often lacking the necessary funds for simple items such as more clothes, books, toys, school supplies, etc. for the children. They are all very happy, beautiful children who are dearly loved and are content with what they have and the situation they are in, but Chad and I certainly noticed that area where we would like to help.

However, we also noticed a much larger need. Currently this home is without a vehicle, and must rely on public transportation, most often taxis or rental vehicles. The reliance on public transportation makes errands such as buying food and supplies and taking the children to the doctor or to even picking up the documents necessary for their adoptions much more costly and time consuming. For example, last week 11 children were scheduled for medical appointments at a local clinic and we were forced to rent a van for the day which is fairly expensive. We certainly feel that by purchasing a vehicle, our transportation expenditures will be decreased and operation expenses will be allocated to areas that are currently sorely lacking. Also, the time saved by owning their own vehicle will allow staff to invest more of their time into the lives of the children.

Chad and I have decided that we are going to make this our project for the time we are in Ghana. We are going to do our best to help raise the necessary funds to purchase a vehicle for this orphanage and we are asking for your help. We have looked into how much a used van or car that is in excellent working condition thereby decreasing the maintenance expenses would cost and we have been told that they can range between $10,000 and $15,000. At the time of writing this letter, we have already been pledged $2,000 towards this goal and are confident that with your help, we’ll be able to raise the entire amount.

We have noticed that there are many people with the desire to help those in need but are looking for a program that is personally significant to them. As friends and family of ours, we can ensure that obtaining this vehicle will have a direct impact on the lives of each and every child that is living at Hands of Mercy.

To start, we are asking if you would consider joining this project to help Hands of Mercy. If you would like to donate any amount of money, be it a large or small amount, simply send us an email with the amount you are willing to donate. I will then send you the address and information about where to send your donation as this will allow us to keep track of the money raised on our end to ensure that all of the money raised for this project is specifically spent on the vehicle. You will be able to get a tax receipt for your donations as Hand of Mercy is recognized as a charitable organization (any donation $50 or more).

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at julie.lebold@hotmail.com and if you know of anyone who would be interested in helping fund this project please feel free to pass this letter along.

Sincerely,

Chad and Julie Lebold