Have you ever imagined how your life would be if you’d been born into extreme poverty? We in the Western World take so much for granted. Just yesterday I was grumping because it took twenty minutes for me to cook dinner. I had to remind myself that: A) I didn’t have to chop wood for the fire; B) I didn’t have to build a fire; C) All I had to do was flip on the burner and I had instant heat; D) I didn’t have to chase the chicken and chop off its head and pluck its feathers and chop it up into pieces . . . you get the gist. Poor me.

Life is a daily struggle for the 1/6th of the world’s population that has been born into extreme poverty. Renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs describes extreme poverty as: “those households that cannot meet basic needs for survival. They are chronically hungry, unable to access health care, lack the amenities of safe drinking water and sanitation, cannot afford education for some or all of the children, and perhaps lack rudimentary shelter – a roof to keep the rain out of the hut, a chimney to remove the smoke from the cook stove – and basic articles of clothing, such as shoes. Unlike moderate and relative poverty, extreme poverty occurs only in developing countries.”

When Carl, Liza, and I traveled to our projects in 2009, we met a young woman named Rosie. Together we put together this video which tells the story of her struggles, and how Orphans Africa has helped to change her life. Please watch. Please imagine. And after you watch, please act. Together we can help children like Rosie.

Click here to watch \”Imagine\”

Sincerely, Michele Torrey, Orphans Africa Co-Founder, Secretary-Treasurer

So, over the next week or so, expect this content to gradually morph into more reader-friendly pages. Stay tuned, stay patient, rejoice with us, and feel free to contact us in the meantime.

Asante sana! (Thank you very much, in Swahili)