During this time of the COVID virus, everyone is suffering in some way. Some, if not all of us, have had to change plans. Some have lost jobs, some are trying to figure out how to home school kids and keep them entertained, some are working from home and have children under foot all day. Some of us have even lost loved ones. We are all concerned about the economy and our finances and the “what ifs” keep piling up. What if I lose my job? What if I can’t pay my bills? What if I can’t get food for my family? What if I can’t get toilet paper? What if I get sick?! What if …? Sadly these “What ifs” are a reality for many around the world, even before the pandemic hit. And it is these groups of people that become even more vulnerable at this time.
One of the reasons it was important to me to do this 40-for-FORTY Campaign is because there are so many people that fight the good fight, day in and day out. They work tirelessly to provide, to seek funding, to find a cure, to teach, to grow. Not for themselves, but for others. Now, during this time, I think it is so important to not forget these people, who are so often behind the scenes. Most non-profits have lost their scheduled volunteer help and have cancelled events that bring in critical funds to keep their work going. This is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, but it is also devastating to populations that are already at risk! As a result, I feel campaigns like this one, are vital right now! Non-profits need us to help keep them afloat!
When I reached out to our next organization to be highlighted, I knew I was also reaching out to a dear, dear friend of mine. I had planned to highlight this organization since the birth of my idea for the campaign back in the early winter. At that time, I had no idea that the needs would become this critical so quickly.
The organization I am referring to is The American Foundation for Children with AIDS, AFCA for short. It is an American based non-profit that serves AIDS orphans and families throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. I mentioned the AIDS epidemic of the 80s in our last post and how research has led to medications that allow people with HIV and AIDS to live asymptomatic, healthy lives. So, why is it still a problem in Africa? Well, the lack of access to medicine is an issue, as well as the lack of access to basic needs, such as water and food. Individuals may be able to get medicine but lack proper nutrition or hygiene to stay healthy. Hospitals and clinics have limited supplies and education. Not to mention, that same AIDS epidemic of the 80s wiped out a generation of parents, leaving orphaned children to be raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, or neighbors. Often these people already have children of their own and struggle with getting their basic needs met.
AFCA is addressing these issues in a BIG way!
If you are not sure what this 40-for-FORTY Campaign is about,
check out this post!
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AFCA provides free medicine to children with AIDS, but they don’t stop there. They are keenly aware of the variables and the surrounding needs of the communities they serve. As a result, they have setup programs to promote sustainable, healthy living. Some of these programs include teaching farming, husbandry, jobs skills (such as sewing, farming, cooking, etc), and training for midwifes so that AIDS does not transfer to the baby during birth. They want to see the children they serve be able to learn and grow by attending school. So, they have programs to provide school and uniform fees. They noticed a trend that the young women would stop attending school around puberty due to lack of access to hygiene products. This lead to a campaign to teach ladies how to sew reusable pads, which has lead to a new source of income in some villages. They have partnered with other organizations to maximize efforts and results.
Every year they run several trips to Africa inviting others to come volunteer and learn about the various cultures in person. These trips are called ‘Vacation with a Purpose’. I went on one back in 2016 to Zimbabwe and saw personally the work that is being done, the relationships that have formed and the beautiful, healthy children that have benefited from this vital work. A few years before my trip, Brad participated in their “Climb Up so Kids Can Grow Up” trip. He joined a group of volunteers and they did a guided climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania as a fundraiser. After their climb they traveled to Kenya to visit a clinic and meet some of the kids.
It takes a massive team to make this all come together and that team is largely made up of volunteers, as AFCA has only one full time staff and one part timer! The organization keeps their paid staff at a minimum in order to ensure that the majority of the funds go straight to the kids. I can assure you, if you donate to AFCA, your money is being used efficiently and goes directly towards programs for these kids and their families.
Behind this giant operation is my dear friend, Tanya Weaver.
Tanya is the Executive Director of AFCA and her whole family sacrifices much to see its endeavors be successful.
Please consider supporting this vital organization by matching our $40 Donation.
My friend, Tanya.
Tanya Weaver and I met back in 2007 at our church. She was looking for someone to help care for her daughter, Julia, who was about a 2 yrs old at the time. AFCA was new, and she was starting from scratch to build the organization. I was a new stay-at-home-mom and volunteered to watch her spunky toddler. I’m so glad I did! Caleb, our then 1 yrs old son, and Julia became best friends. In fact, our families became so close, we almost moved in with each other! (That is a whole other story- but shows you that we have always had different ideas about how to live!)
It was Tanya’s adventurous spirit, non-traditional lifestyle and kind heart that first drew me to her. (Plus, she is a fantastic story teller and with an endless supply of first-hand stories that are filled with mischief and adventure, who doesn't love that?!) After getting to know her more personally, it is her dedication to serving others and her vision for meeting needs no matter the personal cost, creativity and love for my family that make us great friends. In the early years we saw each other several times a week. We have done silly things like dying our hair red on a whim while our husbands played poker and the kids played. We had a family sleepover at her house, just because. We’ve sorted and packed medical supplies together. We’ve meet for coffee and dessert at a local diner to keep our sanity while the kids were young. We even ended up having our 2nd child at the same time (Aiden and Norah were born a couple of months apart).
The Weaver Family - (Left to right: Julia, Eric, Tanya, Aiden)
In 2010, our family moved from Pennsylvania to Texas. The daily interactions subsided, but our friendship did not. The Weaver family has become part of our family. Over the recent years, Tanya, her husband, Eric, and her kids Julia and Aiden moved out of their home and in with Tanya’s parents to care for them. The time was challenging on many levels and required them to get creative with meeting the needs of their increasingly dependent parents, their growing children, and the ongoing work of AFCA. Tanya would often get up before the sunrise and work well into the night to get everything done. The personal burden was great, but again, she persevered in what was good and right. She continued to work to meet the needs of others despite the personal cost. People - she is NOT super human. She is a person just like you an I. We cannot take for granted the tens of thousands of NGOs that have chosen this type of lifestyle for the benefit of others. They need our help! They need our support, physically and emotionally!
Tanya INSPIRES me to persevere, to keep the vision alive and to love others in a way that is often hard, but so, so good! My hope is that hearing a little about her story will ENCOURAGE you, the reader, to ACT and GIVE. ACT by volunteering in any way you can and by finding ways to support and encourage people like Tanya that sacrifice much for the greater good. GIVE by matching our donation of $40 to AFCA and by spreading the word about this fundraiser.
We at Prodigal Overland are humbled to highlight such a
beautiful woman and valuable organization!
Below are a few words from Tanya in regards to the current needs of AFCA:
People around the world are reeling from the effects and fear of COVID 19, as the virus makes its way across the word. In AFCA’s corner of the world, we worry about the children we serve, as their bodies are already immunocompromised and, in some cases, they are hungry due to failure of crops to grow because there was no rain during the growing season. All of this paints a grim picture for our children and for their communities, as they will not be able to cope well with the virus and their health systems are not able to handle an influx of patients.
With that in mind, AFCA, through our Operation Honeycomb program, has been setting up hand washing systems in the communities where we work, providing orphanages, clinics, markets, and other community areas with soap and training as well as with the basins, buckets and stands needed for people to wash their hands as they go through town. None of these expenses were planned for, but it is the right thing to do.
While we are busy keeping children safe, we are also busy cancelling events – fundraising events that allow us to do the work we do: sustainable food solutions, medicine, medical supplies, and school fees and uniforms. What a mess this is causing! Spending unbudgeted money while cancelling events that we count on. This week, you can help turn things around by making a $40 donation to celebrate Lauren’s 40th birthday through this link. Your donations will help us cover the costs of the hand washing stations. What a beautiful thing you’ll be doing! What a life saver you’ll be.
Now it is your turn to ACT and GIVE! Please consider donating to the American Foundation For Children With AIDS
Click the link below and don’t forget to spread the word! #40-for-FORTY
***No monies will be handled by Prodigal Overland. All donations will go directly to the organizations. We have no professional ties to any of these organizations and will not receive any monies or privileges by highlighting them. ***
More ways to you participate in the 40-for-FORTY Campaign:
1: DONATE $40 or more to one of the highlighted organizations. Here is the direct link to the AFCA page. To see other organizations highlight in this campaign, look here.
2: NOMINATE an organization or non-profit to be highlighted in the 40-for-FORTY Campaign and share the story of the people or person behind it the INSPIRES and ENCOURAGES you. All Stories are to be 1,000 words or less. Please include contact information and a website link for the organization you are nominating. Email your nominations to contact@prodigaloverland.com
3: SUBSCRIBE to our mailing list for regular updates on the 40-for-FORTY Campaign and Prodigal Overland. (Click here to subscribe now.) You can also scroll to the bottom and subscribe there.
4: FOLLOW our Instagram Account for day to day happenings with Prodigal Overland. (Click here to Follow now). We are also on Youtube and Facebook.
5: CHALLENGE your friends by REPOSTING, SHARING and LIKING the 40-for-FORTY organizations/stories so that more people can participate and be INSPIREd and ENCOURAGEd. Use the hashtag #40forforty and we can repost and follow your stories.
6. ENCOURAGE people you know that Fight the Good Fight everyday, not for themselves, but for others. Look for ways to volunteer and help. As we said at the beginning of this post, this is a very difficult time for everyone, and the at-risk populations that many non-profits serve need our help! If you are interested in volunteering or finding other ways to support AFCA you can email Tanya directly at tweaver@afcaids.org . Again, we highly recommend their Vacation with a Purpose and Climb Up So Kids can Grow Up trips!
Tanya’s daughter, Juju, shared about her experience of traveling to Zimbabwe with AFCA on our road schooling website. Teach your children & grandchildren, that they can INSPIRE, ENCOURAGE, ACT and GIVE, too!