A Great Contest for a Great Cause

I wasn’t planning on blogging today, but when I learned about the great contest being held by The Charis Project to fund a land purchase for their orphanage in Thailand, I had to spread the word.

I’ve been supporting The Charis Project for a while because what they’re doing resonates so strongly with me. Not only are they helping orphaned children who otherwise would face lives of horrific abuse and poverty, but they are going about it in a tremendously intelligent and forward-thinking way. Their goal is not just to rescue these kids, but to build a self-sustaining orphanage that can secure these children’s education and future, as well as help more children as these grow into beautiful, productive people.

“Charis” means “gift” and Aaron and Carrien Blue are certainly a gift in the world with all they do for these kids and their community. They take an entrepreneurial approach to building a life for these kids, which means that they need capital to get started. That is what this fundraising campaign is about – raising the capital to buy the land for the orphanage – land they will not only live on, but work to provide a source of food and income. This can bring economic freedom, not only to the children, but to their whole community.

Do you see why this resonates with me?

You can read all about their work here, but in short they are giving away a donated iPod Nano in hopes of raising enough capital to fund their powerful dream. I know times are tough, but even a small donation will make a huge difference.

Plus there’s the iPod. 🙂 I still treasure the fish trap and machete I won last year.