annedegraaf.com

International—Intrigue—Injustice

O Friends!

You know who you are. You laugh at the jokes. You read the stories. You listen. You put in the miles and visit. You eat the meals and stay up late. You email. You give. You receive.

All gifts are free, aren’t they? So you thought this was the web page where you could win the lottery? Well, in some ways it is.

You win a free gift! Given freely.

Or is it that the best gifts cost dearly?

Friends of Anne de Graaf include an orphanage in Maforga, Mozambique where Kees and Sarah Tanis raise 50 boys as their own. Some of these boys are former child soldiers. This is just the sort of small-scale, individual effort that makes a difference. Every penny of money sent to Kees and Sarah for this purpose is used for the boys’ education. No bureaucratic red tape, no administrative fees, just lives renewed and dreams come true.

The education of one child—surely that is a gift beyond cost. At Maforga, it costs €1000 per year to send each boy to school. This is their dream. At school they can learn vocational skills like auto mechanics. At school they realize a future that leaves behind the violence and abuse many have suffered.

In a refugee camp Anne de Graaf met a man, a former child soldier, who won such a scholarship to school. He went on to become a child psychologist and had returned to the refugees to minister to the next generation of child soldiers.

Imagine if your own children were found by strangers after a natural disaster hit your hometown. If they were adopted, and longed to go to school, wouldn’t you hope in your heart that others might help them realize their dreams?

Other organizations Anne de Graaf recommends include Tear Fund, Woord en Daad, ZOA Refugee Care, World Vision International and Unicef, as well as the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Check out their websites for more information.

Sudanese “Lost Boy” graduates from high school after being adopted.

To all Anne de Graaf’s friends worldwide:

Open your hearts!