BoyWithoutArms

Aschelew Gets His Arms!

This is just too exciting!

Our Field Supervisor for Ethiopia, Jeff Latsa, recently returned from visiting our projects there with our local Ethiopian director, Zerihun.

Here's what Jeff wrote:

“Aschelew’s story has touched my life as well as thousands around the world. Many people within Global Hope have helped. Through your help, GHNI built Aschelew a new store (I'm standing in his store in the picture). My friend Richard even ran a marathon to raise money to help his cause.  

“During my trip to Ethiopia… I spent my last day visiting Aschelew. With his new arms he has a new-found confidence. Although you can’t tell from these pictures, he couldn’t stop smiling the whole day.

“Because of his new arms that you helped him receive, we can no longer call him, “The Boy Without Arms.”

"And next month Aschelew will start to payback the loan he received from us to stock his store. He has gone from being a beggar to being a businessman.”

I agree with Jeff. To all of you have have contributed to Aschelew's life (and he will never get to meet most of you) a HUGE THANK YOU from all of us at GHNI on his behalf!

Aschelew's Store Opens!

Wow! It's a dream come true!

MANY, MANY of you contributed to our BoyWithoutArms campaign in January. Then volunteers went in February, and the building for his store/home was gotten significantly underway.

Since then, our Ethiopian director Zerihun (in the middle below) made sure the building was finished, then he helped Aschelew form a relationship with a wholesaler, then he trained Aschelew and his brother in how to operate the store.....

AND NOW THEY'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!!!!

I can't help but tear up when I look at this picture. And here's great news on top of it all: Aschelew is due to get two prosthetic arms in the next month or so.

Amazing. Totally amazing.

Mission Accomplished... Thanks to ALL!

Did you catch the video webcast?

The volunteers have now returned from the launch and dedication of Aschelew's store.

It was an AMAZING trip... full of heart and hope. Read all about it and see pics on my blog, Pangeo.us.

(I'll post more pics once the store is finished, stocked and opened!)

Everyone did it! $10,135!!

Wow! And it was an incredible finish! The far-flung people of the social network "Twitter" tweeted the promise of @ajleon to chipin the final $245 if he got 245 followers by the end of the evening. He got 'em in 30 minutes, and BoyWithoutArms (and AJ) were the most tweeted words in the world tonite!

NOW... tune in to my live 20-minute videocast as we build Aschelew's store. It's scheduled for 11:05pm EST, Wednesday Feb 18th (that's EARLY Thursday AM in Ethiopia!)... Here's the link: http://www.unikron.com/clients/global_hope/   And the password is (all lower case): aschelew

DURING the videocast you can tweet me questions, I'll see them on my iPhone and answer as many as I can, live (ain't technology grand)! Say a prayer that all the satellite eqpt works...

Also, you can follow our trip on my blog: www.pangeo.us

Blessings to all of you!!!

The Boy Without Arms

Together we'll change a life.. and a town. As one donor put it, we're helping BoyWithoutArms become BoyWithStore!

We're going to turn a hard situation around with a hand up not a handout. To do it, we need the help of friends... $10 at a time. (Funds are needed by Feb 8th... before I leave for Ethiopia)

Meet Aschelew. He's the boy without arms. He lives in Woliso, Ethiopia. Together we're going to change Aschelew's and his brother's lives.

Here's the story: Several years ago Aschelew was depressed over his parents' AIDS, and his family chained him up to keep him from killing himself. The chains cut off the blood to his arms and he ended up losing both of them. Now his parents have died and Aschelew and his brother are alone. And the town is eager to see how to help them, and other orphans, sustainably.

Everyone who donates is invited to my live videowebcast from this project Feb18th.

Our PLAN.

In Global Hope Network we help the poorest communitites of the world develop. We show them how to develop holistically and sustainably.

Here's what we're going to do, and it's the SOLUTION to lifetime dependency: We're going to help Aschelew and his brother launch a sustainable source of income.

Your gift will make it possible.

We sat down with them and the town leaders and worked out a plan. Aschelew's brother is able to drive a donkey-cart and bring in some income that way. And Aschelew is naturally organized and can run a small store (with some hired younger help), and complete their income needs that way.

So we're going to build Aschelew and his brother that store! (plus, it'll be a house/store where they can live, instead of on the streets).

Here's video of Aschelew from our August trip:

A volunteer team is going to Woliso February 15th to work alongside the townspeople to build Aschelew's store... and build houses for 3-4 more AIDS-affected families, depending on how much money we raise.

Join us to help Aschelew and his brother!

ANY GIFT HELPS! Really! Your gift of $10, $20, $50, $100 or more will help get Aschelew's store built. (Even $5 helps.)

Just click on the "ChipIn" widget at the top of this page, and contribute what you can. It might mean skipping a meal out for us, but a TRANSFORMED LIFE for Aschelew and others.

We're going to do this together. C'mon, jump in and have a great time helping!

       --Jeff Power, US Mobilization Director, Global Hope Network

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(Here's a short documentary on our work in Ethiopia & Kenya):

The Giving Team...

Here's a running list of everyone contributing to help Aschelew get his store and other AIDS-affected families get homes thru this 48hr campaign (PLEASE let me know if I've missed your gift!).

And thanks to www.TheConvergingNetwork.com (Mitchell Ashley) for technical help on this site!

Jeff & Mary Power, Alison Lowndes, Robert & Joan Power, Kendra Kellogg, Chris Schaubach, Bobby Senaha, Tom Connelly, Mitchell Ashley, Buffi Gibbons, Robbin Saito, Sarah Jacoby, Mike Hollis, Nicolle Cheatham, Lisa Mills, JoDitt Williams, Pam McCormick, Phyllis Mufson, Bud Ham, Jeremy Hugus, Jan Kaspar, Christian Gu, Adela Pribylova, Lois Hicks-Wozniak, Sonnet Schulz, KC Schwarz, Robert Green, Diana Scimone, Ken Kinstle, Alen L., Sarah Montague, Benjamin Moore, Rebeca Trautner, Romina Oliverio, Eric Silverman, Peter Kypros, Carol Brizzi, Ariana Iacobucci, Stephanie Raquel, Mark Reynolds, Amy Hickey, Lisa Gouran, Kevin Gouran, Jennifer Nickal, Louise Wo, Alison Calhoun, Greg Isaacs, Victoria Inman, Magda Barnes, Jared Humphries, Richard Holt, Elaine Callahan, Mary Forsythe, Prashanthe Mahakali, Lucas Guili, Jason Stewart, Susan Rowe, Tammi Nowack, Kea Coffyn, Lora Lamm, Elizabeth Porter, Johanne Jarlego, Joannes Banis, Karen Remick, Linda Lundy, Lynne Lapp, Betsy Bass, Regina Touhey, Bruce Tompkins, Sara Romfo, John Toennies, Steven Petranik, Tom Bonner, Christine Gansenberg, Lennie Omalza, Debra Arakawa, Philip Spalding, Tracy Humphrey, William Grey, George Mosier, Dan Webster, Kristi Laur, Emma Reed, Steve Summy, Shara Enay, Matt Mighell, Kelly Eidson, Morgan Pietryka, Sue Peverly, Alejandrina Wilson, Penny Bush, Sheryl Lane, Jaime, Joanne Romero, Gregory Trifonovitch, Amos Meyers,

       THAT's THE FIRST 20% TOWARD OUR GOAL!!!!! Yeeha!!!

Ric Raftis, Rona Nardone, Cathy Coleman, Jack & Erica Angert, Crystal Espinoza, Paul Swanson, Karen Petersen, Daan PutnamCramer, Brandon Harris, Benjamin Wong, Mike Whipple, Brian Erley, Bernard Keating, Catherine Cayce Crown, Matt Lossau, Margaret Blaney-Murphy, Nancy Movick, Lynne Biegler, Bill Hibbler, Brian Rooney, Justin Christianson, Emily Kane, Alex Kane, Brad Kane, Andrew Clacy, Nicholas Kypros, Bill Rader, Joyce Nagle, Marie Tucker, Jouis Burkhardt, Dan Solomon, Alison Jacobs,

        NOW WE'RE ONE-THIRD of the WAY!!!

Jennifer Setzer, Suzanne Lauer, Jessica Denton, Sally Wentz, Stacey Kannenberg, Mary Elsheimer, Judy Vorfeld, Albert Leon, Michael Leidtke, Julie Ruby, Stephen Sherlock, Steven Jennings, Melitta Jones, Matthew VanDeusen, Eva Gregory, Mona Carpenter, Lucia Uihlein, Malcolm Farnsworth, George Hernandez, Ashley Erdmann, Sandra McCullen, Valerie Riefenstahl, Kevin Shepherd, Michael Murdock, J Collins Meek, Scott Harimoto, Sally Rauch, Adam Vaught, Roseann Higgins, Kwai Fun Kwok, Anthony Shave, Emmatentia Osborne, Paul Mizzi, Karianne Lillegaard, Kathleen Klingensmith, Ariana Iacobucci, Katie Brooker, Luke Eckenroth, Chris Murfin, Wendy Brache, Akaya Lee, Ron Koh, JD Fueslein, Janet Murray,

      CELEBRATE!!!  WE'RE HALFWAY!!!  WOOOOOOOOT!!

Jeff Davenport, Laura Prescott, Blair Brumenschenke, Bobby Cooper, Andrew Bailey, David Carnegie, Hal Jones, Karen Kay, David Chamberlain, Hodie Gastel, Josh Paul, Dana Livingston, Connie Arnold, Margaret Anderson, Jeff Speigner, Louis columbus, Mike Todd, Steven Korn, Andrius Jaksevicius, Sean Musson, Kristal Elliot, Sharon Tappan, Craig Lund, Lucretia Pruitt, Patricia Long, Misty Khan, Glenn Manishin, Michelle McGuiness, Cathy Cooper, Elia Varela Serra, Kristal Elliott, Elizabeth Wicks, Pat & Bill Hudson, Randy Achee, Jason Chang, (getting closer to 2/3rds!!), Scott Gillis, Sanrda VanDorsten, Anthony Leon, Rory Arrowsmith, Virginia Ellsworth, Ron Williams, Donna Findley, Peter Dietz,  Emily Power-Driver, Bill Cater, Kelly Ho, Albert Lein, John Creasy,

      CHECK IT OUT...WE'RE NOW PAST 2/3RDS!!!!

AIO Group, Anne Heartsong, William Robertazzi, Katherine Neimann, Ronald Caylor Sr., Robert Anderson, Stephanie Wong, Debra Hayes, Iain McDonald, Sunny Yu, Steve Young, Carolyn Boroden, Joe Seago, 

     WE'VE REACHED 75%, THAT'S $7,505!! Now time for bed. It's late!! See u in the AM!

Richard Cox, Mary Lewis, Brian Marshall, Joe D Wilson, Jennifer Andrare, Matt Lossau, Jeo Healy, Eddie Marthin, Iris Browne, Joanne Huddleson, Todd Rachael & Beau Friesen, Phil Mesdag, Marc Gross, Cynthia Reynolds, Amy Kaverman, Jessica Marchand, Marguerite Bello, Faith Durbano, Roman & Vlada Nazarov, Jennifer De Jesus, Margaret Graham, Sandy Miller, Robin Hoek, Dave Warn, Wanda TeGrothenjuis, Maria Grant, Monica Miller, Women2Women, Clark Griep, Suzanne Talaric, Jordan & Meg Terrell, Carol Miller, Susi Shuler, Peter Snyder, Rae & Kay Young, David & Lori Feick, Chris Chadwick, Barbara Beisman, Vincent Hunt, AJ Leon!!! Robert Joseph, Sarah Larson, Tobias Brusegard, Veronica Danie, Esbjorn Larsen,

     AND WE'RE AT $10,135!!! WOOOOT!! WOOOOT!! WOOOT!! Amazing everyone!

Wow, what a ride and what a finish! Fantastic!!