Give the Gift of Goats
Goats are little animals that can make a big change for an impoverished family. Milk from goats is nutritious to drink and can be used to make cheese and yogurt for added protein, calcium, and other important nutrients. This nourishment is desperately needed in developing countries, especially by growing children. All of the dairy products can be sold for additional income, and even the manure can be used as an effective fertilizer for gardens and agricultural crops.
Goats are ideal for families in almost every region because they can adapt to many environments, even the harsh climates found in so many developing countries. Each family receives a pair of animals from ADRA’s goat bank, and they repay the bank when the first offspring is produced. After that, the original goats and all future offspring belong to the family to use for additional nutrition and income
HISTÓRIAS
story test
Jo’s Story (jm)
Liberia
Samvel’s Story
Armenia
Placidia’s Story
Rwanda
story test
FECHAR
Jo’s Story (jm)
Liberia
FECHAR
Jo’s Story (jm)
On the first day of school, Jo walks down familiar streets. When he reaches the schoolhouse, it is no different than before. Fewer people lingering in the street, perhaps. Fewer children laughing on the front lawn.
One year ago, the Ebola outbreak was a growing rumor in West Africa. It steadily became the most fatal outbreak in history. At the heart of the disaster are communities paralyzed by loss and fear, and within them, families burying one another until there is no one left to hold the shovel.
Jo is a survivor in the most tragic definition of the word. He survived the Ebola Virus, but lost his mother, his father, and all six of his siblings. At 10 years old, he is starting again.
The first step begins at school. For nearly a year it stood empty, a silent witness to the chaos plaguing the small Liberian village of Bulorquellen. Today, its doors are open again. The children of the recovering community have returned.
When the outbreak began, ADRA’s local staff worked within communities to prevent Ebola’s spread and to provide relief. Today, the need for protection supplies has been replaced by the need for school supplies. ADRA is there for this and more.
For recovering children, relief can be found within schools. With hand-washing stations and health presentations, we are ensuring the continued health of children and teachers, and by giving backpacks full of school necessities, we are helping kids have faith in the future again.
Samvel’s Story
Armenia
FECHAR
Samvel’s Story
Thirteen-year-old Samvel is an artist. He paints what he sees, and the picture becomes the scene. He paints what he imagines, and the colors and shapes blossom from the paper like lilies from a field. He has a keen eye and a sensitive spirit, and everyone agrees: Samvel is an artist.
But Samvel is also the oldest of six children in a very poor family. He has a duty to his family that cannot be supplanted by art.
By necessity, chores and work always came first, leaving little time for creativity. Even with the time he did have, his few paint supplies were old and worn with use. The sheets of paper were small and often crumpled for lack of storage space.
He still felt the immense inspiration welling in his heart, but with increasingly less time and resources to channel it. He also recognized his need for training, for someone to cultivate and direct his skill. Without the dedicated time and supplies, he could feel his talent fading.
In August of 2013, ADRA implemented a cultural center to teach cooking, knitting, and computer literacy. They also offered a course in art. Samvel enrolled in the free program and attended every class.
The access to art supplies alone was a dream come true, but the skilled art tutor providing one-on-one guidance was more than Samvel had thought possible. His creative appetite became voracious, and his talent refined and developed. With the short but focused lesson time, Samvel was able to balance both family duties and his passion for art.
The lessons inevitably ended, and Samvel could not afford to advance his skill at an art institute, but his creativity was rekindled. Though his family is still poor and his art supplies still meager, Samvel has committed to creating art as often as possible. Now his free time, rare as it is, is an opportunity to enjoy and improve his passion for art. And for that, Samvel is thankful.
Placidia’s Story
Rwanda
FECHAR
Placidia’s Story
Placidia holds a new pair of shoes in her hands. Her shy smile has grown, and today the 6-year-old is practically beaming as she clutches the simple, black canvas slip-ons. These are the first shoes she has ever called her own.
Placidia is the youngest of seven daughters. Her mother is a widow in one of the oldest and poorest areas in the Kigali region of Rwanda. Everything Placidia owns has likely been passed down through her sisters, and she treasures this new gift she has received.
“I am very, very happy to receive my first real shoes!” she told us. “I will wash them with water.”
Partnering with TOMS and their One for One program, ADRA distributed more than 84,000 pairs of the brand’s shoes throughout Rwanda in 2013.
Children who don’t have proper shoes miss out on a lot in life and even risk their health. If children have to walk far to get to school, not having shoes to make the journey means they miss out on getting an education. When children play outside with ill-fitting or broken shoes, they risk injury, and when they play with no shoes at all, they risk getting tetanus, hookworm, or even worse illnesses.
ADRA is a partner with TOMS as part of their One for One program. Every time someone buys a pair of the brand’s iconic shoes, the company donates a pair for someone in need. ADRA gets to deliver those shoes and put them in the hands of excited children like Placidia.
“I’m proud to be wearing real shoes,” she said. “My favorite thing is playing in break time and jumping rope with shoes.”
ADRA delivered shoes to more than 84,000 people in Rwanda this past year alone. The One for One program is worldwide, meaning ADRA delivers shoes everywhere, from Madagascar to Kyrgyzstan.
INFORMAÇÕES ÚTEIS
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O que é a ADRA?
A ADRA – Associação Adventista para o Desenvolvimento, Recursos e Assistência (ADRA – Portugal) é uma agência humanitária independente, de inspiração cristã. Seguindo os valores da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia foi estabelecida com o propósito específico de fomentar o desenvolvimento individual e comunitário e prestar socorro em casos de catástrofes. A ADRA serve as pessoas, independentemente da sua origem étnica, associação política ou orientação religiosa.
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Posso ajudar num projeto durante as minhas férias?
Devido à complexidade dos projetos de desenvolvimento da ADRA, normalmente não há possibilidade de colocar pessoas a curto prazo para darem assistência aos projectos internacionais. Os projetos da ADRA são implementados preferencialmente por especialistas locais que falam a língua e compreendem a cultura com que trabalham. No entanto, esporadicamente e quando solicitado pelo terreno, poderemos facilitar a participação de grupos organizados em atividades específicas fora do país.
A ADRA Portugal dá preferência ao envolvimento dos voluntários nos projetos nacionais de apoio às comunidades mais carenciadas do nosso país. Para tal, deverá ser contactada a delegação local mais próxima.
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Que percentagem dos meus donativos é usado directamente em projectos humanitários?
A ADRA – Portugal procura dar o melhor uso possível a cada cêntimo recebido. Tirando os valores com as despesas da mesma, todos os valores angariados com a Campanha Nacional de Solidariedade são utilizados em projectos de emergência ou desenvolvimento, ou em apoio social. A ADRA – Portugal toma como muito séria a responsabilidade de gerir de forma sábia e eficiente os donativos que nos são confiados pelos nossos doadores.
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Qual a melhor forma de ajudar a ADRA – Portugal a responder a uma emergência humanitária?
Os donativos monetários são a melhor forma, uma vez que permitem à ADRA comprar imediatamente os bens necessários de que os sobreviventes necessitam. A maioria dos bens de primeira necessidade como medicamentos, abrigos temporários, ferramentas, roupa, cobertores e latrinas podem ser comprados localmente ou em países vizinhos a um preço baixo. Ao comprá-los localmente, não só permite que os bens possam ser disponibilizados mais rapidamente, como também estimula a economia da região onde houve a catástrofe.
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O que significa a palavra “Adventista” no nome ADRA?
A palavra “Adventista” em Associação Adventista para o Desenvolvimento, Recursos e Assistência (ADRA) reflecte o facto de a Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia ter fundado esta agência humanitária independente. Os valores que moldam a organização são valores tradicionais cristãos de permitir a cada indivíduo a reflectir a imagem compassiva de Deus, potenciar a dignidade que é inerente a cada ser humano e enaltecer a importância da qualidade da vida humana. A ADRA – Portugal responde às necessidades das pessoas independentemente da sua filiação religiosa, ajudando aqueles que mais necessitam.
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A ADRA faz algum tipo de proselitismo?
A ADRA não faz proselitismo. Age e é motivada por amor sem condições. Os valores cristãos que programam as actividades da ADRA são expressados quando ampara aqueles que têm necessidades independentemente da raça, género, associação política ou orientação religiosa. A ADRA trabalha em cerca de 125 países do mundo e tem um registo exemplar de trabalhar em harmonia e respeito por um número alargado de culturas, tradições e pessoas de fé não cristã. O impacto positivo da contribuição da ADRA em todos estes países valida o nosso património e crença altruísta.
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Posso fazer um donativo específico para apoiar apenas pessoas Adventistas?
A ADRA não tem projectos em que ajude APENAS um ou outro grupo de pessoas. Se fizéssemos descriminação haveria aldeias em que algumas crianças receberiam comida, roupas e água potável enquanto outras teriam fome, estaria despidas ou com sede. A ADRA segue o exemplo de Cristo de ajudar aqueles que têm maiores necessidades, sem ter em consideração as suas crenças. Desse modo, demonstramos o Seu amor incondicional. A missão da ADRA é servir as pessoas, independentemente da sua origem étnica, associação política ou orientação religiosa. Uma vez que seguimos fielmente este mandato, somos muitas vezes a única agência humanitária a quem é permitido chegar às pessoas em necessidade.