Your contribution of just $0.89 cents a day can be the difference between life and death. The question many ask is, “Can a family of three, four, five people headed by an elderly, ailing, unemployed grandmother with no living adult children in rural or urban Africa, live on just $25 dollars per month?”
The short answer is “yes.” Your tax-deductible contribution of $300 a year provides food, basic medicine, transportation, shoes, clothes, school supplies, seeds, tools to grow crops, and other basic needs.
Grandma Zinda is from Mkete-Iringa, one of the hardest hit areas for HIV/AIDS cases. She receives $25 per month from Ms. Judith Heywood of Ohio to support her and her five grandchildren, all of whom were orphaned by AIDS. She was devastated when a rain storm uplifted and washed the family’s tiny home away. When Ms. Heywood was informed of the tragedy, she responded, “I am giving up just a day at the salon to send my African grandmother money to repair her house.” Unbelievably, Judith wired $500 to help underwrite the construction and repair of Grandma Zinda’s house. Now not only is the home fully repaired, it is also structurally stronger and better. Gone are the dirt floors — instead there is a solid foundation, modern floors, rooms for the children and a safer and healthier environment. Grandma Zinda’s home would not have been rebuilt without the support of the ARK Grandmothers Sponsorship Program. Thanks to the support, commitment and benevolence of an ARK Grandmother’s sponsor, one less family is homeless, hungry and ill.
Adopting a grandmother’s family means that your monthly contribution of $25 or more is saving lives. Your life is enriched knowing that you are providing critical support to Africa’s next generation of leaders. ARK also provides school fees for the grandchildren in the adopted grandma families. When the grandmother passes on, she will know that her children will have a bright future and will act as change agents for their communities.
ARK will help you to keep in touch with your adopted grandmother family through our “One Million Grandmother Campaign” newsletter and other regular correspondence.
How does the money get to my adopted family?
Your tax-deductible donation is sent to the ARK Foundation, and we distribute the money to the families each month through our local African staff and trained volunteers.
What does the ARK Foundation provide me with?
Through our “adopt a grandmother” newsletter we provide our sponsors with updates about the adopted families, progress of their children and general information of the situation with grandmothers. We provide our sponsors with a certificate acknowledging their support and commitment to the grandmothers that includes the name and country of the adopted grandmothers’ family.
How many children do grandmothers care for?
The average number of children is about 5, but we have seen cases where a single unemployed grandmother has as many as 15 children in her care.
What is the average age of the grandmothers in ARK program?
Average age is 65 years old, single and unemployed with no source of regular income.
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