This summer two friends are going to give something very precious to children in Mozambique left orphaned through AIDS, floods and crop failure - the gift of being held, talked to and cuddled. The women will be giving the gift of love.
Maureen Ainslie, program co-ordinator with M. Magus and Associates, and Vicki Beeman, administrative assistant for Sechelt Elementary School, were neighbours for more than 10 years and have become close friends. Ainslie said through their Christian faith and their friendship they have both grown and become stronger individuals. Through their bond as friends and their faith, both women say it has given them a greater sense of their own abilities and value, and while both women give back to their communities on a daily basis, Beeman and Ainslie say they wanted to make a difference on a more fundamental level to people who are in deep need.
"As we healed and accepted ourselves, we were able to step out of ourselves and want to help others," said Ainslie.
Last year through the Canada World Youth exchange, the Sunshine Coast hosted youth from Mozambique. In learning more about what that country has gone through, Beeman and Ainslie decided they had the power to give something to others. The women also learned of Heidi Baker and the Iris Ministries and of the work they do with orphans and feeding the most needy in Mozambique. The ministry feeds about 50,000 people a day. Learning of these things and watching a DVD where children sifted through garbage for food really opened their eyes.
"AIDS is such a huge thing down there that one in six teachers has AIDS. Their needs are great," Beeman said.
This July, the women will travel to Zimpeto Centre, an orphanage near Maputo housing more than 600 children from newborn to 12 years old, where they intend to spend a week giving children what they need most - human contact. The women said going to Mozambique is not about trying to save everyone they meet. What they can do is give their time and their love to hold babies who rarely get held, to tell stories to kids who rarely hear stories and to let them know someone cares about them. "Both Vicki and I asked ourselves what difference could we make besides bringing down medicines and money. What could we give that can't be bought? We can spend time with them, read to them, make music and sing to them. There are babies who need to be held and loved and need the stimulation," Ainslie said.
The women are paying for their own trip down to Mozambique completely out of their own pockets, although they are fundraising through a penny drive at Sechelt Elementary School in a campaign called, 'give to the children.' Beeman said it's a great way to raise awareness in students about the world around them and the needs of others through a school presentation they will be doing during an assembly. Ainslie and Beeman said a significant amount of the money raised will go directly to the orphanage, and the women also want to give money towards the meal program in the area because of its importance in meeting the needs of so many. The women have set up a bank account with the Sunshine Coast Credit Union called Hope for Mozambique. Anyone wanting to make a donation can do so by depositing it into account number 753327 at any of the branches. For a tax receipt for larger donations, call Beeman at 604-885-7177 or Ainslie at 604-885-0570.
