I wish I may, I wish I might...
“Is there a way we can donate specific things to Eight Oaks?” This is one of the more popular questions we get from potential donors, and the answer is yes! The reality will always be that money is more useful, but THINGS are more fun to give. With that in mind, we’ve created a Wishlist for items we need or would like at the Yellow House. They can be categorized in a few ways:
Stuff for our staff Stuff for the girls Stuff for our friends in the community
We try to be very intentional about the gifts we bring overseas with us. First, we’d prefer not to flood the Ghanaian market with American products. Clothes, for example, are made beautifully and cost-effectively from a local tailor in Ghana, and we love to support those businesses. Second, our cultures are different! Child-rearing in Ghana is very different than in America, and it’s not common for kids to have hoards of toys. We want to support the Ghanaian economy and be respectful of their cultural practices when we can.
That being said, if we do take toys, we try to make sure of the following:
- They are educational in nature
- They can’t be purchased in Ghana
- They are able to be shared with our neighbors and community
Hopefully you’ll see these guidelines evidenced in the more “fun” products we’ve added to our Wishlist.
Our technology needs are our most pressing. Destiny, Bernard and Mercy use their phones every day to communicate with us, take pictures of the girls, write reports for social welfare and track expenses. Destiny’s computer (which was also donated to us) has not been functioning for the last 6 months, so he has been walking to an internet cafe to get his work done and communicate with us via email. We’d love to replace his computer and upgrade phones for Bernard, Destiny, and Mercy.
We are going to Ghana in March and would so appreciate if anyone provided these items. We’ve created a list below as well as an Amazon Wishlist that you can find by clicking here.
If you’d like to order directly through Amazon, we can give you our address so that it’s shipped directly to us (don’t forget to shop through AmazonSmile, so that your purchase benefits Eight Oaks!) online pharmacy viagra. Alternatively, if you’d like to donate the money for one of these items so you can receive a tax deduction, you can donate online, and list the item in the comments.
The deadline is March 13th!
We will take pictures of anything you buy from the list and share them with you when we get back from the trip! If we are able to get phones, you can expect some truly fantastic selfies from our staff.
Love and thanks to you all-
Ted & Ellie