This Giving Tuesday, Giving Hope Has A Big Effect
Ever since I heard my friend Jeff Shinabarger say the phrase, “We’ll be known by the problems that we solve,” I’ve repeated it to myself countless times.
The truth is profound and life-changing. While each of our lives have various peaks and valleys, we’ll be remembered most, in the end, by the problems we solve—and perhaps along the way, how we helped others overcome their own.
Every day, each of us has an opportunity to wake up and make a difference.
Today is Giving Tuesday—a special day set aside to do just that. On Giving Tuesday, people around the world come together for a global day of generosity to solve problems and help others. And today, your generosity can be doubled.
This Giving Tuesday, I invite you to help solve a problem that impacts the most vulnerable among us—helping orphaned children around the world find loving families.
The Hope Effect
This month, we are celebrating the five-year anniversary of The Hope Effect—the nonprofit organization I launched in 2015 alongside you, the Becoming Minimalist community.
What problem could a community of millions, focused on not buying stuff, solve in the world? With that as the starting point, we dreamt big:
The mission of The Hope Effect is to change how orphans are cared for around the world.
Millions of children around the world are growing up without parents. Unfortunately, in most developing countries, orphans are raised in institutional orphanages, which has damaging long-term effects on children.
We’ve known for decades that when children grow up in orphanages, they don’t receive the love, support, and personal interaction found within the structure of a family. As a result, development is stunted and learning abilities are delayed or lost.
We know there’s a better way. Every child deserves a family.
That’s why The Hope Effect is working to provide family-style care for orphans around the world.
Partnering with local governments, we are pioneering and expanding this innovative style of orphan care in several locations, including both Mexico and Honduras. Our model of care mimics the family structure, allowing children to receive more individual attention while growing up in a stable family environment.
Children thrive under this type of loving care. They grow up knowing what it means to be part of a loving family. Children like Antonio*, a young boy from Sonora, Mexico, have hope for their future.
Antonio’s Story
Immediately after he was born, Antonio was abandoned in a hospital in Hermosillo, Mexico, the capital city of Sonora. Alone, from the moment of birth, he remained in the hospital while the authorities were called.
Until a few months ago, the only option for Antonio in the state of Sonora would have been to go into an orphanage, never knowing the love of a family. He would have been processed by the government and simply moved into an institution during a critical developmental time in his life.
But thankfully, today, there is now another option.
Because of the generosity from the Becoming Minimalist community, earlier this year, The Hope Effect became the first nonprofit to receive government approval to provide family-style care in the state of Sonora.
When Antonio was abandoned earlier this year, the government contacted our team in Hermosillo. After just a few days in the hospital, Antonio was placed into the loving home and arms of a family.
Antonio became the first child in the state of Sonora to be placed in family-style care without ever seeing the inside of an orphanage!
We are proud of the work we are doing. It is having impact in Mexico, Honduras, and around the world.
Today, Antonio is receiving the love and attention every child deserves. He is growing, thriving, and hitting every developmental milestone. Every day, his family looks at him with love in their eyes, letting him know he is cherished and valued.
That’s our hope for every child—that they would grow up knowing the love of a family. Because that is where kids thrive best and find the foundation to live their best lives making a difference in the world.
This Giving Tuesday, Giving Hope Has A Big Effect
If you are new to Becoming Minimalist, this may be the first time you’ve heard about the work we do for children around the world. Or maybe you’ve been a part of this community for longer than five years and remember when we first launched the initiative.
Either way, we want to celebrate with you. And I want to invite you to join us today.
If you want to make a difference in the lives of children like Antonio around the world, we’d be honored if you would join us today for Giving Tuesday.
Your gift of hope will have a big effect.
If you partner with us today, your gift will change lives and help more orphaned and vulnerable children find loving families. We are aiming to raise $75,000 on Giving Tuesday, which will allow us to place 200 children in family-style care by the end of next year!
If you give today, in the next 24 hours, a team of supporters has offered to match every donation dollar for dollar—up to $37,500—which will allow us to reach our $75,000 goal. That means your gift and your impact will be doubled if you choose to donate today.
The Hope Effect is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donation is tax-deductible within the U.S. If you have additional questions about The Hope Effect, send us an email. We’d love to chat with anyone who would like to learn more.
Whether you can donate $5, $50, or $5,000, thank you so much for supporting The Hope Effect and our mission over the last five years. You are making a difference. And together, we are changing the way the world cares for orphans.
Thank you for donating on Giving Tuesday.
*The child’s name has been changed to protect his privacy.
