Children receive backpacks as part of the 2006 Face of a Child campaign.
The director of Face of a Child, Maria Magdalena Simonca, says this is a project that provides humanitarian assistance to orphans and poor children, but it's personalized. She says they take pictures of thousands of children in government orphanages and impoverished villages and give them to Christians in the U.S.
"They take the picture, they go shopping specifically for the child, they put it all together, they attach the picture to the package, they keep one copy of the picture for themselves to pray for the child and remember the child, and then they send the package or deliver it to our warehouse."
Simonca says that once it reaches Moldova, "It is distributed specifically to that child in that specific orphanage, along with a holiday meal and Christian literature which is given on the day of distribution."
This year LSM is collecting winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves. They also need bathroom supplies -- toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, and soap. A $10 contribution is also needed to ship the supplies to Moldova.
Simonca says coats are a desperate need because not only is it cold outside, but it's also cold inside. "They don't have adequate heating. So, many times the children will wear that coat not just when they're going outside, but when they're in the classroom attending lessons. Even in their dormitories we've seen them wearing a coat."
The deadline for the project is June 30. For people who can't shop for the child but would like to get involved, a $60 contribution helps purchase the needed items to ship to a child. Simonca says, "You will still receive the picture; so you will have the picture of the child, but we'll do the shopping for you."
According to Simonca, this program has opened doors for Christians to do even more in these orphanages. "We have our own LSM staff that has an opportunity to go into the orphanages and teach Bible lessons. So, on a weekly and bi-weekly basis they actually get to go into the orphanages and do the Bible lesson. The children are extremely responsive, and many, many, over the years, have come to know Christ."
LSM hopes to help more than 6,000 children this year. Your help is essential. If you'd like to help, call (828) 396-2220, or click on the Face of a Child link at LittleSamaritan.org.
