$1,110 was used to purchase a generator and two metal cribs at the All As One children’s center in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Center provides orphaned children with clothes, food, medical care and an education, while these precious children hopefully await adoption to loving families – including families in the United States. According to the United Nations Human Development Report, life expectancy in this West African country is 34.5 years. The adult literacy rate there for people over age 15 is a meager 36%. The UN Report ranks 175 countries in its “Human Development Index.” Sierra Leone is dead last. The generator will power the equipment necessary to help provide some entertainment for these children who otherwise have languished through a miserable adolescence; it also will help them use educational materials so that they can, for instance, learn English.

Deanna told me, “It is not cost- effective to run our large generator during daylight hours for this small item [a TV]. This means the children do not get the maximum amount of learning opportunity - and also the fun and entertainment that would brighten their lives. As I'm typing this, the children are in the next room singing and dancing a cappella. How exciting it would be to hear them singing and dancing to some recorded music or listening to their laughter as they watch a child's film.” She also noted that the generator will help them save a lot of money on fuel costs, which will free up funds for other aspects of their important work.

All As One (AAO) was created as a direct response to the critical dilemma of African children left orphaned, abandoned or destitute by AIDS, civil wars, poverty, and other hardships.

Our work is in Africa – a continent that is often forgotten by many. We are also unique because we focus on the individual child. While there are many charity organizations that are "project" oriented, we provide very specific and life-changing assistance directly to a child or family. In Sierra Leone we have taken children off the streets in large enough numbers that the streets are now a different place. The displaced camps (similar to refugee camps) have a lot fewer children living there in abject poverty. While other organizations help to feed the children in a displaced or refugee camp - we actually work to get the child out of the camp!

One of the focal points of AAO's programs is the All As One Children's Center located in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Along with the Children’s Center, AAO has also established a school, medical clinic, and sponsorship/assistance programs for destitute women, children, and families. Efforts are underway to build a facility that will provide vocational training and fast-track literacy programs for many of the youth who have had their schooling interrupted by Sierra Leone’s civil war. It is our goal to expand our work throughout Africa so that every needy child will have a future, a hope, and a smile.

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All as One school

All as One clinic

All as One child center

Learn more at: www.allasone.org