Have you ever wondered if you can make a difference in the lives of children around the world? You can! Children are powerful ambassadors for the causes that inspire them, and the impact of a child's energy and compassion can be contagious, felt far and wide. Kids, Get Involved!

As a child in another corridor of the world, you may not always have the opportunity to reflect on the lives of children in Africa, to imagine life without the simplest luxuries you enjoy such as running water, school desks and chairs, or socks and shoes. You might be surprised to find that children in Africa are just like you - they are eager to learn, to play, to grow up. They have dreams, ambitions, friends, and favorite games - and they have chores too!!

Mahatma Ghandi, once said "Be the change you wish to see in the world." And with Just Like My Child's new "Be the Change" campaign, you CAN be the change we wish to see in the world by collecting extra change (such as coins and dollar bills) from family, friends and community members to help purchase insecticide-treated bed nets. These bed nets protect families from the Malaria disease carried by mosquitos in rural villages. Giving a little change here in the United States creates a Big change in Africa. In fact, just $20 can protect six lives!

Click these links for the "Be the Change" campaign brochure and campaign summary

Meet Beau Bressler, a 13-year old boy from Southern California. Beau recognized that in rural Uganda, children's lives are in jeopardy every day because they live without the simple measures of security to keep them free from disease. One of those measures is knowledge! Beau understood that the development of safe and clean schools could provide a critical component to preventing HIV/AIDS, particularly for girls who are less likely to contract the disease if they stay in school longer and prolong marriage.

Beau chose to help the children in Kiwanula, Uganda by raising $100,000 to build a school called The Children's Academy for the Global Heart and to pay its staff of seven teachers for a year.

But do you have to raise $100,000 to make an impact? Of course not! Even simple expressions of generosity go a long way! Just $30 can mean the difference of life and death for a newborn baby whose mother has just died. Download our event packet, complete with more suggestions and letter templates you can send to teachers and parents: Kids, Get Involved!

How can you help the Just Like My Child Foundation and help change the lives of children? Here are some suggestions:

• For your next birthday party, instead of asking for gifts, ask your friends to donate money to the Just Like My Child Foundation.
• Add a request for a donation of bed nets to your Christmas or Hanukah wish list. Bed nets cost only $10 and prevent the spread of malaria from mosquitoes.
• Talk to your teachers and parents about hosting a fundraising event - a car wash, bake sale, or talent show.
• Ask your parents if they will raise your allowance if you offer to donate it to the Just Like My Child Foundation for a few months!
• Do you have other ideas you'd like to share? Let us know what they are! We'd love to hear from you! Contact JLMC