By Starrla Cray
The Land Correspondent
December 21, 2007 03:16 am
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By donating old farm equipment this Christmas season, farmers can get a tax write-off while helping orphans in Africa build a better life for themselves.
Enduring Hope Inc. will pick up used farm machinery from anywhere in Minnesota, sell it at auctions and put that money into the charity. Unusable equipment that can be sold for scrap metal is also accepted. People can also donate land, buildings, vehicles, tools and household items.
Enduring Hope is different from many charities because it is creating simple businesses for African children so that they can meet their needs.
“What we are aiming for is basic skill industries such as bottling water, carpentry, agriculture and storage,” Vern Neitzell, organization founder, said. “Industries like that could do a tremendous amount of good.
“There are about 14 million orphans in Africa,” Neitzell said. “They are burying 6,000 people a day who have died from AIDS alone. You can imagine how many orphans are being created each day as a result. Some villages have no adults. There are just children because all the adults have died.”
The organization began around the year 2000 after Neitzell went to Africa for a mission trip.
“I prayed about it, and I really felt like God told me to do something about this orphan situation,” Neitzell said. “You can do a lot if you put your mind to it and if God is behind you.”
Life in Africa is hazardous, Neitzell said. “These kids don’t have anyone to protect them.”
Children in Africa face possible abduction for slavery in cocoa fields, as sex objects and as soldiers, according to the Enduring Hope website. Malnutrition and lack of parental guidance also pose a problem, causing health and mental development issues, the site added.
“If you lined up a 12-inch plate for every orphan, it would stretch from New York to San Francisco,” Neitzell said. “It’s just an overwhelming problem that is getting worse every day. You can’t do it with just handouts.”
Despite being undeveloped, Africa has potential, Neitzell said.
“Africa is wealthy in natural resources,” he said. “They have gemstones, minerals and oil. Businesses are able to flourish in Africa. Africa is like the Wild West in America a hundred years ago. The roads are bad, communication’s bad, and there’s lawlessness. America was like that, too.”
Neitzell said he hopes to create infrastructure in the country so the people can be self-supporting.
“For $1,000, you can provide a freshwater well for a village for the rest of their lives,” he said. “It’s amazing what we can do.”
This will be the first year Enduring Hope is raising money by selling farm equipment.
“I expect a really good response,” Neitzell said. “Farmers had a good year and a lot of them are looking for a tax write-off.”
The value of the donated equipment may have to be verified by a third party, Neitzell said. Any donation would be greatly appreciated, he added.
“It would be a nice gift,” he said. “And it would help people to get the yard cleaned up.”
The money that is made through the businesses in Africa will go directly back into the charity to further the cause in Africa.
“That’s why we call it Enduring Hope,” Neitzell said. The organization will be a long-lasting source of hope for many orphans.
“Rather than giving a hand-out, we are teaching the people to work hard and support themselves,” Neitzell said.
Those interested in making a donation can contact Enduring Hope by phone at (800) 466-0930 or e-mail at info@enduringhope.org. For more information, visit www.enduringhope.org.
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