Twenty-eight second graders in Linda Fattic's class at La Sierra Academy heard about Cynthia Prime, founder of Seeds of Hope Outreach, and they have joined her in the enormous challenge of improving life for AIDS orphans in Swaziland, Africa.

Swaziland is a beautiful country with ugly statistics. It has a 43.3 percent rate of HIV/AIDS infection. Prime says, "About 70 percent of the population is youth. Of the children, 120,000 are orphans, and the number continues to increase." She invites donors to help with garden seeds and food so orphans can have five weekly sit-down meals instead of one. The rest of the time they scrounge in sparse gardens. SOHO also provides medicines for clinics, construction and management of Orphan Care/Welcome Centers, and clothing for 7,000-10,000 orphans not housed in the centers.

The second graders were eager to show these children Jesus' love. "Would they like jump ropes?" they wondered. Cynthia answered with an enthusiastic, "Yes!" The owner of a local school supply store offered a healthy discount for each colorfully woven 16-foot jump rope purchased for the project, and also donated 15 more.

Recently the students left the LSA campus and walked to near-by La Sierra University's Stahl Center, carrying the 70 jump ropes. Director Charles Teel will present them to Cynthia for her SOHO distribution team in Swaziland.

The students' faces reflected the joy of making a small difference to some of those not-forgotten children of the Lord. Check www.seedsofhope.com for more information about the program.