West Seattle mom leads #Ask5for5 to fight African food crisis

(Photo by Mike Fiechtner)
Sarah Lenssen of Seaview is mom to three kids, two of whom are from Ethiopia. This week – to help save the lives of starving children in their homeland and other food-crisis-ravaged nations in the Horn of Africa – her #Ask5for5 campaign is being spotlighted on dozens of websites. Sarah explains that #Ask5for5 is “simple: anyone who wants to participate gives $5 and then asks 5 friends to give $5 and they each ask 5 more friends to give $5. So far 754 people have donated over $23,000 for victims of the drought and famine. 100% of the funds multiplied up to 5 times by government grants and are being administered by local organization World Vision in the Horn for relief efforts.” She started it about a month ago, and then sought other online writers to feature it during Social Media Week, which kicked off today. If you have a website and are willing to feature Sarah’s ready-to-publish “guest post” about #Ask5for5 – you can see it here, including contact information. And/or, if you would like to donate, you can do that here.

9 Replies to "West Seattle mom leads #Ask5for5 to fight African food crisis"

  • Laurie September 19, 2011 (12:18 pm)

    This is a great idea! I don’t know Sarah, but she sounds pretty great.
    I just donated, and I look forward to seeing my friends step up and do the same. It takes such a little effort from each of us to make a big difference.

  • Monosyllabic Girl September 19, 2011 (1:15 pm)

    Thanks for publicizing this. I just donated too and will pass it along. The photo of Sarah and her kids is beautiful!

  • Kristin September 19, 2011 (2:25 pm)

    Hooray! Thank you WSB for sharing Sarah’s story and campaign — it’s such a great cause! And thank’s too all the West Seattlites (and people around the world!) who have joined in!

  • Sarah September 19, 2011 (2:54 pm)

    Thanks Tracy and the WSB team for sharing my story and the story of millions at risk in East Africa! West Seattlites are the most generous and globally minded people I know. Let’s not sit back and watch this famine kill more than a million people. You really do have the power to save someone’s life. It’s so easy–$5 and 5 minutes.

  • amused September 20, 2011 (9:41 am)

    Shouldn’t we be helping kids in America first?

  • concerned September 20, 2011 (2:47 pm)

    @amused … why not do both? Kids are kids. Help hungry kids here in the US and also kids starving to death in Africa. We Americans are the richest people in the world. We should use it for good, while we can.

  • helridge September 20, 2011 (10:18 pm)

    amused – There are no American kids with their skin pulled taught over their bones unless their parents are actually denying them food. There are no American mothers walking for days, weeks and months to get to food to keep their children from dying. There are no American mothers making the choice to leave their children to die on these paths to save their other children. It’s nightmare conditions over there. While we sit and debate and burp our dinners they are struggling to survive. Yes, help both, but I think these young African mothers and their children need it most right now.

  • miws September 21, 2011 (3:25 pm)

    Shouldn’t we be helping kids in America first?

    .

    Shouldn’t individuals help whomever they choose?

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    Mike

  • Karina Palmer September 21, 2011 (3:39 pm)

    I loved this idea and donated immediately. In fact, twice. She’s wonderful for doing this! Thank you.

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