Investments

There they stood posing, faces gleaming, proud and tall, in front of the few possessions they have and need for secondary school: a bucket, a foam bedroll, a small suitcase, and backpack. The directors of Good Hope had posted pictures on Facebook of the handful of students that were headed off to Pasua Secondary Boarding School in Moshi; a handful of students with dreams and determination and fortunate enough to have sponsors who want them to succeed. 

I studied each picture and face carefully, looking for clues and proof of their excitement. These children are not strangers to me. I learned their names, shook their hands, hugged them, and heard their hopes for their future. I couldn't help but invest. And that is exactly what I believe sponsoring an education is - an investment. There is no better gift than an opportunity to pursue one's dreams, and for these kids living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in challenging home environments, it is a lifeline.

I couldn't help but remember how our car bulged with furniture, clothes and boxes when we dropped our kids off at university, and the number of trips to unload it. Quite the polar opposite for the Good Hope kids who travel light with their few belongings tucked into a tidy metal box, and the new bedroll and bucket that came with the sponsorship. Life is both simple and complicated in the Majengo neighbourhood in Moshi. The school and home environments are what we would call "minimalist" while the health and socioeconomic challenges are cluttered and complex. 

Our money has a lot of clout in developing nations and has much more impact than here at home. The amount we pay for a pack of chewing gum can purchase 5 notebooks, and provide exponentially more bang for our buck. 

I found a generous sponsor for my serious young friend David and when I assured him that his sponsor, as a successful entrepreneur, only makes solid investments, he turned to me and said, "And he is investing in me, right?" 

I see it as investing in humankind, world peace, and in self. And for that opportunity, I am truly grateful.

Good luck Abdi, David, Viviany, Calvin, Issa, Ibrahim, Christian, and Veronica. 

David looking so serious on send off day

Give a Little to Celebrate World Water Day

It's World Water Day. That probably doesn't mean too much to those of us who can access drinking water with a turn of the tap or take ten-minute long hot steamy showers in one of the bathrooms in our home - or sit on a clean, porcelain toilet which we then flush with drinking quality water. We are the fortunate for whom water is abundant and easily accessible.

But that is not so in so many other parts of the world where drinking water is drawn from filthy rivers by women who often walk miles each day fetching and carrying it to and fro, and where basic sanitation facilities are non-existent.

So today, in honour of World Water Day, I donated a little to the Global Women’s Water Initiative (GWWI).  GWWI is building a group of women trainers who are knowledgeable in a holistic set of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) strategies who can build various technologies, promote water-related health campaigns and launch social enterprises. GWWI partners with local women leaders to design training for grassroots women and groups to bring sustainable WASH solutions that improve their communities' health and self-reliance. 

So far the projects launched by GWWI graduates have led to over 30,000 people accessing improved access to clean water and/or sanitation. I love that this projects empowers women to take control and solve the water issues in their communities.

Read about my weekly  Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little Hope to Women

Photo courtesy of One by One

I can remember the first time I heard the word "fistula". It was a funny sounding word for a horrific condition - a hole between the birth passage and an internal organ such as the bladder or rectum. A woman cannot hold her urine, and sometimes bowel content as well.

I was shocked when I learned just how many women suffer the pain and resulting shame and isolation from fistulas caused from prolonged obstructed labour, or giving birth when they are just young girls or - the ultimate act of violence - from being raped and/or mutilated. Mostly it happens because most mothers in poor countries give birth without any medical help.

All of the scenarios are ugly, and preventable. But there is work to do to to create change. In the meantime there are girls and women who need treatment, care and support to repair the physical and emotional wounds of fistula.

This week I donated a little to the Fistula Foundation to support their efforts to raise awareness of and fund fistula repair, prevention, and educational programs worldwide to help eradicate fistula. Women deserve proper maternal care, the quality of which should not depend on where you happen to be living.

Read about my weekly  Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Help an Everyday Child Learn, Earn, and Return

Logo courtesy of www.everydaychild.org/

In my search for my next weekly "give a little" I stumbled across the Everyday Child initiative. Everyday Child is raising money to build a learning centre for impoverished children in Mombai to give them the opportunity to learn something new, earn something out of it (whether it is monetary, tools, experience, etc.) and then empower them to return the knowledge and skills they acquired by teaching someone else. The hope is that it will foster an everlasting cycle of education.

I love mostly everything and anything to do with education; I donated to help them reach their goal of building their learning centre by 2014. I grew up in the hay day of education -- when schools provided a myriad of activities,arts, music, opportunities, access to equipment, clubs and teams to join - all at no cost to the student. We were taught to play instruments, sew, cook, woodwork, repair, weld, paint, and create. Today's children are not so fortunate, especially those who are impoverished or living in regions with no access to education. If we all give a little, we can achieve alot.

Read about my weekly  Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little to End the Use of Child Soldiers

Photo courtesy of http://www.childsoldiers.org/

Romeo Dallaire is one of the most courageous humanitarians of his time, and a personal hero of mine. Aside from the fact that this awesome, inspiring man is a Canadian, he is perhaps best known for being the Force Commander for UNAMIR, where he bore witness to the Rwandan genocide. Now as a retired lieutenant-general and Canadian Senator he is an outspoken advocate for human rights, mental health and war-affected children.

Wanting to transform his hellish experiences into a constructive contribution, he founded the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative, and made it his life's mission to end the use of child soldiers worldwide. He documented his experiences and proposed solutions in two best-selling books: Shake Hands with the Devil and They Fight like Soldiers, Die like Children: The Global Quest to Eradicate the Use of Child Soldiers.

Just imagine more than 250,000 children (estimated 30-40% girls) recruited - often forced - to be soldiers. Many are stolen from their families, maimed, raped, drugged, used as sex slaves or otherwise abused and as child soldiers, are often forced to commit atrocities against friends, families and neighbours. Dallaire says children are used because they are considered expendable, plentiful, cheap to maintain and easily indoctrinated by the adults who recruit them. They are used as a strategic military tool—a weapons system—to advance the interests of persistent human rights violators.

For my weekly Give a Little challenge I donated to the Child Soldiers Initiative which is committed to ending the use and recruitment of child soldiers worldwide, with a focus on prevention, through ground-breaking research, advocacy, and security-sector training.

Because to tell you the truth, if Dallaire can be selfless and brave enough to take on the fight of a lifetime, the least I can do is give a little to support the cause.

His book has been made into a documentary. Watch the trailer.

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Have a Heart: Give a Little Love and Water

Image courtesy of VDay http://www.vday.org/

Valentine’s Day had Twitter abuzz with loving sentiments and wishes for a better world. Valentine’s Day is also the VDay – the One Billion Rising Campaign to end violence against women and girls. The global One Billion Rising movement is based on the estimate from the UN that one in three women will be beaten or raped during their lifetime, meaning one billion worldwide. Powerful images of women (and men) in Canada and from far-away – Afghanistan, India, UK, Philippines, Europe, Australia – marching and dancing in solidarity to demand an end to this violence inspired me to “give a little” to the effort. I am a woman with three daughters and I can’t fathom the thought of any of them – or anyone for that matter - being subjected to harm. It must be globally unacceptable.

In my recently acquired health regiment [lifestyle change] I am been slugging back copious amounts of water, supposedly clean water that comes to me effortlessly by simply turning on a tap.  Last week (I’m a little behind in my reporting) I was inspired to support the water.org initiative that works with local partners to find solutions to provide the one billion on the planet who do not have such ready access to clean water – as well as sanitation to the three billion who are without toilets! Next time you are sitting on the throne with toilet paper at your fingertips, try to imagine what life would be like if there wasn't a toilet to be found …

 

Infographic courtesy of water.org

HELP!
Have ideas to help me in my weekly quest? Please share!

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little Breakfast to Kids

I just spend a full day among a diverse collection of professionals, activists and representatives from various sectors - education, healthcare, government, NGOs, sport, social services - who share a common goal of ensuring and improving the health and safety of kids in Canada. Statistics were flashed up on the screen; educators shared their concerns and challenges; doctors gave accounts of the "outcomes" of poor health and injuries they see come through the hospital; and governmental reps cited policies and programs. It reminded me of my junk drawer -- jammed packed with useful tools and instruments but with so much stuff and disorganization, it's hard to all what is available. However it was inspiring to be in the company of a roomful of passionate changemakers, all with a deep commitment to the well-being of children and youth.

It got me thinking about my weekly "give a little" commitment. I try to give to organizations and initiatives that promote sustainable solutions. But every once in a while, there is an immediate problem that needs an immediate fix. This week I donated to the Children't Breakfast Club in the Greater Toronto Area to help give kids a  good breakfast to start their day. Let's face it, kids who aren't distracted by a growling tummy can have a better chance to learn, be social and.participate in activities.

Have ideas to help me in my weekly quest? Please share!

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little Loan and Donation

Back on track, starting a new year aspiring to give a little every week. I've learned that

• something is better than nothing; 
• lots of "little" add up to "big"; and 
• I can always spare a dime. 

I blog about it to raise awareness of the "give a little" movement and to hopefully inspire others to dig  down deep into the couch to rustle up some change to donate a little too.

I kicked off 2013 by funding a new Kiva loan, micro loans for people who may not otherwise have access to credit - one of my favourite initiatives. I am trying to get more balance in my loans. I used to only sponsor women simply because women are more likely to be denied credit. But then I realized that there are also many men who are single parents, or are trying to support families in dire circumstances. My Kiva loans are now distributed to 30% male / 70% female. I also expanded geographically, now extending loans to people in 14 different countries.

This week I chose to support actress Kristen Bell's Crowdrise fundraiser for the Somaly Mam Foundation to help end human trafficking. Somaly herself is a survivor of sexual slavery and has dedicated her life to saving victims, building shelters and programs for healing, and empowering survivors to become agents of change. Each night when I climb into my big, warm, comfy covers I count my blessings knowing that at the exact same moment, there are girls and women around the world enduring horrific violence. Somaly Mam reminds me that I too can play a part, albeit small, in helping her save these precious souls.

Have ideas to help me in my weekly quest? Do share, please!

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Share

I shared the unexpected $100 win-fall tonight. I decided to spend it in Canada, to help ease some of the suffering in my own community, during this holiday season.

Covenant House Toronto offers hope to homeless youth, giving them a place to stay, providing 24/7 crisis care and a wide range of services including education, counselling, health care and employment assistance. 

It's hard to fathom what life must be like on the streets, never mind how a child could survive. And I can only imagine the frustrations and challenges of those who dedicate themselves to helping the most vulnerable members of our society. I donated $25 to help Covenant House help young people move from a life on the street to a life with a future.

The Red Cross is working to offer hope, help and compassion to needy Canadian families struck by disaster.  I donated $75 to the program that will provide comforting items for children to essentials like groceries and hygiene supplies, to help speed up the recovery of  families suffering through tragedy.

There it is - released into the community; the money just passing through me to the hands of those who can put it to good use to help others. And it is true what they say about giving being better than receiving. Both are fun, but your heart feels fuller when you give.  I guess this was a good reminder for me to remember to put my community and those in need on my Christmas list.

And I guess you could say that my Christmas shopping is coming along quite nicely!

Give a Little to End Sexual Slavery and Support Survivors

Photo courtesy of  SMF:  http://www.somaly.org/whoweare 

Sexual slavery sounds like an incomprehensible dusty myth dredged up from centuries past. Shockingly and sadly, it is not, but rather a horrific modern day reality for some girls and women living around the world. Somaly Mam is a survivor of sexual slavery and endured unspeakable torture, rape and abuse as a child. She survived only as a result of her searing courage to escape after witnessing the brutal murder of her best friend in the brothel in which they were held captive. Now Somaly Mam is not only a survivor -- she is a "thrivor".

She established the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007, a funding vehicle to support anti-trafficking organizations and to provide victims and survivors with a platform from which their voices can be heard around the world.

So this week I am donating to the Somaly Mam Foundation to help in the effort to end slavery and empower the survivors so that their light too, can shine brightly. Thank you Somaly Mam for being a symbol of hope to many and a source of inspiration to me.

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little to Women in War

Photo courtesy of http://hhi.harvard.edu/programs-and-research/women-in-war

For decades now rape and other atrocities have been used as weapons of war – with women bearing the brunt of this horrific strategy. Tens of thousands of women have had their lives and bodies decimated by rape or sexually mutilation, and are left with horrifying physical and mental trauma – and a debilitating fistula.

What is a fistula? The explanation is not for the squeamish. Simply put, a fistula is a hole between the birth passage and an internal organ such as the bladder or rectum, damaging a woman so severely that she cannot hold her urine, and.or bowel content. Prolonged labour or complicated childbirth without medical intervention can cause a fistula as can sexual violence. More than the physical scar is the societal blemish a fistula imposes. If she survives, a woman with fistula is likely to be rejected by her husband because of her inability to bear more children and her foul smell. She will be shunned by her community and forced to live an isolated existence. These women suffer profound psychological trauma resulting from their utter loss of status and dignity, in addition to suffering constantly from their physical internal injury.

This week I donated to the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) partnership with Panzi, a Congolese hospital, focused on identifying ways to prevent and reduce the impact of violence that can protect Congolese women's health and human rights at the individual, community, and international levels.They also work to provide counselling to the men of the community to help shift attitudes and promote healing.

These women need the help and empathy of their sisters around the world who can relate to their suffering. I can count my blessings and dig deep as one whose biggest problem on a given day is whether to charge it or use my debit card.

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Getting Back to Giving Back: Redefine Possible

Photo credit: Free the Children http://www.freethechildren.com/redefinepossible/

It's been too long, but I will save the lament. Looking forward only - and recommitting to giving thoughtfully, productively, every week. I call it my "give a little" initiative inspired by Wendy Smith, author of a book by the same name.

These posts are never popular with my readers; not surprising with the daily barrages of "asks" that most face, and the cause-weariness from the infinite number of natural disasters, conflicts, and other needs that demand our attention. However I am going to push through and consider these weekly posts little gifts I am giving to myself, and spreading the love.

This week I am donating $10 to one of my favourite causes: Free the Children; and more specifically to support the challenge that Spencer West, a truly inspiring individual is undertaking. Spencer stands two feet, ten inches tall; he is missing the lower half of his body. And to show all of us that we are stronger than we know, and have greatness inside us - we need only dig deep - he is climbing Mount Kilamanjaro. He is calling his challenge REDEFINE POSSIBLE. As I write this he is into day 2 of his quest. The fact that he has set his sights on such a monumental goal and is willing to risk failure to achieve something great - and raise funds for a cause that he lives to support - is enough. It is, afterall, not about the destination - but rather, all about the journey.

Good luck Spencer!  Follow his climb.

Photo credit: Free the Children http://www.freethechildren.com/redefinepossible/

Read about my weekly Give a Little challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little to Help Those Affected by HIV/AIDS

Image courtesy of www.orphanbracelet.org

My last few Give a Little donations have been to organizations dedicated to turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa and supporting the victims left in the wake of this horrific pandemic.

Orphan Bracelet Campaign sales help mothers and children in South Africa whose lives have been severely impacted by HIV/AIDS. The bracelet making program provides HIV/AIDS affected women with a living wage and the skills to become self-sustaining pillars of their communities. This is my favourite kind of giving -- to support causes that help people lift themselves up, and live the kind of life they deserve. And it is as simple as buying a $15 bracelet. 


In keeping with the theme of grassroots movements, I donated to another important effort to help fight AIDS. When I read about 54 year old Nola Reynolds'  DARE for the Stephen Lewis Foundation to support grassroots efforts to turn the tide of HIV/AIDS, I had to give a little support.  She is shaking off fear and misgivings and donning her courage suit to bike from Cairo to Capetown over the next four months to raise awareness of and funds for the AIDS pandemic. Stephen Lewis is one of my heroes so naturally anyone throwing their efforts behind his quest to improved the lives of millions of African women and children, deserves my support. I am going to follow Nola's progress on her blog.


I just gave a little, but as Wendy Smith writes in her inspiring book, Give a Little, if many give a little to many, collectively it will make a big difference to many organizations. And by little, I mean every dollar counts. T'is the giving season.


Read about my weekly Give a Little Challenge and other posts. 

Give a Toilet and a Little Empowerment

Photo credit: Gates Foundation

Thanks to a nasty headache that landed me on my assets for most of the day, I am not feeling like the day was particularly productive. The bright spots were the initiatives I found to support for my "give a little" effort.

I have been lax in blogging about my weekly give a little challenge so please bear with me.

In honour of World Toilet Day, and the 2+ billion people who do not have access to a private, clean place to poop oh don't be a prude - we all do it, I donated to World Toilet Org. I can't help it -- the thought of doing my private business in public is unfathomable so anything I can do to support the cause to improve the situation ... The mission of this organization is to improve sanitation conditions for people globally through advocacy, inventive technology, education and building marketplace opportunities locally. Like the Gates Foundation, they are supporting efforts to reinvent the conventional toilet; to find solutions that are not water based. It doesn't get any more basic or revolutionary than that!

Wendy Smith, author of Give a Little inspired me yet again with her suggestion to donate to the Imagine Rural Development Initiative (IRDI). This Zambian non-profit organisation is providing free skills-training in moringa cultivation to 30 previously unemployed local Zambian women. Moringa is an affordable and highly-nourishing superfood that can fight malnutrition, improve health and eradicate poverty. Sound good? Many of the local women taking the training are widows and breadwinners in their families and take care of not only their own children, but also grand-children and orphans who have lost their own parents due to HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. The donations help sustain the families while the women take the 6 month training. Wherever possible sustainability is key for me in my "investing" efforts. Don't we all want the same thing; to be able to take care of ourselves and our family and provide the foundation on which to build dreams?

So although I spent most of the day horizontal with reruns of "Love it or List it" playing in the background (helps me sleep), I feel like somehow I made a small, positive contribution and the day wasn't a total write off. And so another week begins!

Still Giving a Little

I haven't kept up my weekly posts about my give a little challenge - but I have kept up my giving. I am suffering some arm overuse issues so I have had to greatly reduced the number of posts to my blog, and that included not maintaining the weekly posts about the organizations and causes I found to "give a little" to.

In the past few months I have focused my giving on charitable organizations that address hunger, disease and women's issues. The famine in East Africa and the poverty issue in my own community earned my donations to help provide sustenance to my fellow human beings. Diseases that are affecting my loved ones and friends have garnered my attention and I tried to give a little to organizations with a focus on research and services. You can see an updated  list of these orgs on the Give a Little page of this blog.

It has occurred to me that giving money is the easy "giving". I want to step things up and start giving a little more than money; maybe some time as well as my expertise and skills. This weekly challenge I set for myself was intended to set my internal compass to seeking out charitable opportunities. If you have any suggestions I would  be grateful to have them.

Read about my Thursday's Give a Little Challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little Hope and Life to those Suffering the East Africa Famine

Photo from UN Info Service  

For the past month, I have been consumed with the disaster that has unfolded with the famine in Somalia. The devastation to human life is epic and something that in the West, for most, is inconceivable. We cannot grasp the sheer magnitude of suffering and I am not sure we even want to. We turn away from the horror and the ugly and the reminder of the comfort and abundance in our own lives. Life is stressful these days for everyone it seems; it’s too much to take on.

But how can we not? As I searched for my weekly “give a little” opportunities, I couldn’t get past the famine and the eyes of the mothers who have sacrificed children on the trek to save their families. I couldn’t get past the pools of sorrow and fear in the eyes of  babies who have no parents. It’s humongous with more than 12 million lives at risk and experts are predicting the effects of this drought will be felt for years after.

I usually try to pick organizations that provide sustainable solutions to communities who need it most. But what is more “sustainable” than providing basic sustenance for people who will die – and are dying - without it? So for the past four weeks I have donated to agencies dedicated to providing food and care to the people who have been devastated by the drought; this disaster not of their own design nor making. In keeping with Wendy Smith’s philosophy of spreading the love, I donated “a little” to four different agencies. I stuck mainly to Canadian agencies because the Canadian government is matching all donations until September 16th:

Oxfam Canada East Africa Food Crisis
Red Cross Canada Horn of Africa Drought
Free the Children Program to Help Build a Sustainable Future
World Food Program (WFP)

I know we are weary and have problems of our own but I can’t help feeling that any problems we may be encountering here at home, pale in comparison to the mountain of hopelessness that is building as I type these words. Wendy Smith taught me that a little goes a long way, when multiplied by many. So – I am giving a little hope to our family across the world, that they may know that we care if they live.

Give a Little Light, Hope and Opportunity

We have electricity in our cosy little cottage retreat at the lake, but the tiny bunkie out back where my daughter stays, does not! Light is a luxury restricted to the handheld flashlight she carries to see the pathway and then hangs on a hook. And then the batteries burn out.

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently donated to onemillionlights.org and also ordered one of the solar lanterns to try out for myself. Since the first day it arrived in its simple brown wrapping, it has been wonderful. The lantern gives off a soft white light that illuminates an entire room and provides a renewable source of light. It brought me back to when we were in Kenya navigating the pathways in the absolute pitch black dark of night with our headlamps. Made me think about the people who don't have flashlights or headlamps.

Through Twitter I stumbled across a compelling social enterprise called Solar Sister. The slogan - light, hope, opportunity – is also the mission statement. This organization tries to improve the lives of women by providing access to solar energy in a way that reaches the people with the most need, the women and girls living in remote rural villages.

Solar Sister is a woman-to-woman direct-sales distribution system (remember the Avon lady?) for solar lanterns that leverages women’s family, friends and community networks to bring the solar technology right to the women’s doorstep.

So this week my "give a little" donation goes to Solar Sister. The best part of this initiative is that it empowers women with economic opportunity and helps lift them out of poverty - and it is a wonderful example of women helping women; sisters helping sisters.

Read about my Thursday's Give a Little Challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little Access to Care for Those Suffering With HIV/AIDS

I've been reading one of those books that are so engaging and thought provoking that you just can't put it down. My daughters gave me An Imperfect Offering by James Orbinski, and oh what a gift it has been!

James is a former head of the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and shares stories from his decades of service in Russia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Rwanda. As fate would have it he was in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide - his “undoing”- and he struggled with the horror he has witnessed. He shares  personal insights on the human toll of political and social disasters and his frustration at not being able to prevent that which he felt to be preventable (immunizations and life saving treatments that are cost prohibitive). He accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for Médecins Sans Frontières in 1999 and in 2004 launched a new organization with James Fraser, Dignitas International to implement community-based care programs in developing nations for people living with HIV/AIDS.

He has become a hero to me and joins the ranks of my personal panel of changemakers and inspirational people that include of Stephen Lewis, Romeo Dallaire, Craig Kielburger - all of whom are (coincidentally) Canadian.

With tomorrow being Canada Day, and today being my Thursday "Give a Little", I am donating to Dignitas International and celebrating a man - James Orbinsky, and an organization that exemplifies what I hold true to what it means to be truly Canadian.

Read about my Thursday's Give a Little Challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little So She Can Be the First

Girl talk; girl power; girls everywhere – in the media – or so it seems. And it’s about time! The chatter and coverage has largely to do with the challenges and issues facing girls (and women) around the planet, and “the lack of …”

It's hard to fathom how many girls are lacking the essentials to a healthy, safe productive life, such as:
• access to education
• accessible, clean water (which directly impacts their access to education)
• health and maternal care
• sanitation

She’s the First is helping girls worldwide be first in their family to graduate from school. If I had been on time with my Thursday "Give a Little", it would have been in time for The Day of the African Child. I donated to the Girls Who Rock $11 for the Class 2011 campaign who are taking up the challenge to help sponsor 42 girls in Uganda “be the first”.

As a mother of three daughters, I can’t help feeling that purely by the luck of birthplace, my girls enjoy a life of abundance and opportunity, without physical suffering. I want that for everyone – and especially those who are marginalized by their gender and geographic placement. And that's why I used to start every morning with my girls, arms raised in a group cheer "w o m e n     p o w e r ", and that's why I gave a little...

Read about my Thursday's Give a Little Challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.

Give a Little Education to Kenyan Girls

It was hard work: pushing wheelbarrows of mortar, carrying heavy stones, and mixing rocks, clay and cement. But it was a labour of love for all of us who were there, out on the Mara in Kenya, bound by a common purpose, to help build the first high school for girls in the region - Kisaruni Girls High School. The setting was spectacular with the classrooms, each their own little building, nestled on a rolling hill, with a panoramic vista of mountains in the distance and a mosaic of lush grazing grounds and the red clay of Kenya. As my friends and I carefully stacked the stones that would become the walls of the school, I couldn't help but think how inspirational the setting would be for the girls who would come to learn in this place of peace and safety. I made my heart full to see the results of the work that Free the Children does in developing nations.

It's been almost a year since our little group from all over Canada and the U.S. met as strangers in Kenya and departed as fast friends. Many have continued to work to find solutions to help our Kenyan friends in their efforts to maintain a robust, self sustainable, healthy community. And that brings me to my Thursday Give a Little Challenge. My friend Megz from our trip went home to Arizona and rustled up some educational software to be used in the computer lab - and some staff from Intel to travel to Kenya to install it and educate the staff on how to use it. Now she is working to raise the remaining 4,000 to populate the lab with computers. So  this week, in the spirit of being the change, I made a double donation (to make up for the fact that I missed last week) to the Power of a Girl PC Lab campaign.

The school opend its doors in January to 41 young women. Marc Kielburger (co founder of Free the Children) gives a really cool virtual tour, with our Maasai Warrior friends Jackson and Wilson.

Read about my Thursday's Give a Little Challenge and other posts. I have to give ongoing props to Wendy Smith for her inspiring book, Give a Little. Consider giving it a read.