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“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”
If you or a loved one lives in the state of North Dakota and are being victimized, please contact the facilities below.
- Resource Center For Women P.O. Box 41 Aberdeen SD 57402 Business #: 605-226-1212 Hotline/Crisis: 605-226-1212
- The Women’s Circle Old Agency Box 689 Agency Village SD 57262 Business #: 605-698-4129 Hotline/Crisis: 605-698-4129
- Brookings Domestic Abuse Shelter P.O. Box 36 Brookings SD 57006 Business #: 605-692-7233 Hotline/Crisis: 605-692-SAFE
- W.E.A.V.E. P.O. Box 729 Custer SD 57730 Business #: 605-673-4357
- .Sacred Heart Women’s Shelter P.O. Box 2000 Eagle Butte SD 57625 Business #: 605-964-6062 Hotline/Crisis: 605-964-7233
- The Wholeness Center 218 East 2nd Flandreau SD 57028 Hotline/Crisis: 605-997-3535
- Project “SAFE” P.O. Box 49 Fort Thompson SD 57339 Business #: 605-245-2471 Hotline/Crisis: 605-245-2471
- Gregory Shelter P.O. Box 408 Gregory SD 57533 Toll Free #: (800)658-3486
- Fall River Crisis Intervention Team, Inc. P.O. Box 995 Hot Springs SD 57747 Business #: 605-745-5859 Hotline/Crisis: 605-745-6070 Toll Free #: (800)745-6070
- Huron YWCA Family Violence Program 17 5th Ave. S.W. Huron SD 57350 Business #: 605-352-2793 Hotline/Crisis: 605-352-9433
- Native American Women’s Health Education Resource P.O. Box 572 Lake Andes SD 57356 Business #: 605-487-7072 Hotline/Crisis: 605-487-7130
- Communities Against Violence & Abuse (CAVA) P.O. Box 245 Lemmon SD 57638 Business #: 605-374-5823 Hotline/Crisis: 605-244-SAFE
- Madison Area Help Line RR 4 Box 13 115 North Chicago Madison SD 57042 Hotline/Crisis: 605-256-3336
- PAVES P.O. Box 903 Martin SD 57551 Business #: 605-685-6206
- White Buffalo Calf Women’s Society, Inc. Box 227 Mission SD 57555 Business #: 605-856-2317 Hotline/Crisis: 605-856-2317
- Mitchell Area Safehouse 219 West 3rd Mitchell SD 57301 Business #: 605-996-5694 Hotline/Crisis: 605-996-4440
- Bridges Against Domestic Violence 211 13th Street East Mobridge SD 57601 Business #: 605-845-2110
- Missouri Shores Domestic Violence Center 104 E. Capitol Pierre SD 57501 Business #: 605-224-0256 Hotline/Crisis: 605-224-7187 Toll Free #: (800)696-7187
- Project Medicine Wheel P.O. Box 260 Porcipine SD 57772 Business #: 605-867-1035
- Women Against Violence P.O. Box 3042 Rapid City SD 57709 Business #: 605-341-3292 Hotline/Crisis: 605-341-4808
- Family Crisis Center, Inc. P.O. Box 347 Redfield SD 57469 Hotline/Crisis: 605-472-3097
- Children’s Inn 409 North Western Avenue Sioux Falls SD 57104 Business #: 605-338-0116 Hotline/Crisis: 605-338-4880
- Crisis & Transition Shelter/YWCA 300 West 11th Sioux Falls SD 57102 Business #: 605-336-3660 Hotline/Crisis: 605-336-3660
- Vicims of Violence Intervention Program Box 486 Spearfish SD 57783 Business #: 605-642-9841 Hotline/Crisis: 605-642-7825 Toll Free #: (800)999-2348
- Owl Feather War Bonnet Women’s Center P.O. Box 319 St. Francis SD 57572 Business #: 605-747-2464
- Crisis Intervention Shelter Service P.O. Box 842 Sturgis SD 57785 Business #: 605-347-0050 Hotline/Crisis: 605-347-0050 Toll Free #: (800)755-8432
- Vermillion Coalition P.O. Box 144 Vermillion SD 57069 Business #: 605-624-5311
- Women’s Resource Center Box 781 Watertown SD 57201 Business #: 605-886-4300 Hotline/Crisis: 605-886-4300
- Women’s Shelter 510 Broadway Yankton SD 57078 Business #: 605-665-4811 Hotline/Crisis: 605-665-1448
Peace and Safety My Friends,
Young people out there are making a huge difference in our world. One of the most amazing groups I have found is Invisible Children. We wrote about them back in March. They have grown so much since then. It started out as a movie, then a movement. Now they have made it their mission to help the children of Uganda.
One of their programs is called Schools For Schools. How can you help?
If you are a student, alumni, parent, friend, local business, or just a good person who is a fan of the program, sign up and read below to find ways to support the school of your choice. The challenge is to raise as much money as you can in one semester in order to provide the quality education and educational resources that the invisible children of Northern Uganda have lacked due to the twenty-year-long war.**
If you are mom or a teacher, or even better, both, get your kids school involved. This could be an amazing journey for all involved. One of the Local High Schools out here joined and they are raising funds for books and supplies for Sacred Heart Secondary School. Totally cool!
Here is a great video explaining the program. If you have any questions CLICK HERE for some FAQ.
I hope to be as successful as these young people. They are a true inspiration.
1-800Volunteer.org is one of the easiest sites I have ever used.
It’s as easy as putting in a keyword, city and state. So I tried it out this evening when I was doing research on Thanksgiving charity events. Do you want to work in a soup 
kitchen or maybe run in a 5k to support your local shelter this holiday season?
All you have to do is look.
It took me less than one minute to find all events in my area. Interested? Check it out now. Maybe you will find something that interests you, that moves you to make a difference.
For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, may you have a wonderful one. For those who don’t?
Happy Thursday!
We have a lofty goal here at Mothers Fighting For Others.
We need to raise $30,000 to put ten water purification units in ten different orphanages and schools in and around Nairobi, Kenya. We will be partnering with A Child’s Right to get this project accomplished. You can read about the work A Child’s Right has done in country’s such as China, Nepal, and Cambodia by clicking HERE.
When Julie and I started on this venture, we knew one of our main goals was to get clean water to as many kids as we could. We did our research and A Child’s Right seemed to be the perfect fit for us.
So our first big project is now underway.
I take my tap water for granted. It might not be as clean or taste as good as bottled water, but I am not going to get sick from it. That is the point I am trying to make. I will not die from my tap water. I might have a bad taste in my mouth, but the reality is, that is no big deal in the scheme of my life.
After spending time in Kenya, I know for a fact that 2-3 girls, on average, at Saint Monica’s Children’s Home come down with Typhoid every month. Every month. The CDC explains Typhoid as a
life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. In the United States about 400 cases occur each year, and 75% of these are acquired while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever is still common in the developing world, where it affects about 21.5 million persons each year.
The interesting thing in can be easily taken care of by eliminating the source of unclean water.
And that’s what we plan to do.
I am hoping that you can help. And time is of the essence. You can help us in the next few weeks.
How? Easy. Have a party. We are looking for 100 moms to raise $100. That will be one third of our goal. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It is. Thanksgiving, Office Holiday Parties, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years are just around the corner. This is the prime time to ask our friends and loved ones to help those in need. $100 from each woman. That’s all.
You have complete control. Want to have an ice cream party? A BBQ? Are you having big Family-Get-Together this holiday season? Are you going to your office party this year? You can help thousands of children by collecting only $100 and getting us closer to our goal of clean drinking water for the girls at Saint Monica’s and thousands of other orphans in Kenya.
Interested?
Let me know if you are. I would love to help any way I can with your questions. Here are a few FAQ that I thought I would answer now.
1. Who do we write the check out to? The check should be written directly to A Child’s Right. In the memo of the check needs to have MFFO Kenya Project. That will guarantee our project be credited the amount.
2. How do I know this is not a scam? This is a legitimate question these days. A Child’s Right is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation (tax ID# 56-2600599). You can locate them on the IRS, GuideStar.org, and GoodSearch. Julie and I will be accompanying A Child’s Right to Kenya next year. We will be helping them with the installation itself and meeting all the children that receive your donations.
3. Who do we send the checks to? You can send them directly to Mothers Fighting For Others. Here is the address.
Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Clean Water Project
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350
If you are able to throw a party before the end of the year, and checks are written no later than 12/31/07, you and your donors will be able to receive the tax deduction for 2007. So take advantage of the tax deduction this year!
So let’s get on it my friends. Who is ready to jump on board? I hope you are. I am excited to work with all of you on this very exciting and important project.
Let’s Party!
I am so happy to say that all six girls from Saint Monica’s Children’s Home will be going to High School next year.
$4453.22 was raised in two weeks. My cousin, Mila, worked hard and with special donors such as Desiree Daniels, we not only reached our goal, we surpassed it.
Passion, drive, and commitment got us there. I am proud and truly thankful for everyone who stepped forward to help my girls.
I am blessed to know all of you. I am thankful to have you in my life.
I believe we take a High School Education for granted. I know I did. It’s a given here in the States that everyone will go to High School.Finishing is another story.
When I was in Kenya, I wrote about my experiences and some of the obstacles that the girls at Saint Monica’s have to overcome. One of them is to Get into High School.
Father Augustine, who runs the orphanage can only afford to send one girl out of six to High School next year. The cost to send six girls is just too high when you have another 19 younger ones to take care of. So the six girls have been studying hard to be the One. Because that One who gets the highest test scores will be the One to go.
That is not the case anymore.
When my cousin, Myla, read about this, she was called to action. This past weekend, she threw an amazing party and it was a huge success. She raised $2788.11.
That is Amazing!
We are almost to our goal. We are just $1000 shy from getting all six girls to High School in January. We have six weeks to do this. I know we can do it. If you are interested in helping out, take a look at the VIDEO and you can find out more.
I am so very grateful.
Myla, you have done an amazing thing. You see, one person can make a difference in a persons life. Actually, you changed the course of four. So I thank you. I know Father Augustine thanks you. And the girls? They thank you too. I spoke to them just this past weekend and they are studying hard. They are working hard because they know what you did for them. These girls don’t take their education got granted. They fight for it.
And we will fight for them.
Last month, 1,775 pairs of children’s underwear landed safely in Kenya on my very first Journey To Africa. I must admit that I was extremely worried about the possibility of losing such precious cargo. But we landed without a hitch and the rest of the trip went
just as smooth.
With the help of my sister-in-law, Juli, we were able to visit six orphanages, and able to give underwear to fellow volunteers who then passed them out to three more orphanages that they were assigned to. It was an amazing experience.
Our first drop off was to our orphanage Saint Monica’s Children’s Home, right outside of Nairobi. All the girls loved the beautiful bright colors and they all giggled and smiled when they left the room. We were happy to do it. And found out later that the girls were so very grateful.
The next day, we met some wonderful nuns from Maria Immaculata Children Education Centre and Home. They house and educate over 300 children. We gave them over 500 pairs total. Sister Faith assured me that each of her children would receive one pair and that she would go to Mother Theresa Of Calcutta’s Orphanage to drop off the rest.
We stopped off at three more orphanages that day. Each deserves its own future post. All I can tell you is that the children were happy. They were smiling from ear to ear and giggly over the fact that they got new underwear. I will end this particular post with a story that Sister Faith told me.
“When I was passing out the underwear yesterday, one of the boys had said that it must be Christmas. ‘Why?’ I asked. Because we have never received something so new before, Christmas must have come early this year.”
The poor are where God lives.
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with the virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble and the cries we hear during war time. God, my friends, is with the poor. And God is with us, if we are with them. This is not a burden. This is an adventure. Don’t let anyone tell you it cannot be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty.
*to read and watch Bono’s entire speech, check out DATA, debt AIDS trade africa.
Mother to Mother, Child to Child:
How an Understanding of Loss Connected Families Across the World
12 October 2005
By Megan Tady
The give-away pile of toys in the living room doubled in size.
Josh turned over another plastic wonder is his hand and decided to sleep on whether he could give it away. In the morning, the toy was always there, placed proudly on top of the mound like a Christmas tree star-a shining token from a boy who couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of his gifts.
What he could grasp was that the gifts would be given to children not unlike himself: they were all fatherless. But to get the toys into the hands of other children, Josh accompanied his mom on a trip far away from their home in New Zealand to Uganda, where they volunteered for three weeks last March. Despite the stark differences in culture and language, Josh and his mom used their understanding of loss to connect deeply with the women and children in the village of Ndejje, and created a bond that would last longer than the toys and balloons and chewing gum they had brought.
Erin Cassidy was married to her husband Paul for two years when she became pregnant with their first child. Three months into the pregnancy, they discovered Paul had bowel cancer. As Erin fed life to her son, she watched her husband dying. Only five months after Josh emerged into the world, Paul left it. Erin was alone with her infant and Paul’s seven-year-old daughter. The world, it seemed, would never spin the same direction again.
Four years later, Erin was working as the office manager for a company she loved-the Global Volunteer Network (GVN), an organization based in New Zealand that helps connect volunteers with communities in need throughout the world. Erin had watched as hundreds of other people signed up to volunteer through GVN. The more she thought about volunteering herself, the more she couldn’t get one particular program out of her mind: the Widows’ Empowerment Project in Uganda.
When Erin made an off-handed remark to a friend at church about the project, he told her to book the flight and bill him. When she realized he was serious, she did just that, but she didn’t go alone; she took her five-year-old son, Josh, with her.
“I wanted to show him that even though we think we don’t have a lot, and that we struggle here, we have more than others only dream of,” she said.
As for Erin, the trip was a sort of homecoming in a foreign land, where she could offer her knowledge of sorrow for others to lean on.
“I was aware of what I was dealing with from watching Paul waste away,” she said. “Most of the widows in the Widows’ Empowerment have all lost their husbands from AIDS and would have watched their spouse get sick and die.”
AIDS has devastated Uganda. As of 2003, there were 530,000 adults living with HIV/AIDS, and 2.2 million orphans out of a population of 24 million who have lost one or both parents to AIDS. The strain this has created on communities and families has been hard to bear. As the husband is the traditional breadwinner in the Ugandan family, his death often leaves the family in a severe financial crisis.
The Widows’ Empowerment project works to give women choices about their financial future, and provide a way out from making hard decisions between food and education, water and medicine, body and home. The project was started by a local organization in Ndejje, and with the help of GVN, employs international volunteers to help teach mothers and widows practical skills to earn a living. For Erin and Josh, that meant helping to build pig pens for women to raise and sell pigs for profits.
“As a widow, I know how hard it was, and is at times, for me and my children,” Erin said. “And I live in a society where I had social welfare help, I had friends and people at church help and I had support organizations where I could go to talk. I know how I so did not want to accept anyone’s help. And yet here were these very proud women being so gracious. I’m ashamed to say that I probably wasn’t as gracious in accepting help on the scale that I received. It was very humbling.”
A Language of their Own
When Josh was interviewed about his trip, he talked as if he was the spokesperson for alleviating the plight of the poor; what he had to tell was important, and he tapped the tape recorder to make sure it was rolling.
When he’s asked what the hardest thing was about his trip, rather than saying the food, or the heat, or the cold showers, he answered, “The hardest thing was to let them go. I wanted to stay there longer to help them.”
For a boy whose eyes have seen a lot, Josh started out with only a vague sense of what “poor” actually means. When he walked the city streets in Uganda, he gave beggars high-five’s, not realizing that their outstretched hands were asking him for something more.
“It’s one thing to say to kids-and every parent has said it, ‘You eat that up, because there’s people who have nothing.’ But it’s just words until you see for yourself that there are children who really do have nothing. He thinks it’s tough when we can’t afford McDonald’s.”
Josh quickly became a celebrity in the village, and not only because of the toys he was handing out.
“Everywhere he went, he was touched, poked, prodded, and he was so cool with it,” Erin said. “They had never seen a white child before, so there was a lot of staring. The children would run up and grab him and hold his hand.”
He said he made a best friend in the village, but can’t immediately recall his name; he can remember, however, teaching him how to play rugby and Duck Duck Goose.
“I think for children, they just have a universal language of their own,” Erin said. “It really didn’t matter what they looked like or what they had. They were just kids together, running down the street and carrying on.”
The Saddest Thing
The decision to take Josh to Uganda wasn’t easy to make. But in the end, Erin decided that she couldn’t go without him.
“Josh and I did a lot of talking before we left for Uganda,” Erin said. “We looked at photos and really talked about what it means to him not to have a daddy. He had a lot of head knowledge for as much as he could as a five-year-old.”
As much as she prepared Josh for the trip, she couldn’t always put her own mind at ease.
“I didn’t know a lot about AIDS before I went,” Erin said. “I knew that a lot of the kids he would be playing with would have AIDS. I got a bit paranoid thinking, ‘What if he falls over and gets cut and is playing with these children?’ That was my biggest worry. I don’t think it even entered my mind once we were there.”
Despite their relative safety and Josh’s adaptability, Erin wouldn’t recommend the trip for every child.
“I think it depends on the child,” she said. “It would be really hard for some children to even see those conditions. Josh is very sensitive.”
In his interview, Josh said how sad he was for the children in Uganda more than a dozen times.
“[I was] quite unhappy,” he said. “I thought that the place was going to be okay, but it wasn’t. The saddest thing was that the kids had no parents. And no grandad or no grandma.”
One afternoon, when he met an orphaned boy with Down syndrome dressed in tattered clothing, he gave him his shirt to exchange it for the ratty one. It’s a story Erin’s told before, but she still cries with its retelling.
And it isn’t the only story that makes Erin emotional. There are faces she can still remember, and perhaps they will always shadow her life.
“At one point, Josh got a bit wheezy and I had his puffer,” Erin said. “I only had the one. A lady saw that I had it and she wanted it for her child. And it was awful because I couldn’t give it to her. That’s something that sticks in my mind. Did I do the right thing? Goodness knows where I would have found another one. Imagine not being able to…the one thing we had in common was just the love for our children. You want them to have the health and the basics, and no worries.”
There were some moments of the trip when it was difficult for Erin to keep her composure.
“The first week, I was a cabbage,” she said. “The culture shock was just terrible and overwhelming. I felt like it didn’t matter how much money the world had, you would never fix these problems. But once the jet lag wore off and I got used to the heat a little bit more, it was like, well, whatever you can do to make a difference, you do.”
Never Regret It
It may be a small thing, but Erin’s family doesn’t run the water when they brush their teeth anymore. At work, when someone calls with a question about GVN, Erin can convey with her voice the urgent need for a volunteer’s help.
“When you volunteer, it just impacts you positively on how you live the rest of your life,” she said. “Regular, everyday people can go and help someone. No one can ever prepare you for it. I’d seen pictures, watched videos, but in the end, the reality was so different. But after those first few days, when you get over the change, I can’t see how you would ever regret it. I just can’t.”
From their small corner in New Zealand, months after the initial excitement of their trip could have worn off, Josh and Erin are still making the choice to do whatever they can to make a difference.
“This Father’s Day, we didn’t have a dad to get a present for,” Erin said. “So instead, we bought a goat from World Vision for someone. I’m so much more aware of the little things. You think, ‘What is that going to do for someone?’ Now I just know the huge difference it can make.”
For Josh, that difference was in the hands held, the games played and even the toys given.
“[The toys] were all special to me, but I knew I had to give them away,” he said. “[The kids] felt a little bit happier. They didn’t feel really sad about their mom and dad. They felt happy.”
Perhaps he’s heard his mom say it, but he repeats it with all the conviction that a six-year-old can muster: “I think this will stick with me for my whole life.” He says he wants to be a volunteer when he grows up.
This is an amazing story. I hope it moved you as much as it did me.
* With permission from Lauren McMahon, this was taken from Global Volunteer Network’s Media Page. The original can be found HERE.
This is one of the most beautiful poems I have ever read. Listening to Ms. Maya Angelou speak them herself fills my heart with inspiration. My friends, I hope you enjoy, “And Still I Rise.”
This was shot with a camera phone, so the quality is poor, but I wanted you to see what you’ve helped accomplish!
We all know about Amber Alerts. The amazing way we can find out about missing children via TV and freeway signs. But did you know that you can get those alerts even faster? You can sign up easily with your wireless provider.
This is an amazing idea. The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children has written the following on their site:
Sign up for Wireless AMBER Alerts ™
The first three hours after a child is abducted are the most critical to recovery efforts1. Wireless AMBER Alerts™, an initiative of NCMEC and the wireless industry, have the potential to reach more than 242 million wireless subscribers with information to help bring abducted children home quickly and safely.
Wireless subscribers capable of receiving text messages and those whose providers participate in the initiative can sign up to receive free text message alerts in one of three easy ways:
- Text AMBER followed by a space and five-digit ZIP code to AMBER (26237)
(available for most eligible wireless subscribers);
- Visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org; or
- Register on your carrier’s Web site.
These subscribers become the eyes and ears of law enforcement when a child has been abducted.
If you see a missing child, CLICK HERE to report the sighting. Here are some FAQ that you might have. If you would like to financially help the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children you can DONATE via phone, mail, online, or even donating your car are just a few ways you can help.
But to do something NOW, sign up with the wireless service and you could be someones hero today!
In five days, I will be boarding my Virgin Atlantic flight heading to Nairobi, Kenya.
I have two 65 pound duffel bags containing over 1,300 pairs of underwear. The actual final count is 1,324. The amazing thing is we only started this three weeks ago. September 7th was the day that I met an Angel. Three weeks, 1,324 pairs of underwear. Simply amazing.
So I started packing only yesterday.
I thought it would be nice to share some of the photos of the work that was done. I have to say a BIG “Thank You ” to my dear friend, Miss Dugan, for helping me unwrap, separate by size, and finally pack all 1,324 pairs of beautiful new underwear. So here you go!
There are so many people to thank.
To all of those who who donated, sent out emails, posted on their own blogs and have supported me through this interesting and amazing three week journey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are all just simply amazing.
So keep them coming! This isn’t over. Underwear For Africa will continue through 2008. My husband, Jeff, will continue to collect while I am gone. Our own Amy here on Mothers Fighting For Others, will be traveling to Kenya in January. She will take this opportunity to visit other orphanages there and pass out these much needed little items. Julie and I will be traveling to Kenya next year with A Child’s Right and Taryn and I will travel to South Africa for a new upcoming project that we will announce in the new year.
So these are just three different times that we will be able to distribute our underwear throughout Africa. I am hoping to find partners to help ship them also.
But until then, I will take our 1,324 pairs of amazing underwear to the children of Nairobi, and personally hand them to the kiddos myself!
Thank you all for making this happen! It is because of you that this is all possible!
I have never been so excited to receive underwear!
Last Thursday alone, I received over 54 pairs. Yesterday, my cousin collected over 500. Julie and Tracy bought 92 combined, and I just left the 99 cent store with 7 packs of 3 for 99 cents a pack. I have great friends and family! I believe this is going to be amazing!
The need is so great. The last post entitled, ‘Undignified’ underwear the only choice for Kenya’s poor, is just more proof for me to scream from the rooftops, “I NEED UNDERWEAR!” I hope you will join me.
So many moms want to get involved. We at Mothers Fighting For Others want you to be armed with all the necessities to have your own drive.
We’ve created a couple of flyers for you to use. There is a DONATE HERE flyer to place on a donation container, and a GOT UNDERWEAR? flyer to pass around to friends and family or to put up in the lunchroom at work.
I have also supplied you with an EMAIL MESSAGE to send to everyone in your address book to get the word out.
A widget that you can put on your own personal blogs is available as well. Just copy and paste the code below and add it to your page!!!
Donate Here Flyer: Donate Here Flyer
Got Underwear? Flyer: Got Underwear Flyer
Email Message: Underwear For Africa Email 2
Widget: Click Here To Get Your Underwear For Africa Widget
I think that’s it!!! If you have any questions, please let me know! I can’t wait to hear from all of you!!!
Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Underwear For Africa
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350
This article is from MonstersandCritics.com. Check out their site for Entertainment and World news.
Africa Features
‘Undignified’ underwear the only choice for Kenya’s poor
By Tia Goldenberg Aug 28, 2007, 6:30 GMT
Nairobi - At a bustling makeshift market in a Nairobi suburb, Kenyans of all stripes flock on a sunny morning to buy the latest in high fashion: Topshop T-shirts, Diesel jeans and Lacoste shoes among others.
The clothes are laid out neatly at some of the rickety stalls, whereas at others blouses are thrown in unwelcoming piles, proving a daunting task to sort through for any keen shopper.
Vendors yell at the top of their lungs to attract attention to their merchandise as shoppers file through the small aisles.
Used clothes markets like the one at Adam’s Arcade in western Nairobi are where most Kenyans come to fill their wardrobe.
Beyond the most recent styles, which are shipped to the East African country from trend-setting fashionistas in Europe and North America, bras and underwear - often used ones - are sold as well, offering poor Kenyans an alternative to buying them in shops and supermarkets at prices they simply can’t afford.
The sale of used underwear is banned in Kenya, because, the government says, the garments are unhygienic and harmful to its wearers. But it has been unsuccessful in fully weeding them out, as they manage to find their way to second-hand markets.
And without offering an alternative to the cheap pieces, vendors sell them anyway and people continue to purchase them.
‘Do you think I can afford a 2,000-shilling (30-dollar) bra? Compared to what I can get in a store, this is nice quality. The shops are quite expensive,’ said Roselyne, an unemployed Nairobi resident who did not want to give her last name.
The used clothes trade is a lucrative one in Kenya, where half the population lives on less than one dollar a day and relies on these informal markets to get dressed.
Middle-class Kenyans also make use of the cheap markets, where designer labels are sold at astoundingly low prices, but they are crucial for poorer citizens who simply have no alternative to wearing used clothes.
Although she said she prefers to buy new underwear from stores, shopper Vickie Kairo, 21, said many Kenyans have no other option.
‘If you look at the economy, many women can’t afford to buy new underwear. The bottom line is it’s cheap.’
But used undergarments are a contentious good. The government vows it was trying to protect citizens by banning them.
‘All standards that we write here are meant to protect consumers. They are mostly designed to ensure consumers are protected against any product that may put their health at risk,’ said Jared Obewa, head of inspections at the state-owned Kenya Bureau of Standards, which prohibited the import of used undergarments in 1999.
Roselyne, holding three tan-coloured bras and debating which one to buy, disagreed with the government’s intentions.
‘You can get diseases from all over. That won’t stop me from buying underwear,’ she said.
‘It’s true, you don’t know what kind of disease you can get from wearing used underwear,’ Kairo said, but she insisted customers at the second-hand markets are warned by vendors to wash the clothes thoroughly before wearing them.
The move to outlaw the sale of bras and both male and female underwear has faced stiff opposition from pro-poor activists who argue the ban just doesn’t work.
‘If the government really wants to meet the demands of poor people, it should offer support to micro-finance and small industries who are able to produce undergarments at subsidized rates,’ said Angela Wauye, a programme coordinator with ActionAid Kenya, who deals with trade issues.
She said the government must step in to offer impoverished Kenyans an alternative, if only to prevent the ‘undignified’ practice of buying underwear someone else has worn.
But for the poor, whether it is dignified or not, cheap underwear is a necessity.
‘If women can’t afford the expensive underwear and the used pairs are banned,’ said Wambui Carol, a vendor whose stand looked like an explosion of brassieres, with lacy lilac, satiny black and dark blue ones strewn all over, ‘they may go without bras and underwear entirely.’
I could not be more proud of the work we are doing with Underwear For Africa. Let’s keep collecting them my friends!!
Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Underwear For Africa
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350
Click on the image above to watch CNN’s Betty Nguyen cover the poverty in Sierre Leone.
I will spend my day thinking about those who were taken from us and those who were left behind. I believe hope, faith and love will comfort me on this day. Both Project 2,966 and CNN has put together a wonderful tribute of those who were lost.
I thought this poem by Tatiana A. Konstanian was beautiful.
LET PEACE LEAD THE WAY
Let peace lead the way,
When grief is too much to bear,
When arms no more live to enfold us.
Let peace lead the way,
when anger wants to break out,
when aggressors try to control and break us.
Let peace lead the way,
when our children cry and are left orphaned,
when husbands or wives’ parted to early in life.
Let peace lead the way,
when heroes leave us their legacy of courage,
and stories to remember through the ages.
Let peace lead the way,
as the American and world flags and hearts salute very brave cities,
as we pay respect to over 3,000 lives.
Let peace lead the way,
when we can’t accept
or forgive.
Let peace lead the way,
when we forget faith and prayer
and tears flow unashamedly from sea to shining sea.
Let peace lead the way,
for all humanity’s sake, keeping nation’s together.
To empower, educate, and keeps freedoms name safe,
Let peace lead the way.
Peace My Friends,
I took this pole last week at Cfemom. My goal was to see how aware we all were with the situation in Sudan. With that said, 83% of moms got the answer correct. What is happening in Darfur, Sudan is horrific.
ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC.
According to the UN,
officials say that the death rate in Darfur could rise as high as 100,000 people per month if the fragile humanitarian life-support system collapses.
This has to stop.
You can read HERE to see what we have written here at Mothers Fighting For Others about the Genocide. You can also do your own research by going to SaveDarfur.org, Genocide Intervention Network, and Enough.
After all the research I have done, I have read over and over again the best way that we, average John and Jane’s, can do is use our voice to help those who don’t have one. The BEST way we can do this is to write. Write a letter to our Representatives. I decided I wanted to go to the President myself. So with the help of my fellow writer, Roxy, we prepared a letter to send to President Bush.
I have provided that same letter below. Please, please, take advantage of this.
Download it. Sign it. Mail it. Have your voice be heard.
I am not a lover of petitions. Why? Close your eyes and picture a HUGE binder filed with 10,000 names. I cannot imagine how thick that darn binder would be. Now imagine 10,000 letters delivered. What do you think would have the greater impact? I’m thinking the letters. So please take a few minutes, print out the letter, or heck write your own, and mail it to President Bush. Our voices need to be heard. Your one letter can represent a voice of a raped woman, a father that was murdered, a little girl who was shot in the back, or the little boy that is starving and scared living in a refugee camp.
Be that voice.
Be heard.
Below, you will find the letter to download, and the address to the White House.
Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to help save the lives of the men, women and children that are being subjected to these atrocities. Thank you for joining us in our fight to make this world a better place for all of us.
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Last week, I spoke to my volunteer coordinator with GVN about specific needs that the orphanage might need in Kenya. The first on the list was underwear. Easy, I thought. I could buy a few packs and ask my mom friends to donate a pack.
Then something interesting happened this morning. I got an email from a cyber Mommy friend with this message,
“I am getting married soon and thought that instead of doing favors I would rather take that money and use it to help a good cause. Well, what better cause than something you are working on.”
I was floored to say the least. This was the second Mom that has taken money out of her wedding fund to help me and these kids. I told her one thing, underwear. Within minutes, she told me that she was going to get her girlfriends together and start her own underwear drive. What an angel.
I loved it!
So here we go. I went to Gymboree to use a $54 credit to buy underwear for my trip. I walked in armed. My $54 credit,$20 I lifted from my Husbands wallet, and a 20% coupon. I told the salesperson what my plan was, I needed to buy as many pairs of underwear I could with $74.
There was beautiful, quiet woman roaming around the store shopping on her own. We talked briefly about my girls before I went back to the counter. While the salesperson, Jenn, and I were sifting through piles of underwear trying to locate the ones on sale, the lone woman came to purchase her goods. I asked her to go ahead of me because I knew I would be awhile. It must of looked odd to see two grown women looking through a large pile of underwear.
I told her the “short version” of the story… going to Africa, working in the orphanage, children not having underwear. To my amazement, this woman, this angel, named Cheryl, handed me all the cash in her wallet. It came to $19. She looked at me and said, “Here, now you can buy more.”
I was stunned.
I started to cry. She started to cry. Jenn started to cry. I was amazed. I hugged her and said, ” You don’t even know me, thank you so very much.”
Then she disappeared.
With her $19 combined with mine, I was able to walk out with 50 pairs of underwear. 50 pairs. That’s 50 kids. So easy. All because of this angel.
I am humbled.
I walked out of the store so happy. I called my “partner in crime” Julie and told her what had just transpired. We were giggly we ere so happy. Then it started. The storm.
Julie and I have the most amazing moments of brainstorming. After only a few minutes of volleying ideas, the Big Idea hit.
Underwear For Africa.
Our goal will be to collect as many new packs of children’s and young adults underwear (ages 3-15) to distribute them throughout Africa. Underwear For Africa.
Are you interested in joining this campaign? Please let us know.
Have your own drive. I’m thinking about holding my own drive at my kids elementary school. I need to have the idea passed through the principal, then the district.
Please let me know if you want to join our army and start your own drive. We can do great things if we work together and have the same goals in mind.
How do I know?
Because we are Mothers Fighting For Others.
Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Underwear For Africa
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350
Yes, that number is correct.
2,880 children will die today on the continent of Africa from a mosquito bite.
20,160 children will die this week from a mosquito bite.
87,658 children will die in September alone from a mosquito bite.
Let’s multiply that by twelve now. Yes, that is 1,051,200 children this year.
Just from a mosquito bite. How you ask?
Mosquito’s in Africa (and many other countries) carry the disease Malaria. When you are infected, it feels like you have gotten the flu. But it is deadly. You can end up in coma and die. And thousands of children are dying today.
It’s incomprehensible to me. “Death by mosquito bite,” is what Bono calls it.
A mosquito bite.
A mosquito bite.
Something so basic, so easy to prevent, and so easy to cure.
I’m a lucky one. When I travel over to Kenya at the end of the month, I will be armed. I have purchased one mosquito net, four bottles of 100% Deet, and 27 days of Malarone (the anti-malaria drug) I am the lucky one.
What about the other mothers and their families? What will they do? How will they survive?
More importantly, how can you save them? How can you make a difference, not just in a child’s life, but her entire family?
This one is easy. Buy this family a mosquito net. Just one net. One net can last five years. One net can save an entire family. Would you spend .35 cents today, and for the next 30 days to save a family? Well, that’s how much it is. $10.
$10 to buy one net for a family. That’s one large pizza, or two packs of cigarettes, MAYBE 3 tall Mocha Frappachino’s. How about this month, just this month, buy one net. Maybe next year, you will buy another one for another family. Just by NOT indulging in our life’s little pleasures for just one month, you can have the pleasure of saving the lives of entire family.
If you want to help, go to NothingButNets.net and but one net for $10. By buying a net from them, you also get the tax deduction. So you have not only saved a family, you have helped yourself in the process.
I hope you do. I will be leaving my net with my host family when I depart. It’s the least I could do.
Yesterday, marked the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The victims have not yet recovered. Whenthesaints.org is working hard to get the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act of 2007, a bill to assist in providing affordable housing to those affected by the 2005 hurricanes, passed through the Senate.
Take a look at the YouTube below.
If you want to help by signing the petition, CLICK HERE. To keep yourself updated on information, go to the State Of Louisiana’s official website for information about both Hurricane Katrina and Rita. It is called Katrina.Loiusiana.gov and it can provide…
“the latest information and resources regarding relief and assistance provided by the state government for citizens impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”
Just like the video said, “psst… do something.”
SaveDarfur.org has a post called “U.N. OKs Troops Near Darfur” that’s worth checking out…
The Security Council gave the European Union and the U.N. the green light Monday to prepare for a military and police deployment to help protect civilians in Chad and the Central African Republic caught in the spillover of the Darfur conflict. A council statement expressed readiness to authorize an international…
When I first started my journey that led me here to Mothers Fighting For Others I contacted a man named Eric Stowe from a Child’s Right.
Wait, let’s back up a bit.
Months ago, my partner Julie and I sat on the phone for hours and brainstormed about the changes we wanted to make, the differences we wanted to make in our world. We believed that every human being deserves the basic necessities of life. After hours of talking, we decided food, a safe home to sleep in, a good education, shoes on children’s feet, and clean water were the top five to start with. So clean water was our first plan of action.
We researched and researched and researched.
The one that burned into our brains was an organization called a Child’s Right. Why? Simple. They, well Eric, works everyday to do one thing, and one thing only. Provide clean water to children all over the world. They help orphanages, schools, street shelters, and hospitals to the most impoverished children of OUR world.
Mothers Fighting For Others is partnering with ACR next year to put water filtration units in Guatemala. We will travel and work with him in Guatemala to place 10 units. It is exciting. But, and there is a but… Eric needs help now. Please read the email that I received today.
Hey Rocky,
Just checking in to see how things are going? We have a project in October that you may have some good leads on. I know you do work around child slavery and the sex trade- we will be working with hundreds of children in Cambodia and do need assistance in trying to raise funds. I thought you might know of a good lead or two. Here is an overview that I will send out in the next day or two …
Hope you are well,
Eric
Cambodia/Thailand – October 2007:
ACR will be taking a team to Cambodia and Thailand to provide support to more than 3,000 children in desperate need of potable water. With only two months left, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure all of our goals are met. The sites listed below remain unfunded or underfunded and we are pushing hard to meet ourfund-raising goals in time to make sure that all of the children we have focused on will receive clean and safe drinking water for years to come. Please take a moment to look at the list below, as well as any of the links to the organizations, in hopes that you may be able to provide some support to these children. Without a doubt, some of these children are living in the worst conditions imaginable
Take a look here to see some of the children we will be assisting http://www.pbase.com/maciekda/stungmeanchey2005 (scroll down for the photos)
Cambodia:
Center for Children to Happiness orphanage (more than 200 children living and working in Phnom Penh’s garbage dumps)
http://www.cchcambodia.org
Cambodian Children’s Fund (more than 400 children living and working in Phnom Penh’s garbage dumps)
http://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org/
M’Lop Tapang Center for Street Children (more than 400 children living on the streets)
http://www.mloptapang.org/
Thailand:
Phayathai Babies’ Home (more than 400 orphaned children)
http://www.phayathaibabieshome.com/
Father Ray Foundation (more than 750 orphaned children, street children, blind and handicapped children)
http://www.fr-ray.org/
Eric Stowe, Director
A Child’s Right
www.a-childs-right.org
Work: 253-238-8766
Cell: 253-225-8703
Do I have any leads?
I have you. I have friends that care. So if you are interested in helping over 3,000 children in Thailand and Cambodia today, I am asking you to send $1 to a Child’s Right. No more. That’s it.
The program needs to be funded in six weeks. If you would like to send $1 (You can send a check also to get the tax deduction for it), just pop it into an envelope (with a note or in the memo of your check Cambodia Fund MFFO) and send it to:
A Child’s Right
917 Pacific Avenue, Suite 417
Tacoma, WA 98402 USA
(A Child’s Right is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation tax ID# 56-2600599)
You can check them out by going to the site A Child’s Right or do more research and go to Guidestars JustGive.org . I would. Get a true feeling for what we are doing. Please pass this on to as many eyes as you can. Thank you for taking the time to read.
Peace my Friends,
If you or a loved one lives in the state of Oklahoma and are being victimized, please contact the facilities below. The Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault is a very good resource as well. Formally known as the Oklahoma Native American Domestic Violence Coalition, Spirits of Hope, offers help to the Native American Community.
Ada
Family Crisis Center, Inc.
PO Box 2274
Ada, OK 74820
Office: (580) 436-3504
fccada@sbcglobal.net
Chickasaw Nation Office of Violence Prevention
PO Box 1548
Ada, OK 74821
Office: (580) 272-5580
karen.gaddis@chickasaw.net
angela.connor@chicasaw.net
Altus
ACMI House, Inc.
PO Box 397
Altus, OK 73522
Office: (580) 482-3800
Hotline: (800) 466-3805
acmihouse@cableone.net
Alva
NW Domestic Crisis Service
1323 Kansas Woodward, OK 73801
Office: 580-327-6648
Hotline: 888-256-1215
woodwardcrisis@sbcglobal.net
Antlers
SOS For Familes
106, West Maine
Antlers, OK 74523
Main Office: PO Box 394
Idabel, OK 74745
Hotline: 580-298-5575
Ardmore
Ardmore Family Shelter of Southern OK
PO Box 1408
Ardmore, OK 73402
580-226-3750
Crisis: (580) 226-6424
thefamilyshelter@cableone.net
Bartlesville
Family Crisis & Counseling Center
PO Box 5016
Bartlesville, OK 74005
Office: 918-336-1188
Hotline: (800) 814-1188
safe@onenet.net
Broken Arrow
Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc.
4300 S. Harvard Suite 100
Tulsa, OK 74135
Office: 918-585-3163
Hotline: 918-585-3143
www.dvis.org
Broken Bow
SOS For Familes
PO Box 394
Idabel, OK 74745
Hotline: 580-584-6403
sosfamily@sbcglobal.net
Cheyenne
Action Associates, Inc.
PO Box 1534
Clinton, OK 73601
Cheynne Outreach: (580) 497-3397
Crisis Line: (580) 323-2604 (May call collect)
actionclinton@itlnet.net
Chickasha
Women’s Service and Family Resource Center
PO Box 1539
Chickasha, OK 73023
Office: 405-224-8256
Hotline: 800-734-4117 or 405-222-1818
wsfrc1@mcleodusa.net
Claremore
SafeNet Services
PO Box 446
Claremore, OK 74018
Office: 918-341-1424
Hotline: 918-341-9400
rccsci@sbcglobal.net
Clinton
Action Associates, Inc.-Main Facility
580-323-0838
Crisis Line: (580) 323-2604 (May call collect)
Duncan
Women’s Haven, Inc.
PO Box 555
Duncan, OK 73534
Office: 580-252-5324
Hotline: 580-252-4357 or 877-970-4357
womensha@texhoma.net
Durant
Crisis Control Center, Inc.
PO Box 113
Durant, OK 74702
Office: 580-924-3056
Emergency: 580-924-3030
nssclass@redriverok.com
El Reno
Women’s Service and Family Resource Center
PO Box 1539
Chickasha, OK 73023
Office: 405-262-4455
Hotline: 800-734-4117 or 405-222-1818
wsfrc2@sbcglobal.net
Elk City
Action Associates, Inc.
PO Box 1534
Clinton, OK 73601
Office: 580-243-5913
actionclinton@itlnet.net
Enid
YWCA Option House
525 S. Quincy
Enid, OK 73701
Office: 580-234-7581
Hotline: 800-966-7644
ywca@ywcaenid.com
Grove
Community Crisis Center, Inc.
17 N. Main
Miami, OK 74354
Office: 918-786-8009
Hotline: 800-400-0883
ccci@cableone.net
Guymon
NW Domestic Crisis Service
1106, North Ellison
Guymon, OK 73942
Main Office: 580-338-2780
Hotline: 888-256-1215
nwdcs@itlnet.net
Hugo
SOS For Familes
111 E Jackson
Hugo, OK 74743
580-326-8323
sosfamily@sbcglobal.net
Idabel
Southeastern Okla. Serv. for Family Violence Intervention
PO Box 394
Idabel, OK 74745
Office: 580-286-3400
Hotline: 888-286-3369
sosfamily@sbcglobal.net
Jay
Community Crisis Center, Inc.
17 N. Main
Miami, OK 74354
Office: 918-253-3939
Hotline: 800-400-0883
ccci@cableone.net
Lawton
New Directions, Inc.
PO Box 408
Lawton, OK 73502
Office: 580-357-6141
Hotline: 580-357-2500
nddirector@mariedetty.com
McAlester
McAlester Care Center
PO Box 1404
McAlester, OK 74501
Office: 918-423-4010
Hotline: 918-423-0032
Miami
Community Crisis Center, Inc.
17 N. Main
Miami, OK 74354
Office: 918-540-2275
Hotline: 918-542-1001 or 800-400-0883
Children Advocacy Center
918-540-1621
ccci@cableone.net
Muskogee
Women in Safe Home, Inc.
PO Box 487
Muskogee, OK 74402
Office: 918-682-7879
Hotline: 918-682-7878
muskwishkl@emptychair.net
WISH - Whitlock House
918-683-3900
muskwish@swbell.net
Norman
Women’s Resource Center, Inc.
PO Box 5089
Norman, OK 73070
Hotline: 405-701-5540
wrc@wrcweb.net
www.wrcnorman.org
Okfuskee
Okmulgee Safehouse
PO Box 73
Okmulgee, OK 74447
Office: 918-756-2545
Hotline: 918-756-2545 or 877-756-2545
casaokm@swbell.net
Oklahoma City
YWCA Crisis Service
2460 West I-44 Service Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Office: 405-948-1770
YWCAOKC@aol.com
www.ywcaokc.org
Okmulgee
Okmulgee Safehouse
PO Box 73
Okmulgee, OK 74447
Office: 918-756-2549
Hotline: 918-756-2545 or 877-756-2545
casaokm@swbell.net
Pauls Valley
Family Crisis Center, Inc.
PO Box 2274
Ada, OK 74820
Office: (405) 238-6511
fccada@sbcglobal.net
Ponca City
Domestic Violence Program of North Central Oklahoma
PO Box 85
Ponca City, OK 74602
Office: 580-762-2873
dvpnco@cableone.net
Poteau
Women’s Crisis Services of LeFlore County
PO Box 774
Poteau, OK 74953
Office: 918-647-2810
Hotline: 918-647-9800 or 800-230-9799
wcs100@alltd.com
Pryor
Safenet Services, Inc..
21 N. Vann
Unit 4
Pryor, OK 74362
Hotline: 888-372-9400
rccsci@sbcglobal.net
Sapulpa
Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc.
210 East Dewey
Sapulpa, OK 74066
Office: 918-224-9290
www.dvis.org
Seminole
Family Resource Center
212 E. Oak
Seminole, OK 74868
Office: 405-382-5979
Hotline: 800-373-5608
familyrc@sbcglobal.net
Shawnee
Project Safe, Inc.
PO Box 465
Shawnee, OK 74802
Office: 405-273-9953
Hotline: 405-273-2420 or 800-821-9953
www.projectsafe.org
Skiatook
Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc.
4300 S. Harvard Suite 100
Tulsa, OK 74135
Office: 918-584-2328
www.dvis.org
Stigler
KiBois Women’s Shelter
PO Box 727
Stigler, OK 74462
Office: 918-967-3325
Hotline: 918-967-3277 or 877-810-5637
Stillwater
Stillwater Domestic Violence Intervention Service, Inc
115 E. 4th Avenue
Stillwater, OK 74074
Office: 405-377-2344
Hotline: 405-624-3020 or 800-624-3020
director@sdvs.org
www.sdvs.org
Tahlequah
Help In Crisis, Inc.
PO Box 1975
Tahlequah, OK 74464
Office: 918-456-0673
Hotline: 918-456-4357 or 800-300-5321
hicdirector@cablelynx.com
Tulsa
Call Rape, Inc.
2121 S. Columbia, Suite LL-6
Tulsa, OK 74114
Hotline: 918-744-7273
info@callrape.com
Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc.
4300 S. Harvard Suite 100
Tulsa, OK 74135
Office: 918-585-3163
Northside Office: 918-425-0588
www.dvis.org
Tulsa Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program (SANE)
918-596-7608
Vinita
Community Crisis Center, Inc.
17 N. Main
Miami, OK 74354
Office: 918-256-1945
Hotline: 800-400-0883
cci@cableone.net
Woodward
Northwest Domestic Crisis Services, Inc.
1323 Kansas
Woodward, OK 73801
Office: 580-256-1215
Hotline: 580-256-8712 or 888-256-1215
woodwardcrisis@sbcglobal.net
nwdcs@itlnet.net
*List of Shelters found on WomensLaw.org
Peace and Safety my Friends,
Global Volunteer Network is a private, NGO (Non-governmental organization) that connects volunteers to communities in need all over the world. You can volunteer in countries like Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Kenya, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, USA, and Vietnam.
Founded in December 2000 by Colin Salisbury after returning from his own journey through Ghana. He realized that there was a lack of affordable volunteer opportunities so he decided to start his own. Last year, 2000 volunteers were placed throughout the world with GVN. What a success! He saw a problem, found an answer, and is moving forward to help children and their families around the globe.
I decided last year that I was going to make the difference that my heart has been telling me for years. I called Global Volunteer Network to help me make that dream a reality. I will be landing in Kenya September 30, 2007. I have asked to work in the orphanage program. I have never been so excited. The only way I can describe what is going on inside is,
“My heart is in Africa. It has been there for quite some time. I can’t wait to arrive and have my heart and my feet in the same place. I can’t wait to meet it!“
I found this on YouTube today. This is what I have to look forward to.
I just can’t wait!
If you are interested in looking into volunteering with GVN, you can contact them at:
Global Volunteer Network Ltd,
PO Box 30-968
Lower Hutt
New Zealand.
Physical Address:
Level 2
105 High Street
Lower Hutt
You can email them also at info@volunteer.org.nz
Phone: +64 4 569 9080
Call Free UK: 0800 032 5035
Call Free USA/Canada: 1800 963 1198
Call Free Australia: 1800 203 012
I know it can be scary to even think about leaving the country, leaving the family. Trust me, I know. On my computer screen I have this on a post it note, and I read it daily.
“I don’t want to wait. I want to live my life fully and make my dreams come true. I must take the steps to get there.”
I hope you do to.
Singer/songwriter Ellen Bukstel wrote this extremely powerful song .
I read this article on Human Rights Watch website today. You can also find another article on the same subject in USA TODAY and BBC NEWS.
Spain: Migrant Children at Risk in Government Facilities: Close Canary Islands Emergency Centers and Provide Adequate Care
(Madrid, July 26, 2007) – Hundreds of unaccompanied migrant children from Africa held in governme