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According to TechCrunch.com, 217 million people play online games. 217 MILLION people… that’s like nine times the population of Texas.
Now imagine what could be accomplished if those 217 million people took those finely-tuned gaming skills over to FreeRice.com.
FreeRice.com offers visitors a fun and surprisingly addictive word challenge that pays out in the best of online booty: Rice. For each word that you get right, Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger.
Having Fun means:
- playing online games
- making a difference
- finally learning the real definition of yahoo
- all of the above
To start playing, head on over to FreeRice.com or to learn more about world hunger, be sure to check out their sister site at Poverty.com.
As I sat down this evening to write this post about Women for Women International and their Iraq program, I struggled to find the right words to convey to you the absolute need for programs such as these. Instead of words, I found images… Pictures in my mind and heart that spoke more clearly and more forcefully than any words read on a blog post:
Imagine a woman.
Imagine a mother.
Imagine a wife who has just learned that she is a now a widow… Just another one of many who have lost their husbands, their brothers, their fathers, their friends, to the ugly war tearing through their world. Imagine the look on her face as she watches her children play about her feet; the look on her heart as she realizes that she has nothing to offer them. She has no money, no education, no profitable skill, no hope.
Imagine this mother surrounded by a war… A war that makes widows out of women such as she. A war that makes pawns and tools of war of such as she. A war that makes victims of the innocent such as she.
Can you see her?
Can you see this woman? This mother?
Good.
Now help her.
Women for Women International helps women in conflict and post-conflict environments such as Iraq develop the skills necessary to grow from victim to survivor to active citizen. Their sponsorship program provides everything from basic life supplies like clean water, food, and shelter to the necessary education and training needed for these women to become wholly self-sufficient.
As I sat down this evening to write this post about Women for Women International and their Iraq program, I struggled to find the right words to convey to you the absolute need for programs such as these.
Instead of words, I found images… and this link.
In a new YouTube video, actor Jim Carrey makes a very important public service announcement on behalf of the Human Rights Action Center and the
U.S. Campaign for Burma. He speaks of unsung heroes, of imprisonment, of conflict, of rape, of terror…
He speaks of Burma.
And he reminds all of us that we are needed.
The Who
Burma, officially re-named “Myanmar” in 1989, is located in Southeast Asia and for the past fifteen years has been under the control of one of the most repressive governments in the world. This government, what is known as a military junta, is responsible for the destruction of over 3,000 villages in eastern Burma, the brutal rapes of countless women, the deaths of countless more, and the imprisonment of over 1400 dissenters- including Carrey’s “unsung hero”, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose political party, the National League for Democracy, won an astounding 82% of the seats in the country’s parliament but was never allowed to assume any office.
The Why
Traveling across Burma, I ask people why they want democracy. Very often the answer is, “We just want to be free.” -Aung San Suu Kyi
Burma has seen a complete deterioration of human rights. Headlines read like horror novels or long ago history lessons of terror and mayhem. Unfortunately, these tales of Burma are neither fiction nor long ago: Brutal rapes, 
child soldiers, bloody protests, peaceful demonstrations turned murder, imprisonment, hopelessness… These tales are very real and very terrifying and must be put to an end.
The How
Be not silent.
To become involved in the campaign to free Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma or to learn more about their combined history and struggles, contact the United States Campaign for Burma, a U.S.-based membership organization dedicated to empowering grassroots activists around the world to bring about an end to the military dictatorship in Burma.
The When
You’re needed Now. We all are.
Summer’s finally here! The air outside is warm, the pools are cold, and the barbeque pits are just waiting in gleeful anticipation for that first hopeful flicker of fire and hot dogs. It is the season of big family gatherings, picnics in the park, neighborhood block parties, sleepovers and potlucks.
It’s also the season to discuss some of my favorite tips and tricks that every mother should know when it comes to throwing that perfect summer house party!
Now, I’m sure you wondering why you are reading about house party tips here on Mothers Fighting for Others. How are hostess tips, wonderful as they may be, conducive to our mission? Well, let’s find out shall we?
- First, decide what you want to do.
Choose an event that’s guaranteed to bring in the guests. Will it be a good old fashioned barbeque? How about a Fourth of July neighborhood get-together? An intimate dinner party for friends or a large potluck for the office?
- Next, pick a date and time.
Be heedful of conflicts. Take a look over that calendar and decide on a date that’s best for both your schedule and those you have invited.
- Get a little help and then give some in return.
According to their website, the Global Fund for Women has raised and awarded over $56 million dollars to 3,371 women’s organizations in 165 countries. A large portion of these grants came from the fundraising efforts and events of individuals like you and me and those little summer barbeques and neighborhood block parties.
Some examples (click here for a full reference):
Vivian Slade organized a silent auction, along with theater, music, dance and refreshments at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. When describing her efforts, she said “I didn’t know I had this in me to do. It’s like someone lit a fire under me!” She rallied her network of businesswomen, members of the Nashville Association of Refugee and Immigrant Women, university women, actors, dancers and musicians. “I like the Global Fund because you are enabling people to take care of themselves. You’re giving them the money because they know exactly what to do with it,” says Vivian.
On the West coast, in Palo Alto, California, Christine Harris invited friends and colleagues to her home for an intimate gathering. A long-term supporter, Christine has found that when she talks about the Global Fund for Women, people respond well to the idea of supporting grassroots women’s groups. “You have the sense that your money is going to real people, with real need, and that it will make a difference.”
GlobalFundforWomen.org provides party throwers a wonderful free organizing kit that includes information on everything from ideas on what type of event to have to suggestions on how to get the word out and the guests in. The GFW even offers hosts a free website to help promote their house party or event and raise even more funds to help aid the ongoing struggle for human rights throughout this world in which we live.
So, what are you waiting for?
Make this summer’s party season about more than just laughter and joy. Make it about hope. Make it about a difference.
Oh! And should you be in my area around July 20th, feel free to stop by and join us for a little backyard barbeque and potato salad. I’ll provide the food and fun… All I ask is that you bring a dollar and a smile.
For more information on the GFW or to find out how to organize a party of your own, visit Globalfundforwomen.org
