Interview with Save the Children: Refugee Crisis in Europe

The ongoing refugee crisis hitting Europe is the worst refugee crisis we have since WWII. Although the majority of refugees are coming from war-torn Syria, others are seeking refuge in Europe from Afghanistan, Iraq, Sub-Saharan Africa and other conflict areas. It is a highly complicated, chaotic emergency situation that often leads people to feel overwhelmed, confused and unsure of what to do to help.

On a personal level, I have wanted to write about the crisis but had no idea where to start. I contacted Save the Children and obtained an exclusive interview with Francine Uenuma, Save the Children’s Spokesperson for Disaster and Humanitarian Emergencies to get a firsthand account of what is happening on the ground and how Save the Children is working to help out. Here is her story. 

A man carrying his little boy on his shoulers, a backpack on his back, another backpack on one arm, and a bag in the other, waits for some people down the path towards Croatia. Photo credit: Stuart Sia/Save the Children

A man carrying his little boy on his shoulders, a backpack on his back, another backpack on one arm, and a bag in the other, waits for some people down the path towards Croatia. Photo credit: Stuart Sia/Save the Children

Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

Too Young To Wed Launches Exclusive Print Sale

 “Stephanie Sinclair has spent the last decade documenting some of the world’s most controversial subjects, from Yemen’s child brides to Texas’s polygamists. But her goal is simple: to record what is in front of her and pass as little judgement as possible”. Her beautiful photographs take us in and make us want to help change the tragic realities we are seeing. Her work also inspires hope that change is possible. 

Photo credit: Stephanie Sinclair

Images of 3 Iconic Prints for Sale from Stephanie Sinclair’s award-winning documentary photography collection. Photo credit: Stephanie Sinclair

Too Young to Wed, a non-profit organization, that employs visual media, photography exhibits and campaigns to educate and engage the global community to demand an end to the practice of child marriage, has launched its first print sale in collaboration with Photoville, New York City’s largest annual photo festival.  I have written before about Too Young to Wed in a must-read post after meeting Founder and Executive Director Stephanie Sinclair last fall. Her work on shedding light about the injustices faced by young women and girls is inspiring and has already brought about change.  It is nearly impossible to view Sinclair’s stunning photography without being deeply moved and wanting to help change the fate of these girls.

Stephanie Sinclair

This photo of Ten-year-old Nujoud Ali taken two years after her divorce grace’s National Geographic’s “Women of Vision” cover.  Nujoud’s story caused parliament to consider a bill writing a minimum marriage age into law. Photo credit: Stephanie Sinclair

Too Young to Wed: Mission

Every two seconds, a girl is forced into marriage against her will. The younger she is, the more likely a child bride is to experience domestic violence, contract HIV, develop complications from pregnancies or even die during childbirth. Child marriage robs girls of the childhood and the education they deserve, silencing them and preventing them from achieving their fullest potential.

Too Young to Wed’s mission is to protect girls’ rights and end child marriage. We do this by providing visual evidence of the human rights challenges faced by women and girls. Through our storytelling, we generate attention and resources to amplify the voices of these courageous women and girls and inspire the global community to end child marriage. We transform influential advocacy into tangible action on the ground through partnerships with international and local NGOs and by supporting initiatives in the communities where the girls in our stories live.

Sinclair’s work is phenomenal and incredibly moving. Now you can have a limited edition copy of your own and the purchase is for a fabulous cause. Each 8X10 archival print was hand-printed and signed by Ms. Sinclair, whose award-winning work documenting child marriage has been exhibited around the world. Ms. Sinclair’s work will be featured at Photoville at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and like the premiere photo event, which attracted 71,000 visitors last year, and the print sale will run from Sept. 10 – 20, 2015.

Stephanie_Sinclair_2y2w_Insta_ads_print_sale_final

Prints can be ordered at tooyoungtowed.org/printsale, and 100 percent of the contributions received from photo sales will directly support TYTW’s mission to protect girls’ rights and end child marriage. Too Young to Wed supports local organizations and persons making a difference in the lives of girls and boys who are affected by the harmful practice of child marriage such as:

  • The Samburu Girls Foundation, a grassroots organization in rural Kenya, which provides shelter and education to girls rescued from child marriage, female genital mutilation and other harmful practices. practices. To date, the organization has rescued more than 200 girls and placed 125 of them in boarding school.
  • The women and children of the Kagati Village in Nepal where Ms. Sinclair conducted much of her child marriage reporting in 2007 and an area that was destroyed in the recent earthquakes (child bride, Niruta, 13, is featured as part of this exhibition);
  • Girl Empowerment Groups – an adolescent girls empowerment initiative designed by the Population Council for vulnerable girls living in rural areas. In this capacity, Too Young To Wed will support the village of Gombat, just outside of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia where Ms. Sinclair first photographed Destaye, who was married at 11 to an Ethiopian Orthodox priest (also part of this exhibition).

Photoville Presentations and Talks:

Sept. 12: Stephanie Sinclair will represent Too Young To Wed in the panel Affecting Policy and Change through Photography from 4-5 PM and will discuss how her work transformed into a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending child marriage.

Sept 17: TYTW will engage students during Photoville’s Education Day, a one-day field trip to the photo village that’s free and open to NYC public schools. Hundreds of middle school and high school students participate in a day of photography and storytelling activities, and they’ll have an opportunity to see how photography can bring about social change.

Sept. 19: Stephanie Sinclair discusses her Too Young to Wed photographs during the event An Evening with National Geographic, from 7-10pm at the Photoville Beer Garden. The evening will begin with photos and videos from the past 127 years—including the most recent stories from National Geographic and their digital platforms. Other photographers included are Katie Orlinsky, Robert Clark and David Guttenfelder with Director of Photography Sarah Leen serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Ways to help end child marriage and support Too Young to Wed:

  • Purchase a print during this limited time: Visit tooyoungtowed.org/printsale to support our programming
  • Donate: Visit www.tooyoungtowed.org and click Donate.
  • Volunteer: Share your skills and collaborate with TYTW. For opportunities email info@tooyoungtowed.org
  • Be Social and Keep Educated on the facts by following Too Young to Wed:

Twitter: @2young2wed
Instagram: @tooyoungtowed
Facebook: facebook.com/tooyoungtowed

Hashtags: #endchildmarriage #tooyoungtowed

Child Labor, Marriage, Education and Survival Gifts that Give Back Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

Remembering Katrina #GetReadyGetSafe

Over 5,000 children were missing after Hurricane Katrina. It took 7 months for the last child to be reunited with her family. Can you even imagine?

August 29, 2005 was a day that no one along the Gulf Coast will ever forget. Struck by one of the most ferocious, deadliest and costliest naturals disaster ever, New Orleans braced itself as Hurricane Katrina slammed down on the city with brutal force and destruction. As the storm surged and moved inland, multiple levee breaches in greater New Orleans catastrophically failed causing 80% of the city and neighboring parishes to flood.

As the emergency crews set in and tried to clean up the mess that was left behind, another horror materialized. Along with all the flooded and ruined homes, buildings and schools, there were over 1,800 people dead and countless missing. For those who were unable to evacuate the storm and stayed, many families were separated and over 5,000 children were missing. It took seven months to connect the last child with her parents. It was every parent’s worst nightmare and even more tragically, as a nation ten years later we are still not prepared.

When tragedy and devastation struck, international and national NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) rushed to the scene, some who came and went and others who stayed for the long haul. Save the Children, one of the world’s leading organizations that protects and advocates for children worldwide, has been on the frontline in New Orleans ever since Katrina struck, advocating that as a nation we do more to protect our most vulnerable citizens: Our children.

Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

OFEDA: Women Survivors of Haiti’s Earthquake Creating Hope and Possibility

It was 4:43 in the afternoon on a typical hot and humid January day in Haiti when the first tremor stuck and rattled the ground below Port-au-Prince with relentless terror. Haiti has had its fair share of political, economic and natural disasters in the past yet nothing prepared this poverty-stricken island nation of 10 million people for the destruction and aftermath of the January 10, 2010 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

As the earth shook with violent ferocity and the buildings began to crumble and fall, hundreds of thousands of Haitians were killed and entire communities were flattened. An estimated 1.5 million people were left homeless, and most were in Haiti’s overcrowded capital Port-au-Prince. International aid poured into Haiti along with countless NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who set up emergency services to provide immediate medical treatment, water, food and much-needed shelter.

Pétionville Haiti

The “Gingerbread” homes and slums that raise up the mountains behind luxurious Pétionville.

Faced with the urgent needs of providing immediate shelter to the homeless, hundreds of tent communities popped up around the city, some legal and some not. Despite good intentions, many of the tent communities were in deplorable conditions often lacking water and sanitation and safety. Some tents were made from donated plastic tarp while others were more homemade being patched together out of spare linens and plastic sheets. When the floods and unbearable heat came, the situations inside the tent communities become like hell on earth if they weren’t already miserable. Tragically, hardly any humanitarian aid reached some of these communities and families were left to fend for themselves to survive.

As many as 50,000 Haitians slept in this earthquake survivor camp in the Del Mas area in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 21, 2010.Photo credit: Fred W. Baker III via Wikimedia Commons

As many as 50,000 Haitians slept in this earthquake survivor camp in the Del Mas area in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 21, 2010.Photo credit: Fred W. Baker III via Wikimedia Commons

Gifts that Give Back Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises Haiti SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION
papier-mâché artisans Jacmel Haiti

Jacmel’s amazing papier-mâché

Besides being known as a beautiful, colonial beachside town, Jacmel is one of the leading producers of papier-mâché in all of Haiti. In fact, this dazzling town of about 40,000 residents is famous for its arts and has dozens of studios and shops where papier-mâché is made, sold and celebrated especially during Haiti’s Carnival.

Our team visited Jacmel to see firsthand how papier-mâché is made and to meet some of the different artisans who sell their art to Macy’s Heart of Haiti program and Artisan Business Network (ABN). ABN is the heart and soul of Macy’s Heart of Haiti program (a “trade not aid” initiative that began after the earthquake to help local Haitian artisans sell their products in the United States). Run by Nathalie Tancrede, an amazing Haitian American woman who left her home in New York after the earthquake to help, ABN works with a variety of Haitian artisans to assist with long-term economic development and training on design, marketing, packaging and exporting so they can expand internationally. ABN has made a huge impact on the artisan community of Haiti which was largely hurt after the earthquake. It was amazing to see some of their incredible work and it just so happened that we were in Jacmel a few days before Carnival.

Founded in 1698 by French colonists, Jacmel has the most creative and yet traditional Carnival in Haiti awash with brilliantly colorful papier-maché masks and marionettes, bands à pieds, and street theatre depictions of politics, religion and pop culture. As we entered town, we could see papier-mâché statues and masks everywhere.

Jacmel Haiti

Jacmel, Haiti

papier-mâché artisans Jacmel Haiti

Given Jacmel’s vibrant cultural and artistic scene, it wasn’t a surprise to see art being made en plein air right on the streets. It felt like the entire city was alive and was quite invigorating.

papier-mâché artisans Jacmel Haiti

papier-mâché artisans Jacmel Haiti

CULTURE Gifts that Give Back Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises Haiti SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION
Jacmel Haiti

Doors and Facades of Jacmel

The beautiful oceanfront town of Jacmel in Haiti is known for its gorgeous French Colonial architecture and art. Once a bustling producer of coffee and sugar, today Jacmel is mostly known for its incredible vibrant art and cultural scene.  I spent two days in Jacmel in February as part of my tour for #Bloggers4Haiti to learn about the impressive papier-mâché artisans who produce some of Haiti’s finest works of art.

Exploring the gorgeous colonial streets of Jacmel was one of the main highlights of my trip. I fell in love with the dusty streets layered in culture and history. We spent the morning wandering around the colonial part of Jacmel before our afternoon tour of the many papier-mâché studios and shops in town. Here are a few photos that I wanted to share.

Jacmel, Haiti

CULTURE Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

On the Way to the #SolarSisterSummit

It always amazes me how incredibly fast time goes. It felt like just yesterday when I signed up to join Solar Sister in a quest to climb Mount Kilimanjaro this July in honor of their five-year anniversary of providing light, hope, and opportunity to over 1,000+ Solar Sister Entrepreneurs across Sub-Saharan Africa. Now there are only six weeks left until I am on the way to Tanzania and I have much training and fundraising left to do.

I must admit that I am already tired out with all the training and it is only the tip of the iceberg. The hike will be 50 miles and almost 20,000 feet so I have much work to do. I have been trying to exercise every day and increase my miles on foot. I’ve walked three lakes, hiked regional and state parks, run up hills and have also been biking. I’m tired but whenever I get drained I realize that I am on my way to achieving my goal both physically and financially.

Lake Harriet, Minneapolis MN

On my way around one of many urban lakes in Minneapolis.

Africa Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD Tanzania TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Trekking/Hiking Weekly Photo Challenges
World Bicycle Relief

World Bicycle Relief #ThisIsNotABike Campaign

“For many people around the world, the bicycle is a crucial form of life-changing transportation. It can meant the difference between getting to school, seeing a doctor, and making a living – or not”. 

World Bicycle Relief is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to mobilizing people through The Power of Bicycles®. World Bicycle Relief accomplishes its mission by designing, manufacturing and distributing high quality bicycles that withstand the challenging terrain and conditions in rural Africa. This month marks bike month and World Bicycle Relief has launched a new campaign called “This is Not a Bike” to help promote the importance of the bicycles as a mode of transportation that changes people lives.

In honor of this cool campaign, I am featuring a guest post written by Ruth-Anne Renaud the Director of Global Marketing at World Bicycle Relief. 

Gifts that Give Back Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

#SolarSisterSummit: Why I’m climbing the highest mountain in Africa this July

Have you ever had a dream for so long that it never stopped bugging you until you decided to just do it? For me, it has always been Kilimanjaro. I have wanted to climb this epic mountain for over 15 years since my father did it in October 1999 before my wedding. There really has not been any dream or travel goal that I have had for that long.

Like most dreams, there have been many obstacles and road blocks along the way. The first big one was timing. There was no way I could go climb Kilimanjaro when I was in the midst of wedding planning, and honestly at that time I had never ever even considered climbing a mountain before. I had hiked all my life but had never climbed a mountain. My dad was always the mountain climber in the family, the one who took these amazing trips and challenged himself to new heights. Not me. Yet still his 1999 trip started a fire inside my wanderlust soul.

Africa Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD Tanzania TRAVEL BY REGION
SOS Children Ethiopia

SOS Children #Relay4Kids Campaign

“Children worldwide are living in extreme poverty, witnessing horrific violence and suffering the long-term impact of deprivations. Without our support, these children are at heightened risk of exposure to trauma and exploitation. Relay for Kids gives us the chance to make a difference in the lives of these children. Together we can raise awareness about children in crisis and give them the chance to enjoy the safe and healthy childhood they deserve.” -Lynn Croneberger, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages – USA.

One of the most heartwarming afternoons during my two-week trip to Ethiopia as a fellow for the International Reporting Project (IRP) last June was spent visiting a SOS Children’s Village. SOS Children is an independent, non-governmental international development organization that provides loving homes for abandoned and orphaned children in 133 countries for almost 82,100 children. It was founded in 1949 by Austrian Hermann Gmeiner with the first SOS Children’s Village built in Imst, Austria as a home for children orphaned by World War II.

Today, SOS Children works to provide abandoned, destitute and orphaned children with a  loving, family based home. Every child in a SOS Village belongs to a family and is provided with a SOS Mother and “siblings” who are the other SOS Children living under the same roof. This allows the children to grow up in a family being loved and feeling secure. Within each village, there are up to fifteen families living together in a community and each family has up to ten children per house. It is a wonderful model and has had a huge impact on the children’s lives and futures.

SOS Children Ethiopia

A SOS Mother with one of her daughters.

Our group of ten fellows spent the entire afternoon at SOS Children in Ethiopia and it was one of the best memories of my trip. What I liked the best about their program is their model of providing each child with a loving, caring family that will raise them and help them succeed. I wrote extensively about my visit in my post “SOS Children: Providing Ethiopia’s orphans the home they need”. (To read post, click here). 

From March 23 through April 24th, SOS Children’s Villages has partnered with Johnson & Johnson, and the Huffington Post’s Global Motherhood on a campaign called #Relay4Kids that will help provide shelter, food and medical care to children in crisis. During the campaign, child advocates from around the world will work together to raise awareness and funds by posting and sharing stories on the Huffington Post as part of Relay For Kids, a month-long virtual relay with a potential to raise up to $30,000 to help improve the lives of children living in crises.

SOS Children Ethiopia

Mihirat with her twins. She has extra help during the night to help care for the twins and her 8 children.

“Johnson & Johnson has a long standing commitment to helping children around the world. Our partnership with SOS Children’s Villages is an extension of that commitment and has grown to include orphaned children, families in need, and youth striving for a productive adult life”, said Conrad Person, Director, Johnson & Johnson Corporate Contributions. “Now, through the Relay for Kids, we can work together to create a community of support for the greatest of causes, our children.”

Child Labor, Marriage, Education and Survival Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

#WorldWaterDay2015: Isn’t it time we solved this problem?

“Water is life….especially where every drop of water counts”

Today marks World Water Day, a day that people come together to advocate and fight for the fact that over 748 million people continue to live without safe water. It is unimaginable.

As someone who has traveled to the developing world and witnessed firsthand what lack of safe water is like, it has truly touched my soul. Women and girls are impacted even worse. They are generally the ones in charge of spending hours a day fetching and carrying water on their back or taking care of family members who are sick (or worse yet even die) due to lack of safe drinking water.

Now lets talk toilets. Not having access to sanitation is horrible as well. It spreads disease. It is embarrassing and it is not safe. Girls have been kept out of school due to lack of latrines or have been raped while trying to use them. When people are forced to open defecate it is humiliating and contaminating spreading disease.

Vivekananda Camp, Delhi India

Woman leaving the newly constructed toilet compound thanks to WaterAid.

Even here in the US we are witnessing great water shortages. California has experienced severe drought and has had to replace restrictions on its people. What will happen in 2030 when it is estimated by the UN that we could have a 40% water shortage worldwide?

What is not an infinite resource. Like many things, we need to protect and preserve it, not waste it but also give it to those in need.

We have a lot of challenges lying ahead. It will be the policies enacted today that will determine our future.

To join today’s actives and learn more, jump on twitter and follow the hashtag #WorldWaterDay. There are links to all sorts of articles on the concerns we are facing with water and sanitation.

I have also written quite a lot about water and sanitation on my blog. To read these posts, click here.

Global Health Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD

#Bloggers4Haiti Here We Come

Sunday as I was going through my comments and notifications on my blog I saw a little note from WordPress congratulating me. It was my fourth year anniversary since I began my blog thirdeyemom. I looked at the little symbol and reflected for a moment. Wow. Four years! Part of me was surprised that four years have passed so incredibly rapidly, just like a blink of an eye. The other part of me was almost shocked that I haven’t been blogging longer. Regardless, I realized at that moment what a profound impact my blog has had on my life.

Beautiful handicraft items made by Heart of Haiti

Beautiful handicraft items made by Heart of Haiti Photo credit: Heart of Haiti

Not only have I received immense enjoyment and satisfaction from sharing my journey online, I’ve met countless fellow bloggers and have made some extremely good friendships  with like-minded people from blogging. What started out as a simple place for me to share my travels and views of the world, has brought me into an entirely new path of global advocacy. I have learned about issues impacting some of the world’s most neglected, left behind people and have used my voice to try to create change. I have traveled to New York, Washington DC, India and Ethiopia all thanks to my blog. And, tomorrow I am leaving for Haiti.

Looking back, little did I know that taking a leap of faith would bring me to where I am today. All those self-doubts have been cast aside. At 43, I finally feel like I know my place and journey in life. It took a lot of wrong turns, mistakes and bad choices but somehow serendipitously I ended up here. I am confident that if I keep plugging away, that only more doors will open and I will continue to follow the path of my dreams.

So what does my family think? Thankfully they wholeheartedly support me. I am often asked how I do it or sometimes even get the comments such as “Wow, your husband must really love you a lot to let you travel.” I just shrug my shoulders and let them believe what they want. I know I’m fortunate to have a wonderful life partner who supports me and helps  me (not lets me!) follow my dreams.

As I prepare for the 3 am wake-up call tomorrow and get my bags packed, I look forward to the next five days in Haiti. I have done my homework and know what to expect. It may be the western hemisphere’s poorest country that is still in deep recovery after the horrific earthquake five years ago. But it is rebuilding and there is hope.

Heart of Haiti

Photo credit: Heart of Haiti

As part of the Macy’s Heart of Haiti program, we will be visiting the amazing women artisans who are working hard to build themselves and their families a better life. Women who five years ago were merely survivors who lost so much. I look forward to sharing more of their inspiring stories with you of hope, determination and a will to never give up. I will tell you about how Heart of Haiti was founded and why. How it has lifted these women up from hopelessness and poverty and has enabled them to create a sustainable living through art. I look forward to sharing their stories and offering a voice of hope.

Further reading:

Today, on Global Moms Challenge, my friend Leticia Barr wrote a guest post about our upcoming trip. She has traveled to Haiti before with Heart of Haiti and her post gives a bit more background about the program and what we aim to do.

 

 

 

 

Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD