Saturday, March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the advances and successes women have made around the world. In honor of this special day I am reposting last year’s summary of what this day means to me. The more I see the world and learn about the struggles women in the developing world face, the more inspired I am to make a difference. Thanks for reading and please spread the word.
Win a trip to Mexico to see Whole Planet Foundation’s work! See details at bottom of post.
Whole Planet Foundation, the social good arm of US-based Whole Foods Market, launched their 8th Annual Prosperity Campaign last week. With the goal of alleviating poverty by providing microcredit in communities around the world that supply Whole Foods Market stores with products, this year’s Prosperity Campaign aims to raise enough money to help 250,000 people and runs from February 20-March 31st. The Prosperity Campaign is Whole Planet’s largest fundraising drive providing 80% of their revenue that is given back to their suppliers.
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any”. – Alice Walker
A few months ago I watched a brilliant documentary called “Miss Representation“. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the award-winning film exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. I have been meaning to write about the documentary for months yet had left it in the back burner until the Olympics began and some of the media coverage of the women althetes outraged me.
Two recent articles in particular (“Medals aren’t enough: Women athletes still have to sell sexiness” and “Scantily Clad Russian Olympians Are Making Us Uncomfortable“) made my anger flair and made me realize that as a society if women’s rights are ever going to improve, me must stop looking at them as sex objects. Certainly one can argue that it is in our biology and nature. Men will always covet and admire women and their bodies. Yet what I want to argue is that it is fine to admire a woman’s beauty but our powerful media does not need to continue to objectify women. It has come to the point where it is so commonplace that one often turns a blind eye to it. Let’s face it sex sells.
The devastation of Typhoon Haiyan was almost unprecedented: It was the deadliest rapid-onset disaster globally in 2013. Nearly 6 million children have been affected, 4.1 million people remain displaced and over 6,000 people lost their lives.
James, 11, stands on the floor of what once was his school, the primary school in Binon-an, Batad, Iloilo province, Panay Island. James says “That day I was taking care of my younger siblings, I was thinking about my family’s survival. During the height of the typhoon, we all stayed in a single room. Then roof sheets were being torn like paper, and window’s shattered.” Photo credit: Hedinn Halldorsson/Save the Children
Long forgotten by the media and the world but not forgotten by the countless people impacted by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan which struck the Philippines three months ago, Save the Children has released a three-month report written all through the eyes of the most vulnerable: The children. The report cleverly titled “See me, Hear me, Ask me: Children’s recommendations for recovery three months after Typhoon Haiyan” focuses on the perspective of children and their recommendations of building their communities back and preparing for future disasters.
Children wait outside a mobile Child Friendly Space on the remote island of Talingting, which has been targeted as part of the Save the Children Boat programme, which visits remote islands off the coast of Panay that have been heavily affected by Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda. Photo credit: Save the Children
This week as part of World Moms Blog where I am a writer and editor for our social good column, we are participating in our second annual campaign to support fellow World Moms Blog writer Kristyn Zalota’s non-profit organization CleanBirth.org which saves lives of mothers and their newborns in Laos. Partnering with Multicultural Kids Blog and Girls Globe, we are coming together to help CleanBirth.org launch their crowd funding campaign to raise $7,500 to help train more midwives and provide sterilized birth kits to mothers in Laos.
I will not lie. The initial news of my loved one’s cancer diagnosis was devastating. My life fell apart as I was buried in fear, shock, anger and despair. But one thing never ever left us after hearing this cruel news. Our love for one another and our hope that we would help our loved one fight this awful disease and win.
Today ironically enough, on World Cancer Day we heard incredible, amazing news. That for now, the cancer is in remission, something we did not think would at all be possible so soon. Although the news is the best possible, we will continue to fight this battle to the end and never lose sight of hope and gratitude for our lives. For that is the best we can ask for. The time we get on this Earth is sacred and it is short. Every day is a gift. That is why they call it the present.
One thing I have learned so far through this entire ordeal is that I am not alone. In fact, everyone I know has been impacted by cancer either by a family member or close friend. But the diagnosis of cancer is no longer a death sentence. In fact we have made remarkable progress in fighting cancer which is a cause to celebrate.
Per the American Cancer Society, 60 years ago 1 out of 3 people diagnosed with cancer would survive. Today, 2 out of 3 people will survive.
What if the entire world joined forces to fight cancer?
Today, Tuesday, February 4th is World Cancer Day, a time when organizations and individuals around the world send a message: Ending cancer should be a global health priority.
According to the latest data released by the World Health Organization, an estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths occurred in 2012, compared with 12.7 million and 7.6 million, respectively, in 2008. World Cancer Day, an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer. This year’s campaign will focus on reducing stigma and dispelling myths about cancer.
– American Cancer Society
What you can do today to help fight cancer? Color your Facebook or Twitter profile purple to celebrate cancer survivors on World Cancer Day by clicking here. For every purple profile, Chevrolet will contribute $1 to the American Cancer Society for every purple profile, up to $1 million.
For more information on cancer, World Cancer Day and support, contact the American Cancer Society’s website which has an abundant amount of resources.
For the past year and a half I’ve been honored to be a part of an exceptional group of women bloggers using our voices on our blogs and through social media to help try to change the world. As a proud member of the Global Team of 200 and Mom Bloggers for Social Good, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about and share with you some of the amazing things different non-profits are doing around the world to save lives and end poverty.
Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya
Boys sit on a boulder overlooking the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo credit: Gates Foundation
Jennifer James, founder of our social good team, has worked particularly hard with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It has been fascinating to be a part of some of the work this amazing foundation is doing at changing the world and saving lives.
INDIA / Bihar / Jamsaut village / 23 March 2011
Bill and Melinda Gates with children at an Anganwadi centre in Jamsaut village near Patna. Photo Credit: Gates Foundation
Yesterday, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation released their co-authored 2014 annual report which contains some exciting findings and predictions in the world of social good.
2014 Bill and Melinda Gates Annual Letter
This year’s letter, “Three Myths that Block Progress for the Poor,” addresses three misconceptions about the global effort to end extreme poverty: Poor countries are doomed to stay poor, foreign aid is a big waste, and saving lives leads to overpopulation.
In fact, life is better for more people around the world than it has ever been. People are living longer, healthier lives and poverty rates have been cut in half in the last 25 years. Child mortality is plunging. Many nations that were aid recipients are now self-sufficient. Bill and Melinda want to tackle these myths because too often they give people a reason not to act.
-Bill and Melinda Gates, 2014 Annual Letter
silver lining (noun)
a consoling aspect of an otherwise desperate or difficult situation; “every dark rain cloud has a silver edge or lining”; “look on the bright side of it.”
Arriving into dark rain clouds in Honduras. January 2013.
Roughly a year ago I was in Honduras doing volunteer work and taking Spanish classes for a week. It was my fourth volunteer trip, third one to a Central American country, and was fulfilling the promise I made to myself years ago to give back to those in need.
For a place of so much beauty, there is also so much pain.
Yesterday I participated in an interview with National Geographic Kids and Little Kids editor Rachel Bucholz to learn about the ins and outs of working for such an amazing organization. I have long been a fan of National Geographic’s magazines ranging from the popular yellow-framed bordered National Geographic to National Geographic Traveler, Kids and Little Kids. I love to learn about our amazing planet and being a National Geographic Kids Insider has given me the opportunity to get an even more in-depth view of all the fabulous things National Geographic is involved in.
Rachel has worked as an editor for over 20 years and has also authored several books. She currently works as editor and Vice President of National Geographic Kids and Little Kids magazine where she thoroughly enjoys inspiring children to become future stewards of our planet. As the nation’s most popular kids’ magazine, it was really fascinating to learn more about what makes National Geographic Kids so wonderful and keeps children wanting to read more. Here is what Rachel had to say.
What is your day to day job like and what do you enjoy most about being an editor for National Geographic Kids and Little Kids?
On Friday I participated in a Google+ Hangout with the UNICEF’s #ENDViolence Team to learn about the importance of birth registration. Thursday, December 11th marked UNICEF’s 67th year anniversary as one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations focused on the rights and protection of children. In honor of this important milestone, UNICEF released the report “Passport to Protection” which highlights the importance of birth registration in protecting children and giving them an overall basic human right. The right to exist.
Birth registration is the first step in securing a child’s rights to health, education, and freedom from things like trafficking, violence and abuse. It is a passport to protection. Yet around the world, an astounding 230 million children under the age of five – one out of every three children in this age group globally – have never been registered at birth. Tens of millions of more children are without a birth certificate.
Last year I did a post on Gifts that Give Back. In a world where we have so much and others have so little, gifts that give back in return is a brilliant concept. Not only are you giving something special to someone you care about, you are also giving back perhaps even more to a person in need. Here is my list of top Gifts that Give Back for 2013. Feel free to add more ideas in the comment section below.
Scarves, Appareil, Jewelry and Household Items
Anchal (scarves, pillows and quilts)
“Designing Change Stitch by Stitch” Anchal creates absolutely stunning scarves, pillows and quilts each handmade out of recycled saris by Indian women rescued from prostitution. I can not tell you how many compliments I have received on my stunning Anchal scarf. I wear it every day and it is warm, colorful and a reminder of the hard work that was put into making it. I had to order another one I love it so much.
Every so often I get contacted by various NGOs to share important advocacy and awareness campaigns. If you follow my blog, you know how seriously I take my social good advocacy especially when it comes to poverty, violence against women and girls, global health and education. When you have witnessed some of these horrendous tragedies firsthand, you will forever be changed and feel compelled to tell the countless stories you’ve heard along the way.
Living in the slums of India can be a dangerous place for a young girl.
Recently I was contacted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) advising me of an awareness campaign that is near and dear to my heart: Gender violence. From November 25 to December 10, USAID is promoting an awareness campaign called 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (#16Days) in attempt to shed light on this important issue.
When I was in India this past May on a social good blogging trip, I visited a beautiful school for abused girls in the heart of a Delhi slum. Almost every child at the school had been either physically or sexually abused yet their perseverance to move beyond their pain made my heart melt and fulfilled me with hope and commitment that I would never forget them nor their cause. No one should have to suffer because of their gender. Yet sadly many do.
