Meet Elisabetta Colabianchi, Founder of Kurandza, a non-profit social enterprise that invests in the future of women in Mozambique.I have featured her work and organization before on my blog and include their products under my Gifts that Give Back Guide. Kurandza uses education, entrepreneurship and sustainable development programs to help create opportunity and change for women and their communities. A devastating two-year drought in Mozambique has caused widespread hunger inspiring Elisabetta to shift gears and focus on hunger relief. Here is her heartwarming story.
Percina and Elisabetta, two wonderful friends who met in a village in Mozambique while Elisabetta was a Peace Corps volunteer. Photo credit: Nicole Anderson of Sorella Muse Photography
“Kurandza: To Love”: Written by Elisabetta Colabianchi, Founder and Designer, Kurandza
I’d known there was a hunger crisis in Mozambique, but what really got to me was hearing that HIV positive mothers were faced with choosing between letting their children starve or nursing their children past the recommended time despite the risk of passing on HIV.
Prior to founding my non-profit organization, Kurandza, which means “to love” in the local Changana language, I lived in Mozambique as a Peace Corps volunteer for three years. While there, I worked at a rural hospital counseling mothers on the prevention of HIV transmission to their babies, and had successfully prevented the transmission to hundreds of children.
At first, I thought that maybe the mothers who continued to nurse despite the risk were doing this because they forgot their training. Or I thought perhaps I hadn’t taught them very well after all.
But when I counseled one of these mothers over the phone last month from my home, now living thousands of miles away in California, I realized she knew exactly what she was doing, and that it hurt her to do so. She knew that by continuing to nurse her child past the recommended time, she was putting her baby at risk to contract HIV. She knew that when a child contracts the HIV virus, it often leads to mortality.
Last July, when I was in Arusha, Tanzania I stayed at a Tanzanian-run hotel that is a popular launching off point for safaris and Kilimanjaro climbs. The hotel is owned and run by a Tanzanian woman who also does a fair amount of charity work within the community. One such project she worked on was supporting a local orphanage. As a social good blogger, I was very interested in visiting the orphanage to meet the children and spend a little time playing with them. I agreed to join a huge group of American volunteers who were heading over to the orphanage for the day to check it out. Little did I know, my visit is something that many international organizations that work to protect children are trying to stop.
A month ago, I was contacted by Anna McKeon, Co-Coordinator for Better Volunteering, Better Care, a global initiative facilitated by The Better Care Network and Save the Children UK aimed at discouraging orphanage volunteering and promoting ethical volunteering alternatives. Anna wanted to see if I would be interested in joining the upcoming blogging blitz to lobby the volunteer travel industry to stop orphanage trips, and to raise awareness about the issue.
Since the onset of the campaign in early May, I learned a lot about the negative consequences of volunteering and visiting orphanages. Although it often seems as a great way to give back and make a difference, orphan trips can be harmful for vulnerable children, and is also contributing to a growing orphanage industry and the separation of children from their families. Child protection specialists have expressed concern about this growing phenomenon in over 20 countries worldwide. Anna herself had once volunteered at a few international orphanages (See article: I Volunteered at an Orphanage and Now I Campaign Against It”) and it was through her experiences that she became committed to end it.
These girls live right outside the orphanage and are school age. When girls in Tanzania go to school, it is customary to shave their heads.
So what have I learned since the beginning of this campaign? Quite a few things that I honestly was completely unaware of and even took me by surprise.
“Sooner or later, we will have to recognise that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans”. – Evo Morales
Oh Mother Earth how I love thee. I am disheartened by the constant heartache you have to face. The earthquakes, the floods, the wildfires and the taking away of your beauty. It saddens me greatly. You are such a beautiful place! I sincerely hope that future generations learn to love and protect you and don’t throw the beauty we have away. There is so much working against you.
As I breathe in the thick smoky, polluted air today that has blown in to Minnesota all the way from the fierce wildfires burning in Alberta, Canada, I am sad and filled with despair. When will we take better care of our most important thing we have? Our planet?
Of course some of these forces are simply due to Mother Nature but many other devastating things are due to humans. How will you handle over 8 billion people living and taking your resources? I wish there was an easy answer.
Our beautiful pristine Northern Minnesota.
“When we recognise the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection, love is born”. – Thich Nhat Hanh
The green lush countryside of Guatemala
“You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer”. – Thich Nhat Hanh Continue reading →
(1). The decorative edge of a sari used to provide comfort and protect to loved ones. (2). A Shelter.
I first learned about Anchal Project a few years ago from a fellow social good blogger who lives in Louisville, Kentucky where Anchal Project is based. After looking at their beautiful website and learning about their philanthropic model, I bought my first scarf and fell in love with the beauty and exquisiteness of their unique products and the story behind each scarf. I have been promoting their products on my Gifts that Give Back page for years and finally this week I had the opportunity to speak with co-founder and CEO Colleen Clines about the inspiration behind Anchal Project and what she has done to help women escape poverty and prostitution in India. Little did I know, her own personal story was equally as inspiring and powerful as her work heading Anchal Project. Here is the story.
This Mother’s Day, why not consider a unique gift that also gives back to a mother in return? I have compiled a fabulous list of ideas that include beautiful products handmade by women as well as donations that support mothers around the world.
Here are some of the loveliest gifts that give of the season for that special mom in your life.
Beautiful handmade products that give back to mothers
Bloom & Give
Bloom & Give sells beautifully handcrafted scarves and bags made in India using techniques passed on from generation to generation. Each product is designed in the US by one of Bloom & Give’s designers, and made in India with love. Bloom & Give donates 50% of their profits to support girls education programs in India through their partner Educate Girls to improve the lives of girls in Rajasthan. Here are a few new products:
BARI INDIGO SILK COTTON SCARF
BARI LILAC SILK COTTON SCARF
Maya Hamsa Blue Tote
Mother’s Day Special: Bloom & Give has graciously offered my readers a 20% discount off their purchase. At checkout , please enter the code: THIRDEYEMOM.
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. Here are some of their latest products:
Connected in Hope is a nonprofit social enterprise & lifestyle brand that empowers vulnerable women and families in Ethiopia to rise above poverty. Connected in Hope currently employ 80+ artisans, providing them with sustainable, predictable incomes. One hundred percent of the profit generated from product sales is reinvested in programs that benefit the artisans and their families. Profits fund Connected in Hope’s innovative preschool and kindergarten, adult literacy classes, community education events and health care programs.
FASIKA FOLDOVER CLUTCH (CAMEL)
FASIKA FOLDOVER CLUTCH (CAMEL)
Enat Scarf with FASIKA FOLDOVER CLUTCH (CAMEL)
Mother’s Day Special: Connected in Hope is offering free shipping on all Mother’s Day orders over $100 with coupon code: FORMOM. To view special products for Mother’s Day click here.
All Across Africa currently works with over 3,000 artisans in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, paying artisans up front for the goods at many times what they could sell them for in a local market. This sustainable income allows them to send their children to school, feed their families and even create savings accounts. In addition, money goes back into the communities in the form of education and training programs. All Across Africa believes that job creation is the solution for the rural poor in these countries. Check out their beautiful handmade and fair-trade goods here. You are bound to love the products and the amazing work All Across Africa is doing.
Here are some of their beautiful products that would make lovely gifts for your mom.
Humanity Unified is a for-profit enterprise that donates 100% of net profits to Humanity Unified International, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to lifting vulnerable populations out of poverty. Together with local NGO, Aspire Rwanda, they are developing a food security project that will benefit 100 women living in poverty. The project will provide a women’s farming cooperative with the education, tools and training necessary to generate livable incomes, so that they can be self-sustaining and provide for their families after one year. These beautiful Mala bracelets are a wonderful gift for your mom.
The Resilience Mala
The Transcendence Mala
The Strength Mala
Set of two Malas
Special Mother’s Day Discount: Humanity Unified is offering 10% off any item. Just enter the code: 4mom when checking out.
Kurandza is a purpose-driven fashion company that creates handcrafted jewelry and accessories with women in Mozambique. Their mission is to empower women, the majority of whom are HIV positive, through education and employment opportunities. In addition to receiving fair wages for their work, profits from sales go back to this community to fund development projects.
Currently Percina Miocha, the Director of Kurandza in Mozambique, is currently visiting the United States for the first time! It’s been her dream to visit the U.S. since high school, and she’s finally realizing this goal. She’s preparing to return to Mozambique this week and will bring new skills and lots of memories back with her! She’s enjoyed her time so much that she plans to come back every year.
Here are some new products for your mom.
Special Mother’s Day Discount of 10% off with code “thirdeyemom” on orders placed before Mother’s Day.
Your purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business for women in Africa. Our commitment as a non-profit is to the development of people — fashionABLE works with women who have been exploited due to the effects of poverty. So, when you purchase a scarf you are providing jobs, and then we send the net profits back to holistically rehabilitate more women.I had the opportunity to visit fashionABLE in Ethiopia and it is an amazing program!
This Mother’s Day, why not honor your mom with a gorgeous Tirhas leather Saddlebag?
Thistle Farms is a social enterprise of women survivors of prostitution and drug addiction that would provide an opportunity for a sustainable income and life for the women. Based in Tennessee, Thistle Farms houses a natural bath and body care company, Thistle Stop Café, a paper and seeing studio and a global marketplace called Shared Trade. Today, Thistle Farms employees more than 50 survivors and benefits over 700 women a year. Proceeds support Thistle Farms and the residential program, Magdalene. The community provides housing, food, healthcare, therapy and education for two years, without charging residents or receiving taxpayer money.
Here are some of their wonderful products for your mom including such lovely ideas as the Thistle Farms Bug Free Candle (Made with nature’s best ingredients for repelling insects – organic rose geranium oil, geraniol, cinnamon leaf oil, citronella and clove bud oils), the Lilly Gift Set (Uniquely handcrafted planters from Freedoms Promise in Cambodia. Freedom’s Promise seeks to combat human-trafficking in Cambodia by providing fair wages and safe working environments for women artisans), and the Blessed Hope Nepal Bracelets (Their new roll-on bracelets from Thistle Farms’s Global partner in Nepal, come in an array of vibrant colors and feature hand-crocheted beads in intricate patterns).
For the mom who has everything but wants to give something special:
The Miracle Foundation:
There are millions of orphaned children in the developing world, many of whom languish in sub-standard institutions without access to basic food, clean water, clothing, schooling and medical care. That’s why The Miracle Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowers orphans to reach their full potential by turning orphanages into places where children thrive, is launching its unique Mother’s Day campaign. The 501(c)(3) charity, which revolutionizes the way orphanages are run, funded and managed, hopes to raise funds by May 8th to pay the annual salaries and room & board of the housemothers working in its orphanages.
Children at one of the orphanages The Miracle Foundation supports in India. Photo Credit: Lynne Dobson
A child and a house mom at one of the orphanages The Miracle Foundation supports in India. Photo Credit: Lynne Dobson
Spiritual development is part of the The 12 Rights of the Child that form The Miracle Foundation’s philosophy of nurturing children to their fullest potential. At Anbarasi Children’s home, these girls pray after returning from school. Children at one of the orphanages The Miracle Foundation supports in India. Photo Credit: Lynne Dobson
Each of Miracle’s housemothers acts as a mom to the 20 orphaned children in her care, creating an environment where they can truly thrive. These incredible women raise the boys and girls the charity supports into smart, strong, compassionate and self-sustaining men and women.
“This Mother’s Day, instead of giving her flowers, candy, or dinner at a nice restaurant, we invite you to honor your mom by spending the same amount of money in a much more meaningful way,” said Caroline Boudreaux, Founder of The Miracle Foundation. “Participating in our campaign will engage both of you in the lives of less fortunate children in the developing world. What better way to pay tribute to your mother than by helping provide a mom to those who don’t have one?”
Caroline Boudreaux, Founder of The Miracle Foundation, in Delhi. Photo Credit: Lynne Dobson
Here’s what your Mother’s Day gift can do:
$25: Feeds a housemother for one month
$60: Funds a housemother for one month, including food, salary and room & board
The Adventure Project is a non-profit that “adds venture” to offer education, tools and resources for people to become entrepreneurs and change their lives. The Adventure Project partners with some of the leading non-profit organizations on the ground, focusing on the world’s greatest issues affecting people in poverty such as the environment, health, hunger and water.
Currently The Adventure Project is running a campaign to provide safe, clean drinking water to women in Uganda.
“There are 4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia. What if we each helped them in a small, tangible way? The total effort would be substantial.” – Josh Allen, founder of WO Design.
It was during a life-changing service trip to Ethiopia in the fall of 2012 that Josh Allen, a young dad from Bozeman, Montana, was exposed firsthand to the hardship faced by widows and orphans in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Josh went to Ethiopia as a delegate with the Global Leadership Summit and was introduced to various non-profit organizations around Addis Ababa, the nation’s capital. He spent a day with Bring Love In, a non-profit organization that helps to provide orphans and widows with a loving, stable home. Josh was instantly moved by the program and the amazing success they had in giving both unwanted orphans and widows a second chance at life and love.
He returned home to Montana driven to make a difference and help support the orphans and widows he met at Bring Love In. Already a successful retailer Dee-O-Gee and developer of dog toys, Josh found a way to bring his expertise and desire to help orphans and widows together by the creation of his company, WO Design (which stands for Widows and Orphans Design).
In the fall of 2014, Josh launched WO Design with his first product, the WO Bone, that is made in his hometown of Bozeman, Montana. For each dog toy purchased, two meals are provided to widows and orphans at Bring Love In in Ethiopia. Nine months later, he added another product, the WO Disc and by the end of 2015, over 5,000 meals have been provided to widows and orphans at Bring Love In.
To be a girl in the developing world is an additional hurdle to overcome. Not only will you likely be poor, you will also likely be married young, uneducated, physically and sexually abused and lack the potential to follow your dreams of having a better life.
What if we could change this vicious path and instead give young women an opportunity to thrive, to be inspired and to follow their dreams?
This is the inspiration behind Chicabrava’s Camp Bella and Chicas Adelante. To break the mold of gender equality by offering young women and girls hope. Hope to dream. Hope to change their destiny and hope for a better future.
The women of Chicabrava Photo credit: Chicabrava
Houston-native Ashley Blaylock moved to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua in 2003 when it was an undiscovered fishing village. She had fallen in love with the country and wanted to follow her dreams of starting up the very first all-women’s surf camp in Nicaragua. At the time, no women surfed yet Ashley persevered. Over time she developed strong ties and acceptance within the local machismo community and opened the doors to Chicabrava in 2008. By working with the community, Ashley helped transform the cultural belief that surfing was only for men and party goers. On the contrary, Chicabrava broke gender roles by demonstrating that surfing is a serious sport that women can enjoy and feel empowered. Continue reading →
Do you ever feel like the connections we make in life sometimes seems like fate? The more I work in this tiny niche of social good travel bloggers, the more amazed I am by the incredible friendships and network I’ve made online. I’ve met countless inspiring bloggers and humanitarians online through blogging and social media. One such person is Maria Russo, founder of the award-wining online media platform for travel and social good, The Culture-ist and the non-profit Humanity Unified International. It all happened because I follow her on Instagram where I noticed the amazing photographs her organization was posting on women and girls in Rwanda.
A young girl in Rwanda. Photo by Arielle Lozada
I commented on the photos and began a relationship online that resulted in an interview and a post on her and her husband Anthony’s work as the founders of Humanity Unified and Humanity Unified International. I was instantly drawn to Maria and Anthony’s passion for making the world a better place by starting at the grassroots level by improving the lives of women and girls in Rwanda.
The more I work in social good and advocacy, the more I understand how these kinds of programs work. It is a proven that investing in women makes a tremendous amount of sense and investing wisely in programs that provide training, education, health and sustainable agricultural practices is even better. Women invest 90% of their income back into their families while men invest approximately 30 percent (UNAC).
On a personal level, like everyone I am bombarded with requests for donations every day thus I choose my charities wisely. It is a arduous task since I would love to donate to every single cause I write about or hear but obviously I have to pick and choose which causes are most important to me. I donate locally to help our schools and families living in poverty, and I also donate quite a bit abroad.
The more I travel and witness the impact of poverty on women and girls and the additional barriers they face in creating a better life, the more I desire to give them opportunities to create a better one. I also prefer to create sustainable change, not just a band-aid approach that won’t fix the problem. This is why I love the work that Humanity Unified is doing so much. 100% of my investment will go towards empowering women and creating sustainable change.
I will never meet the woman who I am supporting but in my heart I will know that far away, in Rwanda my donation has helped change her life. That is an incredible feeling! Whether it be vaccines for a child in Nigeria, a clean birth kit for $20 for an expectant mom in Laos or $100 to provide training for a woman in Rwanda, I’ve made a difference.
Even using my words to spread awareness by writing this post has helped and that is free.
Photo by Arnelle Lozada
This week, Humanity Unified International launched their first fundraiser on Generosity by Indiegogo to develop funding for their project in Rwanda. Here are some details on the campaign and how you can help. Continue reading →
Imagine gently gliding through the smooth waters of Lago Cocibolca, Nicaragua’s largest lake, at the magical hour of sunset. As the local fishermen are throwing out their nets for the next morning catch and the school children are paddling home on dinghies from a long day at school. Imagine being the only passenger on a 20-seater boat with a Spanish-speaking fisherman steering the way.
That is where I found myself a few weeks ago at the end of my epic day of touring Granada on foot. In the serendipitous calm of the deep blue waters of Lago Cocibolca freckled in streaks of orange, purple and pink. Just me, my driver and the “Guapotona“, the “handsome tuna”
“There’s a false perception that women in Africa somehow don’t love their babies they way we do, don’t grieve their loss the way we would. That is simply not true”. – Melinda Gates
Did you know that every day in 2015 nearly 830 women died giving birth around the globe? Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 550 out of the 830 daily deaths. Ghana has one of the lowest maternal mortality rates in the region, yet much progress still needs to be achieved in the rural, hard to reach communities where the death among pregnant women remains much higher. Today, in Ghana the maternal mortality rate is 319 out of 100,000 live births as compared with 527 out of 100,000 in 1996 (World Bank). (The 2015 maternal mortality rate in the US is 14 out of 100,000 live births).
The good news is most of these deaths are preventable. By increasing access to health care services for expectant mothers (pre and post natal and labor and delivery by a trained midwife) more women and babies will survive.
A midwife holding a newborn baby in rural Ghana. Photo credit: USAID-funded project Saving Maternity Homes in Ghana
Banyan Global, a small women-owned and run international development consulting business has partnered with the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and Ghana Registered Midwives Association to help save the lives of women in Ghana through their Supporting Ghana’s Midwives: Strengthening Maternal and Child Health in Rural Regions Campaign.
The Saving Maternity Homes in Ghana program is one of the US Government’s initiatives combatting maternal and child mortality across the regions of Ghana.
Photograph of Midwives during GRMA 80th Anniversary Celebration. Photo credit: USAID-funded project Saving Maternity Homes in Ghana
I had the opportunity to speak with Tanya Hurst, Senior Program Coordinator at Banyan Global about her recent trip to Ghana last month to view the work on the ground. Tanya provided the following firsthand narrative of her experience working on the project and visiting the midwives in Ghana: Continue reading →
One love refers to the universal love and respect expressed by all people for all people, regardless of race, creed, or color. —The Urban Dictionary
Anne McCarthy writes: “I realized that the universe is constantly whispering words of love: expressions of pure joy, respect, loyalty, and sacrifice for someone other than ourselves, and instructions on letting go and focusing on what is most important in this world”.
Her remark could not be more poignant today as we face an opportunity to either open the doors and embrace others different from ourselves or build a wall and shut the door. We are at a critical time in history in which more and more democracies including our own are struggling to keep intolerance, injustice and hate out of becoming who we are. With the rise of politicians and people breeding hatred and intolerance of others based on gender, religion, sex and ethnicity, it frightens me. I wonder what kind of world my children will live in. One of ignorance and hate or one of acceptance and love. It is a scary time in history.
Without getting too political or depressing, I wanted to share with you what my belief is in “one love”. Why I believe that we should open our doors to others instead of turn away. The world is an amazing place and a huge part of what makes it so incredibly magical is us. All of us. Not just the white, catholic christians. Everyone. Black, brown, yellow, white. Jewish, Muslim. Christian, Buddhist or atheist. All of us.
That is what one love means.
Me and Mary
Of course I couldn’t resist getting my picture taken with these lovely girls.
Holding a small child at the Kilimanjaro Orphanage Centre in Moshi, Tanzania.
In Ethiopia at Mosebo Village. June 2014
Our multi-cultural team to Haiti. How I wish these lovely ladies all lived here!
Eugenia, our cook, inside the “kitchen” tent gives us a big smile.
62 million girls are denied the right to education. Half a billion women cannot read. 155 countries still have laws that discriminate against women.This can change.
In honor of International Women’s Day today, The ONE Campaign has released their 2016 report Poverty is Sexist. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. It is a fact that the only way we can end extreme poverty, create peace, security and prosperity around the world is by improving the lives of women and girls around the globe. If you can do one thing today to help improve the lives of women and girls around the world, you can use the power of your voice and sign this letter here.
The letter is about how poverty is sexist, and urges world leaders to embrace development policies that invest in girls and women. The list of signers includes Bono, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Sheryl Sandberg, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Danai Gurira, Rocky Dawuni, Mary J. Blige, Melinda Gates and more. I am adding my name today and I urge you to add yours as well.
If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you know that I am a huge supporter of improving the rights of women and girls and all people living in extreme poverty. I became passionate about my advocacy work on social good as I began to travel more and see firsthand the injustices around the world. The more I traveled and saw, the more I could not turn away from the fact that billions of people around the world – especially women and girls – are denied the same rights and opportunities as me. As citizens of the developed world, we all have a voice in democracy and can help advocate for legislation and funding that improves the lives of billions. It is a powerful gift that we are so fortunate to have and should not be wasted.
