A couple of weeks ago as part of my role as a National Geographic Insider, I had the honor of participating in a conference call with Wildlife Biologist Luke Dollar to learn all about National Geographic’s two exciting campaigns: Big Cat Week and Build a Boma. I have always been a true lover of wildlife and nature and had the honor of seeing big cats in the wild on safari in South Africa in 2005. Little did I know that big cats are in huge danger and face the threat of extinction if we do not act soon to protect them.
Lion at Tanda Tula Reserve South Africa
Lion at Tanda Tula Reserve South Africa
Lions at Tanda Tula Reserve South Africa
Luke Dollar is professor at Duke University and Pfeiffer University in North Carolina and is one of big cats biggest advocates with over 20 years of conservation work. Luke is a wildlife biologist focusing on conservation, research and development and has logged more than eight of the past 18 calendar years in the field. His scientific research began in Madagascar focusing on Madagascar’s top predators, specifically the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox). His work there brought him to National Geographic as an Emerging Explorer in 2007 and today Luke is the program director of National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative.
Whole Planet Foundation, a non-profit run by Whole Foods Market, recently launched a new exciting initiative in the world of microfinancing. For the first time ever a donor can now give directly to specific projects around the globe which will give Whole Planet supporters an opportunity to choose exactly where their donation goes.
Tanzanian farmer assisted by BRAC and Whole Planet. Photo credit: Whole Planet Foundation
This month, Whole Planet is piloting a program in Tanzania where 68% of the population is lives on less than $1.25 a day. In Tanzania, Whole Planet has partnered with BRAC, Whole Planet will be able to empower micro entrepreneurs like Jackline to alleviate poverty in the region of Mbeya, where Theo Chocolate, sold in Whole Foods Market stores, is sourced. BRAC began working in Tanzania in 2006 by providing micro finance and small enterprise development programs in Tanzania to create opportunities for the poor in agriculture, livestock and poultry.
Friday marks the two week date since Super Typhoon Haiyan bombarded the Philippines, causing devastation, destruction and utter despair among this island nation. In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan, millions of Filipinos are displaced, 18,175 people were injured, 3,976 people are confirmed dead, 1,598 people are still missing and estimated damage continues to spike up to $674 million (Source: New York Times).
The storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the world, also destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, roads, communications and other basic infrastructure, and damaged power and water supply systems making relief services extremely complicated and difficult.
While world coverage of Super Typhoon Haiyan continues to filtrate the newspaper mostly speaking of the damage, destruction and despair, there are a few more subtle stories here and there about the most vulnerable victims of this devastating storm: The children.
On 12 November, a woman cradling a baby stands amid debris and other destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan, in Tacloban City the area worst affected by the disaster on the central island of Leyte. Water, sanitation and hygiene, food, medicine, shelter, debris clearance and communications are among the priority needs. Blocked roads have limited access and the delivery of relief supplies. Photo credit: Jeoffrey Maitem/UNICEF
Today’s post is a guest post written by Sarah Dobsevage, Institutional Development Manager of WaterAid America. The post is about her recent experience in Senegal when a water pipeline broke down causing severe water shortages throughout Dakar, the capital city of Senegal.
The author, Sarah, with her mom, Ruth, and daughters, Meira, standing, and Talia, in her arms, in Saly. Photo credit: Sarah Dobsevage
As a mom, as a professional and as someone who loves to dive deeply into new cultures and experiences through travel, I’ve had an admittedly good lot in life. I have two beautiful daughters, a tremendously fulfilling job at an international non-profit called WaterAid, and the opportunity to spend time overseas in support of WaterAid’s programs that are helping poor communities in 27 countries across the world get access to toilets and clean drinking water.
The tragic Typhoon Haiyan that ripped through the Philippines a week ago today left behind a trail of destruction, death and sorrow that continues to unfold. Words cannot express the utter despair that remains in the aftermath of the storm. The images of destruction, desperation and fear remind us how powerless we are and how fragile life can be especially in the face of Mother Nature. Thousands of people have lost their lives in just a blink of an eye and the exact number of casualties is yet to fully be known.
As we know, images are powerful reminders of our hopes and of our fears. A picture can paint a thousand words.
Thanks to my work as an advocate and voice for Save the Children, I was able to get access to exclusive photos from Typhoon Haiyan as well as speak with Francine Uenuma, Director of Media and Communications at Save the Children yesterday to learn more about Save the Children’s on the ground emergency response in the Philippines. Here’s the story.
A Filipino boy stands amidst rubbles of houses in the super typhoon devastated city of Tacloban, Leyte province, Philippines. Photo credit: Save the Children
Today’s post is a guest post written by a dear friend of mine Elizabeth Ataley of the beautiful blog Documama. I met Elizabeth a few years ago at BlogHer and we have worked together ever since as fellow members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good, the Global Team of 200 and ONE Moms. Elizabeth recently went on a social good blogging trip as part of Global Team of 200 to South Africa along with Jennifer James, Founder of Social Good Moms/Global Team of 200. Here is her report on their visit to Rebecca’s Well in Alexandra Township, South Africa.
Alexandra Township. Photo credit: Elizabeth Ataley/Documama
Hope Springs From Rebecca’s Well in Alexandra Township, South Africa
The shift was drastic. One second we were driving through what looked like typical city sprawl, passing industrial yards, a McDonald’s, and the next moment rubble heaps, and rusted corrugated tin sheds pulsing with people lined the sidewalk. It was as though we passed through some sort of invisible wall into a different reality. The reality that the people of Alexandra Township, which we had just entered, live in is light years away from the gleaming luxury hotels and shopping malls that rise up on the horizon just a few miles away in Sandton which is known to be one of the wealthiest areas in South Africa. Jennifer James and I were headed on our first site visit for our #socialgoodmomsjoburg Global Team of 200 trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and the impact it had on us would be huge.
Alexandra Township. Photo credit: Elizabeth Ataley/Documama
By far the greatest challenge we face in the world today is global climate change. Decisions made today will ultimately impact the future of our planet. Those who are still in denial that the world’s climate is changing need to open their eyes. Global climate change is real and it is already having devastating impacts on the environment including food security, water shortages, catastrophic weather and the air we breathe.
We are at a crossroads in history and a political tipping point on how we are going to act to fight global climate change. The facts are frightening. 2012 was the hottest year in the recorded history in the United States. Furthermore, the 12 hottest years ever measured globally occurred within the last 15 years. The month of August was the 342nd month in a row where temperatures were warmer than the 20th century average. Ice is melting, oceans are warming up and our atmosphere is being treated as a huge garbage dump of our pollution. Global climate change is impacting us all. So what are we going to do about it?
The Climate Reality Project asks us “What I love”. What on our planet can we not live without? What are the sacrifices we will have to make if we don’t stop global climate change?
I have asked Harriet Shugarman, the executive director and founder of ClimateMama and a mentor and Climate Leader for the Climate Reality Project to write a guest post for my blog in order to get the conversation rolling on global climate change and why it matters.
Harriet Shugarman, Executive Director of ClimateMama
Harriet is an Economist, policy analyst, speaker, writer, and “mom” activist, Harriet travels the country educating and informing audiences about the realities of climate change and how people can feel empowered to take individual and collective action – in their homes, businesses and in their communities. You can follow Harriet’s insightful blog ClimateMama which is loaded with excellent articles and resources on global climate change.
Today is World Polio Day where people across the globe come together to advocate on the eradication of polio and speak of the successes we’ve made and plan for the future. We have never been so close to eradicating a disease before and have only eradicating two diseases in the history of mankind. We are at a pivotal moment in time and we are within reach of wiping this terrible, debilitating disease off the face of this planet.
Per the World Health Organization’s article “10 Facts about Polio Eradication” here is where we stand today in our fight against polio:
Have you ever had an experience in your life that has changed you forever? For Babita Patel, a humanitarian photographer, that fateful day happened during an assignment to one of the poorest places in the Western Hemisphere: Haiti. In Babita’s words here is that moment that changed her life.
I WAS WALKING THROUGH CITÉ SOLEIL, the largest slum in the Western Hemisphere located in Haiti, one of the poorest places on Earth. Trash littered the streets and dirty stagnant rainwater was often used as latrines. The sun pulsated directly overhead, bleaching the blue sky to a blinding white. Sweat droplets raced down my spine and pooled at my lower back. Children dressed in rags – or for some, in nothing at all – played a spirited game of soccer with a half-inflated ball. I snapped a picture of a group of rambunctious kids, only to have eager young hands grab at my camera to see the image captured on my screen.
“Praying”. Photo credit: Dumas (one of the students).
The novelty of the reproduction faded and most darted off between the shanty houses. One remained, diligently pointing at each face on the screen, as if ticking them off in his head. He stopped at the last one. His own. He let out a burst of pure, innocent, giggling glee and scampered off. Alone, I realized that for people who have next to nothing, a mirror is an unattainable luxury. This child only met his reflection by process of elimination. For he knew which ones were his friends and which one was the stranger.
I was struck dumb. For I never realized a person could walk through life without knowing his own physical self. But photography can change that. It lets a child see himself and his world through different eyes. By learning tangible skills and creating new avenues of self-expression, he can contribute to his life and his community.
And thus, the seed for View Finder Workshop was planted. Babita Patel. founder, humanitarian photographer
Author’s note: This is a guest post by fellowONE Mom Chelsea Hudson who blogs at Do A Little Good. I got to know Chelsea and her work online as part of a wonderful group of Mom bloggers who advocate and support ONE, a grassroots NGO whose aim is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. I read this post recently on her blog and have been considering the issue ever since. Here is a story that is bound to make you think especially with Halloween coming up soon when millions of dollars of this kind of chocolate is being sold.
Screen Shot of huge chocolate company, Hershey’s, Halloween page.
First, it’s about children. Children as young as seven years old.
You see, I have children. I have a seven-year old. So when I hear about violence and injustice happening to children anywhere, it matters. Deeply.
Secondly, it’s about the source country where children are trafficked from –Mali, West Africa.
Map of West Africa. Photo source: Wikipedia Free Commons
You see, I spent a summer in Mali in 1997. In Timbuktu, to be exact (Tombouctou). When I was there, I made a little friend in a boy named Josef. He was probably 7 or 8 at the time, maybe younger. I can still see his face in my memories and heart. I gave him my watch (a cheap digital watch from Walmart) and his parents kept it safe so older relatives would not steal it from him. I left a part of my heart with that watch. I wrote back and forth with his mother, through a missionary translator, for several years after I was there, keeping up with Josef’s well-being and family. What if it had been Josef who was trafficked?? You see, he matters to me. Deeply.
Issues of injustice in our world seem far away, out “there”, wherever out there is, until we can see a face, or picture ourselves or someone we are close to in the midst of that injustice. Somehow, then it matters more. It seems real. Because it IS real.
If you are having a hard time grasping the significance of this issue, like I had for a long time, please take the time to watch this 43 minute documentary sometime this evening. Yes, its hard, its sad. But its real. And it matters.THEY matter.
And then come back here later this week for some FUN, EASY, CREATIVE and age appropriate ways to include your kids in this fight against injustice.
TELL YOUR KIDS THE TRUTH.
You don’t need to go into graphic detail, but I think it’s perfectly legit to tell your kids that as a family, you can’t, in good conscience, buy mainstream chocolate because those companies use kids just like them to work really hard for almost no money, that they often get hurt, and that they can’t go to school because of chocolate.
Bio: Chelsea Hudson is a mother of three girls, wedding and portrait photographer and passionate abolitionist. Chelsea’s journey into activism began 3+ years ago as her eyes, mind and heart were opened to the atrocity of human trafficking, both domestically and abroad. As an ordinary, suburban American women, she struggled to find her place, specifically as a mom of three small children, in this critical fight for justice. This quest led her to start the website http://www.doalittlegood.com in an effort to share the creative, simple ways she was discovering she could, and did make a difference by doing her little bit of good right where she was. “No man makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he can do only a little.” ~Sir Edmund Burke
Today is Blog Action Day, where thousands of bloggers from around the world use their voice to advocate change. This year’s topic is Human Rights, and if you’ve read my blog you know I write passionately about my belief that all people should be granted the same universal rights.
Before I begin my post, I wanted to share with you the history behind The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (to read the declaration in full click here):
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere.”
I have always been a strong advocate of human rights. I believe that everyone is created equal and this strong belief is why I spend so much of my time writing and advocating on social good. The world is a highly inequitable place and human rights abuses are happening every single minute of the day. Human rights abuses range from poverty, lack of safe water and sanitation, food insecurity, lack of education, and inequitable global health services to the terrible impact of war, human trafficking, violence and rape, and genocide. Human rights abuses also include lack of freedom of speech, religion, sex, race, color, language, political views and so forth. The dark list of human rights violations is difficult to comprehend.
Save the Children distributes bread to residents of Za’atari refugee camp. Photo credit: Nicole Itano/Save the Children
In my opinion, all human rights abuses are equally horrifying and wrong. Yet one that has stuck a chord in my heart is the continuation of genocide. When you look at the history and timing behind the Declaration of Universal Human Rights, you see that it was created to help avoid further tragedies like the Holocaust. Yet, have we truly stopped genocide? Over 60 years later after the mass genocide of the Holocaust, I am struck by how these unspeakable horrors continue to happen today. The dark, devastating tragedies of Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, and now Syria to name a few remain a raw reminder that not much has changed.
Rami*, two, at her home in a tented refugee settlement in Lebanon, near the Syrian border. *All names have been changed to protect identities. Photo Credit: Jonathan Hyams/Save the Children
Although genocide can be extremely difficult to stop, we do have ways to ease the pain of the millions of victims trapped within a civil war. Look at Syria. As millions of Syrians are fleeing the country trying to escape the horrors of the war, they are overflowing into refuge camps in neighboring countries with little or nothing to eat and drink. Relieving refugees’ plight is a human rights issue and a legal right per Kevin Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.* The UN and various NGOs are working to get aid delivered within Syria as well as to the millions of children and adults living in camps. If we can’t stop the war within Syria, can’t we help the people survive?
As Queen Noor of Jordan said to a large audience of youth in Minnesota about the tragic war in Syria:
“As in every war, the most vulnerable victims – no matter who wins or who loses – are young people. Their dreams, their hopes, their childhoods are being stolen in a war they had no part in creating, in which they have no voice. This is above all else a children’s crisis”. *
Just like the millions of families killed or left to try to piece back together their lives after the destruction of WWII and the Holocaust, isn’t it time we gave these children some hope for a better life? Hope that they will not only be alive but also have the tools and strength to help someday rebuild their war-torn country?
Author’s note: During my years at University, I studied French and International Relations with a focus on Western Europe. I studied a lot about the Holocaust and while I lived abroad in France, I had the opportunity to visit a concentration camp in Germany which was utterly heartbreaking. Today, I continue to read quite a bit on this time period and here are a few of my recommended reads. Also, if you are ever in Washington DC, the Holocaust Museum is a must.
Recommended books on the Holocaust
-“Sarah’s Key ” by Tiatiana de Rosnay
“The Invisible Bridge” by Julie Orringer
-“Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl”
-“La Nuit” (The Night) by Elie Wiesel
-“The Boy in Striped Pajamas” – by John Boyne
Resources to learn more:
A friend and fellow blogger Jennifer Prestholdt is the Deputy Director at Minneapolis-based The Advocates for Human Rights who has a fabulous website and publication detailing Human Rights. To read it click here. Jennifer blogs at The Human Rights Warrior.
Founded in 2007, Blog Action Day brings together bloggers from different countries, interests and languages to blog about one important global topic on the same day. Past topics have included water, climate change, poverty and food with thousands of blogs, big and small, taking part. This year’s Blog Action day is October 16th and the theme is “Human Rights”.
To view other Blog Action Day posts, search the following hashtags on Twitter: #BAD13, #HumanRights, #Oct16
Whole Foods Market began as a small natural grocery store in Austin, Texas with a mission to sell meat and poultry free of growth hormones and antibiotics, unprocessed grains and cereals, and a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables. Over time, Whole Foods Market expanded into other states and countries with its unique approach to offering whole foods while promoting environmental sustainability, local and international community service, and supporting employee happiness and excellence. Over the years, Whole Foods Market has grown into an international chain of natural food supermarkets operating over 340 stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Scotland.
Luciana is a microentreprenuer from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She used her Whole Planet loan to start a business selling fruits and vegetables. Photo credit: Whole Planet Foundation/Evan Lambert.
Whole Foods Market just so happens to be one of my favorite places to grocery shop as it offers many organic and “real” foods, not all the processed garbage that has become a huge part of the American diet. Through the work I do as a social good blogger and advocate, I discovered that behind Whole Foods Market’s widely successfully business is a foundation that is doing some pretty amazing things to give back to the communities in which they source their products.
