— 8 Comments

Teaching your kids the value of giving back: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

Some of my fondest memories of a child growing up in the 70s was trick-or-treating on Halloween with my siblings. Me, my brother and sister would walk for hours around our suburban neighborhood knocking on doors for candy. We’d come home exhausted yet smiling with pillowcases filled to the rim with sugary treats. We would pour our goodies onto the floor and would eat one a day for months to come.

Imagine if the candy could be replaced with donations. Donations to the children served by UNICEF.  Imagine the impact it would have on impoverished children around the world if only half of the candy was donations and we all participated.

Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD
— 11 Comments

Feeding 7 billion: World Food Day October 16th, 2012

Photo taken of farmland in rural Guatemala.

Do you ever wonder how on earth we are going to feed the world? With a population of 7 billion and growing every day, how will the world come up with enough food to feed its population?

Per a recent alarming UN report on global sustainability, the forecast is frightening:

“As the world’s population looks set to grow to nearly 9 billion by 2040 from 7 billion now, and the number of middle-class consumers increases by 3 billion over the next 20 years, the demand for resources will rise exponentially.

Even by 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to U.N. estimates, at a time when a changing environment is creating new limits to supply.

And if the world fails to tackle these problems, it risks condemning up to 3 billion people into poverty”.

The best produce in Guatemala is exported and the leftovers remain for the people.

Food Security Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD
— 19 Comments

Half the Sky: The movement

This post is part of my Social Good Sunday series. “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” is a highly aclaimed book written by Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn. A compelling four-hour documentary on the book is being shown for the first time on PBS on Monday, October 1 and Tuesday, October 2nd. See below for details. 

Women hold up half the sky. – Chinese Proverb

Have you ever read a book that changed your life? Although this is a bold statement to be made, I can truthfully say that I have. “Half the Sky” is a book that changed my purpose in life forever.  It is the book that motivated me to transform from a modern stay-at-home mom to a life as an advocate, activist and a voice for social good and giving back. A path that started three years ago, and has evolved into unimaginable ways. A road I’m utterly excited to be following; a dream I’ve had for years. It is time to give back and there is no time more important than now.

So why did Half the Sky have such a powerful impact me? What is the book about?

Global Issues SOCIAL GOOD Women and Girls
— 20 Comments

Doing Social Good in New York City

UN Foundation CEO Kathy Calvin introduces special surprise guest Peter Gabriel. Photo Credit: UN Foundation.

The last four days I’ve been in New York City attending two amazing events focusing on philanthropy and making the world a better place: The Summit for Social Good and the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting with the theme of “Designing for Impact”. It has been a whirlwind of a trip filled with several unexpected surprises. I feel unbelievably motivated to write and share the inspiring things I learned.

SOCIAL GOOD
— 10 Comments

How you can make a difference and be an armchair traveler to the 2012 Social Good Conference in NYC!

A screenshot of Mashable’s site on the Social Good Summit.
http://mashable.com/sgs/#sgs

I am thrilled to be taking my life and blog one step further in my quest to write and advocate about Social Good, by attending the upcoming 2012 Summit for Social Good being held in NYC this September!  I have heard a number of amazing things about this conference and can hardly wait to hear all the phenomenal speakers that will be talking about innovative ways to use social media to change the world.

Global Issues SOCIAL GOOD
— 12 Comments

The Power of One: Commenting for Social Good

This month, Shot@Life (a global campaign that provides life-saving vaccines to children in developing countries) has launched something spectacular: Blogust.

Every day throughout the month of August, Shot@Life will feature a post on why comments matter and how they build community and work to promote social good. An anonymous donor has generously agreed to donate $20 per comment.  That $20 is enough money to provide four life-saving vaccines to one child and vaccinate him or her for life.

One in five children do not have access to life-saving vaccines. Shot@Life is working to change that number by reaching that fifth child.
Photo Credit: UN Foundation

Since the launch of Blogust, fellow Shot@Life Champions including myself have done everything possible to spread the word through social media and get more people to comment. So far, it has worked in unimaginable ways and has been an unbelievable success. Over the weekend, we reached our first 1,500 comments meaning 1,500 children who would otherwise not receive these life-saving vaccines will get them. We have raised $30,000 reaching the initial donation commitment from our donor and we are only on Day 5 of the campaign!!!

Global Health SOCIAL GOOD
— 11 Comments

Life without electricity: A moment of reflection

The last week has been the most crazy stormy summer weather imaginable in Minnesota.  One moment the sky is blue and then without warning enormous, black thundery clouds sweep in and take over the sky leaving us in a downpour of electric lightening and roaring thunder. It has been so wet that I haven’t even had to bother watering my garden (one bonus) but so wet that I can almost see the millions of super sized mosquitoes (which we often joke are the State Bird) breeding in its wake.

Global Issues SOCIAL GOOD
— 13 Comments

A glance behind the life of a Shot@Life Champion: 1 month countdown till launch

Photo above from Shot@Life Campaign literature. I adore this photo of the beautiful children who look so happy despite their poverty.  They are still just kids.

So what does it take to be a Shot@Life Champion?  What exactly is a Shot@Life Champion?  Why do I care?  Why should you care?

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

New Beginnings and a Shot at Life

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.

And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

-Dr. Seus

For some reason these inspirational words form one of my favorite childhood books continues to inspires me.  Especially on day’s like today as I get ready to launch off and head out to our nation’s capital to start a new beginning as an advocate for the UN Foundation’s program called at “Shot@Life”.

I will be one of 40 or so attendees of the training program that starts tomorrow and I can hardly wait.

Photo above credit to Wiki Commons.  Children in Kindergarten in Afghanistan.  

Here is a brief overview of Shot@Life’s program and why it is so important to spread awareness and help out .  (Note: All this content is taken directly from their website at: http://shotatlife.org/learn/

The Problem:

This year, 1.7 million children will die from diseases that have all but disappeared in the U.S.  Why? Because one in five children around the world do not have access to the life-saving immunizations needed to survive.

A child dies every 20 seconds

Millions of children are disabled or killed every decade by preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio. Pneumonia and diarrhea are the two biggest killers of children under five, and account for more than one-third of childhood deaths worldwide.

Global health disparities:

Seventy-five percent of unvaccinated children live in just 10 countries. For children in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, China, Uganda, Chad and Kenya, access to vaccines mean the difference between life and death, a healthy life or a lifetime of struggle.

Immunity at risk:

Germs don’t need a passport. With so many children around the world unvaccinated, diseases that have been eliminated in developed countries — such as measles — can return.  Expanding access to vaccines strengthens our ability to fight disease globally and keep our families healthy here at home.

The Solution:

It’s simple; vaccines save lives. Millions of children could be spared from measles, pneumonia, diarrhea, polio and other preventable diseases if we could simply get them the vaccines they need.

The good news is access to vaccines has grown significantly in the last decade. Currently, vaccines are able to save the lives of 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year. With your help, we can reach even more. With your support, global vaccination programs can save the life of a child every 20 seconds, and stop the nearly 2 million unnecessary deaths that happen every year.

Progress:

Vaccines have won several battles against preventable diseases in the last few decades. Thanks to a coordinated global vaccination effort, the number of new cases of polio – a disease that once paralyzed more than 1,000 children a day – has dropped 99 percent in the last 20 years. The world is now nearly polio-free.

The Measles Initiative is on the path to similar success. The vaccination of one billion children in 60 developing countries since 2001 has decreased measles deaths by 78 percent, changing measles from a disease that used to be the leading killer of children to one that we are close to eliminating altogether. Groundbreaking new vaccines that prevent pneumonia and diarrhea, if distributed widely, also have the potential to save the lives of millions more children.

Why Vaccines?:

Immunizations give children around the world a shot at more “firsts.” Keeping kids healthy is the best way to ensure they reach the milestones Americans routinely celebrate. When a child begins life with the protection of vaccines, the door is opened to more developmental firsts—first steps, first words, a first day of school. Immunized children are more likely to celebrate their fifth birthday, do well in school and go on to be productive, healthy adults.

A healthier world truly benefits us all. Expanding access to vaccines strengthens our ability to fight disease globally and keep our families healthy here at home, while improving economic stability around the world.

Above content from http://www.shotatlife.org.

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How can you help?  I will show you the way as soon as I get back from my training!  Stay tuned…..

Child Labor, Marriage, Education and Survival Global Health Global Issues SOCIAL GOOD
— 7 Comments

Giving back: How a trip to a third-world country changed my life

I started my blog thirdeyemom back in February with modest expectations.  I have always loved to write and I have been a wanderlust since birth.  I wanted to share my experiences of seeing the world with others.  I wanted to have some kind of voice besides my leather-bound journal.

I felt a little nervous about writing a blog.  Many thoughts crossed my mind.  What if no one ever read it?  What if no one liked it?  What if I was disappointed?  

But excitement and anticipation took over all my doubts and I said “What the hell“, you only live once.  By using a pen name, thirdeyemom, no one will even really know who I am!  I can be somewhat anonymous. (Yeah…right).

Nepal TRAVEL BY REGION