Leaving America can often be hugely eye-opening. We've grown up here, and the access we have to water, food, education, and homes, seems so ordinary. We don't think twice about where we will get food to fill our stomachs. And the simple twist of the faucet unleashes gallons and gallons of cold clean water. But to go away from this country, and enter another that is not as well off as our own, we then see how most of the world lives. Unreliable electricity. Unclean water that must be retrieved. Many people without jobs, living in need.
The trip becomes a clarifying lens. We suddenly are able to see clearly the blessings that we have. Gifts. Skills. Resources. Money. When we learn and begin to understand the needs in these other places, we also can see how we are called to help.
John just returned from Africa, where he experienced this firsthand. We've been processing his trip, and there are exciting prospects on the horizon. Ways that we may be able to bridge our lives with theirs. We hope to make a difference. I'm excited to perhaps share this dream with you in the next 260 days. HALO, Helping Art Liberate Orphans, is an organization founded by Rebecca Neuenswander Welsh. Another dream that was born from a trip outside of the USA, and is now flourishing.
"In 2002, Rebecca went on a mission trip to Honduras. It was there her life took an unexpected turn.
"I encountered a girl named Daisy, she was living on the streets, she's six years old, she was begging on the streets for water," Rebecca said. "And I'm thinking how do I live a six-hour flight from here my whole life and I have no idea this is going on?"
Back home, Rebecca shared Daisy's story with kids in America. They were so moved they started fundraising - $5,000 went to orphans in Mexico. Soon, Rebecca began to receive artwork from them as a thank you.
"We had all this artwork and we decided to do an art auction," she said. "It just went over so well, because you sell a piece with a child's story and it's so powerful for people to be able to connect to that.
In 2005, Rebecca formed the charity - helping art liberate orphans - orHALO.
"We would do art therapy with the kids and it just helped them communicate better and raise their self esteem," Rebecca said. The organization currently supports 11 orphanages around the world.
HALO also serves more than 1,000 underprivileged kids at educational centers in Kansas City and Denver. Last year, Rebecca's charity raised more than $300,000 to support the kids.
"It's about reaching out and really wanting to make a difference," she said. "Everybody wants to do something they just have to figure out how to do it."
Rebecca found that by using her own strength she was able to help build a strong life for others." CBS News
Having a child has opened my eyes to the world of "things". Diapers, socks, hats, onesies, pants, jackets. Bottles, baby spoons, bowls, burp clothes. Teethers, crib, sheets, blankets, toys. The list could literally go on and on. But I have been so grateful for the generosity of those around me, who have traveled the road of parenthood before me. We have received clothes, bottles, a swing, bouncy seat, and a Johnny Jump-Up seat to name just a few items. It's been freely given, and gratefully received.
It's hard to imagine having a child and not being able to meet their most basic needs. Of the items filling Isla's room, there are many that aren't necessities. We could live without a lot of things and still be content. But what if we couldn't clothe her? Or keep her warm because we didn't have blankets, or a hat and coat? There are mothers and fathers who fear and live this, because they don't have the means to provide these things. Lisa Klein decided to step up and give her children's used items to newborn children that really need them. Loved Twice is a San Francisco Bay Area charity that accepts gently used and new infant clothing, and provides a box of items to needy mothers and infants. Below is a video highlighting the work they do.
If you would like to donate money or clothing items, here is the mailing information.
To donate clothing by mail:
Early Head Start Program Attention: Rebecca, c/o LOVED TWICE 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 6224 Oakland, CA 94612
To donate money:
Loved Twice 4123 Broadway, Suite 815
Oakland, CA 94611
Some people have the gift of seeing individuals apart from the circumstance they find themselves in. Seeing the value that each person possesses. Even those considered the least in the eyes of society. Sister Teresa Fitzgerald is one of those people. She is an advocate for women and their children, fighting to maintain those precious relationships when the moms find themselves in jail.
""I was just moved to think a child was ripped apart from their mom," Teresa said. "The more I talked to the mothers I realize the mothers just needed a chance." Hour Children meets moms in some of the toughest jails in New York. They offer women a fresh start."CBS NewsHour Children is committed to the compassionate and loving care of children of incarcerated women. Their outreach includes support and empowerment for mothers upon reunification with their families. All persons are encouraged to live and interact with dignity and respect. Hour Children website
""No woman comes out of prison and says 'gee I really want to mess up,'" she said. "They just don't have the skills and they have to learn the skills." On one block in Queens, Fitzgerald, or "Sister Tesa" as she's called - provides free housing and daycare, and thrift stores where former inmates can work and shop...Next door to the store, there's computer training and job placement...One of the main goals is making sure the women don't end up back behind bars. In New York state, more than 30 percent of female ex-convicts get arrested again. But the rate for Hour Children's is only 4 percent." CBS News
A second chance with fantastic outcomes when given the support to succeed.
As I have been reading more in preparation for these blog entries, and thinking intently about good and it's place in the world, I have been struck by something. Often good is intertwined with bad. Most of the people and organizations that I am reading about who are doing good, are doing so in response to something bad or less than ideal. I guess this probably isn't a surprise to most people, but it does remind me that goodness is often a choice. I have to choose this. Bad things will always happen, but I can choose to play a part in bringing hope and well being.
Poverty is bad. According to globalissues.org, almost 3 billion people or about half the world, live on less than $2.50 a day. These people struggle to pay rent, to send their children to school, and to have the bare essentials of food and clean water.
I believe that poverty is being addressed from many different avenues, but one way is through micro-loans. Organizations and individuals have developed mini-loans that can be given to impoverished families, in order to start small businesses. These loans provide the ability to pay start-up costs, to acquire inventory, and to teach skills to men and women who wouldn't have access to these resources in a traditional way. These loans have been found to create sustainable change in these villages, and are linked to better education and health for the people who receive them. Good news indeed!
There are several organizations that have micro-loan programs, including Kiva and World Vision. Here are several facts from World Vision's website about their program.
People helped
Active borrowers: 604,000
Jobs created or sustained last year: 985,000
Typical borrower: woman (68%)
Children impacted last year: 1.86 million
Loans given
Average loan size: $671.00
Loan repayment rate: 98.7 percent
Loan portfolio: $397 million
Since 1993, World Vision has disbursed 3,500,000 loans, totaling more than $1.8 billion
So, while poverty at this time seems inevitable, these numbers are convincing: hope for the poor is a possibility.
I'm not a blogger, or really anyone who has ever wanted to have a diary or written narrative with which to hassle. But I feel confronted nearly each day when I turn on the news, radio, or glance at the internet, and see one sad story after another. Our world is clearly imperfect. We humans are definitely not making it easy on ourselves. Living, though, in this constant state of despair only creates and fosters fear. Fear of people, nature, the unknown, and life as we know it.
I am a mother now, and fear is not the legacy I want to leave my daughter. It is a choice that I (and my husband) have to make, and somehow we have to figure out how to not shelter her from reality, but to also instill in her a sense of hope. Not only do I want her to know of the good news that is currently happening in her first year or so of life, but I also have this intense desire to expose myself to good news. I need to have my hope restored. Merriam-Webster defines interrupt as "to break the uniformity or continuity of," and that is clearly what my life and thought process needs. To be interrupted. I need this interruption, to remember that there is good in this world. So that I in turn can instill this hope in her.
So, this blog is born. As a means to document my journey to find a positive story, event, person, or charity each day for a year. My wish is that some day my daughter will be able to look back and see that amazing events and people filled the days at the start of her life, and that goodness and hope continues as she grows older.
I'll start with an easy one: TOMS Shoes, an amazing organization. This is their mission. "TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about. The TOMS mission transforms our customers into benefactors, which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support. Why shoes? Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:
A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they are also dangerous when wounds become infected.
Often, children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential."
