Please Don’t Forget Zimbabwe!
August 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I got an email about a week ago from a dynamic woman working hard in her home country of Malawi:
“I am obviously biased towards Malawi because that is home to me, but I grew up in Zimbabwe and I break down every time I see any media on what’s going on there and when I hear from friends still in the country. I was wondering if you would consider writing a blog on what’s going on there just so that we can get a little bit more attention to the matter. I think you have a great group of people reading the blog and every bit of focus on this horrendous situation would help.”
Not knowing the facts well enough to share here with you I did some research:
- The Zimbabwean economy is in a state of prolonged crisis
- Of it’s 13 million people, 56% live on less than $1 per day
- It’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the fourth highest in the world with as many as 27% of the population under 50 infected
- Their life expectancy of 40.9 years makes it the fourth lowest in the world
- 47% lack sustainable access to safe sanitation
- 19% of the rural population lack sustainable access to improved water supplies
- There are an estimated 1.3 million orphans
According to a Research Paper No. 2008/41 of UNU-Wider (World Institute for Development Economics Research, “Statistics and trends are hardly able to convey the magnitude of the current crisis in Zimbabwe.” They went on to explain that Zimbabwe’s GDP is down by 40% since 2000, agricultural production has reduced by 50% in the same period, approximately 80% of adults are unemployed and 85% are now categorized as poor.
How can this be? It seems to have been a result of the perfect storm comprised of adverse climate conditions (drought), persistence of HIV/AIDS and political crisis. In the news are such horrific stories like the one about 700,000 citizens being left homeless by the bulldozing of their homes, also causing millions more to starve after violent land seizures that destroyed their farming.
Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Darfur….they all need our help desperately. If you are interested in learning more about efforts to help: ONE.org, Global Giving, Direct Relief, SOS Children’s Villages, GOAL, are just a few. You can simply Goggle Zimbabwe Poverty and you will find pages and pages of resources and ongoing efforts of aid of all kinds.
I am grateful yet saddened to have learned so much more about the current plight of Zimbabwe. But, now I truly understand why she wanted me to write about it. We have so much to do.
Aids, Malawi and over 500,000 orphans
August 11, 2008 | 2 Comments
Sometimes I marvel at life and the amazing way that important and life changing people and events come our way at just the right moment in time.
The other day, one of those “amazing connections” came to me in the form of an email from a doctor I had worked with many years ago on the board of the Pasadena Community Non-Violent Resource Center. Since then I have moved to North Carolina and my personal focus has expanded to helping Mothers Fighting For Others and our dear St Monica’s Orphanage in Kenya.
When I received this email I immediately forwarded it to Rocky, feeling there must be something we could do. She said….write about it on Mothers Fighting for Other!. As I was re-reading the email I realized I could never capture the essence of it and so will share the email with you all as it was written: The Children of Malawi
“As you know, Mary and I have been spending about two months each summer for the past 7 
years in Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest countries. The Malawi people are among the finest, warmest and most loving people we have ever known. Many of them have become family to us.
Poverty, malnutrition, limited medical resources and inadequate clean water dominate the lives of many of them.
When we are in Malawi we volunteer in rural clinics and hospitals. We work with rural community based projects organized by the Malawi people as they deal with the disease and hunger and death that are part of their everyday existence. Many of these efforts are supported by the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) which introduced us to the needs of Malawi’s people. We also organize travel for friends from the U.S. who come to learn from and to be in solidarity with the people of Malawi. Through careful listening and respectful observation, our U.S. travelers discern how they can best serve in order to bring hope to Malawi’s orphans, to their guardians and to the sick and dying. The good news in all that is not in the unbelievably poor conditions that our Malawi friends face every day, but— that they are rising to the occasion, helping one another in the most remarkable ways. And, with the help of caring people in the U.S., resources are made available to help them tackle their problems. Individuals and congregations and non-governmental organizations are all helping in these efforts. I know of many great organizations, but I know of none that makes every dollar given accomplish as much as GAIA does, nor of any that works any more closely with the Malawi people, utilizing their leadership skills and vision and commitment to invest in lasting and sustainable changes in their communities. When I am so fresh from seeing how effectively your gifts are helping the children and their women caretakers and in helping reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in Malawi, I cannot let the opportunity go.I must ask you once again to consider helping these people with your prayers and with your dollars. Please go to the GAIA website right now and see if you are not moved by what your gift can do: The GAIA You can give immediately on line or put a check in the mail —or even make an ongoing commitment, as some of my friends do, by having a set monthly donation authorized through using their credit card.Now—here is some other good news. And now I am not asking you for money. I am asking for your voice.
Senators Tom Daschle and Bill Frist are about to meet with the committees that write the governing agendas for the Democratic and Republican party. They are going to ask the political leaders who make up these committees to add anti-poverty planks to their platforms, making ending global poverty official party policy.
And they need our help. I just took action with the ONE Campaign and signed their petition to the platform committees. Senators Frist and Daschle will deliver our signatures and send the message that Americans want a strong commitment to ending the suffering caused by extreme poverty and global disease.You can take action too, here: http://www.one.org/platforms/?rc=platformstaf Our nation and other nations need to keep the promise we have made to the world’s poor. Let your voice be heard. Shift the use of our tax dollars away from waging war to waging peace by ending the suffering of the world’s poorest people.This is a time of hope! Join me as an active ONE member and let our voices be heard by our leaders.”Wow, we have a lot to do! I hope my sharing this letter with you will energize you to take action…whether for St. Monica’s or Malawi or helping the global effort to help the world’s poor. We CAN make a difference!
Help ANSA Reach the Top 5
July 17, 2007 | 2 Comments
Last week, I wrote a post about a great organization called Artists For A New South Africa. Please take a moment and read up on them. Their website is full of great information on what and how they make a difference in the lives of those here in the US and in South Africa as well. They made it to the top 50 of American Express Members Project last week. And not to my surprise, they have made it to the top 25. YEAH!
This just means we are not even close to being finished. We need to get them to the Top 5, then to the Winners Circle!!
But for now…
What do you need to do? Click HERE. It will take you to the American Express site and log in on the top right. Once you’re logged in, go to “Search Projects” and enter ANSA’s project ID number: 6841. Vote for Help African Children Orphaned by AIDS. Make it a favorite, write a great comment and show your support!
It is as simple as that for you to make a difference. Do it and make your vote count.
Global Action For Children
July 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Global Action For Children and North American Bear Co have joined forces to create these great little monsters! They were designed by kids for kids. Just another way to get todays youth involved in our Global Community. I think this is a great idea. 10% of the proceeds go to Global Action For Children. ( I do wish more of the proceeds went to Global
Action, though)
Just to fill you in, Global Action For Children is a…
nonpartisan, results-oriented organization dedicated to being advocates for orphans and vulnerable children in the developing world. Our mission is to increase the level of funding by the governments of the richest countries for orphans in the poorest countries of the world.
There will be 20 Million orphans in the world by 2010, 20 Million! That’s only three years from now. The crazy thing is these are only children who will loose their parents to HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately millions more will loose their parents to diseases such as malaria and TB.
These children need a voice. Your voice, my voice, our voice.
Global Action For Children is helping them and us give them a voice.
Purchasing one of these little monsters is just an easy way to help. Check out the different monsters below and buy one today!
You can go to FAO Schwarz, Amazon.com, or the MANY OTHER online resources to buy one.
I just might buy them for Christmas!
Artists For A New South Africa
July 10, 2007 | 1 Comment
Artists For A New South Africa (ANSA) was founded in 1989 by Ms. Alfre Woodard, Danny Glover, Blair Underwood, Mary Steenburgen, CCH Pounder, and Robert Guillaume. Their fight started to support South Africa for their right for freedom. They continue to fight for this amazing country that is filled with children who are orphaned by the deadly AIDS virus.
ANSA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating the African AIDS pandemic and advancing democracy and equality in South Africa. ANSA also works to further civil rights and safeguard voting rights in the U.S.
Since 1995, ANSA has raised over $8 million for effective South African nonprofits which…
- Fight HIV/AIDS
- Strengthen democracy
- Combat hunger and malnutrition
- Improve education and reduce illiteracy
- Provide advanced training for African journalists and emerging leaders
- Offer arts programs and training for disadvantaged youth
- Develop micro-enterprises to reduce poverty and unemployment amongst young adults
- Fund women’s economic self-help farming and craft cooperatives
- Promote and preserve South African culture and history
- Provide psychological assistance and rehabilitation for South African survivors of torture and former child soldiers in Mozambique.
They are looking at the big picture here. This is what I admire about them the most. There is so much valuable information about this wonderful organization. You can click HERE, and take a look for yourself.
There are many ways you can help.
You can sign up to their mailing list to keep yourself informed.
You can Donate Directly Online or
Donate by Mail
Send a check or money order payable to:
Artists for a New South Africa
P.O. Box 1616
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Donate by Phone
Call Toll Free 1-877 4-AFRICA (423-7422)
They have cool things they are auctioning off to raise funds also!
You can also shop at IGIVE.com and a portion of the funds goes to ANSA.
But the BEST way you can help is to go to the Members Project at American Express.
They made it to the top 50 and they need our continued support. So if you are a cardmember, get yourself over there by clicking on the badge above, register, and vote for project #6841 Help African Children Orphaned by AIDS. There is only 3 more days to vote!
Good luck to all of you over at ANSA. I hope all the best for you on winning the Members Project Award. I look forward to meeting you all in the near future.
Best of Luck,
The Women Behind The Blog
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