This is why we’re taking action in Kenya by creating a new home for 34 girls. We believe that part of the education process is teaching girls that they DESERVE to be treated with respect. Combine an education with a healthy sense of self-worth, and you’ve powerfully changed a life. And changing the life of a girl is important. Here are some facts provided by The Girl Effect.

1. When a girl in a developing country receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later, and has 2.2 fewer children.
2. Educated girls grow into educated women, who – research shows – have healthier babies and are more likely to educate their children.
3. When girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.
4. An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ future wages by 10 to 20 percent.
5. An extra year of secondary school boosts girls’ future wages by 15 to 25 percent.

At Mothers Fighting For Others, our mission is to help orphaned girls become powerful women. And there’s a lot of work to be done. If you’d like to help, please let us know.

Imagine what it would be like to live on less than $2 per day.  That is what 40%  of the people in the world do. “Among these 2.7 billion, the poorest 1.1 billion were scraping by on less than one dollar per day” according to” Portfolios of the Poor…How the World’s Poor Live on 2$ a Day“ by Collins, Morduch, Rutherford and Ruthven. 

These numbers are staggering.  I, like most, imagine that all of these poor must live day to day, hand-to-mouth trying only to survive one more day. I can’t even comprehend how anyone could even live for any length of time on so little and yet for two-fifths of our world that is exactly what they do.

What I learned from “Portfolios of the Poor” was astounding and humbling.  ”If you are poor, managing your money well is absolutely central to your life–perhaps more so than any other group….Far from living hand-to-mouth” one of the families studied had built up reserves in six different instruments, ranging from $2 kept at home for minor day-to-day shortfalls to $30 sent for safe-keeping to his parents, $40 lent out to a relative, and $76 in a life insurance savings policy. In addition, Hamid always made sure he had $2 in his pocket to deal with anthing that might befall him…”

This is simply amazing to me.  Like many, this poor family not only survived but they were able to save, borrow, trade and plan for emergencies.  I can’t help but compare this to our own country and the  broken financial systems both large and small that led to our financial crisis.

Where did we take a wrong turn?  When did our ability to manage money deteriorate?  What can we learn from the poorest of the poor to help us take a fresh look at how we live?

My grandfather was a doctor during the Great Depression.  Many of the people that he treated paid him in kind, with everything from deer skins to food.  Trading in this way is also very common among the poor. 

I and many of my fellow Baby Boomers seem to have grown up without a sense of need for managing our money the way our parents and grandparents did, or the poor do today.  What I have realized after reading “Portfolios of the Poor” is not only how money management plays a role in the lives of the poor and how to improve their systems but that I need to be a better financial role model for my children and it is imperative that I instill in them the importance of managing their  own money. 

Isn’t it amazing that a book meant to analyze the financial practices of the poor could actually be a wake-up call for folks like me and you?

 

 

 

One trip to Malawi Africa and a visit to an orphanage in 2003 by a young woman has resulted in over 100 TONS of  “unwanted” goods being delivered to over 1000 schools and 120 community based organizations. 

When I hear stories like this I am always in awe.  It never ceases to amaze me how one woman with passion can make such an incredible difference in so many lives.

In 2003, Melissa Kushner, visited Malawi while working for the United Nations.  One of her first stops was “a remarkable but under-funded orphanage and community center that serves almost 1,000 children.” 

Like many countries in Africa, Malawi’s orphans are desperately in need of such basic resources as clothing and educational resources including paper and pencils.  Melissa returned from her trip and started calling her friends who worked at children’s toy stores to see if they had excess merchandise.  Her first shipment to the orphanage was almost 2 tons of clothing and toys.

And so began an effort that has grown into the non-profit organization:  Goods For Good,   “Making progress out of excess“.  According to Melissa, ” Our slogan is straightforward because our mission is straightforward.  We collect surplus goods for targeted distribution to vulnerable children in Africa.”  Goods for Good relies on donations from companies who have excess items, many  of which were just “gathering dust in warehouses or were slated to be destroyed”.

What a brilliant yet simple idea.  Another one of those “why didn’t I think of that?”  kind of stories.  Companies have excess and unwanted goods that can make a huge difference in the lives of so many in such places like Kenya, where Mothers Fighting For Others is helping orphans and refugees or Malawi.

Next week our founder, Rocky, is heading back to Kenya with school supplies and hugs for our precious girls.  And, that makes me wonder, if Rocky and Melissa both made one trip to an orphanage in Africa and came back with a vision, a passion and ultimately created non-profit efforts to help, what would happen if you, I and our friends visited these orphanages and met the children? 

My favorite quote from Margaret Mead sums it up perfectly:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

 

 

 

 

 

 It started like any traditional birthday party.  My friend Jackie had hit one of the milestone years and her grown children (ages 27 and 29) had decided to give her a surprise party. 

Knowing very few of her friends, I chatted politely for an acceptable amount of time and was ready to leave when her husband stopped me and said “Don’t you want to see the show?”  Well, of course I stayed. 

Twenty minutes later there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.  Her children started their show by sharing with us how every evening while their mom was tucking them into bed she would sing her favorite song:  I hope you dance by Lee Ann Womack.  One by one the photos of their childhood flashed up on the screen as I hope you dance was playing in the background.  Jackie was singing along, her eyes welling up with tears of joy and love as she watched and remembered the precious moments of her children pass by. 

I have always felt there was something very special about Jackie. Her contagious joy of life and caring spirit are ever present and it was clear to me that night that her children deeply appreciated their mothers unwavering love and encouragement. 

Today, as I write this and think about our Inspire the Child program, similar thoughts and pictures come to mind of our remarkable founder and mom Rocky surrounded by the orphan girls in Kenya whom she loves so much.  If you look at the photos, the laughter and love is on every girls face.  Whether Rocky is hugging them, playing with them or handing out school backpacks, the joy on the girls faces show how much they need and thrive on her unconditional love and inspiration that their mothers were unable to give to them. 

In a week, Rocky will be off to Kenya just to make sure that her girls, our girls, have everything they need for the start of their school year.  But, most importantly, she decided to go there because she sensed that they needed to be reminded that they are loved and that she and all of the wonderful women of Mothers Fighting for Others will be there for them so that they too can grow up with dreams and a sense of safety.

 For our girls, and for our own children here at home, lets all sing softly:  I hope you dance!

                                                                                         I hope you dance on YouTube

 

For these are the people that are embedded into our being.

They make up the emotional DNA of who we are. We are… fill in the blank, because of them. They could be torn family members, old friends, ex loves, or simply children from a far off place. You know who they are. And they know you too. Because when people move you to the core like this, shake you from your being, they are truly special. You know, without a shadow of a doubt, they will always be with you, even when you can’t be with them.

They are extraordinary.

You allowed them to enter your heart. You love them deeply and you can’t forget them, even when it hurts too much. These are the people that we hold dear to our hearts. The core shakers. The ones that move us, love us, and can even inspire us to be better people.

This post may not make sense to some of you. Maybe, you’ve never been shaken to the core. Or maybe, it’s simply one o’clock in the morning, and I’m exhausted. Who knows. I’ve been inspired to write tonight about the core shakers in my life. And the best part of all, I believe they know who they are.

Here are just some of mine…

]]> http://www.mothersfightingforothers.com/shaken/feed/ 2 http://www.mothersfightingforothers.com/mythology-and-beauty/ http://www.mothersfightingforothers.com/mythology-and-beauty/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:50 +0000 kelleyz http://www.mothersfightingforothers.com/?p=1228

Mythology, Beauty and Reality

Harmonia: In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. Her Roman counterpart is Concordia, and her Greek opposite is Eris, whose Roman counterpart is Discordia.

So you think you know where this article  is headed?  Harmony and discord?!  No, that is everywhere: at home, at work, in love, at the market, on the freeway. Don’t get me started on the interaction with children.

Now then, back to my story…. legend believes that Harmonia had a necklace that most people and theologians associate with her name.  This magical necklace was highly coveted amongst women; for it was believed that who ever wore it would have eternal youth and beauty.  However, the necklace was wrought with curses and disasters to any one who wore it.   Many tales involving Oedipus, Zeus, and Aprodite revolve around Harmonia’s infamous necklace.

So I wonder this, though this really has nothing to do with the state of the world today, it does have to do with the billions of dollars spent on anti-aging products by Americans.  Eternal youth and beauty.  The end all for so many women and men.  The endless stream of reality shows based on beauty and good looks. Even though the economy is in a tail spin, we are still obsessed and will spend on our looks.  Is botox the new necklace of Harmonia?

I wonder what the Greek gods would think of skinny models– the greek gods and goddesses all seemed rather robust to me.  That was considered beauty.  I wonder about eternal beauty, anyone who wore Harmonia’s necklace had  ill fated consequences.  With what we know about silicone, botox, restalyn, etc… I do see a parallel between the perils of seeking eternal beauty and Harmonia’s necklace.  Meaning that perhaps not everyone should pursue the idea of beauty, but rather be beautiful from within.  Instead of being like Aprodite, we should remember Gaia, after all she is Mother Earth.  She is beauty.  She could balance harmony and discord.

And as I sit here in awe of our “HeadMutha Rocky” she is to me, Gaia and Harmonia, with a little Aprodite thrown in the mix.  But she, like the goddesses before her, are securing the earth, the beauty and the people in it.  Bless your soul Rocky, you have and continue to change the world.  You are most definitely-  a beautiful person.

“Is she almost here?”
“When will they get here?”
“I can’t wait to see her.”
“This will be the best week yet!”

I can imagine the anticipation right before each and every trip Rocky makes to our friends in Kenya. Their hearts leap for joy, knowing that someone they love in the United States is coming to spend time with them.

I believe the greatest joy comes from the outpouring of love, time, and energy.

Sure, they love receiving the pencils & underwear. But it’s more than that. It’s the quality of time. I envision the time spent playing those hand clapping games together. I imagine sharing of laughs. Drawing pictures in the dirt ground. I really should visit with Rocky about this – but I like where my imagination goes

It reminds me of the simple things to remember with my children. When planning for the summer activities – I need to remember the time together is the most important thing. It’s not important to go here and there- always with a planned agenda – it’s the quiet moments together. It’s the window of opportunity provided for conversation. The availability. The stillness.

Do you have passion and enthusiasm but feel overwhelmed or even lost  when trying to take your first steps in even the most humble efforts to make a difference in your community, your state, or the world?

Then I am asking that you take just one step…Read: The Blue Sweater by Jaqueline Novogratz.

Jaqueline’s life started just like most of ours with perhaps one exception: she knew by the age of ten that she wanted to “Change the World”.  Despite strained finances in her family, she managed to save enough money by being “scrappy and enterprising” to attend University of Virgina.

The Blue Sweater shares her remarkable journey from the young female banker who was sent to Kenya to work at the African Development Bank to founder of  Acumen Fund.

It is a very personal story in which she shares about her efforts and her own personal evolution.  You will cry during some of the  horrifying stories and be filled with hope as you share in her successes.

The one thing I can guarantee is that you will come away inspired.

As Jaqueline writes: “This book is for people who do not seek easy solutions or insist on a singular ideology for the world.  It is for individuals who care less about the amount of money people earn and more about whether they can access basic services and live with freedom and dignity that are their inherent rights as human beings.”

What do you think of if I ask you about tearing little pieces of masking tape up and sticking them on a baby food jar? Did you do that as a child? Then slosh some brown shoe polish on top – making the very best present for the special parent in your life. How proud I was to give that gift.

I thought my parents & grandparents did a good job acting like they had received the very best present ever. My grandmother, DeeDee even put on a good act of getting ‘teary eyed’ at some gifts I’d given. But now I know the truth… they weren’t acting at all. The gifts given from the heart. The time. The creativity. Truly the best gifts ever.

As a giver of some hand crafted goods, the gifts that I’ve made aren’t all about the finished product. They are about the thoughts that go into the gift from start to finish. Whether from my child’s heart making a loopie pot holder to an adult’s heart creating a personalized photo; it’s a gift of love.

As a receiver of hand made gifts, my heart overflows with joy each and every time I am blessed with the graciousness bestowed. Whether it is the latest page torn out of the coloring book, a handmade card in the mail, a personalized tote bag, or a wheel thrown porcelain pot; my heart melts.

I get such a “happy dance” in my heart, that I was not surprised when I attended a mini-lecture, “Practical Physics: Choosing People, Places and Things with Vibrational Frequencies that Enhance Well-Being” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show last year by Dr. Kurt Ebert, a neuropsychologist. He demonstrated the energy transmitted from objects that were hand crafted vs. mass produced. It was amazing to actually watch the strength audience members had when they were in direct contact with an item from the craft show.

Dr. Ebert’s demonstration proved what I already knew just listening to my heart. Having home made items in your home can transmit great energy. If you don’t have hand crafted items around – go find some or better yet – make something!

Happy Energy – it’s a good thing!

I made this poster for the girls at Saint Monica’s in October 2007.  My hope was to instill this belief in them. I am happy to say, the poster is still up and the girls are living this mantra!