Would you buy a chicken coop for $500 dollars? That’s exactly what five people did to help raise funds for a birthing center in Uganda, Africa this past Friday night. The Blooming in Uganda Gala, held at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, raised over $22,000 through ticket sales, donations and a silent auction. Krista Tippett, host of NPR’s Speaking of Faith and Matthew Sanford, paraplegic yogi instructor and author and founder of Mind Body Solutions, were special guests of the evening with Sarah Longacre.

Complications related to childbirth kill over 150 women a week in Uganda which amounts to a staggering 8,000 women a year. Longacre is committed to saving lives by helping to make a new birthing center a reality. She is working with Shanti Uganda and other partners that will provide a safe place for women to have their babies with sanitary medical supplies. In addition, it will provide nutritious meals grown onsite, and present a place for midwives to meet for ongoing educational workshops. Longacre is the founder and owner of Blooma Yoga Studio in Edina, Minnesota. The yoga studio specializes in all aspects of prenatal and postnatal classes for mothers and babies as well as a host of other yoga classes. I asked Longacre how she became involved in this incredible project and she said she was inspired by Seane Corn who started Off the Mat, Into the World. It is a yoga community that encourages conscious activism and service to make a difference in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1999, Courtney Spence was a sophomore in Duke University. After doing research and getting involved in a documentary media program at Duke, Courtney was particularly struck by social activism and implementing change through documentary media. In combining the two ideas, she founded Students of the World. The organization, based in Austin, Texas, sends university students around the world to document the work of nonprofit groups and global initiatives making change in developing countries.

Through the online media outlet See Change, students immerse themselves in a community for one month and produce documentary-style media for partnering organizations. This past summer, students from Duke University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of North Carolina, Columbia University, New York University, the University of Michigan and Brown University kept blogs, shot photos and edited video from countries in Asia, South America and Africa.

Ten years into this endeavor, Courtney and Students of the World are working to make their projects more collaborative between the university students and the communities they document. The organization mostly works in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, and Courtney would like to expand to the Middle East.

Courtney shared with me a little about how Students of the World has progressed.

Q: What is your mission at Students of the World?

A: The idea came out of wanting to find a new way for young people to engage in the world in meaningful ways, particularly with a focus on developing countries. The goal of Students of the World is to do what students do already and that’s to go out and to learn and to transcribe that learning into something with more impact, more meaning. The way we translate what we learn in the field is through multimedia, which consequently nonprofit organizations are in great need of. We empower young people to partner with innovative problem-solvers around the world to produce and leverage documentary-style media — films, photography, audio documentary pieces, and magazine and journal articles. Then they return to campus and do advocacy events in the community for that organization as well.

Young student in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo | Verneva Ziga, Columbia University Read the rest of this entry »

“Trick or treat for UNICEF!” Does that sound familiar to you? I was one of those children who went door to door with my younger sister to collect change from neighbors in our orange boxes. It was probably my first experience being a global citizen in an attempt to help children around the world. I remember that the children we were raising money for didn’t have enough food and that made an impact on me.

TeachUNICEF is a new program designed to make an impact on children. That’s what UNICEF does best: it has helped more children, in over 150 countries, than any other humanitarian organization. TeachUNICEF is a program designed to engage students to become aware of the needs of children and their families worldwide. It was launched in 2005 as a free resource for US educators of students in grades three to 12. The content is derived from the UNICEF annual report “State of the World’s Children” and the curriculum is written with the national standards of social studies, mathematics and other key subjects at the forefront.

Some of the units are arranged into themes such as poverty, safe water, armed conflict, gender equality and child labor and child rights. There are plenty of visual aids such as maps and photos to spark discussion; I even watched an educational YouTube video that was filmed in Niger. Ways to take individual action are also included.

24,000 children still die daily from preventable causes. Through TeachUNICEF, students can get involved in UNICEF’s work to “bring that number to zero.”

UNICEF
TeachUNICEF

This article was submitted by Emily Troutman.

In a hospital in North Kivu, a woman is put in forced isolation
because of suspected tuberculosis.

1. An enormous tragedy requires an enormous response. Since 1998, 5.4 million people have died from war-related causes in the DRC, making it the world’s deadliest documented conflict since WWII.

The above statistic comes from the International Rescue Committee and is often cited in coverage of Congo. But for full effect, it ought to be amended to this: “Since 1998, 5.4 million people have died — one at a time — from war-related causes.” Because 5.4 million is such an astonishing number, it has the power to make progress seem impossible.

We are asked in a situation like this to think smaller, not bigger. Just as death is experienced one person at a time, hope and progress can also happen through each of us. The enormity of our response is not measured in size, but in depth and of commitment over time.

2. A little safety goes a long way. Ninety percent of early deaths are due to non-violent, preventable causes including malnutrition, infectious disease and complications from childbirth.

Congo’s staggering mortality rate results from its ongoing battle with the FDLR, Hutu forces that invaded the country following the genocide in Rwanda. Most people will be affected by the ways in which this violence limits their freedom of movement. When people don’t feel safe to travel, they also don’t have access to medicine, health care, education or clean water.

This young woman was able to reach a hospital after her baby
miscarried.

3. Women need other women to stand beside them. In March of 2009, there were 1,154 confirmed rapes just in North Kivu province. Of these rapes, 65 percent were committed by the armed forces.

The national army, the FARDC, recently underwent an integration of forces, in which a Tutsi rebel group, the CNDP, was folded into the regular army. Some people blame these numbers on that change, saying a new, more criminal element is at work. Ultimately, however, the epidemic of rape in Congo is an old problem that only got worse.

At the heart of the problem is the Congolese government’s unwillingness to hold criminals accountable. Rapists are either not tried, or are tried and then set free. In addition, there are no safeguards to keep people with known criminal records out of the military. UN peacekeeping forces continue to work side-by-side with the FARDC despite its incompetence. Read the rest of this entry »

I wanted to let NEED readers know that I was recently informed of some very sad news.

In NEED magazine issue 5 I wrote a story entitled “In the Crossfire” about an organization called Youth ALIVE! working with youth in Oakland, California. Yesterday, a member of the Youth ALIVE! staff contacted me and informed me that on August 31 of this year, Javier Carreto, one of the young men who was featured in the story, was shot and killed. I know next to nothing about the circumstances surrounding his murder, but I can tell you about meeting Javier.

Javier was the first young man I talked with in East Oakland. He was very eager to tell me everything that was on his mind. For every question I had, he had a thousand things to say. When he spoke, it seemed he felt surrounded by the constant violence that was part of the gangland mindset of youth around him. He was visibly frustrated with the insecurity he felt walking in the street and the tension that he felt at home. In spite of all that he dealt with, what Javier said to me showed he was an insightful young man who genuinely cared about those around him. He was eager to tell me about his new commitment to studying hard in school and the help that he received from Youth ALIVE!. Javier was proud of his GPA and the hope that he had through his education.

The loss of Javier had a profound impact on those around him. I know the staff at Youth ALIVE! are taking this tragedy very hard, especially Javier’s former mentor, Fabian Martinez. Javier spoke very highly of Fabian. In the interview, Javier said, “For me, he’s much more than a friend; I can tell you that. He’s way more than a friend. I have his trust; I have everything. … And Fabian did change a lot of my life. He did, and even though I am still okay, he’s still here. And he told me, ‘even though I not still working with you, I’m always here for you.’ And I like that.” I met Javier for a day, but Fabian was there nearly every day of what would be the last few years of his life, helping him choose a different path and become a better person. Read the rest of this entry »

This photo essay was submitted by photographer Kiran Ambwani

Last year, 20 Canadian and 12 Nepalese women embarked on a powerful and meaningful journey: a trek for peace and development in Nepal. The project, organized by the Center for International Studies and Cooperation and Uniterra, was an initiative to communicate the reality, the dreams and the hopes of the Nepalese women. These mountain women face poverty, disease, and lack of access to basic resources, along with gender and caste discrimination. Their voices are often unheard and they are excluded from decision-making processes. For 20 years in Nepal, the Center for International Studies along with its local partner organizations has encouraged women’s participation in community development.

In the midst of western Nepal’s stark beauty, cultural heritage and diversity, I witnessed a grinding, hopeless poverty and dependence. However, I was pleased to discover that women teachers, health care workers, healers, human rights activists, community leaders, reporters, and managers of women’s cooperatives, are conduits of social change. These inspirational women are the future of Nepal as it emerges from 11 years of conflict and decades of monarchy, offering hope of dignity, equality, wealth distribution, and access to basic resources. Achieving gender equality and empowering women is of utmost necessity for building healthier, better educated, more peaceful and prosperous societies. Read the rest of this entry »

Submitted by Anne Katoski

Amma expresses her love for humanity by ritually hugging thousands of people.

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi is a spiritual leader affectionately known as “Amma,” or “Mother.” For the past 30 years, Amma has dedicated her life to easing the suffering of humanity through a very simple gesture: a hug.

Amma’s outreach takes two forms: hugging and speaking with her millions of followers around the world; and the humanitarian efforts she has inspired. Collectively known as Embracing the World, these humanitarian efforts address disaster relief, free homes for the homeless, community care, food and medicine supply, education and orphanages.

Amma has enthused many communities to extend their hands and hearts to those in need. One long-time devotee I spoke with, Raman Johar, has helped to initiate five groups in the Chicago area. These groups work together with neighboring churches to coordinate monthly food collections for the poor and homeless. Along with these efforts, the youth of Chicago are giving back through an initiative to plant trees.

At her tour stop in Chicago, Amma sold goods from a community-based vocational group that she founded, Amrita Self-Reliance, Education and Employment. The program provides training and loans to women who seek to start a business.When Amma’s 2009 North American tour made a stop in Chicago, I could not miss this chance to see her. I weaved my way to the front of Amma’s line in a state of shock and excitement. When Amma answered my questions about her humanitarian efforts, I saw how her message of compassion guides the way for humanity.

Q: What parts of your humanitarian efforts are most important to you?

A: All parts of the humanitarian activities are equally important to me. It all depends on each situation because sometimes people need water and so then that becomes most important. Other times they need clothing or shelter. … Nothing is small as far as I’m concerned. Suppose an engine of a plane crashes and the plane cannot take off because the vital screw is missing. So because the vital screw is small we will never ignore it. Likewise, as far as creation, everything is significant.

Q: What is your greatest hope for humanity?

A: My greatest hope is that everyone across the globe should wake up to a higher level of consciousness so that there will be more peace and love. Everyone should be able to smile, play around, and celebrate like small children.

Q: Amma, we can learn so much from your selflessness. What steps may one take within themselves in order to find the deep desire to serve others?

A: First and foremost one needs the deep desire to serve humanity, and this desire needs to be sincere and honest. Most importantly one needs to look within and discover that there is an infinite capacity inside one’s self. Once we tap into that realm of consciousness, we can keep on giving. We then begin to take only what is really necessary for ourselves and continue to give to others. … The feeling of “the other” disappears and we will see everything as a part of the whole, as oneness. Suppose there are one hundred pots all filled with water up to the brim. You may see one hundred suns reflected, but in reality there is only one sun. Likewise, people may be different with various cultures, languages, nationalities, caste, sect, creed, but the consciousness is one and the same. Once you realize that, you can serve everyone equally.

(Answers translated by Swami Amritaswarupananda.)

Amma: Embracing the World

Submit to the “Save The World” Challenge

Submit to the “Save The World” Challenge

Submit to the “Save The World” Challenge