Shikinee Party

On the 27th of November, I threw a Shakinee Party at my home to support the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia. The Hamar are one of the oldest cultures in the world and are now endangered due to global climate change. I know, weird huh? Who knew a group of people could be considered endangered. Basically this tribe (currently consisting of about 23,000 people) are using the same tools and methods that have been passed down to them from generation to generation and due to global climate change, these tools and methodologies are no longer working.

What is Shakinee and what does it have to do with anything? Well, Shakinee are handmade beaded bracelets that are made from the women in the Hamar tribe. They come in beautiful vibrant colors of red, blue, yellow, green, pink, orange and black. Each bracelet costs $15 dollars each, and when purchased feeds 6 people for 10 days.

The bracelets are sold by a wonderful organization called Global Team For Local Initiatives (GTLI). I was introduced to this cause by Chris Lawrence of Facing Africa who met one of the founders while working in Ethiopia. After learning more about the Hamar tribe through the GTLI website (www.gtli.us), I wanted to raise as much as I could to support their cause in helping the tribe survive. So, I decided to throw a Shakinee Party. About 14 friends of mine came over to drink wine, eat great food, chat about what is going on with the Hamar, and buy some pretty awesome handmade beaded bracelets. Together we sold 36 bracelets which feeds 216 people for 10 days.

If you are interested in holding a party yourself, please visit the GTLI website. A box will be sent to you with all of the bracelets and information you will need to host a party.

-EsBee

Article on Famine in Ethiopia

This article got me. I am not sure if it was the imagery of the little boy losing his sister, or the intense feeling of hope that at received after reading this. Although depressing to read and shocking to imagine that people live this way every day of their lives, this article illuminates where the real problem to famine lies: Political corruption. Each entitled to their own opinions, but regardless if putting a democratic party in place is the answer or not, these people need help. Resources, education, and support are needed to get these people to a place that provides hope for the future.

Please read:

http://www.abugidainfo.com/?p=11533

Why not the U.S.?

Often times when I post information people will ask me why I do not focus on the United States. I would like to clear something up; it is not my intention to not focus on the Unites States. However, I feel it is important to prioritize areas that need the most help. Not to say that Ethiopia needs more help than India, or Mongolia needs more help than Haiti. We all know this is not true. The best answer that I can give is that we are all triggered by different things.

The world needs a lot of help, or should I say mankind needs a lot of help. When one comes across an issue that they can not stop thinking about, I feel it is an important for us to recognize that as a sign that your help is needed even if it is just a small gesture. For me, I was triggered by seeing the children living with the disfigurements caused by Noma. And, even more triggered when learning that this disease is 100% preventable by providing adequate nutrition to the child and making sure that hygiene routines are followed. In one of my conversations with Chris Lawrence from Facing Africa, he shared with me a the following quote: "Poverty is like paying for a crime that one did not commit."  More often than not, I have found this quote to be true.  When looking at the kids who are rejected in their society for something that they could not control, and live so uncomfortably, struggling to accomplish such simple tasks as eating and speaking, I felt that I needed to do more to increase awareness about conditions of extreme poverty.

So why not the United States? Because I have not yet found the appropriate trigger in the U.S. that does not have a U.S. based organization that I feel is incapable of increasing awareness and helping that particular cause.

Also, while reading an article on heritage.org this morning, I found the U.S. description of poverty quite interesting in comparison to how the majority of people in other countries live.

Here is what I read this morning:

The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:

• Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
• Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
• Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
• The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
• Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
• Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
• Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
• Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.

In closing, it is not that I think people living in poverty in the U.S. do not need help. That is completely untrue. However, I have not yet found an appropriate cause or issue in the U.S. that I do not feel is in good hands with a already capable organization. Not to say that I will not find one in the future. Rather than creating many organizations for one particular issue, it is important to work TOGETHER to support those already formed organizations (performing with ethical business practices) that are capable of helping.

-EsBee

Mistekima

This is Mistekima. Mistekima is ten years old and living with the horrible disfigurements caused by Noma. She has been abandoned by her family and been surviving on her own in Ethiopia. Chris Lawrence of Facing Africa (www.facingafrica.org) will be participating in an event in the UK to raise money to support the facial reconstruction for Mistekima. (Chris Lawrence and his surgical team will be visiting Addis Ababa in October to perform surgies on multiple victims of the Noma disease). It has been predicted that Mistekima will need many surgeries in order to live a somewhat normal life. One surgery costs approximately $1,280. It is in our best interest to raise enough to pay for all of Mistekima's surgical needs within the years to come. If you would like to donate to Mistekima's surgery's and help her lead a normal life in Ethiopia please visit www.facingafrica.org or contact me directly at 4sarabeth@gmail.com for more information.

thank's for reading,

Es Bee

City of Lost Children

Last night I clicked a link on an email update from a non-profit organization that I follow which lead me to an article in the Daily Pilot by Kent Treptow. Trent wrote an article and made a photo exhibit sharing about the story of  groups of children that have made homes out of manholes in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia.

For those of you who are unaware, Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia and besides being a city that faces extreme poverty, it is also the coldest capital in the world. Throughout Kent's slideshow of photos and narrative, he shares the story of a group of children cast out onto the streets to survive  in these harsh conditions due to abandonment, abuse, or other unfavorable circumstances. The manholes exert heat from the hot water pipes, making the area a favorable place for the children to sleep. More often then not, burns will be seen on the children's clothing and body from accidently touching the hot water pipes. Some of the manholes that Kent observed contained pipes that allow access to clean drinking water for to the kids to drink. Unfortunately, the water did not come without a price. Where water is present, so are cockroaches, dogs, and rats.

Kent focuses the his last few pictures in the slideshow on the positive actions taken by the Christina Nobel Children's Foundation to help the kids get out of the manholes and in to a positive environment where they can learn, grow, and live more comfortable lives. The main solution for getting children out of the manholes and into more favorable living situations is Ger villages, which the foundation is working to provide through funding and donations. Kent also shares about a former street child who was rescued, now works for the organization to find and rescue other children, and is currently attending a university to become a camera man for television.

You can find more details on this story by  reading Kent Treptows article: "City of Lost Children," and viewing his photo slideshows at the following link:

http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2009/06/15/special_reports/mongolia/video/doc48727368f302e317521671.txt

Or, visit the Christina Nobel Foundation site to find out more about her cause and the projects the foundation had been working on in Mongolia to help resolve this challenge:

http://www.cncf.org/en/mongolia/aboutmongolia.php

Again, these sites have great information on this topic. Kent's photography is really unique and the story gives you a personal look at what these kids go through. Due to the extreme poverty levels in this location, the majority of the kids have no other option but to live this way because this is all they know. The Christina Nobel Foundation has started a "Give a Ger Fund" which builds Gers through donation money. If touched by Kent's photographs and narrative, I encourage you to start a "Ger box" allowing co workers or friends to dump extra change in and help give these kids a chance to struggle a little less.

Till Next Post,

Es Bee

3784 Cycle Across the USA

Greg Evens is an ordinary 19 year old doing an extraordinary thing. Greg is currently on day 34 of his truck across the US via bicycle. He left from Yorktown on May 1st and plans to make it to San Francisco approximately two and a half months later. If he makes it all the way there, he will be the youngest cyclist to ever to cycle across the US alone. What is even more extraordinary about this trip is that Greg is doing his cycle in the name of the kids who have survived Noma. Before he started his ride he got people to sponsor him and is having all the money go to Facing Africa. If you would like to follow his journey through the US place follow Greg's blog at: http://gregstransamericacycle.blogspot.com/

Peace

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

                                                           -Jimi Hendrix