One Mutha's Opinion

Our Kids Can Make A Difference Too!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:50:08 -0500

Hi Everyone!

We’ve got some exciting news! GVN Foundation has decided to support Mothers Fighting For Others through their largest fundraiser ‘Eat So They Can!’

Eat So They Can is a global fundraising initiative that is sponsored by the Global Volunteer Network, and the GVN Foundation. This year, hosts around the world will share a meal with friends and raise money, and hosts will have the option of donating the funds they raise to Mothers Fighting For Others. 70% percentage of the proceeds will go directly to MFFO!!! We will head back to Kenya next year and help the amazing people we met at the IDP camps back in April. I am so excited!

We’ve decided to make this a Kids Project. Inspired to make a difference, our own kids have decided to start their own project, Brothers Fighting for Others. Working directly under Mothers Fighting For Others, they will host their own party and invite the kids from the neighborhood to their ‘Eat So They Can’ fundraiser.

Let’s do something different with this and get our kids involved as well! What a great way to teach our kids about the world around us! Get them involved and let them get excited about helping people and making a difference!

It's really up to you and your kids on what kind of party you would like to have. Your event can be a pancake breakfast, pizza party, or even an ice cream party... how cool would that be? Party's around the globe will be happening during the weekend of the 17th and 18th of October, 2009.

How this all works:

1. Sign up as a host by following this link: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/getinvolved/signup.php

2. Organize your event the weekend of October 17-18

3. Invite your friends and ALL their kids!!

4. Collect donations from your friends and submit these to GVN Foundation here: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/getinvolved/donate_mffo.php

*Make sure you write ‘Eat So They Can-MFFO’ in the memo so we can tally how much we have raised!!!

Questions? Leave a comment and let me know what's on your mind or contact the Eat So They Can host mentor, Eliza, at http://www.eatsotheycan.org/contact/

Don't forget to spread the news as well! Go to your Facebook page and Twitter streams as well and get your friends kids involved as well! Let's see how many Kids Party's we can organize!

Let's get moving!!

Inspire The Child

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:37:24 -0500

Inspire The Child

Breaking The Cycle Of Poverty By Educating Young Kenyan Women

Inspiration is the spark that leads to change. Our dream is to create a home for orphaned girls filled with love that will give them a new family. Inspire The Child will also construct a new educational facility for K-8th grade girls. This facility will prepare the girls for a brighter future and support their re-introduction to society. The school will provide counseling and medical attention, and teach them the skills that will empower them to be a strong and independent new generation of Kenyan women.

Mothers Fighting For Others wants to build a home. We want to build a school. We want to build a small community for these girls to learn, to be loved, to believe and take pride in themselves, and to dream big. This is the just the beginning of the journey. I am so grateful to be going down this path. So, I'll be heading back to Kenya next month to scout out three parcels of land. We'll have a better idea of what our needs will be next month.

I am so excited to get started on this program. I hope you are too!!

Changing A Life of a Child

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:28:03 -0600

This holiday season, Mothers Fighting For Others is working to help ten girls from Saint Monica Children's Home in Kenya get into High School. We call it The Gift of Education.

Every dollar helps. To learn more about Saint Monica's, go to MFFO.org

Please send any donations to:
MFFO - Gift of Education
27943 Seco Canyon RD #533
Santa Clarita, CA 91350

Or go to MFFO.org and click on DONATE

Thank you so very much for your support!!!

Blog Action Day 2008 POVERTY

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:55:36 -0500

I wrote this post on February 14, 2007. It changed me. I believe this single post helped me evolve into the woman I am today. The amazing thing is, I have changed since then. I have been to Kenya twice since that February and I have seen this kind of poverty up close once again. It’s difficult to describe. I hope one day you will join me on one of my trips, then you too will be changed forever.

I am part of an amazing community of moms on a website called CafeMom. I wrote a post there informing some of my fellow Moms about a company called BeadForLife. I wrote about how I loved their products and gave some basic information about the beautiful necklaces that were made by Ugandan women. To me, it was a typical “Rocky trying to make a difference” post. Some moms thanked me for the information. Some posed the question, “So while I think it’s a noble effort to help the poor, why look so far away from home?”

I labored over this question for hours. I gave birth to this post.

I know what I do here in the U.S. to help out the less fortunate. The key word being less fortunate. You can read HERE what poverty means in America. Poverty here in the United States does not equal poverty in third world countries. We, as Americans, are not poor because of genocide, drought, or being victims of war. There is no comparison. We are lucky to be Americans. We are lucky to have the ability to get financial aide from the government in the form of Welfare and Social Security. Third world countries do not have this luxury.

From Africa to Guatemala, there are families living off $1 a day, have no access to clean water, and cannot receive any medical care.

That is a tragedy, not a misfortune.

If you are an orphan in the United States or living in foster care, by law a child has to go to school. In most African countries, it is a huge opportunity and a gift to be able to go to school.

That is a tragedy, not a misfortune.

I am defensive over this issue because I have been attacked by those who disagree with my international adoption. “There are so many orphans here in the United States, why couldn’t you adopt one of them?” is one of my favorite questions. Being orphaned in the U.S. is not even close to being orphaned in Liberia, Guatemala, or India. It is a life or death situation in these other countries.

That is a tragedy, not a misfortune.

My daughter is living proof. The birth mother to my eldest daughter worked washing clothes, seven days a week, making only $30 a MONTH. She was doing this alone and raising three children. Her husband left her after he got her pregnant. She could not feed her children. My daughter was fed soda and tortillas for the first 10 months of her life because her mother could not afford milk. My daughter could not sit up at 10 months old because she was so malnourished. Let’s read that again… could not sit up at 10 months old. She could not form words or any real sounds when I brought her home at 18 months old. Her birth mother had to separate all three of her children because she could not feed or shelter them. The eldest daughter was living with the grandmother, the middle daughter stayed with her, and she had to give up the youngest for adoption. There was no Welfare, no Social Security, no food stamps and no shelters for her to go to so she could remain with her children.

That is a tragedy, not a misfortune.

We are the luckiest women in the world no matter what are financial situation is. We don’t have the same fears as those mothers living in third world countries. If we are poor in the U.S, we worry about where we will live or how we are going to pay for the next meal. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, a mother worries about soldiers coming and raping her and her children every night. She worries about her sons being kidnapped and forced to be child soldiers, who will then be brainwashed to kill and rape other women. She worries about getting her hands cut off, her breasts cut off, and objects like knives, rifles and broken bottles shoved up her vagina because the soldiers thought that would be entertaining. She worries that her and her daughter will be impregnated by these soldiers. She worries about contracting AIDS from these monsters. She will then worry about dying from AIDS.

That is a tragedy, not a misfortune.

My passion to help other mothers will not be limited by the borders of our country. It doesn’t matter where they are living. They love their children just as much as we love ours. There was no misfortune that put them where they are.

It was something horrific and tragic.

So, I am sorry that all my efforts are not directed towards the poor in the United States. I do my part by donating clothes to domestic violence shelters and money to the food bank in my community. But in the depths of my soul, I believe if you are poor in the United States, be grateful still.

Because you don’t want to be poor anywhere else.

Helping A Schoolmate Out

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:01:58 -0500

I received this email last week from my High School Alumni Office. It struck a cord in me because we had our own Bone Marrow Drive last year in honor of Trevor Kott. I remember the stand we took to help Trevor. Here's our chance to help Arthur.

Dear Notre Dame Alumni,

We recently received the following message from Arthur Cabico '82. Please keep him and his young family in your prayers.

I am married with five children. The oldest (Ashley) is a sophomore at USC studying structural engineering. Katelyn is 13 and is in the 8th grade. Mackenzie is 7 and in second grade. And Sean and Ryan are in Kindergarten. Mackenzie was adopted at birth from the State and Sean and Ryan were adopted a year ago from the State. Robin and I were licensed as special needs foster parents.

In February of 2008, I was diagnosed with grade 3 non-Hodgkin's follicular lymphoma. Since then it has been a battle trying to put the cancer into remission. I have transferred my case to the doctors at M.D. Anderson in Houston because the cancer appears to have gotten more aggressive and is now considered a difficult case. I desperately want to be here for my family. In order to find a cure, I am in need of a bone marrow donor and preferably one of the same ethnic background (Filipino) for a closest match.

I would like to ask the alumni and current community and staff to pray for me to find a donor. And if you can help organize a bone marrow drive in your area I would really appreciate that. Of the 7 million registered donors, only 8000 are Asians - that's 0.10 of 1%. Not very good odds. Please contact me if you wish to help or you can go to the NMDP web site at www.marrow.org. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.

Arthur Cabico '82

3135 S. 83rd Circle
Mesa, AZ 85212
480.984.9057 Home
domer86_ac@msn.com

I am asking all of you once again, if you have not already, become a Bone Marrow Donor. You could help a family. You could save a life.

It's a Small World After All...

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:44:22 -0500

We always seem to say, "It's a small world."

But the things that are happening within our own country and abroad can seem so far away, because it may not be happening to us here at home. I know many people who just don't want to know. They have great hearts, but stories of tragedies just cause them too much pain.

The definition of Apathy is a state of indifference — where an individual has an absence of interest or concern to certain aspects of emotional, social, or physical life.

The words, apathy and indifference are powerful. Question: Is it just as bad to be indifferent about child slavery than to be the one to sell the child? If we know about it, and do nothing, what does that make us?

It can be overwhelming.

I am overwhelmed all the time about such subjects as child slavery, genocide, and the state of our our own foster care system. I can't ignore it, because I know it's happening. Then the ongoing questions start popping in my head: What can I do? Who am I to do anything about what is happening today in Darfur? How can I help the woman escaping North Korea? How can I help wounded soldiers and their families here at home? It can go on all day.

Then I take a breath.

Because I know the first step out of indifference and apathy is knowledge. So everyday, I read the news. I start with CNN, then to BBC and lastly, to Reuters. Because the saying, "Knowledge is Power" is the first step of exiting our own "cul-de-sac" mentality. Our small world becomes large. Then once you make that connection to the Mother who lost her family to war in the Congo, or to the child that was sold into slavery by their parents, the world can become small once again.

It comes full circle.

So today's challenge is simply to read. Read about our world and what is happening to our global brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and most importantly to our children. Take that first step. Make the connection and believe that it is a small world after all.

Thank You Desiree Daniels and RE/MAX Tri County!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:07:42 -0500

To Desiree Daniels & RE/MAX Tri County,

Thank you to each of you who donated so generously to Mothers Fighting For Others! The funds you provided have helped make sure the girls at Saint Monica Children's Home are fed for many months to come.

What you see here is only a portion of what you were able to accomplish. Your donations will continue to provide much needed supplies.

Thank you so much!

The Greatest Silence: Rape in The Congo

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:51:32 -0500

On April 8th at 10 pm (ET / PT) HBO Documentary Films presents The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo. It’s described as

Shot in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this documentary feature explores the shocking plight of women and girls caught in the sexual crossfire as this giant African nation enters its second decade of internal conflict. Since 1998, a brutal war has ravaged the DRC, killing over 4 million people. Over the same time, tens of thousands of women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers - both from foreign militias and the Congolese army that is supposed to protect them. Emmy®-winning filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson, herself a survivor of gang rape, travels deep inside the DRC to understand what is happening and why. Her resultant film features interviews with survivors, activists, peacekeepers, physicians and, most chillingly, two groups of rapists who are soldiers of the Congolese Army. Above all, it highlights first-person accounts of dozens of rape survivors, who recount their stories with pulverizing honesty and immediacy. Heart-wrenching in its portrayal of the grotesque realities of life in Congo, the film also provides inspiring examples of resiliency, courage and grace, while serving as a call to action for anyone with a conscience.

You can read more about The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo here. You can also read about Lisa F. Jackson, the filmaker. But the most amazing section of the site are the Survivor Portraits. One of the hardest one for me to read was Maria Namafu, who is seventy years old. Maria was
raped by three soldiers who told her “you’re not too old for us.”

If you want to learn more, you can check out the following resources that were provided by HBO.

Women for Women International - Restoring Hope

International Rescue Committee - The IRC in Democratic Republic of Congo

Human Rights Watch - Congo

Panzi Hospital, Bukavu

United Nations: Mission in the Congo (MONUC)

I hope you can take a moment and watch these women. They have suffered and they have survived. I believe them to be heroes.

(Hallmark) Red Introduces the Mali Bag

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:59:56 -0500

I just love this idea. For me, there is nothing better in this world than empowering women. And Hallmark and (Product)Red have done just that. The Mali Bag is described as

Bogolan (or mud cloth), a traditional fabric art form, is handmade by artisans in Mali, West Africa. The cloth is hand woven into strips from 100% unbleached Malian cotton, hand-tinted using clay from the Niger River and then laid out in the hot West African sun. This is the first export to use Mali’s African Growth and Opportunities Act textile visa. Each bag is handmade, and may have slight imperfections. Hand wash only. Includes a free full-sized Hallmark greeting card, with your personal message.

There are three bags available and it’s as easy as a few clicks to Buy Your Own Mali Bag From (Hallmark)Red. All bags are approximately 10 1/2″H. x 12″W. and are amazingly priced at $19.99.

This first is the Banamba Bag. The pattern “represents a peaceful family or village. It reminds us that through friendship and community, we create harmony by welcoming everyone with hospitality.” The middle one is the KaliKali Bag. This pattern “the roads that may lead us astray, reminding us to pay attention to the paths we follow and to choose a straight or honorable path in life.” The last Bali bag is the Finkumba Bag. The pattern “encourages us to become living crossroads, where people with different perspectives find common ground.”

Here is a great video explaining how the bags are made and how your purchase can help! I hope you take a minute and check out all of the (Hallmark)Red products. I think I’m asking for one of these beautiful bags for Mothers Day. Enjoy!

A Little Bottle Can Be A Big Help!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:30:50 -0600

So a wonderful mom, actually her name is Jill, and I “met” on Cafemom last year and she came up with a brilliant idea for our Clean Water Project.

It’s pretty simple.

All you need to do is PRINT YOUR CLEAN WATER PROJECT LABEL and place it on a wide mouthed small water bottle. Pass out the bottles to co-workers, friends, and family members. Ask them to fill them up with change, dollars, even checks (remember, checks are written to A Child’s Right) and send them on back to MFFO!

This is just an easy way to collect donations for this great project. We need $28,000 more to reach our goal. Remember, this project will help over 3,000 children get the clean water that they just don’t need, but DESERVE!

Let’s Do It!

The Clean Water Project Kicks Off Today!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:18:49 -0600

We have a lofty goal here at Mothers Fighting For Others.

We need to raise $30,000 to put ten water purification units in ten different orphanages and schools in and around Nairobi, Kenya. We will be partnering with A Child’s Right to get this project accomplished. You can read about the work A Child’s Right has done in country’s such as China, Nepal, and Cambodia by clicking HERE.

When Julie and I started on this venture, we knew one of our main goals was to get clean water to as many kids as we could. We did our research and A Child’s Right seemed to be the perfect fit for us.

So our first big project is now underway.

I take my tap water for granted. It might not be as clean or taste as good as bottled water, but I am not going to get sick from it. That is the point I am trying to make. I will not die from my tap water. I might have a bad taste in my mouth, but the reality is, that is no big deal in the scheme of my life.

After spending time in Kenya, I know for a fact that 2-3 girls, on average, at Saint Monica’s Children’s Home come down with Typhoid every month. Every month. The CDC explains Typhoid as a

life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. In the United States about 400 cases occur each year, and 75% of these are acquired while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever is still common in the developing world, where it affects about 21.5 million persons each year.

The interesting thing in can be easily taken care of by eliminating the source of unclean water.

And that’s what we plan to do.

I am hoping that you can help. And time is of the essence. You can help us in the next few weeks.

How? Easy. Have a party. We are looking for 100 moms to raise $100. That will be one third of our goal. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It is. Thanksgiving, Office Holiday Parties, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years are just around the corner. This is the prime time to ask our friends and loved ones to help those in need. $100 from each woman. That’s all.

You have complete control. Want to have an ice cream party? A BBQ? Are you having big Family-Get-Together this holiday season? Are you going to your office party this year? You can help thousands of children by collecting only $100 and getting us closer to our goal of clean drinking water for the girls at Saint Monica’s and thousands of other orphans in Kenya.

Interested?

Let me know if you are. I would love to help any way I can with your questions. Here are a few FAQ that I thought I would answer now.

1. Who do we write the check out to? The check should be written directly to A Child’s Right. In the memo of the check needs to have MFFO Kenya Project. That will guarantee our project be credited the amount.

2. How do I know this is not a scam? This is a legitimate question these days. A Child’s Right is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation (tax ID# 56-2600599). You can locate them on the IRS, GuideStar.org, and GoodSearch. Julie and I will be accompanying A Child’s Right to Kenya next year. We will be helping them with the installation itself and meeting all the children that receive your donations.

3. Who do we send the checks to? You can send them directly to Mothers Fighting For Others. Here is the address.

Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Clean Water Project
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350

If you are able to throw a party before the end of the year, and checks are written no later than 12/31/07, you and your donors will be able to receive the tax deduction for 2007. So take advantage of the tax deduction this year!

So let’s get on it my friends. Who is ready to jump on board? I hope you are. I am excited to work with all of you on this very exciting and important project.

Let’s Party!

Underwear For Africa | How You Can Help

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:25:59 -0500

I have never been so excited to receive underwear!

Last Thursday alone, I received over 54 pairs. Yesterday, my cousin collected over 500. Julie and Tracy bought 92 combined, and I just left the 99 cent store with 7 packs of 3 for 99 cents a pack. I have great friends and family! I believe this is going to be amazing!

The need is so great. The last post entitled, ‘Undignified’ underwear the only choice for Kenya’s poor, is just more proof for me to scream from the rooftops, “I NEED UNDERWEAR!” I hope you will join me.

So many moms want to get involved. We at Mothers Fighting For Others want you to be armed with all the necessities to have your own drive.

We’ve created a couple of flyers for you to use. There is a DONATE HERE flyer to place on a donation container, and a GOT UNDERWEAR? flyer to pass around to friends and family or to put up in the lunchroom at work.

I have also supplied you with an EMAIL MESSAGE to send to everyone in your address book to get the word out.

A widget that you can put on your own personal blogs is available as well. Just copy and paste the code below and add it to your page!!!

Donate Here Flyer: Donate Here Flyer

Got Underwear? Flyer: Got Underwear Flyer

Email Message: Underwear For Africa Email 2

Widget: <a href=”http://mothersfightingforothers.wordpress.com/tag/underwear-for-africa/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://mothersfightingforothers.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/underwearforafricalogo2001.jpg” alt=”underwearforafricalogo2001.jpg” /></a>

I think that’s it!!! If you have any questions, please let me know! I can’t wait to hear from all of you!!!

Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Underwear For Africa
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350

I Met An Angel Last Week, Actually Two.

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:24:15 -0500

Two weeks go, I spoke to my volunteer coordinator with GVN about specific needs that the orphanage might need in Kenya. The first on the list was underwear. Easy, I thought. I could buy a few packs and ask my mom friends to donate a pack.

Then something interesting happened this morning. I got an email from a cyber Mommy friend with this message,

“I am getting married soon and thought that instead of doing favors I would rather take that money and use it to help a good cause. Well, what better cause than something you are working on.”

I was floored to say the least. This was the second Mom that has taken money out of her wedding fund to help me and these kids. I told her one thing, underwear. Within minutes, she told me that she was going to get her girlfriends together and start her own underwear drive. What an angel.

I loved it!

So here we go. I went to Gymboree to use a $54 credit to buy underwear for my trip. I walked in armed. My $54 credit,$20 I lifted from my Husbands wallet, and a 20% coupon. I told the salesperson what my plan was, I needed to buy as many pairs of underwear I could with $74.

There was beautiful, quiet woman roaming around the store shopping on her own. We talked briefly about my girls before I went back to the counter. While the salesperson, Jenn, and I were sifting through piles of underwear trying to locate the ones on sale, the lone woman came to purchase her goods. I asked her to go ahead of me because I knew I would be awhile. It must of looked odd to see two grown women looking through a large pile of underwear.

I told her the “short version” of the story… going to Africa, working in the orphanage, children not having underwear. To my amazement, this woman, this angel, named Cheryl, handed me all the cash in her wallet. It came to $19. She looked at me and said, “Here, now you can buy more.”

I was stunned.

I started to cry. She started to cry. Jenn started to cry. I was amazed. I hugged her and said, ” You don’t even know me, thank you so very much.”

Then she disappeared.

With her $19 combined with mine, I was able to walk out with 50 pairs of underwear. 50 pairs. That’s 50 kids. So easy. All because of this angel.

I am humbled.

I walked out of the store so happy. I called my “partner in crime” Julie and told her what had just transpired. We were giggly we ere so happy. Then it started. The storm.

Julie and I have the most amazing moments of brainstorming. After only a few minutes of volleying ideas, the Big Idea hit.

Underwear For Africa.

Our goal will be to collect as many new packs of children’s and young adults underwear (ages 3-15) to distribute them throughout Africa. Underwear For Africa.

Are you interested in joining this campaign? Please let us know.

Have your own drive. I’m thinking about holding my own drive at my kids elementary school. I need to have the idea passed through the principal, then the district.

Please let me know if you want to join our army and start your own drive. We can do great things if we work together and have the same goals in mind.

How do I know?

Because we are Mothers Fighting For Others.

Mothers Fighting For Others INC
Underwear For Africa
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita CA 91350

What Is Sudan?

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:12:47 -0500

I took this pole last week on a mom site. My goal was to see how aware we all were with the situation in Sudan. With that said, 83% of moms got the answer correct. What is happening in Darfur, Sudan is horrific.

ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIC.

According to the UN,

officials say that the death rate in Darfur could rise as high as 100,000 people per month if the fragile humanitarian life-support system collapses.

This has to stop.

You can read HERE to see what we have written here at Mothers Fighting For Others about the Genocide. You can also do your own research by going to SaveDarfur.org, Genocide Intervention Network, and Enough.

After all the research I have done, I have read over and over again the best way that we, average John and Jane’s, can do is use our voice to help those who don’t have one. The BEST way we can do this is to write. Write a letter to our Representatives. I decided I wanted to go to the President myself. So with the help of my fellow writer, Roxy, we prepared a letter to send to President Bush.

I have provided that same letter below. Please, please, take advantage of this.

Download it. Sign it. Mail it. Have your voice be heard.

I am not a lover of petitions. Why? Close your eyes and picture a HUGE binder filed with 10,000 names. I cannot imagine how thick that darn binder would be. Now imagine 10,000 letters delivered. What do you think would have the greater impact? I’m thinking the letters. So please take a few minutes, print out the letter, or heck write your own, and mail it to President Bush. Our voices need to be heard. Your one letter can represent a voice of a raped woman, a father that was murdered, a little girl who was shot in the back, or the little boy that is starving and scared living in a refugee camp.

Be that voice.

Be heard.

Below, you will find the letter to download, and the address to the White House.

Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to help save the lives of the men, women and children that are being subjected to these atrocities. Thank you for joining us in our fight to make this world a better place for all of us.

darfurletterpres.pdf

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

$1 Can Help 3,000 children Today!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:21:12 -0500

When I first started my journey that led me to Mothers Fighting For Others, I contacted a man named Eric Stowe from a Child's Right.

Wait, let's back up a bit.

Months ago, my partner Julie and I sat on the phone for hours and brainstormed about the changes we wanted to make, the differences we wanted to make in our world. We believed that every human being deserves the basic necessities of life. After hours of talking, we decided food, a safe home to sleep in, a good education, shoes on children's feet, and clean water were the top five to start with. So clean water was our first plan of action.

We researched and researched and researched.

The one that burned into our brains was an organization called a Child's Right. Why? Simple. They, well Eric, works everyday to do one thing, and one thing only. Provide clean water to children all over the world. They help orphanages, schools, street shelters, and hospitals to the most impoverished children of OUR world.

Mothers Fighting For Others is partnering with ACR next year to put water filtration units in Guatemala. We will travel and work with him in Guatemala to place 10 units. It is exciting. But, and there is a but... Eric needs help now. Please read the email that I received today.

Hey Rocky,

Just checking in to see how things are going? We have a project in October that you may have some good leads on. I know you do work around child slavery and the sex trade- we will be working with hundreds of children in Cambodia and do need assistance in trying to raise funds. I thought you might know of a good lead or two. Here is an overview that I will send out in the next day or two …

Hope you are well,

Eric

Cambodia/Thailand – October 2007:
ACR will be taking a team to Cambodia and Thailand to provide support to more than 3,000 children in desperate need of potable water. With only two months left, we still have a lot of work to do to ensure all of our goals are met. The sites listed below remain unfunded or underfunded and we are pushing hard to meet ourfund-raising goals in time to make sure that all of the children we have focused on will receive clean and safe drinking water for years to come. Please take a moment to look at the list below, as well as any of the links to the organizations, in hopes that you may be able to provide some support to these children. Without a doubt, some of these children are living in the worst conditions imaginable

Take a look here to see some of the children we will be assisting http://www.pbase.com/maciekda/stungmeanchey2005 (scroll down for the photos)

Cambodia:
Center for Children to Happiness orphanage (more than 200 children living and working in Phnom Penh’s garbage dumps)
http://www.cchcambodia.org

Cambodian Children’s Fund (more than 400 children living and working in Phnom Penh’s garbage dumps)
http://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org/

M'Lop Tapang Center for Street Children (more than 400 children living on the streets)
http://www.mloptapang.org/

Thailand:
Phayathai Babies' Home (more than 400 orphaned children)
http://www.phayathaibabieshome.com/

Father Ray Foundation (more than 750 orphaned children, street children, blind and handicapped children)
http://www.fr-ray.org/

Eric Stowe, Director
A Child's Right
www.a-childs-right.org
Work: 253-238-8766
Cell: 253-225-8703

Do I have any leads?

I have you. I have friends that care. So if you are interested in helping over 3,000 children in Thailand and Cambodia today, I am asking you to send $1 to a Child's Right. No more. That's it.

The program needs to be funded in six weeks. If you would like to send $1 (You can send a check also to get the tax deduction for it), just pop it into an envelope (with a note or in the memo of your check Cambodia Fund MFFO) and send it to:

A Child's Right
917 Pacific Avenue, Suite 417
Tacoma, WA 98402 USA

(A Child's Right is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation tax ID# 56-2600599)

You can check them out by going to the site A Child's Right or do more research and go to Guidestars JustGive.org . I would. Get a true feeling for what we are doing. Please pass this on to as many eyes as you can. Thank you for taking the time to read.

Peace my Friends,

Help ANSA Reach the Top

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:35:01 -0500

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.

So My Project Didn't Move Forward...

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:31:48 -0500

But this one did, and it's a GREAT ONE! Remember last month I wrote about the American Express Members project? Well, the one below made it to the top 50. Take a look.

Artists For A New South Africa

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,

Happy Fathers Day!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 13:23:25 -0500

What a great video. When you are done, check out the official site, The Evolution Of Dad.

All I know, is that I am the luckiest woman in the world to have married such a wonderful man and the best father a wife could ask for her children.

I love you Jeff. Happy Father's Day.

I Need Your Help...

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:36:14 -0500

I stumbled onto the American Express Members Project Contest a few nights ago. It gives people an opportunity to come up with ideas to change the world, to make a real difference. So, I called my partner in crime, Julie Ferenzi, to fill her in on this amazing opportunity. After an hour of brainstorming, we came up with our idea.

We call it One on One: One Company. One Orphanage. One Goal

Project Description:
Uniting individual companies with individual orphanages all over the world. One On One will match businesses of all sizes with orphanages whose needs will be directly and specifically addressed by that single business. The goal is to use the power of one on one relationships, to the benefit of both. The orphanage wins because they have a single additional resource on which they can depend. The corporation wins, because they have the ability to see and feel how their dollars are directly impacting the lives of children. There is power in relationships. One On One will enhance that power and deliver a unique giving experience, one that will change lives on both sides by providing Internet technologies to unite real people with real people. They'll see the progress, feel the change, know each other in ways unavailable through other organizations. Through Chat, Video and other real time and dynamic forms of electronic communication, we will engage people on a very real and personal level. One On One.

The idea is to get a company to sponsor an orphanage. Help the orphanage get all the supplies they need from school supplies to medical supplies, and having the ability to communicate with them via computer technology. If we win, the money would be used to set up both the company and orphanage with computers so they could keep in contact with each other. The ability to really see where your money is going, and the opportunity to see the children is priceless.

So we need your help. If you have an American Express account, you can login, and vote for our idea. The more “conversation” that takes place on our idea, the better the odds we have of winning! Also, when you log in to access your American Express account, $1 gets donated BY AMERICAN EXPRESS, to the funds for the charity that wins… up to $5 million dollars! As of right now there are more than 4,000 entries and ideas, so we need your help to bring us closer to being chosen for the prize!

Will you help us?

So, if you have an AMEX account and you want to help...

CLICK HERE.

If you like our idea, rate it...1-5 stars at the top of the post, and then leave a comment. I need as many eyes on this as possible. We have until the 17th to get the word out!!!

PLEASE HELP US!!! If you are not a card member, but know someone who is, please forward this to them.

Thank you so very much! Cross your fingers and your toes!

Rocky

The Devil Came on Horseback

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:35:53 -0500

The Devil Came On Horseback was an eyeopening, shocking, disturbing and horrific documentary about the true occurrences of what is happening RIGHT NOW in the Darfur region of Sudan.

If you want to understand the BACKGROUND of the entire “situation,” please go and read the link. Education and awareness is the first step.

You can read HERE the latest information about what is happening and what is being ATTEMPTED to stop this from continuing.

I just feel lost in the entire situation.

How can we sit idly by and watch thousands of innocent people die a month. This is mass murder by its own government. When you get down to the basics it is the Sudanese Muslim Government allowing and paying for the Janjaweed militia to go after and kill, mutilate, rape and run away every black non-Muslim Sudanese man, woman, and child from the country. It is an ethnic cleansing.

Here is a small clip of the movie.

The problem is that we are not touched by it daily. It is easy to escape. It is easy to forget. It easy to turn our heads and pretend it is not happening. How can we get it across to the people of the Free World that this cannot go on any longer?

After the credits rolled, I sat there in shock.

I was quiet and sat there with my hands over my face. I knew this was happening. I was “aware” of the situation. But the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words, could not describe the situation any more perfectly. The photographs of dead children, the photographs of burnt bodies, the photographs of skulls crushed, the photographs of mass graves, of burnt villages, of thousands of displaced humans was more than I could bear. And I was sitting in an air-conditioned movie theater eating popcorn and washing it down with a Diet Coke. I was ashamed.

I was desperately trying to figure out a way to describe the situation to my friends. How could I describe it in a way that they could connect, that they could truly understand?

So I thought what would happen if our own United States Government decided to cleanse the nation. What if our Government not only supported, but paid the KKK, Skin Heads, the Aryan Nation to systematically rid the nation of all non-white citizens? Every Asian, African, Latino, Muslim, Jewish, NON-WHITE , person would be murdered. They would go house to house, pull us out of our homes, kill our husbands, our sons, rape us, and our daughters, or just kill us on the spot. Then they would burn our houses down and take our cars or burn them too. They would do this in every neighborhood, in every city, in every state, until we were all dead or outside the borders. Then, our United States, would not allow the United Nations to come in and protect us, to give us food aide and medical care. The worst part is that our local police departments responsibility would be to protect us, but they didn’t have the power to.

Let’s say we survived the mass murders.

We ran through the night, hiding and made it to Canada. This is not our home, we have no land, and no family. The United Nations sets up camp for us. We then live in tents with strangers. The men can’t go and get water or wood for the fire. Why? Because the KKK is still around lurking. If they see our men leaving camp, they will kill them on the spot. So we must go out. Everyday we must walk for miles to get the wood for fire and water to live. But we are raped. We are not killed, we are raped everyday. And this goes on for three years. There is still no light at the end of the tunnel. We still cannot go back home, even though we are Americans. We are refugees.

Could you imagine this happening?

This is what is happening. It has been happening everyday for the past three years. I am going to do more research and see what I can do to not only raise awareness but to be heard by our Representatives, by our President, and our World’s Nations. We, at Mothers Fighting For Others, will have a plan of action soon.

I hope you join us.

That's It. I'm Calling The President Myself

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:26:39 -0500

Here are some scary facts.

By 2010 there will 20 MILLION AIDS orphans in the world. 20 MILLION!!! 100 MILLION children in the world DO NOT have access to an education. This is CRAZY! America can help these children. Yes, they are children. They are the innocent victims of war, drought, and poverty.

"Rocky, I can't help!" This remark won't fly with me this time. WHY?

Because all you have to do is call the following number and listen for the directions. They will then connect you free of charge to The White House Comment Line. Then all you need to do is leave the following message...

JUST READ THIS

Hi, my name is _____________.
I am a registered voter in the state of ______________.
I am asking (or demanding) the President to support a 2.5 billion dollar US leadership Initiative on orphans and education.
THANK YOU, and have a nice day!!

I just got off the phone with the staffer at the White House. She seemed to be a very sweet woman. She said, "Thank You Dear!"

It's As Easy As That!!

SO CALL NOW ! 1.888.731.5437

If you want to talk to a live person call during normal business hours. If you want to just leave a message, call tonight!

Please help these kids. It's as easy as ONE phone call.

Two Less Orphans In The World

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Tue, 01 May 2007 22:36:22 -0500

Today is a very special day for me. Today, our Guatemalan born daughters received their California birth certificates and were officially granted their American given names. Our adoptions are official.

There are two less orphans in the world today. They are now Americans. Americans with a chance to dream a dream that they would of never been able to fulfill. They have more than the true basics of life of food, shelter, and clothing. They have a mom, dad and four brothers that love them to death. They have a family. They will also have the chance, the opportunity, to an education. They will go to a University one day. They will strive to be the best women that they can be. They will achieve greatness.

My hope for them is that they will become activists themselves. I hope they will go back to Guatemala and make a difference in the beautiful country that they came from. I hope that they will make their own mark in giving back to the world. They have been given a true gift from their birth mothers. Because of them, we, as parents, have been given our beautiful daughters. This is our true gift. My life is fuller since these two little girls came into my life. I know they will teach me things only daughters can teach their mothers.

I hope that I can teach them the world.

If In Fact God Gave Me Free Will, It Would Be A Shame To Waste It

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:11:58 -0500

I wrote a post on Cafemom entitled I'm Just A Little Somber and A Bit Overwhelmed. One of my favorite Muthas there made a comment on it that struck a chord. (With regards to her going to Africa with one of her friends one day) she said "I wish I could go with her! I don't know how you do it with 6 kids and all. I guess if the Lord wants me to go, he will open the doors!"

I agree... to a point. I believe in God. I always have. I believe there is "something" out there that is much more powerful than I could ever imagine. For me, it is God. The miracles of the world are too great for this not to be true. My children are proof of this.

I also believe that God is so great that He gave me free will. He is like a great parent. A great teacher. He "parents" me in a way that I must learn on my own. He shows me, teaches me the right way, the compassionate way to live my life. But it is my choice to live that way or not. It would be very easy for me to turn my back on it all. It would be easy for me to pretend that I owe nothing to the world. It would be easier for me NOT to care about the orphans in Africa. It would be easier for me not to work as hard as I do to raise the money I need to help them. It would be easier for me to just live in my home and play house. Trust me on this one. My life was easier back then when I knew nothing.

But I listened to the whispers that were in my heart. Was that God? I don't know. But the only way to move forward was to not just listen, not to just wait for a "sign" to appear. I had to take the steps forward to make it happen.

I wrote these two sentences down months ago on a scratch piece of paper, taped them to my computer screen and I look at them every morning.

"I don't want to wait and not live MY life in the process"

"It's about taking the steps to get there when you want to make your dreams come true."

For me, I knew if I did not make that phone call, or had sent that email to Global Volunteer Network, I wouldn't be going to Africa. Yes, it could have been God whispering in my heart, but it was my dream, my hope, my will to take the steps forward to make it happen. If I didn't listen, and I turned my back, I know that my reasons to be here on earth would have never been seen.

My fear is that so many of us, as mothers, put our dreams on the back burner for our families. When the dream is this big, you can not, should not, contain it. We don't have to put our lives on hold to live the life we want.

If in fact God gave me free will, it would be a shame to waste it.

It's Time For The Easter Egg Hunt!

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 01:58:03 -0500

For the past ten years we have hosted an Easter Egg Hunt. The first one started very small, Big Bro J and my two nephews. This year, there will be twelve kids ranging in age twelve to one, searching for eggs.

This is a small gathering for us. We have had as many as fifteen children. I had heard in the past moms complain about how the older kids got more eggs than the little ones. "It's not fair" kind of remarks. Well, I was not going to experience that one.

So here is my sure fire way that everyone gets treated equal and gets the same number of eggs no matter what age you are and what amazing hunting skills you have. You designate a color to each child. So, Little Susie gets light pink. And Bobby gets green. It's very simple. I fill ten eggs of the same color with candy, and one "bonus egg" which has a dollar worth of quarters, and separate them into (well, this year) twelve gallon size bags.

I line the kids up in a room, drop one of their eggs into their basket, so they know which ones to look for. They are then told to find nine eggs of the same color and one bonus egg. I then hand the bag filled with the nine remaining, and hand them to their parents. The parents then proceed to hide their children's eggs.

It's as much fun for me to watch the parents hide the eggs as it is to watch the kids find them!

The only thing I ask for in return? I want my eggs back. I separate them back into the gallon size bags ready for next year's hunt. It makes my life so much easier when I am getting ready for this fabulous day!

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you have a fun and blessed day.

My New Passion, My New Home

Racquel Turner (Mothers Fighting For Others) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:22:19 -0500

In February, I wrote a post about what inspired me to do more. I had never written it down before and the result changed me. I realized it was time to make a real change in my life. I wanted to create a place where we could learn. A place where we could educate ourselves about the world we live in. It is so easy for us to be consumed in our own day to day. I know. I was there.

So I created a place where mothers could go to find charities, organizations to help women in crises, and our own stories of survival. A place for you to help, to get help, and to be inspired.

Because education is power my friends, and I am still learning. Everyday I read something new and it changes me. And for that, I am grateful.

I have just started this new journey. This site is still in its infancy state. I hope you enjoy what you see, learn from what you read, and become inspired to do more.

Peace my Friends,

Rocky

http://www.mothersfightingforothers.com