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

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!!

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.

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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!!!

 

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.

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.

 

 

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.

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!

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.

 

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!

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!