Meet Caroline

I'm excited to introduce you to the newest member of our family.  Her name is Caroline. She lives in Kenya. She is twelve years old, and she shares the same birthday as mine.  We met her through Compassion's child sponsorship program, and she is the fourth child our family has had the opportunity to sponsor.

The story behind our coming to know her is very cool.  See, Jarred and I had been considering sponsoring another child for quite some time.  When we first got married we continued to sponsor James from Haiti, the boy I had been sponsoring since I was in high school.  When Jarred moved into a sales position five years ago, our income increased, and we decided to sponsor an additional child, Deboshree from India.  About a year ago, James had to leave the program, so we began sponsoring another little Haitian boy, Marvens.  Just recently, we refinanced our home, which helped decrease our monthly mortgage payment.  We talked about sponsoring an additional child but drug our feet.  Spending increased during the holidays, and we were waiting to see how things shook out.

Then right after New Year's, I met with a friend for lunch, and at the end of our outing, she handed me an envelope to open in the car.  She told me she felt like she was supposed to give it to me.  When I opened it, I was shocked.  Inside were five $20.00 bills!  What?!  I thought.  Doesn't she need this more than me?  Her family is going through a major job change, and so I am assuming their financial security is much shakier than ours.  And yet she was moved to give during this shaky time.  I was very touched by her generosity and thought I must put this to good use.  It didn't take me long to realize now was the perfect time to begin sponsoring an additional child.  No more excuses.  That $100 would nearly cover the cost of the first three months of sponsorship.

So we sat down as a family and did a search for children who shared my birthday.  I was drawn to Caroline for a couple of reasons.  First of all, she's a girl.  The saying goes something like this: when you educate a girl, you educate a village.  The empowerment of women is directly linked to the decrease of poverty, violence, and disease around the world since girls become women and women become mothers.  Secondly, I had the opportunity to visit Kenya when I was in college and so have a special place in my heart for Kenyans.  Thirdly, Caroline's community has been touched by HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases, so I love that we are able not only to help her receive an education but to have access to health services and nutritious meals.

I believe that child sponsorship is one of the best ways to combat some of the greatest social evils in our world.  When you provide the basic needs of a child, you are helping a child remain in his or her family (combating the need for orphanages).  You are offering a child an education (combating illiteracy and ignorance). You are offering a child a future (combating extreme poverty or prostitution). You are offering a child health (combating starvation and disease).  You are offering a child love and hope (combating violence and despair).

If you are considering sponsoring a child, I would urge you consider these two sponsorship programs, Compassion and World Vision.  Both are highly reputable and allow you to have written correspondence with your child, which I think is of vital importance.  Our family likes to send family and school pictures, stickers, bookmarks, and handmade notes and pictures to our children.  Consider changing the world, one child at a time.

Remembering Haiti Today

I was going about my morning.  I jumped in the car to head over to my daughter's class to volunteer.  NPR was on, and that was when I was reminded that today marks the two-year anniversary of Haiti's 35-second nightmare.  Though I like to keep up with current world events, I am one of those types that cannot watch the news.  The violent images and overall negative commentary is sometimes too overwhelming.  What I find much more appealing is learning about stories of hope and how I can become a part of those.  I came across this article written by Tom Arnold, CEO of Concern Worldwide, a very highly rated NGO on Charity Navigator.

Mr. Arnold highlights some of the amazing strides Haiti has made over the last two years as well as explains the many challenges to rebuilding.  I was impressed by his understanding that rebuilding successfully relies on the partnerships of the community, the government, non-profits, and international aid.  When all of these are working together that is when long-term solutions become possible.  (Too often non-profits or other nations giving aid assume they understand a community's needs better than the local community, and too often money, time, and energy is wasted needlessly.)  Concern's model of "Returning to the Neighborhoods" is considered by Haiti's government the best practice in helping families resettle, and already they have reached 237,000 people through their emergency and recovery programs.

This article makes me hopeful that the nation of Haiti has much potential to come out stronger than before this devastation.  I'd encourage you to read this short article, check out the work of Concern Worldwide, and pray for continued Light to lead Haiti out from its dark night and into a bright new day.

Fair Trade Friday - Christmas!!!

I read this post by Rachel Held-Evans, and I was inspired to make a similar "Favorite Things" list, but I think I'll stick to a Top Seven.  Please check out Rachel's post, however, because she promotes a lot of great organizations and ideas!  

For starters, I really love giving gifts, but I really hate excess, waste, and exploitation.  (I get almost sick to my stomach when I think about our electronics industry helping to fuel the war in the Congo.)  So for me the solution to that problem is to find gifts that make a difference... you know something that is fair-traded or hand-made or comes from recycled material.  And there are oodles and oodles of great, meaningful gifts out there!  I'm going to share some of my favorite fair-trade products right here:

1. Punjammies!!!  These are bright, colorful, textured pajama pants for women made by women who are rebuilding their lives after being rescued from a life of forced prostitution.  The organization that empowers these brave women is called International Princess Project; isn't that a great name!  By the way, if you place an order by the end of the day, you will get 40% off your entire order (enter this code: friendsofIPP)!  And they are offering Free Shipping through the rest of December.  So what are you waiting for?  Go buy some Punjammies!

2. Hearts 4 Hearts Girls.  Think American Girl Doll goes Universal.  You have to see the beautiful faces of these dolls!  Each one comes from a different part of the world and has a story about her life and culture.  It's a great way for young girls to learn about other girls and issues around the world.  And best of all, a portion of the sale of each doll goes to supporting World Vision.

3. Ten Thousand Villages.  From fair-trade coffees, teas, and chocolates to handmade jewelry and scarves to home decor to CDs and instruments, every purchase at this store is well-worth your dollars.  The products are all made by artisans from around the world who earn a fair wage for their varying talents and expertise.  The stores are spreading across the country, so be sure to find a location near you!

4. Second Street Thrift Store.  If you live near Denver, PA, you ought to check out this shop, which is way more than a thrift store!  For starters, it looks more like a boutique as it is decorated so creatively with a real vintage feel.  The store sells donated (and some new!) clothing, furniture, and household goods.  100% of the profits from Second Street goes to supporting HOME International, a ministry that provides homes for abandoned girls in India.  

5. Bead for Life.  I've already blogged about this awesome organization, but I can't say enough good things about it!  Even if one does not have the means to spend a lot at Christmas, you can still offer to host a bead party, gather your friends and neighbors, and invite others to purchase this beautiful jewelry and Shea Butter soap and lip balm.  

6. World Vision Gift Catalogue.  This is one of our family's favorite places to find Christmas gifts.  You know those persons who really don't need another knick-knack, such as grandparents and great-grandparents?  Well, Jarred and I invite our children to look through the online catalog and choose a "gift" (i.e. a share of a well, packets of seeds, two babies chicks, life-saving medication, etc...) that they want to "give" to the grandparents in our lives.  World Vision then sends us cards, explaining how the gift given in honor of our loved one will benefit people in real need.  This is a great teachable moment for our children as they are reminded that some families are just hoping for enough food to eat, healthcare, and the ability to get an education.  

7. Fair-Trade Coffee.  This is one of those purchases that is easy to find and of course is delicious for any coffee drinker!  A lot grocery stores carry fair-traded options, and I believe Starbucks sells ethically-grown coffee as well.  You could also check out Grounds for Change or Equal Exchange.

There are many, many more wonderful gift ideas out there!  I'd love to hear some of yours!  

I Love "Lucy," My Immigrant Friend

So just yesterday I learned about the mass exodus of many Hispanic families in Alabama last week.  Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn upheld all provisions of a state law which even the governor of Alabama is calling "the strongest immigration law in this country."  The law allows police officers to ask for immigration papers of drivers they pull over and requires schools to ask for legal documentation of registering students.  After the ruling, many undocumented immigrant families fled their homes and communities, obviously fearing the repercussions of this passed law.  It was reported that almost 2,000 Hispanic children were absent from school two days after the ruling which constitutes 5% of the entire Hispanic student population in Alabama. Now the ruling is being appealed by many civil rights groups and by the Justice Department. Some think the law is a no-brainer; others feel it is unconstitutional.

As a glo-burbanite living in Reading, PA, I of course am also aware of the recent Times article that announced the fact that Reading is now the "poorest" city in the country.  This city is where my "neighbors" live.  It's where I substitute taught last school year and where I taught English as a Second Language for two years before that. It's where many Hispanic people have learned to call "home." And of course I realize that some of these are undocumented immigrants.  In fact, the ESL student I became closest friends with while teaching is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.

Aside from the debate of whether or not this Alabama law is unconstitutional or not, it is a fact that some laws are just down right unethical. I cannot help but notice the irony that Alabama (one of the most racist states in the US with some of the most extreme Jim Crow laws in the early 1900's) is now one of the harshest states regarding immigration.  I know that many would disagree with me that this law is unethical, arguing that crossing our national border without the proper papers (something that is extremely difficult and expensive to ascertain) is unlawful and downright criminal.  But I believe this argument is short-sighted.

See, I am sometimes just amazed that any American could say "Go home!" to another human being who has fled poverty or violence in their home country and has come here looking for work to provide for their family. Because isn't that how most of the United States has become populated? Did not most of our ancestry flee poverty or violence from their home countries, looking to this "great country" for new opportunities?  And I wonder how it is possible to still celebrate Columbus Day, remembering that Christopher Columbus (and other explorers like him) never asked any Native American for permission to inhabit their land, much less to steal their natural resources or rape their women or kill their leaders.  Why is he exonerated and made to be a hero while those stealing across the border for safety and survival are made to be criminals?

Another fact that we many of us are unaware of is that the United States is partly responsible for Mexico's economic condition.  Not fully, of course, but partly.  If you have not yet seen the documentary Food Inc., you certainly must.  The film reveals a little bit of the story of how US corn subsidies to American farmers have put many small corn farmers in Mexico out of business. This article explains more of that conversation.  The film goes on to show how major chicken processing plants advertise work for Mexicans, urging them to cross the border and work low-paying jobs in American chicken factories in order to keep the price of chicken at a low price for consumers.  And sometimes these very chicken industries rat out their undocumented workers, deflecting the blame onto their employees and away from their own greed. (That information alone was enough to turn my stomach away from Perdue and Tyson and instead on to nutritious, farm-raised, free-range chicken!)

Of course the more I learn about our immigration problems, the more I see how complex they are.  I certainly do not have the answers, but one thing I refuse to compromise on is that children of undocumented immigrants deserve to have the same rights as documented children.  And my heart will continually grieve when I hear stories of families being discriminated against because of where they come from or children being denied access to education or other benefits because of their lack of papers.  Getting to know my friend Lucy from Mexico (I have changed her name) has helped to solidify this belief for me.  And I will end with her story:

Lucy was born the oldest of six children to Mexican parents.  When she was still a girl, Lucy's father left the family to find work but never returned, abandoning them to worse poverty.  Lucy tells me that there are very few economic opportunities for single women in Mexico. Her mother was unable to provide for her children's needs. So at the age of twelve, Lucy and her mother made the difficult journey across the border into the US and settled in Reading, PA.  Her mother found work and sent for the rest of her children to join them.  My friend married another Mexican-American at the age of sixteen; they now have three children of their own.  They work hard, they save their money, they demand much from their children in school, and they live simply. They are anything but lazy, and I admire them.  Lucy's husband has obtained his papers, and their children are American citizens.  But my friend lives with the fear that her status could send her back to a country she barely knows anymore, a country that has become even more unstable due to the violence of drug-lords.  I only pray that she is granted the amnesty that I believe any human being is due.

Fair Trade Friday - Bead for Life!

What do you get when you mix old magazines, Ugandan women, and style?  Well, you get beads, of course!  And not just any old beads... bright, colorful, handmade beads made from recycled paper.  And the best part about these beads?  They are fair-traded!  

I was first introduced to these beads two years ago through a friend's sister.  They were just too cool to pass up. My friend Jenny and I decided to host a Bead for Life party.  So we booked a party in late fall, perfectly planned for Christmas-shoppers, set up shop in my home, and boy, did those beads sell!  We invited our suburban girl friends, and they helped us raise over $1000.00 for Ugandan women artisans by buying jewelry for their moms, their sisters, their friends, and their kids' teachers! 

It was the coolest home-party I had ever attended (or hosted).  Instead of listening to a speech in the living room about the product, we let the jewelry and the women's printed-out stories do the selling while we gabbed and grabbed at snacks.  And 100% of the proceeds went back to the non-profit Bead for Life!

Bead for Life not only offers fair-pay, job training, and good working conditions to women in Uganda, a country where poverty and violence has left many women with little opportunities for survival, but the women are usually self-dependent entrepreneurs after only working with Bead for Life for 18 months.  Moreover, the revenue created by selling the jewelry at a fair-price to global customers, not only goes into the hands of these hard-working women, but into development programs that benefit their entire communities, such as vocational training, housing programs, school fees, and health initiatives.  

 So if you're feeling itchy to update your wardrobe (men, don't despair!  There are now even some products for you!), or if you are looking for an excuse to hang out with some friends, or if you just want to help make our world a little more fair for all to live in, consider hosting a Bead for Life party or shopping on their online store.  (FYI, I just learned now that Bead for Life has opened up a new market for Shea Butter soap and lip balms!)

I'd love to know if any of you have heard about Bead for Life or purchased any of their products.  Tell us about it!

You Dare Not Touch My Soul

I've been reading Ashley Judd's memoir, All That is Bitter and Sweet, and in it I have found somewhat of a kindred spirit. Having been a very sensitive child, Ashley grew up and took a real interest in the injustices of the world, especially during college when she joined various activist groups such as the NAACP and Amnesty International.  Ashley almost joined the Peace Corps before deciding to take a chance at an acting career.

Today Ashley travels all around the world as the YouthAIDS ambassador for Population Services International, raising public awareness for one of the most devastating human crises.  In her travels she has visited places like Cambodia where sex-trafficking is rampant.  She has sat, held, cried with, and listened to the stories of many women and children living in this unbelievable reality.  As I read these stories, I am overcome by the amazing grace that certain souls are given despite the most brutal and inhumane circumstances a life could possibly experience.

I wrote this in the voice of a girl whose voice has been taken away:

You can hit me
and hurt me
abuse me
and use me.


You can bend me
borrow me
break every bone.


You can kick me
and curse me
You can hate me
degrade me


But there is one thing you must leave alone.


You can strangle my neck
You can leave me a wreck
You can steal all my innocence
in your big, greedy hands


But there's one thing that you'll never own.


You can oppress me
suppress me
starve me
and chain me


But you cannot --
             you will not--
                            you dare not--
                                             touch my soul.

~A.L.G.   August 28th, 2011

Fair Trade Friday - Lunch Boxes

So it's back-to-school-shopping-time!  Last week, the kids and I took care of important business... hair cuts and new shoes.  While shopping at Old Navy, we came across some really cute, inexpensive backpacks with matching lunch boxes.  I hadn't yet decided if we were going to buy the kids new backpacks; after all, their Target-bought backpacks had held up pretty well last year.  Plus, I don't think it is necessary to buy a new backpack and lunch box every school year.  That wouldn't be kind to our wallets or to our earth or to the values of living simply that we are wanting to convey.  But they were so cute!  And the sale price!  Only $7 for the backpacks and $4 for the lunch box!  I caved.  Jaida quickly found the pattern she liked while Dylan declined (the boys' patterns were sort of boring).

Then we came home, and I showed the purchases to Jarred.  We discussed the back pack dilemma and decided our kids could use last year's backpacks another year.  Plus, I admitted, these Old Navy bags seemed cheaply made.  One backpack's strap was hanging on by three threads on the rack at Old Navy.  And above that, like most of the clothes we wear, how in the world could the makers of these bags in Vietnam be making a livable wage?  If Old Navy can afford to sell the bags so cheaply after paying all of their overhead and the cost of transporting them across the globe, they must have bought these bags for next-to-nothing from the Vietnamese manufacturer.


So I am planning to return the backpack and lunch box, much to my daughter's dismay.  However, the kids are still in need of lunch boxes.  (You can only spill milk and yogurt into a lunch box so many times, before its stench turns the stomach of its user.)  I decided to jump online to see if there aren't any eco-friendly or fair-traded lunch boxes out there.  Turns out there are many to choose from!  This was one of my favorites...

Photo Credit: Bazura.Biz

Aren't they cute?  They are called Bazura bags, and they are made by a women's co-op in the Philippines, using juice bags which otherwise would have been thrown by the wayside.  This is a brilliant concept as literally thousands of these juice bags are consumed daily in the Philippines.  But now this waste is being converted into a profitable business for women entrepreneurs.

Photo Credit: Bazura.Biz

Unlike many women living in developing countries who often work long hours in the fields or in sweat shops, these women work for themselves in fair conditions, contribute to their communities, and are part of a solution to reduce the trash in their country.

You must check out their other items, too--handbags, grocery bags, coin purses, and lots more!  Go to www.bazurabags.com 

Photo Credit: Bazura.Biz

Koinos Summer Campaign

Sometimes I feel worried.  Worried that my kids are spoiled.  Worried that they are too narcissistic.  My seven-year-old had a near meltdown this morning when I said no to his request for having a friend over today.  He must honestly suffer from short-term memory loss.  Do you realize, Dylan, that you have been with friends every day this week so far?  Did you hear that I said you could have a friend over tomorrow?  Do you know that the world doesn't revolve around you???

Yeah, my kids have it good.  Really good.  Thus, part of my suburban gal complex.  And another reminder to me how important it is to challenge their experience, broaden their perspective.  This week offered a great opportunity for that.

Our faith community Koinos holds an annual campaign every summer, where we canvas close to 10,000 homes in a four-day period, dropping off at every door a plastic bag and a list of items needed at Berks Women in Crisis.  We then drive around with pickup trucks and minivans on a Saturday morning and collect all of the donations left on our neighbors' front porches.   From there, the items are carted to an undisclosed location where staff await with open arms and tears in their eyes, grateful for the largest donation they receive each year.  Needless to say, it is a very cool experience. 

The kids and I participated in yesterday's morning shift and then again as a family in this evening's shift.  Sure, it's not that life-changing.  They get to walk around with their friends up and down sidewalks and driveways for a couple of hours.  But it does get tiring; they do get hungry; and sometimes it's rainy or real hot.  And they get to hear from Mom and Dad how these donations are going to help a lot of moms and kids who need diapers and shampoo and cereal, etc.... Moms and kids who don't even have a safe home, if any, to stay at.


So, yes, my kids are a little spoiled.  They certainly are extremely lucky.  But once again I must choose to turn that "survivors guilt" into motivation to use our privilege as a blessing.  We have strong legs, full bellies, and time.  That's more than enough to be grateful for.

If you haven't yet stumbled into a Ten Thousand Villages store, you absolutely MUST!  It is my favorite place to shop for a number of reasons.  First of all, the stuff!  They have gorgeous, handmade items from all around the world - jewelry, handbags, scarves, blankets, dishes, decorations for the home, rugs, baskets, even chocolate, coffee, and tea.  Secondly, but more importantly, everything they sell in their stores is fair-traded, so that hard-working groups and individual artisans can actually make a fair, livable wage for their work.  Finally, the store nearest me, in Ephrata, PA, has a cafe, and it is a lovely, little cafe' to meet up with friends for lunch or listen to live music on Friday nights.

So I must give a plug for their 18th Annual International Children's Festival which is tomorrow!  Our family went last year for the first time, and we loved it.  The kids made crafts, took a rickshaw ride, learned how to gather water from a village pump, and played games from other cultures.

So if you're in the Lancaster/Reading area and you don't have plans tomorrow, I'd highly recommend spending an hour or two at the festival.  It's a great opportunity to widen our children's eyes to the richly diverse world in which we live.

Fair-Trade Flowers, Birthing Kits, and Mothers Day

By now I hope you have already made plans on how to celebrate your mother (moms tend to like that), but in case you haven't or want to try something different next year, here are some giving ideas that benefit more than just your mother.

If you're at all like me, you may find yourself having an internal dialogue such as this when holidays like Mothers Day turn up.  How much money should I spend?  I don't want to buy something just to benefit large corporations like Hallmark..  In fact, am I feeling pressured to give something just to keep up with the Jones'... or just out of obligation?  Well, if I am going to get a gift, I don't want it to be a needless purchase that will end up in a landfill in less than a year.  Hmm.... what to do? 

Let's face it.  Holidays are part of our cultural celebrations, and I love a good excuse to go out on a date on Valentines' or get together with the family on Mothers Day.  I just don't want to play a part in the wasteful consumerism that seems to go along with the package.  That's why I love some of these creative ideas that keep coming through my email.  They're gifts that honor moms while remembering other moms around the world who struggle to feed their kids or struggle to have a voice or overcome a history of sexual abuse.  Of course, there are MANY other great ways to give on Mothers Day (flowers, cards, homemade gifts, taking Mom out to eat, etc...), and I still buy Hallmark cards for my mom and grandmother.  I just thought it would be cool to highlight some not-so-typical ways to celebrate important women in our lives.

Fair-trade Flowers!   Change.org helped to pressure 1-800-Flowers to begin carrying fair-trade flowers so that consumers have the option to buy flowers from companies they know uphold the workers rights of their gardeners.  Cool, huh?



Help a mother help her child!   Through Church World Service, you can buy a birthing kit for $35 or pay for two women to take a literacy class for $50.  Or choose another gift option.




Help 65 mothers get HIV-testing!  Though UNICEF USA you can help 65 women determine whether or not their babies will need treatment for HIV so they can live past their first birthdays.


Tread on Sex-Trafficking!  You can send a wicked, cool email to a mom  that tells her you donated to LOVE 146 which helps to rescue and rehabilitate girls from sex-trafficking. 


I'd love to hear other creative ways you may be celebrating your mom this Mothers Day.  And don't forget to honor a single mom that you know!  They deserve to be honored for all of the hard work, love, and sacrifices they make for their children which often go unrecognized.

Three Cups of Tea... or None?

I read a very inspiring book a couple of years ago.  A lot of people did.  It was called Three Cups of Tea, and it was written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  It told an amazing story of one man's mission to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly for girls, some in extremely remote villages, some in places occupied by the Taliban.  I decided to buy three copies of the book and hand two out as gifts.  After all, a portion of the proceeds would go to Greg Mortenson's non-profit, the Central Asia Institute and would help build more schools for more girls.

Many of us got excited.  School children around the country organized Pennies for Peace and gave their donations to the CAI.  President Obama donated $100,000.00 to the efforts.  Thousands of people donated thousands of dollars.

So you can imagine our shock and horror when 60 Minutes released a story on Greg Mortenson just two weeks ago, revealing that CAI's funds appear to be mismanaged and there are alleged exaggerations, perhaps even lies, written in his books.  Even with all of the evidence stacking against his honesty, it is difficult for some, including myself, to write him off as a complete fraud.  Afterall, his efforts seem to have produced many schools, and certainly his books and speeches have put a spot-light on the need for girls' education in the Middle East. 

Nevertheless, for those involved in non-profit work, such as Shalini Nataraj, vice-president of programs for the Global Fund for Women, his story has cast shadow upon the integrity of non-profit organizations and has added to the skepticism that many feel when asked to donate their money to a certain cause.  People want to trust where their money is going.  They want to know it is being put into the right hands and is actually making a difference somewhere.

I do, too.  That is why I really appreciated listening to Shalini Nataraj's comments on NPR's Forum program.  She reminded the public that there are many good non-profits worth giving donations to, but we must make a little effort to get to know them.

First of all, we must look at their financial integrity.  Do they have open-access to their records?  Are they given high marks from non-profit watchdogs like Charity Navigator or the American Institute of Philanthropy?

Secondly, how long have they been around?  The Global Fund for Women, as Shalini Nataraj points out, has been around for almost 25 years and has been making very successful strides in educating girls and women in the Middle East.

Thirdly, who is leading the work?  It seems the most successful NGO's are those that are led locally.  The Global Fund for Women differs from Mortenson's work because it puts money directly into the hands of local women leaders who know best how that money should be utilized for their communities.

This unfortunate story of a fallen "hero" is a lesson to me to be more vigilant when looking into donating to charities in the future.  There are many good people doing many good things.  May we continue to support their efforts as we are able.