Help Kenyan Kids Take Exams (They want to! Really!)

Even a small donation will make a big difference!

ONE OF THE SPONSORS from Australia wrote this; I could not have said it better myself! 

"Another plea for a couple dollars for "my" Kenyan children.

I know everyone's giving budget is stretched to the limit, but I'm hoping you can spare another $2 or $3 for a worthy cause.

For the past six years I've been involved with what is now called Plant-a-book International (formerly called Kenya Kids in Need) charity. I'm currently paying for the education and lodging for two teenage orphans who live at Galilee School in Sowete-Kayole slums of Nairobi, and for the education of three other students who live in the slums nearby. The school is the creation of a man who was a sponsored child himself.

The school has developed to the point where in 2009 the first graduating high school class took their final high school exams. (Every student passed!)
But while primary education is free in Kenya, secondary education is not. At Galilee, the neediest and orphan students mostly have overseas sponsors, for the rest, where most slum families live on $1 USD a day, it is a struggle to keep students at school and not contributing to the family income.

The Kenyan government charges $85 USD each for the students to take their final exams, and Plant-a-book International is trying to provide for as many students as possible to take the exams. (The headmaster also raises money from local businesses and slum families.) The time for payment is drawing near, and it would be tragic if these hopeful students were not able to sit their final exams.

These kids work so hard to do well...they have to share textbooks, they have no electricity to study at night, so they come to school at 6am to work; they form study groups and work together on Saturdays to help each other through the curriculum, and their courses are so much harder than Aussie ones...EVERY student has to do the equivalent of extension maths, for example, and they all study Shakespeare in English, which is usually their second or third language.

Having the high school certificate makes a huge difference to employment prospects for these students. The top 10% are eligible for a uni scholarship. Even a poor pass opens the possibility of an office job rather than being a maid or a street seller, thus breaking the poverty cycle for whole families.

If you can spare a couple of dollars you can use the PayPal donation button at http://www.plantabook.org You'll be donating in US dollars, which are close to parity with $AUS at present.

Think of the karma! Thanks for reading."

30 Ways to Do Good

ANOTHER SCHOOL SHOOTING. I have no idea how to respond to events that are so, so evil. Certainly they are symptomatic of a sickness in our society. Some will argue for more gun control; some will cite violence in the media, lack of good mental health care, lack of positive family relationships, lack of self-esteem--who knows why humans wreak such devastating damage on each other?

How do we respond? How do we help children to face the world with confidence and joy, when it appears so often to be dark and horrible?

Long ago, my husband and I adopted a habit we call "putting something good out there." (Not a very catchy title, but those are the words we've used  . . . )

It started at a time when we were facing some personal problems that seemed overwhelming and we felt completely helpless to change them. One morning I said, "You know, instead of just reacting to all this bad, how can we be proactive? We can't change this circumstance, but we can affect the balance of good and evil in the world, can't we?"

I called up a local homeless shelter that ran a daycare for children of their clients so that the adults could spend their days looking for work, or working, without worrying about childcare. I said, "I'd like to come in and do music with the kids every week." They laughed and said, "We certainly don't have any budget for that!" I explained that I didn't need money, just permission. 

So, every week (until we moved away from that town), my little daughters and I went to this daycare and taught the kids fun songs. At the end of the school year we had them put on a performance for their parents. 

You know, I do not remember what the problem was that seemed so insurmountable at the time--but I do remember those kids, who had pretty tough lives themselves, joyfully singing, "I am good, I am kind, I am special ..." and lots of fun and goofy songs.

Since then, we have let bad news, either our own or news such as the Connecticut shooting yesterday, prompt us to "put something good out there"--sponsor another child, 
donate to a charity, pick up trash, send a note of encouragement, put coins in an expired parking meter--anything we could come up with that would contribute "something good" as a response to something bad.

In the interest of sharing, I've compiled a list of 30 ideas for doing your own "something good." We should create a movement: What if every time some bad event occurred, scores of people turned around and responded with something positive? When the world appears unbearably evil, can we collectively attempt to demonstrate that there is still more love and more generosity and caring--and that every evil act will simply prompt us to love more?

That's my dream, and here's my list, with helpful websites for each one. I'd love for folks to comment with other ideas!

30 Ways to Do Good

1. Plant a tree in the Atlantic forest: http://www.plantabillion.org

2. Plant a tree for yourself--or give a baby tree kit as a gift! http://www.treeinabox.com

3. Sponsor a child: www.compassion.com

4. Sponsor a child: www.worldvision.org

5. Sponsor a child: www.childrenincorporated.org

6. Sponsor a child: www.plantabook.org

7. Sponsor a child: http://www.lifechange.net

8. Sponsor a woman in a war-torn nation: www.womenforwomen.org

9. Anonymously pay down someone else’s layaway account for Christmas: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-20/charity-layaway-christmas/52129100/1

10. Support a classroom in need: www.donorschoose.org

11. Give a cow to a family in need: http://www.heifer.org/

12. Support a third-world entrepreneur: www.kiva.org

13. Write a letter to a soldier: http://action.uso.org/action/thank-you-letter?sc=OM_Google-G_Support12-S_Thankyou-Write=Write%20a%20letter%20to%20a%20soldier_thank&page=FB5&donate=WW11VLP285&gclid=CLiqiIvmnLQCFStgMgodEEwABA

14. Send a thank you note to someone you appreciate: http://www.365thankyounotes.com/

15. Set up a “compliments” Facebook page for your school or organization: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/09/15797908-cyber-graciousness-students-set-up-facebook-sites-for-compliments?lite

16. Find a place to volunteer: http://www.volunteermatch.org/

17. Buy a shirt for charity: www.sevenly.org

18. Donate old iPods to the elderly: http://www.ximotionmedia.com/

19. Donate an old cell phone: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/donate-cell-phone-charity.htm

20. Perform a random act of kindness: http://www.helpothers.org/ideas.php

21. Join in on a craft project to benefit a charity: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Craft-Hope/105243509513568

22. Donate new or used shoes for people in need: http://www.soles4souls.org/

23. Help bring clean drinking water to people who don’t have it: http://www.waterforpeople.org/

24. Help bring clean drinking water to people who don’t have it: http://www.charitywater.org/

25. Buy a newspaper to help a homeless person: http://www.denvervoice.org/

26. Guide kids (and yourself) to media that is violence-free and positive: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

27. Have a family game night! http://pinterest.com/julieluvsthis/family-game-night-ideas/

28. Watch (and share) the 5th-graders at P.S. 22 sing “Joy to the World”: http://www.good.is/posts/a-reminder-that-there-s-still-good-out-there-p-s-22-sings-joy-to-the-world

29. Sign up for all kinds of good news at http://www.good.is/

30. Buy and give gifts that do good: http://www.cometogethertrading.com/

I am angry.

Sifa

As I've written before, I sponsor a woman in the Congo through Women for Women International. I have written letters to Sifa, but I haven't received any. Today I found out why: Sifa is completely illiterate. She only has "some primary" education. So she is completely unable to write, or to read.

But that's not why I'm angry.

I found this out through a questionnaire that Sifa filled out on attending her first class with Women for Women. The questionnaire gives a picture of a life that is probably all too common across the world, and one that appears destined to be repeated by Sifa's children. That should make everyone angry.

Here are the answers to Sifa's questionnaire:

She has three children, two boys and a girl.

Are they school-aged? Yes

Are they in school? No

If not in school, why not? No money

What education level have you attained? Some primary

Can you read more than your name? No

Can you write more than your name? No

Does your dwelling have electricity? No

What is the main source of lighting? Kerosene

Source of water? Public standpipe

Are you working? Yes (She didn't answer the question about type of work.)

General health of your family? Poor

Have you lost any family members from war, violence, poverty, illness, or political oppression? Yes

What would you like to achieve by participating in this program? (She didn't answer.)

I am so angry.

WHY am I complaining this morning about the internet not working in our house?

Why am I looking around at all the things I need to get rid of to clean our house for my parents' visit next week?

Why do I have so much--so much stuff, so many choices, so many dreams, so much health, so much education--and she has nothing?

Why?

Why aren't more people more angry?

Bob and I have been talking about my passion for sponsorship, and how to convince more people to get on board. Why don't we feel an urgent need to take care of Sifa and her children? There are means available. Why aren't more of us doing more?

I dream about a world in which we feel as responsible for Sifa's children as we do our own. It doesn't just take a village; it takes a globe. Imagine a world in which we all "adopted" each other, fed each other, clothed each other, educated each other. Surely that's what God intends.

Meanwhile, NPR did another story about Somalia, and the famine, poverty, and violence going on there, which the world appears to be ignoring. The reporter interviewed a young mother there and asked her how they survive.

"We don't survive," she answered, "We exist."

Shouldn't we all be angry?

If you're angry, please PLEASE go to Women for Women and sponsor a woman like Sifa. Or come volunteer at the Run for Congo Women July 31 in Denver. Please?

PILLOWCASE DRESSES!

Look at the super-sweet lace on this one!

Lilia and I spent the better part of Friday and Saturday working on pillowcase dresses to give to our friend Tammy Fairweather. Tammy and her husband Jack live in the Philippines, where they minister to street kids, and they were looking for donations of clothing. Seemed like a great opportunity for Lilia to learn how to sew!

Off we went to Goodwill, where we found lots of pillowcases that would make pretty, pretty dresses for little girls (OK, and a few that definitely would not. But we didn't buy those.). Then a trip to Joanne's for double-fold bias tape, elastic, thread, and ric-rac and other decorative trims, and we were up and running.

We got our directions from this site. I have looked and looked for good directions for pillowcase dresses, and these are definitely the best!

We managed to knock out six little dresses! Here they are posing attractively on our driveway. (Sorry, it's the only place the light was good.) I think we did pretty well! Lilia is now quite the seamstress.

We made several different sizes, depending on the size of the pillowcase and, well, our moods.

I love the colors on this one--especially the pastel mutli-colored ric-rac that Lilia found!

We still have pillowcases to work on! 

If you want to try your hand at some of these, check out the directions at 402 Center Street Designs--super easy, and funny too! A really great way to teach your daughter (or son!) All About Sewing Machines.

There are several organizations looking for pillowcase dresses. 

This site recommends Little Dresses for Africa.  Looks cool--maybe I'll send our next batch there. We've got some really pretty pillowcases still . . .

Crafting for a Cause

I am amazed by how many awesome opportunities are out there that I have somehow been unaware of.... My friend Linda gave me a book that is my new favorite thing: Craft Hope. There is even an entire website devoted to this idea. How have I not heard about this??

Here's a section from their "About" page:

Craft Hope is a love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them.  It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world.

Jade Sims is the founder of Craft Hope.  She is the mother of three and spends her days running Craft Hope from her laptop and making a mess with her children Austin, Texas. You can contact her at jade@crafthope.com.

They have projects posted--the most recent collecting really simple, inexpensive items to make "birthing kits" for birth attendants to use in Haiti, where sanitation is always a problem, and babies die for lack of clean materials at their births. The deadline for that project was March 1, but I'm sure they will post another soon.

It is heartwarming to read the comments by people committing to assemble birthing kits. One woman said that guests at her niece's baby shower were going to assemble 25 kits. How cool is that?!

Here's a project I love: pillowcase dresses. Yup, dresses made of pillowcases. They're cute! As well as easy to make, and how cool for little girls who rarely have something pretty to wear. I think I might have to have a middle school Explore class make a bunch of these to send to my friends at Galilee School in Kenya...

So... Check them out! Click on the banner to the right, read the latest project, and see how you can participate!