Tweet for a Cure to the worst disease you never heard of

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A Billion Acts of Green

The message is loud and clear: Our planet needs help to sustain us and we need to stand up and be counted. Earth Day 2011 aims to achieve ‘A Billion Acts of Green’, a pledge campaign aiming to get a billion people from around the world to pledge their allegiance to the environment. The key word is awareness.

A Billion Acts of Green is the largest environmental service campaign in the world. It inspires and rewards simple individual acts and larger organizational initiatives that further the goal of measurably reducing carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. The goal is to register one billion actions in advance of the global Earth Summit in Rio in 2012.

Real change occurs best when millions of people commit to it with their actions.  Millions of people doing small, individual acts can add up to real change.

Join the movement and pledge to reduce your carbon foot print on April 22nd earth-day 2011 Click Here

A Sprint Towards Women Empowerment

Carlotta Luke raising funds for the Omid Foundation 

She will be running in the Brighton Marathon this April. Although 26.2 miles is always grueling, running along the sea for most of the route has its benefits. Brighton takes the opportunity to make a huge street party out of the event which helps the runners get through it all. It is a huge personal challenge to run such a long distance.  In the banner above you can see me running the same Marathon last year which gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. It gave me a feeling that if I could do this, I could do anything if I set my mind to it.

 

Shortly after I ran the Marathon, I went to a screening of The Glass House, a documentary that documents the lives of a group severely disadvantaged young women in Tehran who are taken in by the Omid Foundation. These women are faced with relentless emotional and financial deprivation, abused and taken advantage of by those who should be supporting and protecting them. Omid works with these women to help them achieve self sufficiency and self-determination. There were so many times during this film when I was moved to tears, both by the desperate plights that they come from, and the growth and support that they receive at Omid. The ethos of the Foundation is one of unconditional love, the sort of love that children should receive in their family settings from those closest to them, but that these young women have never had. This unconditional love helps them gain self confidence and the ability to engage in society as a whole, and imagine a future for themselves.

Omid was set up in 2004 by Marjaneh Halati, a university friend of my husband's and an old friend of mine. Marjaneh's commitment and clarity of vision that has created this foundation is astounding. She has literally saved and transformed many lives through her work.

Seeing this film, and the emotional effect it had on me, made me think more about the Marathon I had recently completed. The fact that I take for granted my ability to tackle challenges and my expectation of personal accomplishment was in such stark contrast to the reality of the emotional lives of these young women, through no fault of their own and due solely to the circumstances of their birth. It made me want to do whatever I could to raise awareness of the crucial work that the Foundation carries out and to help them continue transforming the lives of vulnerable young women in Tehran. So this year, I am running in the Brighton Marathon both for my own sense of personal achievement, and most importantly, to raise money for Omid. 

- Carlotta 

Make a donation - Sponsor Carlotta and support the Omid Foundation

Please support Carlotta's participation in the Marathon and help her raise funds for the Omid Foundation. With your help, she aims to raise $5000.

Make an online donation through our website, which is easy and totally secure. 

 

 

Donations are tax deductible for US tax payers. If you're a UK taxpayer and agree to Gift Aid your donation, we receive an additional 25% from the Inland Revenue and it does not cost you a Penny.

Clean Water for a Healthy World

Water is the most urgent need of the global poor. 

On World Water Day this year -- March 22nd, 2011 -- we must take time out to remember the 4,500 children who die each day for a lack of access to clean, safe water.

In rural villages, children walk an average of 3.5 miles every day to fetch water from a smelly mudhole. Over 50% of the world’s hospital beds are filled with patients who suffer from water-borne illness.  Clean water access is the very first step -- a foundation for life, health, education and opportunity.

http://giveh2o.org/

Since I began studying and living in a third world country battling poverty and its social ramification a year ago, one burning question has consumed me: What is the most I can do as one person?

Of course government and business, if directed properly, could both help the global poor in a big way. Real leaders in these areas must pursue clear property rights and rule of law while promoting sustainable growth through trade and commerce. But for those of us who are everyday citizens, not currently elected leaders or multinational executives, what is our best way to serve the poorest?

We must develop ‘best practices’ from successful water projects. Further, we must create integrated solutions that create impact through a multi-faceted approach.  In a few years, we will see highly innovative rural projects that center on clean water access while transforming the entire village. Effective charities can build many other capacities around a water well, training the community in well maintenance and repair, teaching hygiene and sanitation, and providing needed vitamins and medicine.

Among other big players, the Gates Foundation is investing heavily each year into building water and sanitation projects, as well as discovering ways that the most effective solutions can be replicated on a global scale.  What’s incredible is that while Gates gives away a few billion dollars each year, the generosity of individual Americans is nearly 100 times larger, some $230 billion in annual charity comes from all the ‘little guys’ rather than corporate or foundation grants.

What does this mean for us? Thoughtful public giving can change the world many times faster than the biggest headline donors. We are in fact ‘the change’ for the world, and it is our duty to become informed global philanthropists.  It is up to us to change lives with clean water. For the price of lunch -- only $10 -- I can give one person access to clean water for a lifetime. If just one in ten Americans gave $150 to clean water, we could solve half of the most urgent crisis of the global poor, giving clean water to 500 million people.

Water is the most urgent need of the global poor. In memory of the thousands who die each day from unsafe water, please seek out a great water charity, spread the word, and change lives today.

 

World Water Day is March 22. Visit http://giveh2o.org/ to Pledge to End the Water Crisis

Looking beyond the numbers

The threat of climate change, the competition for resources, and  ever growing global inequality have created deepening intractable conflicts.  Whether it be Haiti, Darfur, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran or some as yet unknown crisis; mass migrations will be a feature of our future, and we must adjust to this living reality.  

I will thus urge you to look beyond the simple numbers and look at the individual.   Numbers can illuminate but they also can obscure.  Refugees are not numbers, they aren't even just refugees; they are mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons. They are farmers, teachers, engineers, and doctors. They are individuals and most importantly survivors.  Each one with a remarkable story that tells a resilience in the face of great loss.  They are the most impressive people I have ever meet and also some of the world's most vulnerable. Stripped of their homes and countries, refugees are buffeted from every ill wind that blows across this planet.

While in Iran I got to know some of these young refugees; not only as the most vulnerable people but as the most resilient.

I was walking into the courtyard early one morning and I could hear a young girl running after me calling someone's last name.  Not  yet used to being called by a title that I had only used to address my grandmother, It took me a few minutes before I realized that she was calling out for me.  I turned and immediately saw her whole right arm in a bright green cast.  She asked to see me alone and as we walked to a more quiet corner she burst into tears. An Afghan immigrant, her mother was forced to go back to Afghanistan and thus had left her a few months back.  She was left in the care of  her eldest sister and her husband whom she had married a few months back in the hopes that he could be their savior. She went on to tell me that a few nights back her brother-in law had caught her speaking on the phone with a boy and as a result had violently beaten her, leaving noticeable scars far beyond the extent of her physical injuries.  As she couldn't afford to seek medical attention she had quietly slept that night in excruciating pain until she had made it to the center where she was able to seek the proper medical care.

If you see the individual you see the scared young girl who lost her father to the conflict, forced to leave her country, was separated from her mother and had to learn to become independent at an age when most of us still played carelessly in the streets.

I met another amazing young girl whose story is forever engraved in my heart.  She had been raped, made to drink her own urine and burned from the waist down in one of the refugee camps.  All of that before even becoming a legitimate teenager.  She came in hand in hand with her husband who had married her a few years after the incident and I was in awe.  Simply looking at her you couldn't tell what she had endured. I couldn't understand how it was that she was still willingly breathing let alone standing as strong as she was having overcome an unimaginable nightmare.  

As a post-revolution Iranian myself, I have experienced and know exile,  immigration and loss far too well, but that young girl had a depth and strength I will never know.

When i set out on this self seeking journey, I went to Iran to work with these girls selfishly just for me.  But these girls have profoundly changed my life.  The young girl who overcame the unthinkable abuse; taught me what it means to be brave. Marjaneh Halati the founder of Omid-e-Mehr a strong, selfless and compassionate women who has adopted each and every one of these girls as her own, taught me what it is to be a mother. And the girl with the broken arm in the green cast with a huge smile on her face showed me the strength of an unbreakable spirit.  So today I thank them for letting me into their lives.

Connecting the Dots

YOU SEE A GIRL...WE SEE THE FUTURE

Why girls? No matter where they live in the world, girls are bright, talented, and full of dreams. But too many girls growing up in developing countries aren't able to fulfill those dreams because their chances to go to school, stay healthy, and live free from violence are out of reach. 



Join Girl Up and you can help change a girl’s future. Girl Up is about you – and your friends – coming together to raise awareness and funds to help girls living in countries like Malawi and Liberia in five important ways: every Girl Up “High Five” donation of $5 or more supports United Nations programs that help girls go to school, get a health checkup, be protected from violence, be counted and become more involved in their communities. Girl Up is uniting girls to change the world.

Click here to join the Girl Up “High Five” Campaign  

Aboard the Hope Express

Nasrin is 20 She does not remember her father, a heroin addict and drug dealer who abandoned her and her mother when she was only three years old. The step-father who replaced him continuously abused her. Nasrin left home at the age of 14 and was moved from one Behzisti (local authority) home to another until she found a safe haven at Omid-e-Mehr.   Due to years of abuse, neglect and emotional trauma She was extremely angry and destructive when she first came to Omid-e-Mehr.  But having received the proper psychological and emotional care, while given a chance to educate and broaden her mind she has been able to dramatically turn her life around. She has finished high school, is attending university preparatory classes, and is determined to make a career for herself as a lawyer. Nasrin has been reunited with her brother and grandmother, and is now also a regular visitor at her mother’s house.

Monir is 17 she has two brothers; a younger and older one. Monir’s mother is a drug addict. When her parents divorced, Monir was kicked out of the parental home. She then lived in Behzisti (local authority) accommodation until she was 16, when she was forced to leave because of her age.   Stranded at such a young age  with no money and no where to go, she had no means of supporting herself or renting a room. Left with no other choice she had to turn to her father and brothers who themselves were homeless and in no better predicament.   Her father a  poor  shoe maker, could barely provide enough for his family to eat.  Unable to rent a place, they all  had to sleep in the shop where her father worked. With Omid-e-Mehr's help, the family has now found an affordable flat. Monir is continuing her training at Omid-e-Mehr, while mentoring other young children in creative writing in downtown Tehran.

"I didn't know what the word Hope meant before"

Mehri is 17 She has never known her parents and has been placed in Behzisti (local authority) care since infancy. Mehri was an extremely fragile young woman when she first arrived at Omid-e-Mehr in 2004. She was depressed, shy, introverted and using drugs. For a long time she attended lessons only irregularly, and spent much of her time sleeping. An orphan all her life, she felt worthless as if she meant nothing to anyone.  Today, Mehri is no longer taking drugs and is rapidly turning into a self-confident and vibrant young woman. She has completed her training at Omid-e-Mehr and is embarking upon a career as a beautician. She retains the passion for photography and painting that she developed while at Omid-e-Mehr.

Despite their past difficulties, and the obstacles still facing them, these young women have dreams. They yearn to participate in life, and to make meaningful contributions to the world around them.  Each contribution, no matter how small directly improves the lives of these underprivileged young women in some vital way and Omid-e-Mehr value each and every donation. Donate Now

A Year After the Earthquake

One year ago a massive earthquake struck the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The devastation was unimaginable and the loss of life tragic. Today, across the world, we memorialize the more than 240,000 people who died that terrible day.

The effects of the earthquake are profound. The Haitian earthquake, unlike the tsunami, devastated the country’s government, killing 17 percent of its work force and destroying all but one ministry building, along with its phones, vehicles, computers and other infrastructure. Haiti must deal with all this destruction as well as the pressing issues it faced before the earthquake.

Port-au-Prince lies in ruins, a million people remain homeless, and Haitians still bear the scars and trauma of a horrible disaster.  While the international community responded with substantial humanitarian aid, significant work still needs to be done.

• Remove the Rubble: More than 50% of the original 19 million cubic meters of rubble remains uncleared. President Clinton called the situation “totally unacceptable.”
• Provide Safe and Secure Shelter: One million Haitians are internally displaced. More than 1,000 camps dot the country, potential incubators for cholera, sexual violence and the spread of HIV.
• Provide Clean Water and Sanitation: 40% percent of camps lack access to water. 30% do not have toilets. Water-borne cholera has claimed more than 3,000 lives.
• Provide Jobs: Post-quake, unemployment quadrupled in areas of Port-au-Prince and its outskirts. The estimated Haiti unemployment rate is 80 percent.

The Clinton Foundation  is leading collaborative efforts to help Haiti rebuild. In the months after the earthquake, President Clinton helped deliver more than $18.5 million in emergency relief and nearly $8.4 million in immediate grants to Haiti. In June 2010, he and philanthropists Frank Giustra and Carlos Slim announced a $20 million fund to help grow small and medium-sized enterprises that play an important role in building a modern, self-sustainable economy. At the 2010 meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, members made commitments valued at $224 million. The Clinton Foundation continues to respond to critical needs, including building emergency shelters, assisting people living in camps, responding to the recent outbreak of cholera, and helping Haitian artisans access new markets for their crafts.  Months and years of work remain to help the people of Haiti build a country they want to become instead of the country they used to be.   For more information click here

The Giving Pledge

A hefty yet graceful movement is transforming the world as you read, and it’s propelled by a wave of philanthropists on an unwavering quest to abolish global poverty. 
In 2009 Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, begin sketching a grandiose blue print for philanthropy.  "The Giving Pledge" ask the wealthiest Americans to give away half of their net worth to charities.  So far 40 Billionaires have signed on.  The Combined worth of the pledge so far is up to $125 Billion. 

Among the 57 billionaires who have pledged to give at least 50% of their wealth are Ted Turner, Barron Hilton, T. Boone Pickens, David Rockefeller, George Lucas, Michael R. Bloomberg and Paul G. Allen. For a full list of the participants click here 

With 400 of the current 937 Billionaires living in the United States there is no telling how large this fund could get.

Some billionaires such as Warren Buffet and Larry Ellison have already pledged $46.5 and $26.6 Billions respectively, far more than half of their net worth.  "We hope this movement will lead to more, and smarter, philanthropy," Buffett said. Gates and Buffett estimate their efforts could generate $600 billion in charitable giving.

http://givingpledge.org/

Go Hungry for Change

Global Fast :: We Changed 10,000 Lives from JJ Starr on Vimeo.

This is a new type of movement. Global Fast empowers anyone to make an impact as big as their vision. It's about your words and actions, not the size of your wallet. They give you the necessary tools to reach your community and change the world through charity and personal sacrifice. 

"By fasting and being uncomfortable for the afternoon, I am forced to remember how good I have it. And regardless of how much I want to complain (and still do), I am confronted by the fact that missing a meal is not even comparable to having to drink muddy water out of a hole in the ground. My hope is that by doing Global Fast, my heart starts to change, so that I actually care more about people in desperate need than I do my own comfort, at least for one meal a week. Its a step towards compassion, something that the world can always use."

This video includes shots of Pepperdine University students, where leaders created a one-day fasting event that raised over $10,000 to help refugees in Darfur. It also includes new footage from water wells built in India, as a result of a one-day fast for World Water Day 2010.

Visit globalfast.org for more information

She is only ten years old

 

In 2010 Iran's Department of Statistics announced that 10 million Iranians live under the "Absolute Poverty Line" and 30 million live under the "Relative Poverty Line."

It is such hearth wrenching realities that make me want to run back to Tehran and lend a hand.  Helpless and far across the globe I can't help but to feel ANGRY!

I'm Mad as Hell

1 billion people live in chronic hunger. In the time it takes to watch this video, two children will die of hunger.

 

http://www.1billionhungry.org/imaginechange 

On October 11, 2010 a new global hunger index released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) showed that one billion people face hunger this year.
The present dramatic situation has come about because instead of tackling the structural causes of food insecurity, the world neglected agriculture in development policies, resulting in an under-investment in this sector, in particular in developing countries.
It is unacceptable in the 21st century that almost one in six of the world's population is now going hungry.   According to the WFP At a time when there are more hungry people in the world than ever before, there is less food aid than we have seen in living memory.
Put pressure on politicians to end hunger. 

Sign the petition and push for change wherever you are - One Billion Hungry

A Magical Pair of Shoes

Firouz Naderi is an Iranian-American scientist and the Associate Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), responsible for Project Formulation and Strategy. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the recipient of a number of awards, including NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal. He was most recently recognized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) with the William Randolph Lovelace II Award for outstanding contributions to space science and technology. But most importantly his a humanitarian and compassionate man. Watch this touching video where he tells the tail of an amazing boy and a noteworthy cause ....

 To sponsor a child of your own http://www.keepchildreninschool.org/

It is true that it is those honest heartfelt stories that touch us the most, so much so that we are compelled to act.  The first time I heard this story I was ashamed. I have a closet full of shoes and still find myself saying, I need that new trendy pair of heels for that perfect outfit.  It is then that I truly grasped what it meant to be selfish.

A Letter from Soraya

Three years ago, at the age of 19, I was just getting out of a drug rehab center, had not finished high school, and had no clue what I was going to do with my life. But I was one of the fortunate few who were accepted into the Omid-e-Mehr program.

A few months ago I graduated from the program.

Much has happened in these three years. The highlights I remember most are that I received my high school diploma; received my IELTS level 6 internationally English language certificate; received my internationally recognized ICDL certificate for the computer skills I have acquired; completed my advanced accounting course and received my TVTO accounting certificate from the Iranian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; learned about the law and my rights both as an individual and as a women; visited every major museum in Tehran; been on many field trips around Iran to see both monuments and nature (the picture you see is from last year's trip to the Caspian); made many new friends; and found out what it feels like to be on top of the world.

I now believe in myself, am working full-time in the accounting department of a wonderful company in Tehran and live with two of my friends from Omid-e-Mehr in a small apartment. The future looks wonderful. Three years ago I did not think any of this was possible. For me the most important thing that has happened is that today I have a choice, a choice to decide what I want to do with my life, and the tools to succeed in whatever I choose to do.

None of this would have been possible without the Omid-e-Mehr. None of this would have happened without people like you supporting the Omid-e-Mehr. Words can not express what you have done for me. This is just to say thank you and to wish you the very best for the holidays.

Omid-e-Mehr will always need your support. Your support has helped me change my life. You can give the same gift of life that you have given me to thousands of other girls who truly need it.

Soraya

thankful this thanksgiving

As i sit here warm and cozy with my belly bulging from all the turkey, mashed potatoes and apple pie I stuffed myself with, I can’t help but feel conscious of all those who are going to bed hungry.

www.1billionhungry.org/imaginechange/ 

Hunger Kills 3.5 Million Children Each Year ... But it doesn’t have to!

Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger - roughly 8,765,812.7 a year

1/8 children under the age of 12 in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night

One out of four children - roughly 146 million - in developing countries are underweight

This thanksgiving lets be aware, inspired and give thanks by reaching out to another

For more information and live statistics check out Stop The Hunger