My Own FashionABLE Scarf

A few weeks ago I went to Ethiopia with Michelle of Mummy From The Heart. Well, ok then, I didn't actually go to Ethiopia in person. Michelle went in person with the #ONEMums ( #ONEMoms ) mission organised by ONE.org and I hitched a virtual ride with Michelle. Through her blogs, tweets and sound clouds, I learned enough about what's going on there to write these posts:

My #ONEMums (#ONEMoms) posts:
Where You Live Determines If You Live
Lend Us Your Voice
Living Proof
A Simple Idea - MaryJoy
FashionABLE - A Different Opportunity

The Biggest Problem You Never Heard OF
Dont' All Thunderclap At Once
#ONEMums - No Misery Trip

One of my favourite posts was this one about FashionABLE. And now I have my very own FashionABLE scarf that Michelle sent me as a gift. Mine was made by Etanesh and you can read her story here.  How cool is that to know the person who made your scarf? Thanks Michelle, I shall wear it with pride.

The old arm-extended self photography

My FashionABLE scarf

A message from Etanesh

#ONEMums - No Misery Trip

Michelle Pannell (Mummy from the Heart) has been back from Ethiopia for nearly a week. I could almost say that 'we' have been home for nearly a week. Last week I was with Michelle in spirit all the way. Here are the posts I wrote about her mission with ONE.org International.



My #ONEMums (#ONEMoms) posts:
Where You Live Determines If You Live
Lend Us Your Voice
Living Proof
A Simple Idea - MaryJoy
FashionABLE - A Different Opportunity

The Biggest Problem You Never Heard OF
Dont' All Thunderclap At Once

I learnt so much from this mission. First I read Michelle's posts (and listened to her soundclouds) which you can also read (listen to) at Mummy from the Heart, then I followed her links to the websites of the organisations she visited. There were those who were expecting a misery trip. I can tell you that this was no misery trip. This is what I learnt last week.

1. You don't need to be rich to make a difference. ONE.org International asks for your voice to give them the strength of numbers to carry out their work. Their work is to follow up on all the promises made by countries and other organisations to give foreign aid. To make sure the promises are kept. To make sure the money goes to worthwhile projects and not into the pockets of corruption. To monitor the projects for efficiency and effective results. We are talking about billions of dollars donated by people like us. ONE makes sure it isn't wasted. You can see it all here on the  Living Proof Website and you can add your voice by scrolling down this blog on the right to the ONE widget.

2. Ethiopia is a beautiful country with much to offer. It's no longer the country of severe famine that we watched on the news 15 years ago. Whilst there is still extreme poverty there is also a growing middle class, an increasing tourist industry and vastly improved social initiatives helping towards greater employment, education and healthcare for everyone. There is a long way to go but the progress so far shows a country filled with hope.

3. Helping people to help themselves and move beyond poverty is the best way to give lasting aid. The cooperatives (especially those started and run by women) are nothing short of inspirational. They take families out of poverty, empower them and allow them to educate the next generation. Some provide work and income for families in the villages while others are major businesses exporting e.g. fashion items, around the world.

4. Missions like the ONEMums and ONEMoms work. While Michelle and 11 other bloggers were reporting from Ethiopia and their Ground Support Teams (bloggers like me) were adding our own posts, sharing, tweeting and retweeting. The #ONEMums hashtag had over 6 million hits on twitter. That doesn't include fb and G+ activity. (I'm not sure if it included #ONEMoms or not). That's an enormous number of voices added to ONE.org, most of whom had never heard of the organisation or what they do before last week. It's also an enormous number of people who have read about Ethiopia as a happening country, dispelling other more depressing images left over from harder times.

5. A meaningful trip can change your life. (Or: 5. Michelle Pannell is an exceptional woman. Probably both.) Michelle wrote in one of her posts, Down to Earth with a Bump, that the culture shock was in coming home (and realizing how much we have, a lot of it that we don't even need -  my words). She writes:
   "...just allow the processing to take place and slowly the information will fall into place and then dh and I can make some decisions about how we want our lives to change and we both know that we do.  Last year dh went to India on mission and that touched and changed him and now my Ethiopia journey has done the same for me, but we need to see how those changes translate to real everyday life."

6. Not everything has to succeed 100%. My thunderclap has rumbled off into the distance to quietly expire. I chose the smallest number of supporters (100) and the longest time available (14 days) but with only 3 days to go, we have only 26 supporters and a reach of over 40,000. I've let it go. Oh well, you win some you lose some. If any of you would like to cast a sympathy vote you can do so here but really, I'm over it. *sobs quietly* ;~)

7. One little photo can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you Michelle and all the ONEMums\ONEMoms. You did a terrific job and I am honoured to have been with you all the way.

Bottom right on the poster is me :~)

All photos are taken from the ONEMums Pinterest file.

The Biggest Problem You've Never Heard OF

I didn't make the heading up myself. I read it on the Operation OF website. Today is the first UN International day of the Girl. Many bloggers and journalists are writing about this important initiative and there is certainly much to write.

The International Day of the Girl includes equality in education for girls, equal standing in traditional families, fighting to stop childhood marriage (where it is invariably the girl who is still the child), equal opportunities for girls, and just about every issue in which girls get less or are treated as less than boys.

One of the loudest causes has been the fight against child marriage. There are lots of obvious reasons (and some less obvious) why a girl should not be 'sold' into marriage as a young teenager. Follow @WorldVisionUK and @WorldVisionPR and World Vision’s facebook page for news and stories on #childmarriage. One of them is the biggest problem you've never heard of (or OF) - obstetric fistula.

The Hamlin Fistula Hosptal, Addis Ababa

Michelle describes her visit to the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa as part of the ONEMums mission. She states that the physical immaturity of the child-mothers makes this condition more likely to occur. Operation OF describes it as follows:

"Obstetric Fistula is the Biggest Problem You’ve Never Heard OF

Imagine five days of labor that end in stillbirth. As you try to pull yourself together emotionally after this unimaginable loss, you realize that you’re constantly wet. You don’t know why, but that five days of labor made a hole in your bladder that constantly leaks urine. This hole is also known as an obstetric fistula. You try to drink less, but that makes your wretched smell even stronger. Your husband thinks you’re cursed so he leaves. No one wants to work with you because you stink. You can’t even get water because you are the unclean. You are left alone on the margins of society begging for an end to your suffering. This is obstetric fistula."

Some of the women treated at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital, Addis Ababa

And yet this condition is easily treatable with a relatively quick and simple operation. Read the women's stories on the OperationOF website. Read Michelle's account of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. Both have suggestions for how you can help if you are so moved. This is the issue that grabbed my attention and moved me. 11/10 is the International Day of the Girl. A girl is a girl, not a wife/mother/breadwinner. Remember what it was like to be a girl? There are, as I said, many causes involved with this Day. Find yours and make a difference. 


Related posts: 
Where You Live Determines If You Live
Lend Us Your Voice
Living Proof
A Simple Idea - MaryJoy
FashionABLE - A Different Opportunity

A Simple Idea - MaryJoy

Zebider Zewdie, a nurse in Addis Ababa, came up with a simple idea. In a country and city where AIDS/HIV is rife, poverty endemic, death in childbirth common, there are few jobs, high rates of illiteracy, and scant healthcare; there are obviously many orphans, homeless and old people without means or family. 

Zebider Zewdie had the simple idea of building a community for these underserved people. She started what became the MaryJoy Aid Through Development centres. Centres where the lonely and outcast are welcome and given resources to put their lives back on a track. Where they are part of a supportive community and where they can belong.

A simple idea but with colossal effect on the lives of over 1 1/2 million Ethiopians in 63 centres. Huge. Just huge.

The ONEMums in Ethiopia visited a MaryJoy centre yesterday. This is what Michelle writes about it. Did you know you could sponsor a child for all their nutritional and educational needs, and give them a roof over their heads all for $10 a month?



Meanwhile I started a ONEMums in Africa Thunderclap. If we get 100 supporters in 14 days something wonderful happens. I'm not sure what exactly but it's worth trying to reach the target in order to find out, isn't it? Please click on the badge below and follow it through.

Related posts: 
Where You Live Determines If You Live
Lend Us Your Voice
Living Proof

Living Proof

So Jen and Michelle (@JHowze of BritMums and Jenography and @MichelleTwinMum of Mummy from the Heart and Honest Mummy Reviews) are in Ethiopia for a week to check out the work of ONE International in Africa. See my two previous posts: Where You Live Determines If You Live; and Lend Us Your Voice. They are seeing, experiencing, tweeting and blogging. There are photos up in a Pinterest file and meme doing the rounds. A whole team of us here on the ground are giving support by tweeting and retweeting, blogging and generally whipping up as much enthusiasm as we can. And of course we invite everyone to join in with any of the above. Here are some tweets from Michelle:

> On the most amazing trip ever, the people of #Ethiopia are so warm. Thank you #ONEMoms

> Yesterday I danced with loads of Ethiopian women and kids and boy did it rock!! #ONEMoms

 > Yes really here and being blown away, the people of #Ethiopia are wonderful #oneMums

At the Mary-Joy Organisation

> @midlifesinglem had the most amazing day yesterday at an outreach community centre in the city. Mary-Joy organisation #ONEMums  

And I have tweeted back to Michelle things like: Have a great day! Enjoy! #ONEMoms

What is going on here?

Millions of dollars in aid are given to Africa every year to try to alleviate the poverty, starvation, sickness and death caused by curable diseases, illiteracy, the spread of AIDS, drought and famine, etc...etc...etc...etc...etc...

And yet this trip feels like one big sightseeing holiday with partying and even a dose of, 'wish you were here' thrown in. What, in light of the above paragraph, in the world is going on here? Well, this is a celebration not a misery trip. 

What are we celebrating?

The millions of dollars given as part of aid programmes and intiatives are working. You can see it all here on the Living Proof website. Be warned, I popped in to have a quick look around and was caught up in all the personal stories and inspiring transformations over the years. They even address some of the FAQs that cross all our minds, lets be honest... 

Doesn't a lot of aid money get diverted by corrupt officials? It's part of ONE Interantional's brief to follow the money and make sure this does not happen.

Aren't we going to create an overpopulation disaster which will spill over into Europe? It's a proven fact that when life expectancy goes up the birthrate decreases dramatically. Birthrate also decreases with improved education. 

Doesn't monetary aid stop these people from helping themselves? It's not hand-outs that are effective but rather programmes that enable people to help themselves: education, small business intiatives, empowerment for women, engineering, technical, medical and agricultural know-how...

#ONEMoms taking notes

Where does ONE International fit in? 

The best description I've seen among the Ground Support Bloggers is this one from Kylie at Not Even A Bag Of Sugar:

"ONE is different. We are not asking for money. ONE is a grassroots campaigning organisation, that seeks to hold governments accountable for their decisions in regard to aid. ONE is all about voices, using our voice to effect change. By showing that aid is working then this should mean more adherence by governments to the commitments they make. It's easy in a conference to say "yes we will help", but organisations like ONE, to coin a very Australian turn of phrase, are there to "*keep the bastards honest." 

Have you signed up with ONE.org to lend your voice? (Signing up widget on the right, just scroll down.)

Thank you for your support.

Where You Live Determines If You Live

Would you like to help make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty? Would you like to be able to do this in a meaningful way that doesn't require you to send lots of money or spend lots of time volunteering? Read on... 

Michelle of Mummy from the Heart is going to Ethiopia as a member of  ONE Moms in Ethiopia (even though she is actually a Mum). I am part of Operation Ground Support. It's a very responsible job and I'm taking it very seriously. The Ground Support Team will be keeping you up to speed about ONE Moms in Ethiopia. This is what Michelle says about the trip:

"From Saturday 6^th October until Sunday 14^th October Jennifer Howze (@JHowze of BritMums and Jenography) and Michelle Pannell (@MichelleTwinMum of Mummy from the Heart and Honest Mummy Reviews) will be travelling with ONE.org (view the ONE website ) to see first-hand the difference that international aid from countries such as the USA and UK is making to people in Ethiopia. It will be a unique trip allowing them to see the continent’s many challenges and success stories and learn about the roles that young people, governments, schools, businesses and civil society are playing in Africa’s development."  

What ONE does:

• ONE fights poverty and disease in Africa by working with their 3 million members around the world to press government leaders to support effective programs such as PEPFAR and GAVI that are saving millions of lives in poor countries.
• ONE also holds world leaders accountable for the commitments they've made to fight extreme poverty and we campaign for better development policies and more effective aid. Examples include ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015, childhood vaccinations and projects that teach people to use advanced farming techniques to support their families and invest in their own futures.

What ONE doesn’t do:

• They are not a charity or a grant-making organization.
• They do not have on-the-ground programs in Africa – they are advocates for American (British and other developed nations) investment in smart programs that work on the ground: helping to eliminate extreme poverty and preventable disease in a sustainable way.
• They do not raise money from the public or their members. ONE is almost entirely funded by foundations and our board members. At ONE, we don’t ask for your money. We ask for your voice. (ONE’s biggest financial supporter is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

So please join me in the fight against extreme poverty. I've just signed up to ONE and you can too. The signing up widget is on the right of my blog - just scroll down, you can't miss it. 

By supporting ONE, you have the opportunity to take action to support effective, proven initiatives that are delivering results in the poorest places on the planet: protecting families from preventable diseases like AIDS and malaria, putting children in school, providing economic opportunity and stabilising communities. 

Join me and millions of people around the world who believe that where you live shouldn't determine whether you live:

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks