If we were all to redirect a mere 5% of the billions of dollars that we already spend each year on gifts, there would be enough to eliminate extreme poverty in about 15 years.
UEnd:Poverty. Gift different.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Friday Photo!!!!
A group of budding soccer stars smile for the camera in Rural Uganda.
Healthy Child Uganda has been working within remote communities to implement simple, inexpensive solutions that help to create an environment where kids can stay healthy enough to grow, learn and…. play!!!!
To learn more about some of the projects in rural Uganda, click here.
Project of the Week: Literacy training for African Women in Koinadugu, Sierra Leone
Project Snapshot
Total Cost: $5000
Lives Affected: 440
Dollars Raised: $2,802
Dollars Needed: $2,198
Women. They are one the most powerful and effective tools out there in the battle against extreme poverty. We are all becoming familiar with the concept that if a woman in one of the poorest places in the world is empowered with an education, there is an immediate impact on the well-being of her family: everyone gets healthier, more money gets saved, and the kids go to school. A community full of families like this – families that are employed, healthy, and educated - well, that is a community that is on it’s way to thriving.
This project, implemented by CAUSE Canada, is designed to improve the quality of life and standard of living for those families living in both the largest and the poorest district in Sierra Leone, the Koinadugu district. 25 women will have the opportunity to attend weekly literacy classes for an entire year. The classes focus on much more than just basic reading and writing skills, but also educate students about human rights, financial management and health matters. Additionally, the participating women each decide on a household investment to save for, and are given the incentive of having their savings matched one to one.
If you want to donate to this project, or simply learn more about it, click here.
Friday Photo
An elderly women sits weaving a basket out of palm leaves in the community of Tlamacazapa, located in the State of Guerrero, high in the mountains of central Mexico. If she works steadily, she will finish her project in four days. Although she herself has likely never left the village, her basket will sell for a few dollars in the streets of Mexico after one of the village men leave Tlamacazapa - sometimes for weeks - to do so.
Most of the women in Tlamacazapa are illiterate, and the female-run households are the very poorest of the poor in the community. Our partner organization Atzin, who works specifically in Tlamacazapa, has implemented the Women’s Education Program to empower these women to improve their own living conditions and those of the community.
To donate to, or simply learn more about this project, click here.
Project of the Week: $5 to the Finish Line
For the past four months, Carla White has been riding her heart out, raising money to bring awareness to Energy Poverty in Africa, and provide solar lanterns to impoverished communities across the continent.
Carla’s been keeping a blog of her adventure along the way. Today, she’s at the finish line. And we’re almost at our fundraising goal:
Goal: $25,000
Remaining: $1,462
Facts about Carla’s Ride to End Energy Poverty:
1 bungee jump
1 shoulder separation
1 wind turbine
10 solar lanterns
10 countries
75 cyclists
120 total days
653 supporters in Canada
5,800 lives impacted
11,718 km’s ridden
$23,538 raised so far ($1,462 still needed)
What you can do:
1) Give $5 to this project http://www.uend.org/dt/projects/154
2) Share this with your friends
3) Tweet this and share on Facebook
4) Smile! Because you helped make this happen
(all photos from Carla White)
She was the one who gave you breath…
Whether she did that by giving birth to you, opening your eyes to the world, or cheering you on as you took on the world, a day dedicated to reciprocating those gifts with a little inspiration of your own fast approaches.
Now, the only question is what sort of inspiration do you want to give her?
DIRECT CHANGE IN HER NAME and make a donation in Mom’s name to the project that you think best fits her. Then (possibly the next best part) show her how she can revisit the project page for updates on its progress!
AN EXERCISE IN FLEXIBILITY and the perfect opportunity to ask Mom to join you at UEnd’s 5th Annual One Yoga in the Park! Spend some quality time with Mom, doing just what she always knew you would do: Change the world… for good – together!
PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT and send her a UEnd gift card to spend on the world-changing project of her choice… and why not include the added bonus of bringing her to this year’s 7th Annual Timeraiser! There, the two of you can bid on artwork by pledging volunteer hours (maybe even volunteer together!) and this is also the perfect chance to meet some of UEnd’s tribe members in person! We’ll be there! – Will you?
FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC! Tell your mom to save the date for August 18th ‘cause you’re bringing her to the one, the only, and the very first – U:Party! It’s a party for all things UEnd:Poverty, complete with music (courtesy Make Shift Innocence, Jocelyn Alice and Trinity Bradshaw) and moxie to spare! And what better way to invite her than with a UEnd online gift card? Fast, easy, and 100% guaranteed good fun and global giving goodness!
BECAUSE SHE EMPOWERED YOU… empower UEnd in her name – Give the first woman in your life a year’s subscription to U:Powered so she can be part of the force that is giving those grassroots organizations we support the chance to grow, empowering hundreds, if not thousands worldwide!
And happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers out there!
- UEnd Crew
Project Of The Week: Seed Paddy Comes Out Trumps!
Project Snapshot
Total Cost: $4,650
Lives Affected: 80
Dollars Raised: $1,989
Dollars Needed: $2,661
Living conditions are very difficult in the Kiribamunagama village, part of the Karunegala District in Sri Lanka. This very poor area has just about 65 acres of Seed Paddy acres combined in storage, with most families having no land at all. Most of these families with almost nothing receive income support under the official ‘Poverty Alleviation Programme’, Samurdhi.
This village and region still remains poor due to high production costs and unstable prices given for the harvested crops. All farming must be done under supervision of local instructors and officials, and must meet quality standard minimums to be eligible for paid harvest. Most often this results in the farmers being in debt due to poor quality crops as a result of many hardships.
That is why this project, headed by ‘The Sri Lanka Centre for Development Facilitation’, is designed on using the funding received for this project to create a Revolving Loan Fund for the farmers to be able to afford the farming process. This should enable most of the farming families to farm efficiently, and as a result, produce quality crops for harvest to ensure that their fair return in pay is received.
To learn more about this project, click here.
Join the UEnd:Poverty movement and help change the world with a $5/month membership to U:Powered. Learn more by clicking here.
Friday Photo
A unique picture seen here of a group of villagers challenged with the daunting task of rolling large water tanks back home to their village. This is all part of a ‘Water Infrastructure’ development project headed by the ‘Bulungula Incubator’ organization in the Nqileni Village, South Africa.
To learn more about this project, click here.
Project of the Week: Lawra District Micro-Credit for Women
Project Snapshot
Total Cost: $13,500
Lives Affected: 300
Dollars Raised: $797
Dollars Needed: $12,703
This project is designed to empower the women of the Lawra District, in Ghana, through the improvement of their living standards. This is expected to help both them and their immediate families throughout the process.
Our friends at ‘FORDG’ (Friends of Rural Development Ghana) are implementing this project, and the plan is to provide the beneficiary women with micro-credit aimed at teaching them how to farm groundnuts. This economic assistance will help lead to well-balanced meals, improved health care, and the provision of basic needs for them and their children.
In the first year, they will be taught basic value-adding techniques using the groundnuts they produce, and the micro-credit shall be directed at enabling each beneficiary to cultivate one acre of groundnuts. The second year, the group of women are trained how to produce different things using the crop such as groundnut oils and cake. Aside from this, they will also be taught how to efficiently manage their resources since they are limited.
To learn more about this project, click here.
Join the UEnd:Poverty movement and help change the world with a $5/month membership to U:Powered. Learn how by clicking here.
Friday Photo
A group of women having a good laugh during story-time in the sub district of Bagerhat, Bangladesh. Most of these women unfortunately are widows due to Royal Bengal Tiger attacks upon their husbands while gathering resources from the Sundarban Rainforest. Our partners at ‘LEDARS’ are heading a project to ensure the security of the women’s livelihood and safety in the area.
To learn more about this project, Click Here.
Project Of The Week
Total Cost: $10,000
Lives Affected: 4,200
Dollars Raised: $8,361
Dollars Needed: $1,639
Building on the success of other water well projects around the world, ‘Change For Children’ is heading a ‘Drilling for Clean Water’ project in Tonkolili, Sierra Leone.
They are teaming up with a local organization to raise funds in order to drill 5 water wells in the Romano Village region of the nation. After a successful water well project was completed in the area in 2007, there was a huge increase in demand for clean water.
This has made it necessary to prioritize the drilling of five more wells. This is great news as these projects significantly help reduce water borne illnesses in the villages, especially amongst children.
To learn more about this project, click here.
Join the UEnd:Poverty movement and help change the world with a $5/month membership to U:Powered. Want to learn how? Click here.
