UEnd Blog

Friday Photo!!!! A group of budding soccer stars smile for the...

uendpoverty — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:14:11 -0600

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

uendpoverty — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:00:56 -0600

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...

uendpoverty — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:29:50 -0600

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

uendpoverty — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:11:34 -0600

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...

uendpoverty — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:01:00 -0600

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 5^th 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 7^th 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 18^th ‘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!

uendpoverty — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:03:21 -0600

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...

uendpoverty — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:29:27 -0600

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

uendpoverty — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:32:15 -0600

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...

uendpoverty — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:31:18 -0600

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

uendpoverty — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:33:53 -0600

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.

Friday Photo Here is a close-up of some children in Koinadugu,...

uendpoverty — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:57:00 -0600

Friday Photo

Here is a close-up of some children in Koinadugu, Sierra Leone, working away in school. This northern province of the country is benefiting from the ‘Igniting Imaginations through Library Learning’ project headed by CAUSE Canada.

To learn more about this project, click here.

Project Of The Week: Micro-Loans For AIDS Orphans Caregivers (Year 1)

uendpoverty — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:04:02 -0600

Project Snapshot

Total Cost: $5,084

Lives Affected: 109

Dollars Raised: $3,629

Dollars Needed: $1,455

Our partners at ‘True Vision Ghana’ are heading a project in Wa, Upper-West Region, Ghana, to assist those caregivers who must take care of at least one AIDS orphan, aside from their family.

Northern Ghana is the most impoverished region in Ghana, and one of the most poverty-stricken areas in Africa. Most of the caregivers have multiple jobs already and do not have big enough profit margins to receive a loan from the bank.

True Vision Ghana hopes to engage these caregivers in the Economic Empowerment Program by giving them small 200 GHS (approximately 126 CDN) loans for a 1-year term with the purpose of starting or expanding a small business to generate income.

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 picture of a couple of young children who will...

uendpoverty — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:00:05 -0600

Friday Photo

A picture of a couple of young children who will benefit from the ‘Child Learning Centre’ project. Our partners at ‘Atzin’ are heading this project, and it is located in Tlamacazapa, State of Guerrero, Mexico.

To learn more about this project, click here.

Project Of The Week: Micro-Credit for Families of Malnourished Children

uendpoverty — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:00:06 -0600

Project Snapshot:

Project Cost: $ 5,500

Lives Affected: 5,000

Dollars Raised: $ 125

Dollars Needed: $ 5,375

Change for Children is teaming up with their partner organization, KIHEFO (Kigezi Healthcare Foundation), by assisting families/entrepreneurs in Kabale, Uganda, who have been affected by civil strife and HIV/AIDS.

This project was initiated as a response to the growing need for financial assistance required by extended family members having to take in orphaned children.

Many families living in the area simply need a helping hand in the form of a small investment for increasing agricultural production or enhancing entrepreneurial skills and abilities.

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 people in a small village in Kabale,...

uendpoverty — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:58:28 -0600

Friday Photo

A group of people in a small village in Kabale, Uganda, who are benefiting from the Eco-Stove Solution project headed by Change For Children.

To learn more about this project, Click Here.

Project Of The Week: Literacy Training- Creating Opportunity

uendpoverty — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:30:18 -0600

Project Snapshot:

Project Cost: $5,000

Lives Affected: 200+

Dollars Raised: $2,226

Dollars Needed: $2,774

$5000 will enable 25 women in a village to take literacy classes for one year, including health, human rights and financial management training. Their savings are also matched for a household project.

This five-year project will improve the quality of life and standard of living for families living in marginalized communities through the promotion of

1) Education

2) Leadership

3) Health

4) Economic development

Students will be given the opportunity to accumulate savings in a formal financial institution during their participation in classes as part of financial training.

CAUSE Canada is an organization focused on the implementation of responsive, integrated community development in parts of the world where international assistance programs are under-represented.

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 Photo of some kids in Nicaragua who’ll...

uendpoverty — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:00:05 -0600

Friday Photo

Photo of some kids in Nicaragua who’ll benefit from the secondary school project being developed by Change for Children.

To learn more about the project, click here »

POTW: “Motlan” Dental Clinic and Oral Health Program

uendpoverty — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:18:32 -0600

Snapshot

Project cost: $4,900

Lives affected: 2,640

Dollars raised: $377

Dollars needed: $4,263

The sorry state of most villagers’ teeth, both in terms of caries and gingivitis, attest to the real need for low cost dental services, oral hygiene education and better nutrition. There are various reasons for the deteriorated condition of people’s teeth:

1) Their level of poverty, which doesn’t allow them to receive dental care

2) A general lack of knowledge about oral health care

3) Increased intake of foods high in sugar content

4) Chronic exposure to metal toxins from water and soil

Atzin, an organization working in Mexico since 1997, has set up a dental clinic and have been training hygienists since then. Costs are kept low for regular adult visits and free for impoverished elderly and children under 13. Results have been excellent and Atzin looks forward to training more dentists and helping more people.

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 »

Friday Photo A sign at Change For Children’s water well...

uendpoverty — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:36:27 -0600

Friday Photo

A sign at Change For Children’s water well project in Sierra Leone acknowledging supporters back in Alberta, Canada.

Visit the project page to learn more: http://www.uend.org/dt/projects/73

World Water Day – 5 questions with 3 partners. Part 3.

uendpoverty — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:00:05 -0600

It’s World Water Day…

…And we have the pleasure of working with fantastic organizations doing great things around the world to help eradicate global extreme poverty. A few of our partners are specifically targeting water, making it easier for people to access clean, healthy drinking water. So we asked each partner 5 questions about their take on the current water crisis and what people can do to help.

(Part 3 of 3)

From Shelaine, who works with our partner Change for Children as they build water wells in in the Romano Village region of Sierra Leone:

What’s your take on the current water crisis?
Water is sacred – it is fundamental to life – and it is a human right. Management of this precious and threatened commons needs to be the responsibility of everyone and requires collective and cooperative stewardship.

How is your organization trying to help?
CFCA has made water a priority – by encouraging awareness and action here at home in addition to advocating for support for our southern partners. We work with schools who have really become water champions by learning, teaching and fundraising. The real life stories of our Nicaraguan partners really resonate with school kids – they hear about our project partners and examine water issues locally and they really get it – and they want to do something about it.

What can WE (North Americans) do to help?
Start by being aware of your own water usage and your needs. Also we need to be stewards of this resource, to educate our children and our communities, to speak up …and simply not allow our water sources to be contaminated, depleted or commodified – and we need to apply this thinking to everyone, everywhere. Contributing to the Nicaragua Water Project is one way to make a real impact today and by demonstrating solidarity with people facing the crisis day to day.

Tell us something we don’t know about water.
For Canada, the average (per capita) daily domestic water use is 343 litres of water whereas in Nicaragua it is about 10 litres. The impact of a safe community well, locally managed is transformative -especially for women and girls who are often the ones charged with (and trapped by) the responsibility of finding water on a daily basis.

Who are some other people or organizations doing great things around water?
Locally, we have the North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper who’s mission is to ensure the north Saskatchewan watershed is safe for drinking swimming and fishing as well as informing citizens of their rights to clean waters.

Nationally (and globally), The Council of Canadians has been one of the strongest voices in the campaign to address water issues.

In Nicaragua, our partner organization Centro Humboldt is amazing in their effective and holistic approach to the water crisis in Nicaragua – from working with rural communities on access and management to advocating for laws to stop water privatization.

To learn more about the Romano Village water well project, to donate, or to give as a gift card to someone, click here.