UEnd Blog

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.

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. 

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.

POTW: Vocational Training for Women - Phase Two.

Project snapshot:

• Lives affected: 35,000

• Project cost: $10,000

• Dollars raised $5,102

• Dollars needed: $4,898

• Cause Sector: Economy - Gender Equality

Project Location: Chipursan/Pakistan 

Project Description: 

The Chipursan valley is located in north Pakistan at the border of Afghan Pamir. Three thousand people live in this remote area and suffer from a harsh climate, inaccessibility, limited cultivatable land, and a short growing season. With people dependent on subsistent farming, livelihood opportunities are very limited especially for women.

Currently there are eleven women’s organizations (representing 300 members) working with the women in the region, 30% whom are literate. Creating livelihood opportunities for the 1500 women remains the primary challenge of these organizations. The goal is to develop vocational training and production centers where women can learn how to use local resources to produce and market various handcrafts.

Each family owns several sheep and the production of products made from the wool of these sheep is a potential income generating activity for women. Traditionally women have been using traditional skills and rudimentary tools to make woolen jackets, caps and other products for home use.

The project aims to upgrade the skills of those women who are already producing woolen garments to put them more in alignment with market needs. This will require the use of improved technologies. Groups of 10 women from each village will be trained to create improved wool products with each village group focused on one specific product. Each group will be provided with basic tools and equipment who can then involve other women to establish a village level business.

UEnd:Poverty, in partnership with HiMaT Indigenous Leadership and Development Centretwishes to continue to assist Guatemalan women and their families in their growth and knowhow, enabling them to become self-sufficient, through education and their own, assisted business development efforts.

Your donations to this project initially touch the lives of a few but the ripple this causes affects generations. With projects like this it is easy to see how a little can turn into a world of difference for someone else and bring us steps closer to ending world poverty.

How can you help? Follow this project on the UEnd.org website and if you feel like this is something you’d like to donate to, please do. Or if you have a special occasion coming up like a family member’s or friend’s birthday, send them a UEnd gift card for this project.

- post written by Greg Travnicek (UEnd crew member and poverty fighter since 2010)

In preparation for the UEnd One Yoga event coming next week, (August 7, 2011) I have been doing a little research into yoga and some of it’s origins and significances of well known practices.

108 is very interesting….

There are certainly many interpretations and thoughts concerning the number 108. It has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. According to yogic tradition, there are 108 sacred sites (pithas) throughout India. Likewise there are said to be 108 marma points (sacred places in the body). When researching the significance of the number 108 I was very quickly overwhelmed at how much information is available about the number 108 and it’s association with yogic practices and even ancient Indian astronomy. It’s significance goes further into mathematics (It is an abundant number, a semiperfect number and a tetranical number), religion, martial arts etc…

Yoga, itself, is a physical, spiritual and mental discipline that originates in ancient India. Indian culture has traditionally been very rooted in it’s religious beliefs who’s goals are to attain a state of perfect spiritual peace, tranquility and perfection. The actual word, yoga, is associated with the meditative practices found in Hinuism, Buddism and Jain-ism. These practices are still used in yoga today. Specifically, for the purpose of this posting, 108 Sun Salutations in yogic practice is often used to honor change. In relation to UEnd I see One Yoga and 108 as a perfect time and method to honor change. Change in the way we, and the world around us, make a difference, honor the change that UEnd is bringing to the poverty stricken around our globe and the change to come due to the efforts that UEnd, it’s members and those who give differently through UEnd. All done through the peaceful and enlightening ways of yoga.

I know. This can certainly sound like a big sales pitch where some guy has taken the opportunity to use an event to further the cause of an organization. The fact is, you’re partially correct. I have always been one to see the positive possibilities in people, or-ganizations and events - thanks Mom. :). As a result I look to organizations like UEnd that use peaceful and caring means to effectively make a difference in the world, as a catalyst that can truly affect the world for good all around. Whether or not I believe in the origins of yogic practices or their religious backgrounds, I can look to the positive change ahead and honor where we are going.

This August 7th I encourage you to make a difference by just showing up at the 4th An-nual - One Yoga in the Park 2011 . If you cannot make it there - please invite your friends and remember the date.


As mentioned off the top, the number 108 has many interesting significances that can seem either odd or fascinating. Want to look into more? Here’s one great site that I dis-covered while researching information on the significance of 108 - and there is MUCH more out there as well….

This blog article was written by UEnd volunteer and writer Eric Gerchikov.

Something new and exciting is coming from UEnd: Poverty this summer – a new website that is going to make it easier for everyone to get involved with UEnd.

UEnd is an amazing avenue for people who want to redirect a portion of their gift-giving budget to help those living in extreme poverty. What makes UEnd great is that 100% of the funds raised from each gift card go directly to the chosen project. This means that as a donor, you don’t have to worry about what portion of your money will go to help those living in poverty. Some may wonder, how is a charity that donates 100% of the money they raise for various projects able to fund itself?

UEnd raises money for its operations separately from the money it raises from the gift cards. This is done in three ways. The first way is through private philanthropists. The second way is through a tip program that allows those who buy a UEnd gift card to give a tip to fund the organization itself. And the third way is through what UEnd calls U:Powered.

U:Powered is a new and exciting way that makes it easy for anyone to help UEnd run its operations. Through U:Powered, donors are able to set up a monthly donation of any amount they choose. For as little as the price of a cup of coffee, anyone can help UEnd continue to do the amazing work that they do.

So, go to UEnd.org to check out U:Powered and see how you can help UEnd help others change the world. For more information on what’s coming up and to hear about when we launch the new site, sign up for the UEnd newsletter. And don’t forget to check out our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter.

With the new UEnd website coming this summer, gift giving has never been easier.

Cheers,
Eric


Girls at school in Liberia | UEnd: poverty