Manifesto

The Revolution comes to twitter

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 15:00:41 -0600

The Humanitarian Revolution has come to Twitter.

New technology is the key to spreading the Humanitarian Revolution.

Updates will include information found online that helps educate, inform and inspire people about the terrible situations in the world and the incredible things that Revolutionaries are doing to make a difference.

Follow us at: www.twitter.com/HumRev

And spread the word -

Helping closer to home?

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:30:03 -0700

Perhaps fighting poverty overseas isn’t your cup of tea? Maybe you would like to help closer to home. After all there are probably people who need help right on our own street. If that’s what you feel passionate about, I found a great website that makes it possible to help “people around town”.

A lot of the requests revolve around helping people with fixed income or very low income cover those unexpected expenses, maybe a car breaking down, a larger than expected bill, or emergency room medical bills.

For a lot of us, we have a little extra cash or savings that can cover those surprises. There are many who don’t.

The site does thorough research on the requests to make sure they are legitimate. The site receives over 2,000 requests a month, and only 20% ever get approved and appear on the site.

The web site is called Modest Needs.

It was started by a man only making $33,000/year, but he was willing to put a portion of that salary towards helping others. Keith Taylor was his name, and he started by paying for someone’s glasses.

He ended up getting a lot of media attention - as a crazy college professor writing out checks. His social experiment has grown into a full function website that has served a lot of people and helped them through rough times.

Those that use the site for help aren’t trying to live off of it - only 10% of Modest Needs beneficiaries every ask for help again.

Check it out - Here’s the link: http://www.modestneeds.org/

To read more about the founder you can read the Forbes article here.

New study shows money CAN buy happiness

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:42:54 -0700

Reuters reported that “money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else.”

“Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School Found.”

The experiments included more than 630 Americans. “Regardless of how much income each person made, those who spent the money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spend more on themselves did not.”

The study even found that employees who devoted more of their year end bonus to “pro-social spending experienced greater happiness...and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself.”

The conclusion - if you want to experience an instant boost in happiness, spend money on someone else.

Repeat as needed for extra happiness.

Disclaimer: No side effects.

In other words, “Take your money, and give it away.”

And the great thing is it doesn’t have to be a lot. $5 dollars? Most of us have at least that much in change in our house.

Even a little amount of money adds over time ads up. For me, it’s nice to look back at money I’ve given over time and realize that in my own small dollar amount way I’m doing something to make a difference. At those moments, I get to feel happy again, absolutely free.

Don’t know where to start? Check out Kiva.org - $25 can change someone’s life.

Click here to read the full article

Water

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:35:11 -0600

I was down at the Gateway in Salt Lake City, making a routine visit to the Apple store (trying to pick up a new iPhone 3G). While taking my son to the restroom I passed a store called “Brighton’s”.

In their window was a display after the lack of clean water for 1 out of every six people in the world. That’s equal to the entire population of the United States and Europe not having clean water, except this problem exists primarily in the developing world.

Here are the facts:

• 42,000 people will die this week from diseases related to poor drinking water. 90% of them will be children under age 5.
• A child dies from unsafe drinking water every 15 seconds
• 80 percent of all sickness on the planet is caused by unsafe drinking water and lack of basic sanitation.
• Millions of women in developing nations walk 3 miles every day, to get water that is likely to make them sick and kill their children.

Next time you are at the Gateway, visit Brighton’s store to support the cause.

And go check out their website now: www.charitywater.org and make a small donation that will make a big difference.

It was really quick and easy and I feel better about myself for having done some good in the world today, especially for the little children, like my own who need clean water like we drink everyday.

And I thought we had it bad

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 16:52:18 -0600

I’ve heard it said by some that we are stuck with two rather un-exciting candidates for the next President of the United States. That may be, but at least it’s not as bad as some countries have it.

The Ivory Coast for example. If you lived there your ballot might consist of “Child Sacrificer number 1” or Child Sacrificer number 2”.

I came across this news feed about political and campaign practices that frankly I cannot believe exist.

It surprises me that such backward, ignorant beliefs actually exist today, and once again that children have to suffer for it the most.

AFRICA
CHILD SACRIFICE AND ELECTIONS: Police in Ivory Coast fear child abduction may increase in the run-up to presidential elections this year as some political hopefuls turn to human sacrifice or rituals using of human organs to improve their chances, according to a report by U.N. news agency IRIN.
A spokesperson for the child protection unit says child sacrifice always increases around election times.
The Ivorian non-governmental child protection organization Roxa says it registers between 60 and 90 disappearances a month. Some children are snatched by organ traffickers. Others end up in the sex trade or working on plantations.
The November elections are meant to reunite the country which split in two after a 2002/2003 civil war. But fighting has broken out between rebel forces who support the peace process and followers of a sacked rebel chief.
The ex-rebels, who are meant to be participating in a disarmament and demobilization program, say they haven't received all the money promised them.
The U.N. head of human rights in Ivory Coast said last week that the program urgently needed to be completed. "Civilians are being beaten, women and small children raped," he said. "These armed bandits are even attacking funeral processions."

Small loan, incredible change

Thu, 8 May 2008 10:13:59 -0600

“All of us...at one time or another, have seen human tragedies that broke our hearts, and yet we did nothing – not because we didn’t care, but because we didn’t know what to do. If we had known how to help, we would have acted.

The barrier to change is not too little caring; it is too much complexity.

To turn caring into action, we need to see a problem, see a solution, and see the impact.”

Bill Gates - Harvard Commencement Address

Want to get involved in the humanitarian revolution, but don’t know where to being? I think a lot of people feel that way: overwhelmed by the problem and under-capable of making a difference.

Why? Because it takes a huge amount of money to fight poverty, right? Millions, even billions of dollars would be needed to revolutionize the world. And you and I on are tight budgets with limited money can’t really make a dent in poverty, right?

That might have been true in the past, but thanks to the Internet, that is no longer the case. I want to highlight two websites that let you see the needs, see the solution and get updates on the impact.

A very small amount of money, multiplied many times can make a huge difference for those trying to start a business in the third world.

A “very small amount of money” is a literal statement, not an exaggeration. I just visited www.kiva.org and found that only $25.00 were needed to complete an original loan request of $525.

The request was made by Matilda Kwarteng of Offinsu, Ghana. She is a single mom, with one daughter who runs a small store. She requested a loan so she could buy more stationary items like books, pens, pencils and drawing papers to sell.

That’s the nice thing about www.kiva.org and www.microplace.org; you know exact how much money you are lending, who it is going to and what they are doing with it. You also receive periodic updates about the status of loan repayment and how the loan is helping to grow businesses and raise people out of poverty.

Most borrowers are women, struggling to raise children on their own. They are motivated by their maternal instinct to work hard and literally save their children from starvation and ignorance. Ignorance because many kids are not able to attend school unless basic fees can be paid and uniforms bought and paid for.

A loan will help the mother start or expand a business and will help her to feed and educate her children. Her children, armed with education and good food and health will be able to break the cycle of poverty. It will effect generations. I don’t know of anything else you can do that will effect so many with so little.

Make a difference today!

www.Kiva.org
www.MicroPlace.org

The major difference I have noticed between kiva.org and microplace.org is that MicroPlace actually pays you a return of up to 3% a year on money loaned. It’s an investment that benefits others, and benefits yourself, in more than one way. 3% is a better return than you could get at the bank and you are helping change the lives of families and generations. (MicroPlace is backed by E-Bay so it’s safe and secure.) Loan repayment rates are upwards of 95%.

100,000 each year?

Thu, 8 May 2008 01:15:06 -0600

Which of the causes of death listed below take the most lives each year?

Which on the list below have you heard the most about?

A. Drowning
B. Skin Cancer
C. Breast Cancer
D. Noma

I hear or see a lot of TV commercials for drowning and skin cancer, so I assumed that the death toll would be significant. Breast cancer also gets a lot of publicity and promotion. You can buy almost anything pink to support the cause and I frequently year about fundraising and awareness events.

That why I was surprised when I learned of a disease that I have never heard of before that afflicts almost twice as many as breast cancer, skin cancer and drowning combined. And the more I learned about it, the less I could believe it.

Noma afflicts only poor and undernourished children 2-6 years of age.

What starts out as simple gingivitis, can without treatment and proper nutrition, lead to an aggressive carnivore, eating the soft tissue of the gums and face and even the bones of the jaw and teeth. The diseases name comes from the Greek work for ‘devour’.

80% of all children who contract Noma die. That’s 80,000 deaths a year from a disease that is treatable with inexpensive, and common antibiotics.

Those who survive, are severely deformed and are not able to eat or speak normally for the balance of their lives.

I can’t believe that I have never heard about this disease or the large amounts of suffering and death is causes each year.

The causes of death that I have heard the most about, or those that first came to mind were were the ones I listed in the multiple choice above. These are diseases that I hear about frequently through TV or radio commercials, or because of fundraising events going on to further raise awareness, prevention and cure.

I did some research on the suffering caused by the three above mentioned diseases, assuming that if they received so much attention there must be a need equal to the cause.

Here is what I found:

2008 - Estimated Deaths in the US from breast cancer: 40,480
Less than 5% of those deaths will be in women under the age of 40
Source

2008 - Estimated deaths in the US from skin cancer: Less than 1,000
Source

2008 - Estimated deaths in the US from drowning: 8,000
Source

Of course, I’m not opposed to fundraising or prevention education in regards to any of the above mentioned causes of death. But I am definitely in favor of fundraising and prevention of a disease that is taking the lives, only after what I can imagine is intense suffering, of 80,000 children a year.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Focus can be applied to both.

But, hypothetically, if a decision had to be made, it would seem the best good could be done by focusing on the worst problem.

World Noma Day is May 22nd. Get involved and learn more at the following sites:

International Noma Federation Facing Africa Noma Children’s Hospital

6 billion others

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 01:10:25 -0600

Sometimes, I forget how many people live on this globe, and how different our lives are. We may all live on the same planet, and still live in completely different worlds. Most people don’t live life like I do, in fact, the majority don’t.

Are people from other countries different than we are? In many ways they are, in language, dress, culture and acceptable habits.

But in a lot of ways we have everything in common. Sometimes, language and cultural barriers can create an artificial separation between people from different countries or backgrounds.

Their lives don’t seem to be as real as ours because we can’t connect with something emotionally which we can’t understand or feel comfortable with.

I wanted to share a site I found that has opened my heart and mind to the personableness of people worldwide.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand put together a site composed with candid interviews of people from all over the world, speaking a wide variety of languages. People talk of life, love, death, anger and parts of everyday life that are common to us all.

Bertrand’s reasons for starting the site are inspiring. To hear his account be sure to click on “The Project” link from the main page.

The site: www.sixbillionothers.org

After you take a look at it, post a comment.

Humanitarian News source

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 01:02:27 -0600

Have you ever wondered about what life is like in other countries? Such things as the life expectancy is in Zimbabwe, compared with the United States? Or how many women are literate in Columbia?

Maybe not, but it’s still eye opening to learn more about the situation other people live in around the world.

I found a great source for statistics and information on the actual situation of countries around the world. You can easily create a view comparative graphs, read histories on current crises and get up to date news on all things humanitarian.

An invaluable source for anyone interested in getting the facts about humanitarian situations, not reported by traditional media outlets, or to get additional details and a history of reported crises.

http://www.alertnet.org/mediabridge/index.htm