Imagine 100 of your Facebook friends in a room together. Now pick 20 of them . Next add in all of the mutual friends that you have with all 20 of those people. That is number of people in your circle of family and friends that would be HIV+ or be affected by the person that is HIV+ if you lived in sub-Saharan Africa. Let's narrow in on women. 71% of the people living with HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of those 23.5 million, 60% of them are women and adolescent women are the fastest growing group contracting the virus. Why? It's a complex issue with many variables and contributing factors. It's difficult to capture all that is related...
On a Saturday morning at a too-early-to-even-utter time, I drive for an hour with my high school aged daughter. It's the day of the much anticipated high school volleyball tournament in Muskoka. Once there, I observe the bright lights, gleaming hardwood floors and expensive equipment in the gymnasium. The music is blaring, girls are practising their serves, spikes and volleys before the first game begins. There is laughter, camaraderie and words of encouragement from coaches. The day is sure to be filled with fierce competition, the highs of winning and the lows of losing and tears of excitement and disappointment and tears that no one understands the reasons behind (because, you know, they are teenage girls after all). Half a...
November 2012. Krista and I are gallivanting across Africa to meet with women's organizations and learn about life in Africa (and because we are a little crazy). As someone who had never travelled outside the continent of North America, I experienced a range of emotions throughout our time spent across the ocean. My one clear and defining moment came on a day that I was dreading. Quite frankly, I was scared. The Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya is the largest urban slum in Africa. There are approximately 1 million people living in an area not quite the size of Central Park. The Kenya government claims ownership rights to the land and doesn't formally recognize the settlements living within the...
When we were in Kenya last year, repeatedly in conversations it came up the need for identification. It was a stress and concern for our artists - for themselves and their children. It's not just about having your name on a piece of paper - it's about knowing you exist. And letting your government know too! A name, birthdate and information recorded is not only your identification - it's also your door to a future. It protects you from being exploited and trafficked. It opens doors to education, bank accounts and security. Recently I was talking to a contact in Kenya and gave him a list of items that I felt they needed. I asked him which was their top priority....
One week today is Valentine's Day - a day that we take aside to celebrate LOVE! This year, we have a gift of LOVE we think your loved ones will cherish - while making an impact in a life in Africa! You may remember last year when we went to Kenya, we offered a chance for you to "GIVE5" to a child in Africa. We collected bags containing items from 5 areas (see more about that below) that we distributed to the children of our jewelry makers in Kenya, and to a small school we are connected with in the slums. Good news! We are going again and we will be offering the chance to do this again! If you would like...
