Fortified Foods For Africa

Vincent Atitwa after he received a grant from Pollination Project.

In various parts of Africa, the people who live there don't always get proper nutrition. Many of these individuals are among the poorest in the world and may lack the education common to those who dwell in first world nations.

Vincent Atitwa comes from Kenya and is very proud of his heritage. He worked hard to obtain his knowledge. He received a certificate from the University of Connecticut, where he learned business skills via a mentorship program. He also has engineering skills and holds a certificate in water technology from the Kenya Water Institute. Because of his devotion to community, he has turned around and applied his skills to founding the MATUNGU COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CHARITY in 2005.

Vincent's organization has undertaken various projects to improve daily life in Matungu District. Because diet can be limited in some of the poor areas of the country, there has been work done to fortify the food crops with which the people are familiar. With help from the FOOD FORTIFICATION INITIATIVE in Africa, which has helped develop the fortified staple food crops, the Matungu Community Development Charity has taught local farmers to grow these crops. This program helps to increase the dietary health of community members and also increase self-sufficiency.



Now that the local farmers have the training to raise these fortified crops, Matungu Community Development Charity has moved on to develop other projects, for which they have also received grants and contributions. One of the new projects is called FEES FOR THE FUTURE and it provides the fees needed for school attendance and uniforms for families who would otherwise be unable to send their children to school. Their HIV/AIDS ADVOCACY PROJECT provides free condoms and educates the public through reading materials and educational programs.

For Vincent Atitwa, it's all in a day's work. Kenya is so lucky to have such a talented and passionate man.

Some of the students benefiting from Fees For The Future.

Thanks to this Changemakers bio: http://www.changemakers.com/users/vincent-atitwa, and information from the websites hyperlinked above.

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Shoes For Students

Principal Nissa Ellet.

It's not often that teachers and a principal notice a student's shoes. But Nissa Ellet, principal of HETH-WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in Harrison County, Indiana, noticed just that. She noticed because many of the children at the school were part of families that were experiencing economic hard times and those families couldn't afford the expense of new shoes when their children's shoes were falling apart.

Ms. Ellet noticed because she and her teachers were having to repair their students' shoes rather frequently - with duct tape and staples. That frequent occurrence was rather telling, letting this principal know that the poverty level had gone up, from the usual 50 percent to 75 percent of students. You see, Heth-Washington Elementary receives the highest amount of students living in poverty than any other school in the county.



Then, Ms Ellet got an idea, since Christmas was quickly approaching, and she used social media to help with her project. She started the "Shoes For Students" campaign with the goal of providing each student with a new pair of athletic students. She estimated that she needed about $6000.

As soon as she posted, donations started pouring in - and then kept pouring in. Donations accumulated to a sum far exceeding the goal, for a total of $17,000. Now, because of this generosity, each student was able to receive snow boots, a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, hats, and chapstick. along with a bit of candy. There were smiles everywhere. For some children, this gift meant that they had the first set of clothes just for them, no more sharing. It was a Happy Christmas holiday, indeed!

Students opening their bags of clothing.

Thanks to this Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/29/shoes-for-students_n_6367596.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news, and this report from Channel WDRB: http://www.wdrb.com/story/27665593/christmas-comes-early-for-southern-indiana-students-in-need.

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Safe Place For Abused Farm Animals

Tracy Murphy and an Asha Sanctuary vehicle.

She's Assistant Vice President for a global company. That's her business life. But within Tracy Murphy lies a compassionate heart. Ever since she learned about the abuses that animals can suffer at the hands of humans, those animals have held a special place in her heart.

As she learned more and taught others, she did a great deal of soul searching and eventually decided she could become vegetarian without feeling deprived. After her beloved dog, Asha, died, she investigated some of the brutal practices toward farm animals and made a decision to start the ASHA SANCTUARY.



In 2013, the vision became reality when Tracy purchased a 27-acre property, with about 20 acres of preserved forest, 5 acres of cleared land, a house, a garage, and an old chicken coop, which was dismantled and reconstructed into an up-to-date hen house. By July of this year, the first farm animals were welcomed onto the property. Funding usually comes through fundraising events and grants.

Foremost in the plans is to facilitate connections between farm animals given compassionate care with people who haven't usually had that experience. The public can adopt the farm animals through sponsorship that helps with their care and upkeep. Interested people can also volunteer to help out in various areas of need, including caring for the animals.

Another part of the mission of Asha Sanctuary is education - education about abusive practices of the farming industry, along with education about becoming vegetarian. It is part of Asha Sanctuary's philosophy that leading a vegan lifestyle is one way to make sure that farm animals experience a lifetime of compassionate caring.

One of the volunteers at Asha Sanctuary.

Thanks to the information provided on the Asha Sanctuary website.

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Stealthy Santa

Stuart Edge, in the middle, setting up another video, with some students, for St. Patrick's Day.

STUART EDGE started out his work life as a PortaPotty cleaner, sucking out human excrement with a truck-borne vacuum. Then he got a job that involved using a video camera. From there, he began posting videos on YouTube. He became a hit; rather, his videos became hits, frequently going viral.



Stuart says that none of his videos are staged, but what is seen in them are genuine reactions of those he films. They usually start with some sort of premise, which is pretty much guaranteed to get a reaction. He does them just because. In fact, they bring out the human in all of us; we can identify with the receiver in these videos.

So, Christmas has come and gone and there was another video by Stuart Edge. Money was involved. A sneaky guy in a red Santa hat was handing out Christmas cards. One card even met its recipient when it descended by fishing line on a family that was eating a fast food meal. Another met a recipient from the middle of a rack of clothes. All gave a surprise - a little extra cash at the holidays. And who wouldn't love that?

Now, here's the video, which will leave you smiling at the idea of its generosity:

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Teaching And Caring About The Earth

Rebecca Newburn with her seed lending library display.

She lives in the San Francisco area and teaches middle school at the Hall Middle School. Well, that's just standard kind of stuff. There's a lot more to Rebecca Newburn and her accomplishments. She started out in the Peace Corps, teaching in Fiji and she has continued to teach since her start in 1990.

Ms. Newburn noticed the lack of standards for the inclusion of environmental and social justice into the math and science curriculum, the STEM subjects. So, she set about remedying that situation. At first, she provided math and science lessons on YouTube. The quality of these videos was so high that she was invited to YouTube headquarters and met with some of the best in the country.



Then came the EARTH CARE EDUCATION website, which contains lesson plans that incorporate environmental education into the science and math curriculum. The site enables educators to share their own lesson plans, as well, making it a great resource for teachers.

Then there is the EARTH CARE GEEK site, also developed by Ms. Newburn. This one is designed for use by middle school students. Subject areas, such as Food, Water, Animals, are listed and then further subdivided when the student clicks on the main subject. Then the subtopics lead to another site, where the student can learn more about that topic. It's colorful and made to attract learners, and it even offers students an opportunity to participate through social media.

Ms. Newburn also hosts HER OWN website, designed particularly for her own students. Then she also has established a RICHMOND GROWS SEED LENDING LIBRARY, which allows users to "borrow" seeds and plant them. At the end of the season, the user returns the seeds that come from his/her plants. That also has a website that has instruction videos and other tips, including setting up your own seed library.

It takes a lot of passion to provide so much to your community. And that is what Rebecca Newburn has in spades!

Rebecca Newburn outdoors.

Thanks to this Pollination Project article: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/rebecca-newburn-earth-care-education-website/.

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A Special Boston Area Teacher

Nikki Bollerman and some of her students posing with Mayor Marty Walsh.

This year when Capital One held its #WishForOthers contest, Nikki Bollerman, a young teacher at the UP ACADEMY in Dorchester, MA, decided to participate. She posted, "My #WishForOthers is that my vivacious, loving third-grade scholars all took a book home with them over December break."

Capital One decided to grant her wish and each of her students received three books to take home. In addition, Ms. Bollerman was awarded one of the grand prizes of $150,000. Now, anyone who knows about teachers and their salaries would be the first to say that she deserved to take her winnings home with her. But that didn't happen.



Ms. Bollerman turned around, and without thinking twice, donated the money back to her school to benefit the students. She reasoned it this way, "To me, there was no other real option. I mean, I wished it for the kids. Where else would it go, other than them? As you can see they are so wonderful, and I just wanted it to go to them."

Such a generous gift, however, did not go unnoticed and without deep thanks. This past Monday, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh honored Nikki Bollerman for her generosity with an official thank you and an appearance at City Hall. Naturally, she couldn't appear without her students joining her. It's bound to be one of those life lessons that her students will remember for a lifetime.

Nikki Bollerman with her students in their classroom.

Thanks to this article from WBUR: http://www.wbur.org/2014/12/22/dorchester-teacher-donation.

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Keeping Pets And Families Together

The four women who formed The Family Forever Animal Foundation.

There can be many reasons why families surrender pets to animal shelters. Among the most common are lack of finances, humans losing their homes, special needs of their family pet, don't know exactly what's involved in pet care, allergies. Any time that a pet is surrendered is a sad time; certainly it's very confusing to the pet being placed in a cage or kennel, housed among other pets, who can be quite noisy and equally as distressed.

What if there were some way to help that pet and family stay together? Stephanie Harris, Stefanie Morrison, April Tubbs, and Jessi Van Pelt, were volunteers at a Central Florida no-kill shelter, where they had experienced the many different aspects of shelter life. They became aware of how families and pets were separated, "One of the truly frustrating aspects of rescue work was coping with the number of animals surrendered due to finances, housing, or simply lack of education....We realized that we could do more for our rescued animals if we found ways in which to keep animals and their families together."


That led to all four women forming THE FAMILY FOREVER ANIMAL FOUNDATION, which reaches out to help families resolve the issues which could lead to the severing of their relationship with their pets. This is not an organization which accepts pet surrenders. They do what's needed to keep humans and pets together, such as providing assistance with veterinary costs, temporarily fostering animals for members of the military on deployment, facilitating the introduction of new pets into their households, education about animal care, assistance with food and housing needs.

Since there were four women involved in building the organization, they could divide the tasks and functions. Jessi Van Pelt does much of the fundraising and creates educational materials; Stefanie Morrison provides a welcoming home to pets that are in need of fostering and her husband, Barton, provides legal assistance as the group's attorney; Stephanie Harris serves as secretary and has a special place in her heart for special needs cat; and April Tubbs screens adopters and fills in at any function that needs doing.

The organization, of course, encourages adoption, and they also accept contributions and post a wish list on their site. The group also helps to re-home pets in need, although they do not have the facilities to house surrendered animals.

One of the posters used for education by The Family Forever Animal Foundation.

Some information was obtained through this Pollination Project article: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/family-forever-animal-foundation/.

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In Honor Of Christmas

Charlie Todd, founder of Improv Everywhere

My brother and I got together a few days ago in a sort of pre-Christmas visit. We talked a lot and then we got around to sharing some of our Youtube favorites. There were a few incredible flash mob surprises among them (we both enjoy the pleasant surprise aspects).

So, with that in mind, I found a Christmas flash mob event. There's a group of people known as IMPROV EVERYWHERE, based in the NYC area, who stage missions of various sizes. Charlie Todd founded the group about thirteen years ago and engages in producing, directing, performing. and documenting the missions. He's even written a book about the group he founded, "Causing A Scene", to which there is a link on HIS BIO PAGE. (Don't worry, Charlie, the book link is still through you).



Anyway, Improv Everywhere has conducted missions in fifteen different countries. Like any group whose activities require intricate timing, the group does have rehearsals. And it's not just professionals who can participate. You can participate if you live in, or visit, the NYC area at the time they are planning a mission.

Okay, so back to this particular flash mob scene. A home in Englewood, NJ, was chosen as the site of the caroling. A 20-member brass orchestra, Patriot Brass Ensemble, and a 13-member choir were needed. The group pulled off this special Christmas caroling event with the help of financing from Target. After all, if you're going to the suburbs from the city, you need a bus to transport everyone.

Then for video preparation. Now, if you go randomly into a neighborhood for Christmas caroling, you do run the risk of  finding no one at home, so you have some pre-arranging to do. So, instead of just going up to houses, Improv Everywhere rented a home and invited families from their mailing list to a family photo shoot. Five different families experienced the surprise, with the Schreibers being the family on the video.

Now, presenting, the final Christmas surprise video:

Thanks to Improv Everywhere's website for the background info.

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Books 4 Life Project

Kisirisa Muhammed at Bweise Youth Employment Centre

In a section of Kampala, Uganda, known as Bweise, live 90,000 people, packed into a small slum area. Sixty-five percent of those residents are between 15 and 25 years old. Living here is very difficult, so most young adults become subject to alcohol and drug addiction, commit petty crimes, engage in sex trafficking, or join gangs. Career training was absent.

Into this scene stepped ACTION FOR FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT (AFFCAD), founded by Kisirisa Muhammed, who was no stranger to poverty. AFFCAD developed the BWEISE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT CENTRE, which trains 600-800 young adults each year in various career areas. These young people are taught such skills as financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills.



Mugagga Brian Baya, the financial manager of AFFCAD and Bweise Youth Employment Centre, and Kisirisa Muhammed formed the Books 4 Life Project, which had the dual purpose of training youth to make inexpensive, but good quality books and market them. The books could then be sold to orphanages and those who care for children growing up in the slums.

Books 4 Life Project became one of the vocational offerings at Bweise Youth Employment Centre. None of the youth are charged for any of the programs. Kisirisa Muhammed has received the Muhammed Ali Humanitarian Award in 2013 and has been recognized by Ashoka as a Changemaker.

Thanks to this article by Pollination Project: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/kisirisa-muhammed-and-mugagga-brian-books-4-life/, and this one by Ashoka changemakers: http://www.changemakers.com/project/action-fundamental-change-and-development.

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Brightening Young Lives

Part of a mural at Bushwick Family Residence, painted by a group of students.

As we get closer to Christmas, it is important to remember that there are many who continue to struggle for such basic needs as shelter and food. Within NYC, according to the INSTITUTE FOR CHILDREN, POVERTY, & HOMELESSNESS, the rate of child homelessness has increased by around 63 percent, showing that families are still increasingly affected by the recession that started in 2008.

For many of these youngsters, life can look rather bleak. Just the daily routine of attending school can bring the contrast in lives right before their eyes. They see other children daily who have extras, while they don't even have the basics. They live in spaces that aren't their own. Even the communal spaces where they can retreat haven't really been personalized and lack that homelike feel.

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Can there be a way to improve, even just a little bit, the situation in which these children and teens find themselves? The need is vast; resources of charitable organizations which provide the shelter can be limited.

Let's take a look at just one place where families can obtain temporary housing. It's a place called Bushwick Family Residence, one of several in the NYC. But over the past month, some groups came together to change a spot for children at the residence, the rec room, with the basic furnishings where children could come for quiet and playtime. It wasn't much but it was something.

Into the lives of this group of children came Willie Geist, from the Today Show, designer Elaine Griffin, BRIGHT HORIZONS FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN, and THE TREEHOUSE GUYS, plus other volunteers, came together for a makeover. After getting the ideas of the kids who were to benefit, they pulled off a transition that really brightened the future for these youngsters. Now the playroom became a place for children to escape and get a retreat from whatever problems they experienced. They could see that there was hope.

At the end of the day, life was also looking up for 14-year-old Dominique Victor also. She provided a voice for homeless children by talking on the Today Show about living life without a home. A surprise future goal has turned up, courtesy of STEVENS COLLEGE.

One of the volunteers in the rec room makeover tests out the treehouse slide.

Thanks to this article from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/today-show-homeless-kids-playroom_n_6357106.html?utm_hp_ref=impact&ir=Impact. Here's the link to the VIDEO.

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Clearer Communication

Celia Alario with her dog.

Look around for Celia Alario and you'll find her at the DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She's a communications facilitator and media coach, faculty member and trainer of the University's Communications Director. She has blogs on several different media websites and believes that words matter (See her facebook page, BECAUSE WORDS MATTER). Oh, and she's a journalist and has also worked on some political campaigns.



Within the area of the environment and sustainability, Celia found that there was nothing available in the AP Stylebook. Words are mentioned within the field without a general understanding of exact meaning? Where and how do you use terms such as global warming, climate change, and greenhouse effect? When you speak about the Earth is that with a small letter or a capital letter? How do you get those who write about these issues to agree on the correct words to use and what they mean?

After all, it isn't necessarily true that politics isn't involved in this area and meanings are never deliberately skewed. Media entities with particular political agendas do, indeed, ridicule the terminology and the science of environmental study. You hear some people question "global warming" because there were polar vortexes that led to record low temperatures in some areas last year, in the mistaken idea that local weather changes are equivalent to global warming - or probably not.

Pastoral scene.

In order to develop clarity and uniform meaning Celia Alaria has embarked on a mission to gather a team of experts in various aspects of environmentalism to hash out entries to be submitted to the AP and NY Times Stylebooks. The idea is to be able to increase journalistic accuracy and integrity in reporting the issues involved with the environment and sustainability. That would only help average readers understand how we are all affected. As I noticed in one meme posted on facebook, there is no emergency backup Earth; we only have this one planet and we've got to get this right.

Thanks to this bio on WIMN: http://www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog/?author=5&profile, and this article on the Pollination Project: http://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/celia-alario-because-words-matter-eco-ap-stylebook/.

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Grit And Determination

Malvika Iyer

There was nothing highly unusual about Malvika Ayer's early life. But then came May 26, 2002, when Malvika was 13 years, living with her family in Rajasthan, India. There had been a fire at a local ammunition depot a few months previously, which scattered shells, grenades and other types of shrapnel throughout the area. Malvika was out playing and she picked up a heavy piece of metal to bang on something she was carrying in her pocket. Only, what she had picked up was an armed shell, and it exploded, shattering this young girl's life.

Immediately, Malvika lost both of her hands and her legs were badly damaged. She lost 80% of her blood supply; her life hung in the balance. She was rushed to the nearest hospital, where it was noticed that her left leg was just attached by skin and some tissue. The doctors knew that they couldn't save her legs, so she was rushed by ambulance to a better-equipped hospital in Jaipur, where they managed to do just that.



However, the surgeons were unable to restore feeling to her left leg and she couldn't flex her right foot. And then there was her missing hands. She had a long way to go to rehabilitate. It took an entire year before she took her first steps. Luckily, she was able to get state-of-the-art prostheses for her arms, thanks to a branch of OTTOBOCK, in Chennai.

Then there was the business of everyday life, the education she needed to move forward. With the assistance of a friend, Malvika prepared for the 10th board exams and passed with flying colors. She was becoming an inspiration for others in India with disabilities. She met with the then President of India Dr AJP Abdul Kalam.

Going further, Malvika received her Bachelor's degree from St. Stephen's College in Economics, then completed her Master's in Social Work at the Delhi School of Social Work. Although she started out with feeling her limitations and wishing things were better for her, she began to see what she did have and could accomplish. She credits the support of her friends and family, especially her mother, for keeping her positive and helping her to move forward.

Yes, there are other things that Malvika has done. She is currently a Junior Research Fellow and pursuing her PhD in Social Work at the Madras School of Social Work, with an interest in inclusion into society of those differently abled. She has modeled accessible clothing lines, and has even hosted a running event in Bangalore, making all the arrangements without any special assistance. The world, indeed, looks good for this inspiring young woman, who has overcome challenges that would have been daunting for most other people.

One of the articles about Malvika that provides inspiration to others.

Thanks to this article from rediff: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/achievers-malvika-iyers-amazing-story-of-grit/20140917.htm.

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Speaking Up For Bats

Truth Muller

His passion for bats started at age 4, when he spotted a bat hanging down underneath the beach umbrella in his backyard. As he got older, he noticed that there were fewer bats around his home in Rock Hill, NY. Then at the booth for the NY State Fish and Wildlife Service at the NY State Fair, he found out why. As a matter of fact colonies of bats are still being decimated by this same problem, an illness called white nose syndrome, caused by "a fungus that grows on the noses and wings of hibernating bats." The illness awakens the bats and causes them to use up essential nutrient stores and then they die from starvation.

As Truth Muller continued to learn more about bats, he found out how important they were to human beings. The fact that the bat population in this one State was reduced by 93% could have devastating effects. So, Truth made arrangements with a local radio station to share all he knew about bats, along with the effects of the fungal illness, with those in the surrounding area.



Now, Truth wanted to do more. In 2012, he started a facebook page, "BUDDIES FOR BATS", where he shares current information about bats. His page is educational, as well as timely. He's been known to write letters to the editor of the local paper advocating for the lives of bats, to set up a booth at local fairs to hand out information and teach the public about bats, and even to teach elementary students about bat basics.

Now, at age 14, Truth Muller continues to speak and teach for the bats. He's created a crossword puzzle, compiled a list of bat literature, and made television appearances. He's been recognized by various organizations for his continued efforts to preserve the bat population. Truth Muller is a truly unique, educated teenager with a bright future in whatever area he decides to pursue in the future.

Truth Muller giving a presentation on bats at a local library.

Thanks to this article about Truth Muller and his fascinating interests and achievements: https://cogito.cty.jhu.edu/43662/teen-spreads-the-word-about-the-benefits-of-bats/.

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