Empowering Refugees From Africa's Conflicts

Some boys at a mindfulness seminar make mandalas.

At various times throughout the last three decades, there has been strife and warfare in various countries of the African continent. The Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced the bulk of its civil conflict between August 1998 and April 2004, causing the deaths of some 3.8 million people. Not only was the area wracked by conflict, but much of its basic social services provided by the government collapsed and added to the instability. About 50 million Congolese people continue to be affected.

Fraide-Emmanuel, also known as Papa Fremma was a survivor of the Congolese conflict and had lived in the Nakivale Refugee Camp. He became a firm believer in peace and developed a great compassion for those suffering from poverty, war, and disasters. Papa then had an opportunity to travel to other places in the world, including the Netherlands, where he graduated from Gronigen University with a Building Network Infrastructure Certificate.



Later, he traveled to Thailand, where he trained as a monk and received a Certificate In Peace Building. Back in the Congo again, Papa Fremma hosted a one-year PEACE AND YOUTH TRANSFORMATION PROJECT, with the purpose of empowering women and youth. The project started with peace-building and conflict-resolution seminars right in the same refugee camp in which he had lived. Utilizing his training as a monk, he taught meditation as a way of building the inner peace needed to establish peace in the surrounding world.

Continued outreach was planned after the seminars were completed, helping to address the deep traumas experienced by these survivors. Papa Fremma said, "I have lived through these traumas and continue to struggle in many ways; I have found a peace that allows me to keep going. I want to share this [peace] with those still in the camps."

The once-small project has now grown larger and become known as the AFRICAN PEACE EMPOWERMENT NETWORK (APENET). Nakivale Refugee camp houses 56,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children. They come from such places as Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, and South Sudan. APENET continues to promote peace by supporting refugees, helping in recovery from trauma, providing education, and help in reconstruction. Most of all, this organization fills in the gaps in social services that result from conflicts in the refugees' country of origins. Pappa Fremma still remains loyal to his foundations in peace and meditation, utilizing his skills to promote healing.

Some children standing by a temporary shack at a refugee camp.

Plans for the future include acquiring the materials for refugees to develop their own crafts products for purchasing online; building structures for education, health care services, and community buildings; and providing peace programs to schools in rural Uganda. Volunteers and donations are always welcome.

New shoes arrive for mothers with children.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: papa-emma-nakivale-refuge-camp-peace-youth-transformation-project; and the above links.

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UMBC's Collaborations For Environmental Sustainability

Claire Welty

Not that far from the boundaries of Baltimore City is one of our area's wonderful universities, the UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY. This university is known for attracting students from diverse backgrounds and providing a state of the art education. It is known as an honors university, one that provides its students with all of the tools they need to succeed, not just in an academic program, but in their lives beyond the university.

The university and its professors have created partnerships that can improve environmental sustainability. For instance, Claire Welty, a professor of chemical, biochemical. and environmental engineering and director of UMBC's Center For Urban Environmental Research And Education, also has the post of associate director of research for the URBAN WATER INNOVATION NETWORK (UWIN). The latter was recently created through a $12 million cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF).



Most of us are aware that climate change and extreme occurrences can affect water security, which, in turn, affects economic security. By creating UWIN, UMBC and thirteen other academic institutions, including University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, can address the challenges that imperil urban water systems. They can then determine solutions that will add resilience to city water systems and prevent water shortage crises.

UMBC already has strong research and education programs which have focused "on stormwater management, water quality control, and and urban biodiversity". This academic base will add information that is valuable to the work of UWIN. Besides Ms. Welty, Andrew Miller and Christopher Swan, professors of geography and environmental systems, will also offer their knowledge and capabilities to the mission of UWIN.

At the same time, NSF has just announced an award of $20 million to the CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE NANOTECHNOLOGY (CSN). This center explores how nanochemicals interact with with the environment and living organisms. Professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry, Zeev Rosenzweig, is leading UMBC's participation in CSN, which also includes leaders from 13 other research institutions.

Nanotechnology involves very small scale materials, allowing manipulation of individual atoms and molecules. Even though these materials are utilized in many different products, it is unknown exactly how these materials interact with the environment. Mr. Rosenzweig said, "This research center will greatly impact society by preparing next generation nanomaterials that retain high function, while being safer for human health and the environment."

Zeev Rosenzweig (left).

By engaging in these types of collaborations, UMBC provides opportunities for students to receive the latest knowledge and enhances their preparation to join in these types of fields. It also benefits the Baltimore area, which is in the forefront of urban areas working to address these issues.

UMBC's campus.

Thanks to this article from UMBC: http://umbc.edu/window/sustainability-research.php.

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Clothes From Flour Sacks: A Look Back

Students attending the school where Mr. Goertzen taught.

Back in the early 1930s, the US and the world were still experiencing the Great Depression. Many people were destitute. Families had to become creative in order to survive. In the matter of clothing, sets of clothes passed down from one child to the next as the older child outgrew last year's clothes. But coming up with a new set of clothes wasn't exactly easy.

However, many farm families noticed the sacks in which the feed grains for farm animals arrived, while women in more urbanized settings were noticing the canvas bags in which flour came. Using a bit of ingenuity and sewing skills, many women remade these bags into clothing items for their broods of children. Norma Ehlers, who was a child back then, doesn't remember ever getting a "store-bought dress" until she reached high school.



Eventually the companies that milled flour and provided feed noticed that the women were using the bags to make clothing. That's when they started to use various designs for the sacks, including flower designs. Not only did women make clothing, but they also made other needed items from the fabric, including dish towels, washcloths, and diapers. The trend caught on, so as time went by, more and more designs were utilized to make the sacks. The designs became so diverse that if you happened to buy a sack one week with a particular design and liked it so much you wanted to get the same design and you went back to the store to find it, you never found that same design again.

Have you ever looked at any group photos of the time period, say for instance, class photographs? Notice that there is a similarity in the fabric design of the clothing. Herman Goertzen, a teacher at the time, noticed, "Well, the chicken feed usually came in a patterned material, and the ladies liked to sew at the time." Since most clothes were homemade, he said, "the patterns came from chicken seed sacks, flour sacks I believe. Flour sacks came from the same item. They wanted to sell flour, and if the ladies would like to put patterns on the sacks, sure, that would be the incentive to buy more feed, and it was always probably hard to get the next pattern. The next time you went in to buy a sack of feed, you couldn't get the same pattern." Millie Opitz, who was a student of Mr. Goertzen, recalled that people had to recycle the sacks, "Cause, Lord, we didn't have no money to spend or nothing."

By the time that World War II came to dominate everyone's lives, in the 1940's, more than three million women and children were wearing homemade clothes from feed sacks. Even into World War II, fabrics remained at a premium because they were designated to be used for military uniforms. Many feed companies would provide instructions for how to remove the ink.

By the 1950's society had changed to the point that people were drawn more to store-bought clothing. Manufacturers started using paper-based sacks, so the trend ended. You could actually buy reams of fabric in whatever pattern suited for your projects, if you continued to make clothing. It's something my mother did when I was a child. We could pick patterns from bolts of fabric and clothing patterns from those that were available commercially. My mother made some homemade clothing, usually for special occasions, like graduation, first Communion, Confirmation. But even with my mother's skills, we turned more to manufactured clothing; it was easier.

Dresses made from feed sacks hang on a clothes line.

Certainly, in this era of the 21st century, when we throw out that which we don't need or want any more, a look back to a time when materials were scarce and how simple items were used and not thrown away, can be very instructive for our times. For, are we not so far away from needing to reuse what we previously threw out. as our planet becomes increasingly clogged with the detritus of civilization?

Some of the different patterns used for flour sacks.

Thanks to this article from Kindness Blog: http://kindnessblog.com/2015/05/06/flower-sack-dresses-from-the-flour-mills-historical-kindness/; and this article from Wessels Living Farm History: http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_06.html.

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Giving Poor Indian Youth A Lift Into Adulthood

Handmade prayer flowers made by the children.

Poverty can strike pretty hard in India, especially those who live in its slums. The slums aren't just populated by adults; children live there with their families. Because it is such a difficult life, families who live in deep poverty depend upon children to contribute to the family's income. But that expectation doesn't help children to escape from a life of poverty, because there is no time for education, no time to be a child.

A team of adults, part of the nonprofit group MANAV SADHNA, which is based at Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, in the west Indian State of Gujarat, founded and operated a program directed towards helping youth, EARN N LEARN. One of the members of the team, Vandana Didi, has dedicated her life towards serving at Manav Sadhna, the parent organization for Earn N Learn. Vandana had the good fortune to meet Mother Teresa when she was very young. She has a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from SPA, which she utilizes in design work with the youngsters served by Earn N Learn.



The features of Earn N Learn are adapted to the needs and life circumstances of the youth it helps. More than 50 boys and girls ages 12 to 16 participate in the program in Ahmedabad. The mornings are spent in a school program, then there are chores to be done. The children then spend the rest of the day at the Gandhi Ashram. There they eat, participate in a tutoring program, and then have fun time with each other involving arts and crafts, joking around, and working together. The youth even have field trips and enjoy camping and hiking in the forest. The children receive support from international volunteers and some have even learned English.

The part of Earn N Learn adapted to the children's need for income involves creating goods that can be sold. That's what they do in arts and crafts activities. Many of the products are made from paper; such items as cards, bookmarks, photo frames, gift bags, jewelry, etc., are made and then sold for income. The work is nothing like what the children would experience in exploitive child labor, since it occurs for a limited period each day, involves the creative process, and allows the children to interact with each other while making the products. The children in Earn N Learn have a varied day and also receive a valuable education that can help them move out of the life of poverty with which they are so familiar.

Earn N Learn youth planting a tree seedling.

Vendana Didi discusses her work with the children, "I love to encourage women and children to live with dignity. I try to use my skills and creativity to bring smiles into the lives of others The children have taught me how to be happy in any circumstance, how to live in the present moment, and how to enjoy my work." Earn N Learn has been in existence for twenty years. Recently the program expanded to include 20 girls, also ages 12 to 16, who meet at Rudra Women's Center, instead of the ashram.

An educational presentation to Earn N Learn participants.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/vandana-agarwal-earn-n-learn/; and the above links.

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A Friendship Between A Man And A Penguin

Joao with the penguin he rescued.

It all started in 2011 when a young oil-soaked penguin washed ashore on a sand beach in Rio de Janeiro State, in the village of Proveta, Brazil. That's when retired bricklayer, Joao Pereira de Souza happened upon the young bird. He took the bird home, cleaned him up, fed him, and nurtured him, until his young friend became stronger. Then he returned back to the beach, with a much-stronger penguin, to release him back into the wild. Only, the bird, now named Jingjing, had other ideas. Joao even took the penguin out in his boat, far from the land, and released him, only to return home - and there was Jingjing, having beaten him home.



Now, Magellanic penguins spend their lives migrating thousands of miles between their breeding grounds in Patagonia and their northern feeding grounds. The beaches around Rio de Janeiro are frequently a little too warm, unless there is a colder current mixing into the waters. But even that hasn't been a deterrent to Jingjing. He seems to be more adjusted to the warmer climate.

Jingjing does wander off these days to who-knows-where, but he always returns to Joao's home on the beach. According to Mr. de Souza, "When he returns, he's so happy to see me. He comes up to my neck and hoots." Joao estimates that Jingjing spends about eight months out of every year as a guest at his friend's beach house. Then he'll disappear for days. weeks, or months at a time, but he always returns.

Jingjing has even become something of a favorite among locals, too. Carlos Eduardo Arantes, the community administrator, said, "He's the village mascot." According to Mario Castro, a local fisherman, "It spends 10, 12, 15 days away and then comes back to the same house. It's an incredible thing, huh?"

The beach at the village of Proveta, where Jingjing washed ashore.

So, if you happen to be vacationing near the village of Proveta, you might notice a senior man taking a stroll on the beach. But take a look a little more closely and you'll notice that he has a little companion dressed in a tuxedo, strolling with the man, engaged in one of the pair's favorite activities. If you stick around you might see them taking a swim together. It's a bond between man and bird; it's a friendship made from a life-saving act. Is Jingjing grateful for his rescue? Who knows? But he's formed a very special bond with one very special man.

Joao and Jingjing.

Thanks to this article from the Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/beached-in-brazil-a-young-penguin-finds-his-human-soul-mate-1445560828.

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Publishing Literature About Veganism

Being vegan doesn't mean being deprived of frozen treats, since a dessert like this comes from a vegan cafe.

In 2013, Christen Mailler, who has a background in fine arts and working with children, and Casey Taft, who is a professor of psychiatry, got together and formed VEGAN PUBLISHERS. The idea was to raise awareness about veganism by spreading published positive messages about the practice and movement.

Casey's involvement in research in the area of domestic violence has shown him how aggression towards animals is connected with violence towards people. In 2013, the company published CIRCLES OF COMPASSION: ESSAYS CONNECTING ISSUES OF JUSTICE. The essays focused on the connection between, human, animal and environmental rights, very similar to the issues with which Mr. Taft was addressing through his life's work. This book was the third one published by the fledgling company and can still be obtained in either paperback or ebook formats from Vegan Publishers.



Casey said, about the book, "Each powerful essay urges us to recognize and correct injustice anywhere it occurs. We are passionate about this issue and feel that this book sends a critically important message that needs to reach activists who work in different silos." Since Circles of Compassion was published, Vegan Publishers had released five other books, one about the journey of a horsewoman in a vegan lifestyle, one about traveling as a vegan foodie, up to the current release about the animal liberation movement.

Those who work for Vegan Publishers practice what they publicize. Every employee is a practicing vegan. The company is conversant with the latest money-raising strategies and utilizes crowd-funding to raise enough funds to publish its books. You can also find them using social media to spread the word, along with being represented at vegfests and book fairs and partnered with like-minded organizations, such as animal sanctuaries and vegan eateries. They even maintain a blog within the blogosphere.

A quote from Staff Writer Christopher Sebastian.

If you follow the vegan lifestyle, you can sign up for their newsletter, which gives information about upcoming books and their authors. If you hunger for even more information, you can also follow VEGAN PUBLISHERS BLOG.

A quote from a book published by Vegan Publishers.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/casey-taft-vegan-publishers-injustice-anywhere/; and the above links.

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What Is The Essence Of True Friendship?

There are often those whose deep and abiding friendships started in childhood.

Back in 1997, poet and philosopher JOHN O'DONOHUE wrote a book, ANAM CARA: A BOOK OF CELTIC WISDOM, which was his masterwork. Mr. O'Donohue had a background, and was awarded a Ph,D., in Philosophical Theology in 1990; in 1980, he was ordained into the priesthood. He died suddenly in his sleep in 2008, at age 52.

In Anam Cara, John explores the various aspects of friendship in all of its soul-sustaining essence. In fact, when this title is translated into Gaelic, it means "soul-friend". So, what, exactly is a soul-friend?



According to John O'Donohue, "In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship....[A]nam cara in the Celtic world was the "soul friend". In the early Celtic Church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara, you could share your inner-most self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an eternal way with the "friend of your soul"....This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship."

Realizing that belonging is one of a human being's biggest desires, a deeper belonging with a soul friend would be something highly sought and greatly fulfilling. A deep friendship is not one-sided, however. There is a mutual exchange of intimacies, a deep understanding of each other by both parties.

Mr. O'Donohue goes on to state that soul friendship is a very special form of love, much larger and transcendent than measuring the platonic against the romantic, "In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person's soul....Love is the only light that can truly read the secret signature of the other person's individuality and soul."

Poet, philosopher, priest - John O'Donohue.

True friendship doesn't have to be from a person sanctified, or recognized in a religious way. It can come from and with, people who learn the depth of another person's soul, and remain, warts and all, in a committed friendship. That friendship doesn't need a ceremony to recognize it. It is deep and abiding on its own. It allows those in a true friendship relationship to feel comfortable in their own skins, so to speak, without any sense of needing to be only a vision of another person. It is what human beings seek, a belonging, a recognition, of who one is.

Thanks to this article from Brain Pickings: https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/08/12/anam-cara-john-o-donohue-soul-friend/; and the above links.

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Planning For Your Retirement Future

We lucky people of Baltimore have an investment company, T. ROWE PRICE, which has located its company headquarters in the downtown area. The company offers several different investment instruments for individuals, company investment benefits programs, and institutional investors. Once you do utilize their services, the company provides newsletters that give you information, not just about your investments, but also about saving for your future needs, their investment philosophy, and their perspective on market conditions.

So, it isn't unusual for those who work for the company to offer some basic investment advice. One important piece of information about which many people may be interested is - how much of your current income should you set aside in retirement investments and savings? Stuart Ritter, CFP, a senior financial planner at T. Rowe Price, presented his advice in a newsletter article.



The first step would be to estimate how much income you will need after retirement in order to maintain your present lifestyle and pay for current expenses. Since you no longer have the daily commute expenses, nor those of various payroll taxes or retirement savings, for the average person, that is probably about 75% of your income at retirement. Of course, income from Social Security plus any retirement pension, and other additional income would amount to about 25%, while the majority, 50%, should come from pre-retirement savings.

Next, how would that break down at your current level of income. For most people, that amounts to around 15% placed into pre-retirement savings, including any employer contributions. But, for many people that level of savings can be rather daunting, given current expenses. So, any percentage that can be set aside for your retirement years, from the start of your working life, can help to make a more comfortable lifestyle in your retirement years. Remember, you may live thirty years or more after your decision to retire.

If you start your retirement savings at a modest 3%, say, it generally helps to reassess your percentage saved for retirement whenever you receive a pay raise, or even every two to three or even up to five years. The higher the percentage of funds saved offers you a better lifestyle when you retire. Some employers allow you to change retirement savings percentages once or twice each year, so it's a good idea for you to reassess then. Others allow for increasing percentages automatically at particular intervals, and you might want to take advantage of those.

Saving throughout your work life leads to a brighter tomorrow.

The most important point is that you maintain, or even increase, your savings percentages throughout your work years. Keep in mind how much income it takes to maintain the lifestyle you would enjoy in those years and then maintain your commitment to saving the proper amount to get you there. You don't suddenly want to be faced with the difficult decision of what to cut from your life in your senior years because you won't be able to afford it any more. Not only is this great advice from Mr. Ritter, but my father taught my brothers and me the same method of savings. You'll thank yourself for considering your future needs and planning ahead.

The ultimate aim of pre-retirement investing.

Thanks for the information from this article in the T. Rowe Price Investor: http://individual.troweprice.com/retail/pages/retail/applications/investorMag/2015/summer/ask-t-rowe-price/index.jsp?placementGUID=SM_Facebook-Editorial-Individuals-Retirement-ND&sf14051562=1: and the above link.

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Educating Ugandan Youth About HIV/AIDS

Children working on a coloring activity at a youth empowerment group session.

Many African nations continue to be impacted by the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly among the most vulnerable and marginalized individuals and families. Health care services can be overrun by the numbers of individuals affected.

In Uganda, ST. FRANCIS HEALTH CARE SERVICES has been in the forefront of providing services. This organization is part of the Nile AIDS Project, which operates out of the US and provides both technical and financial support. By operating in the US, NILE AIDS PROJECT makes it easier for US donors to contribute funds.



Back in 2013, Caitlin Costello worked with St. Francis as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jinja, Uganda. She had a background in youth development and education, so she focused on developing a peer education workshop. Youth leaders were first trained in various areas, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, goal-setting, leadership skills, reproductive process and health, hygiene, community development, environmental sustainability, and entrepreneurial skills.

As soon as the first workshop sessions were completed, leaders were so enthusiastic that they went back to their communities and started immediately to work with the youth groups, utilizing such skills as ice-breakers and providing basic game structure. One pair even undertook teaching about puberty and personal hygiene. Caitlin shared her passion for her new program, "[This youth community] can be role models for their peers and be empowered to make smart choices that will help them reach their goals. As we all realize, the youth are our future, but we have to empower them NOW, because the future is NOW." The key to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS is in education, especially the young. Their parents' generation has been decimated by AIDS and its effects. As they are growing up, many have had to assume parental roles in their families, as their parents need more care, and when they die, these youth care for younger siblings. When they learn how HIV is spread, then they can actively work to prevent its spread in their own lives and that of their families.

That fits in well with the mission of St. Francis, which works to treat HIV/AIDS, but also focuses on preventing its spread. This organization has had to step in and offer various supports to youth, who have lost the functional abilities of their parents. Some may be lucky enough to have the support of their grandparents, but many are on their own. St. Francis helps with school expenses, mentoring programs, treating and rehabilitating children who are HIV+, and offering a comprehensive program that bolsters vulnerable households.

A fair held by St. Francis to help engage local youth.

The addition of educated youth leaders and, now, educated youth, has increased the reach of St. Francis' programs. With educated youth comes the ability to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among those who have no signs of the disease.

A large group in an activity at the Great Geeration in Laswap.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/caitlin-costello-st-francis-health-center-jinja-uganda/; and the above link.

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Transforming An Old Piece Of Furniture

The old entertainment system furniture, a bargain purchase.

Ever go to a flea market, Goodwill, or Salvation Army Store, and come away with a piece of furniture that's a real find? This one family made such a find and they only paid $20 for it. IT was an old entertainment center, you know, the kind that was a piece of furniture in the days before flat screen televisions, where you could insert your television and your stereo equipment.

However, what is more notable about this piece is what the adults decided to make from it. You see, the young son's birthday was coming up and he was turning two years old. It's not every parent who would think to make something unique for their child, something that would be cherished and was a sign of their love for their precious child.



It actually didn't take much to convert the old entertainment center into something new and usable for a two-year-old. It took the installation of a bit of wiring, inaccessible to the inquiring hands of a toddler, underneath, and a remake of the wooden structure.

The first step was sanding down the entire structure - that may have been the part of the job that involved the most work. Then they cut a hole in the shelf on the right side, large enough to fit a dog bowl, which became a miniature bowl of a sink. They obtained the faucet from a home renovation store and that was installed behind the bowl.

Then four holes were cut next to the hole for the sink (bowl), to accommodate burners for the sink. The glass from the door was removed and a piece of plywood was fitted into the opening. They then painted the entire surface white. The area designated as the stove and the inside of the oven was painted black. They made the burners from coils of electroluminescent wiring, the type that never gets hot, but gives off a glow. They also added a real rack for the oven, and used the same wiring for the bottom of the oven. Plexiglas was installed over the wiring and in the oven door.

You remember that plywood piece that replaced the glass on the left side? That was painted with chalkboard paint and "Grocery List" was painted on it in red letters. On the other side was the refrigerator. Then, plastic food toys were added, and the transformation was complete, into a toddlers kitchen playset.

A view of the bioluminescent burners.

Of course, the whole set had to be wrapped up and given as a complete gift for a young toddler, who was delighted with his new playset. That is a toy that will be enjoyed for several years, and even passed down to future generations.

Young toddler enjoying his new kitchen playset.

Thanks to this article from Little Things.com: http://www.littlethings.com/parents-build-kitchen-play-set-for-toddler-son/?utm_source=LTcom&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=lifehacks.

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