A Simple Wish For A Better World

We live in a world where money and things often define one's worth. Yet, most people living in developed nations take for granted the simple and basic things that arguably should be available for everyone on this planet. Many of us fail to realize that those living in extreme poverty did not choose to do so. According to the World Bank statistics on poverty in 2008, "1.29 billion people lived in extreme poverty below $1.25 a day, equivalent to 22 percent of the population in the developing world." This equates to about 18% of the world's population.

This post is based on a simple wish that is achievable with a little actual effort by everyone. I got this idea from Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate, who developed ten indicators that determined when someone had moved out of poverty. When I first read these indicators in his book "Banker to the Poor" and again in his other book "Creating a World Without Poverty", I gained the insight that only one thing stops people from achieving self-sufficiency. That one thing is access to resources needed to put their talents to work.

For the past year, I have been reciting a simple wish as a daily ritual during my long morning commutes to work. I have modified Dr. Yunus' model to focus on the the basic necessities that no one of us should ever take for granted. Following are ten parts of my wish illustrated by a photograph or statistical statement that allows you to reflect on the meaning of each one.

1) May everyone have a roof over their head that protects them from the elements, and the temperature inside is comfortable no matter how hot or cold it is outside.

This was taken in 2005 during my second trip to Liberia. A woman was renting this room with the deteriorating zinc roof.

2) May everyone sleep on bed that is above the floor and not overcrowded.

This was taken during my first year of residence in Liberia in 2007. This person had built a thatch palm hut near the ocean in Congo Town. Based on the location, chances were high they would experience flooding and therefore have to sleep on a wet mattress.

3) May everyone enjoy an adequate number of nutritious, tasty and satisfying meals per day that are prepared on a clean and safe cook stove/oven.

The photo to the left is what is known in Liberia as a coal pot. This was how my daily meals were prepared in 2009-2010. Source: The Hunger Project - Facts About Hunger and Poverty.

4) May everyone quench their thirst with clean, fresh and safe drinking water whose source is near their home.

Source: Water.org - Water Facts

5) May everyone have a private, hygienic, and environmentally friendly sanitation system and shower facility that is easily accessible.

This was taken during my second year of residency in Liberia in 2009. This is someone's bathroom that has a makeshift curtain for privacy.

6) May everyone have access to affordable, reliable and compassionate healthcare that is within a reasonable distance and may they not be turned away if they are unable to pay.

Source to UC (University of California) Atlas of Global Inequality - Access to Health Care

7) May every child receive a world class, twenty-first century education that acknowledges all learning styles, provides a global perspective, and cultivates their talents and skills.

This picture was taken in January 2012 by Kelvin Fomba. We launched an adopt-a-school project this year to support this school in Congo Town Liberia serving 250 students in Kindergarten thru sixth grades.

8) May everyone of eligible working age obtain a job or create a business that fulfills their passion and compensates them well enough so all their needs are met.

This was taken in 2009 where I was living in New Georgia Estate, Monrovia, Liberia. This teenage girl is organizing the peanuts (aka ground peas in Liberia) on her market table as she waits for buyers.

9) May everyone regardless of their profession be valued and respected and cause no undue harm to people, other living things and the environment.

This was taken in 2009 on the Sinkor Old Road, Monrovia, Liberia. Someone's business--their only means of livelihood--is being forcibly removed from its original location at the order of the mayor.

10) Finally, may we all come to realize that we each play a role in making this a better world by being good stewards of the earth and good neighbors to each other.

This is was taken in 2007 near the Ducor Palace in Monrovia, Liberia. It is from today's actions or inactions that we determine the fate of children all over the world.

I want to end this post by Thanking all my faithful readers! I appreciate all your thoughts, comments and reflections about my posts. This blog's goal is to UNITE all the DISTANT STARS in a thoughtful expression of how we have more in common than most people realize. I wish everyone the Happiest and Most Blessed New Year in 2013!!!

Footnote:
[1] Amartya Sen, Indian Bengali economist, 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory.

Women Leaders Who Are Transforming the World

How could the mainstream U.S. media possibly have overlooked a powerful movement occurring today around the world?  Those of us paying attention are witnessing the emergence of transformative leadership on the part of women.  They are engaged globally in making social change, both at the grassroots level of rural villages and at the highest level of their nations. 

As I had mentioned in my August post Uniting Distant Stars Has Gone Supernova, I am dedicating this one to some incredible women who have defied the inequalities and injustices in their nations. Though these women did not meet the criteria of Forbes The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, they are a force to be reckoned with.

What excites me about these women leaders, is that they are championing the issues of gender inequality, poverty and war in some of the toughest patriarchal societies in Africa and Asia. This post will highlight the eight women that were included in my June presentation to the Miss Liberia Contestants of Minnesota. Furthermore, this post will close with a special recognition of one special young day who has inspired a generation of girls.

1) Immaculée Ilibagiza, Rwandan Genocide Survivor

Immaculée has inspired me since I heard her share her incredible story of survival in Liberia in 2009 and then read her books "Left to Tell" and "Led by Faith" when I returned home in 2010. This young Tutsi woman spent nearly 90 days in a three by four foot bathroom with seven other Tutsi women in the home of a Hutu pastor. When these women emerged from their cramped quarters, they were sleep-deprived, wasted from hunger, and overwhelmed with grief for the loved ones that had been killed. For Immaculée, she lost her parents, two of the three brothers, and countless friends and family. It was from this terrifying ordeal that she found her faith and the capacity to forgive.

In finding refuge by reading the Bible, she was struck by the words that Jesus said up on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." She saw how this statement rang true for those committing the senseless butchering of their neighbors. This gave her the reason to forgive the killers of her family. After some time of mourning and securing a job at the UN, she went to the prison to forgive the killer of her mother and one of her brothers. The Tutsi man in charge of the prison became so outraged with her and questioned why she did it. Being apologetic, she explained that she was just one Tutsi so if she was wrong then there was nothing to worry about (Immaculée). 

Surprisingly, one year later this same prison official came to the UN to meet with her. She was taken aback by his visit and wondered why he wanted to talk to her. She was overwhelmed when he started off by thanking her for changing his life. He then shared how his wife and children had been killed, and how this consumed him with so much hate that he would beat the Hutu prisoners daily to get some temporary relief. Yet, he repeated this same cycle every day. So it was her example that allowed him to forgive and let go of his hate and sorrow. This gave him the peace and freedom to move on with his life, which he was now remarried and they were planning to have children (Immaculée).

Zarifa Qazizadah, Afghanistan's First Female Village Chief

Zarifa is one who puts a smile on my face, because she fulfilled a promise that secured the vote of men in her village. One may not believe that this woman had the capacity to be a leader. She was married at age 10 and had her first of fifteen children at age 15. She was destined to be a housewife and servant to her husband's family. However, with some personal sacrifices she was able to provide a necessary service to her village--Naw Abad--that exemplified her leadership capabilities (Hegarty).

It all started in 2004 when she was seeking political office. Zarifa made a promise to the village men that she would connect the village to the electric grid. They of course laughed at her believing that this was impossible for woman. She did therefore lose the election, but kept her promise. So, she re-mortgaged her house and borrowed money to buy the posts and cables needed to connect to the main electrical supply. She succeeded that same year in supplying every house with electricity (Hegarty).

This 50-year-old grandma of 36 grandchildren, was voted in as chief by the same men who shunned her. One of her male supporters explained his reason for voting for her, "she does the type of work that even men are not capable of doing." As chief she has taking on some other initiatives such as sponsoring the building of the first Mosque where both men and women can pray together. She also heads the local women's council and encourages other women to follow her example. Zarifa is no ordinary woman, because she owns and rides a motorcycle [1], and uses a gun to protect the people in her village (Hegarty). This formidable woman has started the process of change in her nation.

Dr. Hawa Abdi, Somalia's 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

Dr. Hawa is another inspiring woman who shares her property with approximately 90,000 refugees just 15 miles from Mogadishu. In order to accommodate the people seeking refuge, she has transformed her one-room clinic on her property to a two-story hospital to serve the people. She also added an 800-student school and adult education center. She opened some of her land to families to farm and purchased a small fleet of fishing boats as a means to feed everyone (Ibrahim and Gettleman).

Dr. Hawa's sacrifices have not gone unnoticed by the people she serves. On May 5, 2010, 750 armed Al Shabaab [2] militants surrounded her hospital. The commanders held her at gun-point for several hours while their minions, mostly teenage child soldiers, ransacked her hospital and tore up records. She was enraged by their unwelcome occupation that she told them that she would not leave and then yelled, "You are young and you are a man, but what have you done for your society? (Ibrahim and Gettleman)."

Consequently, she was placed under house arrest for the next five days forcing her hospital to close and causing two dozen malnourished babies to die who were left in the bush by their fleeing families. Suddenly, hundreds of women living on her property gathered together to protest against the militants along with many Somalian expatriates that forced them to relinquish control. She then insisted that they apologize in writing, which they did begrudgingly (Ibrahim and Gettleman). It is amazing how she got these young men to apologize, so I wonder if she used the certain motherly tone that makes children stop in their tracks.

Manal al-Sharif, Saudi's Founder of Women's Right to Drive

Manal really impressed me with her bold action in starting the Women2Drive campaign. In May 2011, this divorced mother of one son risked it all by driving around Khobar while being video taped in a nation that forbids women drivers. Her creative protest did not go unnoticed by the police, because she was arrested the next day and then held with no charges for nine days. Luckily, she was finally released after a great deal of international pressure (Sutter).

Her public protest was not centered on women having the right to drive, but on all the gender inequalities in her nation. Women in Saudi Arabia need their male guardians' permission to "get married, leave the country, go to school or open bank accounts." She believes that if women defy one of these unjust requirements such as driving that they would have the courage to speak up and take appropriate action (Sutter)."

Regrettably, her work has come at a cost both professionally and personally. She was forced to quit her job and her six-year-old son has been harassed and bullied by his classmates for her public activism. Though she was not able to find the right words, she tried to explain to her son why she was doing this and that some day he would be proud of her. For now she is saving the clippings and awards she has received, so that when he is older he can decide whether is mom was making a difference or a "sinful, dangerous woman (Sutter)." Manal has created the spark that is lighting the fire of other women in her nation to take a stand for their rights.
 
President Joyce Banda of Malawi, Africa's 2nd Female Head of State

President Joyce Banda is clearly a woman to watch. What piqued my interest about her, is how she was able to stop a coup d'état with one simple phone call. The former President Bingu wa Mutharika had suddenly died of heart attack in April 2012. Mutharika had planned to have his brother Peter succeed him as President instead of Joyce the Vice President who had been voted in and the natural successor as stated in the constitution (Smith).

On April 7, the cabinet ministers, parliament members along with the chief justice and some other judges were waiting at Peter's house for the court order to swear him in. Knowing that this meeting was occurring, she called the army commander, General Henry Odillo, and asked if she had his support. He answered yes. This phone call forced the hand of the ministers and parliament, who quickly left Peter's house to avoid any appearances of treason. The chief justice, a staunch supporter of Mutharika, protested her swearing in by saying he did not have his wig or robe, but a car was sent to fetch him to perform his duties (Smith).

Since becoming President, Joyce has taken her role seriously as Southern Africa's first female head of state. She made this point clear when she said, "It's heavy for me. Heavy in the sense that I feel that I'm carrying this heavy load on behalf of all women. If I fail, I will have failed all the women of the region. But for me to succeed, they all must rally around (Smith)." She definitely has her work cut out for her and it will be interesting to see how she transforms her nation.

Major Liu Yang, China's First Female Astronaut

Liu's triumph makes me think that girls may be becoming more valued in China than we thought.  As her parents' only child, her accomplishment may significantly change the status of girls in her nation (Grammiticas). We have all heard about the China's one-child policy and the "missing girl" factor. That has caused us to over-generalize this nation's vast population. We must acknowledge the fact that there are other parents like Liu's who appreciated their daughters and believed in their potential.

Another exciting aspect of this story is how Liu was vying with another woman of the same age, Captain Wang Yaping, for final position on the three-person crew. Both of these women were revered as heroines by their fellow citizens, because they were proud of what they represented in the history of their nation (Grammiticas).

Remarkably, her success in becoming China's first female astronaut has helped women surpass a famous old Chinese maxim "women hold up half the sky (Branigan)." Without a doubt, Liu has reached the stars and will be an inspiration to other girls in her nation. She made this clear before the launch in June when she told the reporters, "I am grateful to the motherland and the people. I feel honoured to fly into space on behalf of hundreds of millions of female Chinese citizens (Branigan)." We will need to pay closer attention to what effect her achievement will have on the next generation of girls in China.

Agnes Fallah Kamara-Umunna, Liberia's Straight from the Heart Center Founder

Agnes is the one leader that I talked to personally in May 2012. Though we had never met, she contacted me after reading my comment on Leymah Gbowee's (Liberia's 2011 Nobel Laureate) Facebook post about President Taylor's conviction and how more work was needed in the rehabilitation of the former child soldiers. My comment was about my willingness to work with these young people because I had interacted with them during my first trip in 1998 and then worked with a few during my first year of residence in 2007/8. So Agnes sent me a Facebook message asking me to read her book "And Still Peace Did Not Come: A Memoir of Reconciliation" and to let her know my thoughts when I finished reading it.

From the very first page, I was captivated by her story. She skillfully started each chapter with a personal narrative from a war victim and/or perpetrator that was interwoven with her own experiences of the war. Since she had seen first-hand the atrocities of war and those who committed them, she was able to create the perfect avenue for victims and perpetrators to tell their stories as a means for healing and reconciliation. As an experienced on-air personality, she produced a radio program called "Straight from the Heart [3]" that first focused on the victim stories. After some coaxing from her producer, she started talking with former child soldiers (males and females) and soon discovered their dual roles as both victims and victimizers.

Her compelling story helped amplify the voices of the countless people whose lives were forever changed by Liberia's long and gruesome war, which blurred the line between victim and perpetrator. So it was an honor to meet with Agnes when she came to Minnesota from New York to attend a graduation in May. We spent an hour or so talking about her book and experiences working with former child soldiers. From that moment, we formed a sisterhood and knew someday we would be working together in some capacity.

Leymah Gbowee, Liberia’s 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Leymah had a simple dream that materialized into a non-violent peace movement of women who ushered in the end of Liberia's 14-year civil war. Surprisingly, I was not aware of this renowned  women's peace movement from all the personal and scholarly research on Liberia that I had conducted. It was right before I left for Liberia in January 2009 that I heard about the award winning documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" that would be playing in U.S. theaters while I was gone. Gratefully, my Mom had received a copy from a friend that I could watch when I returned in January 2010.

I have watched this documentary several times and have recently read Lehmah's book "Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War." There is no doubt about her leadership in this successful peace movement that brought Christian and Muslim women together upon realizing that a bullet does not discriminate. She, like the other women, were tired of the war and what it was doing to the children of Liberia (Disney).


Throughout this movement, they faced many challenges including operating on limited funds. Regardless of these obstacles, Leymah was able to organize the women in holding sit-ins in both Liberia and Ghana where the peace talks were being held. She held fast to her convictions as they maintained their mission even when the fighting increased or during the faltering peace talks in Accra (Disney). It was her leadership that showed the rest of the world how a powerful group of women could take one dream for peace and make it reality.


Malala Yousuzai, Pakistan's Child Advocate for Girls' Education

Young Malala's courageous story has captivated the hearts and minds of countless people around the world, including me. In 2009, when it became clear that the Taliban would force her to quit school, this 11-year-old girl started an anonymous blog--Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl--to speak out about her rights. She was one of the few girls who were brave enough to protest about the injustice, because they had witnessed the destruction of over 150 schools in 2008 (Malala Yousafzai: Portrait of the girl blogger). So, the young girls felt that the only way to stop this madness was to stand up for their rights.

This young girl did not give up fighting for her right to an education even when she and her father--Ziauddin-- were facing death threats. Her father runs the local private school that she attends in Swat Valley. He is also the strongest supporter of her activism. Her work soon received international attention when she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by The KidsRights Foundation and awarded the National Peace Award [4] by her government (Malala Yousafzai: Portrait of the girl blogger).

Sadly, this girl, now 15, was shot in the head by the Taliban on October 9, while heading home on a bus with others. This was definitely an assassination attempt, because her activism was threatening their oppressive hold on her community. These radical militants failed to realize  Malala's resolve. She is recovering and has already requested her school books. Her strong spirit has been such an inspiration, especially girls, that a petition has already been started to nominate her for the Nobel Peace Prize (Malala Yousafzai: Thousands sign Nobel Peace Prize petition). There is no doubt that Malala is very deserving of this award, because she used her voice to regain her right for an education instead of a gun or missile.

Foot notes:
[1] Zarifa needs to ride her motorcycle at night while wearing men's clothing to protect her from being a target of the Taliban.
[2] Al Shabaab (The Youth in Arabic), a radical wing of Somalia's now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts.

[3] The radio show's name was derived from Byran Adam's song "Straight from the Heart"
[4] The National Peace Award was renamed the National Malala Peace Prize for those under 18 years old.

Works Cited:

Branigan, Tania. "China's first female astronaut shows how 'women hold up half the sky'." The   
     Guardian. The Observer. 16 Jun 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2012.
Disney, Abigail E, and Gini Reticker. Pray the Devil Back to Hell. Sausalito, Calif.?: Distributed by
      Roco Films Educational, 2008. 

Grammaticas, Damian. "China's female astronaut quandary." BBC News Asia. BBC.
     12 June 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2012.
Hegarty, Stephanie. "Afghanistan's supergran crimebuster on wheels." BBC News Magazine.
     BBC. 27 May 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2012.
Ibrahim, Mohammed and Jeffrey Gettleman. "Under Siege in War-Torn Somalia, a Doctor Holds Her
     Ground." The New York Times Africa. NY Times. 07 Jan 2011. Web. 24 Nov 2012.

"Immaculée Ilibagiza Keynote Speech at International Week." Online video. YouTube. 22 Oct 2008.
      Web. 24 Nov 2012. 

"Malala Yousafzai: Portrait of the girl blogger." BBC News Magazine. BBC. 10 Oct 2012. Web.

      26 Nov 2012.

"Malala Yousafzai: Thousands sign Nobel Peace Prize petition." BBC News Asia. BBC. 09 Nov 2012.

      Web. 26 Nov 2012/

Smith, David. "Malawi's Joyce Banda puts women's rights at centre of new presidency."The 

      Guardian. The Guardian. 29 Apr 2012 Web. 24 Nov 2012

Sutter, John D. "The woman who defied Saudi's driving ban and put it on YouTube." The CNN 

     Profile. CNN. 10 Jun 2012. Web. 24 Nov 2012.

The Greatest Sacrifice

Today, as we honor all those who have ever served in the United States military, we must remember with grateful hearts the young men and women who do not make it back home. We must especially honor and support their families, because their loved ones’ sacrifices are too hard to bear alone. Regrettably, there is very little public acknowledgement of soldiers who are killed in the line of duty.

This became all too clear to me while waiting for my flight at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. For about an hour, I sat next to a woman from Seattle who had just buried her 26-year-old son at Arlington Cemetery on Wednesday, November 7. He had served nine years with the Army and was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on October 27.

She shared with me her heartbreaking journey of the past week. She explained how her son's casket had been flown from Afghanistan to Fort Hood, Texas, which was where he had been stationed. She hadn’t realized that the military is not responsible for the arrangements or the cost of transporting our fallen heroes to Arlington. Fortunately, she received amazing service from Southwest Airlines, which treated her son with great respect and only charged her $99 to transport him.

Overwrought with emotion, this bereaved mother could not bring herself to fly with her son to Arlington. So it was arranged for her nephew, a Marine, to accompany his cousin. Since these young men served in different military branches, the nephew had to get permission to oversee the transportation of his cousin's body. Southwest Airlines put him in First Class in appreciation for his service and special role.  He never lost sight of his cousin, from being placed into the plane to being laid to rest in Arlington.

The mother and her sister made the long journey from Texas to Virginia by road. At its end, she faced the reality of saying goodbye to the middle son of three, who was married and left behind a 6-year-old daughter and adopted son a few years older.

She said the ceremony was quite moving, with the color guard and other vets standing at attention. She became unnerved though, during the 21-gun salute. After the service, she asked her sister to take her to the nearest bar, so she could try to calm down with a drink or two. Her sister was quite surprised by her request since she is not one to drink, but the experience of burying her son, a soldier, was more than she could bear.

It turns out that her son comes from a long line of family members who have served in the U.S. military going back to the Civil War. Her grandfather served in WWII. Her father was in the Air Force during the Vietnam war and was laid to rest in Arlington two years ago. She herself served in the Navy for 11 years and is also a four-year survivor of breast cancer. When she mentioned this she showed me the pink ribbon tattooed on her wrist, which her three sons also gotten to support her.

Speaking both as a veteran and mother of a son who gave his life in service to our nation, she spoke her wish that all the deployed sons/daughters, husband/wives and sisters/brothers will soon return safely. She shared that over 100 soldiers are buried at Arlington each week, Monday through Friday. These young people sacrificed their lives for our nation, and yet the major media outlets fail to acknowledge them.

As they called us to board the plane, she showed me her black ribbon with the U.S. flag and picture of her son. We said our farewells and wished each other a safe journey to our respective destinations. I can say I was humbled to sit by this courageous woman and expressed my gratitude for her entire family's service and sacrifice. It was a privilege to provide her some comfort and support by simply listening to her story of pain and anguish over losing her beloved,very handsome son. Also, to honor his memory and how his light brightened the lives of the people around him. But most importantly, to acknowledge that he had made the greatest sacrifice for our nation which should not be forgotten.

This was a Veterans Day that I will never forget. Thank you to all those who have served and died for our freedoms! This is my tribute to all of our fallen heroes whose stars forever shine.

Supporting Education in Liberia

It is absolutely amazing to trace the ripple effects of a simple gesture of kindness that started four years ago. These waves of compassion have reached the shores of good-hearted people from all walks of life. By January 2012 this expanding sea of good will result in an adopt-a-school project in Liberia.

It was back in late summer of 2009, my second year of living and volunteering in Liberia. I had no viable source of income, was running low on necessary supplies and had no means of buying Christmas gifts.  My Mom, Donna Cannon, went into action and reached out to a few friends and family to help put together a "care package" and some gifts to send to Liberia. What started out to be one barrel ended up as two.

Since I was robbing my retirement fund to survive, I returned to Minnesota in January 2010 to seek employment. Later that summer, my Mom nudged me into sending some Christmas cheer to my Liberian friends and family. Again we shipped two barrels with food, supplies and gifts to bring joy and hope to even more people. On Christmas Eve, my Liberian family made popcorn and Kool-Aid for a neighborhood children's party on Christmas Day.

The Christmas Eve elves made the popcorn and filled 
50 bags with each having a piece of candy.

This kids received a bag of popcorn and Kool-Aid. The Kool-Aid 
was poured into a water bag and frozen over night.

The neighborhood kids enjoying their Christmas treat.

By the next year, I was gainfully employed. Again, with the help of family and friends, we filled three barrels of toys, school supplies, food, flip-flops (known as slippers in Liberia), and first-aid kits. Unfortunately, this shipment did not arrive before Christmas. It was not clear what caused the delay, but it finally arrived in mid-January 2012.

When the items were received and inventoried by my partner in Liberia Kelvin Fomba, he was so overjoyed by the abundance that he sought out a small impoverished school to support. With the help of Momo B Moor, a physics teacher from Monrovia Open Bible Standard School, he found a school in great need of help. Kelvin, Momo and few others distributed the school supplies and toys to the children at Russwood Christian Academy. This was the birth of our adopt-a-school project.

Exterior of Russwood Christian Academy

Meeting Russwood Staff before distributing the supplies. 
Kelvin (in the white shirt and hat) with Momo to his left.

Some of the students inside the school.

Momo distributing supplies to the children in January 2012.

Russwood was founded on March 10, 2009 by Reverend Matthew Y Kargar in Congo Town. This school was the offspring of a church founded by Pastor Russ Wood from the U.S. The school was named after Pastor Wood, because he helped open it. This small community school serves children from impoverished families in grades kindergarten to sixth. Since its founding this school has received only sporadic support. Reverend Kargar said that they welcome a partnership since they hope to expand and better serve their students.

This year has been filled with many blessings. In June, my cousin who teaches at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Brooklyn Park notified me that they were replacing their old reading program and wondered if they would be of use in Africa. My answer was a definitive "Yes." So four of us--my mom and brother, and another special lady who I consider my second mom--took three cars on a very hot July day to pick up this amazing collection. It included textbooks, workbooks, teacher lesson plans and so much more for grades K thru 6.

Though I had no immediate plan on how to ship these books to Liberia, I knew that my dear friend Lynda Gardiner's husband John was planning to send a container home. I reached out to her and explained that I had received these books, but did not have the capacity to ship them to Liberia. I was delighted when Lynda and John agreed to help out. The books were recently packed so that they are ready to be shipped. John is finalizing his plans on when to send his 40-foot shipping container since he plans to travel home for the first time in about 20 years and wants to be there when it arrives.

The complete collection of reading books for kindergarten to sixth grade.

The reading program was packed into 28 boxes and are ready to be shipped.

In late July, I began looking for good deals on school supplies and decided to post photos of my first week's purchases on Facebook. I was overwhelmed by the response to help from family and friends beyond my usual supporters. Previous years, this annual campaign was emailed to the main supporters, so it was great to see how others were excited to be part of this project.

First week of purchases in July 2012

For six more weeks, I received in-kind and cash donations for toys, school supplies, flip-flops, tooth brushes and teaching aids. The items purchased for that given week were shared on Facebook and an email update. Each week the support grew until we were receiving donations coming from Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Some of these supporters were from Ghana, Chile, Eritrea and Liberia. Two of the supporters have advanced Multiple Sclerosis and enjoyed seeing the pictures of what was purchased with their donations. A young Liberian woman donated from her employer some pencils, post-it notes, t-shirts and other items imprinted with the company's old logo. Finally, my Mom's dentist office, Forestview Family Dentistry, donated a box of children's toothpaste. So this campaigned represented the spirit of Uniting Distant Stars where people from diverse backgrounds come together for a greater good.

This is what was purchased or received from donations on week 3.

160 pairs of flip-flops (i.e. slippers) from toddler to adult sizes

Half of the toothbrushes that were sent.

The donated toothpaste from the dentist office.

This year we switched from barrels to large wardrobe boxes, because a box holds more volume than a barrel. So, we started out with filling one box, then two and finally three. On September 18, we shipped out three boxes with over 1,000 pounds of supplies that we hoped would arrive before Christmas.

Three large wardrobe boxes filled with over 1,000 pounds of supplies.

Well, as I said before, this year was filled with many blessings. This week I received notice from the shipping company, IB XPRESS, that the boxes estimated arrival is November 5. My eyes could not believe what I saw, so I had to reread the letter and was overjoyed with such wonderful news. For the last three years the shipment usually arrived the week of Christmas or in the case of 2011 nearly a month late.

Once these boxes arrive at the port, it takes about 10 business days for them to clear customs before being transported to the warehouse for pick-up. Kelvin and his team of volunteers will inventory what was received and start making packets for the kids. When we shipped these boxes it was around the start of the school year and at that time we were told there were about 160 enrolled students. Well now it has been confirmed that there are 211 students in this tiny school. We have enough notebooks and pencils to give to each child. We will have to give each child either one toy or a pair of flip-flops as their special gift since there was a limited number of these items. We received a few backpacks, so these will be awarded to the top performers of the school to encourage academic achievement.

Here some of the backpacks that were sent. 
They will be given to the top performers of the school.

We will be organizing a lunch and program in early December with the school staff, students and the parents. This is when the items will be distributed and we will explain our partnership with their school. We want to engage the parents so that they can take an active role in ensuring their children's academic success, since this project is in the developmental stage.

We will be posting updates of the December program and also announce when the reading books arrive. I will be making my sixth journey back to Liberia next year and look forward to visiting Russwood Christian Academy and seeing what more that we can do to improve learning environment. Again, I want to Thank everyone who helped launch this adopt-a-school project, because what started as a ripple crossed the Atlantic and became a wave of hope.

Shop for a Cause, Train for a Future, Watch Four Great Films

As part of our guiding principles, we advocate for great causes and engage our diverse audience of shining stars. I want to bring your attention to three exciting events that are coming up in the next few weeks. These include an opportunity to shop for unique items, start a small business, and watch award-winning films about inspirational African women leaders.

Shopping for a Cause: Partners for Women's Equality (PWE) is holding an benefit event at Ten Thousand Villages in St. Paul on Wednesday, September 26 from 5PM to 8PM. This is a great place to shop for Fair Trade items create artisans in 130 countries. Ten Thousand Villages will donate 20% of the proceeds during this three-hour event to PWE.

I have served on the board of PWE for over two years. This organization provides leadership development and organizational support to empower marginalized women and girls around the world. So, while you are shopping please stop by our table--I will be there--and learn more about our Kenya Girls for Change Scholarship Program and Bridge to Change Leadership Training Course.

Training for a Future: African Career, Education, and Resource Inc. is offering a 12-week Microentrepreneur Development Training and Support Program at the North Hennepin Community College starting October 18 through February 7. The tuition is $99 and scholarships offer $50 are available upon request. This program provides technical assistance and other helpful information to equip new microentrepreneurs to start and operate their businesses. Participants will have a chance to apply for small business loans from $500 to $10,000. Applications for this program are due September 28. Contact Denise Butler at DBulter@acerinc.org or 763-493-8106 to apply or more information.

This program is provided by ACER in partnership with Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), North Hennepin Community College, Hennepin County Housing, Community Works and Transit / Public Works, and the City of Brooklyn Park.

I have volunteered with ACER for events twice this year--Job Fair in April and Walk, Run and Bike in September. This organization offers valuable programs to people of African descent and other underrepresented communities of color that are focused on Education, Health and Wellness, Community Economic Development, and Advocacy.

Watching Four Great Films: The African Women's Development Fund USA (AWDF)-Minnesota Network is hosting their Pan-African Women's Film Forum at St. Catherine University in St. Paul on October 20 from 1PM to 8PM. This is part of AWDF's Celebrate Mother Africa campaign. They are featuring the following Four Award-Winning Independent Films:

"Daisy Bates: First Lady of Arkansas"

  

"Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai"

"Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed"

"Iron Ladies of Liberia"

I hope that you can find time to check out these wonderful events and inform others who might be interested. These are great organizations doing their part in making this a better world.

Patience Test

It is 11:30PM (CST) as I write this post, because I am too excited to sleep. For nearly a week, I have undergone a major test in patience. On September 12, I redirected this blog to my new domain. However, something went awry with this process and my domain appeared as a 404 error...meaning that the URL was not available for unknown reasons.

Being the tech geek that I am, I went into the settings to revert my blog back to the original domain. Regrettably, I discovered that this option was not even available in the publishing settings as I read this message..."maintenance in progress...domain switching disabled."

Still having hope that a plausible solution was out there, I then posted on the Blogger product forum regarding this issue. I soon discovered that countless others were experiencing the same thing that appeared to start on September 9.

What seemed to be the most disconcerting issue for all of us, is how Blogger did not shine with their customer service. They failed to keep us posted to what caused the problem or how long it would take to fix it. This left all of us in the dark contemplating what to do next.

The forum appeared to be the only source of information. After following it for nearly a week, I can say tensions were high with some bloggers while others were trying to maintain some decorum with the group. Then there were those who shared about switching their blogs to another service and others who had temporarily exported their blog to another blogspot. These options piqued my interest and I was strongly considering them. Yet I had to be realistic, because I just didn't have the time or energy to make this possible due to a nearing project deadline.

So, I decided to continue reach out to other social media outlets such as Twitter to get some sort of update or information to why this occurred. From the responses I received. the results were still more of the same... "maintenance in progress...domain switching disabled."

Tonight around 11PM, I received an email from the forum and some people blogs were back. So, I checked my blog immediately and the same 404 error came up; however, this time the domain switching was enabled. So, for now my blog will stay with the same old domain until I have confidence that this issue does not occur again when I switch to my new one.
 
I am grateful that I back online and that I stayed even keeled during this challenging time. This test was a great reminder that we are not always in control and all we need is a little patience (lyrics from the Guns N' Roses song Patience) to get through it.

 

Uniting Distant Stars Has Gone Supernova

Fueled by passion and energy, United Distant Stars is charting a new course across the galaxy.  Its mission is to engage young Liberians--"rising stars"--in receiving education for jobs or careers.  We see that as their first step into the great unknown--fulfilling their dreams of a meaningful and satisfying future!

This surge of inspired energy came after I gave a presentation on women's leadership to the 2012 Miss Liberia Minnesota contestants on June 26, sponsored by the Liberian Youth Network (LYN). Decontee "Dee" Sawyer, LYN's Executive Director (and also 2006 Miss Liberia/Minnesota), had heard about my presentation to the Ebenezer Community Church (ECC) Youth Group and asked if I would be interested in talking with her contestants. 

I was excited to have this opportunity to talk with these beautiful young women, and just three days away from the pageant. I knew that I had to deliver a talk that would pique their interest and stimulate involvement because they were focused on their final preparations for the contest. They each had their sight on the crown and title for 2012.

I wanted to convey three primary principles to these emerging leaders:

• Be informed...knowledge is power,
• Be inspired...cultivate your passion, and then
• Ignite an eternal flame...put your passion into action

As I had with the Ebenezer Youth Group, I began by quizzing them on their knowledge of Liberian history.  Next I sketched out brief profiles of eight women currently recognized as powerful and inspirational leaders in their nations, despite very dangerous circumstances, as in the case of Liberia's Leymah Gbowee and Agnes Fallah Kamara-Umunna. There is more to be said about these women, so I will be dedicating an upcoming blog post about their incredible stories of leading in complex situations.

Finally, we closed the presentation on how they can put their passion into action. It seems that the hardest thing to do is taking those first steps. Too often we feel that we need to go BIG to make an impact and then we end up doing nothing. So, we talked about sharing their ideas with others, being an advocate for someone or something or starting a pilot project. This message was good reminder for all of us that when we take those first "small steps" we are on way to making our dreams a reality.

Left to right Jessica Chea (contestant), Catherine Carr (2012 Miss Liberia-Minnesota), Decontee Sawyer (LYN Executive Director), me, Satta Kendor (contestant), Decontee Yarpah (contestant)

After I left that night, I had no idea how my presentation went because I'm usually in a "zone" where I'm unable to gauge my audience's response.  The following day I received a call from Dee thanking me for a great presentation, explaining that afterward each of the contestants revised their "platforms" (action plans to be carried out after the pageant--whether or not they receive the crown).

This feedback inspired me to put my passion into action!  United Distant Stars has launched two small projects focusing on educating young people in Liberia. One project has provided scholarships to five primary and secondary school students, and supplemental financial aid to eight students in three to six-month vocational programs. The second project involves adopting a small primary school in the Monrovia area.

United Distant Stars will be slowly rolling out our vision and plans as we move forward. We have added an "About" tab so you can learn more about us.

I close this post with a insightful quote from Michelango that encourages us to reach for the stars...

The greater danger for most of you lies not in setting your aim too high and falling short; but in setting your aim too low, and achieving your mark.

Our Invisible Society

One of the most amazing and unnerving observations I have made on my commutes to work in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, is how two societies converge with very little interaction. While one segment of society is heading to work, another is moving from their sleeping place to their next daily "hangout." If you don't pay close attention, you might not notice the difference between them, because they are both carrying backpacks or pulling small suitcases. However, once you take a closer look you will notice how one group is carrying or pulling their whole life with them.

I have worked in the downtown St. Paul area for nearly two years and have been learning about this often overlooked part of our society as I drive through town to and from work or take my lunch-time walk. During this two-year period, I have witnessed a growing homeless population and wonder how these people manage when so many programs are being cut.

I don't know if I would have paid attention to this "invisible" society if I had not experienced nearly 800 days in Liberia, West Africa. It was quite clear from my first visit in 1998 that I could not avoid the extreme poverty in this nation devastated by nearly 15 years of war. This experience made me realize how easy it is for us to bypass and even ignore our impoverished areas in the U.S. After living in Liberia for two separate years from 2007 to 2010, I gained an appreciation for these people who are very much part of the greater society.

One of the greatest lessons I learned from people living in poverty is... "those who have the least have the most to give." For example, I have observed more than one Liberian give their last "dollar" to someone they felt was more in need. Another example, was a medically trained Liberian who provided free malaria treatments for up to four people in his tiny one-room living space that he shared with his wife and daughter. Even I was recipient of this unexpected generosity when I was down on my luck during my second year of residency. I can attest that such an experience humbles you and makes you appreciate the wonderful gift of humanity regardless of their "perceived" value.

The harsh reality for many people living in poverty or homeless is that they are often ignored or degraded by those who are more fortunate. I will never forget when a Liberian in 2008 explained that "the poor take care of the poor." This statement is even true with the homeless people in St. Paul, because I have seen younger people help an older person across the street or another carry their load. It is obvious that this community stays close together and take care of each other.

While homeless and poverty may seem like the norm for the 80% or more Liberian people classified in this condition, they cannot fathom that such a thing exists in the U.S. In fact, anytime that I have mentioned that the U.S. has homelessness and poverty, they look at me suspiciously and believe I am lying. These are people that look upon the U.S. as the land of prosperity and good fortune based on what they have heard from others or seen in pictures or movies.

Sometimes it hard to discern the differences between developed and developing nations when it comes to how they treat their "outcasts" in society. When looking at the homeless faces in the U.S. and Liberia, there is little to no difference. They are the products of war--U.S. Veterans and Liberian ex-child soldiers. They are the usual marginalized groups--women, children, disabled, elderly and ethnic minorities. They are people who are battling addictions or dealing with mental illnesses most likely from some traumatic event.

It is so easy for human beings to compartmentalize groups of people into boxes of "isms" without realizing it. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else. However, we do have the capacity to open these boxes (and our hearts) and discover that it is not fair to stereotype people based on societal assumptions. The reality is, we have not walked in their shoes or can even relate to their circumstances. Yet, if we take moment and imagine ourselves in their situation, would we not want to be visible?

Taking Time to Reflect

It is hard to believe that we are near the halfway mark for 2012. The last three months have been so busy I haven't taken time to breathe and reflect on the many activities that I am involved with.  As a practitioner of mindfulness, I have learned that life should not be dictated by a clock or calendar. Instead it should be marked by the moments that shape our global outlook and promote our personal growth as we strive to make our contribution to this world.

During the last three months, I have been engaged in many activities that included taking a course on humanitarianism, volunteering with new organizations, and networking with many interesting and inspiring people.

Introduction to Humanitarian Assistance

The American Refugee Committee (ARC) offered a nine-week course about the many facets of humanitarian work in emergency situations. As a volunteer with this organization, I was interested in learning more about their work and reflect on how my experience in Liberia might apply to my aspirations in the international arena. This course gave a thorough overview of the challenges and opportunities working with displaced people in some of the toughest regions in the world.

Each session was taught by one of ARC's executives; however, the information they shared applied to international relief work on a broader scale. We were given a glimpse of the different theories of humanitarianism, what it takes to coordinate a relief effort with multiple agencies, navigating the differences between various cultures, how to ensure staff care (mind, body, spirit) and protect them in hostile environments, and so much more.

This course opened our eyes to many things that are not necessarily covered in the media when a natural disaster hits or war breaks out. For example, one of the important aspects of helping people who are displaced is getting different perspectives from the those affected by the situation to better address everyone's needs. This process includes getting the perspectives of children, because their vantage point (i.e. vertically challenged) and knowledge of the area is not the same as young and older adults.

I highly recommend this course to anyone who is seeking a career change in international work, wanting to be more involved on a global level, or learning more about humanitarian assistance.

Volunteering to Empower Others

This year, I started volunteering with WomenVenture, in hopes of facilitating a class. I have been in their career transition networking group since 2010 when I was unemployed and taken a few of their core classes such as Social Media. Also, I have been engaged in supporting others in their transitional period by providing resources or just simply listening to their stories.

In February, I had the opportunity to assist with a class called "Build a Business Website". This three-week course was being redeveloped, because it was not achieving the goal that each participant would publish a website by the end of the course. The course facilitator of this course found an easier inexpensive site-builder that would allow the class participants to develop, publish and maintain their website.

Though this course had a few hiccups introducing the new site builder and curriculum, five of the six participants were published by the final class and the sixth was just about ready. My assistance to the success of this class was awarded with the opportunity to write a part of the curriculum and co-facilitate the next the class in May, which was cancelled due to low enrollment. The next one is scheduled in September and I am looking forward to helping the next group of participants launch their business websites.

I had another great volunteering experience with ACER (African Career, Education, and Resource Inc.) on April 28. They were hosting their third annual job fair at the Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park. I had become aware of ACER through some postings on Facebook by Wynfred Russell, Executive Director. When I saw the event announcement for the job fair, I asked if they needed any volunteers.

ACER job fair was unique, because it provided a more holistic approach. This was event for the whole family and went beyond just career development. Besides having representatives from companies and post-secondary educational institutions, it also offered free health screenings, activities for kids, teenage talent shows, information about Bottineau Transitway Project and much more.

I applaud ACER's effort in recognizing job loss or job transition is a family affair. I was able to witness this first-hand as I worked at the registration table. Throughout the day I saw families of all generations and different cultures taking part in the various offerings. This event provided something for everyone. This was quite evident when a woman returned to the registration table and said "This was the best event ever, because all my needs were met." She shared how she got information for furthering her education, her healthcare needs and job prospects. Her beaming smile and energizing enthusiasm was a clear indicator that this job fair was successful.


Networking With More Distant Stars

Uniting Distant Stars is a blog that was created to further my interest in appreciating and understanding other cultures through active dialogs with people in discovering that we are all "stars" and there is much more that unites us than divides us.

In the last three months, I have been able to meet and chat with interesting and inspiring people who are from or worked in different parts of the world. With each discussion, I have learned so much more about how this interconnected world is evolving and how we each have a part in making it better place.

Engaging and Educating the ECC Youth Group

Life is at its best, when you can do something that you love! Well, this was made possible by my dear friend Elijah Wreh, who had invited me to be the guest speaker for the Ebenezer Community Church (ECC) Youth Group today (February 26, 2012). Back in January, Elijah texted me that he was recently appointed as the new Youth Director and stated that he would be seeking my help. I was eager to learn more about what he needed, because it is my passion to work with youth development.

Before I go into some of the highlights of today's presentation, I want to share more about the leadership of this group. I can say without hesitation that the young people in this group are very fortunate to have not only Elijah as a leader, but also his wife Gradieh. I have known this vibrant couple for about two years. They are both  intelligent, hardworking and constantly seeking ways to make this a better world. These two inspire me greatly that I do what I can to support them. For nearly two years, Elijah and I have been working periodically on a project that he is developing that would help support the educational efforts of young people in Liberia. Gradieh is a co-owner of Hairitage Creations Beauty Salon in Brooklyn Park and I have been a her client for 18 months. 

Now to the highlights! It was an honor to present to some very smart and spirited Liberian youth from ages 13 to 25 about my experience and research of their home nation. Everyone of them was eager to "test their knowledge" on Liberia's geography and history at the start of the presentation as a way to 'break the ice'. While they were quick to answer most questions, they did have two challenging ones.

The first one was "How was Liberia created?" and it did stump the group as they made several attempts to answer it. Their answers were more about who founded Liberia and not the one act that made it possible. So, I finally gave them the answer and explained that Liberia was created when U.S. Congress passed the Anti-Slave Trade Act in 1819 that gave the American Colonization Society (ACS) the money--$100,000--to establish a colony in West Africa. Prior to the passing of this act, ACS was unable to raise the money needed for their purpose.

The other question was "Why did Liberia declare Independence?" which this was implying to an economic reason. After receiving some good efforts from other participants, this one was answered correctly by one of the young men. He mentioned how Liberia had trade relationships with other nations and they would not pay customs for the goods they were trading as long as it was not a sovereign nation. Until their independence in 1847, Liberia was under the auspice rule of the ACS and the trading nations did not consider this organization as a nation. Plus at this time, the ACS was extremely broke and were ready to pass on the responsibility of governance to this fledgling new nation.

The rest of the presentation focused on the present situations such as limited electricity, no running water, high unemployment and poverty rates, and other factors that still challenge this war-torn nation's recovery efforts. Then we discussed the future opportunities such as mobile technology, alternative energy sources, agriculture (i.e. supporting local farmers) and human resources development.

I wanted to engage these young participates on what are some of the possibilities of making a difference back home. Though many were born in Liberia, some had moved away when they were younger and were now accustomed to U.S. living. It appeared that most really hadn't thought about returning to Liberia or how they could be a catalyst for change.

We ended the presentation with an energized question and answer session. One of the young men was eager to know what programs were available to volunteer with that were helping Liberia. This was a great question and I shared with him that there were several organizations in the Twin Cities focused on projects in Liberia. They were hungry to know more and yet our time was running short. We closed with Elijah saying a final prayer and everyone gave me a resounding thank you!

Later in the day, Gradieh called me and provided some great feedback about today's interactions. The young people were still talking about my presentation after I was gone and how much they learned surprisingly from a "white women." She also shared that they will be looking for organizations that their groups members can sign-up to be volunteers. This put a smile on my face, because now these young people felt empowered to do something good!

This post will end with the following pictures of my great day with some amazing young people:

Elijah Wreh, Ebenezer Community Church Youth Director

This is my audience of about 25 to 30 young people.

Close up of some of young people sitting at the back.

All eyes are turned at the young lady in the second row as she answers one of the geography questions.

Many hands were raised as the history questions were being asked.

This group was quite eager to answers questions and share their knowledge.

Giving some hints about the first challenge question "How was Liberia created?"

That smile I am wearing indicates that this group was great to work with!

The young man in the middle is answering one of the questions.

The young lady in the second row wearing the white dress with the black jacket, demonstrated her knowledge by naming all the Liberian Presidents.

One of three group pictures at the end of the presentation. Gradieh Wreh is in the black jacket and red skirt.

Group photo number two.

Group photo three with some position changes!