Philanthropy in Daily Life: How to Know Where to Give

[This blog talks about digging deep to find our personal cause, choosing a charity, and reminds us that where we shop matters too.]

Last week we talked about the fact that one person can make a big difference in this wild world of ours. Today we are here to talk about how one can do so.

As a person who has various passions and a lot of heart and soul, I know how challenging it can be to just choose one charity. One charity! Out of all the amazing work that’s being done out there?! Seems impossible.

It’s not. But it requires some work, self-awareness, and mindfulness.

Here is my brand new, broken down mindfulness model of how to choose a charity.

Step 1: Finding what makes you tick

(skip this step if you are already sure of your #1 cause)

People in my life ask me how I seem so sure about where I want to help. For me, it came down to exposure - when I saw things that I couldn’t unsee in areas of the world like Africa and India.

I have two causes that are extremely important to me. One is food security. Food is a basic human right. I have travelled and seen the detrimental cases where our food systems are being manipulated. I want to ensure that every family has access to natural food systems for years to come. Another cause I care about more than anything is education and literacy for women and girls. I grew up as a total bookworm and I know it was the doorway to my life of freedom, gratitude and abundance. Every girl deserves that chance.

So let’s dig deep and find your cause.

Get out a sheet of paper or a journal. Grab a pen and close the door to your office / study. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Clear your mind of noise and chatter. Don’t attach yourself to the thoughts in your head, but rather let them float by like clouds. Imagine yourself below them, watching them float by if they arise. Bring yourself back to your breath every time you get taken away somewhere - take a big breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Once you have cleared your mind and moved past daily thoughts, you can begin to think and feel more deeply about life in general. Observe what images tend to come up in this space. Do you see animals? Or children? Try to recall a moment in your life that moved you to tears. Did it involve reading? War and refugees? The environment or nature? Almost always, if you set an intention at the beginning to really let something that matters to you come up, it will. Maybe you even just see your family and want to help other families in need. Or do work with infectious diseases and health related causes. Allow yourself to think freely of any cause that comes up.

After sitting for 5-10 minutes, slowly open your eyes and begin to write. Write about what you feel matters to you or how you would like to see your world improve. It doesn’t have to be international. It could be as simple as seeing your daughters’ school improve communication. Or seeing your neighbourhood plant a community garden. Just allow yourself space to write for 5 minutes about what matters to you and reflect on what came up in your mindfulness moment.

There are so many causes out there, but I believe if you begin to do this practice, perhaps a number of times over a week or even a month, it will start to become really clear to you what you would like to help with.

Step 2: Research Research Research

Congrats! You’ve done the tough work of digging soul deep to find what cause resonates with you. Now is the time to get involved with this cause.

It’s always easy to start with a Google search in your local community by simply using your city/town name and the cause i.e. “animal safety Chicago”. Within moments you can have the names of any local NGOs or charities doing work in that area. Read their websites and see if any resonate with you. Make a list in your journal of the ones you’d like to reach out too to learn more.

I do believe wholeheartedly it’s great to start local. But sometimes we don’t find exactly what we’re looking for and in this case, let’s search on a more national or international scale. This could simply be revamping your Google search with “animal safety America” or “animal safety NGOs worldwide”. You’re going to have a much broader list, but take special note of any that seem to jump out at you.

Alternatively, a great way to seek out organizations that are doing good work in your area of interest is to become more involved in the community. Often, cities have websites devoted to local volunteer opportunities. Find one that mildly interests you and get involved. I swear, the more people you get to know in the industry, the quicker you will find YOUR organization to help with. So just get out there - volunteer an hour or two each week - and ask questions. You’ll find so much knowledge by simply listening.

We are actually pretty lucky in that we live in a time that makes it so easy for us to find others that are doing good. My advice is to start now, and give what you can (volunteer time especially at this phase) and you’ll eventually find your path to the organization you really want to work with. Next week, we’ll discuss different ways to incorporate giving into your life once you know what and who you want to support.

Finally, let’s not forget that how you purchase items can relate back to your cause as well. So many companies now are supporting various causes and it’s worth a moment to research the companies you buy from on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to see if there are alternatives whom are supporting worthwhile causes. Conscious consumerism is a whole new blog that we’ll dig into on another day, but it’s important!

Happy searching!

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Fearless & Fierce Women

In honour of International Woman's Day and one of my

personal favourite movements Half the Sky:

This isn't a feminist statement, but rather a celebration of all the wonderful, wise women out there and the struggle we've gone through in the past one hundred years to be equals. Let us spread that equality out to all groups and all nations. Let's stand together and shine!

To my mother, sister, grandmother, cousins, co-workers, aunts and girlfriends who are like family - I sincerely love you and encourage you to shine your unique lights, today more than ever.

And there will never be a day like this that goes by that I don't think of Laxmi, Seema, Sonu, Neha, Rajni and Muskan, and all of the other women I met in India. They ignited something inside of me. As I think about them trying to become educated against all odds, while still cooking, cleaning and taking care of their families, I realized the true power and strength of a woman.To all the women I met there - I miss you much on this special day.

I'll leave you with Sonu's story. I wrote about this back when I was in India, but it was such a small thing that played such a huge part in my trip and I must re-share. Thanks and Happy Day to you!

At the beginning of one lesson we had with the girls, Sonu (pictured left) was crying. Neha (our translator) explained to us that she did not pass her 10th class examinations, which insulted her uncle and grandfather. They were shouting at her that she was a failure and that she was not allowed in their homes any longer. She was devastated and terribly upset. 

We began to ask some questions to try to understand the situation, such as what did her parents think? Did she live with her Uncle/Grandfather? It turned out that she didn't live with them and that her parents still wanted her to study and to try to pass the examination again in the future. We took a step back and talked about how sometimes in life, you must stop, or even take a step backwards, in order to move forward again. That failures will happen, but they will not be failures at all in the end because of what we learn from them and how they test our character. It was beautiful as the other girls were all rapidly talking in Hindi, standing behind her and telling her to stand for what she believed in and to continue studying.

We went on with our lesson and asked Sonu to write some sentences on the board. She excels at English (struggles greatly with math). You could tell from the smile on her face that the confidence from doing so well in English in front of her peers helped. After the lesson, a parting volunteer gave a going away gift to the girls. Every girl received a beautiful, sparkly sari. You should have seen the room erupt! We told them to put them on and they were giggling and laughing and helping each other tie them on. It's not until a certain age that a girl learns how to tie a sari, so they did very well, but it was hilarious to watch. There were pictures and memories that I'm sure they will have - as will we - forever. And at the end of all the chaos and laughter, Sonu turned to us and said, "I will continue my studies." It was so simple, so small, but my heart exploded. It's what we were all there for. 

The bright future of India

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IWEN Canada & Women of Worth

I am extremely blessed to have found a little slice of my passion right here in Kelowna. Now that I've committed to doing my certificate in International Development through UBC, it seems the Universe conspired to bring me a further opportunity that aligns with my goals, right here in Ktown. I'm going to be a volunteer for, and would like to be a committee member (or even board member if I dream BIG!) of IWEN Canada, with a group of inspirational and empowered women.

Friday we met for tea on a patio (gasp! March 1st! How I love this weather!) and hit it off. Saturday I was fortunate enough to work a booth at the annual WOW Woman of Worth conference at the stunning (and when I say stunning I mean jaw-droppingly beautiful) Sparkling Hill Spa Resort.

What is IWEN?

IWEN is a non-profit, registered charity that began when the founder, Michelle, was trekking through Nepal (is this the way all of my inspirational stories start?! John Wood started Room to Read after the same type of trek.) After seeing the conditions there, her dream was to start an educational society to ensure Nepali women would have options in their lives. Five years later, she started IWEN with like-minded people, sold her beautiful apartment on Lake Okanagan, gave up her job as head of the Kelowna Family Centre and moved to Kathmandu to make this project a reality. Michelle lives and works in Nepal at her own expense. She returns to Canada for a few months every year to help raise money and to attend the IWEN Annual General Meeting.

IWEN has a variety of programs: 

• The Indentured Daughter / Bonded Girls Program
  Helps send girls back to their families (after being sold to another family as "help" for money) and gets them back into school
  Avg. cost is $300 per year to fully support one girl.
• SUNGAVA program
  Helps mentally challenged females and provides them with basic literacy and life skills
  Avg. cost is $145 per year to support one girl.
• Teacher Training
  Though the Nepal Ministry of Education has made positive steps in providing rural schools with trained teacher there are still many village schools who find themselves with teachers that have not received any formal training, which directly affects the students' success.
  Avg cost to support one-year teacher training program involving 30 to 40 teachers: $1,500.00.
• Tharu Mother's Literacy ClassesThe mothers of rescued illegally bonded girls asked IWEN for literacy classes. As their daughters gained confidence their mothers realized the importance of education not only for their daughters but also for themselves.
• Health Education Awareness
• Local Immigrant Women Program
  The valley attracts many immigrants. However immigrant women sometimes face difficulties in adapting to their new home. In networking with various local organizations IWEN discovered that some of the problems that immigrant women face are: isolation due to language barriers, domestic violence, new mothers' difficulty attending languages classes, need of life skill training, and need of specific vocational training skills.

The amazing girls who inspired me.

I LOVE the local and international aspect. And the fact that it is working with girls and women warms my heart and plays on a HUGE passion of mine since returning home from India. They do similar training as we were trying to provide in India. Talk. About. My. DREAM.

This weekend at the Women of Worth conference, which was also just hugely inspiring to be a part of, we raised $1300 in scarf sales. The scarves were both created by the Nepalese woman that we're helping, as well as purchased at the markets there to help the local economy. The V.P. was at another event where they raised a similar amount and received funding for a specific girls' scholarship.

With International Women's Day on Friday - I urge you all to take a look (click here) at IWENCanada.com and let's find a way to join together with women from around the world as we raise each other up!

"Most of us wait to do something BIG in life and often miss all the little opportunities that come our way... and it is only those little choices that can truly make a difference in the lives of another human being..."

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US legislates to prevent child marriage worldwide

What a HUGE success - and right before International Women's Day! Phenomenal. See full article on theElders.com here >>

Child marriage activists are celebrating the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 by the United States Congress on Thursday: an important step for women experiencing violence within the United States, as well as for communities affected by child marriage in the developing world.

The bill, which will now be signed into law by President Obama, describes child marriage as a human rights violation and requires the US to develop a comprehensive, integrated strategy to prevent early marriage in developing countries. It represents a victory for members of the Elders-initiated Girls Not Brides coalition, who have advocated for stronger measures at the national and international levels to eliminate this harmful practice.

More than 25,000 girls every day are married off before they reach the age of 18. This increases the likelihood that they will drop out of school, impacting on their education and economic prospects. It also leaves them vulnerable to serious health risks associated with early sexual activity and childbearing, and to the risk of domestic violence and HIV infection from older husbands.

The Act will require the prevention of child marriage to be integrated across US development programmes – whether focused on health, education, or economic development – in countries where the practice is most prevalent. US embassies will also have to include child marriage rates in their individual country reports on human rights.

From aspiration to legislation

In August last year, Archbishop Tutu and Graça Machel urged the United States administration to make eliminating child marriage a foreign policy goal. “Without tackling child marriage, the US government cannot hope to achieve its development ambitions,” they wrote in the Washington Post.

Later that week, after speaking to Graça Machel in South Africa, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton affirmed the US’ commitment to eliminating child marriage:

“The United States will intensify our diplomacy and development work to end child marriage, and it’s a personal commitment of mine as well as a great value that South Africa, the United States, and so many people around the world share.”

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Women, Work & Peace ~ Acceptance Speech

Ela Bhatt delivered an incredible acceptance speech upon accepting the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, on 18 February 2013 in New Delhi. She works with SEWA: Self Employed Women's Association. I became very familiar and in awe of this org. when I was there in 2011.

Here's the speech >>

My highlights?

Poverty strips a person of his or her humanity and takes away freedom.

This is so utterly true. We all work to simply provide for our family and ourselves. To live free lives, dedicated to the experiences and actitivites (and people) we love. Poverty takes that away, it makes people lose their pride, makes them turn violent, and, just as power does, poverty corrupts.

In India, we are proud of our multicultural society. Bahudha is at the heart of what makes us who we are: social diversity, political diversity, religious diversity, biological diversity. But in our rush to modernise let us not forget one of our greatest assets: our economic diversity. In our markets, we have the street vendor, the cart seller, the kiosk owner, the shop owner, and the supermarket owner, all plying their trades at the same time. Let them cater to different strata of society, co-existing and competing in a natural, organic way. Let our planning include ample room for the millions of small entrepreneurs and self-employed, who cater to the widest strata of society, to flourish and grow. They are the agents of an economic development that reaches the grassroots; they weave the living web of social and economic relationships that will bind our nations together.

This is ECONOMICS 101 for me. This is what the "global marketplace" was intended to look like. Not a hundred multinationals who are taking over everything and everyone in their way.

I would urge us to ensure that six basic primary needs are met from resources within 100 miles around us. I call it the "100 mile principle". If food, shelter, clothing, primary education, primary healthcare and primary banking are locally produced and consumed, we will have the growth of a new holistic economy. (Let me make clear, however, that the 100 mile principle is not a recipe for isolation. I am not asking at all that we go back but move forward with heightened awareness about how and where we spend our money and what our work is doing to us and those around us. In fact, technologies can help to share knowledge and ideas across countries.)

Enough said. An amazing woman. And once again, she's inspired me to be looking in my own community for women's organizations to volunteer with. Here we go!

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International Women's Day

Happy Women's Day to all my strong, beautiful women out there. I just wrote a note to my Aunt the other night, telling her this:

"I'm reading a book called Circle of Stones right now - and in the opening it talks about what life would be like if every young girl had a strong circle of wise, nurturing women around them. I had that. I had two incredible Grandmothers, amazing Aunts, intelligent older cousins, an indescribable and a determined, passionate older sister. I found a woman mentor in my first adult job in business and only ever worked for women bosses before that. On top of that, I had a strong network of female friends in high school and college. Everywhere I look, there women who continue to amaze and surprise me."

I get how lucky I am.

Now I want to work with / read about / uplift / empower women like Suma. When Suma was six, she started work as a servant where she was abused daily. At 16, Room to Read (still my favourite organization!) paid Suma's school fees, introduced her to a mentor and gave her life skills training to build confidence. She will graduate secondary school in two years. After that, her dream is to become a health educator to help empower more girls in her community. This is Suma's song.

Goosebumps? Si, si.

In honour of International Women's Day, I'll spotlight a story about a strong, smart Indian woman I had the pleasure of meeting while I was in Ahmedabad late last year for a wedding. Seemab is a beautiful woman living in Ahmedabad, where she was born and raised. She didn’t come from an impoverished, horrible childhood, but she grew up with odds against her – simply by being a woman raised in India. However, she has worked hard her whole life and recently graduated with a Masters degree in Human Resources. She works for a company called Openxcell Technologies in Ahmedabad, one of the three HR employees in a company with 100+ employees.

I attended the wedding of one of her colleagues, so I got to see Seemab around quite a few colleagues / friends. I also had a chance to visit their office and see her at work.

Seemab struck me as such an intelligent woman when we had a few chances to chat. She was not only breathtakingly beautiful, but had so much to say. You could tell she really cared about her employees and colleagues, helping them on their path to career success. She was very interested in psychology and I have no doubt we will hear big things from this woman one day. She’s a dear friend to me.

Here she talks about moving out of her comfort zone to attend Management College in Mumbai:

Seemab: Starting off with my childhood, I was born and bought up in Ahmedabad. I did my Bachelors in Business Administration and whilst pursuing it I developed a liking for Human Resource electives. I started identifying my flair in interpersonal skills and how well I identify with people and this knack of helping them when in need. I totally felt I am here to help big corporations understand how humans actually feel at work and so I decided to be the BIG link between employees and employers. 

I then started to wonder if I could do a Masters degree in it. I weighed all the available options and started preparing for entrance exams while graduating. I had to appear for some 10 odd entrance exams, as well as give a couple of presentations and group discussions. I then had personal Interviews conducted and finally managed to get into a B+ Management college in Mumbai.

The thought of moving out of my comfort zone was thrilling, but at the same time very scary.

I lived with two roommates and made friends for a lifetime. There I got an opportunity to interact with students from all sides of India. It was a very cosmopolitan batch; a mix of East, West, North and South of India. And it makes me wonder how much fun it would be to meet people all over the world. It’s so enthralling to meet new people everyday, to be able to talk to them, identify with a few, and understand their ideas. Some leave their imprints on us and we leave ours on others. Social learning is something I thrive on. I believe we humans are here to see and observe and learn.

My years in Mumbai were the most memorable ones and have shaped me to be a much better, confident and more intellectually mature individual. I am thankful to God for giving me that opportunity because it did change my life in so many ways. My mother was the force behind my moving out. She always encouraged me to study and be independent. Today, whatever I am I owe it so much to my mother. (Ohh, I love that.)

In the next five years I aspire to gain a much deeper understanding of the dynamics of the industry as well as the field I work in. I want to interact with a variety of people and learn and grow into someone who is a master of human psychology.

I believe my mastery will help me help others and together we can shape a better future and better lives.

Just re-reading her words makes me remember the power of a woman who seeks a great life for themselves and those around them; who acts with intention. Women are connected to the Divine, to Mother Earth, and we can create any reality we so choose. If anything, I hope Seemab’s words push you forward down any path towards a goal you have. Take the first step today.

Love to you on this "día de la mujer" i.e. Day of the Women

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The Diva Cup

Sure, it's minorly uncomfortable to share your experience with an environmentally-friendly alternative to tampons with the world, but I'd rather do it and encourage one person to make the Diva Cup switch than NOT do it. So here I go.

 -- Guys, you can stop reading right now. Just saying.

Years ago a good friend of mine talked to me about the Diva Cup. It's a reusable menstrual cup. There was a certain "ick" factor that I of course immediately felt upon learning about this, but I found myself very intrigued. After thinking about it for - what quite literally was a couple of years - I finally took the plunge a few months ago and bought the cup.

Welcome to my life, Diva Cup.

Reasons?
I was sick of throwing away a mound of tampons and/or pads each month. It was weighing me down, as if it was a curse. And I was always caught without them, on literally every holiday I took last year. Resulting in my father or some other man having to run out and grab them for me. Also not a super fun time. I was annoyed at the cost (why don't guys have to pay this monthly cost?) and horrified at the effects on the environment.

Then I remembered my time spent with the girls of Katputli Nagar and how they were so embarrassed to discuss their periods. I spent one class discussing with them how incredible the womanly body is - in that we can procreate, and grow and nurture a human being from inside of us. We talked about it so much that I got emotional thinking about how many girls and women feel shameful due to having their period and how in so many cultures it's something that is not cared for or acknowledged. In certain parts of Africa, when a woman gets her period she cannot go to school or work if there is no access to sanitary pads and napkins. This must change. (Here's a website where you can share your money to ensure that doesn't continue to happen.)  Not only that, but the environmental impacts of just my period alone were horrendous (2-4 tampons a day, for 4-5 days a month, for 30+ years?!). Think of this simple fact:

Ack! So? To affect the little bit around me that I could, I made the change. And although I was a bit frustrated at first while figuring the whole process out, I couldn't be happier now.

All in all, women, periods are not a curse. They are a reminder of how ridiculously awesome we are as creatures. It's hard to explain, but since switching to the Diva Cup I have felt oddly empowered. You become closer to yourself and to the earth. You become more closely connected to your self while saving on tons of waste for the environment. And your wallet even benefits. Mine did.

Here's a good video that says it all from the EcoStiletto's Founder & CEO:



If you'd like to discuss, chat me up. This is our Eureka moment...enjoy!

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Why Invest in Adolescent Girls?

Just had a friend bring this to my attention (thanks Nicola!) and I think it's a super important read. It's put out by the Nike Foundation, United Nations Foundation and the Coalition for Adolescent Girls. 

Read it here - http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/ourmeetings/PDF/actionareas/Why_Invest_in_Adolescent_Girls.pdf

My highlights?

• Out of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, 70 percent are girls.
• One-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before 18, and girls under 15 are five times more likely to die during childbirth than women in their 20s.
• 75 percent of all HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa among people ages 15 to 24 are young women.When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has two fewer children.
• Child marriage rates were halved among 13- to 15-year-olds in Bangladesh who were enrolled in school for 3 years.
• Girls’ education is proven to increase not only wage earners but also productivity for employers, yielding benefits for the community and society.
• The impact of investing in girls is intergenerational. A mother with a few years of formal education is considerably more likely to send her children to school, breaking the intergenerational chain of poverty. In many countries each additional year of formal education completed by a mother translates into her children remaining in school for up to an additional one-half year.

And my personal favourite?

When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families.

If you are not the reading type, watch this awesome video by GirlEffect.org on 50 million girls in poverty, but on how that can mean 50 millions solutions. 

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