It's overcast again, just like it was last year. Actually, it's more than overcast; it's raining and drizzling, stopping and starting. And once again, I'm glad that it's not that shockingly brilliant bright blue sky punctuated by smoke and horror.
This past April, President Obama signed legislation to recognize September 11 as a federally observed National Day of Service and Remembrance. How does one participate?
Just set aside a little time this 9/11 to plan or perform at least one good deed that helps someone else who may need assistance, or to support a cause that you care about. You choose.
As my contribution, I'd like to first point you towards the August Just Posts, as rounded up by Holly and Alejna. As ever, they've compiled some good posts to read, including, if I may pat myself on the back, my post about the cost of a colonoscopy.
Second, if you missed it, there was a special issue of the New York Times Magazine last month, focused on women, and "how changing the lives of women and girls in the developing world can change everything". The centerpiece was an article by Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, excerpted from their new book Half the Sky.
There’s a growing recognition among everyone from the World Bank to the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to aid organizations like CARE that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism. That’s why foreign aid is increasingly directed to women. The world is awakening to a powerful truth: Women and girls aren’t the problem; they’re the solution.
Kristof and Wu, helpfully, included a sidebar labeled Do-It-Yourself Foreign Aid, and so, in the spirit of this National Day of Service and Remembrance, I am going to send a donation to the Friends of Edna Maternity Hospital, in support of the Edna Hospital in Somaliland, and with the hope of helping to alleviate obstetric fistula.
How will you participate?
8 comments:
I meant to follow my friend Michele's lead and donate some blood today, but I wasn't able to pull that off. So I just took another suggestion from Kristof and WuDunn and made a micro-loan to a woman in the Philippines. She is 43 (like me), with three children (like me), and wants to expand her food business. Oh, and I sent some canned goods to school with the kids today.
Since it's payday, I think I will mosey over to www.kiva.com and make an extra microloan. Preferably to someone from a Muslim country.
Every time a loan gets paid, I reinvest the money. Doing that, I've done about 24 loans from 4-6 initial loans!
That Times magazine issue was heartbreaking. I'm going to make a donation to one of those causes too. Thanks for the reminder.
Maybe you should pat yourself on the colon. ;)
What a wonderful remembrance... and just fantastic that you're donating directly to a medical facility.
Oh, I also made a contribution to Joe Wilson's opponent in next year's election.
If that's not a contribution towards making this a better world and fighting against hatred, I don't know what is :D
I just visited kiva.com for the first time and made my first micro-loan -- thanks so much, magpie and library lady. I guess it's a little sad that this kind of thing has to be easier than falling off a log for people to do it. But it's so great that somebody actually has made it easier than falling off a log! I will now email all my friends and tell them about it.
Holy Geez, it's Sept 13th now and it went by without me knowing or remembering. I worked it. Knew the date. Didn't remember. First year i did that. Wrote a post about it last year but never posted it. Huh. Strange. Even though I'm in Canada it is still strange.
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