Two-and-a-half-day's worth of military spending could save the lives of 6 million mothers, newborn and children!!

The following UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) press release comes to MAU via our partners at Save the Children.

G8 ACTION URGED TO AVERT SIX MILLION MOTHER AND CHILD DEATHS EVERY YEAR

New York / Cape Town, 18 April 2008bThe Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health has called on G8 leaders to fulfil their previous commitments to global health and commit to new, long-term financing for essential interventions that could avert the deaths of over 6 million mothers, newborns and children every year.

The statement calls for an additional $10.2 billion annually, the estimated cost to ensure universal coverage of basic services needed to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 on reducing child death and improving maternal health by 2015, respectively.

R20;It would cost the world less than two-and-a-half-dayR17;s worth of military spending to save the lives of 6 million mothers, newborn and children every year. We urge the G8 to step up funding and lead by example by saving and protecting lives. We will not achieve the Millennium Development Goals unless reproductive health, and the rights women and children, are made a priority, bsaid Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA.

R20;The world is expecting G8 leaders to show the way in confronting this health crisis faced by millions of mothers and children who do not have access to essential care" said Jeffrey Mecaskey, a representative of the Save the Children Alliance. "The Countdown report gives us all the information we need. We can achieve MDGs 4 and 5, it's simply a question of making the right political choices.

The global call for funding was issued at a conference held in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss the implications of the 2008 report, Countdown to 2015: Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival, in advance of the G8 Summit to be hosted by the Government of Japan in July.

"Nigeria and other African nations are making genuine political commitments to reduce maternal and child mortality but we face substantial challenges and competing priorities" said the Honourable Saudatu Sani, a Parliamentarian from the Federal Republic of Nigeria participating in the Countdown conference. "I therefore call on G8 leaders to match our commitment by increasing donor support for strengthening health systems in Africa. This mutual engagement is critical to reach the MDGs."

The Partnership brings together more than 240 member organizations from around the world working on child survival and maternal health, and the statement addresses not just G8 nations, but all donor governments and business leaders. While donor funding for maternal, newborn and child health has increased significantly in the past few years, from $2.1 billion in 2003 to almost $3.5 billion in 2006, it remains far below the total funding needs of the 68 countries identified as accounting for 97 per cent of maternal and child deaths worldwide.

According to the most recent data, donor aid for health averaged $7 per child and $12 per live birth in the 68 Countdown countries. This is far less than the $45 per person, which is the minimum needed for governments to ensure access to basic health services. Long-term donor assistance is therefore critical to closing the gap. The statement also calls for a "reallocation of national resources to benefit women and children, especially in countries with significant economic prospects where resources can be mobilized".

"Japan has shown critical leadership in the past to improve health and human security in the worldbs poorer countriesb noted Ann Starrs, President of Family Care International. bThe Countdown to 2015 findings announced in Cape Town provide a clear blueprint for action. What we need now are political leadership and investment in services which save lives. G8 leaders must show the way at their 2008 Hokkaido Summit, but this is a long term undertaking requiring high level commitment from both North and South."

The 2000 Okinawa G8 Summit launched the Okinawa Infectious Diseases Initiative that led to the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which has since committed over US$10 billion in 136 countries to help fight these diseases.

Contact information:

• Tunga Namjilsuren, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, mobile: +41 79 477 26 78 , namjilsurent@who.int
• Katja Iversen, UNFPA, mobile: +1 917 403 3063, office: +1 212 297 5016, iversen@unfpa.org
• George Ngwa, UNFPA, mobile: +27 72 627 1032, ngwa@unfpa.org

Links:

• Global Call for G8 Leaders: http://www.unfpa.org/mothers/documents/global_call.doc
• Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health: http://www.who.int/pmnch/en/
• No Woman Should Die Giving Life: http://www.unfpa.org/safemotherhood/
• Stepping up Efforts to Save Mothers' Lives: http://www.unfpa.org/mothers/index.htm
• A Bumpy Ride Can Mean the Difference between Life and Death in Guatemala: http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1053

Note for editors:

Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival is collaboration among individuals and institutions to track coverage for health interventions needed to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 & 5. For more information, visit http://www.countdown2015mnch.org

Financial data on donor assistance is drawn from an article in The Lancet special issue on Countdown to 2015, Volume 371, April 12-18 2008: Countdown to 2015: assessment of donor assistance to maternal, newborn and child health between 2003 and 2006 G Greco and others.

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health brings together more than 240 member organizations from around the world working towards Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5 on child survival and maternal health. For more information, visit: http: www.who.int/pmnch

--

UNFPA - because everyone counts.

Ms. Katja Iversen Media Specialist United Nations Population Fund O: 212 297 5016 F: 212 5576416 http://www.unfpa.org

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Three trillion dollar shopping spree....

This morning!: MAU co-founder on public radio call in show!!

Mothers Acting Up co-founder and communications director Juliana Forbes is on Central Ohio Public Radio THIS MORNING,

Friday April 18, 11AM-noon EST/ 9-10 AM MT, with host Fred Andrle on Open Line.

Tune in online as above or below!!

You can even call in to make a comment or ask a question!

Call Open Line at 614-292-8513 or write to Open Line at openline@wosu.org

The topic to be discussed: We’ll hear how mothers can advocate for the future of children worldwide, with Mothers Acting Up Communications Director Juliana Forbes.

Open Line is a live, public affairs talk show, with listener phone calls, on WOSU public radio.

Open Line is streamed live and archived for two weeks at www.wosu.org/radio/radio-open-line

MAU at National Mothers Conference.

MAU's Beth Osnes above, doing her stand-up routine.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Viviana Russell, 516 939-6667 X107, vivianar@motherscenter.org

Jericho, NY - April 17, 2008: Meeting of the Minds (and Mothers!)

Over 150 mothers-- and a few fathers-- traveled to Smithtown, NY April 4-6th for an historic conference sponsored by Jericho, NY based National Association of Mothers’ Centers (NAMC). The diverse group of national mothers support and advocacy organizations included: Family & Home Network, Mommies Network, Moms Rising, The Motherhood, Mothers & More, Mothers Acting Up, Mothers Movement Online, Mothers Ought to Have Equal Rights (MOTHERS), National Advocates for Pregnant Women, NOW’s Mothers & Caregivers Economic Rights Committee, The Motherhood Project and the Welfare Warriors.

Attendees hailed from 24 Mothers’ Centers, 16 states and Canada. They networked, attended informative workshops and explored opportunities to work together for the rights and financial stability of mothers, parents and children in this country. Keynote speaker Ellen Bravo, author of “Taking on the Big Boys: Or Why Feminism is Good for Families, Business, and the Nation” fired up the group with words of inspiration. “I realized I’m not the failure. Society has failed us [parents]. I now know where to put my efforts for activism.”, commented one first time attendee at the end of the weekend.

The conference was hailed as “… inspiring and empowering.” The NAMC plans to continue the conversation with partnering organizations who said “Bringing together the representatives from various organizations was meaningful, the results of which will be seen in years to come.”

The NAMC is the leading organization that recognizes the challenges, realities and importance of mothering and other caregiving work, offering educational and support programs in local centers, in libraries and in the workplace, offering an annual Work/Life Conference as well as doing advocacy in the fields of postpartum depression, early care and education, work/life balance and the economic impact of being a care giver. For more information contact us at 877.939.MOMS X101, info@motherscenter.org, or visit our website at www.MothersCenter.org.

# # # # #

GROUP PHOTO

Back Row: (left to right)

Cathy Myers, Family & Home Network; Valerie Young, NAMC's MOTHERS Initiative; Joanne Brundage, Mothers & More; Judith Stadtman Tucker, Mothers Movement Online; Linda Lisi Juergens, NAMC; Pat Gowens, Welfare Warriors; Rhonda Kave, NAMC

Front Row: (left to right)

Emily McKhann, Moms Rising; Tiloma Jayasinghe, National Advocates for Pregnant Women; Debra Levy, Mothers & More; Kristin Maschka, Mothers & More; Beth Osnes, Mothers Acting Up

Photo credit: Moseley/bbaphotography.com

	Photo Donated by Bill Moseley/bbaphotography.com

MAU co-founder Juliana Forbes at Ohio State this month.

From The Lantern.

Women's Place fights for gender equality

Michelle Fehribach
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Campus


Only about 30 percent of Ohio State's faculty in 2006 were women, while 66 percent of graduate and 49 percent of undergraduate students were women.

"We listed the number of female students compared to female faculty. In general, that ratio is quite a bit lower than the ratio of male students to male faculty," said Deb Ballam, director of The Women's Place.

TWP is a small organization working to change those numbers and create an environment of equality in which women can thrive and fill leadership roles.

"The main mission we look at is this institutional change mission. To change the climate so that all women - faculty, staff and students - can be successful at the university," Ballam said.

TWP was established in 1999 and was created to be different from other resources on campus.

"When the office was set up we did not want to duplicate existing efforts," Ballam said.

There are only two other universities in the country Ballam knows of with offices similar to TWP - the University of Michigan and Oregon State University. TWP works with other offices to change policies such as the consensual sexual relations policy, which clarified the dynamics of romantic relationships between faculty and students.

"It was a controversial topic that went through almost a year of debate before it was changed, but it educated a lot of people and resulted in better policy," Ballam said.

One of the guiding principles of TWP is to address stereotypes that affect men and women.

"Anything we do to change the institutional culture to support women will also make a better culture for men. I do truly believe that," Ballam said.

Every October, TWP and the President's Council on Women publish a "Status Report on Women," profiling the diversity of the faculty, staff and student body while highlighting one particular issue each year.

Last year's report focused on stereotypes faced by members of the OSU community such as race, sexual orientation and gender.

"I would not have guessed you were from Appalachia because you speak so well," is one of the prejudiced statements found in the report.

TWP also works with other offices to bring speakers to OSU to talk about what changes need to be made, Ballam said.

Juliana Forbes, the communications director of Mothers Acting Up, will be at OSU April 22 and Wilma Mankiller, the first Deputy Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, is coming May 15.

"Individual services and programming are not offered, but TWP never turns students away," Ballam said.

TWP directs students to the appropriate office and often collaborates with resources such as Women's Student Services, the Multicultural Center and Counseling and Consultation Services, Ballam said.

Michelle Fehribach can be reached at fehribach.4@osu.edu.

##

MAU Live on the move....

MAU co-founder Beth Osne's (M)other performance gets press in Evergreen.

Facebook with us....

Right over here.....

The Baby Borrowers.

Bizarrely, this reminds me of Mothers Acting Up co-founder Beth Osnes’ show, (M)other.

Many of you may receive Mothering Magazine’s weekly email and activism alerts and therefore may have read the following.

But in the event you missed it, please think about letting NBC know this is a bad idea.

Tell NBC to Stop The Baby Borrowers

Presented as a "unique social experiment" the reality TV show "The Baby Borrowers" places real infants in the care of unrelated teen couples to "test" their ability to withstand the demands of parenthood and their relationship's strength to survive the pressure.

The show originated as a BBC production. This fall, NBC is rolling out its own version for a US audience. It films couples between the ages of 16 and 19 attempting to care for infants, toddlers, children, and eventually teenagers. Local authorities, concerned about the physical and emotional risk to the children, called on the BBC to cancel the show. Their requests were ignored, and social workers hoping to oversee the filming were turned away. Despite the protests in the UK, NBC seems equally determined to roll out their production of the show, describing it as an opportunity for the couples to "...peer into the future and see what they (and their partners) might be like if they remain together and decide to build a family."

The Natural Child Project is voicing its concerns to NBC and calling on producers to entertain people without jeopardizing anyone's mental health and happiness. Read the Open Letter to NBC by Jan Hunt, Director of The Natural Child Project. Send your letter of concern to:

Mr. Jeffrey Zucker
President
NBC Entertainment
3000 W. Alameda Avenue
Burbank, CA 91523

MAU swag box available to Mother's Day event organizers / communities!!

In previous years, we’ve sent all free, but at this time, we are compelled to charge a nominal purchase fee for MAU swag.

Swag boxes (movie, 15 calendars, 100 bumper stickers) $40!!

We WILL send a DVD of the MAU movie free to each organizer, even if you choose not to purchase the swag box. Sending postage to MAU Central would be lovely.

These items are a great addition and support for any Mother’s Day event. Here in Nashville, we’ve passed out bumperstickers on our parade route, and had these lovely items available to all who add themselves to MAU’s mailing list. Additionally, we offered Nashville MAU tee shirts for a donation amount, which enabled us to make the money for our Metro permit and additional expenses. I’ll post details to the RMD list serv only.

IF YOU WANT A SWAG BOX, please email beheard@mothersactingup.org with PLEASE SEND SWAG BOX in the subject line.

If you are not yet on the mauRMD@yahoogroups.com mailing list and are organizing an event, please join. This will be *the* place for support and discussion of MD events.

Thank you so much!!

Memphis MAUs reclaiming Mother's Day.

Memphis mamas are mobilizing!!

Join their yahoogroup to build community and plan for Mother's Day, and check out their blog. Get involved!

Denver MAU launches Mindful Mama.

Denver MAU Sarah Kraft has launched Mindful Mama, a guide for pregnant and new mothers. If you're a mom-to-be, a care provider for same or just intrigued, check her out. You can even download a sample copy of Mindful Mama for perusing at your leisure....

Cool!

Let Them Be Girls.

Juliana LeRoy guests over at Kathy Sena's Parent Talk blog, and writes about girlcotting!

Today I'm jazzed to share with you a guest post from Juliana LeRoy, an award-winning writer and editor at Family-Life magazine in northern California. LeRoy also blogs over at at www.mamabear.pnn.com. I love what she has to say about shopping for clothes for young girls.

It seems to me there is a massive disconnect between what people want and what we have to choose from in the marketplace. Like the ridiculous clothing choices available for girls, when everyone is so against the objectifying of them.

In 2005 Abercrombie & Fitch put out tee shirts with phrases across the front that were demeaning to girls, including, “Who needs brains when you’ve got these?” A group of girls in Pittsburgh decided to take the company to task by “girlcotting” the stores — their version of boycotting — and they made their voices heard. Abercrombie & Fitch removed the offending shirts.

Mothers Acting Up is a group that has taken “girlcotting” to another level and (more here.....)

Breathing Earth.

We are all connected.

This remarkable simulation does an exemplary job of SHOWING us all linked, one to the other.

MAU: The First Principle.

The following is the first of a series of essays which discuss the 5 founding principles of Mothers Acting Up, a national non-profit organization which exists to inspire and mobilize mothers to advocate on behalf of the world’s children.

From all over the country, people are taking the MAU Pledge to bring the security of the world’s children into the forefront of all discussions – from conversations with family and friends, to our wider communities and certainly with candidates and elected officials.

How to do this effectively? To answer that, let’s begin at the very beginning, with the first of the 5 MAU Principles:

Be exuberant: Since we're ACTING UP for the rest of our lives, our activism has to be joyful. No one wants to rally around anger; studies show that negative advertising causes women to politically disengage. This movement is about the JOY of standing up for what you believe & publicly declaring your priorities. Let's gather in the streets, not with bullhorns, but singing.

With its roots in the lavish abundance of growing and being fruitful, the quality of exuberance smacks with the juicy goodness of mother nurture, Mother Nature and Mothers Acting Up.

As of this writing, we at MAU Central are nodding our heads in collective understanding as to precisely why one presidential nomination candidate’s message of hope and of change has engaged, inspired and ignited citizens across lines of gender, race, class and socioeconomics. While we do not organizationally endorse any candidate, we know from our studies that research shows proof positive that women as a whole, and mothers in particular, disengage when activism and campaigning turns nasty – not just in the presidential race to the nomination, but in life itself! It seems no wonder then, that a swell of support favors positive messaging, declaring that we are not to be saved by any one elected leader alone, but that yes, WE can make the difference all together. Yes, WE can be scrappy and strong and sassy and also sublime when we collectively hold corporate and government leaders accountable for policies that uphold values and services and for the great human family rather than a few select someones. We the mamas, say YES.

Exuberance in practical application means saying, for instance: “Thank you, Delta, for revising your policies in support of breastfeeding families,” instead of, “Hey, Frontier, you messed up and breastfeeding moms are angry!” or by saying “Children Deserve a Bigger Piece of the Pie” instead of “Bush Hates Kids.” But this is not about being sunny for sunny’s sake. This is about focusing on WHAT WE WANT rather than looking back at what we reject. It’s moving towards, rather than against.

While perhaps Pollyanna in part, this primary MAU principle is neither easy nor simple. Sustaining exuberance is a tough row to hoe, a perennial crop whose nutritive value staves off depression, indifference and offers a real life solution to overwhelm and fear. Kind of like mother’s milk for the great human family itself, exuberance promotes real security.

Go forth and be exuberant mamas. Live in liberation of what others’ think of your choices. Model this joyful abundance because it feels good, because your kids will enjoy it far more than staying holed up in fear and loathing, and because you’re likely to inspire others to sing along while plucking up the fruits of your labor.

Try sowing seeds of exuberance by sharing this essay with two friends and asking them to declare themselves Mothers Acting Up. Try bolstering your own activism by writing YES on a mirror with lipstick so you see it each day; the affirmation a reminder of your call to duty and your sheer brilliance in carrying out your mission.

Holler at me with your comments, questions and desire to act up!

MAU Live at the National Conference Mothers 08.

MAU LIVE is going on the road!
The (M)other Tour will be at the National Conference Mothers 08 in April and in Evergreen, CO, Toronto, and Austin. Visit MAU Live to find our more and to see a video clip.

Us, only in space....

Hey, are you our friend over here?

C'mon, c'mon. Declare yourself a MAU today, here, there, and everywhere....

(M)other, an excerpt.

Sing it Out, Mamas: vote.

The Gubmint: how ordinary mamas and other mortals can make a difference.

	We realize that we live in a world that does not prioritize or protect our children's well-being and that this will not change without each of us finding the courage and commitment to speak out on their behalf . . . Our local, state/regional and federal lawmakers spend our tax dollars and represent our concerns; isn’t that handy? The crucial ingredient in making this relationship work is to ensure our elected leaders HEAR our concerns. MAU focuses on building relationship with federal leaders (a.k.a. Members of Congress or MOCs). In the US, we each have a representative in the House of Representative (435 total) and two senators (100 total) in the Senate. They work for us. So whistle the old song, “Getting to know you” and begin to create a relationship with your elected leaders. You may need to throw your weight around a bit, build up your Mama Grizzly strength – a couple of practice growls a day. As with all important, long-term relationships, working with decision makers entails respect and a series of contacts: Introduce yourself: send a handwritten card or letter (evidence of a REAL person who has the wherewithal to find stamps) beginning with who you are and your personal reason for writing; followed by a direct request; and concluding with, “Thank you for your leadership. I request the honor of a reply.” Remember to declare you are part of a global movement of mothers (makes everyone sit up straighter.) IMPORTANT: If you write as part of an online email campaign, ALWAYS add something personal to the beginning of the auto-letter; “As a mother acting up, I request…” or “As a mother of our future leaders.” Faxing is good. A faxed handwritten letter is great. Call and reintroduce yourself as a MAU. Repeat your request and/or new concerns. Call early and often; deluge can be a good word. Gratitude to those who serve is an important ingredient. Plan to stop by. MAU has a recipe for Field Trips to our MOCs. Use it to plan out your visit. The start of summer vacation is a great time to bring a school bus of children from the neighborhood. “We just visited the office for one of the 100 top leaders in our country,” shared a MAU with her children after a Field Trip to the MOCs. Contact information for US citizens (all global citizens might want to make contact, given the global impact of the US Government): The White House (202) 456-1414 – Ask for the comment line and leave short messages with the White House Operators (some of the nicest humans on earth.) Capitol Switchboard (to call your US legislators): (202) 224-3121 or visit their Websites: US Senators=www.senate.gov, US Congress members=www.house.gov. Check out the Office of Management and Budget (www.omb.gov) to read the US budget, and Department of Defense Contracts page (http:/www.defenselink.mil/contracts/index.aspx) for keeping abreast of what your tax dollars are funding. Be sure to be sitting down. Children’s wellbeing is at the top of every mother’s agenda. It’s time to bring it to the top of our political agendas. Make it so mamas.

MAUs in Community.

Finding MAU Communities has never been easier.

If you don't see your community listed on the click on map, give Paige a yell.

Security, Stay At Home, Surprise,Single and all.... the mother vote is powerful.

The Mother Agenda and mothers themselves are CRITICAL to getting out (and to the results of) the vote in 2008.



Mothers Acting Up asks each mother* to take the pledge to bring REAL security to the forefront of every conversation-- act now!!
(*mothers and others who exercise protective care over someone small)


Moms Rising is taking a poll on how their members want to be involved.


Every Child Matters is offering free reports of the Homeland Insecurity Report, and bumper stickers declaring "I VOTE FOR KIDS."


Children's Defense Fund has backed Susie for President.

Mothers Vote.

From The Daily Camera:

Joellen Raderstorf heads the local nonprofit Mothers Acting Up, which aims to help moms become politically active in a variety of causes. She said she likes Clinton, but thinks the senator brings too much baggage to the race, which is why she gave Obama $1,000.

More here.

Question for the candidates.

Chalking4Peace...

Chalk for Peace founder John Aaron gives MAU a holler!

Mother's State of the Union.

The year to engage.

Dearest Joy Warriors and Apron String Revolutionaries, Happy New Year and oh mamas, we're off to a good start with the highest number of actions taken in MAU history with January's MAU pledge, a promise to help bring security to the forefront of all conversations! Congratulations, and keep those pledges coming: sign if you haven't yet and/or invite your circles of friends to sign. See if your community can have the most signatures by February 15, and I'll send you a grab bag celebration package to share with your community of mamas. As Mothers Acting Up, we're serious about our celebrations, and celebrate our seriousness. To that end, my dears, after signing the pledge, I ask that you put your hearts toward what it is that makes YOU a MAU. We'll share your thoughts on this hot topic on the MAU national blog, and you can further expand your thinking by joining in spirited dialogue on the brand new list serv for MAUs nationwide. Come by and introduce yourself and start composing your list of the top ten ways to be a MAU. From the Mothership, to jumpstart the conversation, our top ten ways to be a MAU: Join MAU and receive monthly actions & newsletters. Participate in collective actions, strengthening the impact of what we all do TOGETHER. Buy the MAU Handbook for daily inspiration. And then buy one for a friend. Memorize the MAU principles and apply them in your discussions, visions, plans and actions. Make a cheat sheet and xerox it onto card stock to hand out! Contact your Members of Congress at least three times a year (bonus points if you show up with kids and share cookies or homegrown tomatoes with the staff; they will remember you!) Publicly Reclaim Mother's Day in your community, from radio shows to parades: Arise! Girlcott EVERY DAY: Use money to create social change! Write a letter to the editor and/or op-ed about one MAU action and get it published! Need encouragement? Give a yell. Participate in the annual MAU collective postcard action. Sign and send your own, then pass them out at library story-time and coffee house knitting parties! Get inspired by attending MAU Live! or by hosting a presenting MAU event. Spread the mighty Word of MAU to five friends — invite them to begin at #1! Click here for the MAU top 10 ten list with handy links to get started! We look forward to hearing from you, and encourage you to share this missive with your friends and family. It's time for all hands on deck, mamas. There's big work to be done, and we're just the ones to do it. The children say: YES! Yours for the Apron String Revolution, Paige, AKA Ms. Booty Homemaker, for the MAU Mavens Janna Vance of Longmont, CO is championing MAU as her charity of choice in Parade Magazine's America's Giving Challenge. Make a $10 donation to MAU via Janna's link and MAU has a chance win the challenge! If 1 in 4 MAUs gives and/or tells 3 friends, we'll win. Read Janna's appeal.

5 Questions to ask EVERY elected leader and candidate.

From Families Online Magazine.....

My vision is a world of compassion where caring for and empowering children and their families around the world is the first priority of nations. – Octavia Allis

From Mothers Acting Up

5 Questions to ask EVERY elected leader and candidate

Ask these questions whether you’re at a Town Meeting, a cookie drop off or on a Field Trip with fellow community members and a great raft of children. For more information: www.mothersactingup.org.

1. World leaders have committed themselves to the 8 Millennium Development Goals, the most universally agreed to framework for ending extreme poverty. Will you vote for full funding of our country’s promise to contribute .7 percent of our GNP to the Millennium Development Goals?

2. In order to address the growing threat of global warming, scientists tell us that we need to reduce global warming emissions by an average of 2 percent each year through the middle of the century – achieving 80 percent reductions by 2050. Do you have a plan to meet these or other targets? (source: www.heatison.org.)

....More here!

Join in for spirited dialogue.

Come on over and join the brand spaking new list serv for Mothers Acting Up nationally, and beyond!!

Earth Hour 2008.

Can One Woman's Passion Change the World?

From Boulder MAU's Janna Vance:

I started to discover my passion when I left the hospital three days after my daughter, Lillian, was born. I had to leave my sweet baby girl in the nursery. My heart broke. I knew that there were many, many people in this world that had to leave their sweet babies in the nursery for much longer and I felt for them. But, that time away from Lillian was among the most horrible and heart-wrenching of my life.

Then, a strange thing happened. Lillian was released from the hospital. But as my husband drove us home, I gazed out the window at the people walking on the streets, the parks, the world. All of it moving so fast, none of them thinking about the safety of my baby girl. And I thought, "What is this world that I'm bringing my baby home to?" She was so incredibly safe in the nursery. Even I and my husband had to go through security measures to get in to see our baby. Now, all of that would be gone. The only thing standing in between my daughter and the cruel world... was me!

And what of the other children in the world? Was there someone to stand up for them? Would they be safe? Would they all have the support to grow up to be the people that I would want my daughter to share the world with?

That is precisely why I am joining the Parade Magazine America's Giving Challenge. I am competing to gain the most new supporters for my charity, Mothers Acting Up. If I win, I will receive $50,000 for the charity of my choice! But the challenge ends in just 17 days, so the time is now.

Mothers Acting Up works to ensure that someone does look out for the world's children, and so much more. I have had the opportunity to spend a little time with the MAU team in Boulder, CO and they are the most amazing, passionate and inspiring people I've ever met. MAU works in the local community to increase awareness of all issues related to children and the world we will pass along to them. MAU works to ensure that our children will have a planet that is environmentally balanced, politically fair and joyful in its diversity.

I am not sure that my passion can change the world, but I know that my passion and your support can help sustain this wonderful organization to foster world change!

I am asking you to please give $10 to Mothers Acting Up and help me toward my goal of winning the America's Giving Challenge. The challenge awards the person who reaches the largest number of new supporters. Therefore, if you can inspire your family members, friends and colleagues to give I stand a real chance of winning this challenge. So, please pass it on. And thank you for caring.

Click here to give: http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?BadgeId=109713

Find more about MAU at www.mothersactingup.org And keep up on my progress on the Boulder MAU Blog.

In great appreciation,

Janna Vance

Moms take action to improve life for families worldwide

From the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Moms take action to improve life for families worldwide

BY MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS
mdrahos@record-eagle.com

HARBOR SPRINGS -- Hillary Rodham Clinton may have made the old African proverb famous, but Kate Bassett and Copland Rudolph have always known that it takes a village to raise a child.

Believing that children can thrive only if their families do, and if the whole of society cares enough to provide for them, the Harbor Springs friends home school their four children together and sponsor six more children in Africa, Sri Lanka and Honduras through the Christian Children's Fund. And when Rudolph got an unsolicited calendar in the mail a few years ago from an international group called Mothers Acting Up, they were immediately drawn to its mission of action on behalf of children everywhere.

"We believe that beyond our traditional mother roles we have a responsibility to (publicly) and passionately advocate for the world's children," said Rudolph, 40, a restaurateur and environmentalist with a background in counseling and psychology.

After attending a nearby lecture on Millennium Development Goals, a set of global strategies for ending extreme poverty by 2015, the women decided to start a local affiliate of Mothers Acting Up in 2006.

"I think that we knew just from being moms and (living) in our community that we live in a really compassionate place," said Bassett, 29, assistant editor of the Harbor Light newspaper. "I think that first Mothers' Day we went in blind and hoping for the best. We didn't know if five people would show up or 30 people."

Now Northern Michigan Mothers Acting Up.... (more here)

Political Moms Make Family Values Their Baby

Political Moms Make Family Values Their Baby Run Date: 01/09/08 By Alison Bowen WeNews correspondent Mothers' groups are talking to presidential campaigns about family values. It's time, says a founder of Moms Rising, to focus on paid sick days for workers, equal pay for women and affordable health care for all. (WOMENSENEWS)--Wobbling forward on stilts is one way to gain attention. That's why four founding members of Mothers Acting Up have been visible high above the crowds in more than 80 events since the group launched on Mother's Day 2002. "It became such a perfect metaphor for Mothers Acting Up," says Juliana Forbes, communications director for the Boulder, Colo., group focused on political advocacy for children around the world. "One of the biggest hurdles is really becoming public and visible in your community. If you're up on stilts, you are so visible. Everyone's looking at you." Building on their strategy of mobilizing active members to

More green commitments.

You can check out earlier entries here. And keep checking back for more!!

We have reduced the number of plastic shopping bags we use by now using reusable shopping bags. Many local grocery stores sell them for about $1. We live about 4 miles from the ocean and know the effect on sea life that the plastic bags have. --Melissa, of Phippsburg, ME

We commit to buy less and give away more. We committed and reached our goal of raising and fishing for all our meats and fish for the winter. We have two full freezers of organic meats that we have raised ourselves :) --Linda, of Olympia, WA

As a single Mother and a Professor of Teacher Education I am committed both personally and professionally to setting a Green Example for my daughter and my college students. I am dedicated to driving my hybrid in the most fuel efficient fashion possible. I am dedicated to buying only paper products that are fully post-consumer. I will continue to reduce, reuse, and recycle anything and everything that I can.I will continue to educate my friends, family, and students about Green choices we can make on a daily basis. --Michelle, of De Pere, WI

I have been committed to this issue for quite a while. So far I pack my daughter's lunch in a laptop lunch box which avoids the waste of packaged foods (http://www.laptoplunches.com/). I cancelled all catalouge and almost all of my magazine subscriptions. I bring the hangers back to the cleaners. I use only canvas bags at the grocery store and the mall. I use biobags for kitty litter. I drive a PZEV (partial zero emission vehicle). What else??? I shop at the local farmer's market and try to avoid buying packaged foods. I line dry my clothes which is not always convenient for everyone! Next year I plan to compost in my backyard! And one more thing.... I use a stainless cup when I get a cup o Joe at Starbucks!!!!!--Ericka, of Van Nuys, CA

We will bike when we can, wait til we have three errands to drive, turn off lights when not in use, keep our car tires inflated, get ALL good lightbulbs, turn our heat down two degrees. --Beth, of Boulder, CO

One Hot Mama.

MAU Go Green Commitments from November action.

Replace ALL my light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs; start riding my bike to work; plant a garden this spring. -- Judy, of Albuquerque, NM

I am an apartment manager and will initiate conservation programs throughout our community. We will install low-wattage light bulbs, encourage reporting leaking faucets, etc. Personally, I will be more vigilant and recycle 100%, as well as install smart strips that shut off power to appliances, etc. -- Kris, of Broomfield, CO

I run an infant nursery in Milwaukie, Oregon that aims to nurture the whole child and family in body, mind and spirit. We are making a commitment to live a green life by doing a few simple things. We are reducing waste by putting cloth diapers in reusable and washable vinyl pouches instead of plastic bags that get thrown out. We are also using cloth towels instead of paper. We have recently switched from using plastic bottles that contain harmful toxins when heated, to using glass bottles with either latex or silicone nipples. We also only use our garbage service once a month, so we recycle and compost the rest of our waste. This is a start for us here at the nursery. I'd love to be inspired to do even more for our children and our environment! -- Traci, of Milwauki, OR

I pledge to shop organic when I can, to wash 4 out of 5 loads in cold/cold water, to turn off all the lights and appliances in the house when not in use, and to research the feasability of purchasing an electric car or having my existing car converted into an electric car. :) --Nuria, Bellvue, WA

I pledge to eat and serve fewer animal-based products to my family, to shop for locally-grown produce whenever possible, and to grow as much of my own produce next year as possible. --Karen, of Parma, OH

My family and I have made a committment to ourselves to recycle all of our magazines, by donating them to art programs to be used in collages and other projects. We are also going to begin taking our scrap crafting items to retirement homes to be used for their personal projects. --Luisa, of San Antonio, TX

My house will be an ongoing green work in progress. No barefoot child will come into my yard and absorb poisons into their bodies. They can come into my home without worry of breathing toxins. As a mother of two now grown children I will work to make the world safe for the children being born in this generation and for those following. --Sara, of Dickson, TN

I commit to significantly reducing our propane usage this summer by keeping our thermostats lower, insulating trouble spots, and using more wood heat. --Jennifer, of Rodney, MI

Reuse, and no plastic water bottles!!! --Felicity, of Irvine, CA

We pledge to shop less, because we really do have what we need. We pledge to shop second-hand when at all possible instead of introducing more eventual "new" trash. We pledge to make more gifts of time and energy to each other rather than gifts of stuff. -- Paula, of Brooklyn Park, MN

I will cloth diaper my children, exclusively. We will try to eat as much locally grown food as possible. --Jennifer, of Minneapolis, MN

The other night during dinner, we all went around the table and made our pledges to each other: Mike -- instead of taking his lunch in a paper bag everyday will invest in a reusable lunch bag. Sarah (or Auntie Sarah to Kiran) -- wash out and reuse plastic bags (the ziploc kind). Anjali -- will hang the laundry out to dry whenever possible. Continue to replace all the light bulbs in the house to fluorescent ones. Continue our switch from regular cleaning supplies to more environmentally friendly ones. Kiran (6 years old) -- will try to remember to shut off the bathroom and bedroom lights whenever she leaves those rooms. Also, instead of using new sheets of paper for every homework assignment, she will use the backs of the paper and will explain to her teacher why she has done this. Meera (14 months)-- will poop and pee less so that we use fewer diapers....(just kidding). Most of Meera's clothes are her big sister's and we plan on continuing this trend. --Anjali, of the Bronx, NY


I have two children and we have switched to using safer and greener products for our family. We buy local when we can, we buy recycled products- such as tissue, paper, etc, and we have started having our children be a part of recyling what we use and teaching them where it goes. -- Kathleen, of Waunakee, WI


I am making the attempt to reduce the carbon footprint that my family and I are making. I am starting by having a home energy audit, so that I can get some direction about where to go. I've already installed a hot water heater blanket, a programmable thermostat, and switched to all compact fluorescent bulbs. We compost all food waste, and recycle everything that we're able to in our community (which is quite a lot!). I will also make the effort to commute more by bicycle, and leave the car at home! -- Becky, of Boulder, CO

I recently have committed to "Go Green" by recycling the items myself, that cannot go into my recycle bin. I called my local recycling co and they told me that even though some items cannot go into my recycle bin, they have a place where they can be dropped. So, I have a seperate bin for these items now (in my area this includes coffee cups, yogurt cups, baby food jar lids, and more) and I load them up in my car to recycle the same day I put the bin out to be picked up. --Janna, of University Place, WA

Northern Michigan MAUs raise more than 45 K at Alternative Gift Fair!!

To you lovely, spunky, inspirational MAU Mavens,

A quick but emotional email full of gratitude from the MAU's in northern Michigan. We wrapped up our big year-end event last Saturday with our second annual Alternative Gift Fair, and we're pleased as punch to say we raised more than $45,000 for 14 local non-profits (and Heifer--the kids choice, and FINCA, the crafters choice) in just five short hours. Far more than that, however, more than 300 people came to the fair and many stayed for an hour or more, simply visiting with friends and neighbors, and relishing the spirit of community that was so palpable that day. We truly owe our ability to stand up, to use or voices and harness our passions, to Mothers Acting Up. The strength and determination you demonstrate is contagious, and we feel blessed to be part of this greater community of mamas. As I prepare to welcome baby number three into the world, I realize just how grateful I am that there are strong, grizzly-roarin' women who are all around us, working tirelessly to make sure all the world's children have a safer, warmer, better world.

Grace and peace and so many thanks, Kate on behalf of northern Michigan MAUs.

Changing the Story: YES!

It's time to shop, reflect, give thanks, eat! During the upcoming feasting and holiday celebrations, may we celebrate in particular the individuals who are changing the world's story with the strength of their commitment; a story in which currently every other child lives in poverty, almost half of all war casualties are children, and global warming threatens every child's future.

Let's take time to honor mothers like the late Dame Anita Roddick who said, "I want to connect with people who share my outrage…But I also want to tell — and hear…stories that lift our spirits, that celebrate how glorious our planet is. Outrage and celebration — let's run this gamut together." Inspired leaders like Greg Mortenson who says, "When I look into the eyes of the children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, I see the eyes of my own children full of wonder. I hope that we each do our part to leave them a legacy of peace." Mamas and community builders like Tiffany Bellah, who says, "Having a baby changes everything. Since that wonder-filled day 6 years ago when Grace entered this world, I have been reaching out of my comfort zone. She has made of me a responsible revolutionary, and my role as her mentor and mother has propelled me to take an active part in forming the world she will be inheriting."

People who, when our common family is threatened, find the courage and strength to change the story. This holiday season, Mothers Acting Up* cheers, stomps, whistles and in every other way honors the individuals around the world who are taking action on behalf of our future generations. YES!!!!

Purchase the 2008 MAU Handbooks for story-changing individuals,
information and actions: www.mothersactingup.org

*mothers and others, on stilts or off, who exercise protective care over someone smaller

Mamamade 2007: Nashville.

I'll be on hand all day tomorrow at Mamamade 2007 to sell MAU Handbooks (think of it as the Passport for the Movement, honoring the promise of our children's lives!). I'll have Nashville MAU aprons and recycled tees (see photos here for examples-- each is different!) and I'll have MAU bumperstickers, too: they're green and round and look great on strollers, water bottles, guitar cases, and wagons (both the Volvo and the Radio Flyer version). You can go home with a bumper sticker for a buck and a pledge (of your choosing) to lessen your carbon imprint and do something to green up your family's life.

With me through the day will be my boy, Ziggy, and a few of the Nashville MAU mamas; we'll be ever so glad to answer questions about our local community, help you fill out voter registration cards, sign you up for national and local action and news of community building, and in general, cheer you on... You go, mama!! Remember, being one of many Mothers Acting Up takes on many forms and is not so much one more dang thing to do, but just part of the fabric of how we live....

The 2008 Mothers Acting Up Handbook: YES!

The world's children have found a brilliant new advocate: mothers*. We're stretching our traditional roles to include publicly advocating for children and the world's children shout YES!

The 2008 Handbook includes the inspirational voices of Marion Wright Edelman (founder of the Children's Defense Fund!), Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), Harry Belafonte, Dolores Huerta, Ann Crittenden, Joan Blades (Moms Rising), Patricia Foulkrod, Muhammad Yunus, Representative Jan Schakowsky, Massouda Jalal and a whole cast of mothers* sharing their personal insights. Designed to uniquely appeal to mothers, the Handbook addresses two of the biggest challenges to mother activism: lack of time and how overwhelming the problems seem. By offering a daily entry point (with simple actions and accessible information set in a beautiful, inspirational and lively format) the Handbook provides tools in a language that engages everyone, policy wonk and new activist alike!

Full color, 6.5 X 9 inches, soft cover & spiral bound, two year-at-a glance section.

Price: $20.00

Listen Up.

Mothers Acting Up on the radio with Liberadio(!)'s Mary Mancini & Freddie O'Connell, right here!....

MAU on WRVU's Liberadio(!) this week.

Stay tuned for the podcast and syndicated showtimes, and in the meantime, check out the Mary Mancini's post here about MAU and this weekend's Nashville activities.

Beth Osnes' (M)other gets Critic's Pick in Nashville!

Maternal Devotion

(M)OTHER Tennessee Women’s Theatre Project co-sponsors this one-woman show by Beth Osnes, co-founder and program coordinator of the Colorado-based national organization Mothers Acting Up (MAU). Osnes explores issues of mothering in a cross-cultural context, with focus on a fictional UN program called “Baby Swapping,” in which mothers from seven nations exchange their six-month-olds for one month. The result is an intimate look at the maternal experience across international boundaries, including an analysis of the interconnectedness between the women, their children and their countries. In conjunction with her performance, Osnes presents a Nov. 3 workshop that uses theater as a tool to empower maternal voices for public expression and civic participation. For more information, contact Paige La Grone Babcock at paige@mothersactingup.org. 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church —MARTIN BRADY

Mothers Acting Up works to ensure the health, safety and education of the world’s children by mobilizing the political strength of *mothers.

*mothers and others, both on stilts and off, who exercise protective care over someone smaller

Mobilizing Mamas Project in Top 100 for Case Foundation Grant!

Thrillingly, my project proposal to the Case Foundation's Make It Your Own Awards for Mothers Acting Up made it to the TOP 100 out of nearly five thousand applications! This is hugely exciting for MAU, and for me. See the kind of amazing company I'm keeping in this list, and click on my project Mobilizing Mamas to see what it's all about! You can see the widget over at Ms. Booty Homemaker Explains It All To You. More on that soonest!!

Support the Dream Act: Call your Senators today!!

Click here for more information about the DREAM Act

Oh my heavens!

After today's Roadway arrival, the note I sent along to Juliana Forbes: mentor, coworker, Mothers Acting Up co-founder and Midwife Maven to the Annual MAU Handbook:

My truckload of 20 boxes of 2008 MAU Handbooks has just arrived in the rain… they now sit on my front porch, save for the one box I brought into the house and ripped into immediately to take a look. And I’m just BAWLING…. THEY. ARE. SO. BEAUTIFUL. I’d love to call and tell you so, but I don’t think I can speak for being a blubbering mess of gladness.

Love and lots of it.

XX

Paige

(I have always been of the sensitive persuasion, but since having become pregnant with my son, and then these two years after his birth, even, I am just a walking jangle of happy-sad-beautiful-crazy human-ness, both tender and tough, with a penchant both for laughing and weeping uncontrollably. The already wonky world goes a bit madder in motherhood, I find.)

MAUs are everywhere!

We’re committed to woman to woman contact at MAU. And what women you are!! Your visions inspire, incite, ignite. I’m hearing from you increasingly from Portland, OR, Dallas / Denton / Fort Worth, the Carolinas and the Heartland. Messages from both Northern California and New Hampshire have come over the transom of late…. And we’ve got a new community pulling together in Bend, Oregon by the former Charleston MAU Maven who’s passed the torch there due to her family’s move. A Halloween gathering is in the works for Portland, ME. The Bronx mamas are revving up for some renewed year-round action and Temecula, CA’s community organizer is looking for a co-organizer. Several communities participated in Chalk for Peace last month (send pics!), Boulder MAUs just hosted a wang dang doodle of a Stand Against Poverty event, and Northern Michigan MAUs are gearing up for their annual Alternative Gift Fair. MAU will be in Memphis at the end of this month at the Gandhi-King Conference, presenting the workshop MAU Now: Mobilizing the Mamas – send me word if you’ll be there, too, and if you’d like to help wo-man the table of MAU goods including the hot of the presses 2008 MAU Handbook & Engagement Calendar. And MAU Live! Theatre for Empowerment (one of MAU’s FIVE national programs) is hitting the boards in Nashville the first weekend of November, and has upcoming dates in Austin, Denver and elsewhere. (Interested in bringing co-founding MAU Maven Beth Osnes and (M)other to your city? Holler at Beth: beth (at) mothersactingup (dot) org.)

Children deserve a bigger piece of the pie.

It's time for mothers to decide.

Learn more about how to act up right here!