Take a Stand Against Global Poverty

In honor of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, you can join CARE and stand in solidarity with poor and marginalized women around the world:

• Read, learn and act! Encourage your friends, family and bookclub to read the new book, “Half the Sky”, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. You will undertake a journey through Africa and Asia to meet an extraordinary array of women, including a woman in Burundi who becomes an empowered entrepreneur with the support of a CARE village savings and loan program. After reading the book, gather together at a local coffee house or living room, to discuss the importance of women’s economic empowerment around the world, and take action together (for a discussion guide and other tools visit www.care.org/bookclubs).
• Participate! Attend one of CARE’s special events being held in October in Atlanta, Miami, and other key cities (visit www.care.org/stand for more information).
• Speak out! Tell your member of Congress to support the GROWTH Act (www.care.org/GROWTH). The act promotes microfinance tools like village savings and loan programs, enhanced land and property rights, and business training for women living in poverty around the world.
  

Together, we have the power to help women around the world build a better future for all.

Reclaiming Mother's Day

Shared by a MAU Maven and Mother Leader.....

I’m one of those mothers who love Mother’s Day. I can’t wait for the homemade gifts, the breakfast in bed drenched in syrup and sticky kisses, and it is always the day I plant my garden with my family.

But a few years ago, Mother’s Day became so much more than those wonderful sticky kisses – it became a day that I stand in solidarity with mothers around the world to demand a safe, bountiful and meaningful life for all the world’s children.

I stand side by side with Julia Ward Howe, one of our great founding mothers, who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic and also penned the very first Mother’s Day Proclamation in 1870. She called on women to “arise,” and wrote, “as men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.” She goes on to say, “Let them meet first as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace…”

Wow. That’s where Mother’s Day originated. In the courageous arms of the mothers and grandmothers of the Civil War. It wasn’t Hallmark after all.

Written at a time when our country was still healing from the ravages of war, partisanship and economic strife. She wrote this when women had no political voice or rights, and 50 years before women got the right to vote. She was truly a mother to be proud of - courageous, just, and committed to a peaceful and prosperous world for all women and their children.

So, as I am enveloped by the sweetness of Mother’s Day, I will allow myself to be pampered and cared for. But, I will also raise my voice to bring dignity to all mothers and remember the original intent of this auspicious day, when mothers were initially called to greatness by the Mother of Mother’s Day.

This spring 100+ Mother Leaders across the country will celebrate Mother's Day by signing pledge cards, collecting post cards, and meeting with their members of Congress to joyfully demand a more just and equitable world for all. To add your voice to this beautiful collaboration of mothers and others, find us at Stand for the World's Children.

Stacy Carkonen is an advocate and Mother Leader in Sumner, Washington. For more information: www.standfortheworldschildren.org

Mother Wisdom in West Africa

From MAU maven, Amie Nelson

On my recent trip to West Africa, I was inoculated against every tropical disease the nurse could find in her book, guarded by my mosquito net fortress, and slightly comforted by the stash of remedies I had packed for possible infection, infestation and indigestion. I even brushed up on my rusty French, one of the common languages in Senegal. What I wasn’t prepared for is how women in this part of the world would seep into my soul, widen my eyes, and reconstruct some of my preconceptions of Africa – how they would give me a new blueprint for my own life as a mother and a woman.

Unlike prior world adventures as a wandering tourist, in West Africa I was a mama with a mission. In coordination with Tostan, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to educating and empowering rural Africans, I traveled to Senegal to interview indigenous mothers who are working to raise awareness of health and human rights issues and inspiring their villages to abandon traditional practices harmful to women and girls. Tostan nominated three mother leaders for the book I’m writing so I spent ten days traveling to their small, remote villages to meet these remarkable women and learn what makes them effective advocates for change.

In a challenging and often sidetracked journey through the southern part of this rugged, beautiful country, I found myself enamored with the women of Senegal. During my short visit I soaked in their dress, customs, life philosophy and parenting styles. Up close and from a distance I observed their struggles and their ease of living. America seems determined to save Africa, but after spending time with these women, I wondered if they might have an approach that could save us.

Equality is in your head
For centuries, the mothers of West Africa have maintained an unspoken power in their communities. As the primary workers - planting crops, gathering and preparing food, transporting water, maintaining homes, raising families, and some as highly skilled artisans - they are the true life force of the village. As an unfortunate result, many young girls are not allowed to continue with their schooling because they are needed at home to help their mothers with this work. Gradually, as more women in Africa are finding their voice, they are beginning to address some of these inequities in their society.

Adriatou, a vivacious, stunning mother of five who is leading her village in the recognition of human rights and importance of education, told me with cool confidence that “equality is in your own head.” She said for many women and girls, once they understand they are competent and capable of achieving – this is what keeps their head lifted in the face on inequality and lack of opportunity.

These women do hold their heads high, carrying huge buckets of water and metal bowls containing the family’s next meal, sometimes for miles. Throughout West Africa I was awestruck by women walking the city streets or rural dirt roads all with proud, magestic strides, babies strapped to their backs, and containers cleverly balanced on their head. They have a cool confidence I have never seen anywhere. These women- these mothers, they understand their significance. The men understand too. This is why many males in the villages have embraced the changes that are taking place with the advancement of health and human rights in Senegal. They see that when their women and children thrive under more equitable conditions, the entire community benefits.

Each young girl I talked with during my travels in West Africa dreamed of continuing school and pursuing some type of profession. Many wanted to be teachers. Fathou, a bright-eyed 14 year old I met in The Gambia told me she wanted to study math someday. I wondered if this charming girl selling bananas at the ferry would find a way to follow her chosen path. Ame, a 12 year old street vendor in Zinginchor, a city at the southern border of Senegal and Guinea Bissau, told me she wanted to be a doctor. As the women in Africa begin to understand and reclaim their rights, their dreams may inch closer to reality in the future.

Amie is a Colorado MAU maven, mother of two delightful daughters and author of the forthcoming book Inspiring Mothers: Wisdom & Activism from Mothers Around the World. To read the rest of Amie’s inspiringmama blog go to www.inspiringmothers.wordpress.com

A project of Mothers Acting Up, Inspiring Mothers has a mission to engage a million mothers or more to become the new leaders of social change. To nominate a mother or receive your free report: 7 Simple Steps You Can Take Now to Change the World, visit http://www.inspiringmothers.com.

A Powerful Noise

Celebrate International Women's Day with A POWERFUL NOISE!

Individuals and communities are joining CARE in theatres across the country to celebrate International Women's Day with a viewing of A POWERFUL NOISE Live. On the evening of March 5, CARE is hosting an unprecedented one-night event featuring "A Powerful Noise", an acclaimed documentary that follows three extraordinary women – Hanh is an HIV-positive widow in Vietnam, Nada is a survivor of the Bosnian war, and Jacqueline educates girls in Mali. The film takes you inside the lives of these women to witness their daily challenges and significant victories over poverty and oppression. Immediately following the film a town hall discussion will be broadcast live from New York to participating theatres, with renowned activists and experts including Nicholas Kristof, Christy Turlington Burns, and CARE President & CEO Helene Gayle, to discuss how we can empower women around the world to fight global poverty.

Tickets are on sale now. To learn more about the film, or for theatre and ticket information, visit www.apowerfulnoise.org.

Invite your friends, family and colleagues to attend A POWERFUL NOISE Live. Visit http://www.apowerfulnoise.org/guides.html to download a step-by-step planning guide for how local women's groups can participate in this exciting event.

A story of inspiration and a request to vote

Susan Retik lost her husband on September 11th. He was on the first plane to hit the towers. Weeks later she gave birth to their third child. She eventually transcended her shock and grief by co-founding an organization called Beyond the 11th, which provides financial and emotional support to Afghani widows and their children who are trapped in an ever-deepening cycle of poverty. Beyond the 11th’s grants are geared toward programs that help widows gain the skills necessary to generate their own income. Susan’s work was inspired by the incredible generosity she received and her realization of the absolute scarcity of help for her counterparts in Afghanistan. Every year on the anniversary of her husband’s death Susan bikes from the site of the twin towers to Boston, MA to fundraise for Afghanistan’s widows. She eventually traveled to Afghanistan, along with Beyond the 11th co-founder and fellow September 11th widow Patti Quigley, to meet the recipients of her organization. The life changing trip is the subject of the documentary, Beyond Belief.

Susan’s work as Beyond the 11th director is to promote peace and justice. The rewards will be reaped by children as far as the Middle East, and as near as her own back yard.

Several weeks ago I wrote an essay nominating Susan for Cookie Magazine’s Smart Cookie Award. Nominations poured in to the magazine and Susan was chosen one of their 5 finalists!!! And YOU get to vote for the award winner! Please go on line to: http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/sweeps/smart_cookie_finalists09/entry/long/ and vote for Susan Retik! She could win $35,000 for her organization! PLEASE, VOTE NOW!

There are no obligations to voting -- you do not have to subscribe to the magazine and I promise that you won’t be put on any mailing or call lists. Also, you can be a man or woman to vote. Tell all of your friends and family to vote! Together we can help Susan make a difference for the women and children in Afghanistan -- a difference that will have a ripple effect all throughout the world.

Thank you for your support!

Peace and Love,
Stephanie
A MAU in Pennsylvania

Get inspired! View her documentary trailer at: http://www.alivemindmedia.com/films/beyond-belief/
Learn more about her foundation at: http://www.beyondthe11th.org/index.html

Add your name by Nov. 24

Stand up against violence to women. The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is collecting one million signatures to present to UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon on Nov. 25. Your voice counts, add your name to the list. Click here to watch the second installment of videos featuring UN Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman.

Add your name to the widget on the left by Monday, Nov. 24.

Say NO to Violence Against Women

Did you know that 1 out of 3 women may suffer from abuse or violence in her lifetime? Click here to watch UN Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman talk about the Say NO to Violence Against Women campaign in a series of three short videos.

Then, join with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) as they collect 1 million signatures representing people saying “No” to violence against women. On November 25, UNIFEM and Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman will present these signatures to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Take a stand. Add your name and email to the box on the left hand side by November 24. To learn more about the campaign and solutions to the problem, click here.