Call for Foreign Assistance Reform

From our friends at ONE:

American anti-poverty efforts save lives in the developing world every day, funding AIDS drugs and anti-malarial bed nets. Our commitment to development makes it possible for farmers to improve their yields, and for more children to go to school, breaking cycles of hunger and poverty.

But the current foreign assistance act governing this system was written in 1961 to address Cold War problems and it’s ready for an overhaul. It’s time to start crafting a new foreign assistance act that will lead to more transparency and accountability, better communication and coordination between aid agencies such as USAID, the Peace Corps, PEPFAR and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and better cooperation with other countries. The result will be that every dollar spent will go even further to support the best ideas for ending global poverty and preventable disease.

Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced a bill that will begin the long process of updating the system. The bill is called the Initiating Foreign Aid Reform Act, and it’s the first step of many in reforming how we do development work. By directing the President to write a new strategy, successful passage of the Berman-Kirk bill will move us closer to our goal of bringing development into the 21st century.

Next week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider this critical bill and before they do, we need to make sure it has broad support, by getting as many members of Congress as possible to sign-on as co-sponsors.

Call your US Representative. Ask her/him to support foreign aid reform and to ensure that children will be prioritized in the foreign assistance reform process.

Go to house.gov to find your Representative's phone number. For tips, talking points and an instructional video, visit ONE's call action page.

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's Day, another Hallmark holiday?

Read this great post from our friends at Mindful Mama...

Making Mother's Day Meaningful
By Bess Hochstein

My mother has some ‘tude about Mother’s Day. I still remember her dismissively calling it a “Hallmark holiday” when I was growing up. It was a no-win situation: Even though she found the premise contrived, she’d be upset if I didn’t send a card or a gift or call her. But I doubt my mother would disparage Mother’s Day as much if she knew the holiday’s origins—to acknowledge motherhood as sacred, to reconnect to one’s family, and promote peace by helping less fortunate mothers and children around the world.

More...

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 Special Invitation for MAUs

Make a Difference at CARE's Annual National Conference & Celebration!

You are invited to participate in the CARE National Conference & Celebration on May 5 and 6 in Washington, D.C. for two days of political action, learning and inspiration. You will hear from top activists, lawmakers and speakers, including Wolf Blitzer and Gwen Ifill, and join other members of women’s organizations from across the country at special events highlighting the importance of connecting the world’s women in the fight against global poverty. You also will receive hands-on training for promoting the issues you care about on Capitol Hill, with a special focus on maternal health, and then meet in person with your own U.S. Senators and Representatives to educate them about why women's empowerment is important to you and CARE.

As a MAU, a CARE partner organization, when you register at www.care.org/women, you will receive an extension of the early registration rate through mid April and an invitation to special conference programs.

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.

Hot off the presses....

Here it is, drum roll please...the 2008 Annual Report, MAU's first ever! MAU celebrates mother leadership -- MAUs share their stories of action and visions for the world.

A journey of exploration, of the world and self

2009 MAU Calendar Portrait Camille Hook and her family are spending this month travelling through Southeast Asia visiting microcredit programs, while exploring the world. Visit their blog at www.Hooktrip.blogspot.com as they share what they learn, adventures, photos and videos.

Here’s a snippet from one of Camille’s postings before they left:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” by Mark Twain
I ponder this quote daily. It was to my surprise that I would start to feel the truth of it so quickly by creating a blog! Sharing the experience of our travel has already widened the borders of the stereotyped family/friend "comfort zone conversation" to include topics such as global politics, immigration, geography, history, human rights, "poverty and despair vs. poverty and dignity," economy and my favorite topic: advocacy.

As a result, I've learned of the wisdom of your own journeys. Eloquently, you all have spoken with inspirational worldliness, open-mindedness and appreciation of culture and countryside. Thank you.

These kinds of conversational moments open doors in our fundamental relationships and build intimacy and trust from which I am finding all kinds of energy to act...explore further...discover more...share again. Whadyaknow...it's a cycle!

Weekly Action

Annie Leonard, the host of The Story of Stuff, is featured this week in the 2009 MAU Calendar. She discusses the problem with stuff in the US. Watch her online film that illustrates the hidden environmental and social costs of the current systems of production and consumption. And then....deliberately buy nothing one day this week.

Weekly Action

From the 2009 MAU Calendar...
Walk, bicycle or bus to the local library and check out Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Bring your household together to choose one action that will lighten your footprint on this earth.

Inauguration Day!

My husband and I witnessed history being made standing shoulder to shoulder with millions of others. The hours passed quickly as we left the house in the dark to make a 5:30am train to Washington, DC. We arrived full of excitement as the sun shined brightly on a cold January morning in our nation's capital. Tens of thousands waited at the security gates while we showed our tickets and entered single file. We made our way to our area and began the countdown -- literally, there was a man from St. Louis counting down to the swearing-in.

We made friends, chatted, laughed, discussed facebook updates, and knew that the eyes of the world were upon us as the excitement in the air grew by the minute. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see much given that the huge jumbotron had a big tree right in front of it, but none the less, we weren't any less excited.

And then, it all began....dignitaries were announced and made their way to their appointed seats. The crowd shouted for former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. For a society that values being loud, the power of silence was striking -- not a peep was uttered when George Herbert Walker Bush entered. Some boos, but again, mostly silence for Vice President Cheney. And then Bush entered, silence gave way to boos which gave way to the song -- Na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, hey, hey good-bye. These words filled the air from behind us, to the left of us and in front of us. And then the chanting started -- O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma. It was incredible, our voices -- young and old, from all over the country and the world, women and men -- joining in unison, sounding like one -- powerful!

President Obama began his speech as the crowd chanted. As he spoke of extending a hand in friendship to those whose fists were clenched, of helping poor nations to "nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds" and reaffirming our nation's spirit, the crowd roared their support. The sense of renewed hope, purpose and responsibility -- to ourselves, to our nation and to the world -- was palpable.

The next thing we knew, we were starting our journey home to tell our daughters all about it! (Our older daughter (7 years old) really wanted to be there and had actually suggested that I take her and that daddy could stay at home with her younger sister!)

The impact of the speech didn't really hit until we got home. It was a somber speech that reflected the seriousness of our time, yet was full of hope and inspiration based on the strength of us as a people.

There seems to be life again in the White House -- from Malia and Sasha, to watching the way President Obama and Michelle danced while watching the parade go by. Who knew that the leader of the free world could seem so down to earth? At the end of the day though, it is important to remember that while government is here to work for us and as President Obama will lead us, we all must be part of the change that this country needs.

And, as the 44th President of the United States said, now the work begins!

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

Happy New Year!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season!

What better way to start the new year than by envisioning what we will do in 2009. Write down an issue you are passionate about and 3 actions steps you would like to take. Email it to beheard@mothersactingup.org and send along your mailing address for a free Mothers Acting Up bumper sticker.

Tell the new administration to make fighting global poverty a priority

On the campaign trail, Senator Obama went "On the Record" with promises to fight global poverty and diseases, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. Now, let's work to make those promises become reality. Join our friends at the ONE campaign and sign the petition asking President Elect Obama to make a pledge in your inaugural address to fight poverty and preventable diseases worldwide.

In January one of the first issues our new Congress will tackle will be the 2010 budget. Take action with CARE and ask your Representatives and Senators to add their names to the letters circulating Congress requesting a robust international affairs budget that will ensure vital humanitarian and development programs, which are critical in the fight against poverty.

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.

Welcome the 111th Congress with a card....

On November 18th, mothers and others across the country will be delivering "welcome" cards to their local Congressional offices, reminding their elected officials that they voted on November 4th to make climate change a priority. Tackling climate change is not only a priority for us, but has more significant implications in terms of the world that our children will inherit.

Gather up your kids, friends and family and join 1Sky and others or organize your own visit to your Members' offices. While you're there, leave behind information about the Mother Agenda and a plate of cookies (always welcomed by the staff!). Click here to sign-up and get all the necessary information.

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.

Raise Your Voice Against Poverty

October 17 is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Add your voice to the chorus calling for the end to global poverty. Take action with:

CARE's National Day of Action: Join CARE and send a strong message to the next President of the United States that Americans care deeply about the plight of the world’s poor. Then, host a National Day of Action event to explore concrete actions we can all take to advance U.S. policies to empower women and end poverty and injustice in one community after another. CARE's website has the resources you need to make your National Day of Action event a resounding success! CARE is hosting events around the world on Oct. 17. To host your own event, view a listing of events or to take action online, click here.

Stand Up: Stand Up with your community – family, friends, coworkers, teammates, classmates, those at your house of worship – along with millions of others around the world against poverty. Stand Up is a global mobilization to end poverty and inequality. Last year, 43.7 million people joined Stand Up worldwide, setting a new world record. This year, we are asking people to Stand Up and Take Action on October 17 through October 19 to ensure governments worldwide hear our demands to end poverty.

We are the first generation to have the tools and resources to end extreme poverty. Let's create true security for our global family and make poverty history!

Knit One, Save One

October is here and there is a briskness to the air. As we start to add layers and hats to keep warm, join Save the Children's Knit One, Save One campaign.

60% of newborn deaths in developing countries can be prevented through some basic health measures, such as keeping a baby warm. That's where the Knit One, Save One campaign comes in. Click here to read more...

Back to School

It's September and children of all ages are back to school. However, there are 72 million children not in school around the world, and the majority of these children are girls.

Join CARE in their Back to School Campaign called Ignite the Girl Effect. Investing in girls' education pays off in so many ways. When girls gain basic skills like reading and writing, they grow up to earn twice as much money as their peers without education. They have fewer and healthier children. And they are more likely to reinvest their earnings in their families and communities. That's the power of education!

Watch a short video called the Girl Effect and then take action. Ask your Member of Congress to pass the Education for All Act.

Click here to watch the movie
Click here to take action