Read this book! Do this thing!
So recently I read a book (a rarity with the amount of free time I have) called Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. And it was AWESOME. It's written by two Pulitzer-winning journalists, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (the latter once appeared on Colbert!), and it's phenomenal. Largely, what it's about is sex trafficking, Female Genital Mutilation, unnecessarily high maternal mortality rates, domestic abuse, and other injustices toward women, mostly in developing countries. Sounds really uplifting, I know, but it actually kind of is. The focus of the book isn't just recounting horrifying individual stories (although it does that, and here's your fair warning, a lot of them are really horrifying); it's about recounting stories of women who overcame the most horrific obstacles imaginable, who survived against great odds and did amazing things, for themselves and their families and communities.
This book is really inspiring. I felt good about myself after reading it. I felt good about all sorts of other people in the world, too. And the best part is, it not only tells you about how other people rose above tremendous odds and made things better, it tells you precisely the best ways you can do something to help.
A lot of the things they recommend involve a little money, but not even remotely all of them. I'm not going to write up a list recounting what in this book I think you should take away, because I'm serious when I say I want you all to go read it, now. Go to the nearest bookstore or order it via your preferred online book seller. You won't be sorry. But I do want to tell you about one program it introduced me to that I'm REALLY excited about.
It's called Kiva.org, and the purpose of the website is to provide loans to people in poverty-stricken communities the world over so they can start/improve their own businesses and get out of debt. There are two things I think are especially awesome about this program: 1) You can contribute with a loan as small as $25. So, so easy, guys. That's like, a little splurge at a restaurant on a Saturday night. And 2) You eventually get paid back your money, and you can then choose to either take it or loan it to another project, which I think is way way awesome. If you donate $200, then it gets paid back and you donate again, then it gets paid back, etc. etc., it's like. It's like you get to KEEP HELPING PEOPLE FOREVER AND EVER with the same exact $200 you first contributed! I JUST FIND THAT SO INCREDIBLY COOL.
So. Now I'm sponsoring a group of women in Uganda who run their own bar. I'm just a partial sponsor--most loans are made by several loaners collaboratively--but it feels so incredibly awesome! I love this idea, I love this website, and I love this book.
Seriously, guys, I can't give it enough praise. Please, please read it, because it will inspire you to do wonderful things. Also, if you're at all like me and prone to a little self-pity, it will give you a swift kick in the pants to remind you just how good you have it.
This book is really inspiring. I felt good about myself after reading it. I felt good about all sorts of other people in the world, too. And the best part is, it not only tells you about how other people rose above tremendous odds and made things better, it tells you precisely the best ways you can do something to help.
A lot of the things they recommend involve a little money, but not even remotely all of them. I'm not going to write up a list recounting what in this book I think you should take away, because I'm serious when I say I want you all to go read it, now. Go to the nearest bookstore or order it via your preferred online book seller. You won't be sorry. But I do want to tell you about one program it introduced me to that I'm REALLY excited about.
It's called Kiva.org, and the purpose of the website is to provide loans to people in poverty-stricken communities the world over so they can start/improve their own businesses and get out of debt. There are two things I think are especially awesome about this program: 1) You can contribute with a loan as small as $25. So, so easy, guys. That's like, a little splurge at a restaurant on a Saturday night. And 2) You eventually get paid back your money, and you can then choose to either take it or loan it to another project, which I think is way way awesome. If you donate $200, then it gets paid back and you donate again, then it gets paid back, etc. etc., it's like. It's like you get to KEEP HELPING PEOPLE FOREVER AND EVER with the same exact $200 you first contributed! I JUST FIND THAT SO INCREDIBLY COOL.
So. Now I'm sponsoring a group of women in Uganda who run their own bar. I'm just a partial sponsor--most loans are made by several loaners collaboratively--but it feels so incredibly awesome! I love this idea, I love this website, and I love this book.
Seriously, guys, I can't give it enough praise. Please, please read it, because it will inspire you to do wonderful things. Also, if you're at all like me and prone to a little self-pity, it will give you a swift kick in the pants to remind you just how good you have it.