Are you a teacher, or do you work in a school? You might be able to help! I am looking for old posters/models/diagrams of the male and female reproductive system to take with me to kenya (that will be fun getting through security!)
I imagine that some school somewhere has these things hiding in a biology/health teachers closet, so ask around! I am also looking for a projector that is battery operated, do those even exist?
It's the final countdown to Kenya! I got my ticket on Friday and I officially leave June 23rd and get back September 6th! Expect much more exciting blog posts around that time!
Your support makes this happen!
Follow me on my journey back to Africa. Health, Love, Education, Humanity, Service.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Them.
This past week my family was here for my brother's graduation (congrats SJ!), and that included the Doherty's of Daraja Academy. It was great to see Jenni and Jason and talk about plans for this summer. I was lucky enough to attend a Daraja fundraiser with them on the Upper West Side, and hear them preach the good word of Daraja.
Now it is a well known fact that Jenni Doherty is the brains and Jason Doherty is the dreams. Listening to him talk about Daraja is inspiring, to say the least. One thing he spoke about really got me thinking. He explained that he believes a big problem we have here in the US is that we often look at places like Kenya and talk about "them", what "they" need or how our money can help "them". He explained that he has never seen Africa as "them", but rather an extension of himself. This was something I had felt but had never been able to verbalize (if you read my blog you are aware that I don't always think or write in coherent thoughts).
When I think about Africa, or any country outside my own, I try very hard not to think of it as "them" over "there". I think my greatest strength/weakness is that I feel connected to people in an undeniable, heartbreaking way. The homeless person on the street in NYC is me, the African child is me. I can't separate myself and that is surely a gift and a huge liability. But listening to Jason talk I really understood how important it is that we all try not to see fellow humans as "them". It should bother us that another person is suffering, and even if we feel hopeless and helpless at least we feel something.
Ok, that is my late-night-benedryl-induce soap box rant. I just want to remind myself there is no them, only us.
Now it is a well known fact that Jenni Doherty is the brains and Jason Doherty is the dreams. Listening to him talk about Daraja is inspiring, to say the least. One thing he spoke about really got me thinking. He explained that he believes a big problem we have here in the US is that we often look at places like Kenya and talk about "them", what "they" need or how our money can help "them". He explained that he has never seen Africa as "them", but rather an extension of himself. This was something I had felt but had never been able to verbalize (if you read my blog you are aware that I don't always think or write in coherent thoughts).
When I think about Africa, or any country outside my own, I try very hard not to think of it as "them" over "there". I think my greatest strength/weakness is that I feel connected to people in an undeniable, heartbreaking way. The homeless person on the street in NYC is me, the African child is me. I can't separate myself and that is surely a gift and a huge liability. But listening to Jason talk I really understood how important it is that we all try not to see fellow humans as "them". It should bother us that another person is suffering, and even if we feel hopeless and helpless at least we feel something.
Ok, that is my late-night-benedryl-induce soap box rant. I just want to remind myself there is no them, only us.
Monday, May 2, 2011
But WHYYYYYYYYYY?
So expect me to bombard you with blog posts until I reach my fundraising goal... the sooner you donate the sooner you don't have to listen to me beg!
It was suggested (thanks Dad!) that I post a link to the Daraja website so you guys can get an idea WHY we are all working so hard to get this project going. www.daraja-academy.org is the site, take a look at their blog and learn more about why educating girls is so important to us.
Here are some stats I stole from Daraja:
Every extra year of schooling reduces infant mortality by up to 10%.
T. Paul Schultz, “Health and Schooling Investments in Africa,” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 13, no. 3 [1999]
Girls with secondary schooling are up to six times less likely to be married as children than those with little or no schooling.
UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children 2007, UNICEF, New York, 2007, p4-6
And here is a link to a little note from my girl Esther. If you don't see why this is so important, you might want to open your eyes.
http://daraja-academy.org/students/esther/
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