Robin Weekley's Blog

charity:water

Robin Weekley — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:04:19 GMT

charity: is a nonprofit organization stimulating greater global awareness about extreme poverty, educating the public, and provoking compassionate and intelligent giving. (from charityis.org)

Charity:Water exists as a campaign to raise awareness and funds to help combat the world water crisis around the globe. Since their inception 1 year ago, Charity: Water, with the help of well-implementing non-profits abroad, has built 200 wells in 6 African nations. When those wells are up and running, 100,000 people will have access to clean, safe drinking water.

After immense success in their first year, Charity:Water is celebrating their anniversary and the birthday of founder, Scott Harrison, by asking for a donation of $32 dollars to go towards a deserving project in Kenya. The new well will provide safe water to a hospital that currently is forced to gather water directly from a muddy river nearby.

To get involved, check out Charity:Waterâ€™s September campaign or read more about water and Charity:Waterâ€™s goals here .

Living Water International!

Robin Weekley — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:57:36 GMT

Living Water International is widely known as one of the best water organizations out there, not only for their well drilling and pump repair, but also for the way in which they involve others in the work that they do abroad. The main purpose of Living Water International, as taken from their website is: â€œ...to demonstrate the love of God by providing desperately needed clean water and medical attention, along with the "living water" of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone satisfies the deepest thirstâ€

With these goals in mind, LWI trains and equips over 60 mission teams and a multitude of well workers each year to go out and help build wells, repair pumps, teach health and hygiene and form relationships with the communities where they work. LWI currently operates in 21 countries around the world, bringing much needed water to places that would go without otherwise.

If you want to see Living Waterâ€™s work on the ground and take the trip of a lifetime to help provide water to those in need, check out LWIâ€™s training programs across the U.S and mission opportunities around the world.

To learn more about Living Water International, become more aware about the water crisis and learn what you can do today to make a difference, go here ...and join the Living Water International Group on Razoo! See you there!

The Joy of Water

Robin Weekley — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:57:03 GMT

It's often said that big things come in small packages; in the case of Play Pumps International, this old adage couldn't be more right on. Who would have ever guessed that children, young and old, playing on a merry-go-round could bring water to entire communities? Who would have known that the smallest members of society could help usher in such great change?

It's been 13 years since the first PlayPumpÂ® water system was installed in a small community in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. While attending a South African agricultural fair in 1989, Trevor Field first saw the work of a local engineer who had attached a children's merry-go-round to a water pump; as children spun, water pumped. In response, Trevor and his business partners launched Roundabout Outdoor, an organization that would provide fresh, clean water to communities in need using the merry-go-round/pump system along with a large storage tank and relevant advertising about HIV/AIDS crisis. Although the project started small, by 1997, they had installed 20 pump systems in needy communities across South Africa and had plans for many more.

In 2000, Roundabout Outdoor won the World Bank Development Marketplace Award for its creative solution to the water crisis and effective messaging about HIV/AIDS, gaining significant publicity and support from around the world. The organization, now known as PlayPumps International, is headquartered in South Africa with over 900 PlayPump water systems installed in the last 10 years across South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zambia.

With 1.1 billion people in the world currently without access to clean, safe drinking water, PlayPumps International exists not only as a necessity, but also as a fun way to address a very serious need. Unsafe water and lack of sanitation is responsible for 80% of disease and illness in the developing world; with a well, communities are able to grow, develop, and thrive. Kathleen Grealish, Director of Partnership Development for PlayPumps International, believes that access to safe water is a crucial piece of community development. "Clean drinking water is arguably the centerpiece of community development and affects the individual members of each community so profoundly," she says.

As a PlayPumps International team member, Grealish has had the opportunity to visit PlayPumps sites and witness the benefits of the merry-go-round within communities.

"For me, visiting schools that benefit from PlayPump systems is an incredible experience, particularly getting to hear the children singing as they spin. It definitely is a sense of happiness that you take with you. The community members were very appreciative of the PlayPump system and the opportunities it provides. One group of teachers we met decided to use excess water to plant a vegetable garden in the schoolyard, providing a nutritious supplement to their school feeding programs. Seeing how one small act we may make through a donation creates so many opportunities for others to make things better for themselves was uplifting!"

The nature of the PlayPump system is entirely unique in its approach; as the children sit, spin and run around the merry-go-round, the water is pumped from deep within the ground through a series of pipes that run it into a storage basin above ground, and the water is then accessible to community members at the simple turn of a tap. The storage basin allows continual (and sustainable) access to clean water at all times, so that residents are able to live free of the myriad of waterborne diseases and extreme distances they formerly had to walk to gather water. With greater health, community members are able to attend school, work, and participate in other activities that illness kept them from in the past.

As Kathleen Grealish has discovered, water, a seemingly insignificant commodity to us, has the ability to really change lives. "In each community I visited I was struck by how happy the people were. Despite not having all the things that we take for granted on a daily basis, they seem much happier, warmer and more welcoming. It reminded me that the things we strive for in terms of material goods can never bring real happiness." But as children run around, laughing and singing, they are providing the water that will change the chemistry of the community they live in; they will, in their joy, bring clean water to their families, friends, and neighbors.

It is that profound happiness and life change that keeps PlayPumps Interntional constantly growing and pushing for more pumps, in more communities, in a variety of countries across Africa. "In total, 4,000 PlayPump water systems will bring the benefits of clean drinking water to up to 10 million people in 10 countries by 2010, enabling improvements in health, education, gender equality and economic development."( from playpumps.org).

For more information, visit Play Pumps

Child-headed Households

Robin Weekley — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:33:01 GMT

Until a year or so ago, I remained totally unaware of something referred to in the development community as "child-headed households." Even after someone explained the concept to me, it was really foreign and hard to grasp, even in general terms. One afternoon while I was in Rwanda doing some photography work, Bishop Amooti, a bishop with the Anglican Church of Rwanda, drove me through the countryside and showed me some impressive projects that the diocese had started in light of reconcilliation efforts. On a deeply rutted dirt road, red soil and all, we came to a sparse looking hillside. The sprawling green was dotted with a series of similiar looking gray cement houses. Something about it resembled a more simplistic version of a housing development here in the states; long rows of houses, carefully allotted front and "backyard" plots and checkerboard paths that led in between the homes.

As Bishop Amooti and I approached, he explained to me that this whole group of houses and make-shift village was made up of child-headed households. We walked past a group of high school aged kids bent over wash basins, doing their laundry. We then passed more children, probably around age 13-15, in front of their houses tilling the soil. We walked down a path that acted like Main St. in the village; on every side, in doorways, in the surrounding fields, were children--no one over the age of 20. I kept expecting to see some community elders lurking in the background, or fathers carrying in heavy loads back from their work...but they were nowhere to be found. I think the Bishop sensed my underlying bewilderment and began to explain the situation in more detail as we lumbered along in a slow motion only acheived underneath the weight of the African sun.

Child-headed households came into existence after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. With thousands upon thousands of children left without parents and no place to call home, they began to cling to one another as family. According to BBC, today there are etleast 60,000 child-headed households throughout the tiny country. Approximately 75% of the households are led by girls, who are responsible for their siblings, extended relatives, friends and often times their own children, conceived during mass rape that occurred throughout the genocide. Many of the children suffer from the lasting effects of genocide and are in desperate need of counseling and the nuturing of a parental figure. As a result, the Anglican diocese and a few other NGO's have become a presence within these villages, offering post-traumatic stress counseling, lessons on agriculture, health and other daily items that the children would have otherwise learned from their parents during childhood.

While visiting with a child-headed "family" in their living room, I first encountered the stoic facade that surrounded members of the community...as if they'd all seen too much, experienced things too horrific for any child to bear. A mickey mouse cardboard piece hung above the doorframe and shiny stickers, peeling at the edges, adorned the grey cement in the center of the room. There was an old stuffed animal sitting, regally, in the center of a small wooden table in the corner--he wore a sunbleached pink ribbon tied around his neck and was visibly well-loved.

The stuffed animal reminded me of my own, Bumba, a bunny with one eye and no feet. I've always had fond memories of playing house when I was elementary-aged. My best friend Carley and I would serve one another mud pies and waste hours fake-sweeping the kitchen and bedrooms as Bumba watched from nearby. We did laundry in the swimming pool and put on aprons to make it all seem more real. We made make-believe lists of daily chores and exhausted ourselves playing mom, sister, wife and homemaker.

Maybe thats why, months later, I still can't shake this village. This little place, full of small hands and heavy work. There's something about it that my 24 years just can't swallow--something too close to experience in the isolated way I've come to know many development programs.

In the front garden of one house, the one with Mickey Mouse, a child-mother has spelled out L-O-V-E in white stones. It was the only thing I could still see as we pulled out after dark.

To learn more about child-headed households and read poetry by these children, check out this BBC site

Get Your Shop On.

Robin Weekley — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:04:18 GMT

nothing like a good excuse to do a little shopping !?! besides, its almost Christmas. ( I have always been a forward-season thinker :)

check out the Hunger Site's store and see how your "contributions" will help feed people around the world:
https://shop.thehungersite.com/store/site.do;jsessionid=79DE8B6B8C4E9185D18ED9A4FCE41F3A.prod01?siteId=220

Drop it like its HOT.

Robin Weekley — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:01:03 GMT

Active footwear, in conjunction with the 7 most recognized skateboarding shoe companies, has created a line of sneakers that are not just for looking cool while skateboarding, but also benefit the work that Invisible Children is doing in Uganda.

Drop Sneakers Not Bombs is a cool concept where people are using what theyâ€™re best at, skateboarding and shoe designing, to help make a positive difference for a conflict that normally would feel pretty far away.

I would definitely rock the sneakers around DC, although I donâ€™t skateboard and would look like a total dork. Regardless, I would tromp around in the hot pink and green pair, sharing the Sneakers Not Bombs news with anyone who might take the time to inquire about incredibly slick kicks.

Entonces, asi es la moda.

Check out those sneakaâ€™s here: http://www.dropsneakersnotbombs.com/index.php?id=9

Nelson Mandela and Co.; Old dogs, New tricks.

Robin Weekley — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 23:15:18 GMT

If you sit down and think about some of the coolest, global grandfathers (so to speakâ€¦) out there, who would you come up with? You might say: Nelson Mandela, or Desmond Tutu, or Bono in 30 years. You might say Jimmy Carter or even George H. Bush. Nowâ€¦imagine if they all sat down at the same table together, joined the theoretical â€œI Wannaâ€™ Save the World Clubâ€ and came up with ways to do it based on their collective experience and intelligence? If that all happened, then you would be faced with one of the wisest and savviest teams out there, now known as â€œThe Eldersâ€

As announced on Nelson Mandelaâ€™s 89th birthday in South Africa, The Elders is made up of some of the great global peacemakers of our time: Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus.

â€œThis group can speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes on whatever actions need to be taken. Together we will work to support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, and inspire hope where there is despair.â€â€”Nelson Mandela

"I see The Elders as a small but independent group that may fill an existing void in the world community. Almost impervious to the consequences of outside criticism, there will be opportunities for unrestrained analysis of important and complex issues, the evolution of suggestions, and for sharing our ideas with the general public and with others who might take action to resolve problems."â€”Jimmy Carter

Yesssss. Sign Me Up.

To see what its really all about, go to www.theelders.org

Before Brad Pitt, there was Leonardo. And Raphaelâ€¦and Donatello.

Robin Weekley — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:34:23 GMT

So, and this is disappointing at best, I just discovered a huge gap in my childhood memory. All this time Iâ€™ve thought my memory was close to perfect, Iâ€™ve even used it as a bargaining chip in arguments and discussions between friendsâ€¦but now, I rest a little uneasily. How could I NOT remember that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the first celebrities gone Green? Beyond their sweet ninja shells, the TMNT episodes included little pearls of wisdom about the environment, recycling, pollution and other relevant green issues. Prior to all the celeb hype surrouding global warming, the turtles were actually gettingâ€™ it done. After eating some pizza and using their turtle fighting tools to fight off Shredder and Rocksteady, the turtles (usually Donatello, I think heâ€™s the softy of the crew) would essentially deliver a public service announcement on recycling their pizza boxes. Brilliant.

The best part of this whole discovery is that loads of these environmental clips are available on YouTube for our education and, yes, enjoyment. Check â€˜em out here

Redefining Trashy

Robin Weekley — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:04:14 GMT

Naples, a well-known and well-loved tourist destination for people all over the place is in a bit of a compromising situation. Due to government disorder and a flurry of organized crime, the trash has not been picked up since May. I know, itâ€™s a little hard to understand how trash pick up and organized crime go together, but apparentlyâ€¦the Naples mob crew owns a few of the city dumps and has shut them down, thus bringing on a crazy flow of trash all over the city streets. Residents are protesting and the local government is doing its best to procure new landfill sites in the surrounding areas; theyâ€™ve even considered shipping their trash to other countries. Romania was their pick for lucky trash recipient, but, unfortunately for Naples, Romania turned down the generous offer.

The US Embassy in Rome has issued a warning to US Citizens saying:

"US citizens traveling to or through the area may encounter mounds of garbage, open fires with potentially toxic fumes and sporadic public demonstrations by local residents," the embassy warns in its advisory note.â€

Yummyâ€¦Toxic fumes. This whole story really spotlights the amount of trash we produce n a regular basis. When the trash doesnâ€™t get picked up and instead forms walls along city streets, garbage takes on a new relevance in our lives. What you throw away is no longer lost and gone, but is in your face, reminding you of the Oreos you ate last night, the 20 magazines you got in the mail and never read or the plastic bags you carted home from the grocery store.

To learn more about Naples and what really happened behind the trash disaster there, check out this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6287228.stm, article from the BBC.

No Water Bottle For You!

Robin Weekley — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 15:53:02 GMT

So, Iâ€™m sure youâ€™ve heard the buzz: No More Bottled Water in San Francisco. Thatâ€™s only partially true, though. In an effort to significantly cut down on bottle water waste in San Francisco and surrounding counties, the mayor of the city has banned city institutions from buying any bottled water, including that in community water coolers. City employees will instead be guzzling municipal water throughout the day, except in emergency or health-threatening circumstances.

After finding out that 25% of the bottled water we drink is simply tap water re-packaged, this seems like a pretty wise move on the part of San Francisco.

To get the whole story, check out [this](http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/24/bottled.water.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories) CNN article.