International Women's Day

Sadly, I just learned of International Women's Day a few years ago. I thought it was something new but it has been celebrated since the early 1900's.  

International Women's Day is a day to be thankful for all the brave women who have come and gone before me. To be thankful that they had the courage to stand up for their own rights and mine. It's a day to be thankful for parents who encouraged me to dream. It's a day to appreciate the beauty and wonder of all we are as women. It's a day to be thankful that my daughter's world will look so much differently than my great-great grandmothers. 

It is a day to remember that while we here in America still have battles to fight and win over issues, women in other countries are still yearning for the right for education and health care. They want to be able to choose who they marry. They want to be able to have a childhood instead of being a child-bride. They want to be able to stand up to their husband who is HIV positive yet still refuses to use a condom with her so she becomes infected. Girls want a chance to go to school and learn to read and write. Girls don't want to be sold into sex trafficking just so their family can afford to eat. Women want to be able to speak their mind and not have acid poured on their face. Women want to be able to get help after they are raped and have their raper prosecuted. Women want to be able to have their female babies and not have to abort them because they are the wrong gender for their country. 

International Women's Day is day of beauty, hope, encouragement and a reminder that while we have come so far, we still have far to go. A day to be thankful and a day to remember those who yearn for something to be thankful for. It's a day to educate ourselves and learn how we can help the women around the world.

Women are amazing. Women can create miracles. Physically, women can grow another living being inside of their own body. We can nourish it and then birth a baby from our own body. We can give that baby nourishment from our own body as soon as it is born. We a life givers. How amazing is that!

As Mao Zedong said, "Women hold up half the sky."

As a mom, I look at the world today and think how happy I am that we live here in America and so many things are instantly better for her just by where she was born. My daughter can be a doctor, nurse, mother, stay at home mom, president, judge, fire fighter, in the military...the possibilities are endless! We need to teach our daughters of the way things were here and they way they are now, here and around the world. 

We need to teach our daughters that the world is bigger than themselves, bigger than here and now, bigger than their current situation. It is bigger than her school, friends, boyfriends, prom dresses, American Idol, and Coach purses. We as moms and women, need to teach our daughters of what our ancestors fought for and won! And we need to teach them of what other girls and women, just like us, are lacking and dying from. We as women need to stick together and quite the bitter back biting and help one another when we see another woman down. 

It starts with us, you and me. We have to power to teach our daughters and the girls and women in our life that we hold the power in us to make this world a more beautiful place. We hold the power to be anything we want to be. We hold the power to change the world! 

So for my daughter and all the women in my life, take a moment today to look deep into your heart and find your passion and purpose. Maybe you won't realize it all today but start the search. Start the search for what you were born to do. We were all created for a purpose. Never short change yourself or the world because you think you can't. The bigger the passion and dreams you have, the hard you will have to work, the more help you might need. Remember to look to those who came before you for inspiration. Again, remember that no dream is too big or too small. If that is your passion, then live it to the fullest! If you make a difference in one persons life for good, you have influenced the world for the better! You are a woman, you are beautiful, you are powerful, and you were meant to change the world!! 

Here are some encouraging words from a few amazing women who have made the world a better place. Enjoy! And Happy International Women's Day! Be thankful and be prayerful for the women around the world in need of love and support and basic human rights!

"For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes, by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women." - Elizabeth Blackwell, first female physician in the United States

"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again." - Sojourner Truth, African-American abolitionist

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.” 

― Mother Teresa

"People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone." - Audrey Hepburn, actress and philanthropist

"I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet." - Susan B. Anthony, American suffragette and advocate of women's rights

"The best protection any woman can have...is courage." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American abolitionist

"I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion." - Billie Jean King, female tennis champion who battled for equal pay

"Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live."- Mae C. Jemison, first African-American woman astronaut

No Kid Should Go Hungry

Nearly 1 in 5 children in America struggle with hunger. 

Children shouldn't have to worry about hunger. We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What happens when children don't have breakfast before school? When children don't get enough food they are sick more which leads to missing school more. They also less likely to finish school which leads to making it more likely that they won't be able to provide food for their own family. It's a vicious cycle. But what if they got breakfast?

Here is a short video to give you a picture of the needs and how we can fix them. We need to work together and really see what the children need and how to best help them.

Take a look below to get a picture of what happens when a child is provided breakfast at school:

  

What if each of us, either as individuals or as a family unit, took time to make sure one child gets enough food, even just breakfast. Think of the difference in not just their life but their future children's lives.

So what can you do to help with this issue? 

Here is a list to what No Kid Hungry suggests.

• Educate yourself and your family on this issue and sharing it with your friends and family.
• Tell your elected officials and school boards what you have learned and ask what they are doing, and ask them to help the hungry kids in your area.
• Share what you have learned on social media.
• Put Breakfast On The Map.
• Donate to No Kid Hungry.
• Lead a Cooking Matters Demonstration.
• Volunteer at a local Culinary Event.
• Volunteer with the Cooking Matters Class to help out.
• Volunteer to be Cooking Matters Store Facilitator.
• Turn your birthday or next gathering into a fundraiser. 
• Organize a Cooking Matters Class.
• Host a Great American Bake Sale.

Learn about your area and how many children go hungry. You might be surprised at how many children are going hungry in your own backyard. Take time to learn today. 

How to Save 830,000 Children #firsthour

What if there was an incredible Superfood for Babies that we could give to children within their first hour of life that could literally save their life? What if it wasn't expensive? Or an even crazier thought, what if it was free to every child in the world?

Not only does this exist, it is free, and it could save 830,000 children every year!

It's colostrum and breast milk! 

Breastfeeding is critical in preventing malnutrition and saving children's lives in developing countries. Mothers in the developing world, and everywhere, need to be aware of the miraculous wonders of breast milk, especially the colostrum, and they need the support and rights to provide this lifesaving nutrition to their children.

What is this colostrum you ask? It is "liquid gold." It is the very first "milk" that comes out of the breast. It is sometimes yellow in color or may be clear and is more similar to blood than milk, which is why I put milk in quotations above. Colostrum is full of protective white blood cells and antibodies. It is made naturally by the mother's body specifically for newborns in that it is easy to digest, coats their intestines to protect from bacteria, and promotes bowel movements to help eliminate the first stools, which are black, tarry, and called meconium (Huggins, K. (2010). The Nursing Mother's Companion.). 

Breast milk provides all of the nutrients essential for a newborn baby. It grows as baby grows and it adjusts to meet the demands of that individual baby. The human body is incredibly amazing! 

Fun fact: If a newborn is placed on their mother's chest, they will search and, most of the time, find the breast to eat!

In a report from Save The Children, it is estimated that if all babies were breastfed within the first hour of life, 830,000 children could be saved! That number is huge! And breastfeeding could make the difference! The reason for the need during that first hour is back up to the colostrum we just talked about. A quote from their report says it all when it calls colostrum "the most potent natural immune system booster known to science." 

The magic pill every one is searching for lies within our breasts, ladies! 

A few more facts and numbers (from the Superfood for Babies Report):

• 22% of newborn deaths could be prevented if breastfeeding started within the first hour after birth.
• 16% of newborn deaths could be prevents if breastfeeding started within the first 24 hours.
• Infants who are not breastfed are 15 times more likely to die from pneumonia 
• Infants who are not breastfed are 11 times more likely to die of diarrhea than those who were exclusively breast for the first six months of life. 
• A study from Brazil found that infants who were not breastfeed at all had a 14 times greater risk of death than those who were exclusively breastfed, while those who were partially breastfed had a 4 times greater risk of death.
• An infant given breast milk within the first hour of life is three times more likely to survive than one breastfed a day later.

Even with all of these wonderful facts with science to back them up, it's not as simple as it sounds. In their report, Save The Children found 4 common barriers to breastfeeding. 

1. Community and Cultural Pressures

• Many mothers in poor countries receive bad advice or are pressured to not breastfeed, and instead to give the infants other things such as water, sugar water, herbal teas. In many of these countries, the water is contaminated so newborns are exposed to parasites and diseases.
• Many women are not free to make their own decisions regarding breastfeeding and it is left to the husband or family.
• Some cultures discard the colostrum because of religious beliefs, incorrect knowledge; i.e. It has been in the breast for 9-10 months and needs to be discarded, newborns cannot drink it because it is too thick 

2. The Health Worker Shortage

• One-third of infants are born without a skilled birth attendant.
• This means the mother receives no support for that first feeding.
• The earlier someone can help the mother and baby with breastfeeding, issues can be cleared up from the start.

3. Lack of Maternity Legislation

• When a woman is supported by family and healthcare workers, if she is not supported in her place of employment then breastfeeding rates decline.
• Three areas of national policy play a key role in a woman's ability to breastfeed:
• Maternity Leave
• Financial Protection to help maintain the family's income while the mother is on maternity leave
• Workplace provision to all breastfeeding to continue when she returns to work
• This report calls for every country to ensure a minimum of 14 weeks for maternity leave, with an aim for 18 weeks.
• This is not just for other countries. It is for mothers like you and me who need support when we are breastfeeding our children. 
• The US maternity law only protects your job for 12 weeks and it does not require your employer to cover pay.

4. The Big Business Barrier

 (Before you stop reading here, I am not again formula when it is needed. But clean water is also needed to make formula, which is lacking in many of the world's poorest countries.)

• They often undermine breastfeeding with advertising, free samples, and health claims on packaging.
• Some have been known to offer incentives to health workers in poor countries in order to get them to encourage formula over breastfeeding. 
• Again, you need good clean water to give formula.

So why am I sharing this information today? First, because every woman in the world should know how incredibly her body is made and what the amazing nutrition it can provide. Secondly, because mothers around the world need support when it comes to breastfeeding and you can help.

You can go to here and sign the petition for Secretary of Sate John Kerry to demand the renewal of the 1000 Days of Call to Action - a lifesaving initiative that improves nutrition for pregnant mothers and their babies. This helps moms in the US and around the world. 

1,000 Days of Call to Action is set to expire in June. This refers to the 1,000 days from pregnancy to a child's second birthday where there are the best chances to prevent malnutrition. Since 2010, this international partnership has helped develop strategies for fighting and preventing malnutrition in infant and children in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Tanzania. 

Here is an amazing video that shows the work that is being done by Save the Children. 

Save the Children is doing amazing work around the world and in the US. Through their campaign for Health Kids, they have advocated for legislation at the state level to help breastfeeding mothers. Here are the recent ones that have been a success:

• In 2011 legislation passed in Louisiana requiring state buildings to provide suitable spaces (that are not a bathroom) for breastfeeding, which went into effect July 1, 2012.
•  In 2011 legislation passed in Tennessee, striking language requiring children to be under 12 months old in order for mothers to be allowed to breastfeed in public, which went into effective July 1, 2011.
•  In 2010 legislation passed in Arizona requiring private areas for breast feeding as part of childcare regulation reform.

Please take the few seconds it takes to sign this petition! 

As a mom to a two year old who just stopped breastfeeding less than a year ago (March 2012), this hits close to home. I was not aware of the wonders of breast milk until I was in nursing school. I was amazed at the incredible ability of the body to make something that provides all the nutrients this tiny human needs. When I read about it in books, it seems so simple: put baby to breast, they eat. Fast forward 5 years, and I realized it wasn't that simple. Yes a baby will find it's way to the mother's breast immediately after birth but that little minute-old baby might not know the best way to latch. Mothers need education and support when it comes to breastfeeding. They need heath workers who can show them the proper way for the baby to latch to the breast. 

My sweet girl was born here in the US and in a good hospital. I had a doctor and several nurses at my bedside, along with my husband. Everyone was supportive and encouraging. My daughter was put to my breast right after she was cleaned up a little and we attempted to feed her. (I say "we" because I had a nurse holding my breast.) And guess what, we had trouble getting everything to work. Yes there was a breast and a baby but we needed more help than that. Luckily, I had access to help. My daughter and I were not naturals at breastfeeding. Their were tearful days and painful moments. When she was two weeks old, I developed mastitis and had to go to the doctor for antibiotics. After that, we had latch issues. Then we had supply issues. But you know what, I had help and support and we were able to succeed at breastfeeding. And I live in an area with clean water so if and when she needed formula, she could have it and I didn't have to be worried that she would die from the parasites and diseases in the water. Some moms don't have the luxury of being able to fall back on clean water.

The entire time I breastfed my daughter I was amazed. My body knew how to make what she needed. It took practice but we figured it out. She was breastfed exclusively for 5 1/2 months (just shy of 6 months) and then partially for 13 months. As the anniversary of her last nightly breastfeeding draws near, I am so thankful for that time. I now appreciate my breasts because they provided life to my daughter. Not only did they provide nutrition but also protection for the rest of her life. I used them for what they were made for and even though there were some painful, tear-filled moments, I wouldn't trade those 13 months for anything. 

We all need to do our part and help support moms who want to breastfeed! 

If you haven't already, please go here and sign the petition for Secretary of Sate John Kerry to demand the renewal of the 1000 Days of Call to Action. 

A simple click and a few key strokes could save the lives of 830,000 babies. 

Even if it was just one, isn't that worth your time?

I am a part of the Global Team of 200 and Social Good Moms' 24-Hour Blogathon spreading the word about Save the Children's new breastfeeding report, Superfood for Babies. Sign the petition urging Secretary Kerry to help mothers around the world get more support around breastfeeding and lifesaving nutrition for their babies. 

Show LOVE by Running, Walking, or Biking #VDay10k

The United Nations Foundation and Charity Miles has partnered for this month (February) to help encourage everyone to help raise $10,000 by simply downloading the free app (Charity Miles) and participating in a virtual #VDay10k by simply getting up and going out for a walk, run, or bike (with your phone!).

For each mile you bike, 10 cents is donated, and for each mile you walk or run 25 cents are donated! How easy is that!

My friends and family have been seeing random posts on Facebook from Charity Miles for a while. I found out about it from another site and couldn't believe how easy it is to help raise money by simply walking.

Here is a video of how it works and then the instructions are typed below:

1. Download the free Charity Miles app to your smart phone.

2. Open the app.

3. Select the charity you want to raise money for.

4. Choose whether you are walking, running, or biking.

5. Press start. 

What is awesome about this app is that it keeps working even when you close the screen to adjust your music or send a text. (Just don't forget to stop it once you have finished your activity.)

It keeps track of your time and milage. Once you have completed your activity, press finished and it will ask you if you would like accept sponsorship and post to Facebook. You must press accept that in order for the money to be donated. If your Facebook friends get annoyed by the post from the post that are showing how you are helping raise money to help others, well then, maybe you shouldn't be hanging out with those types of people ;)

You can choose from a wide range of charities but the #VDay10k is about helping the UN Foundations organizations. They are Shot@Life, Girl Up, and Nothing But Nets. 

A little information about each of these awesome organizations:

Shot@Life

"Shot@Life is a movement to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines where they are most needed. There are children today who are still at risk of contracting polio. But we are close to eliminating the threat forever. (Polio is 99% eradicated!) With your help, we can wipe this crippling disease from the face of the earth." - Charity Miles info link about Shot@Life

They raise money to help provide vaccines to children in need around the world who are dying from preventible diseases. 

Girl Up

"Girl Up mobilizes American girls to raise awareness and funds for programs that provide girls around the world with life-changing opportunities, like the chance to go to school, see a doctor, and stay safe from violence." - Charity Miles App info about Girl Up

Being born in the US is like winning the lottery for most of the world. When I look at my sweet 2 year old daughter, the idea of her being denied healthcare or schooling because she is a girl makes me sad and angry. Then, you bring up violence against her just because she is a girl and this mama bear gets fighting mad. No little girl, no matter where she was born, deserves to be treated like less than a human being. 

Nothing But Nets

"Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funding to fight malaria, a leading cause of death among children in Africa." - from their website

No child should die from something that can be preventable with a net!

As of today, February 17th, they are not yet on Charity Miles but they will be added later this month. 

Help raise money for these amazing organizations by participating in the #VDay10k!

Links to the Charity Miles App are below:

Download for the iPhone:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/charity-miles/id505253234?mt=8

Download for Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.charitymiles.android

Do you prefer to walk, run, or bike?

Go Vote for The REAL Awards

You might remember my post about nominating a healthcare worker for The Real Awards back in November. Well now it is time to vote! And voting ends tomorrow so hop to it!

Read through all the inspirational entries here then vote for the one that you feel deserves it the most.

The categories are:

Newborn and Mother Care
Pediatric Care
Chronic Disease Care
Hospice Care
Emergency Care
Veteran Care
At-Home Care
General Healthcare Worker


We take time to vote for singers on a show so take time to click over and vote for a deserving healthcare worker!

No Mom Should Die During Childbirth - Save a Life

Childbirth should be a happy time. A time of excitement and happiness. But that is not the case for so many families around the world. What can you do to help prevent a mom from dying? Get involved with Maternity Worldwide.

According to the Maternity Worldwide website, one mother dies every 2 minutes. That is 800 a day and 287,000 a year. Several million other women, and even girls, will suffer from complications from their childbirth for the rest of their lives. That is not even taking into account the poor babies who will never know their mom...that is if they make it as well.

Maternity Worldwide is working to change this reality. Maternity Worldwide is charity, with no religious affiliations, that works with local communities and governments to meet the needs of the women in some of the poorest areas. It started out of frustrations of a small group of public health professional who saw deaths in childbirth that could be prevented.

Since the start in 2002, Maternity Worldwide has helped women in 11 developing countries: Pakistan; Uganda; Ethiopia; Tanzania; Malawi; Zimbabwe; Zambia; Nigeria; Sierra Leone; The Gambia; and Haiti.

They use an approach that I think is amazing. They use the Three Delays Model which looks at three groups of factors that could stop females from accessing the healthcare they need during childbirth. They are: 1. Delay in decision to seek care. 2. Delay in reaching care. 3. Delay in receiving adequate health care. They then use this model to approach the  needs and take action.

They have awesome opportunities to help women. You can donate $24 dollars to help with the safe birth for one mom or $81 for the safe emergency delivery. These are awesome end of the year donations or as late Christmas presents. If you have already spent your limit this year, then please keep them in mind the next time you donate.

This post is part of the Global Team of 200 series. Follow along as we blog about today's social issues. 

Together WE Are Stronger - World Food Programme

As we enjoy the last days of 2012, some of you might still be looking for places to donate and help others. Today I have an awesome video from the United Nations World Food Programme.

They are helping people all over the world who are in need. Lots of the people they are helping have lost everything. They aren't moping around because they didn't get what they asked Santa for. They are praying they will have food today. They are praying they won't have to send their child to bed hungry...again.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by all the needs in our world today. Sometimes we become so overwhelmed that we shut down, we stop caring. We feel that there is no way that "I" can make a difference in the millions of lives in need. That is true. "I" can't save millions. But I can help someone and so can you and so can another person and another person....TOGETHER...we can save millions. But it takes you and me, not just me and not just you.

TOGETHER, WE ARE STRONGER.

Watch the awesome video here: http://www.wfp.org/we-need-you

Click here to donate.

 

Check out all of the other awesome bloggers blogging about issues like this:
Global Team of 200

In Memory of Cora: Newborn Heart Defect Screening Awareness Day

November 30 - Newborn Heart Defect Screening Awareness Day

With the incredible honor of being chosen as part of the Global Team of 200, I have had the privilege of "meeting" other moms and reading their stories. Although I have never talked with Kristine, Cora's story broke my heart when I read it. (Read it here.) It broke for the life taken so soon and it broke for her mom and family. No mom should ever have to lose her child while she holds her so lovingly. Cora's mom is Kristine Brite McCormick. 

Since her sweet, precious baby left this world, Kristine has found ways to raise awareness and keep her daughter's memory alive. Although she was only 5 days young when she left this world, her story will outlive us all. Cora's story and influence is saving lives. 

Cora died from Congenital Heart Defect (CHD). About 1% of babies are born with congenital heart defect (CHD) or malformation. 

Newborn Heart Defect Screening Day is to encourage you to ask your doctor (or your pediatrician) to do a simple, external test of the oxygen level in your newborns capillaries. By doing a simple check of a newborns oxygen reading by pulse oximeter (pulse ox), doctors can detect low oxygen levels which can lead to finding a heart defect in your child. 

Have you ever had your vital signs taken and they place the probe on your finger with the red light? That is the pulse oximeter. It is painless and non-invasive and takes only seconds. A painless test that takes only seconds that could save your baby's life and save you a world of pain. 

Take time to educate yourself and ask your doctor. We plan for months awaiting the arrival of our little bundles of joy, why not ask for this simple test. 

Please note that not all CHD or malformations will can be detected by the pulse ox. This is just a broad over view and should be used to help catch something. If you have a family history of CHD or serious concerns. Please talk in more detail with your doctor. Although some CHD and malformations can be missed, you at least know you did everything you could do to detect it. 

Honor Cora's Memory by pledging to have your newborn screened. I pledge, if we have another child, to have the Newborn Heart Defect Screening performed. 

My thoughts and prayers are with Cora's parents as they celebrate her birthday without her.  

Kristine, what a legacy your angel is leaving behind. All thanks to her amazing mommy, who loved her so much that she doesn't want another mom to feel her pain. As a fellow mom I am inspired by your work and love. 

The REAL Awards

The REAL Awards are awards given to deserving healthcare workers who go above and beyond to help others in their jobs and helping others in their communities.

Save The Children, The Bill & Melinda Children Foundation and Frontline Health Workers Coalitioned have come together to help people honor and thank health care workers who are making a difference in peoples lives every day.

A quote from Mary Beth Powers from the Save The Children Website explains why these awards are important.

"Every year, awards are given to recognize the accomplishments of celebrities, actors, singers, athletes and entertainers," said Mary Beth Powers, Campaign Chief for Save the Children's Newborn and Child Survival Campaign. "Alongside the Oscars and Golden Globes in January, we will begin to honor a group of people who rarely receive recognition or accolades — health workers."

As a registered nurse, I am quiet fond of healthcare workers. Healthcare workers see people at all stages of life and in all emotional states. We see you when you are at your worst and sometimes when you are at your best. We help you when you do not want help. We help you when you cannot help yourself. Helping you is not just our job, but our passion.

Think back to when you had your children or when a loved one was in the hospital or you were under the care of a healthcare worker. Did anyone stand out to you? Did anyone help your stay more pleasant? Did you have anyone come into your home and help you once you got discharged from the hospital?

Healthcare workers take on many roles and have many different job titles. Think through those you have met and if you feel any are worthy of nomination, pick a below to nominate them!

The categories to nominate healthcare workers are as follows:

Newborn and Mother Care
Pediatric Care
Chronic Disease Care
Hospice Care
Emergency Care
Veteran Care
At-Home Care
General Health Worker

You can find a the Official Rules here.

You only have until tomorrow, November 29, 2012 to nominate the special healthcare worker in your life. Take time to show them they made a difference in your life by nominating them for this amazing award.

(Voting will begin taking place on November 30, 2012).

Malala Day

Today is Malala Day.

Malala Yousafzai has become the face for Global Education.

Malala is a 14 year old girl that lives in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. This area was taken over by the Taliban in 2009. She was asked to keep a blog about how the Talibans presence effected her life. Malala blogged under the name Gul Makai to protect herself and family from the Taliban. She blogged for 10 weeks and then her family moved to another area when military operations began in the area. The Taliban did not want any girls attending school so there was constant threat of school being cancelled or banned. Malala became very vocal about her right to an education. She began speaking up for herself and other girls and children around the world who do not have access or are just denied the ability to go to school.

Because of her continued fight and perseverance for the right for education for girls and children everywhere, she was runner-up for the International Children's Peace Prize 2011.

On October 9, 2012, a man came onto the school van and asked who Malala was and then shot her and two other girls. Malala was shot in the head and neck. All of the girls are still recovering from their physical, mental, and emotional wounds.

Today on Malala Day, we stand with Malala to show support for her, the two other girls shot alongside her, and all of the other children who are denied access to an education.

Look at these stats:

61 Million children shut out of primary school
34 Million adolescent girls not in school
16 Million children with disabilities not in school, with 1/4 of these children being blind.


Every child deserves a right to learn. When we educate children, we create a future for them.

I stand with Malala and all of the other children around the world longing for an education.

Take action today and sign this petition to call upon all the countries to outlaw discrimination against girls. Sign the petition to help ensure that the 61 million children who are not in school will be by the end of 2015.

Sign it for Malala. Sign it for the girls of the world.

Visit EducationEnvoy.org for more information.

Help and Chat with a Child in Bolivia

Imagine being a child in an extremely poor country and getting a message from someone across the world. All of a sudden you feel like someone knows you exist. You somehow don't feel so alone.

This is part of a new program the World Food Programme has started with the school children of Bolivia.

First a few facts about Bolivia:

-It is one of the poorest countries in Latin America with nearly two thirds or 80% of the country living below the poverty line.
-Stunting in children under 5 years old remains at 27-37% and has for ten years, due to lack of nutrition.
-The income of 40% of the population (once again hight in rural areas at 59%) is insufficient to meet the basic food needs.
-63% of households cannot provide the MINIMUM caloric intake needed for adequate growth.
-They depend mainly on agriculture so in lean seasons or natural disasters they cannot make money nor eat.

You can get more involved with the children of Bolivia. WFP has an amazing tool that allows you to ask questions to these children and then they will reply back. I am just trying this out today and I look forward to their response! This is an amazing tool to use with older children to help open their eyes that the world is much bigger than your family, home, town, or country. It helps them put a face to a need.

Words have so much power, especially to children. Just a simple note or question can make a difference. Imagine someone asking your opinion or what your hopes or dreams are?!

Send your message or question through this site:

The World Food Programme is working to help the children of Bolivia by reducing malnutrition in children. This will allow them to concentrate and learn in school. This will help all children, even those not in school. They are working to enhance emergency preparedness and how to respond during emergencies.

You can donate to the World Food Programme here.

**This is my second post as part of the Global Team of 200! Follow us!**


I would love for you to share your question/message and the response you get from the children of Bolivia!

Trick or Treat with Purpose

I had no idea that you could help other children by Trick or Treating but you can!

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF was started in 1950 during the aftermath of World War II. It encourages children to collect coins to help those still affected by the war. It is still going on to day and helping children around the world. This program helps show children that they can be active global citizens and help other children all while having fun and dressing up!

It is one of UNICEF's longest -running youth volunteer initiative and is 62 years old this year. In it's 62 Halloweens, $167 million has been raised. This has helped children in over 190 countries and territories. The money goes toward health care, immunizations, clean water, sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. Without the money raised during Halloween, children would have to do without some of the basic necessities of life.

They have fun boxes you can use to collect money if you order their free kits in time. Obviously, today is Halloween so you most likely will not have one of their boxes but you can make a box or envelope of your own or help your children make one.

Here is an awesome, short video that introduces the program a bit more:

A few other ideas to help raise money for UNICEF before or after Trick-or-Treating:

-Have them assign a value to each of their candies and treats they get tonight. Then have them "sell" their candy to you for money that can then be sent to UNICEF.
-Have your children go through their piggy bank or chore money and left them buy some of the candy back from you.
-If you have time to set up a cider or hot chocolate booth in your neighborhood, you can collect the money raised from that and send it to UNICEF.
-You can also make a donation online.

I wish I would have known of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF when I was younger but my daughter will grow up with this as much a part of Halloween as pumpkins!!! This is such an easy way to show children that helping others can be fun and easy!



***This is my first post as part of the Global Team of 200!! Please follow along with us as we blog throughout the next year sharing amazing programs and organizations!!****

An Incredible Honor

Last night I was discussing this blog with my husband and telling him what I want it to be about and how I feel like this is what I am suppose to be doing at this time in my life.

I told him how I guessed I was not chosen for a place on "this mom blog group" I had applied for. I went to bed feeling a bit defeated. Granted, I am a very new blogger so I completely understood. There were plenty more moms with lots more blogging years and motherhood years who deserved these spots.

This morning, I received an email about the status of that application and I was ACCEPTED!!!

I am so incredibly honored to be part of the Global Team of 200!!!! I will be writing along side 199 other amazing women and mothers about issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health. Here is the description:

The Global Team of 200 is a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health.

Our Motto: Individually we are all powerful. Together we can change the world. We believe in the power of collective action to help others and believe in ourselves to make this world a better place for our children and the world’s children.

Please follow along with all of the bloggers! This is going to be an incredible year!!