Sunday, May 8, 2011

Somebody's Mama

I have started a "mommy blog" of sorts.  You can find it here.  In honor of Mother's Day, our non-profit, His Healing Helping Hands International Ministries (4 H. I. M.) is launching a project.  Read below for more information about how you can be involved: 

If you are receiving this message, you’ve got a mama.  A lot of you already are mamas, and many of you hope to be one day.  I am excited to announce a new project of 4 H. I. M. called “Somebody’s Mama.”  I hope you’ll want to be a part!

The concept behind the project is this: women all over the world are dealing with complex issues such as lack of education or proper healthcare.  These issues often lead to more complex issues like cyclical poverty and human trafficking.  Anyone who works in the world of humanitarian aid will tell you that the best way to find a solution to these problems is to empower women.  In developing nations, women are marginalized yet remain the backbones of family and community structures.  

With “Somebody’s Mama,” we want:

1) To bring awareness to issues affecting women across the globe.
2) To create a community of people who care deeply about finding real solutions.
3) To turn ideas into action.

Most of you know me well enough to know that I have been involved in worldwide humanitarian work for most of my life.  During this season of my life (the one where I take care of small children full-time), I am not able to actually GO and DO the hands-on work involved in improving the more marginalized communities in the world.  I decided it was better to turn the frustration into inspiration.

Because of my background, I’ve got a lot of connections with non-profits and ministries that are already doing tremendous work both locally and globally.  There will never be a lack of need.

I want to invite you to celebrate Mother’s Day this year by helping Somebody’s Mama.  We (4 H. I. M.) are collaborating with the Bushenyi Alliance for Rural Health & Development (BARHD) to help some mamas in Uganda.

Recently, BARHD built the first maternity ward in Kyeibanga, a village in southwest Uganda.  They are attempting to build latrines and a “placenta pit” for the maternity ward.  We can all appreciate the importance of having sanitary latrines at a hospital, I’m sure, but you may be wondering like I did what a placenta pit is.  In Uganda (and in many places in the world), blood-born diseases exist at staggering, sometimes pandemic, rates.  The pit is quite literally what it sounds like—a pit for the disposal of placentas where the placentas can sanitarily biodegrade.

We can provide this for the women of Uganda for $2,500.

Somebody’s mama will have a bathroom rather than a hole dug in the ground to use after giving birth for $2,500.

I have personally given $250 toward this project, and I urge all of you to think and pray about how you can be involved in the completion of the Placenta Pit Project.

There are 3 ways to give:

  1. Visit www.4-him.net.  Click on “Help Now.”  Click on “Donate Now.”  Choose “New Donor.”  Fill in the appropriate information.  On the drop down menu labeled “For the benefit of,” choose “Somebody’s Mama.”  (Your information is safe, and no one is going to start spamming you!)
  2. Mail a check to:
4 H. I. M.
2410 W. Memorial Drive, Suite C #133
Oklahoma City, OK 73134

3.  Facebook me, and make a coffee/breakfast/lunch/Jamba/dinner/play date with me, and bring the funds with you!  I am always up for some girl chat and fundraising.

PLEASE let me know if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.  This project is new, but the problems aren’t.

Thanks in advance for all that we’re going to do together!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Leia J.

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