AllNationsInternational Blog

Stages of Making a Difference

Volunteer Service in the DR

Today we hear much about “making a difference.” It drives many people, especiially college youth, to come to the Dominican Republic and volunteer for a week or so. Tourists often write to me and ask how they can help.

After nearly 20 years of working among the poor, the traumatized, the neglected, and homeless I have come to see four stages in this process of “making a difference.”

First there is the Santa Claus stage. People come with books, toys, bats and balls and dump them on the poor. I do not doubt the good intentions of the people giving but they do more harm than good. It creates a sense of materialistic envy in the receiver of the gift. It harms the giver into thinking that they are making a difference when in fact they make create an even worse situation. Churches, schools, clinics stand empty in this country because people came to do good and left people with burdens they can not take care of. Clinics have not funds to operate, schools have no chairs and desks, and churches have no way to pay the electric bill. I cannot tell you how many places I have been to that have unused books stacked to the ceiling, computers that sit idle, and wells that do not operate. Why? Because there are no teachers trained to effective use the books, computers have no one to maintain them or pay for monthly service, and water wells are contaminated by the virtue of being dug in the wrong locations. Victims of human trafficking are released but often return to conditions worse than what they left behind. Good intentions, bad results!

The second stage is what I call the helper stage. After a few trips to poor regions of the world, these volunteers realize that comprehensive and broad strategies are needed. When a school is built it must also have teachers who have access to training, nutrition for children who come to school hungry, and funding to maintain and operate the school. The whole person must be addressed by wholistic programs that think of the the body, soul, and spirit all at once and in an integrated fashion that respects the person rather than treating them as objects of charity. Sex workers who are enslaved by pimps and bar owners often despise the “Good Samaritans” who would “rescue” them because they recognize the arrogance and judgement in the helper. The helper stage perceives a wall between the giver and the receiver. It is a state of being that is arrogant and demeans people because they do not see each other as equal in worth. It is a one-sided and one way relationship.

The third stage is the servant stage. This stage seeks to provide service to one in need but often there are strings attacked or conditions imposed. It is a reciprocal relationship where the receiver is allowed input into the process and contributes to the overall plan and process. The servant sees the problem and attempts to address the sources of poverty, exploitation, and neglect. This is a compassionate but conditional stage. Victims of human trafficking often run away from good care and safety often because they still sense this subtle control over their lives. The servant is still the one in charge and the ultimate judge of the situation. He has the power of veto.

The fourth stage is the friendship stage. This is the stage closest to love. I did not really understand this stage fully until I saw the movie The Soloist with Robert Downey Jr. based on a book by LA Times journalist Steve Lopez. Lopez befriended a homeless man who had once been a student at Juliard School of Music. Mental illness took its toll on the man and yet there was genius and art peering through the dirt and filth of his street existence. Steve Lopez saw this talent and tried to help this man. First he gave him a gift of a cello (Santa Claus stage). Then he got him music lessons and an apartment (helping stage). Then he arranged a recital for this man in the hopes that it would repair his illness with self confidence and dignity (servant stage). It only drove his friend deeper into his illness. Finally he just became his friend with no expectation of “fixing him” or “helping” him as if he, the reporter, was somehow better or less sick. He finally resigned himself to simply “being there” for his friend without expectations or demands or conditions.

All of us should arrive at this last stage but not all of us do. There is still a voice within us that wants to fix things, change things, or worst of all “make a difference.” We can only make a difference when we stop trying to make a difference, when we stop trying to be a hero and we learn to love by practicing the power of witness. The power of witness is true wisdom when we learn to simply be there. When that happens sometimes change for the better occurs. Sometimes not!.A domestic child slave needs a friend sometimes more than a backpack and school supplies. We are not responsible for the outcomes of service and work in the noble calling of walking among the poor, the downtrodden, the victimized, and the lonely. We are only responsible for being there.

Father Dale

A capacity for cruelty is never justified

Over the last couple days, I have been in Haiti, spending my time walking around with an adorable young gal named Deena. She is 15 years-old, and was born and raised in Haiti.

Within minutes of meeting her, there were things that were impossible not to notice. Her clothes were ragged and clearly too small for her. She hardly ever smiled, and if she did – it was fleeting and purse-lipped. She didn’t look me in the eyes, and in fact spent most of the time staring at the ground.

Her voice was weak, and, her body was frail. When I touched her back, I could feel a hollow space. As part of her introduction, I was told Deena was a Restavek, which in Creole means to “stay with.” Our guide Jean Robert Cadet was more blunt. “Make no mistake,” he said. “She is a child slave.”

Strong words, I thought. I wanted to see for myself and that is why I found myself in a shanty town outside Port au Prince, Haiti at 5 a.m. this past Sunday. It was already well over 90 degrees and there was no breeze whatsoever. We were soaking in our shirts just standing there, which makes what I began to see that much harder to imagine.

Hundreds of kids, ranging in age from 4 to teenagers, were making their way down the surrounding hills that were covered in small huts. They all carried a bucket, most of which were five gallons in size. Fill a bucket with five gallons of water, and it is around 40 pounds in weight. A lot to lift, let alone carry — for about a half a mile up stairs and ill defined rocky paths.

While the water hole was at sea level, most of these Restaveks carried the water up small mountains, more than a 1000 feet in the sky. And, Deena was right there with them, and would do this not once, not twice, but seven times a day. And that is just for starters.

She would also clean the hut, empty the chamber pots (there is no plumbing, obviously), wash all the dishes and get on her hands and knees to mop the floors. She does all this while the inhabitants of the home, who told us they are her relatives, sit back and watched.

Deena performed all of this work before 10 a.m., and then it was time to go and work at her owner’s home. We learned that she was being “lent out’ this particular morning. Mind you, Deena is not paid, and she is hardly fed – just scraps at the end of the day.

All of this comes with the constant threat of physical abuse, which she — at one point — received almost daily. She has been thrown into walls and whipped mercilessly, while being made to kneel on a cheese grater. As it turns out, whips are sold openly in the market, with the express purpose of child whipping. Half of the girls have been sexually abused and Deena told me no one has ever shown her one sign of true affection. It wasn’t until the age of 14 that someone gave her a hug.

That someone was Jean Robert Cadet, who himself was a Restavek 40 years ago. He cries when he tells me how little has changed since he finally escaped his awful life. He has now dedicated his life to trying to solve the condition of other Restaveks through his foundation called the Restavek Foundation.

He is slowly making progress. He focuses on trying to get kids into schools, as it seems to be their one chance. He has reunited Restavek children with their biological parents and is working on establishing funding for transitional housing for these children, with the hopes of adoption. Deena is on his list, and in the days and weeks to come may finally be freed from her owner.

As you read this, you may take issue with the term slave. Fair enough. According to Anti Slavery International, a slave is 1) forced to work, through mental or physical threat 2) owned or controlled through mental or physical abuse 3) dehumanized, treated as a commodity.

As I read this and looked at Deena, I could not see how she could be defined as anything but a slave. I finally did get a chance to confront Deena’s owner, and you can see that as well as our full report this week on AC360°.

I caught up with Jean Robert the next day and ask him – “in the end, does this all happen because of poverty?” He is adamant. “No, no, no. Poverty doesn’t explain how one human being can treat another this way,” he exclaims.

I realize he is right. While there is a capacity for cruelty that have formed some of the most abominable chapters in our human history, there is never a justification. Jean Robert calms down, wipes his eyes and says “I don’t understand how anyone could treat a child this way. I look into the eyes of children, and I see angels.”

Dr. Sanjay Gupta
AC360° Contributor
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent

Outreach Trip 2009

Without a doubt, we are getting ready for one of the biggest challenges of our organization. From August 13th – 17th 2009 All Nations International volunteers will be leaving the comfort of their homes to serve the poor and needy communities in Puerto Plata Dominican Republic. Thanks to the help from Dove Missions we have connected to make a difference in the lives of people in dire situations.

All Nations International is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to bring hope to the world’s poor, abused, and underprivileged. We promote, sponsor, and assist local organizations in developing and expanding programs that provide opportunities to enhance overall wellness, stability, and quality of life. We work in conjunction with programs and organizations in Costa Rica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Africa and the United States.

More importantly even than the physical commitment to the program is our commitment to raise the necessary funding for the work projects in our effort to battle poverty in a forgotten area of our world. Located on the northern coast of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the province of Puerto Plata was described as “the fairest land under heaven” by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Over 500 years later, the province of Puerto Plata has continued to captivate visitors from around the world with an intoxicating potion of Latin American culture, incredible natural beauty, and the extraordinary kindness of its people. There is also a side of the country tourist rarely have an opportunity to see, the extreme poverty.

One of the greatest contributions you can make is the gift of commitment to this project. 100% of all donations will go directly to the projects to help rebuild lives. While we work hard there is much reward. Your donation no matter how large or small will help us continue this great work. You will be with us in prayer and in spirit, as your sponsorship will inspire us to work harder, stronger and with greater confidence knowing that individuals and corporations are committed to making the world a better place to live.

Project Breakdown
Provide medical care for a day to a disadvantaged community – $3,000
Provide school uniforms for 150 kids – $6,000

Partnering with the All Nations International is an effective way to create a lasting change in communities all over the world. It is our goal to be an active, vibrant, welcoming, and responsible member in these communities, and to extend these communities with others by sharing the tremendous beauty, history, and culture the host country provides. We take our role in the local and international communities very serious and we strive to be a model for other non-profits.

One of the goals for All Nations International is to connect volunteers, donors, and sponsors to the communities we serve. We invite you to join us on our outreach trip to see the difference you can make in the lives of many. This will be a memorable experience you can return and share with your friends and family. The sponsorship levels include hotel, airline ticket, and 1 meal. Each level price range will vary depending on your accommodations and flight availability. All sponsorship levels are tax deductible. Proceeds from the sponsorship levels will help fund the projects for the outreach weekend.

Sponsorship Levels
Gold – $2,601 – $3,300
Silver – $1,901 – $2,600
Bronze – $1,200 – $1,900

An average project cost is $3,000 to $6,000, but whatever you can do to contribute matters…it all adds up! You truly can make a difference. All donations are tax deductible. If possible, please send your donation with the enclosed donation form on or before July 24th so we can monitor our fundraising efforts and plan accordingly. However, I will continue to accept donations until the day we leave. You can also donate on our website, www.allnationsintl.org. If you would like additional information about our organization, projects, or you would like to join us on our outreach trip, please contact us.

Thank you so much for your support and generosity!

Sincerely,
Ronald Rogers
Treasurer, All Nations International
rrogers@allnationsintl.org
770.657.8316

Restavek Children

Volunteer Service in the DR

Rescued Restavek Children

Restavek is a Creole term which literally means “stay with.” An accurate term in that these children do stay with their hosts, working as domestic servants in exchange for a roof over their head, some leftover food and, supposedly, the ability to go to school. In practice, though, the restaveks are easy prey for exploitation. Many are beaten, sexually abused and frequently denied access to education, since many host families believe that schooling will only make them less obedient.

Recently I have interviewed restavek children in San Marcos. According to a recent UN report 30,000 restavek children are sent to the Dominican Republic every year. It is hard to believe that such a condition can exist. It is not until you talk to these children that you begin to see the depth and seriousness of the problem.

CNN is reporting from Haiti today to bring awareness to this problem. Dr. Sanjay Goupta is lifting up this issue. He should also travel to the other side of the island. In some ways it is worse for these children because here they have no rights at all.

Father Dale

Bill Clinton tours empoverished Haiti areas

Port-au-Prince.– Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said this week a lack of cooperation between Haitian politicians, aid groups and business leaders was hurting efforts to help the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Clinton, on his first visit since being named U.N. special envoy to Haiti, said he was optimistic about its future but surprised by the continuing divide between the private and public sectors and the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Haiti.

“The most surprising thing to me … is how little the investor community, all the elements of the government, including the legislative branch and the NGO community seem to have taught and absorbed each others’ lessons,” Clinton told reporters at the end of a two-day fact-finding mission.

The poorest country in the Americas, Haiti has struggled to establish democratic institutions and a stable investment climate following decades of dictatorship and military rule. Most of its 9 million people live on less than $2 a day.

Tips for raising generous children

If parents want to raise generous children, what works? Years of looking into which youth experiences best predict giving by adults offer some clues.

* Seeing an admired person who isn’t a family member help others.

* Seeing a family member help others.

* Doing volunteer work.

* Raising money door to door.

* Being active in student government.

* Belonging to a youth group, such as the Boy Scouts.

* Being active in a religious organization.

* Being helped by others.

The biggest deterrent to generosity: not seeing a family member help others.

Why Wait For A Crisis To Give?

There is so much trouble in the world… What difference can one person make?

It may seem easier to just bury our heads in the ground and not engage, not get involved, not care.

Sometimes, we are dealing with our own troubles, and feel that we don’t have the resources to help one another. Or simply, we just don’t know what to do.

Well, our rent is long overdue.

The time is now for us to do something, anything in service of another, because we all have a part to play in the prosperity of our country, we all have something to give of ourselves, and we all have something to gain. It feels good to know you contributed positively to another’s life, to their happiness, to their survival. It gives us a sense of purpose. We have been blessed with and have fought hard for so many of our rights and privileges, that we need to remember that we also have responsibilities, some of which are to each other.

I think back to Hurricane Katrina and how the country was shocked into action. “How can this happen in our own country, in our own backyard,” we asked. “How can we treat our own citizens this way?” This was an example of how a government is only as good as its people and how sometimes the public needs to set the example.

Some sent money; others sent goods; some opened their homes; everyone opened their hearts. People came together for those who lost everything and needed an embrace, a helping hand and a warm heart.

We came together in a time of crisis, but why must we wait for a disaster to hit before we help one another? People need help now. For many, their lives are in crisis. You don’t have to be a gazillionaire to make a difference. The gift of your time is just as valuable as any check. There are many worthy causes locally and nationally to be a part of that would really appreciate your sweat equity. But there’s other ways to be of service. Maybe you have skills or talents that you can use in a unique way to help others.

Whatever it is, we must all do our part, because if we each move individually towards the collective good, a difference we will make indeed.

Joy Bryant

Mohammed Ali

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
–Mohammed Ali

Bogota Colombia May 2009

Mothers Who Make A Difference

Martha Hoffman is a mother of three and lives in a Northeastern shoreline suburb. Martha was a happy stay-at-home mom, and had no idea her call to mothering would go beyond her natural offspring and take her across the world.

“It all literally started with a dream one night,” Martha began.

She had a dream about a woman who was far, far away caring for children who were very much in need. Eventually, she realized the woman in the dream was herself, but she couldn’t figure out where the dream was. Over the course of seven years, the dreams came and went.

Gradually, the dreams became more frequent, until they were coming almost every night, and Martha could not figure out where the dream was. She decided to pray to help her understand what the dream meant. Finally, the dream came again, but this time at the end of it, her grandmother appeared in the dream and handed her a small bark cloth purse she had given Martha as a child. The purse was bought by a friend of her grandmother’s who was a missionary in Uganda, Africa.

Martha woke up, and knew in every fiber of her being, the place was Uganda, and she had to go there and help the children. She had a mission, yet was so scared. She had no interest in Africa, and didn’t even like to camp! Suddenly, images and stories of Uganda seemed to creep into her life almost constantly, until she gave in. Within four months, she was on a plane. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, but a sense when she got there, she would know.

“I saw poverty more intense than I could wrap my mind around sometimes,” she said. “Everywhere I went, the stories and the people were so inspiring to me. There was tremendous beauty and happiness, in spite of such tragedy.”

Most of the villages did not have access to fresh water, no toilet facilities and had malaria as common as an everyday cold. Only 50 feet below the ground had fresh water, but the villages had no money to dig a well.

Martha knew what to do.

She came home and began to raise money for a variety of projects including funding livestock, supporting orphans to go to school, and the largest project of all – raising funds to dig a well in a village that supported nearly 1,000 people.

Martha raised that $7900, and went back to help see the well put in. The villagers named the well “Martha,” and they call her “Toto,” which means Mother. In the past two years, Martha has started a non-profit called, “Call to Care Uganda”, has managed to help plant 150 orange trees, deliver hundreds of pairs of Crocs and harmonicas to orphans, and dug four more wells to serve thousands.

Martha is living a dream; a destiny she never knew was planted in her the day her grandmother gave her a tiny purse from Africa, and again when she received it in her sleep.

By the way, guess what Martha’s middle name is?
Martha Wells Hoffman.

Mothers, Mosquitoes, and Millennium Development Goals

Some of us in the United States might be preparing to celebrate Mother’s Day with a backyard party and are worried about pesky mosquitoes after rains across the country. We should consider ourselves lucky to view mosquitoes as pests: in much of the world, mosquitoes cause malaria and malaria causes around 500 million illnesses and more than 1 million deaths each year.

Malaria is particularly devastating in Africa, where it kills a child every 30 seconds — several by the time you finish reading this posting. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable because pregnancy reduces a woman’s immunity to malaria, making her more susceptible to infection and increasing the risk of illness, severe anemia and death. For the child, maternal malaria increases the risk of stillbirth, premature delivery and low birth weight. And 80 percent of malaria deaths are among children under 5. Malaria is a major cause of maternal and child death.

Malaria is preventable and treatable through simple interventions, such as sleeping under insecticide treated nets, identification of the infection and provision of effective combination medication and other measures that can be promoted during women’s antenatal care visits. Reducing the spread of malaria will help us save the lives of mothers and their newborns — and help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The United States, and over 190 countries around the world, committed to the MDGs. These bold goals — to eradicate extreme poverty, increase women’s equality, reduce child mortality, increase primary education, and combat HIV/AIDS and malaria — are being championed worldwide by political and civil society leaders. However, Millennium Development Goal 5 — to reduce maternal mortality by 75% — remains startlingly off track.

The failure to make progress on maternal health is particularly disturbing because we know that healthy mothers are the key to achieving the other MDGs.

As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s day, we are reminded of what we all instinctively know to be true — mothers are the heart of the family, the community and, therefore, of nations. There are data that confirm what we know to be true. Perhaps the most striking reality is that when a mother dies, newborns are up to 10 times more likely to die within two years than those whose mothers stay alive.

Healthy mothers contribute to reducing poverty and growing economies. A women’s unpaid household, care giving and farm work worldwide equals about a third of the world’s Gross National Product. A mother’s death lowers family income and productivity, reducing the chances that a family can be lifted out of poverty and affecting the entire community. And women’s income is more likely than men’s to go for food, education, medicine and other family needs.

When mothers die, children are less likely to go to school and it is doubtful that girls have hope to improve their lives because they will be pulled away to fill their mothers’ roles. If children are not educated, economic growth is further imperilled.

Providing strong maternal health services promotes the overall health of mothers and their families, not only because they are more likely to spend money on health care for the family, but because women who use maternal health services are more likely to use other health services, such as HIV/AIDS testing and treatment. Women who use maternal health care services are also more likely to obtain vaccinations for themselves and their children, and to get information about malaria prevention.

So back to those mosquitoes. . . something as simple as a $10 bed net can save the lives of mothers and children and be part of giving life, hope and opportunity to many of our global brothers and sisters. So think about what you can do to play your part.

As we celebrate one thing everyone in the world has in common – we all had a mother – and we remember and celebrate our own mothers and their invaluable contributions to our lives, let’s also reflect on the evidence: healthy mothers give birth to healthier children, families, communities, and nations. Join us in making Mothers Day Every Day.

Mark Dybul

Happy Earth Day

Dominican Republic Outreach Trip, July 30th – Aug. 3rd, 2009

Our mission is to provide a unique and memorable experience in every aspect of our outreach trip. The participants will have the opportunity to take in the culture and beauty of the Dominican Republic. Participants will also have the opportunity make a difference in the lives of many. Everyone will have the chance to visit and work in communities where they can help make a change. Please contact Ronald Rogers at rrogers@allnationsintl.com for pricing and additional information.

Dominican Republic, April 2009

Kerry Norton – April Trip to the Dominican Republic

Upon arriving in the Dominican Republic I was met by Ronald Rogers of All Nations International and we began our scenic drive through Cordillera Central, the central mountains stretching from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata. I had met 2 of the 4 co-founders of All Nations International, Ronald Rogers and Abdul Khalid, a few months ago to talk about assisting with future project work in the DR, but hadn’t grasped the actual urgency of need in the vulnerable areas surrounding Puerto Plata until I made it down to this spectacular part of the island for a first hand look. Before arriving for this fact finding mission, I expected to meet missionaries, local community leaders, and mingle with the locals, but I never expected that I would meet some of the most sincere and impassioned people doing such meaningful and productive work for the impoverished.

As Vice Consul at the British Consulate General in Atlanta, my role covers a wide range of project work varying from planning and organizing ministerial visits, scientific workshops that highlight the advancements in the latest technologies and therapies, to working with climate change experts and local government officials in ongoing efforts to enact much needed legislature on big issues like air pollution and energy efficiency. Even with all the experience I have with trying to tackle these global issues, I certainly wasn’t prepared for the reality of what I would be faced with on this most enlightening journey into one of the Dominican Republic’s poorest areas, Aguas Negras.

Winding through the mountains, Ronald and I traveled across town to meet local transplanted Minnesotan, Liz McKie of Dove Missions, at her house. We then ventured through the city of Puerto Plata to our destination, Aguas Negras. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, we quickly got to know each other. Liz McKie, a resident missionary in the area, literally does the work of about 5 people at shocking speed. Within the span of a few years, Liz has worked with community leaders and other ministries/foundations to establish valuable programs for families to better themselves; an undeniably valiant effort, not only benefiting the present day needs of the community, but inevitably setting up the future generations for success. Sponsoring families in the community involves the parent/s and kids working together, and the wider community working as a team. Setting a positive example in one family quickly spreads awareness, and plants the seeds for success within the community. Liz hopes this effort leads to a domino effect within the community, but has had to start small with the limited funding that is available.

At first glance, the community of Aquas Negras appears trash infested and dirty. The need for a beach/river bank clean up is most urgent, not mentioning the toxic waste that lurks just underneath the mounds of garbage. The kids were actually spreading this toxic waste over themselves, not realizing the potential for danger. Kids will be kids, but trying to convince them that the mud they are wiping on their little bodies could harm them is fruitless. With great spirit, each little one was vying for our attention, especially targeting their water-aerobics towards Liz, the reliable ambassador for their community. While we were checking up on the local sponsored families it was apparent that Liz, an ever-present fixture within the community, had touched the lives of so many kids, and they certainly relished her attention. We had been quickly surrounded by a mass of smiling faces.

As Liz, Ronald and I walked through the community, we made our way through to the vocational school where Dove Missions has been sponsoring the local kids. The boys club members had at this point been following us around for the better part of the day as Liz showed us the latest progress of her tremendous efforts in the community. So much work had been done, single handedly and with little funding, but there is a lot more that could potentially be supported. Expanding the boys club and girls sewing club could potentially enable support for more students, thereby getting more kids out of elicit behaviors, which I learned usually involved illegal prostitution/pedophilia rings and elicit drug use, including huffing, some suffering permanent vocal cord damage.

It became clear to me after our 3 day journey with Liz that All Nations International and Dove Missions can work together to tackle some of these bigger issues and somehow continue to touch these people’s lives in positive ways. The vocational school for at risk youth, the boys club and the family sponsorships are three main ways we aim to create a positive influence within the community, and build upon the previous successes of Liz’s work.

Kerry Norton
Vice Consul
Science and Innovation
British Consulate-General
Atlanta, GA

How To Give To Charity When You Don’t Have Money To Spare

Given the current economic climate, it goes without saying that many people are having to make very difficult decisions, cutting back on spending and going without anything not strictly essential. For some, that means some hard choices about charitable donations: if you’re a regular or occasional contributor to good causes, you might be seriously curtailing your gifts.

This can have a negative effect on you. However, if you value being able to help others and contribute, you may feel upset or even guilty that you’re no longer in a position to do so. Or perhaps you’ve rarely or never given to charity in the past, but you’ve been moved by the suffering caused by the financial crisis – yet you yourself have little money to give.

The good news is that there are a number of ways you can make a real difference, without much money. Here are three ways that you could put into practice today, whatever your financial circumstances. Why not give one a try?

Even $1 Is Worth Giving
You might not be able to contribute $20/month to a good cause, but how about $5 or $2? Foregoing a Starbucks latte once a month could give you enough for this. Remember that next time you think that your $1 or $2 bill won’t make any difference. It’s like voting; each individual’s act may be as insignificant as a single drop of water, but add those drops together and you have a river strong and powerful enough to sweep change across the world.

Save Your Spare Change
Do your pockets end up full of small change? Many of us have a jar of coins gathering dust at home. How about saving up all your nickles and dimes for a month, and donating them to charity (dropping them into a donations jar is an easy way to do this). You’re very unlikely to miss them!

You could take this idea further by asking friends or colleagues to join in. How about putting a big jar in the kitchen (or some other communal location) at work, and asking people to drop in any change that they have? One of the reasons why many of us contribute little or nothing to charity is because we just don’t get around to it – you’ll be giving your colleagues an easy and quick way to change the world!

Get Sponsored to Do Something
If you don’t have any money of your own to give to charitable causes, how about giving someone else’s? No, I’m not suggesting a Robin Hood plan of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor … instead, you ask people to sponsor you to do something. (If possible, get your whole family, or some work colleagues, on board.)

Your options here are really only limited by your imagination. And don’t think that you’re too old, or that your kids are too young; tiny children can participate in simple events like sponsored walks, and one septuagenarian I know has just abseiled from the roof of a hospital building to raise money for their geriatric ward.

Doing a sponsored event is also a great way to break out of your comfort zone, or to do something you’ve always wanted to try but never plucked up the courage to attempt!

Here are just a few of the many sponsored events you might consider:

* Ask people to sponsor you to lose weight (get healthy AND raise money for a good cause)

* A sponsored walk (anything from your local park with the kids, to walking the Great Wall of China)

* Running a marathon or taking part in an organized cycle event

* Abseiling, bungee-jumping, hang-gliding…

* Using one of your skills: eg. if you’re a writer, how about organising a “sponsored write”?

Ali Hale

University Students and Spider Scientist Teach in the Barrio

Professor Greta Binford from Lewis and Clark University in Portland Oregon has brought a couple of students and a husband and wife teach who have worked for National Geographic to document the collection of spiders in the Dominican Republic. Professor Binford taught the children about the importance of spiders and science. She inspired the children to think about science as a future for themselves.

Professor Binfords has been featured on National Public Radio and prestigious scholarly journals. The media has sometimes referred to her as the real spiderwoman. In her lab in Portland Oregan she has collected thousands of spiders from around the world. Her staff sequences the DNA of the toxins in the hope that such information may hold cures and medicines for the future. It is such an honor to have a noted scholar and genuinely compassionate person.

Father Dale

Dominican writer complains of being harassed

Santo Domingo.– Writer Carlos Agramonte, author of a novel denouncing the existence of slavery on Dominican sugar plantations, said he will leave the country due to constant harassment since the work was published.

Agramonte, a professor of engineering at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, told the press he will leave the country next week. He announced the decision after complaining that “El sacerdote ingles” (The English Priest) had been removed from bookstores and unknown individuals were seeking to intimidate him.

In a letter sent to Dominican Attorney General Radhames Jimenez, Agramonte said that while heading home at night on March 3 he was pursued by unknown assailants trying to kill him. That incident, according to the writer, was one of several threats he has received.

He highlighted that a friend who is a high-ranking military officer advised him to leave the country for a while, saying his life is in danger. Published in January, “El sacerdote ingles” intertwines the fictional tale of doomed love between a Haitian female doctor and the scion of a Dominican sugar dynasty with the real-life story of Anglo-Spanish missionary priest Christopher Hartley and his defense of impoverished sugar-cane cutters.

Photos from the Dominican Republic

AIDS/HIV awareness

Dr. Luis Ernesto Feliz Baez, director of the National Department for the Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (DIGECITTS), is concerned that young Dominicans are not knowledgeable about AIDS/HIV. He quotes a Program for the Education of Sexual Effects (PEAS) survey that reveals that 42% believe that HIV is transmitted through mosquito bites, 20% believe it could be transmitted by using public bathrooms and 22% didn’t know the answer. The survey found that 28% of 7th and 8th graders have been solicited for sex while 23% of these reported that an adult had asked them for sex. The study included 40 schools and 1,800 students in 9 regions.

Playa Oeste, Jose Manuel’s house

Playa Oeste, the beautiful west beach

What is it like living here? (Dominican Republic)

There are many moments I think Oh my gosh, what have I done? Then, I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I finally feel like I am becoming the person God has called me to be. I am not saying it has been easy-far from it. But there are so many moments when I hug an old person who is 100 years old and they don’t want to let me go, or hang out with some of the street boys and share a coke and lot’s of smiles. Just little things, like every morning around 9am this herd of cows passes by my front gate on my little dirt road. Fr. Becker could not believe it the first time he saw it. He ran out and took pictures. Then around 9:30 there are two little boys who ride down the hill (we live on the corner) bareback on this cool looking horse and I wonder where the heck are they going? And of course, there is all of these beautiful flowers everywhere. We live half way up a mountain and it is beautiful. By 10 we are either at a meeting or in a barrio talking to families of the street boys. By noon we are usually feeding someone, having wonderful fellowship and some laughs.

Then the afternoon hits and I am spent. Oh,the HEAT, it can really take a toll on you. So then, you are totally wiped out and have to lay down for about two hours. You can’t sleep, you just lay there and sweat. Then you get up and do chores. Man, for having very little in this house, every chore takes up so much of your day. The floors have to be mopped about three to four times a day because the wind blows dirt from the field next to us in the windows and Bella goes in and out and our lawn is covered in black dirt that the landlord just dumped on the grass one day when we were not home. Unbelievable, the way Dominicans think. The black dirt goes down before the sod!? Any way, Bella has to be hosed down about 5 times a day and you have to hose down the front of the house because she tracks dirt everywhere. It’s a new fun game for her. Now, I just finished about the floors. Would you like to hear how we have to do laundry here? You wouldn’t believe it so we will save it for another time. I am being overly dramatic of course.

Every day is a bit different and another opportunity to help atleast one person. Mother Theresa said “you can’t feed the whole world so just start by feeding one” or something like that. I try to keep that in mind while I am here.

I would like to invite you to come here and walk with us in this ministry! There are so many opportunities here for you to let the poor know you care. Being here is much more important than sending things. Human touch and connecting face to face are the most powerful things you can give.

Liz McKie

V-Day A Trip To Haiti

I write to you as I am leaving Port Au Prince, Haiti. I am moved, inspired, in deep sorrow, in outrage. I am filled with a vastness of contradictions that explode the heart and bend the mind. Beauty in the mountains, the sky, the earth, the stars, the air, the jasmine, the moon. Rhythms and music – Boukman Eksperyans, you can feel the entire world pulse through your body. Extreme poverty so devastating it is a serious form of violence. People living on as little as a dollar a day, living in squalor, in terror, in insane deprivation. Poverty and humiliation and rage creating gangs and shootings and kidnappings and of course women’s bodies are the battleground on which this war is fought.

One woman told a story of how one of her daughters was shot in the leg and died. (There is little to no medical support for the poor) then her husband was murdered. Then they came and gang raped her 14-year-old daughter and she tried to run away to a Protestant church for help, but they wouldn’t let her stay cause she was Catholic. She couldn’t go home, but had to get a job to feed her kids. She had no one to help her. She needed to wash and clean houses, but there was no one to take care of her kids. Her raped daughter had almost lost her mind and needed her attention. Her daughter couldn’t tell her who raped her cause she was too terrified they would come back and kill her.

This is a terrible story, but all too common in the slums. Seven-year-olds are raped by three men, people’s houses are set on fire in the middle of the night, children kidnapped and sold. Myriam Merlet, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry for Women said, “That since the 1991 coup d’etat, war taught a country to rape. Before there was rape of course, but it was not a common practice. Now when a man wants to rape, he rapes. It was used as weapon of war – the military institutionalized it and now when a robber gets into your house, he rapes you.” She said, “What is different about Haiti than other countries is that fifty percent of the women who are raped in the country are not raped in their house but they are raped by a stranger.”

The situation is grim in Haiti. But then there are the women working with their lives for change. These women are fierce and beautiful and devoted and passionate. They inspired me to be bigger, bolder, more devoted, to believe deeper, to keep going.

We were hosted and treated with care and kindness by the Minister of Women’s Affairs and Rights, Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue, and her extraordinary team, Myriam Merlet and Ann Valerie Timothee Milfort. It is a wonder to see Feminist activist women in power. There were press conferences, interviews, dancing under the moon, fruit punch, a siren armed motorcade that took us everywhere, a women’s march in the hot Haitian sun through the streets of Cap Haitian, chanting, dancing, wild passion, young and old, and there was Elvire Eugène, one of the great women activists of the world and her group, AFASDA, a Cap Haitian based, solely volunteer organization that networks and raises awareness about violence facing women.

We visitied a hospital where we discovered there is not even a camera to take pictures of corpses for autopsies. There are no procedures to seek or secure evidence for women who are raped. There is no ambulance or car or doctor to receive the dead. The woman who runs this unit, the director of the Forensic Institute, Marie Claude Jasmin said that coming to work is” like dancing folklore.”

There was no support, no resources. Everywhere we went in Haiti women were inventing something out of nothing. A common theme was women saying they couldn’t afford to think about what’s going on, they couldn’t let themselves get depressed. They simply had to keep going. There were three sold out V-Day performances of The Vagina Monologues in Port Au Prince in French and Creole. One performance in Cap Haitian was in a Catholic girls school where 500 people showed up on a hot steamy night. Many men stood at the end promising to stop the violence. There were meetings with local women’s groups and testimonies from women from Grand Ravine and Cité Soleil who gathered in Port Au Prince on April 3, National Haitian Women’s Movement Day.

One of the main problems in Haiti is the lack of justice, the failure of law, the lack of accountability. We visited the women’s prison – the only one in Haiti, built for 78 women, it now holds nearly 400. Women are crammed into small cells, sometimes holding up to 22 women in a single cell. Many of the women I spoke to have been there 1- 3 years and have never been charged. They get infections in their vaginas from the dirty water. They rarely have a visitor. Only a few had lawyers. Most have no idea when their case will be processed. There was a gas leak in one of the cells and the women there were feeling very ill. Many of the women were young – lots of teenagers. I interviewed one woman, Erina Dorjilus who was there because she had stabbed her husband. He had been violently beating her, kicking her, tying her up with steel strips. She showed us scars all over her body. The last time he almost murdered her and she grabbed a knife and stabbed him. She brought herself to the police. She had been in the prison for nine months and did not know if her husband was alive or dead. She had never been charged and she had not seen her children as they had no idea where she was. It was Kafkaesque. The disappearance of people – kidnappings, arrests, murders, is a theme. The people of Haiti have been forgotten and made invisible by the world.

We made this trip to see how V-Day could join forces with the women of Haiti. When we asked what they most needed, they were totally clear. They wanted a Safe House in Port Au Prince. One out of every three woman is raped or beaten in Haiti. There is nowhere for women to escape. THE GOOD NEWS, THE MIRACULOUS NEWS IS THAT WE ARE NOW IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND HAVE AGREED TO HELP THEM OPEN THE FIRST V-DAY SAFE HOUSE FOR WOMEN IN HAITI. Our new safe house will be a place of refuge and more importantly will be a place where women who have been abused get treated for trauma and trained for jobs. Marie-Laurence had already scouted ten houses before we left. The excitement level was that high.

We hope the house will open very soon and we would so love any support that you can give us. We have committed to supporting the house for three years with the hope that at the end of this time the Haitian government will take on the house as its own. There are already plans for a huge V-Day next year in Port Au Prince.

The trip simply ripped my heart open. We are all responsible for what happens to the people of Haiti. If I have learned anything in these years, it is that we are intrinsically connected. I urge each of you, to read about Haiti, to think about Haiti, to get active in groups that are working to change the situation there, to give generously to our new Safe House. V-Day stands with the women of Haiti today and will remain with the women of Haiti until this terrible violence ends and each Haitian woman is free and safe.

Eve Ensler

Elle Richfield Doing Census work

Volunteer Service in the DR

Census and Feeding of 140 children in barrio San Pilipe

Volunteer Service in the DR

Child Protection Volunteer Arrives

Volunteer Service in the DR

Elle Richfield is from London, England, and volunteering for a month in the Dominican Republic. Her focus is on early childhood education. Soon to start her Master Degree she thought she would test her life vision in a country with educational challenges. She comes from a fine family. Her mother works as a physician with an interest in genetics. Her father own a company that manufactures children’s clothes. When we were visiting the hospital the other day she exclaimed while looking at some babies “They are wearing my father’s clothes.” She recognized the print and apparently these clothes were donated by her father’s company and found their way to the Dominican Republic.

Elle is highly intelligent and passionate about children’s rights. She would like to work for the United Nations serving children and developing programs to protect them from abuse and unfair treatment. She has a special eye for these issues on her heart. She noticed the other day a child working in a sweatshop we passed who was clearly underage to be participating in commericial labor.

Elle will be working in serveral schools this month to get a broad experience of the educational structures of the Dominican Republic.

Father Dale

All Nations International Meeting

We will be having a meeting on 2/7 from 3pm – 6pm.

Location: Central LibraryOne Margaret Mitchell Square
Atlanta, GA 303032nd Floor Meeting Room
404-730-1700

Topics:We will show video footage of the Dominican Republic, discuss future events and projects. Please let me know if can or cannot attend the meeting. You can invite a guest(s).

Thank you,
Ronald Rogers
rrogers@allnationsintl.com
404.944.1065

Service: Another Way To Love One Another

Service is an opportunity that everybody has to contribute to the world. It’s like breathing in and breathing out. Although we need to breathe in, it’s equally important to breathe out. It’s important to receive and it’s important to give, and to give of ourselves in the way that actually serves who or what is being served.

We all have a responsibility to contribute because this is not a world that’s set up to just come in here, take, and leave. Obviously if that’s what was going on, our world would be depleting. Eventually, it would be empty. Our world would become something desolate and lacking in life force.

When there’s not sufficient caring and regard for ourselves and our neighbors, then things do become depleted and lacking in ways. There’s disease, pollution, and corruption. There’s pain and suffering. What we need to do is find ways to give back and overcome the sense that we don’t know what to do. So it’s wise to ask, “What can I do?”

I ask myself if I have the willingness to make myself available to do something that’s not about me — especially when it would be about a situation that could use assistance and I’m there and able to do it. I choose not to look around and say, “Well, couldn’t somebody else help because it’s not convenient with my agenda or what I had planned?” I choose to serve.

I consider myself to be my brother’s keeper. Even if my brother violated me, abused me or was unkind and disrespectful, that’s not a reason to be that way myself. At your brother’s or sister’s time of need, consider if it’s in your place to give to them in some way. It’s a tremendous measurement of someone’s divinity to have the willingness to put aside the injustice or negativity that’s in the world and do something to help and uplift.

Part of the test in being of service is to be open to not knowing what we’re going to do in order to serve. I’m for approaching service where it isn’t necessarily highly organized or detailed. If we get too rigid and regimented about what serving is supposed to be, we don’t leave room for the spontaneity and aliveness that comes with the divine presence.

I encourage service as a way of demonstrating we are loving and caring for one another. There are qualities in service, in caring and giving to others, that contribute to the upliftment of our world. So we can resolve that, regardless of what we choose to do today, we choose to love one another and do some good. Let’s choose to serve in some way.

John Morton

Vocational school

The main school our children go to is called Chocolaterra. It is a huge, empty warehouse that has been semi converted into a school. There are 5 classrooms with around 50 students per room. No running water or bathrooms. They do have desks, but the teachers do not get paid much and supplies are limited. Most of our older boys have a difficult time, as the attention span is short and they do not have much of a base education to follow along. That is why it is so important to get this vocational school up and running for them. The picture is the room above the clinic that we hope to share with the girls program (run by Bianca, my Peace Corp worker) until something more substantial is renovated.

Liz McKie

We always have a chance to make a difference in the world!

This is a start of a new year and new opportunities surround me! I get excited just thinking about it, how as one simple person I can make a difference. Now I am joined with others, we can have a huge impact on entire communities. This year we are off to a fresh start, with a new Executive Director Lisa Mastain, our new Treasure Caroline Santora and our new Secretary Kim Verbrugge. We have networked in Puerto Plata and surrounding communities with other Nonprofits and NGO’s to form an alliance of help for Dominicans and Haitians alike. The beauty of our new programs is that we focus on the family, which is the foundation of this culture. If we can help keep the poorer families in tact with medical assistance, food, education and basic needs they are more likely to keep their children in school and get an education, which is the only real tool out of some abhorrent circumstances. Our pilot program is focusing on vocational training for the older children who perhaps have not done well in regular public school.

Liz McKie

Service was Joy

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
Rabindranath Tagore

You are the blessings

“You can bring the blessings of who you are to any situation simply through your loving and compassion. Smiling at people is a great service. Bring forth that place from within you that smiles upon the world and smiles with compassion upon someone in need.”
John Morton from: You Are the Blessings

Object in life

“Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness”
Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Sunshine

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.”
James M. Barrie