Giving Life

Forgoing Fiction Friday for BeadforLife.org

Around the world, over one billion people live in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than one dollar a day. This means people haveing to make choices between food and medicine, or which child gets medical care. All of the memebers of BeadforLife were living in extreme poverty before joining -- now they are eating well, sending their children to school, and starting small businesses.

Exteme poverty can be ended. BFL members are typical of impoverished people around the world -- determined, hardworking, and smart, but lacking opportunities to lift their families from poverty.

Here are ways you can make a difference on extreme poverty worldwide.

~~~~~

My Aunt MaryAnn is a nurse who works in an AIDS clinic in NYC. 2 weeks ago she attended the world AIDS conference in Mexico City. My sister lives in Monterrey so they were able to meet up for a visit[the lucky girl!...er, aunt!]

Nurses all across America are selling these beaded necklaces in order to raise money to help Ugandan women. Have you seen them? The necklaces are made out of rolled dyed paper and then coated. They are very, very cool. and what a great cause! 93 cents of every dollar make is invested in community development work fighting extreme poverty, including projects in health care, vocational training for out-of-school youth, affordable housing, and entrepeneurial skills development. BeadforLife is a 501(c)(3) non-porfit organization (tax ID: 20-1683139) so donations are deductible to teh extent of the law.

My sister at Melanie Reyes Photography is having a contest in support of this organization. She wants YOU to post a link on your webpage-blog-facebook-myspace-wherever to http://www.beadforlife.org/ and help spread the word. Leave a link in the comments on her blog, http://www.melaniereyesphotography.wordpress.com/, and she will enter you to win a pack of 5 of her Bubblicious Notecards.