The "plan" was for me to go apartment hunting for the remainder of the day, and work at night. The "plan" was for Chandni to cook dinner for the boys at home and do some volunteering.
Well, then Raksha happened. Sigh, and anytime Raksha happens... we're swept up in this whirlwind of carefree adventure full of laughter!
And we end up changing all our plans to be at SHO!! Yaaaaaay!!
For the first time ever, we didn't make it inside! The church group hosting the night brought an army of volunteers, so there was no need for us to be inside.
We saw a few familiar faces, so we pulled up chairs and sat around talking about everything from The Fabulous Five of Michigan state, cultural differences amongst us, FOOD ( planning a cook out), new volunteer opportunities, music, and so much more!
Although Chandni's generally the one recruiting volunteers for SHO, tonight Raksha brought Jeff. And then she conned, ahem... err... convinced LeBlanc and Vearn from SHO to join our walk for MS on Saturday!
We're slowly nearing day 100! Sunday we hope to have either ice-cream or cake at SHO. We're actually at Cafe Intermezzo right now negotiating terms and prices.
But we will be ringing in Day 100 with drinks and dancing at Sutra (of course).
So join us for the walk on Saturday at Piedmont Park at 9:00am, then brunch someplace close, and drinks later that night!
Thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and kind words of encouragement! You (friends, family, even the random people that share our sentiment and mission...) keep us going!
Happy volunteering!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Day 96
I made it to SafeHouse from Milledgeville just in time to help with putting together this evening's meal. The church that was going to serve was not able to make it. Someone was nice enough to donate burgers, the rolls, chips, and cookies. So some of the folks from outside came in to help put the meal together. We made about 160plates in less than an hour! We had an assembly line type of set up and just kept going till we ran out of food.
I then handed out hygiene kits (bag of soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner) to anyone that wanted one. They went quick!
I saw some familiar faces, so said hello to everyone, but didn't get to have long conversations today. Hopefully do that next time I'm there!
I then handed out hygiene kits (bag of soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner) to anyone that wanted one. They went quick!
I saw some familiar faces, so said hello to everyone, but didn't get to have long conversations today. Hopefully do that next time I'm there!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Day 95
It was a day for freerice and polishing up on my vocabulary. After defining words like ghee, kith, tandoor, geomancy, and osculate I donated 5000grains of rice. While on the freerice website, I learned a little more about where the rice goes to:
The UN World Food Programme works around the globe and Freerice donations are made with no restrictions. This freedom of use allows them to apply the donations to countries that need it most, often those that don't make the headlines in the news, yet where chronic hunger continues unchecked.
Often World Food Programme is able to purchase the rice in the very countries where the beneficiaries are located, cutting down on the transport time to reach the hungry and helping to stimulate local economies at the same time. Here are some examples of where Freerice rice has been distributed:
In an hour I was able to donate 5000grains of rice, how much can you do in an hour??
Often World Food Programme is able to purchase the rice in the very countries where the beneficiaries are located, cutting down on the transport time to reach the hungry and helping to stimulate local economies at the same time. Here are some examples of where Freerice rice has been distributed:
- In Bangladesh, to feed 27,000 refugees from Myanmar for two weeks.
- In Cambodia, to provide take-home rations of four kilograms of rice for two months to 13,500 pregnant and nursing women.
- In Uganda, to feed 66,000 school children for a week.
- In Nepal, to feed over 108,000 Bhutanese refugees for three days.
- In Bhutan, to feed 41,000 children for 8 days.
- In Myanmar, to feed 750,000 cyclone affected people for 3 days.
In an hour I was able to donate 5000grains of rice, how much can you do in an hour??
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 94
I wrote some more emails through Amnesty International this evening using their pre-filled forms and typing my own letters for action. Here are the issues I focused on today:
Avtar Singh, a retired Indian Army major was arrested in California on domestic violence charges. The letter asked that he be extradited to India to face murder charges for his involvement in the murder of human rights lawyer Jalil Andrabi - a Kashmiri lawyer and activist, who exposed a number of human rights violations by India’s security forces in Kashmir in the early 1990s. He was last seen on March 8, 1996 when he was taken away by Srinagar based military personnel who were led at that time by Major Singh. Nineteen days later, his dead body was found in the river Jhelum.
A Libyan woman, Eman al-Obaidi, who was detained after alleging that she was raped by members of Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi’s forces, has been released. However, she is still concerned for her own safety and has been prevented from leaving Tripoli. The letter urged Libyan authorities to ensure Eman el-Obeidi’s right to freedom of movement and that they conduct an immediate, full and thorough independent investigation into her alleged rape and other torture and ill-treatment by members of the Libyan security forces and to bring those responsible to justice.
Two leaders of the social justice movement Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, are being sought by police. They are at risk of arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment. On 12 February, WOZA staged its ninth annual Valentine's Day peaceful protest in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. Since then police officers have paid regular visits to the homes of Williams and Mahlangu, attempting to find them. Officers have also contacted a human rights lawyer, demanding he bring the two WOZA leaders to Bulawayo Central Police station. The officer reportedly stated that the two 'must prepare themselves for a long detention'. However, police have given no indication of the reasons why they are searching for the two WOZA leaders, causing fears that the two could be arbitrarily arrested and detained. Since February police appear to have launched a crackdown in which human rights activists across the country, including WOZA members, have been systematically targeted.
A 20-year-old man, Manik, is at risk of torture and extrajudicial execution in Bangladesh after being arrested on 8 March 2011. He was showing his relatives the place where his elder brother was killed on 12 February 2011, allegedly by plain clothes men in a special police force, Rapid Action Batallion (RAB). The letter urged that Manik not be subjected to torture by the RAB or other police personnel; that he is released immediately and unconditionally, unless he is charged with a recognizably
criminal offense; and that a thorough, independent and impartial investigation is carried out into the death of Shahid, and any RAB or police personnel known to have committed extrajudicial execution, or other human rights violations against him, are brought to justice.
Lastly, urging authorities to prevent any attempt to drive residents of Lomas del Poleo off their land, and to ensure the land dispute is resolved fairly and satisfactorily in the Agrarian Tribunal. People living in Lomas del Poleo have been harassed and attacked since 2003 by men working for the landowner, who has tried to force them off land they have lived on for decades. The security guards have been menacing people living in an area of the northern state of Chihuahua. Many have fled the area, but the seven families still living there are now at renewed risk of attack. The guards are using several intimidation tactics: walking around the houses and firing into the air; firing at the houses and around the school; and driving around the houses in the middle of the night.
Again, this takes very little time but has a huge impact. I hope you have a chance to visit their site and act for human rights!
Avtar Singh, a retired Indian Army major was arrested in California on domestic violence charges. The letter asked that he be extradited to India to face murder charges for his involvement in the murder of human rights lawyer Jalil Andrabi - a Kashmiri lawyer and activist, who exposed a number of human rights violations by India’s security forces in Kashmir in the early 1990s. He was last seen on March 8, 1996 when he was taken away by Srinagar based military personnel who were led at that time by Major Singh. Nineteen days later, his dead body was found in the river Jhelum.
A Libyan woman, Eman al-Obaidi, who was detained after alleging that she was raped by members of Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi’s forces, has been released. However, she is still concerned for her own safety and has been prevented from leaving Tripoli. The letter urged Libyan authorities to ensure Eman el-Obeidi’s right to freedom of movement and that they conduct an immediate, full and thorough independent investigation into her alleged rape and other torture and ill-treatment by members of the Libyan security forces and to bring those responsible to justice.
Two leaders of the social justice movement Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, are being sought by police. They are at risk of arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment. On 12 February, WOZA staged its ninth annual Valentine's Day peaceful protest in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city. Since then police officers have paid regular visits to the homes of Williams and Mahlangu, attempting to find them. Officers have also contacted a human rights lawyer, demanding he bring the two WOZA leaders to Bulawayo Central Police station. The officer reportedly stated that the two 'must prepare themselves for a long detention'. However, police have given no indication of the reasons why they are searching for the two WOZA leaders, causing fears that the two could be arbitrarily arrested and detained. Since February police appear to have launched a crackdown in which human rights activists across the country, including WOZA members, have been systematically targeted.
A 20-year-old man, Manik, is at risk of torture and extrajudicial execution in Bangladesh after being arrested on 8 March 2011. He was showing his relatives the place where his elder brother was killed on 12 February 2011, allegedly by plain clothes men in a special police force, Rapid Action Batallion (RAB). The letter urged that Manik not be subjected to torture by the RAB or other police personnel; that he is released immediately and unconditionally, unless he is charged with a recognizably
criminal offense; and that a thorough, independent and impartial investigation is carried out into the death of Shahid, and any RAB or police personnel known to have committed extrajudicial execution, or other human rights violations against him, are brought to justice.
Lastly, urging authorities to prevent any attempt to drive residents of Lomas del Poleo off their land, and to ensure the land dispute is resolved fairly and satisfactorily in the Agrarian Tribunal. People living in Lomas del Poleo have been harassed and attacked since 2003 by men working for the landowner, who has tried to force them off land they have lived on for decades. The security guards have been menacing people living in an area of the northern state of Chihuahua. Many have fled the area, but the seven families still living there are now at renewed risk of attack. The guards are using several intimidation tactics: walking around the houses and firing into the air; firing at the houses and around the school; and driving around the houses in the middle of the night.
Again, this takes very little time but has a huge impact. I hope you have a chance to visit their site and act for human rights!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Day 93
I went back to a very busy SafeHouse this evening. By the time I got there service had begun. The lot was filled with cars and once I made it in I saw the crowd of volunteers in the kitchen and in the main room. It was great seeing that many people come out to volunteer! They had the food packed in boxes, and all the boxes neatly stacked up ready to serve - they are experts at this!
I talked to the gentleman who is interested in the stock market today as well. Today we talked about some interpersonal things - trust and respect between people, helping others, people being genuine, and people being themselves. I also met another individual who talked to me for a couple of minutes about jobs and doing what you enjoy versus doing what gets you a lot of money. He supported the latter for now.
Over the past few months I've really seen the impact SafeHouse has, not just on the homeless, but on the volunteers as well. SafeHouse truly is filling some of the most basic needs for a lot of people, and sometimes its just making someone feel like a person, giving them respect and validating who they are. The staff there are great at this (in addition to making sure each night runs smoothly). I've been able to learn a lot from them and appreciate everything they do! So here's a big thank you to them!
I talked to the gentleman who is interested in the stock market today as well. Today we talked about some interpersonal things - trust and respect between people, helping others, people being genuine, and people being themselves. I also met another individual who talked to me for a couple of minutes about jobs and doing what you enjoy versus doing what gets you a lot of money. He supported the latter for now.
Over the past few months I've really seen the impact SafeHouse has, not just on the homeless, but on the volunteers as well. SafeHouse truly is filling some of the most basic needs for a lot of people, and sometimes its just making someone feel like a person, giving them respect and validating who they are. The staff there are great at this (in addition to making sure each night runs smoothly). I've been able to learn a lot from them and appreciate everything they do! So here's a big thank you to them!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Day 92
It was a quiet night at SafeHouse this evening and many of the familiar faces were missing. I spent some time talking with the gentleman who is interested in the stock market - we chatted about stock markets in different countries and then about diamonds and construction.
The church group there this evening was a young group and for most of them, their first time at SafeHouse. They were an enthusiastic group and were very organized. They did a really good job serving and interacting with the individuals there. One of the volunteers teared up when she heard one gentleman ask if he could get a plate for his wife (who was outside). When we talked later she expressed that she was humbled to see someone who is going through a tough time still care about the relationships in his life, whereas some people who have everything (material) don't value the relationships in their life. It was great seeing the impact SafeHouse had on her today!
The church group there this evening was a young group and for most of them, their first time at SafeHouse. They were an enthusiastic group and were very organized. They did a really good job serving and interacting with the individuals there. One of the volunteers teared up when she heard one gentleman ask if he could get a plate for his wife (who was outside). When we talked later she expressed that she was humbled to see someone who is going through a tough time still care about the relationships in his life, whereas some people who have everything (material) don't value the relationships in their life. It was great seeing the impact SafeHouse had on her today!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Day 91
Raksha and I were running a muck around the city, and we had to stop by the bank to get some cash out for the rest of the evening, Our sweet little teller enlisted us to donate to March of Dimes before we left. We wanted a little time to ourselves tonight, and since Chandni was driving back from Augusta I decided to do a little virtual volunteering Since we're often on Freerice.com - we now receive emails from them periodically. With all the junk I get, I generally (and I'm ashamed to say it) either delete it or ignore it, but for some reason I opened up the email. The email was from World Food Hunger - who brings us Freerice.com, asking us to take their "Emergency Quiz". The organization through their sponsors/advertising company, committed to feeding a child a warm meal for each person that completed the quiz. The quiz only had a few questions on there, but it certainly shed some light on all the different world crisis at hand. I hope you guys can take the quiz with us, it's a matter of minutes and you may just learn something... Click here to, TAKE THE QUIZ and FEED A CHILD!
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