Day 158

I was back at the Salvation Army this evening. There were about eight other volunteers helping out today, mostly kids, teens, and a pregnant lady who is due this Friday!!

One of the parents told me she brought both her kids so that they could learn to be responsible and learn to give back to their community. So they helped out with serving, cleaning trays, wiping down tables, and mopping! They are all regulars there and knew where everything was and what needed to be done.

Today we served barbecue chicken, green beans, potatoes, corn bread and sweet tea. And when that ran out there was pizza.

I saw the guy who is transitioning out so spoke to him for a few minutes. He told me he was pretty close to getting a job in a kitchen and he was really looking forward to it.

I had another good volunteering experience here and will be back the next time I'm in town!

Day 157

I'm in Augusta for a few days so I volunteered with the Salvation Army soup kitchen this evening. When I walked in the chef came over with a big smile to welcome me back. He's really hospitable! And makes it fun so you feel like going back to help out.

Today we served mac n cheese hamburger helper with garlic bread and salad. It wasn't as crowded as I remember. The chef told me that was because it's the beginning of the month and people still had their cheques.

I asked about one of the guys who used to stay there and who used to volunteer in the kitchen. He has graduated the program and is in the process of tranisitioning out - I'm so glad for him! He's a great person and hopefully this will be the start of a new life for him.

Day 156

I hung out with my two year old buddy at SafeHouse again :)

Before that though, I talked to one of the gentlemen (the one who donated his hair to Locks of Love) about jobs and housing. We hadn't had one of our long conversations in a couple of days, so we had a chance to do that today. He shared that he had a job interview coming up and that he was starting to look at going into a transitional home. He is beginning to take the steps to get off the streets and it's wonderful seeing him go through that process! Keeping my fingers crossed for him!!

Of course once my buddy came outside it was all about him! We ran around again, tried to count to five, he moved around imaginary chairs and had a full conversation going - only half of which I understood :)

There was also an energetic four year old there today - he's a sweet kid but he's exposed to life on the streets and sees/hears a lot of things that aren't always appropriate. This comes out in the way he interacts with others. Kids pick up on what we say/do so easily and it's really evident with this little boy.

Day 155

I'm volunteering from home today. It's been a few weeks since I last visited Amnesty International so it's a night of letter writing. 

The first letter was for the immediate and unconditional release of Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese scholar and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who is serving an 11-year sentence for  "inciting subversion of state power". Liu Xiaobo co-authored "Charter 08," a proposal for political and legal reform in China. The police took Liu Xiaobo from his home in Beijing on December 8, 2008, two days before the planned launch of Charter 08. Numerous signatories of the charter have been questioned and harassed by Chinese authorities since its launch but only Liu Xiaobo has been charged or tried.

The next was asking the US government to support an international investigation into war crimes and other abuses during the war in Sri Lanka. During 2009, thousands of civilians died in the final months of the war in Sri Lanka. Both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers committed war crimes and other gross human rights abuses. But no one has been held accountable.

My last letter was to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar urging the Myanmar authorities to take immediate action to ensure that prisoners involved in protests in Insein, Hkamti
and Kale prisons are not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and that the Government of Myanmar ensures that prison conditions throughout the country meet international standards. Political prisoners in Myanmar who have initiated peaceful protests in three prisons, including hunger strikes, are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Amnesty International has received credible reports that seven prisoners who were on hunger strike were placed in solitary confinement in cells designed for military dogs between 24 and 26 May. Political prisoners in Myanmar have used hunger strikes to protest poor prison conditions in the past. Prison authorities have tortured those who protest, or subjected them to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including reducing their diet, shackling them, and confining them in dark cells or military dog cells for protracted periods.


The letter writing takes just a small amount of your time but has a huge impact! Hope you're able to have an impact on human rights issues today!

Day 154

Chandni was swamped with family and work priorities that took up the entire day.

So Kwanza, Nithi, and Raksha played freerice throughout the day.

Chandni went ahead and messaged us early this morning, and asked for us to send her results at the end of the day.

Raksha did about 540 grains of rice, and I did a 1000.
Last I checked Nithi and Kwanza were still playing, and we're waiting for their total tally.
Kwanza did 1370 grains of rice.

It's not always possible for us to physically volunteer.
We're blessed to have friends to step out for us and volunteer or offer their time and efforts to volunteer with us online.

Thank you everyone for all your support!

Love,
(For)
Chandni!

Day 153

I had so much fun at SafeHouse today! After having to answer to some of my friends for not going there since Sunday, we spent some time catching up on how each was doing. I was told that I'm not allowed to "ditch" them for that long again. My 2year old buddy's mum then came up to me to tell me that he was there today and that he was taking a nap but would be up soon. That made my day!

Once he woke up I spent the rest of the evening chasing him around the lot. He has so much energy! We chased birds, ate chocolate chip cookies, played ball, ran around, and he was still playing at the end of the night when it was time for me to leave.

I'm exhausted, had too much fun, and now looking forward to a SafeHouse weekend :)

Day 152

I went to City of Refuge this evening to volunteer. City of Refuge offers both life saving resources and life building tools to individuals and families in Atlanta who are living on the margin. They have programs that span multiple areas of need – from food, clothing and shelter to job training, placement, housing, healthcare and education. Their goal is to provide access to and information about the best possible opportunities for success to those who are willing to work hard for positive change.

As I was driving down Joseph E. Boone Blvd, I noticed the stark difference in neighborhoods across the street. I later learned that the neighborhood surrounding City of Refuge is home to more inmates in Georgia’s prisons than any other in the state and that the zip code, 30314, is home to the highest crime rate of any zip code in Georgia. Despite this, City of Refuge is an “open campus” to the community during designated hours each day of the week. And, for me, there was no sense of danger or nervousness as I walked around. 

Today I helped serve meals to women and children staying at City of Refuge. I was the only outside volunteer there but had a great time with the ladies who work there. They were welcoming and are really efficient in that kitchen. After serving the meal, I helped clean up before saying my goodbyes.

I really enjoyed the experience and am looking forward to going back, as well as to trying out some of their other programs.