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It's time to launch another fundraiser for CARE. All of the profits from this effort will be donated to CARE!
Homemade Prickly Pear Cactus Jelly
 Prickly pear cactus fruit grows wild in Arizona's Southwest Sonoran Desert. Each pear is hand picked and processed naturally to collect the precious juice of this exotic, delicious fruit. Each jar of cactus jelly is handmade with loving care. Only 1,000 jars of this precious jelly will be made ... and purchasers will receive their jelly in time for Father's Day 2009. The price includes shipping and handling.
MORE CREDIT CARD OPTIONS:
2 Pack 8 oz. Jars Price $22.00
 
4 Pack 8 oz. Jars Price $35.00
8 Pack 8 oz. Jars Price $55.00
Calculating profits: The following are the costs associated with the sale of this gift package. Existing prickly pear cactus juice, all labor associated with production, and all cooking gas and other resources are donated and not part of the basic cost calculation.
- 8 oz. canning jars
- Pectin
- Sugar
- Lemon Juice
The costs associated with producing each jar of jelly amounts to approximately $2.50, not including shipping and handling ($10-16 per gift package). Projected profits from this fundraising event is $3,000 - $5,000. There are ways to increase our profits and perhaps you can help!
- Donations of jars, pectin, sugar, and lemon juice in amounts sufficient to product 1,000 jars of jelly will add $2,500 to the donation.
- Local Arizona delivery will add over $10 per order and increase the donation to CARE considerably!
- Send me an e-mail if you want to help us secure donations or volunteer to help.
 The earthquake last week in Peru has devastated a city and CARE is there. As you know if you've been a reader, I founded the Web Women Giving Circle last year and we won a trip to Peru in May with More Magazine and CARE after raising over $24,000 with your generous support and help. We've posted the amazing trip online for you to get a taste of it. It was an amazing experience to see a country where 52% of the people are living on less than $2 a day. CARE is doing extraordinary work in bringing sustainable projects to women and children whose lives are made healthier and easier. They are there again helping with disaster relief. Our Giving Circle has pledged to raise over $70,000 and even a few dollars of support helps. If you can spare something and want to make a big difference with just a little, this is a place that happens. Thank you. -- Joeann Fossland
 Help CARE help the people in Peru. Donate here.
1:45 PM - Aug. 25, 2007 - {0} -
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 Day 6 dawned clear and bright at the Eccame Hotel. It was to be our longest day (and that’s saying something), and we prepared with a familiar breakfast of delicious café con leche, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and rolls along with scrambled eggs.
By 8:00 a.m. we were on the bus, a large-ish vehicle that we were told would hold the mountain roads to the district of Shupluy more reliably than a smaller van. Fran, who had started the trip with a lifelong fear of heights, got over them that day! (Way to go, Fran!)
Our first stop in Shupluy was Primorpampa, where we visited families raising Guinea Pigs. Guinea pigs are native to the Andes, and their meat is considered a delicacy, something I can affirm firsthand. High in protein and low in fat and cholesterol, guinea pigs can be bred, raised, and taken to market in as little three months, making them a very efficient source of both food and income.
 CARE's intervention included hygiene, segregation of the animals in pens for better hygiene, and construction of a common sanitary facility for processing the meat. Families now use the composted animal waste to fertilize feed crops such as barley or alfalfa, which are used in turn to feed the animals. Some families have been able to cultivate substantial organic vegetable gardens in addition to the feed crops.
 We observed two significant systemic changes related to the changes in guinea pig production. One is the improvement in overall hygiene as sanitary practices related to raising the animals are applied to other aspects of everyday life. We rubbed our shoes in a tray of lime before entering the houses, for example, to control the spread of contamination.
The second systemic change has to do with empowering women, who are the primary providers of care for the guinea pigs. As their ventures prosper, the women enjoy greater standing in the community and command more respect. One woman told us that the men in the village used to sometimes hit their wives, but that this has stopped as the women have attained more economic power.
The highlight of our visit was a feast of guinea pig and spiced potatoes (a plate full of them for each of us) with a bottle of super-sweet Inka Cola, a popular soft drink. Imagine the pride these villagers must have felt at being able to offer such a rich repast for nearly 20 people. (Our group of 11 intrepid woman was augmented by CARE-Peru staff and our beloved translator, Tito, of Langway Language Schools in Huaraz.)
Our next stop was Huaraz, where we spent an hour or so in the wonderful markets admiring handmade sweaters, scarves, hats, and other handicrafts. Then we headed to the Chequio Community, where we visited artichoke production fields.
At Chequio we witnessed similar shifts in the social structure as well as the economic life of the community. Women were the primary movers in developing the artichoke fields, and they enjoyed a larger role in making family and community decisions as a result.
Perhaps, like me, you recall the black and white television and magazine ads for CARE circa 1960 featuring the ubiquitous CARE package. If so, you have some catching up to do. CARE's approach to aid has changed dramatically, shifting from the provision of direct service to providing technical assistance, analysis, and start up funds for systemic interventions that result in long term improvements that are maintained by the community rather than by ongoing outside support.
 This kind of systemic intervention is not as sexy as direct relief, and as a result, CARE faces fund raising challenges today that it did not face in the past. It's ironic that now that a dollar donated to CARE has so much more leverage, it is harder to attract support. Not to worry. I know 11 alpha women who came home last week with a bee in their bonnets, a bee that is going to be spreading the CARE buzz for a long time to come. -- Molly Gordon, MCC
10:24 PM - Jul. 30, 2007 - {0} -
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Copyright 2007 Peter Frey/CARE
 Tuesday morning the CCS van delivered ten gringas to Los Martincitos in Villa el Salvador.
Our schedule: work and play with senior citizens. Most were Indians from the Andes who found their way to "retirement" in Lima. Los Martincitos offers them a good lunch, and a full day of fellowship and recreation under the caring direction of Sister Jacci, a Missionary Sister of Notre Dame.
The day's events started with warm-up exercises. We stretched with them and when we were limber we formed a line and offered the seniors the CARE/More Giving Circle answer to the Rockettes -- we served up a Hokey Pokey Dance .. the senior knew the dance and sang in Spanish as we put in our right hands...
... and our left hands, our right feet, and our left feet, our heads, and our whole bodies.
We put them in and we put them out, we put them back in and we shook them all about. We did the Hokey Pokey and we turned ourselves around. That's what it's all about!
Or so we thought!
Suddenly we saw hundreds of index fingers raised and we heard voices of consternation from the crowd. They pointed at their fannies ... we forgot to shake our fannies! What were the gringas thinking? How could they forget to shake their fannies during the Hokey Pokey?
We met the clamor and the consternation quickly. We put our fannies in, we put our fannies out, we put our fannies in and we shook them all about. We did the Hokey Pokey and we turned ourselves around. Now, THAT'S what it's really all about! -- Frances Flynn Thorsen
3:39 AM - Jun. 9, 2007 - {0} -
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 When I visited my wonderful financial planner, Pat Raskob, yesterday and was sharing about the trip to Peru, she asked me if the federales with Uzis were on every corner. I realized, unlike our previous trip, I saw no soldiers with machine guns. While there still was one posted in front of each bank, the guns were not evident. Hopefully this says something good. -- Joeann Fossland, Founder, Web Women Giving Circle
Sunday May 27 Lima, Peru
The cafe con leche was a welcome start to the morning. We gathered for a traditional Peruvian Breakfast of fresh rolls, fruit, and hard boiled eggs. Kique was our host and interpreter for the day. We loaded into a van and drove about 40 minutes to Villa El Salvador neighborhood. Lima is very much a desert city that gets little rain and it showed as we drove through the streets. The air quality is filled with smog from the 8.5 million residents. It was cloudy and misty.
Copyright 200 Peter Frey/CARE
 We were greeted at a community center called Los Martincitos by Tony Palomino, director, and Sister Jacci. Villa El Salvador was created when 150 Incan families joined to start a well organized structure to serve their needs. The Peruvian government did not allow them to build where they originally took their stand, but peacefully relocated them to where Villa El Salvador is today. Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, this neighborhood is governed democratically and with great pride. It has grown to a community of over 35,000.
 From there, we went shopping! The Inca Market was scores of stores with alpaca sweaters, jewelry, leather and cloth items.
 I got a great red wool sweater you will see me in! Others bought presents and treasures. Spending some money in the local economy seemed a good thing to do and we had fun!
We went back to the CCS home base for lunch. Lunch is the big meal of the day in Peru. We had a delicious soup and a white meal (hardboiled eggs, potatoes) and fruit.
Then we loaded back in the van for a visit to Casa de Panchita, a center for domestic workers. Sister Blanca told us that the families in the mountains send their daughters into Lima to work for families and hopefully have a better life. In reality, it is a hard life, sometimes even abusive, for these girls that work from morning until night. Casa de Panchita is a refuge they can visit on Sundays for support and services. We had been told that these girls leave their families as young as 6-8, but I don't think that really sunk in until we met a 7 year old who was the nanny for a 2 year old. Made me think how sad it would be to send Lily (my 5-year-old granddaughter) off to live in another city. At the center, they were able to relax and do crafts, visit with each other and do studies. There was also employment services that would help them find good jobs and had blacklisted dangerous ones. We heard how the girls are often not sent to school-only the boys and how difficult it is for them. This visit was sobering and gave us our first real insight into the cultural differences, how the women are treated and what is being done. -- Joeann Fossland
2:26 PM - Jun. 8, 2007 - {1} -
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©2006 CARE/Josh Estey
Hansaben, 16, (shown above) is the daughter of a salt-pan worker and a student at Ganatar, a CARE-sponsored boarding school. Her mom works in a salt pan.
Salt is made in salt pans. Each pan is about half the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Bare human feet work in salt water atop sharp, hard salt crystals. Most workers can't afford boots. Women work in the blazing sun for 10 hours a days. They also prepare their family meals, fetch water, and tend the children, who help in the salt pan.
Next time I am tempted to say, "My feet hurt," I'm going to think about the ladies in the salt pans. I am also going to think about the abundant love for their families that drives women to work there.
Next time I season my food I will think about the enormous capacity for love that brought this salt to my table.
Help the salt pan workers buy boots and send more of their kids to school!. Donate here.
7:34 AM - Dec. 9, 2006 - {0} -
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Copyright 2006 CARE
as told to Myat Lwin Lwin Aung
In late 2002, I was not well and had to go to hospital. There I found out I had HIV. After about three months, I was bedridden. I didn't get well for a long time
AIDS: In my village, people call it simply "A." They say only bad people, immoral people, have it. There is no cure. I was going to die. I didn't dare tell anyone. How could I tell my family?
Finally, the headmistress of the primary school in Inn Ywar New Village had a talk with my mother. She told my mother I had AIDS, and offered to introduce me to some groups that could help. Mother told her to do whatever seemed right. That was how I came into contact with CARE, where I got medicine and treatment.
Now my whole family knew I had HIV. They didn't know anything about it and were frightened. They told me, "Don't touch this!" and "Don't touch that!" After I had taken a drink, they washed the cup at once. I sat somewhere and they washed the place. Eating together was out of the question.
I earned a living for this family. I earned money to send my younger sisters and brothers to school, for them to graduate and live like other young people do. Now I was the one bringing shame on the family, humiliating my younger sisters. Why did I get this? Was it my fault? Whatever it was, they called me "the AIDS woman." And they said it like a new swear word. Read the rest of "The Aids Woman" here.
Support more AIDS women here!. Donate here.
3:14 AM - Dec. 7, 2006 - {0} -
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Copyright CARE 2006
 "Empowering women is not extraneous to the fight against HIV and AIDS — it is central to it. The sooner we rally our actions around that reality, the better our chances of winning this battle." Dr. Helene Gayle, CARE president In a recent article, Empowering Women To Battle HIV/AIDS.
"In our decades of work to alleviate poverty around the world, CARE has consistently deepened our understanding of why entire groups of people live in chronic want and despair. As our understanding grows, our approach to fighting poverty becomes more effective. Today, at the onset of the 21st century, CARE is committed to uncovering and uprooting the underlying causes of poverty, including the human-made social, political and economic power structures that consistently exclude certain groups of people — and none more consistently and persistently than women in every society on the planet. Globally, poverty wears a woman's face." -- CARE in a White Paper titled "Women's Empowerment."
 The Web Women Giving Circle offers the public a chance to direct consumer dollars to CARE to aid that group in providing humanitarian relief to all corners of the globe. Consider making your Amazon gift purchases here.
2:58 PM - Dec. 5, 2006 - {0} -
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In a "win-win" scenario in New Orleans real estate agents are buying a premium package of real estate products and services that is assembled to raise money for CARE. in a fundraising effort is sponsored by the Web Women Giving Circle.
- $20 buys a package worth $299.95.
- $60 buys a package worth $339.90.
- $150 buys a package worth $588.90.
Shown above are Women's Council of REALTORS New Orleans convention attendees who contributed to a $550 contribution pool yesterday. (Top, left to right: Bob Nachman (Scottsdale, AZ) Liz McKee (Overland Park, KS), a friendly Harry Connick Jr. look-alike waiter, Pat Ohmberger (Lincoln, NE), Emily Link (Thousand Oaks, CA). Bottom, left to right: Jean Tietgen (Huntington Beach, CA), Bobbie Nelson (Aptos, CA), Dorine Longhini (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Sherrie Cartinella, (Reno, NV). Not shown is John Walsh (Edina, MN).
The Web Women Giving Circle is raising money to benefit CARE. Buy a premium package for $20 and receive items valued at $299.95. Not interested in premiums? You can still help CARE. Donate here.
 CARE President Helene D. Gayle recently returned from Bangladesh. She joined Rigoberto Giron, director of CARE's emergency unit yesterday and spoke by phone about recent trips and CARE's role and challenges in recent emergencies, focusing on the crisis in Darfur and their work with Somalian refugees in the Dadaab camps in Kenya. Web Women Giving Circle Founder Joeann Fossland was there. The following is a collection of comments by all three. Comments have been paraphrased for brevity.
JF: I am pleased and honored to share my thoughts about a phone call yesterday with Dr. Helene Gayle and Rigoberto Giron. I was particularly struck with Dr. Gayle's description of job training and opportunities that help men feed their families. When these opportunities are not sustainable, many of these men become mercenaries so that they can have a source of income. What a terrible dilemma for a father to have to face.
©2006 Daemon Baizan
Helene D. Gayle
 HG: CARE is presently working in areas where other agencies are not working. Security in Pakistan and Afghanistan has deteriorated in the past few months. We must consider if we are putting our workers at risk. This is a constant concern for us. In Afghanistan men are taking up arms and fighting just to earn enough money to buy bread for their families.
JF: Helping men and women with micro-business hits home with me because it is what we are attempting to do with the Web Women Giving Circle, take this project in small steps. One small donation can enable one person buy seeds or flour to bake bread. Each and every donation we get is going to touch the life of someone who, up to now, hasn't had the means to take care of themselves.
HG: We help people worldwide. We don't take a political stand. We are in countries where the need is great regardless of the politics of the government. We don't give money directly to governments. We work through them but we do not feed their treasuries.
Joeann Fossland
 JF: While I know many are opposed to what they perceive as handouts, we must understand that many people are in situations that they cannot control. When marauding gangs come into your village and home and take all you have, as well as impacting your spirit through acts of rape and violence, we are not providing handouts, we are providing a way to rebuild self esteem.
RG: The Darfur conflict erupted in early 2003. Fighting among various factions has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million, most escaping to larger towns where they stay in camps for "internally displaced people," and some crossing the border into Chad, where they live in refugee camps, straining local resources. Attacks on civilians during the conflict have been brutal and include burning homes, killing and rape. CARE has worked in Sudan for over two decades. We been active in Darfur since April 2004 and currently provide direct humanitarian assistance to over 450,000 war-affected people. Some 1.6 people do not have homes. CARE's work includes water and sanitation, community services and distribution of food and other relief items.
Help CARE make a difference in the world. Donate here.
Before you read on, may I give you a hug?
FREE HUGS Pass it on. (Thank you, Cynthia!)
Now, to business.
Have you ever fantasized about all the good things you could do if you only had more money?
Between now and the end of 2006, regardless of your disposable income, you can make a significant difference in impoverished communities worldwide by helping The Web Women Giving Circle raise at least $100,000 in the CARE-More Challenge.
 Research shows that educating girls and helping women establish modest, sustainable enterprises is one of the best ways to break the cycle of poverty and lead to enduring improvements in the welfare of entire communities.
The Care-More Challenge is an opportunity to make a significant contribution no matter how modest your means. If every reader of this e-zine donated $10, we would raise over $100,000 ourselves. That's what I call leverage.
It only takes a minute or two to donate the amount that is appropriate for your circumstances. Amounts that may seem inconsequential ($5. $25. $150.) can provide enough working capital for an impoverished woman to start a successful micro-business.
I Want to Give You More than a Hug.
Donate before midnight November 23rd (US Thanksgiving), and you will receive valuable premiums ranging from a copy of The Courage to Succeed: A Brief Guide to Cultivating Soulful Prosperity in Life and Work, an e-book by yours truly, to private facilitation of The Work of Byron Katie or a private coaching session.
The $10, 90 Second Solution
Care to give $10? This link will take you immediately to a secure form where you can provide your debit or credit card information. No premiums at this level except my gratitude and your satisfaction at being part of a very cool thing.
 Why donate to CARE? Because CARE has a real impact on women and their communities around the world. For example:
$50 can send an Afghan girl to school for a year.
$125 can train a woman in Nepal to teach maternal and child health in her community.
$600 can keep 10 girls in Sudan in school and teach them about AIDS prevention.
$9,000 can pay for a reservoir pond for a village with 1,000 people.
If you'd like to donate but don't want to bother with premiums (or prefer to give a different amount), you can do that here. Send me a copy of your email receipt and I will gladly set you up with the applicable premiums.
Thank you!
Molly
 P.S. I'm proud to be a founding member of The Web Women Giving Circle, a group of professionals from the US that has come together to make a positive impact worldwide. We focus on equipping poor women with the proper resources to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.
Shaboom, Inc., PO Box 195, 18718 Third Avenue NE, Suquamish, WA 98392-0195
P 360-633-4397 F 206-201-5020
© 2002 CARE/ A John Watston
About half of the world's population — nearly 3 billion people — lives in poverty, on the equivalent of less than $2 a day. These people do not simply lack financial resources. They struggle each day to keep hunger and disease at bay. Basic opportunities to improve their lives are frequently beyond reach.
The factors that keep people living in poverty are complex and interwoven. That's why CARE does much more than feed the hungry. We work alongside families and communities to understand the greatest threats to their survival and to help them find lasting solutions to their problems.
Through its Victories Over Poverty campaign, CARE is supporting integrated programs that include emergency relief, post-emergency rehabilitation and recovery, and long-term poverty-fighting projects. Whether it's teaching new farming techniques, training teachers or helping improve access to health care, CARE works with communities to create solutions that last.
Reducing Poverty: Proof is in the Numbers
Last year, CARE's programs directly improved the lives of more than 31 million people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Tens of millions more benefited indirectly from CARE projects that confronted poverty in their communities.
- Poverty is not having access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation systems. Last year, CARE helped 3 million people in 34 countries gain access to clean water and sanitation, reducing time spent gathering water and illness caused by poor hygiene.
- Poverty is a lack of accessible, affordable health care information and services. In 2002, almost 10 million children in 26 countries benefited from CARE's child health projects, reducing their vulnerability to disease.
- Poverty is not being able to produce enough food to feed your family. Last year, CARE's programs helped train more than 1.5 million farmers in 43 countries in activities relating to agriculture and natural resource management, increasing crop yields while conserving the environment. --CARE
Help CARE score more victories over poverty! Donate here.
2:03 PM - Oct. 22, 2006 - {0} -
View more entries tagged with: Poverty, Women, Africa, Sanitation
Copyright 2004 Evelyn Hockstein Polaris safe water
About half of the world's population — nearly 3 billion people — lives in poverty, on the equivalent of less than $2 a day. These people do not simply lack financial resources. They struggle each day to keep hunger and disease at bay. Basic opportunities to improve their lives are frequently beyond reach.
The factors that keep people living in poverty are complex and interwoven. That's why CARE does much more than feed the hungry. We work alongside families and communities to understand the greatest threats to their survival and to help them find lasting solutions to their problems.
Through our Victories Over Poverty campaign, CARE is supporting integrated programs that include emergency relief, post-emergency rehabilitation and recovery, and long-term poverty-fighting projects. Whether it's teaching new farming techniques, training teachers or helping improve access to health care, CARE works with communities to create solutions that last.
Reducing Poverty: Proof is in the Numbers
Last year, CARE's programs directly improved the lives of more than 31 million people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Tens of millions more benefited indirectly from CARE projects that confronted poverty in their communities.
- Poverty is not having access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation systems. Last year, CARE helped 3 million people in 34 countries gain access to clean water and sanitation, reducing time spent gathering water and illness caused by poor hygiene.
- Poverty is a lack of accessible, affordable health care information and services. In 2002, almost 10 million children in 26 countries benefited from CARE's child health projects, reducing their vulnerability to disease.
- Poverty is not being able to produce enough food to feed your family. Last year, CARE's programs helped train more than 1.5 million farmers in 43 countries in activities relating to agriculture and natural resource management, increasing crop yields while conserving the environment. --CARE
Help CARE score more victories over poverty! Donate here.
3:15 PM - Oct. 9, 2006 - {0} -
View more entries tagged with: Poverty, Women, Africa, Sanitation
Copyright 2006 Sarah Buchanan/CARE
Vocational training in CARE's Humanitarian Assistance for the Women of Afghanistan (HAWA) program began as part of a food distribution program that started when the country was still under Taliban rule. In 1996, seeking to empower the women who participated in the program, CARE began training widows to knit and make brooms - traditional crafts that were allowed by the Taliban. Since that time, the program has grown to include a wide range of other vocations. With patience, CARE has been able to overcome Afghan society's deep-seated resistance to allowing women to work.
Although HAWA offers a variety of training options, poultry and livestock remain the most popular because they provide a steady income and allow women to work near their homes. Gul Ghamai, a 30-year-old mother of five living in Kabul, recently received a pregnant milk cow through the project. Previously, she could only afford milk for her children every few months. Now Gul Ghamai has almost two gallons of milk per day to sell to neighbors and give to her children. "My children are healthier now than they have been in a long time," she reports. "I lost a child to disease and malnutrition two years ago and hope that I will never have to endure that heartbreak again. Now that I can provide for my family I feel better about the future." Taking care of the cow is a family endeavor, with older children helping to feed the cow and look after the calf. Gul Ghamai's 13-year-old son Samiullah collects grass on his way home from school and enjoys taking the cow out to graze in his free time. "When we got the cow I can't explain how happy I was," Samiullah says. "It was as if we had a new luxury car."
While women in Afghanistan still face many challenges, women like Gul Ghamai are proof that a little assistance can empower women to help themselves and their families. HAWA's vocational training has not only provided women with the ability to earn a living, but also given them life skills and introduced them to a support network of other women. "I was alone for so long," says Sahera, "but now I have help. I know that what I am doing now will make better lives for my children."--CARE
Help CARE empower women. Donate here.
1:59 PM - Oct. 5, 2006 - {0} -
View more entries tagged with: Afghanistan, Women, Empowerment
The tragedy of September 11, 2001, left an indelible mark on all Americans. For some, 9/11 was a catalyst to reach out to others who were hurt by conflict. The Beyond the 11th Foundation, founded by two American women who lost their husbands in the disaster, is working with CARE to help widows in Afghanistan work together to make a new life for themselves and their families after decades of war and oppression.
© 2006 CARE/Sarah Buchanan
 Since the fall of the Taliban, women in Afghanistan have struggled to regain their social status and rights. Sahera (shown left) knows this challenge all to well: In a culture where men are the decision-makers and bread winners, her quality of life fell sharply when her husband was killed by a mortar shell in one of the country's recent conflicts. On her own with five young children and her mother-in-law to support, Sahera had few options to feed her family. But through a project supported by the Beyond the 11th Foundation and several others, Sahera has joined more than 2,500 widows who have become self-sufficient by raising poultry.
The initiative, part of CARE's Humanitarian Assistance for the Women of Afghanistan program, provides women with chicks, feed and training to help them earn their own livelihood and care for their families. Since joining the program, Sahera has been able to earn income by selling eggs, and the diets of her children have improved as they are able to eat fresh eggs every day. The extra money means Sahera's daughters can attend school for the first time. Sahera also attends CARE-supported literacy classes and takes part in a savings and credit group. "Before I started in the program, I could not read," Sahera explains. "Now I can read the signs in the market and help my children with their schoolwork."
Sahera's success mirrors that of over 4,000 widows who have completed vocational training through the HAWA program. Offering courses in tailoring, carpet weaving, food processing, cosmetology, driving and leather making, among others, HAWA provides the neediest Afghan women with income-generating skills to support themselves and their families. Nine-month literacy courses are provided for illiterate women, who make up the majority of participants. Savings and credit groups allow the widows to pool their funds, giving them access to loans for small businesses and teaching them how to manage money. --CARE
Help CARE empower women. Donate here.
3:53 PM - Sep. 27, 2006 - {0} -
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Tap the world's greatest natural resource to end poverty.
Help CARE end poverty! Donate here.
Copyright 2005 Evelyn Hockstein Polaris
One-year-old Badamassi Narauana of Niger and his mom have eaten nothing but bitter berries for two months. Lots of kids in Niger have bellyaches that make them cry.
Help CARE bring food to hungry children and make the bellyaches go away! Donate here.
2004 CARE/Evelyn Hockstein
"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning....They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play."--Fred Rogers, children’s TV personality and author.
Hmmmmmmm.... I wonder what Mr. Rogers would say about children who don't have the word "play" in their daily lexicon.
Help CARE bring childhood dreams to children. Donate here.
© 2006 Phil Borges
 There's no question that female genital cutting is difficult to talk about. This is true not just in the United States, but even in the communities where it is practiced, in countries throughout Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia. So when CARE began to work with communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan to try to stop the practice, just opening the discussion was the hardest step — and the most important.
A Complex Issue Female genital cutting, also called female circumcision, has affected more than 135 million women and girls worldwide. FGC includes to several different forms of cutting practiced for hundreds of years. Infibulation, the most severe, involves cutting some or all of the external genitalia, leaving only a very small opening for urination and menstruation.
Each ethnic group and community that practices FGC is unique, but some details are common across different cultures. In the communities where CARE works, girls are usually cut between the ages of 4 and 12. The cutting is performed by a circumciser, a woman who often is also a traditional birth attendant. The event is a rite of passage, celebrated by women in the community. Many communities see FGC as an important part of their heritage and cultural identity, and often believe it to be a religious obligation under Islam or Christianity. It also plays an important role in a girl's social standing: FGC is seen as ensuring her virginity until marriage, and thus her value as a bride.
But FGC can also cause serious health and social problems that follow a woman her whole life. The health complications from infibulation can include chronic and severe pain, infection, prolonged and difficult labor and difficulties with menstruation. Psychologically, cutting can cause tension between couples due to painful or difficult sexual relations. Socially, cutting makes it harder for girls to go to school or earn income by making them more likely to marry early.
Starting the Discussion When we began to work in communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, the first step was to talk to a range of people in each village and find out what they felt about FGC. There were some people who wanted the practice to end or change, but most people felt it was important.
Many said FGC was required for religious reasons. "A woman who is not circumcised is not a Muslim," said one man in Kenya, while one woman in Sudan suggested that food prepared by an uncircumcised girl was haraam (unclean under Islamic law). FGC was also seen as an ancestral practice, passed down through generations; women in particular saw themselves as custodians of this cultural tradition. Many people spoke of sexuality, saying that FGC ensured the girl would remain a virgin until marriage, and that after marriage, the practice would ensure she remained faithful to her husband. Many believed that no one would marry an uncircumcised girl, and that such girls would be subjected to abuse and insults. Very few people, especially among the men, knew about the health consequences of FGC. What they did know was often limited to immediate problems after the procedure, rather than long-term effects like difficulty in childbirth or pain during sex.
CARE's Approach Listening to the communities and understanding how they valued FGC made it clear that any effective program would need to change deep-seated attitudes and assumptions. CARE decided to work with key members of the community, such as religious leaders, elders and traditional birth attendants. These leaders are highly respected and play an important role in upholding social customs. Working closely with these key people, CARE provided training and educational sessions to talk about the health problems caused by FGC and discuss some of the justifications for the practice.
It was especially important to convince community leaders that there was no religious obligation to perform FGC. In Ethiopia, CARE organized a four-day seminar for 12 religious leaders to study the Quran and other Islamic scripture for references to female circumcision. At the end of the meeting, the leaders agreed that Islam did not require communities to perform FGC. Their outreach following the seminar led to more than 50 other imams speaking out in favor of abandoning FGC.
CARE worked with these community leaders to start a community dialogue about FGC, in some cases organizing large public discussions where community members could talk about the issue in a safe environment. Just getting communities to talk about the practice at all was a huge first step, giving people a chance to learn about the consequences of FGC and voice their opinions and concerns. The discussions also helped people to consider how the practice affected the rights and social status of women and girls in the community. More and more people learned about the harmful effects of the practice and began to question its value.
Changing from Within Change has not been easy. As one CARE staff member recalled: "At the beginning, it was difficult, even risky to talk about FGC. One Ethiopian man was so fearful that CARE staff were coming to prevent him from circumcising his daughter that he pointed a gun at two field workers and held them hostage inside their car. The CARE staff rolled down their window and talked to the man for an hour. They then got out of the car and talked for another two to three hours. Finally, the man gave them afu, a ceremony asking for forgiveness."
Despite the difficulties, however, CARE's work has shown that, with a respectful approach, it is possible to break the silence and start an effective community dialogue about abandoning female genital cutting. For the thousands of girls who risk undergoing the painful procedure every day, it's a discussion that can make a world of difference. --CARE
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© 2002 Dan White/CARE
CARE provides training in small economic activities that enable poor people, especially women, to earn money to support their families.
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