My braid was still warm...

A Loving Little Braid
By: Karla Juced

 

Yesterday they cut my hair. I arrived at the salon and told my stylist friend that I wanted to cut my long hair and donate the braid so that it could be turned into a wig for a little girl receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

Guille said, “Alright, have a seat.” He brushed my long hair, braided it and began to cut. I cannot completely express the impression it had on me in that moment. I could hear every snip of the blades as they cut into my locks. Something in my chest struck me, and when it was over, I found that the feeling had overwhelmed me. I couldn't stop laughing nervously from the intensity of it all.

This was not the first time I had cut my hair so drastically, but it was the first time I did it with this intention. And it was different to have my hair braided, and to be feeling these strange pulls at my head.

When he finished he placed the braid on the table in front of me, I took it in my hands and I felt more than just hair. There was a living energy, still present, slightly warm as if this long chunk of hair were still clinging to life. I immediately returned it to the table.

Around the close of 2010 I decided to grow out my hair to donate it to a good cause. September of this year I saw a commercial for an organization much like Trenzitas de Amor. I could see mixed feelings in the faces of many of the young girls. They have an innocence that nothing can diminish, mixed with the pain of cancer treatment and the disappointment of not being able to keep playing with all the other girls. It struck me that I would like to do something to put a smile on one of those faces.

And so it was, my new task of caring for my hair so that it could one day be long enough for the famous braid. Although the idea was originally intended as a new years resolution, my hair had a different schedule. It wasn't until yesterday, after 18 months of growing that it reached the right length.

For someone like me, allowing my hair to grow is something quite simple. Yet, for these little girls growing even enough hair to frame their lovely faces is a struggle. There are many ways and many approaches to helping or providing joy to patients dealing with such exhaustive treatments, and its up to us to decide to extend something of our time or resources to support their treatments.

In this way, I decided to donate my hair to a little girl in Mexico. There are many organizations around the world doing this same type of work, it's only a matter of finding them. Furthermore, there are so many teams of medics doing everything they can to help their patients- not to mention the parents and family. So although we all have our own worries and problems, it's good to remember that it always warms the soul to help and extend a hand to those who could use it most.

TRENCITAS de AMOR is just one of the many organizations that have decided to take action and help others. The following link will take you to a video where Perla Zamora explains how a personal experience can give birth to an organization like Trencitas de Amor: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10150837796155650 This social work is carried out within the framework and activities of the American School of Tampico in México.

There are collection centers all over Mexico, and it is often the very participants that offer to set up the collection centers. And if it interests you, you can also participate! Look for the group on Facebook to coordinate with them.

There are many organizations, such as the NGO Locks of Love in The U.S.. They have many years of experience receiving donations of hair for cancer patients and distributing other donations to kids of lower economic means in the U.S. and Canada.

In Argentina, the NGO Trenzando Esperanzas was developed by a group of young girls of about 15 years old who began their work in the southern regions of Argentina. They work in conjunction with Junior Achievement, and you can follow this link to see a video presentation of the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlH3wHcUCqU. Keeping the search, I found another NGO that receives hair donations called Wigs for Kids, which is highly organized. Can enter the page and see, from hairdressers that have been associated, location, cost cutting, etc.

The best part of all this is that you can participate by donating hair, or you can help in other ways. From establishing collection centers, organizing events for awareness, to giving emotional support and company directly to the patients. Like the girls of Trenzando Esperanzas said, "your hair is one more medicine for them!"

We'd love to hear about any other organizations, foundations, or NGO's working on similar or related projects. Maybe in the future they could find ways to work together and thus reach even further. And to all all of these groups, I'd like to express my most sincere congratulations and my greatest admiration

Group of Argentinian Women . org

By the HRAW group:

    A few days ago I met with Martha Miravete Cicero, the director of the NGO "Women's Group Argentina", who was kind enough to welcome us into her home and immediately made us feel like we were part of her family.

Martha told us that GMA sprouted in 1998 from already existing group the CHA (Homosexual Commission of Argentina) which was inspired from her first hand experience of situations that she could never have imagined in what she now prefers to call "Countries of the State" but which we know more commonly as prison.  It was here that Martha witnessed the conditions of Argentinian detention centers and realised that they are far from only being a place where individuals are serving time for committed crimes but also are centers of punishment, far exceeding the penalty levels that any detainee should have to endure.

     On leaving prison, she made the firm decision to do something about it and not to run away from the problem. As Martha stated: "I was always a rebellious person through and through and never remained silent". It was this rebellious spirit which led her to spearhead a project that has made her the voice of many who have experienced similar situations in and out of jail.

     The space given to the GMA community within the CHA lasted for a period of 2 years after which time Martha decided to start a seperate organisation under a different name partly also because several of the girls had issues at home announcing that they belonged to the community ... I thought this was amazing. We aren´t even been talking about a long time ago... The struggle to gain recognition for the community has been truly amazing.

     In addition to the breakoff from the CHA and to have had her jail experience as a major motivation for the group, Martha saw another big problem. Many of her friends endured great discrimination for being carrieres of human inmmune deficiency virus (HIV), and Martha explained to us how these individuals were relegated and mistreated by their peers who did not posess the virus.

    Now, as she explained, she had 3 big situations she knew she wanted to change. She states she was not sure how or when this change was going to occur, but as the former president of my university Mr. Rafael Rangel Sostman once said , "Blessed be ignorance that leads us to embark on roads we know we want to address, but ignore the fact that our actions will bring or how hard it will be to achieve, continue in them, though sometimes we think we want to leave". In such Martha explained how difficult the path has been she has taken embodied in GMA and other partners with it in the cause.

     Her story continues as she tells us that one of the first actions undertaken by the organisation was to advocate for the right to health, and after to juvenile hall to fight for more education on HIV prevention and improvements in nutritional conditions. It is from this plight that came the reason why she calls prisons as "Countries of the State" due to the amount of revenue that these centers receive from the State, and according to Ms. Miravete should have resulted in much better conditions, However, the reality is very different.

     Even though the journey from the birth of the GMA organisation to its first beginnings has been long, by Martha's hand the organization has become a consulting informant of the Organization of American States (OAS), and has realised other achievements such as being part of the Inter-American Comssion, an audience to whom Martha advocated for the rights prisoners within the country.

     Today Martha and the other partners of GMA are about to inaugurate a new working space, a small office located in the center of the Federal Capital of Argentina. GMA has expanded its horizons through its contact with prisoners, whose families know the importance of a much sought after social integration process for those leaving prison. As such the group is also working with programs that help the integration process for ex-prisoners so they can regain their dignity in society.

     If you want to know more about the projects, history and partners of the GMA you can visit the organisations link: http://www.grupodemujeres.org.ar/

When you really want to help...

By: Karla Juced
    

    

     See poverty, hunger and injustice while you are walking on　the streets can be very frightening and impressive, but having the courage to do something about it is a tremendous act of heroism.

　　　　　

     Wanting to help is not always easy as it sounds it is actually even more complicated to act on it. However when　someone has suffered from those deficiencies since childhood and has experienced it on his/her own flesh and blood, predominates something more than the mere desire to help, the survival instinct, the hunger for justice and above all this the desire that what has been lived won't occur to other　innocent people.

     Political conflicts, guerrilla forces, the so named war against　terrorism and various kinds of　 territorial fights, leave behind millions of orphans around the world every day. In the middle east, in Afghanistan alone there are more than 1 million orphans victims of all this violence.


     Andeisha Farid who is 28 years old, has made one of the greatest heroic deed a woman can do. She founded the Afghan Organization for Education and Child Care, AFCECO, an organization that provides care and education　to orphans in Afghanistan. The non-profit organization worries about inculcating values that could impact children in a long term by making them upcoming leaders. She created the foundation to find a safe environment where the children could learn and find their way into the future.

　

     For Farid education is the key to The Change, providing equal educational opportunities to both boys and girls, regardless their origins, gender, race or religious beliefs. To give them freedom of choice and above all context teach them tolerance for those who are or think differently.  It is of vital importance, for these kids, to be able to learn those values in a safe environment where nothing it's imposed.

　　　　

     In a region where historically culture does not aloud women to enjoy the same benefits and rights as men, it's fundamental to highlight Farid's work in teaching the meaning of gender equality. However this implies　security problems for　those girls' safety.　On this matter　Farid mentions: "We live in a country and society dominated by men, so when we promote gender equality, when we give opportunities　to those girls to become musicians or leaders in the community, there will be resistance. They want to put an end to government's corruption. These young people want to go into politics, become social activists and journalists and for women, this is not socially or culturally acceptable."

　

     Farid, said in an interview for CNN news to Asieh Namdar, how she lived in her very own flesh and blood　all these conflicts and their consequences as a child victim of such violence. But it was in her adult life when she saw children　begging for food on the streets of Pakistan, when　she decided to do something　regarding it.　 In the same way that Helena Duron Miranda has done it for a couple of years now. Duron said:　 "I saw children collect green sausages, a bag of potato chip crumbs, a bag of noodles with cream, and recovered leftover yogurt next to a diaper,"　


     Something　that　touched me about　these two women is that we share a common feeling: the terrible anguish that causes seeing　another human being　 looking for food in a　garbage dump.　　　　Duron Miranda is a psychologist　and during an investigation in Bariloche, Argentina, she witnessed such a horrifying situation. She told Brittany Stahl also for CNN: "The children began to gently clean the food -- wiping each little noodle, each potato and peeling the sausage skin so methodically and accurately. It was as if they had done many times."

　

   P.E.T.I.S.O.S which stands for Prevención y Erradicación del Trabajo Infantil SOS (Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor SOS) is the name of the non-governmental organization created by Duron in 2002, and today helps more than 200 of these　children.


　　　　　

     These children do not only seek their food from landfills but also work as members of their families collecting waste for resale. Duron　declares that they keep a　very personal track of each child and their families.  The organization also works together with schools and healthcare facilities in order to get them out of the garbage dumps.

　

     In order to gain the trust of the kids and understand what led these families to end up in similar situations she camped in the dumpster where they work and collect wastes. Each case is treated in a personalized way and earning the trust of the kids can take from 6 to 12 months. Then for each one of them, she and her team creates a special project which includes comprehensive plans for their families, for them to be able to understand the importance of education.

　　　　　　　

     PETISOS's work does not end here and they have groups of volunteers which look after constancy in school attendance as the development of after school activities where children can find help while performing their school tasks. Medical, psychological and social assistance are also available.

　　　　　　Duron Miranda says to Brittany Stahl:　 "I think that's where we start to break vicious cycles stemming from negligent upbringing and upbringing with mistreatment. I think that's our greatest success to date."

　

     Both organizations work with high needs kids,　helping them to get　out of extreme poverty, giving them the necessary skills, among them one of the most important: Education.　Skills with which they might become the men and women of Tomorrow: self-reliant, tolerant and also fighting for the common good.

　　　　　　

HRATW wants to diseminate the work of organizations like PETISOS and AFCECO. They teach us,　with their own example, that when you really want help, you can, that citizen's participation can also provide changes, and that there is always the possibility of helping those who need it the most with so many ways to do it. We hope that the remarkable work of these two organizations will also be made by our governments and that the few corrupt ambitions of some will not affect the common good of the people.

　　　　　　　

CNN Farid and Duron Miranda are heroes, and HRATW considered both of them as an example to be followed by our communities.


http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/06/09/cnnheroes.duron.miranda.argentina/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/11/afghanistan.orphanage.qanda/index.html

Still striving for gender equality

by Karla Juced

As a woman living in the 21^st century, I understand that despite differences between men and women, we are granted equal rights.  I can appreciate how the feminist movement which originated in the late nineteenth century struggled to acheive this. Feminism, as an important women’s rights movement, has had different variations over time, including stages of extreme activism in society. It is certain that without the efforts and proposals made by some very strong women throughout history, many of these achievements may not have taken place.

However, what I can not understand is how, in different regions of the world, females are  still devalued when compared to men. I cannot comprehend how even today a woman would concede (because they do not have many options ...) to less pay for equal work or how murders are committed as a result of domestic violence (most of these victims being women). What kind of world are we living in where women accept to be covered from head to toe and need be escorted to wherever they go. Even worse, something I will never comprehend is why mutilation of female genitalia occurs.

All over the world for decades women have spoken out for female rights, some even perishing in the fight. The female struggle continues today where we are still trying to get not only recognition and equal rights, but disseminate these rights worldwide.

There are numerous organisations which fight for gender equality. They originate with intellectuals who spread their ideologies, visions and beliefs for equal rights. HRAW is seeking these such NGOs who advocate equal rights and gender equality. We strive to build a network of such organizations to proliferate their work, visions and achievements.

One such organisation – ACFODE. (Action for Development) exists in this network. They are a group of voluntary, non-government indigenous women who formed as a result of the Conference of Women in Third World Nations held in Nairobi in July 1985.

The group was originally denied involvement in the conference, due to the fact they were not controlled by the state or a political party, only later to be granted access. The group consists of scholars led by Dr. Hilda Tadria Dr. Joy Kwesiga, Dr. Ruth Mukama and Dr. Maxine Ankrah. Ever since their involvement in the conference, the group has become an effective platform for discussion and action regarding issues of womens empowerment in Uganda. This has been consolidated through the development of policies, research, training, coalition building, mobilization and awareness of their core strategies which are aimed at improving the capacity of Ugandans to advocate for women and gender equality in the national agenda.

ACFODEs’ work is focused among other things in the education and training of leaders in areas of gender equality. In their experience they have found that most local leaders have a limited knowledge of gender needs in their communities.

Among its various activities to support the leadership of women, the group organized a community meeting in 2010 to raise awareness about the role of women's participation in representation and also leadership training for women candidates.

Some of the training provided to participants was:

* Ways to incorporate gender in all aspects of their work.
*  Analytical tools of gender. Action plans to mainstream gender in their plans and budgets.

ACFODE says: "The workshop was very successful and attended by a total of 13 women and 14 men."

The organisation have many different partners and a wide network including; the ICRW (International Center for Research about Women), Diakonia (People Changing the World), KAS (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung), EIRENE (International Christlicher Friedensdienst), IDF (Inependant Development Fund), UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), Danida (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark), NDI (National Democracy Institute) just to name a few.

The important point here is to note how ACFODE has managed to work together with these organizations from many different areas adopting various necessary structural changes in the advocation of women rights.

The collaboration of different disciplines here is very important. Sharing information between developed countries and developing countries (being the right of the latter and obligation of the former) is essential in these organisations and allows them to work together for sustainable development of world societies.

This is another example of why HRAW wants to share and disseminate the work and strategies adopted by various NGOs. If you know of another organization that has inspired you with work in these areas please contact us and let us know! Every story helps to spread the word. Help is needed and extremely valued!