A Dollar A Day

And here I am, a few days after the experiment ended, and I'm sure of two things:
That what I call "liking nice things" or "looking after myself" or "spending the money which I earn to treat myself" has another name. Gluttony. Forget images of clinically obese, aging emperors gorging themselves on global delicacies, the truth about gluttony in the 21st century is that it wears a thousand perfectly respectable, blinking, flashing, shining, enticing masks. Gluttony is not the preserve of the ultra wealthy; it is the driver that powers our materialism.
And if I'm sure that I've got a long way to go, then I'm even more assured of this eternal truth: that change is possible, that my life does not have to conform, that nothing is written.
850 WORDS OF RELEVANT :: 06.19.06

This is a quote from an impacting article I read by Craig Borlase who lived on 53 English pence a day, for one week. Details on his blog, nothing is written.

One by One

This weekend my good friend Ellie hosted a fistula "party". A fistula is condition suffered by women who, because of prolonged and difficult births, develop a permanent leak in their bladders. In the Western world, fistula was eradicated in the mid 1800's. It takes a simple operation to repair the condition. However, in developing countries the problem is rampant, due to a combination of poor nutrition, early motherhood, and lack of basic medical services.

In many developing countries, when a woman develops a fistula, she is often completely rejected by her community because of the odour that accompanies her constant leaking. Sadly, the $300 that a repair operation costs is often beyond the woman's means.

A few years ago in the US, a couple of women learned about this tragic situation and decided to take action. They formed a grassroots organization named One by One and began hosting Giving Circles, groups of 10 women who would give $30 each, in order to pay for these fistula surgeries and free their sisters overseas One by One! So far they have been amazingly successful! Women all over Canada and the US have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At Ellie's place on Saturday, about 15 women attended, and $1280 was raised! That's enough to give four women back their lives! It may be small, but it feels great!!

To find out more, go to http://www.onebyoneproject.net/.