February 2, 2011

Hey Everyone,
Happy February, and Happy Snow Day for everyone in Madtown, and whoever else is really lucky right now. Although I am jealous I'm missing out, we have like 10 "Reading Days" throughout the semester which are basically snow days but without the snow, and instead with really great weather... so, sorry.  Haha, anyway the main purpose of my blog today is to convince you all to support a non-profit that one of my teachers on ship had started a few years back. It is called Empower Nepali Girls, and it basically gives scholarships to young girls in Nepali, so that they can afford the costs necessary to go to school each year and to prevent them from being sold into the sex slave market. It was a really moving presentation that we heard on one of the first days of class and has really stuck with me ever since. I encourage any and all of you to look into this organization and to donate if you feel compelled. I promise this org is legit and you will help save a girls life with every penny. Another thing, which encouraged me to write this blog was something I leaned in my Global Ethics class yesterday. We learned about world poverty and read a chapter form Singer's One World book called One Community which discussed the necessary means for our world to eliminate poverty.  We learned that in order for this to happen, the world's richest nations need to give 0.7% of the GNP to countries of need. We also learned that the United States only gives .1%, and this only increases to .14% if we were to include private donations. We learned that the richest 225 people in the world have more money than 48% of the entire world, and that 4% of their assets could pay for basic medical needs and education for EVERY single person on Earth. That is really something.  But what really motivated me was the facts that all we really need is for every person to just donate 1 cent for every dollar that they make... that is .1% of your yearly income. So I encourage you to do this for one year, and see how it makes you feel knowing that you could save multiple children's lives (costs ~ $200 to save a child's life).

Here are some places that I know could use your help

Empower Nepali Girls (empowernepaligirls.org)
 Ghimire Foundation/ 220 9th Street/ Huntington Beach, CA/ 92648
 Questions: jkottler@fullerton.edu (my professor)

UNICEF (don't have contact info without internet)



Just remember, we have a lot more than we need to survive, and many children all over the world don't even have clean water, or education... SO donate!!


Thanks. Keira