tili pamodzi all of us together

tili pamodzi all of us together
Originally uploaded by stellel.

Our School, Voluntown Elementary, is raising funds to buy a well for an orphan school called Chikumbuso in Zambia. These are some of the kids from Chikumbuso holding up the bracelets our kids made for them. Tili pamodzi means "all of us together" so the kids where chanting this when the picture was taken. Last night we had a fundraiser which was a silent auction of pottery bowls made by VES kids. We raised $4000.00 of our $6000.00 goal. We are very excited, and hope our Zambian friends will be enjoying clean water soon!

A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Starbucks is sponsoring a book tour for the author of this book, Ishmael Beah. He is a former child soldier from Sierra Leone.

Slavery then and Now...

Did you know?

Approximately two million children are enslaved in the commercial sex trade. Exploiting poverty, this form of slavery is woven into the local economy of many countries.

Nearly 300,000 children are forced to serve in bloody armed conflicts around the world. "Kill or be killed" is what these children face on a daily basis.

An estimated 250 million children work in exploitative labor conditions around the world. From manufacturing sweatshops to domestic service, without choice, these children serve as slaves to industry and the wealthy.

This web-site: The Amazing Change which is inspired by the new film "Amazing Grace", is seeking to educate people about modern day slavery. 50% of which is forced upon children. Go, sign the petition. Be a voice in the wilderness...

John 21:15

John 21:15
Originally uploaded by stellel.

I entered this piece in an art show yesterday. My friend Nancy and I both brought pieces to this show. The piece is made from vintage silk tulle, embroidered with thrifted thread, a silk remnant (that was silk screened), a cigar box and vintage buttons.

Nine Years Old

My daughter is nine years old. I can't stop thinking about this boy, Alone Banda, also nine, from Zambia. Alone works 6 days a week in a quarry, smashing rocks. He makes about $3.00 every two weeks. I just can't imagine the horrible situation these kids are in. Or maybe, I just can't STOP imagining it.

Anyone Going to Houston?

Check out Fiberart For A Cause at the International Quilt Festival - Houston, November 2-5, 2006.

Fiberart For A Cause (FFAC) was
founded by Virginia A. Spiegel in 2005.
Her sister, Nancy J. Spiegel Rosman is
the chair of the American Cancer
Society’s Relay For Life fundraiser in
Forest Lake, MN. Their father is a colon
cancer survivor.

Virginia wanted to raise an additional $90
for the 2005 Relay For Life of Forest
Lake. She decided to offer fiberart
postcards for a $30 donation to the
American Cancer Society (ACS) online.
She was soon making fiberart postcards
full time to keep up with demand. Other
fiber artists began donating their fiberart
postcards to help raise funds for the
ACS. Over $10,000 was raised in four
months.

This success led to an invitation by Karey
Bresenhan (FFAC’s Honorary
Chairperson and Director, International
Quilt Festival – Houston and Chicago), to
have fiberart postcards available at
International Quilt Festivals in Houston
and Chicago where over $38,000 was
raised.

FFAC also hosts other fiber-related
activities to raise funds for the ACS
including an Invitational Reverse Auction.

(RED)

There probably aren't many people who haven't heard about the (RED) campaign, thanks to Oprah.

Here's the good news:

(PRODUCT) RED sales in the U.S. in just two and half weeks have raised enough money to:

Provide more than 10,000 men or women with ARV treatment for a year (Note: These treatments are only a small portion of a person’s overall treatment and represent just one year of lifelong treatment)

Or

Provide more than 1 million peer educators with HIV training

Or

Provide a year’s worth of school materials and daily hot meals for more than 35,000 children orphaned by AIDS

Or

Provide more than 650,000 Rapid Tests which detect HIV and deliver instant test results.

More exciting info can be found on (BLOG) RED.