Cause of the Month: Water for People

Did you ever stop to think about water, and exactly how important it is to sustain all living things? In America, water is as common as a terrible singer on a popular reality show. We take it for granted. Big time. Are you aware of exactly how desperate some countries are for potable, sanitary drinking water? I would say that access to potable, sanitary drinking water is a basic human right. Wouldn't you? Unfortunately, it is not a reality for many people of the world. People in countries like Bangladesh, Ethiopia and India mostly drink, bathe and urinate/defecate in the same water source. It is utterly despicable that some people must live this way - can you imagine drinking sewage with your dinner? It is also a major source of disease - cholera being a big one. Cholera is a nasty, nasty disease and a shitty (literally) way to suffer and die.

Luckily, there are agencies out there that are trying to bring potable drinking water to undeveloped nations so that the people can be free from the water-born disease, and enjoy a human right that we should all have. I introduce you to PlayPumps! Water For People and Case Foundation are working with PlayPumps International to tackle the world water issue. I learned about PlayPumps during my undergrad and I must say, I think it is SUCH a fantastic idea! 

How PlayPumps Work

• While children have fun spinning on the PlayPump merry-go-round (1), clean water is pumped (2) from underground (3) into a 2,500-liter tank (4), standing seven meters above the ground.
• A simple tap (5) makes it easy for adults and children to draw water. Excess water is diverted from the storage tank back down into the borehole (6).
• The water storage tank (7) provides a rare opportunity to advertise in outlaying communities. All four sides of the tank are leased as billboards, with two sides for consumer advertising and the other two sides for health and educational messages. The revenue generated by this unique model pays for pump maintenance.
• The design of the PlayPump water system makes it highly effective, easy to operate and very economical, keeping costs and maintenance to an absolute minimum.
• Capable of producing up to 1,400 liters of water per hour at 16 rpm from a depth of 40 meters, it is effective up to a depth of 100 meters.

Genius idea, I think! 

The PlayPump is a great school/clinic option. Water For People begins implementing this solution in 2010 as a way to improve school water solutions. A spinning merry-go-round pumps water out of a borehole and up into a tank. Great for hand-washing and serving  part of a community, this will first be implemented in Malawi as a means to create full coverage in a community. This is one of several options available for communities.

Check it out in action:

Major donation options available!

Spring 2010 Semester

My new semester starts tomorrow. I am going to be taking my Practice w/ Groups and Families course, as well as my Field Seminar. I am starting my field practicum back tomorrow at my internship. I look forward to what this semester shall bring, even though it means less book-reading for fun and more for pure learning. :(

I am working one less job this time around, which is highly affecting my lunch money fund. I left my graduate assistantship, which did not pay a lot but did pay my tuition, so I could have more time to breathe. I kept the job I work from home, as I make more money, but work less hours. Still, it is not enough income to support all of our bills, so I still need to take out loans, right along with the bazillion dollars Todd is racking up in school loans. It is a sad state of financial affairs in our home, but we will get by...With lots of Wii games, Netflix movies and leftovers! Oh, and we are hitting the gym TOGETHER tomorrow after our days are over and I hope to make it a common weekly occurrence (maybe Mon, Wed and Sat?). We need it.

P.S. I sent an email to the School of Social Work to tell them I going to attend full-time next school year to get done in 3 years, instead of 4. I will hopefully take my 3 electives this summer (if available) to lighten the load a bit. I am freaking out over the amount of work I will have on my plate. I've never done college full-time, and doing grad school full-time makes me want to either vomit or pass out. However, I'm a dedicated woman who doesn't give up easily. So - wish me luck! (I am doing this so Todd and I can start a family. I need to be done with school first though, and since I turn 31 in a few weeks, I feel we need to get the ball rolling!)

EDIT: Todd and I just made a pact (sealed with a kiss) to hit the gym every Mon and Wed after our day is over, plus do some sort of exercise on Sat - gym, walk, Wii, etc. YAY!

Chlamydia cases reach all-time high

Even though our world has progressed to depths we are all amazed at, we are still fighting the big fight against viruses, bacteria and other invisible creepy crawlies. In 2007, the US had a reported ONE MILLION Chlamydia (bacteria) cases. According to Consumer Reports, this is the highest reported number for any disease ever reported. Of course, the report says that women reported at 3x than men, and young women and women of color get a double whammy. The CDC thinks there are far more cases out there that are not even reported or diagnosed! 

I bring this up because it brings up my love for prevention programming. I really believe in this idea. If you give people the tools and the knowledge, you are empowering them to make a better decision for themselves. Yea, I know what you're thinking. Unless you are living under a rock or in the middle of the desert, you should know about common health issues such as these. Unfortunately, you would be really surprised at what people do and do not know. Ignorance gets higher every day as our world expands and evolves.

Anywho - your health is important. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, and this is especially important when you choose to have sex. Be smart. And tell the person to take a hike if they don't want to engage in safe sex. There are PLENTY of willing people to engage in the  horizontal bop with you. 

http://www.cdc.gov/std/

WORLD AIDS DAY

I took an AIDS course during my undergrad. I've always had this passion for epidemiology, although I could never make it through the schooling for it. My brain just is not wired for math and science (although I love Biology!) Anywho, the AIDS class was simply put - amazing! I definitely owe it to the teacher, Adi. The course was online and she actually lived out of state. However, she opened my eyes to the human side of the disease, which really translates to the work I will be doing in the Social Work field.

• She had us write personal stories about ourselves (if we chose to) and it allowed me to talk about personal things in my life.
• We had to make up a story, and I chose a friend's life experience as the basis for that one.
• We had to analyze movies that cover diseases - I chose Rent and Yesterday - two very touching productions that cover the human side of AIDS (HA! A Rent tune just started playing on my ITunes - freaky!).
• We had to analyze a chapter of an Epidemiology book. I choose the HIV chapter since I wanted to learn more. It covered the history of the disease and how far we have come in our knowledge of it. WOW - you would not even believe the things they believed about HIV back then. It is almost laughable, but so very sad to imagine those who lived and died with it back then.
• Probably the most amazing part of this class was the amazing book I was introduced too. I probably would not have come across it otherwise, and I was so thankful that I was able to read it. The book is called What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. It is entertaining (the main character has a spicy attitude and she is very open about her disease) and heart-warming. It allows us to view the human side of the disease, as you follow the main character through a crazy ride, and see the disease through her eyes. A very empowering book. READ IT.
  

I bring this personal story up because I think it is important for everyone to have a personal experience in order to better understand situations. I don't mean contracting the disease (duh) but exposing yourself to it, in some form of education, meeting some who is infected.

So - HERE IS YOUR EDUCATION!

Today is WORLD AIDS DAY. On the 1st of December, World AIDS Day, individuals and organizations from around the world come together to bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Whilst we have come a long ways since 1988, there is still much more to be done. As part of the Bloggers Unite massive, I want to make sure everyone knows a bit about the movement to eradicate this nasty little virus. We did it with small pox right?

How can you participate?

• In a world full of drug abuse - especially among our youth – we should all learn about the connections between HIV and drug use. It doesn't all have to do with needle use. Drug use can lead to risky behaviors, like sex without protection. This is HUGE, and definitely the main avenue for transmission of the disease. Read about this link at NIDA.
• Educate yourself from a reputable source: Visit the CDC website.
• TALK ABOUT IT with your partner!! Be smart!
• Support Product (Red)
• GET TESTED!!There are so many ways to achieve this, and many are anonymous. If you are a student, you definitely have options available through school. If not, click here to find the nearest testing center.

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In other news, I called in to work today. I was up all night with a migraine that made me sick. I don't get them often, but dang - I knew something was going on yesterday afternoon. I am not quick to point out halos since I don't get them often, but I could tell something was definitely not right. Blech. I am completely wired right now from no sleep. It took me a long time to actually write this dang blog in a coherent manner...*yawn*

Pos or Not?

Amazing. Idealist.org posted about this website today. It plays off the Hot or Not website idea, but instead you are trying to guess if the person is HIV positive or not. It's meant to show us all that you can not tell by looking at someone if they are infected.

Get tested people!

http://www.posornot.com/

Cure for Skin Cancer? Patient Recovers After Cell Injection

Well, this is of interest to me since I just had an ordeal with skin cancer (and have had another in the past). Melanoma runs in my family, so I don't mess around with skin spots. If you were wondering why I was so pasty looking, there is your answer.

A cancer patient (with an advanced form) was injected with billions of his own immune "defense" cells that doctors cloned from cells that were found to attack the cancer cells best. This process is known as "immunotherapy". The 52-year-old is now free from tumors within eight weeks of undergoing the procedure! After two years he is still free from the disease which had spread to his lymph nodes and one of his lungs.

I mean - WOW! This is a breakthrough!