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!

Bridges out of Poverty

Today I attended a training titled Bridges out of Poverty. The training was developed by Ruby Payne and colleagues at aha! process, inc. The piece of poverty that this training focuses on is the economic piece, which is certainly a big part but doesn't cover everything. The economic status of someone is only one thread of their quilt, ya know? There are many other threads that make up that quilt - age, marital status, sexual orientation, location, gender, religion, race, etc.

We talked mainly about generational poverty, which is when poverty exists in a family from generation to generation. Situational poverty, which we are definitely seeing a lot more of today, is when a situation - death, divorce, unemployment, depression, drugs, disability, etc - put you in poverty.

We talked about the mental model of poverty. A mental model is your perception, how you view something. As we know, everyone sees things differently. We might look at someone and think they are poor, but in reality they may be quite happy with their situation. Hell, you might view a couple who looks rich and think they have it made, when in fact they might be the most unhappiest people in the room. Don't judge a book by the cover. Plain and simple.

To check how our perceptions were different, we took the words Love, Religion, Celebration and Divorce and drew a picture representation. We all had different pictures. For divorce, someone drew a broken heart, and someone else drew a smiley face! This was a prime example at how we all view things differently, and if you are not on the same page with your client, you will be completely useless to them. There was an example of a social worker who had a poor family of 5 on her caseload. They didn't have a refrigerator - they used Styrofoam coolers. So, without telling the family, the social worker set up a fund raiser so she could buy them a fridge. And she did just that. A week after delivering this gracious gift to them, she called to check in and couldn't reach them. A month went by before she heard from the family, and when she asked where they had been, they told her they went to visit their sick mother/grandmother. The social worker asked them how the heck they were able to afford that (in another state, had crappy car, etc). Can you guess what their answer was? They sold the fridge! The social worker was completely shocked at their response and asked why they did that. They simply said that visiting this sick relative was far more important than a fridge could ever be. So, the social worker should have asked this family what was important to them and what they needed, because what the social worker thought they needed was not something the family thought they needed.

So to get on the same page about poverty, we looked at the mental model. Guess what's at the center of the Mental Model for Poverty? RELATIONSHIPS. Social workers know the importance of relationships, as it is part of our Social Work values. It is no surprise that people are social animals and need to have relationships with others to feel secure, have support/resources, etc. Trusting relationships are the key to motivating someone to change. Building trust with your client can possibly be one of the hardest things you have to do with them, but once that trust is solid, the helping relationship will blossom and you will be able to effectively assist your client in the change process.

I learned an interesting tidbit. People in generational poverty do not have a future orientation. They live in the here and now. All their priorities are right now. Whatever is needed at that moment. This is very different from how the middle class views life - we are very future oriented! We save money, when we can, and think about our futures - education, family, retirement, etc. The generational poor don't go there - what is the point?

This brings me to a very interesting argument. If a mother of 3 is eligible for Medicaid, WIC, Food Stamps, etc., but loses it all if she gets a $6/hr job (which won't pay for squat) - what the heck is her motivation to work? What is the point of stressing herself out over a bullshit job, wondering if she is going to get fired for missing work every time one her children gets sick, feeling completely exhausted at the end of the day and then having to care for the children. The list goes on. YES - a lot of us work, and work hard, and then come home to work for our families, but I think those who are reading this blog are living comfortably from their efforts, and while we all certainly have stress - it is usually not at the level of the poor.

"The need to act overwhelms any willingness people have to learn." If someone is always stressed out and having to constantly worry about the NOW - what will my children eat for breakfast, how will they get to school, how will I get to work, what if I miss my bus connection and I'm late and get fired, what if something happens to my children when they are home alone - they are never going to be able to take the time to reflect and learn. Never. Can you imagine feeling like that 247? I moan and complain when I have one night of insomnia due to an upcoming test or big event. I can't imagine constantly having those dreadful feelings in my head.

Wanna know what is at the center of the Mental Model for Middle Class? ACHIEVEMENT. Surprised? I wasn't. Guess what's at the center for the Wealthy? CONNECTIONS. Again - not surprised. The middle class has future orientation, CHOICES and power. This does not exist for those in poverty. The Mental Model of Generational Poverty describes life from a Concrete Perspective. These people tell it like it is. There are no abstract thoughts - thinking of going to college, thinking of becoming successful - there is only concrete thinking. Tell it like it is. What you see is what you get.

Anyway - there is so much more to say but I'm hungry! What I really took away from this training was pretty much what I've already been taught in my social work classes: Start where the client is. If you get on the same page with them, and see their story through their eyes, your helping relationship is bound to be effective in some way. If you think the client needs X, Y and Z services, but all they want from you is a clean pair of socks - then that is what you give them.

And to end this post - check out this documentary called The End of Poverty?

"I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring." ~Liz Armbruste

Yesterday, I had the most enjoyable experience at my internship. I finally got to meet a family that adopted internationally. This family, who I will call the Jones, adopted a sibling group of 3 from Ethiopia. Before I met the family, I was able to watch a documentary that they were in regarding adopting from another country. It was so beautiful to see this family (The Jones and 2 of their adult bio sons) meet their new children/siblings. (Mr. Jones actually made the trip prior to this and had already met the children.) The Jones went through a reputable agency and even met Birth mom (B.M.) when they went to the country to pick up their children. She is very ill and can no longer care for them. B.M. was featured in the documentary and let me tell you, I was amazed at the strength of this woman. She was so composed and strong. However, a smile never crossed her face, and her eyes showed the depth of her pain. Supervir was crying and I had a few tears drip down my face. That type of thing is never easy to witness, no matter what situation the B.M. is in. B.M. and Mrs. Jones hugged one another and it was the most powerful thing to watch. B.M. is ever grateful that her children are being cared for and will likely live to old age, but it was the epitome of a bitter-sweet moment, if that even describes it at all. :(

Now, on to the FUN PART! I got to meet the children! I shall call them Amare (boy), age 3; Desta (girl), age 5; and big brother Bekele, age 6. The Jones kept their ethnic names (which are REALLY cool/cute, I wish I could tell you) and gave them American middle names. They were obviously already used to their names so changing them would have made the transition more difficult. However, I must first say that I was AMAZED at how quickly these children have transitioned into their new life. They've only been here 3 months and I would never be able to tell that they weren't born here. They only thing that gives it away is their cute little accent. :)


Bekele is only 6 but he was practically the parent of his 2 siblings since he was 4. He had to feed and bathe them as their mother could not. Needless to say, this young man is a leader in ever since of the word. The Jones described his transition from a parental figure to a sibling as wondrous. To see him roll around on the floor with little Amare was quite surprising (especially to Amare!) because these things did not happen back in Ethiopia. He had a sort of emotional breakdown at some point and they let him cry, so he knows it is ok to cry. I assume he had to keep all of these emotions inside in Ethiopia. Bekele is in first grade, is very outgoing, talks really fast (his English is great but if he gets going, he starts to blur it with Amharic, his native tongue), and loves soccer. :)


Desta is SO CUTE! She barely said 2 words but she is such a pretty little thing. (She and Amare look so much a like, and a lot like B.M. but I think Bekele looks very different from them.) Desta has adjusted well but she is still very sensitive to her parents leaving. When were done with the visit, the Jones walked us to the door and Desta said "Mommy, no go!" and ran to her and threw her arms around her legs. It was very touching and shows the trauma these children have experienced in their life. Mrs. Jones said she had a meltdown at the dinner table one night when she would not eat her vegetables. Typical toddler. She was also given a princess dress (Cinderella, of course) which she wore to a princess birthday party. Well, her birthday just passed and she got up that morning and immediately put on her princess dress. I think she associates birthdays with having to wear that dress. Too cute. She goes to Pre-K 4 mornings a week.


Amare is the youngest and so adorable! He has picked up the language the fastest, since he is the youngest. He seems very good natured and easy going, and they said he doesn't have tantrums (yet). He's social and has a great sense of humor. He didn't say much while we were there but he did show me his wonderful smile many times.


The Jones family were given MANY things - children's clothes, toys, money - by their church and community. When the children first sat down with these toys, they looked at them like "what the heck am I supposed to do with this?" They didn't have toys in Ethiopia. You know what they wanted to play with? The rocks and dirt in the backyard. That was familiar to them and they had a blast. The Jones say the children are very industrious and hardworking. The like to be productive, probably because they are used to it. Bekele likes to help Mr. Jones bag up leaves in the yard. Amare cleaned up after himself after he ate without being told.


I told the Jones that I hope they don't mind if I call them in 20 years when I'm ready to adopt from Rwanda. They asked why I would wait so long, and I told them my husband and I are incurring serious debt from school, so it will definitely have to wait. I had a side conversation with Mrs. Jones about my anti-genocide advocacy days and how I mostly want to work with refugees. That got us discussing the Lost Boys of Sudan and Human Aid workers and all of the things that I can only dream of being a part of. However, at least I can help those who resettle here. They need it too.


All in all, it was the best field experience I've had thus far, and I am very happy for this family. Those kids are very, very lucky to have this new life. They will not forget where they came from though, and have pictures of their B.M. and share stories about her. B.M. has pictures of them, as well, and will receive updates. Hopefully B.M. doesn't suffer for a long time, and I hope she is at peace with her decision.


[Rant]


The documentary also showed the dark side to adoption in a lot of countries: Human Trafficking. I was sickened to see some of the practices that these FAKE agencies do to obtain children to SELL to Americans who are completely clueless. And let me just put this out there RIGHT NOW, Christian World Adoption was shown in this video in a village, coercing parents to hand over their children. Now, I do not know anything else about this agency, other than what I witnessed on this video, but what I saw was enough. These children were FINE! Obviously, Ethiopia is not the best country in the world to live in, and the people that live here struggle in ways we can't even imagine, but these children and their families were living the typical Ethiopian life. These agencies come to these villages and persuade these people to hand over their children by telling them of the beautiful, healthy, safe lives they will live in America, never going hungry, blah blah. Ok, that IS great. I wish ALL of those people could live the way we do. The entire WORLD should be able too, but let's get realistic. The entire world can't move to the U.S., and children should remain with their families unless they are being neglected, abused, etc. These children were FINE!




Supervisor was telling me how they have discontinued international adoptions from Guatemala because women were being found dead with their stomachs cut open. PEOPLE WERE KILLING PREGNANT WOMEN WHO WERE NEAR TERM TO CUT OUT THE INFANT SO THEY COULD MAKE A PROFIT OFF THE ADOPTION OF THE BABY. Honestly, I don't think humanity can sink any lower into evil.



[/Rant]

Research dispels myths about moving off welfare

http://www.energypublisher.com/article.asp?id=19756

Hmmm. I've always wondered about this. My cousin was able to get off welfare but she has 4 children and certainly still has financial troubles. I think many people only live in poverty for a short term, but there are definitely many more that have chronic poverty. It's not easy to get out of either, with the way our capitalist economy is run. And of course, women are faced with cumulative oppression, and if they are a minority woman, it is even worse. The cards are stacked against them.

So what do we do? How do we fix this broken system? :(

Unite For Hunger And Hope

As always, I am blogging for a better tomorrow. As you all know, people across the globe go to bed hungry every single night. It is estimated that 963 million people across the world are hungry. Not a pretty number, not at all. Ready for an even uglier statistic? One child dies every 5 seconds from hunger-related causes.

Hunger is the most extreme form of poverty and manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness. Countries with a large hunger problem are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. However, don't let those safety nets fool you into thinking people in Industrialised nations are safe from hunger. Check out this table of poverty and hunger statistics for each State in the U.S. Not pretty. I'm assuming that most of these poor are minorities, the elderly - and children. 

Most Americans take for granted the basic human necessity of having shelter, food and drink. And even more point the finger and blame the person for their situation. However, I have learned in my social work classes that you absolutely cannot lump people together. Every single person has a different story to tell, and every single situation is unique. We should not be turning our noses down at the poor. Instead, we should be admiring them for SURVIVING!

Now is the time to take a step back and really thank your lucky stars that you are in the position you are. You should also think about volunteering at a local food bank, soup kitchen - or even pitch in during the holidays. Trust me - there is always someone around who could really use a nice hot bowl of chow.

Click to Give @ The Hunger Site

Following through on a promise

Before Barack Obama was President-elect -- from the very beginning of his campaign -- he pledged to change the way Washington works. That meant not accepting any financial contributions from lobbyists or political action committees.

Voters often said this was one of the major reasons they supported Barack, and they've been writing to the Transition to tell us how important they think it is that this commitment continues.

Lexington from San Diego, CA, wrote:

"When I first learned of Barack Obama, I was encouraged by his thoughts [on] ending the power of lobbyists and the negative effect of the revolving door on the White House. I'd like to see an agenda that focuses on promoting transparency and getting people into government who sincerely want to serve the interests of the nation over their own careers."

John from Seattle, WA wrote, "I am so tired of special interests getting the best of us all. I support you and hope that you will allow the common guy to have a say in how we are to be governed from now on."

Now Barack has taken the first step, with new rules that restrict how lobbyists can participate in the transition -- just as he restricted how they could participate in the campaign.

The new policy, which ethics experts have praised as a bold step forward, was only announced yesterday -- but already people have written in to show their support.

Sarah from Brockport, NY, wrote, "Today I read about the tough new rules for lobbyists and it just further solidified the faith I have in this administration to bring about a real change....I am feeling real patriotic and in tune with my government for the first time in my 46 years."

Carmen from Olympia, WA wrote simply: "Thank you for the transition ethics. Thank you."

***

I am so happy to read this because I firmly believe that democracy in this country has completely lost its meaning. I am reading a book for class and I have to write an academic review. The book is called One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All by Mark Robert Rank. There is a section in the book on Democracy, Liberty, Justice and Equality and how the existence of poverty undermines these ideals. Impoverished groups are excluded or underrepresented in the democratic process and are usually not knowledgeable in how to speak up for themselves. Poor are often invisible in the democratic! We will never see change the process continues this way. We ALL need to speak and be heard.