One of the things I have always insisted on is that Un-Betaed remains somewhat impersonal. If you’ve stumbled upon the site, and my words made you stop for a while to ponder or they’ve touched you in some way, then I sincerely thank you. As a writer, I’m merely fulfilling the Muse’s need to be heard.
But perhaps it is time I give a little something of myself here. In the form of a non-profit organisation called Caleb’s Hope, for whom I started volunteering for earlier this year (2009). It is a project that I am passionate about and believe in. It is very simple: I believe in Holly Dignard, the founder and president of CH, and her vision for the organisation. Being a part of the organisation has opened my eyes to a lot of things personally, and it has introduced me to a great bunch of people I would otherwise never had the opportunity to meet.
More importantly, the cause that CH stands for is one that ought to be applauded. We live in a cynical world today, and a lot of times we hesitate about donating money and time to this non-profit and that NGO because there just seems to be an endless supply of them working out of Africa. But the project that Holly has started is not just about asking for donations from the developed nations so we can then send them off to those in need, nicely packaged and to a certain extent, no commitment necessary. The NYARA Project, for instance, provides training for paper beads jewellery making for women affected by HIV/AIDS and the long war Northern Uganda has had with the LRA. Rather than just sending money and aid, CH aims to train these women so they can start earning a sustainable income in order to provide for themselves and their families.
I think most would agree that the best thing to do is to allow this women to help themselves by empowering them. The people who work for CH are all volunteers, so money generated from sales of the beads goes directly back to the project as well as the village bank. We’re also a small organisation, so any help we get goes a long way: donations obviously allows CH to continue helping these vulnerable women and children. I implore you to check out CH’s website for more information, or alternatively, you can actually find us on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, as well as LiveJournal.
4 June 2009
