The thought that my children would miss out on food for hours, days, even weeks.. until their tiny bodies can no longer function – that’s a thought I’ve never had to ponder, let alone fear. Unfortunately, a large portion of the mothers in our world do have to think through this scenario, fear it and all too often – experience it.

I’m a busy mum. My husband has a business and we have three young children. Like everyone, life is full. But I can’t shake that small still voice inside me which whispers, “No mother should have to watch their child die from hunger..” When I’m going about my day, loving my kids, feeling frustrated by my kids, dropping into bed exhausted by the end of the day – every now and then the thought enters my mind, “Why do some mums miss out on the opportunity to care for their kids like I do?”

Amidst the busyness and fullness of life, I’ve decided to start a project which, I hope can help change and save lives. There’s no doubt about it – we’re all stirred when we hear of child and maternal mortality. The statistics are alarming (I’ll post about that tomorrow) and the stories tear our heart out.

The reality is, right now in the western world, as we raise our children and establish our lives, the large majority of us mums are unable to actually go overseas and help – in a hands on way. We can give though, and if we give together, we can make a real difference. It actually doesn’t cost as much as you’d think. Organisations like Mercy House Kenya do amazing things on a tiny budget. They have perfected the art of doing a lot of good, for a small amount of money. The money we give allows the people at The Mercy House Kenya to do what they do best – give life, hope and a future to mothers who are otherwise without all these.

Here’s my idea:

I want to raise $1000 to support The Mercy House. I don’t want to (and can’t!) do it alone. I want to do it with you – the readers – if you’re keen and agree with me; that other mums deserve just as much opportunity as we do.

What’s with the name?

The project is called The Sunflower Effect. The idea behind this is two-fold:

Sunflower: flower of the sun (latin translation)

The Butterfly Effect: where a small change at one place can result in large differences to a later state.

The idea behind The Sunflower Effect is that we can all do something to help – big things and small things. If we put all our actions together, we will cause a re-action or, a butterfly effect.

We all live under the same sun, the mums in Kenya struggling to survive and raise children, us over here in Australia.. we are all connected.

How’s it going to work?

Donations. No matter how small (or big!).. every donation will allow Mercy House Kenya to help women and their babies. If we all give the bit we can afford, together we can make a large donation to help the people at Mercy House Kenya do what we can’t do right now. The Sunflower Effect is signed up at Razoo (kinda like the EverydayHero site). You can donate at Razoo by clicking here and the money will go directly to Mercy House while we watch the $1000 target get closer and closer!

Sponsorship. Further down the track I am hoping to have sponsorship/advertising spaces available on the blog. If you or your business is interested in sponsoring The Sunflower Effect, please contact me for more information.

What is Mercy House Kenya?

Mercy House Kenya was started by Kristen Welch from We Are That Family (blog) last year as a safe haven for women who are pregnant and in danger. Annually, 21,000 women are hospitalized from having an illegal, unsafe abortion in Kenya (Center for Reproductive Rights). With rape being incredibly common and 1500 women dying in childbirth everyday in Africa (WHO), Kristen and her family decided to do what they knew God wanted them to do and opened a home in Kenya. The home is run by Maureen, a Compassion International Leadership Graduate and provides medical care, counselling, safety, bible teaching, education, opportunities for future self-employment and more.

Our residents are invited to stay in the program for a minimum of two to four years, but our desire is to support each mom and baby throughout their lives. Each girl earns money through our Sustainable Skills Program and it will be dispersed over a long-term period to continue their education and even start a business as a part of our Graduate Program. Since our residents are at-risk- abused and even orphaned, we will assist them for as long as needed. We want to be their forever family and will tailor our help to each girl’s situation. Our goal is quality, not quantity – and total discipleship.

It is the desire of The Mercy House team to fulfill Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good: And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercy, to walk humbly with your God.”

There are three aims of The Sunflower Effect.

1. Support mums in developing countries by raising $1000 for The Mercy House Kenya.

2. Raise awareness of the fact that there is a huge difference between our lives and that of others, especially those in third world nations.

3. Encourage action. There are some massive social issues but the tide is turning. Our small, individual acts are compounding and (this is the butterfly effect in action!) together, we are making a difference (I’ll post more on these exciting developments soon).

So, are you with me on this? Will you work with me to raise $1000? It doesn’t seem like much money but it will make a massive difference to the mums and babies who are able to receive care because of it.

What can you do?

There are three things you can do right now which would really help kick start the project.

1. Tell your friends. Every (1) Matters is on facebook (Joni’s Jottings) and twitter (@jonisjottings). If you like what you have read, please share this post wherever you can. Feel free to use information on this blog to inform others. You could also email your friends and family about The Sunflower Effect!

2. Pray. I really believe that God is supporting this little project and that He will be right behind us as we raise these funds and talk about these issues. If you feel that way inclined, I’d love to have your support in prayer. Things always work better when God is on board

3. Donate. I know, everyone is after your money. If you don’t want to donate, that’s cool. If you do, thanks! Any amount, even $10 is wonderful! If we all gave at $10 we’d be there in no time.

Thanks for reading this launch post. I’m really excited about doing this – I hope you are too Let’s do this thing together.

If you have any ideas on how we can make this project work even better, please email me – I’d love to hear from you! I’m also open to guest posts on the issue. Again, flick me an email and start the conversation.

Bye for now!

Joni x

PS – The Mercy House also has a cool store. Check it out if you’re interested.. more info to come!

When I read about the 285 precious Indian girls who recently changed their given name from ‘unwanted’, my heart was stirred by their simple act of rebellion against the rejection of their family and their culture.

As Grazia Magazine (www.grazia.com.au) reported in last week’s edition, a heartbreaking tradition is marking girls as unwanted to everyone they will ever meet. Many Indian baby girls are named Nakusa or Nakushi, meaning ‘unwanted’ in Hindi.

The article goes on to explain that according to medical journal The Lancet, half a million baby girls are aborted in India every year because parents were hoping for boys instead.

India’s district health department came up with the plan of helping girls change their name from ‘unwanted’ to a name of their own choice after the heartbreaking tradition of naming their daughters this way was banned in 1961 but is still followed by some.

“In Satara, where this first renaming ceremony took place,” reports Grazia, “there are only 881 girls (aged under 6) for every 1000 boys.”

Grazia goes on to explain that the government is also offering incentives to parents whose daughters graduate from high school. These incentives include free meals, education and cash bonuses.

It’s such a sad, sad situation when certain cultures choose to reject the gender to whom their own lives are owed but it’s also very encouraging to see people doing something about it. I love it!!

In fact, I choose to be encouraged by these stories rather than disheartened by the terrible situations facing our world and those living in it. Surely we’re more useful to others when we’re inspired and full of hope?

For more info on Plan International’s campaign Let Girls Be Born, visit www.planindia.org

The parents didn’t want a female child…but we did this to help the girls. They are good now. They are happy with their new names.

– Dr. Bhagwan Pawar, leader of the ‘renaming’ initiative.

I know my feelings aren’t original. Probably most mums have felt the same way at some stage, I guess it’s something we all go through..

The luxury of finishing a complete thought (a complete sentence), freedom to get a good education, time to dream, plan and work towards your dreams, these are the things sacrificed for a time. But it is only for a time that these are replaced by hand made cards scrawled with “I love you Mum”, close cuddles with a tired child and the opportunity to learn selflessness (or at least to try!).. which is a subject I’ve been being challenged a lot on lately (grrr!!!)

While I’m determined to enjoy the season I’m in, I can’t deny the stirrings of an exciting future set before me by the One who plans all my days. Dreams to leave the world different to how it was when we entered. Dreams to give our children an amazing future. Dreams to live life to it’s absolute fullest. As I set my heart on doing my absolute best as a mum to young children, it’s important that I keep my dreams alive for just a little bit longer, until they can flourish and fly.

I now realize that I am not missing out, I’m just waiting my turn..

Women are strong, beautiful and never fail to amaze by how much we can achieve in one lifetime. So, if you’re in the same place as me and need help remembering your dreams, here’s a little help from one woman who had her turn before we did..

Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce – Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

Read her biography here and be inspired.. “A debilitating illness of my own and a frightening one in our baby son eventually reined in my teenage hope that I could do it all; I could, but not all at once” (Vogue Sep 09). Wise words!

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I really needed support and I found it in huge, generous, lovely portions at my local MOPs (Mothers of PreSchoolers) at Red Cliffs in Victoria. Every fortnight we were greeted by friendly smiles and the smell of coffee. My children were cared for and had loads of fun doing craft, playing games and making friends. All the while, us mums were enjoying a lavish morning tea, inspirational talks and fun craft activities. The MOPS ladies always remembered my birthday with a card and beautifully wrapped gift I made many, many friends there and felt loved and supported. I used to arrive home after MOPs, feeling like I’d been encouraged and refreshed – ready to face the next fortnight of nappies and baby food. MOPs was a bit of a beacon during a time which can get a little monotonous… (anyone with me?)

Needless to say, when Catherine Oehlman of Squiggle Mum asked if I’d like to contribute anything to the new MOPs magazine Better Mum, I was really excited! I love it that women all around the country are supporting other women by organising, running and facilitating MOPs groups, through their local church.

Here’s my contribution. Don’t forget to have a look at the MOPs website and if you’re a mum with young children (aged 0-5) and need some time-out, click on the ‘find a group’ tab and join a local group.

She’s So High Above Me

by Joni Leimgruber

Remember that song by Everclear?

She’s so hi–gh, high above me, she’s so lovely.. She’s so hi–gh, like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc or Aphrodite..

I used to feel so threatened by that song. I figured I could never be the woman who made her man feel
like he didn’t deserve her. Like she was so much higher than any of his wildest dreams or expectations.
How silly is that? Of course I could be that woman! As Christian women, we do the same…

Most of us already know the power of a woman but one of my favourite pieces of the bible goes to a lot of
effort to show the magnificent, beautiful strength and power a Godly woman possesses. Yet it’s a passage
which many women feel intimidated by and even discouraged. It’s one which has, unfortunately, at times
been used wrongly.

It is Proverbs 31:10-31. The story of the ‘Proverbs 31 woman’.

Please don’t sigh and stop reading. I know you’re tired of having a check-list to live up to. I know you’re
tired of not living up to it. But Proverbs 31 is not meant to be discouraging or to make us feel bad about
ourselves. It’s not meant to be something we compare ourselves with.. and then use to harshly judge our
performance. In fact, it’s meant to do the opposite; the story of the Proverbs 31 woman was, I believe,
written to encourage, uplift and empower us. You see, if God created the ‘Proverbs 31 woman’ and if God
created you and me, doesn’t that mean she’s within all of us? If the ‘Proverbs 31 woman’ is kinda like the
perfect woman, then isn’t God moulding and strengthening us all to have her strengths in our own unique
ways?

Of course it’s unlikely we’ll have all her traits! In Heaven, maybe we will! On Earth, not likely. Me? I
DO worry when Winter comes because I’ve usually forgotten to buy warm clothes, I enjoy knitting and
sewing, but struggle to find a use for it, I’m up early most mornings but ‘eager’ is not a word I’d connect
with that time of the day. There are a few things I could underline for myself though. And I’m chuffed to
find that the Proverbs 31 woman (who is, quite frankly, a superstar!!) lives in me.

This time you read the passage, try reading it from a different angle. Read it and allow God to show you
which traits of hers you already have and the ones He’s currently growing in you. Be generous with
yourself. Even underline your own personal ‘Proverbs 31 woman’ traits in your bible. Embrace the
encouraging words and accept the truth – as daughters of our King, there is a ‘Proverbs 31 woman’ in all
of us. She lives in you!

Proverbs 10-31

A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She’s quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn’t worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
“Many women have done wonderful things,
but you’ve outclassed them all!”
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

How did you go? Did you find her in you? Were you encouraged
when you read this verse thinking about it differently?

If you didn’t watch the clip, here’s what it says (although it’s much better when it’s watched on the clip!)

We have a situation on our hands.. and the clock is ticking..

When a girl turns 12 and lives in poverty.. her future is out of her control..

In the eyes of many, she’s a woman now.. No, really. She is.

She faces the reality of being married by the age of 14..

pregnant by the time she’s 15..

and if she survives childbirth she might have to sell her body to support her family..

which puts her at risk of contracting and spreading HIV.

Not the life you imagined for a 12-year-old. Right?

But… the good news is, there’s a solution.

Let’s rewind to her at 12..

Healthy and happy..

She visits a doctor regularly..

She stays in a school where she’s safe..

At 18 she uses her education to make a living..

Now she’s calling the shots and it looks something like this..

She can avoid HIV..

She can marry and have children when she’s ready..

and her children are healthy like she is.

Now imagine this continuing for generation after generation.

You get the picture right?

50 million 12-year-old girls in poverty equals 50 million solutions.

This is the power of the girl effect.. An effect that starts with a 12-year-old girl.. and impacts the world.

The clock is ticking..

I’m usually wary of causes which support only one gender, especially if there’s a bit of a radical feminist twist – but The Girl Effect isn’t like that at all. Yes, it’s all about girls but they do have a point. Girls are suffering. They are getting married too young, having children too young. The consequences linked to these two events are huge. And with less than 2 cents of every international aid dollar going to support girls it’s important that we actively and deliberately get behind them.

Here’s an inspiring clip, sharing the story of a young woman who has grabbed her life and run with it. She exemplifies The Girl Effect in action.

This is The Ripple Effect..

When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more
years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2
fewer children.

An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages
by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school:
15 to 25 percent.
 
Research in developing countries has shown a consistent relationship
between better infant and child health and higher
levels of schooling among mothers.
 
When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent
of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 for a man.

The_Revolution_Poster

“The Girl Effect is about girls.

And boys.

And mums and dads and villages and towns and countries.”

The Girl Effect is about looking at what women are naturally gifted for and giving them what they need to do it.

If you’d like to blog about The Girl Effect this week, click here for more info.

It was a wonderful experience interviewing Erica and sharing her amazing story with Enhance readers. I love writing for Enhance, almost as much as I love reading Enhance.. reading Enhance is much less nerve wracking!

Erica is beautifully honest about her journey, including her battle with an eating disorder, I really respect her for that. Not an easy subject to be open and honest about. Thanks for trusting me with your words and your story Erica!

Earlier this week, she shared her thoughts on her blog Girl With A Satchel about how she felt about being on the cover of a magazine (instead of being the one writing about the magazine).. definitely check it out!

Big Porn Inc is not an anti-sex book. As is written in the introduction: “Challenging the sexist and racist pornographic industrialisation of intimacy is not an anti-sex position. Pornography is a distortion of respect-based sexuality“.

Pornography is widely available and is having an adverse affect on children. According to a study done by Michael Flood (with findings published in Big Porn Inc) of 16 and 17 year old Australian teenagers, “73% of boys had watched an X-rated video, with 1 in 20 watching on a weekly basis, and more than 1 in 5 watching at least once a month. Girls are also exposed to pornographic images; Joan Sauers found that 53.5% of Australian girls aged 12 and under have seen pornography, with the figure rising to 97% by the age of 16.”

This books gathers the writings of contributors such as Gail Dines, Maggie Hamilton, Robi Sonderegger, Helen Pringle, Abigail Bray and Melinda Tankard Reist, who say exactly what needs to be said and have the proof to back them up.

If you’re passionate about the well-being of society and our next generations, it’s a good idea to read Big Porn Inc. It’s that kind of book. Not necessarily enjoyable to read (but it wasn’t meant to be!) but packed with information vital to anyone who wants (or needs) to be aware.

Big Porn Inc… “our primary concern with pornography is not

that it is offensive (although it often is),

but that it is subordination and degradation—

mostly of women.

It is a human rights issue.”

Big Porn Inc.

Melinda Tankard Reist and Abigail Bray (Eds)

RRP $36.95

Spinifex Press

Available to purchase here.

 

For help and advice on how to be actively against the normalisation of pornography, visit CollectiveShout.org

My beautiful friend Lee-Ann encouraged me to write this post. She explained it perfectly:

“I have no doubt that these rip off bags (sold at basement prices in some stalls and shops) are directly linked to child slavery. And western women are fuelling the trade by buying these bags… Fake bags in party plan is rife. I wonder if those girls sipping their champers oooing and ahhing over fake labels would still be oooing and ahhing if we showed a video of the young children making these bags and the conditions they are working in. Not to mention the fact many have probably been sold into slavery to make them.”

Apart from the obvious disadvantage of cheapening and stealing from legitimate designers, there are a few reasons why counterfeit products (not just handbags, these may be fashion, home wares, electrical goods etc) and dirt cheap buys are harmful;

• SLAVE TRADE: Often (usually!!) these products are made by children and adults who are locked up and forced to work in terrible conditions (aka sweat shops) under “little to no adult supervision.” They’ve often been sold into the trade, much like people are being sold into the sex slave trade. I think we need to understand that this seems to be happening in MOST cases, not ‘sometimes’, not every now again – this is a BOOMING trade. It’s massive. We just don’t see the little kids looked up, working hard to make things for us. Maybe if we could see it, it would seem more real to us. We can easily assume that the products we personally buy were not made by children and/or slaves.. but the overwhelming evidence suggests that they probably were.
• DODGY BUSINESS SUPPORTS CRIME: Evidence shows that these products, and specifically fake designer bags, support terrorism organisations and international crime groups. I feel like a bit of an air head when I read the stats on this. Crime bosses have noticed how much us western women love a bargain. They also know that, in the past, we’ve turned a blind eye to where they may come from. I hate that!
• IT’S BAD FOR EVERYONE: Economies suffer, jobs are lost (statistics say up to $250 billion and 750 000 jobs are lost annually in the US as a direct result of illegal, counterfeit manufacturing).

NOTE: Did you know that in the US, shutting down party plan bag selling has become a major priority (due to its links to funding terrorism and crime organisations) that police have started raiding such parties and making arrests! It’s a serious business, not at all the fun, flappy ideal we may have of it.

5 ways to check if something is a fake:

• Try peeling off the label. If you can, it’s a fake.
• Genuine products always list the place of manufacture on the label. If it’s not there, it’s a fake.
• Real pieces are sold at company stores or department stores (not at home parties or street stalls). You know those stalls in the middle of the shopping centre’s with all those cheap bags, purses, clothes, towels etc? They’re usually fakes.
• Smell the product. Strange odours may signify that the item has been made out of low-quality products (polyurethane, vinyl, plastics) which have been treated to look like leather (See, I told you fakes stink!)
• Don’t fall for the SALE! signs.. TODAY ONLY! (that sign has been up all year..) If it seems too good to be true (or too cheap!) it is. If the bag is worth $600 and you’ve found one on sale for $50 at some dodgy side stall, it’s a fake.

If you’re after a designer product, surely it’s better to save your pennies and buy the real thing with a happy conscience than to buy a fake, knowing you’ve just contributed to something you’re against.

Personally, I still love a good bargain but I’m a little more savvy about them now. Op shops are like treasure troves and, despite common misconceptions, stores stocking fair trade/ethically made products are often very reasonable with their prices and, just like rival stores, they have great sales and chuck-out baskets! (see below for links to some awesome ethical shops with great prices and products). Thankfully, there are many, many people and companies working to make a positive impact on the world.

Thanks so much to these great websites for all their information. If you want to learn more, check them out:

TheBagForum

BagBliss

eHow

FabulouslyBroke

NARTS

eBayReviews

So, what about you? How do you feel about fakes? Do you sometimes forget to consider where and how things are manufactured? Would you consider purchasing from some of these stores instead?:

Nine50 – Beautiful Peruvian silver jewellery which supports artisans and suppliers by paying cash advances when products are ordered, paying a fair price to artisans and building relationships with them. Nine50 also supports Compassion. (UPDATE:  Big order of beautiful Fairtrade Handbags arriving @Nine50 this week! 247 George Street Windsor or people can join our Facebook Page or Twitter and see/buy new arrivals from there!) Check out Nine50′s facebook page  and follow them on Twitter.

Oxfam – Oxfam stocks a huge range of products – and they have awesome sales too..

Tribes&Nations – Great product range and prices too. I feel so inspired just by looking at this site!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’re having a fantastic week!

Cheers

Joni x

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***

“Official estimates of global poverty are compiled by the World Bank and stretch back 30 years. For most of that period, the trend has been one of slow, gradual reduction. By 2005, the year of the most recent official global poverty estimate, the number of people living under the international poverty line of $1.25 a day stood at 1.37 billion – an improvement of half a billion compared to the early 1980s, but a long way from the dream of a world free of poverty. …

“By combining the most recent country survey data of household consumption with the latest figures on private consumption growth, we generated global poverty estimates from 2005 up to the present day. Poverty reduction accelerated in the early 2000s at a rate that has been sustained throughout the decade, even during the dark recesses of the financial crisis. Today, we estimate that there are approximately 820 million people living on less than $1.25 a day. This means that the prime target of the Millennium Development Goals – to halve the rate of global poverty by 2015 from its 1990 level – was probably achieved around three years ago. Whereas it took 25 years to reduce poverty by half a billion people up to 2005, the same feat was likely achieved in the six years between then and now. Never before have so many people been lifted out of poverty over such a brief period of time.”

Wow. All our dollars, prayers and effort to help out in this fight against poverty are working! BILLIONS of people are living a good, poverty-free life because people took notice and took action.

So this blogging thing is way harder than they make it look (well it is for me anyway!)

I know I made a commitment to delivering one post a week. And then I started going ballistic and posting 4-5 times a week. And then I went AWOL. It’s been nearly two months since a last posted (this is sounding a lot like a confessional!)

During that time I’ve realised that as much as I love blogging and all the amazing people I meet along the way, sometimes there just isn’t time. Blogging has had to shuffle down the priority list which means that the posts will be more sporadic from now on. Some months I might post four or five times, other months I might post once (or even not at all). It all depends on time and creative energy because I know you don’t want to read rubbish I’ve scribbled down when I’m nearly asleep and really don’t care about typos or interest levels of readers!

So there you have it; a plan without a plan, but it’s the only one I’ve got for now I hope you can still enjoy the blog and that together, we can learn more about the world and how we can help out.

As always, I love hearing from you so please say hi and tell me if you like something, don’t like something or just have something to say.

Cheers for now,

Joni x