Morning (and into the afternoon) Musings...

Okay, so if you know me, you should know that I like to "crack wise"!  Yup, I love to make jokes and play pranks (especially on my long-suffering husband...but if I can still "get him" after all these years, then it's really HIS fault, isn't it??  Yeeaahh...), and I've got a repertoire of sayings and "voices" that crack my family up.  Life is not always easy, so I like to try to keep things lighthearted and fun.

If you read my last post (Horn of Africa Crisis) however, you'll know that I can also be very serious and feel deeply the disasters that strike our beloved planet and the beings (human and non-) who inhabit her.  That is why I do a "Featured Cause" that changes every month or two.  Sure, the money (or sometimes food for the Food Bank, or soap for Haiti) I collect for these causes may not amount to much (well, the 600 bars of soap for Haiti was pretty darn awesome!) in the grand scheme of things; but I have a hard time enjoying all of my personal (although modest) comforts when so many others in the world are suffering great hardships, so I like to help where I can.

Some have criticized me for including foreign causes, rather than focusing only on local ones.  Yes, I agree that there is a lot of need in our own backyards, and I certainly DO feature local charities and organizations, but when I get an email like the one I received last night (from the lovely woman who brings the jewelry to me from the women of the collective in Bobong, Kenya), and I hear how there are not only hundreds of thousands of people starving because of the drought, but as many livestock and wild animals desperately searching for food and water as well...well, it affects me deeply!

Human or animal, none of us are able to choose when or where we are born, and there are so many things (like this devastating drought) that are beyond our control (please don't start a "but-humans-ARE-responsible-for-climate-change" discussion with me here...I happen to agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Al Gore...but that's fodder for another post), therefore I try to do what I can (no matter how little it may seem) to ease the suffering of those less fortunate...near or far.  That's also why, initially inspired by the compassionate works of my own amazing daughter (also fodder for another post), my store is full of not only goods crafted by local artisans, but also various products that benefit numerous disadvantaged groups around the world.

Here's a quote I stole off a friend's facebook page:
"In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself." ~ Anonymous

Peace.
~ Leesa

Horn of Africa Crisis

'The head of the UN refugee agency has called the situation in drought-ridden Somalia the "worst human disaster" in the world". (CBC News)

Since I've (apparently) become known for my "Featured Causes", I've had a few customers stop in wanting to know if I'm collecting for this disaster.  I already have two causes "on the counter", and don't want to have too many going at once (for propriety's sake), but wanted to let people know where they can donate, if they so choose.

You can donate online to a number of agencies through the CBC News website:
http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/story/2011/07/13/national-somaliadrought.html
and, since some have expressed the wish to mail a donation, my personal suggestion would be UNICEF, since they are already "boots on the ground" in this crisis.  See info below.

UNICEF Canada

UNICEF is on the ground in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable children and families.  Their life-saving interventions and expertise for nutrition, immunization, water and sanitation, education and child protection are delivered on a mass scale, in coordination with the UNHCR and WFP.

Make cheques payable to: "UNICEF Canada" and write: "Horn of Africa Crisis" on the front of the cheque.  Mail cheques to: UNICEF Canada, 2200 Yonge Street, Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario, M4S 2C6