Karuna

Young monks showing off their recycled art

A friend recently asked me to expand on why I founded Bridging Humanity. Initially I was not too keen about the idea of starting yet another non profit. There were already enough of them out there & I wondered to myself, do we really need another one? Rosa de la Cruz, a friend & supporter strongly urged me to reconsider my position on the matter. There were other strong community leaders suggesting I take the plunge. Charity work was nothing new to me. I was the past Chair of the Friends of the Orphans local chapter and had already spent a life time of vacations volunteering at orphanages around the world.

Once the decision was made the doing became effortless. Bridging Humanity is essentially what the name implies & in effect is the embodiment of Karuna. One of the principles of Karuna is to help the weak become strong. But, how do you accomplish this? This question would change the course of my career path as I struggled & endeavored to better understand the challenges faced by the poor here in the US & abroad. This new course lead me to many exciting discoveries as I started to realize & understand, it really is not that hard.

If you have the Will, the Universe will help you find the Way. To really make a meaningful difference, a holistic & all encompassing approach is the answer. Essentially I teach the poor how to grow their own food & prepare nutritious balanced meals. Cooking food is challenging in developing countries so I teach the poor how to make eco friendly briquettes or bamboo charcoal. Additionally bamboo is a prolific plant & can deter deforestation. Contaminated water is the number one killer of children world wide & this simply should not be! Purifying water is as easy as sealing contaminated water in a clear plastic bottle & leaving it in the sun for 4 hours. Conversely millions of women die each year from child birth because family planning medicine is a luxury the poor can’t afford. This should not be when the solution is as simple as a fertility necklace! A calendar based necklace that helps women manage their menstrual cycle so they know when they can get pregnant. Trash is a valuable free resource that is available in abundance in developing countries. Repurposing trash into useful items is a way for the poor to earn a living. These are just a few examples of ways one can help the poor become more self sufficient.

If you want to help the poor then I urge you to read Bridging Humanity’s Nine Steps to Eradicate Poverty. Please join us in this important endeavor. Your expertise, time, connections & donations are of great value. Click here to send us an email with your thoughts & let us know how you would like to get more involved & help make a difference in the lives of orphaned children & the less fortunate.

Our next trip is just around the corner. Each year we visit Haiti at Christmas so the homeless children who live in the tent city of the Cite de Soleil are not forgotten. We could really use your help rounding up toy donations & school supplies.

With much Love, Respect & Karuna!

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