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.
Nepal is an intoxicating country to say the least. At night you almost feel like you are on top of the world and can touch the stars with your outstretched hand.
With Tibet to the North and India to the South, Nepal is a land steeped with mysticism, forbidden kingdoms, beauty and charm.
While traveling by taxi to Kokhana which is located outside of Kathmandu, we passed a long winding line of about 70 school children waiting in the rain. The taxi driver explained these children were waiting to register for school and that they would be there throughout the night. I cringed at the thought and then marveled at their dogged determination and burning desire to receive an education. Education in general is highly respected and regarded throughout the country of Nepal.
During our travels we spent time visiting villages and conducting community outreach meetings where we performed vocational training with the locals. We covered topics like how to repurpose plastic garbage bags into plarn (plastic yarn) so they could make useful items they could sell and how to make Family Planning Cycle Beads. This calendar based necklace is an affordable solution for women of little means. Many of Nepal’s remote villages are poverty stricken. By repurposing garbage bags they are able to help address Nepal’s serious pollution problem and also have a means to earn a living. Sadly most of the women living in remote areas are illiterate. As such if they become widowed they are left penniless and unable to support themselves or their children. By showing these women how to repurpose trash which is available in abundance, they are able to earn a living and provide for themselves and their kids.
To the West nestled in between the majestic Annapurna mountains you will find the Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastery. It is located just outside of Pokhara near the famous Fishtail Lake. A fairytale setting where 50 young monks (or baby monks as I lovingly call them) and 45 college monks live and study. The life of a monk is not an easy one. They start their day at 5:00 am and prepare for their daily 6:00 am morning prayer session, or pujas as they call them. Their daily activities revolve around praying, learning, studying, debating, practicing the lama dance and performing community service. Their only day off is Sunday which is usually spent swimming and washing their robes in the beautiful setting of the Seti Gandaki River.
Most of the young monks at Pema Ts’al come from the extremely impoverished region of Mustang. Once or twice a year some of the monks return to this region to visit with their families and to perform community service. This coming October some of the young monks will be teaching local Mustangy’s the Bridging Humanity technique for getting a higher potatoe yield with the help of garbage bags. A simple cost effective solution that once again repurposes garbage bags and can be seen in the following video.
Stay tuned for more Bridging Humanity encounters from the land of the gods. A world bathed in a special atmosphere and enriching experiences from beyond the clouds of Nepal.
Si vous voulez vraiment faire une différence dans le monde, ça commence avec l’amour. L’amour de soi meme, l’amour de la nature et l’amour des autres. Si vous prenez l’amour comme l’élément clé et le coupler avec la formule suivante, la pauvreté peut en effet être éradiquée et les besoins de base des populations plus pauvres peut être satisfait.
1. Purification de l’eau. Nous pouvons vivre sur peu de nourriture, mais nous ne pouvons pas vivre sans eau. L’une des plus meurtrières des tueurs d’aujourd’hui des enfants est l’eau contaminée. Il existe de nombreuses façons de purifier l’eau, mais les 3 méthodes suivantes sont les plus faciles et plus rentable. Faire bouillir l’eau pendant 3 minutes ou bien utiliser la méthode SODIS avec des bouteilles d’eau en plastique (plastique épais ne fonctionnera pas) qui sont remplis avec de l’eau et laissé au soleil pendant 6 heures. L’autre consiste à utiliser des Graines de Moringa pour tuer les bactéries et autres agents pathogènes.
2. Nutrition. Cultivez la papaye, les arachides, les graines de sésame, mani, pois chiches, légumes verts à feuilles, le Moringa, etc. Aussi Moringa est un multi vitamines merveilleux en ce qu’il contient:
22% de la valeur quotidienne de Vitamine C 41% de la valeur quotidienne de Potassium 61% de la valeur quotidienne de Magnésium 71% de la valeur quotidienne de Fer 125% de la valeur quotidienne de Calcium 272% de la valeur quotidienne de Vitamine A
Ces plantes sont nutritifs, robuste et facile à cultiver. Vendez ce que vous ne consommez pas.
3.Hygiene. L’hygiène est tres si important pour rester en bonne santé et du savon naturel n’est pas vraiment difficile à faire. Savon naturel peut être faite à partir de graines de racines ou de savon yucca. Ce genre de savon peut être utilisé pour le lavage des vêtements et pour l’usage personnel. Êtes-vous prêt pour cela? Il est aussi facile que de retirer la peau de la racine de yucca et de placer la racine pelée dans l’eau. Il suffit de le tremper autour d’activer les saponines. La graine de savon a une préparation similaire à ce que vous devez retirer la coque et puis il suffit d’ajouter la noix de lavage à l’eau. Un substitut merveilleux pour le dentifrice est menthe ou de sauge feuilles. Sauge peut également être utilisé pour soigner la bouche et gomme les plaies et pour arrêter le saignement. Le “Miswak Brindille Brosse” à dents” de l’arbre Arak a étonnantes propriétés antibactériennes et a été utilisé depuis l’antiquité se brosser les dents.
4. Toilettes à compost. Quand le temps et l’argent est limitée j’enseigne la façon d’utiliser un pot de chambre ou un seau en plastique. Je préfère avoir un seau pour faire pipi et un pour faire caca. Pourquoi, demanderez-vous? Eh bien la urine contienne beaucoup d’azote et peut être utilisée pour arroser les plantes lorsque vous avez terminé tôt dans la matinée. Si vous utilisez pipi pour arroser les plantes dans l’après-midi, vous aurez besoin de le diluer avec du l’eau. Maintenant, pour les pots que vous avez fait caca dans, je leur apprends à garder un seau de sciure de bois, feuilles séchées, écorces de riz, etc. que vous devez ajouter à la marmite après vous avez terminé de faire votre “besoin”. Le pot avec de caca et scie d’arbre doit vous tirer dans un bac à compost à distance de votre maison. Au fil du temps et en ajoutant plus de feuilles et restes de nourriture que vous consommez pas, vous allez finir par développer un sol sain qui peut être utilisé dans votre jardin. Nota bene! Yucca savon ou au savon de noix devraient être lieu dans la salle de bains.
5. Alternative Medicine. La plupart des médicaments sont fabriqués à partir de plantes. Cette vidéo youtube vous aidera à avoir une meilleure compréhension des premiers conseils. Un conseil important que j’enseigne les pauvres est comment ne pas attraper le paludisme en ne laissant pas les contenants vides autour de leurs maisons. Comment faire moustique répulsif naturel crème et comment planter souci, citronnelle, mélisse, etc. autour de leurs maisons et jardins pour empêcher les moustiques loin. Ce que je m’apprête à partager avec vous n’est pas très connu, mais la plante qui est utilisée pour fabriquer des médicaments contre le paludisme et a un taux de guérison de 95% est appelé Artemisia Annua. C’est une herbe et vous pouvez obtenir 10.000 graines pour seulement $3USD. Il est facile à cultiver Artemisia Annua et si vous récoltez les feuilles juste avant la floraison de fleurs, il sera à son plus puissant. Vous pouvez faire un thé à partir des feuilles fraîches ou sécher les feuilles et le vendre pour faire de l’argent. Une autre astuce de sauvetage je partage avec les sages-femmes est d’utiliser Sels d’Epson qui contient du magnésium si une femme enceinte commence à avoir des convulsions (éclampsie). Tout ce que vous devez faire est de tremper un chiffon dans l’eau et les Sels Epsom et placez ensuite le chiffon sur la tête de la mère et de son ventre pour arrêter les convulsions.
6. La Planification Familiale. Perles de cycle sont faciles à utiliser et aide les femmes à garder la trace des jours dans leur cycle menstruel. J’ai trouvé la plupart des Colliers Depliants d’être laid et je suis venu avec un plan visant à faire de belles perles de cycle que les femmes dans les pays en développement seront fiers de porter. C’est ainsi que des perles de calendrier du cycle. Le collier est une chaîne de 32 perles de couleur et une charme clip qui peut être placé autour de chaque perle sur le collier pour aider à identifier ce jour, quelles sont dans leur cycle. Nota Bene: Vous pouvez changer les couleurs, mais je vous conseille de laisser les perles rouges à représente quand votre période commence et faites les 8 jours jusque a le 19 où vous êtes susceptible de tomber enceinte vraiment se démarquer. L’Artiste Eva Ruiz et moi avons collaboré sur le Cycle Collier de Perles suivant. Nous avons utilisé une grande perle rouge tacheté de représenter le 1er jour de vos règles et choisi 12 perles en cristal vertes pour représenter les jours “fertiles”. Family Planning Cycle Beads Le système perle de cycle standard utilise le schéma suivant de couleur. Rouge: Cette perle rouge signifie le 1er jour de votre cycle menstruel. C’est en ce jour que vous obtenez votre période menstruelle. Brun: Les perles marron signifient les jours pendant votre cycle quand il est hautement improbable que vous allez tomber enceinte. Blanc: Les perles blanches représentent les jours fertiles du cycle menstruel (jours 8 à 19). Également lorsque vous vous déplacez à travers chaque jour de votre cycle, vous glissez la bague en caoutchouc ou le clip de charme sur une autre perle. Lorsque l’anneau en caoutchouc ou un clip charme est déplacé sur les perles blanches, vous saurez à s’abstenir ou à utiliser une forme de contraception. Ce système ne sera pas efficace pour les femmes qui ont des menstruations irrégulières. Les femmes ayant des menstruations irrégulières devraient consulter un médecin afin de déterminer la cause.
7. Réfrigérateur Eco. L’électricité toujour est un luxe dans de nombreux pays. Souvent, je ne me demande comment mes grands-parents ont survécu sans électricité. J’ai fait un peu de recherche et découvert qu’ils utilisaient des réfrigérateurs écologiques sous forme de caves profondes. Retour dans la journée en Europe, ils étaient appelés “Caves” qui ont été utilisés pour stocker le vin et la bière. Dans l’Antiquité, les grottes de montagne ont été utilisés parce qu’ils étaient sombre, humide et froid. J’ai récemment découvert le pot dans un système de refroidissement du pot. Il est un outil facile à assembler pot d’argile dans un pot d’argile. L’espace vide entre les 2 pots est rempli de sable. Versez de l’eau sur le sable et le tour est voila! Il suffit d’ajouter vos légumes et placer un chiffon humide sur le dessus et vos légumes resteront croquants et frais. Si vous êtes vraiment démunis et ne pas avoir des pots en argile, puis vous pouvez placer vos produits, restes de nourriture cuite, lait, etc dans un bocal en verre ou tout autre récipient que vous pouvez parfaitement étanches et l’enterrer dans le sol. De préférence dans un endroit ombragé.
8. L’énergie solaire. Que ferions-nous sans notre glorieux Soleil! Le soleil peut purifier l’eau contaminée, fournir des lumières écologiques pour les maisons, allumer un feu et nous aider à préparer les repas. Fourneaux solaires peuvent être fabriqués à partir de boîtes de carton et matériel réfléchissant (ballons brillant, papier d’aluminium, à l’intérieur de sacs de croustilles, etc.) Vous pouvez également démarrer un feu en utilisant les rayons du soleil qui visent au fond d’une canette de soda de coca cola. La partie concave du fond de la boîte réfracte les rayons du soleil. Dirigez la lumière du soleil vers facile de brûler briquet pour allumer un feu. Pour créer une lumière intérieure éco pendant la journée tout ce que vous avez à faire est de remplir une bouteille de 2 litres en plastique de soude avec de l’eau et placer dans un trou dans le toit. Ce système est mieux connu comment le “Liter of Light“.
9. Art fabriqué à partir de déchets. J’enseigne un large éventail de classes d’art éco, mais probablement la meilleure classe que j’enseigne est la façon de réutiliser les vases brisés. Quand un vase se brise la plupart des gens le jeter. J’enseigne aux gens de colle à nouveau ensemble et ensuite à l’extérieur collage avec des ordures. Le matériau collages va aider à couvrir les fissures cassés. Pour collaging j’utilise quelque chose de coquilles d’œufs, de papiers de bonbons de chocolat, le film trouve à l’intérieur de boîtes de cigarettes, de feuilles de tabac (la partie qui est jeté loin quand la main les cigares de roulement). Fondamentalement, vous convertissez ces objets brisés en œuvres d’art et les vendre pour faire de l’argent.
Ces 9 étapes simples peuvent aider à éradiquer la pauvreté. Même pendant les périodes économiques plus difficiles que nous pouvons encore partager ce que nous avons avec ceux qui n’en ont pas. Nous pouvons partager nos connaissances, notre temps, notre amour et la compassion … Et ça ne coûte rien.
Cliquez, étaler, partager et sauver une vie ou deux. Rejoignez notre “Blog pour L’Amour” pour relier les gens, transformer des vies et cree des Ponts pour L’Humanité.
Si usted realmente quiere hacer una diferencia en el mundo, comienza con el Amor. El Amor de sí mismo, el Amor a la naturaleza y el Amor hacia los demás.
Si usted toma Amor y lo agrega a la siguiente formula de 9 pasos, la pobreza puede ser eradicada y las necesidades básicas de los pobres pueden ser realizadas.
1. Purificación de Agua. Podemos vivir con poca comida, pero no podemos vivir sin agua. Una de las enfermedades más mortales de ninos hoy dia es beber agua contaminada. Hay muchas maneras de purificar el agua, pero los siguientes 3 métodos son los más fáciles. Hervir el agua por 3 minutos o utilizar el método SODIS (botellas plasticas pero no las de plástico grueso por que no funciona). Se llenan las botellas vacias con agua y se dejan en el sol durante 6 horas. La otra forma de purificar agua contaminada es usando las semillas de Moringa.
2. Alimentacion. Las siguientes plantas crecen rapidamente: papaya, maní, semillas de sésamo, garbanzos, verduras de hoja verde como espinaca, lechuga, mani, albajaca, etc. y tienen mucha nutricion. Es mas las hojas de la misma Moringa que descontamina el agua tambien es uno de los mejores multi vitaminas. Atiende:
22% del valor diario de vitamina C 41% del valor diario de potasio 61% del valor diario de magnesio 71% del valor diario de hierro 125% del valor diario de calcio 272% del valor diario de vitamina A
Ademas de contener muchas vitaminas estas plantas antes mencionadas son nutritivas, robustas y fáciles de cultivar. Hasta se puede vender lo que no se consume.
3.Higiene. La higiene es sumamente importante para mantenerse saludable y para no enfermarse. Y el jabón natural no es difícil de hacer. Jabón natural de yuca se puede utilizar para lavar ropa y para uso personal. ¿Estás listo para esto? Nada mas se tiene que pelar la yuca y colocar la raiz en agua. Mientras mas tierna la yuca mas espuma hecha. Si no hecha espuma, la yuca no es fresca pero todavia tiene saponinas y sirve para limpiar. Las semillas de jabón (el nombre del arbol se llama Sapindus Mukorossi) tiene una preparación parecida a la yuca. Nada mas se tiene que quitar o pelar el casco y luego simplemente hechar la semilla en agua. Un maravilloso sustituto para la pasta de diente es la hoja de menta o hojas de salvia. Salvia también se puede utilizar para curar heridas en la boca y para curar heridas sangrientes. El cepillo de diente usada en tiempos antiquos viene del árbol de Arak y se llama “Miswak”. El Miswak tiene propiedades antibacterianas y hoy dia todavia se usa como sepillo de diente en el medio oriente.
4. Abono. El abono es esencial para fertilizar a la tierra y para uso como fertilizante en jardines. Igual como se usa la caquita de vaca como abono, tambien se puede usar caquita humana. Yo se que muchos de ustedes en este momento estan diciendo “Guacala“! Sigenme los buenos como dice el Chapulin Colorado! Asi que adelante… La forma mas facil de ayudar a las personas que viven sin inodoros es crear un sitio adecuado y privado para que puedan hacer sus necesidades. La forma mas facil es usar dos cubetas de plastico. Uno para orinar y otra para hacer caquita. ¿Por qué no solo una cubeta pregunta usted? Pues es mejor separar la urina porque contiene mucho nitrógeno y por consiguiente se puede utilizar para regar las plantas. Esto esta probada scientificamente y no lo estoy inventando. Ademas el Nitrogeno es buenisimo para las matas. Pero, se tiene que regar las matas tempranito por la mañana cuando el sol no este muy fuerte. Si utiliza pis para regar las matas en la tarde cuando el sol este fuerte, tendrá que suavizarlo primero con agua. Ahora bien, cuando uno termina de hacer caquita hay que agregar una taza de hojas secas o aserrín a la cubeta. Esto ayuda a contener los mal olores y lo ayuda a descomponerse. Cuando sea necesario tendran que vaciar la cubeta lejos de la casa, es preferido siempre en el mismo sitio y no cerca de un rio. Tendran que seguir hechando hojas secas de vez en cuando a medida para que se vaya decomponiendose. A veces se tarda mas de 12 meses para descomponerse completamente. El proceso dependera de las cantidades de veces que remueven el abono y las veces que sigan hechando hojas secas. Dentro de unos meses ustedes veran que lomito de abono se esta convirtiendo en abono. Nota bene! Deben de mantener su jabon natural en el bano para limpiarse las manos despues de hacer sus necesidades y despues de vaciar las cubetas.
5. Medicina Alternativa. La mayoría de los medicamentos son derivados de plantas. Este video youtube lo ayudará a tener una mejor idea de consejos de primeros auxilios. Un consejo importante que enseño a los pobres es la manera de no contraer malaria o dengue. Y esto se hace revisando bien alrededor de sus casa donde no haya recipientes vacías donde sancudos pueden reproducirse. Les enseno cómo hacer loción natural que repella los sancudos. Tambien les enseno sembrar caléndula, hierba de limón, bálsamo de limón, citronela, marigolds, etc. alrededor de su casa y en el jardin. No se si ustedes lo saben pero la mata que usan para fabricar medicamentos contra malaria que tambien tiene una cura de 95% se llama “Artemisia Annua”. Y se puede comprar 10.000 semillas por sólo $3 USD. Es fácil de cultivar artemisia annua y facil de coshecar. Nada mas se cosecha las hojas justo antes de que floresca para que sea más potente. Usted puede hacer un té de las hojas frescas o secar las hojas y lo venderlas para ganar dinero. Otro consejo importante que comparto con las senoras parteras es el uso de Sal de Epson, que contiene magnesio. Me explico, hoy dia muchas mujeres embarazadas que viven en las aldeas les da convulsiones llamada “Eclampsia”. Y el tratamiento de Eclampsia es magnesio y Sal de Epson contiene magnesio. Si una mujer embarazada comienza a tener convulsiones (eclampsia) la partera debe enjuagar una toalla en agua mesclada con Sal Epson y luego colocar la toalla en la cabeza de la madre y en su barriga para detener las convulsiones. No le miento. Es asi de facil curar a la malaria y a eclampsia. Como ustedes pueden ver el tratamiento de malaria y eclampsia no es complicado ni es costoso.
6. Planificación Familiar. La mayoria de las mujeres pobres no tienen dinero para compara la pildora y muchas de ellas llegan a tener 8 o 9 ninos que ni si quiere tienen para darles de comer. Es un caso muy triste pero hay una solucion facil y se llama el Collar del Ciclo. El Collar del Ciclo es fácil de usar y ayuda a las mujeres a mantener un registro de los días de su ciclo menstrual. La mayoría de los collares de ciclo no son muy bonitos asi que se me ocurrió volveras en obras de arte. Así es como funcionan. Es un collar de 32 perlas de colores y un anillo de goma o un clip que se puede colocar alrededor de las perlas individuales. Se usa el anillo de goma o el clip para ayudar a identificar en qué día están en en su ciclo. Nota Bene: Puedes cambiar el esquema de color, pero yo le aconsejo que dejen las perlas rojas para que representan cuando se comienza el periodo. La artista Eva Ruiz y yo colaboramos con el siguiente Collar del Ciclo que esta el la foto. Utilizamos una perla roja para representar cuando comienza su periodo. Ocho dias despues de que comienza su periodo hasta el 19 dia es cuando pueden quedar embarazada. Los dias despues del 20 hasta el 32 es cuando no estan fertiles y no saldran embarazada. Las mujeres que tienen un periodo irregular deben tener precaucion y visitar a un medico para determinar porque tienen estas irregularidades. Family Planning Cycle Beads El sistema estándar del collar de ciclo utiliza el siguiente esquema de colores. Rojo: Hay una perla rojo en el collar cuando comienza el primer dia del ciclo de la menstracion. Cafe: Las perlas marrones significan los días durante su ciclo cuando es muy poco probable que se quede embarazada. Blancos: Las perlas blancas son los días fértiles de su ciclo menstrual (días 8 hasta 19). Además, como usted se mueve a través de cada día de su ciclo, usted se desliza el anillo de goma o el clip en la perla de cada dia. Cuando el anillo de goma o clip se llega hasta las perlas blancas, usted sabrá de abstenerse o usar un método anticonceptivo.
7. Refigerador ambiental. La triste realidad es que la electricidad es un lujo en muchos países. Muchas veces me encuentro a mí mismo preguntándome cómo mis abuelos sobrevivieron sin electricidad? Y descubrí que usaban un sistema parecida a un refrigerador ambiental. En los estados unidos les llamamos “Root Cellar” o Casillero/Almacen Rustica de Raizes. En Europa se les llamaba “Cuevas or Cavas” que se utilizaban para almacenar vino y cerveza. En los tiempos antiguos se usaban las cuevas de las montañas porque no entraba luz y eran húmedas y frías. Recientemente he descubierto un sistema que se llama la Maceta de Barro dento de otra Maceta. Es fácil de montar y nada se coloca un jarron de barro chiquita dentro de un jarron mas grande. Se llena el espacio vacío dentro de las 2 ollas con arena. Hay que hechar agua en la arena y voila! Sólo tiene que añadir las verduras en el jarron interior y colocar un trapo húmedo sobre la parte superior y las verduras se quedará crujiente y fresco.
8. Energía Solar. ¿Qué haríamos sin nuestro sol glorioso? El sol puede purificar agua contaminada, proveer luces ecológicas para los hogares y hasta para prender fuego sin fosforos. Cocinas solares pueden ser hechas de cajas de cartón y material reflectante (globos brillantes, papel de aluminio, el interior de bolsas de chips, etc.) También pueden prender un fuego con los rayos solares reflejadas en una lata de coca cola. La parte cóncava de la parte inferior de la lata refracta los rayos del sol. Apunta la luz del sol hacia un material fácil quemar como algodon or hojas secas para encender un fuego. Para crear una luz ambiental durante el día, lo unico que tienes que hacer es llenar una litro botella de plástico con agua y colocarlo en un agujero en el techo. Este sistema es más conocido como el “Liter of Light“.
9. Arte hecho con basura. Enseño muchas clases de arte ambiental, pero la más fácil es cómo reutilizar jarrones rotos. Cuando un jarron se rompe la mayoria de las personas lo tiran a la basura. Enseño a las personas como repararlas con pegamento. Cuando este seco se coloca encima del jarron reparada materiales deshechables como cáscaras de huevo, los envolturas de dulces de chocolate, la lámina se encuentran dentro de las cajas de cigarillos y hasta a las hojas de tabaco (los desperdicios de enrollar puros a mano). Con este sistema usted puede convertir cosas rotas en obras de arte y las pueden venden para ganar dinero. Estos 9 pasos que son sencillos pueden ayudar a eradicar a la pobreza. Incluso en tiempos dificiles como hoy dia debemos hacer lo que podemos para ayudar a los que no tienen. Y algo que podemos compartir que no cuesta nada es nuestro conocimiento. Haga clic y comparta este articulo para salvar una vida o dos. Únete a nuestra campaña “Blogueando por Amor” para que juntos podemos seguir creando Puentes para la Humanidad.
If you really want to make a difference in the world, it starts with Love. Love of self, Love of nature & Love of others.
If you take Love as the key component & couple it with the following formula, Poverty can indeed be eradicated & the basic needs of the poor can be meet.
1. Water Purification. We can live on little food but we can’t live without water. One of today’s deadliest killers of children is contaminated water. There are many ways to purify water but the following 3 methods are the easiest & most cost effective. Boil your water for 3 minutes. SODIS method using plastic PET water bottles (thick plastic will not work) or glass bottles that are filled with water & left in the sun for 6 hours. The other is to use moringa seeds to kill bacteria & other pathogens.
2. Nutrition. Grow papaya, peanuts, sesame seeds, chick peas, beets, leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, moringa, etc. Moringa is better than a multi vitamin because it contains:
22% daily value of Vitamin C 41% daily value of Potassium 61% daily value of Magnesium 71% daily value of Iron 125% daily value of Calcium 272% daily value of Vitamin A
These plants are nutritious, robust & easy to grow. Sell what you do not consume.
3. Hygiene. Hygiene is so critically important to staying healthy & natural soap is actually not hard to make. Natural soap can be made from yucca root or soap seeds. This kind of soap can be used for washing clothes & for personal use. It is easy to make, just remove the skin of the yucca root & place the peeled root in water. Just slosh it around to activate the saponins. The younger the yucca root, the more it will lather. For the soap seed preparation you just need to remove the hulls from the seeds & then place the hulls in water. You can also use this soapy water for washing your hair. Or you can mix 1 tbsp. baking soda with 1 cups warm water in a glass jar & pour over wet hair. Rinse & then combine 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar with 1 cup warm water in the glass jar, pour over your head & rinse. In absence of water for making soap you can use the gel from the aloe plant to wash your hands. It’s 6 antiseptic agents kill bacteria, viruses and fungus. You can take it internally or apply externally to clean and treat wounds. A natural household cleanser is also easy to make. All you need to do is add vinegar to a jar & place used over lemon, lime or orange rinds in it. A wonderful substitute for toothpaste is mint or sage leaves. Sage can also be used to heal mouth & gum sores & to stop bleeding. The Miswak toothbrush from the Arak tree has amazing antibacterial properties & was used since ancient times to brush teeth.
4. Compost Toilets. When time & money is of the essence I teach the poor how to use a chamber pot or plastic bucket. I prefer to have one bucket for pee & one for poo. Why you might ask? Well, pee contains a lot of nitrogen & can be used to water plants when done early in the morning. If you use pee to water plants in the afternoon, you will need to water it down. Now for the pot you poo in, keep a bucket of saw dust, dried leaves or rice husks close by because you will need to add a cup full to the pot after you are done doing your “business”. The pot with the poo & saw dust should get dumped in a secure, remote compost bin. Over time keep adding leaves, till often & eventually it will turn into healthy soil that can be used in your garden. Nota Bene: Keep a stash of home made yucca soap or soap seed soap in the bathroom area & wash your hands after doing your business & after emptying the compost bucket!
5. Alternative Medicine. Most medicines are made from plants. This youtube video will help you have a better understanding of some of mother nature’s first aid tips http://youtu.be/ay6Z_ahkv_E. An important tip I teach the poor is how to not get malaria by taking Vitamin B1 or eating foods high in Vitamin B1 (sun flower seeds, asparagus, green peas, acorn squash, soy beans). It is also important to not leave empty containers around their homes where mosquitos can propagate. I also show them how to make natural bug repellent & how to plant marigold, lemon grass, lemon balm, citronella, etc. around their homes & gardens to keep pests away. What I am about to share with you is not widely known but the plant that is used to make malaria medication & has a 95% cure rate is called artemisia annua. It is a weed & you can get 10,000 seeds for just $3USD. It is easy to grow artemisia annua & if you harvest the leaves right before the flower blooms, it will be at its most potent. Dry the leaves & mix with peanut butter to treat malaria. Another life saving tip I share with midwives is to use epsom salts (which contains magnesium) as a low tech treatment for pregnant women who are suffering from eclampsia or swollen ankles. All you need to do is dip a rag into water & mixed with epsom salts & then place the rag on the head or belly of the pregnant mother.
6. Family Planning. Cycle Beads Necklaces or Fertility Necklaces are easy to use & help women keep track of the days when they are at their most fertile (which is between the 8 & 19 day after their period starts). The necklace is a string of 32 color-coded beads & a clip charm that can be used to track the days in their cycle once their period starts. Not everyone has access to beads. Therefore I teach poor village women to make these necklaces with the materials they have available to them, mainly trash. I also show them how to come up with helpful color schemes & recommend they leave a Red bead to represent when their period starts & to try & use a color that makes the 12 fertile days really stand out. Artist Eva Ruiz & I collaborated on the following Cycle Bead necklace. We used a large red speckled Bead to represent the 1st day the period starts & picked 12 chrystal green beads to represent the “fertile” days.
Family Planning Cycle BeadsThe Standard Cycle Bead System (which is not the necklace in the picture to the left) uses a different color scheme. In a perfect world this would be fine expect women living in remote villages have limited resources & need to use what they can get their hands on. Furthermore it is important to note that this system will not work for women who have irregular periods. Women with irregular periods should see a doctor & determine the cause.
7. Eco Refrigerator. Electricity is a luxury in many developing countries. In the past our ancestors used eco refrigerators in the form of a root cellar. In Europe they were called “Caves” which were used for storing wine & beer. Mountain caves were also used because they were dark, damp & cold. I recently came across the pot in a pot cooling system. It is an easy to assemble clay pot within a clay pot. The empty space in between the 2 pots is filled with sand. Pour water over the sand & voila! Just add your veggies, milk & cheese & place a wet rag over the top & you have a mini frige. Do not mix fruit (bananas, apples, ext.) in your eco frige because it will make your vegetables ripen faster. Also to extend the life of your produce even further just dip the wet rag in cinnamon or clove water which will prevent bacteria from forming. If you are truly destitute & do not have clay pots, then you can place your produce, left over cooked food, milk, etc. in a glass jar or other container that can be sealed tight & bury it in the ground. Preferably in a shady area.
8. Solar Energy. Sun can purify contaminated water, provide eco lights for homes, start a fire & help us prepare meals. Solar stoves can be made out of cardboard boxes & reflective material (shiny balloons, aluminum foil, inside of chip bags, etc.). You can also start a fire using the sun’s rays aimed at the bottom of a soda can. The concave part of the bottom of the can refracts the sun’s rays. Aim the sun light towards easy to burn tinder to start a fire. To create an eco indoor light during the day all you have to do is fill a 2 liter soda plastic bottle with water, some vinegar & place in a hole in the roof. This system is better known as the “Liter of Light“.
9. Art made from trash. I teach a wide range of eco art classes using found objects, plarn (yarn made from plastic bags). The easiest class I teach is how to repurpose broken vases. When a vase breaks most people usually throw it out. I teach people to glue it back together & then to collage the exterior with trash. The collaged material will help cover up the broken cracks. For collaging I use egg shells, candy wrappers, the foil found inside of cigarette boxes, tobacco leaves (the part that gets thrown away when hand rolling cigars), etc. Basically, you convert these broken objects into works of art & sell them to make money.
These 9 simple steps can help eradicate poverty. Even during difficult economical times we can still share what we have with those who do not. We can share our Knowledge, our Time, our Love & Compassion… And it costs nothing.
Click it, spread it, share it & save a life or two. Join our “Will Blog For Love” campaign to Connect People, Transform Lives & Bridge Humanity.
The name Bibi means “Lady” in Mali. Bibi also means “My Love” in Arabic. I like to call Madame Maly Sangho “Mama Love” because this is what she epitomizes. She is all of the above and much more.
I met Bibi through a kind hearted, enterprising teenager named Alejandro Ernst. Alejandro lives in DC with his family. He visited Bibi’s orphanage on a school trip to Bamako, Mali a couple of years ago. It was a long trek from DC to Mali but young Alejandro managed to navigate multiple countries with 5 duffle bags filled to the hilt with donations for Bibi’s orphans. The orphanage home is called Orphelinat Niaber and their registered NGO name is Asemali. In reality Bibi’s personal home has always been a refuge for asylum seekers and orphans. Bibi was born in the historic town Timbuktu. Growing up as a child she learned from her mother to never turn a blind eye on someone in need. In 1993 Bibi decided to formalize her efforts to help abandoned babies and founded a foreign non profit (NGO) called Asemali.
I was deeply touched by Alejandro’s story as he continues to help the orphanage to this very day. I visited Bibi and the babies in June of 2012. Nothing could have prepared me for the trip that lay before me. The abject poverty, dismal conditions and the tragic reality of new born babies being abandoned in hospitals and on the side of the road was more than I could bear. Through it all Bibi’s efforts to help her fellow countrymen/women and children has been unwaivering. Click here to see a video of Bibi during better health times at the orphanage. She has been an unstoppable force answering every desperate plea for help, hearing about sightings of babies who were being abandoned and doing spot checks in the middle of the night to make sure the recently arrived malnourished babies were receiving constant care. It was a wonder if Bibi slept 2 hours each night. I urged Bibi to take care of herself. To eat better, to unplug the phone, to go on a spiritual retreat or to do anything that would help re-energize her physical batteries.
But she was incapable of turning a blind eye and her breakneck pace continued as the war in Mali raged on. With her orphanage over flowing with refugees she started developing chest pains. Eventually her chest pains got worse and she was flown to Tunisia where she was admitted into a hospital. Fortunate for Bibi one of her daughters works for an airline and as such was able to provide Bibi with a family travel pass. When Bibi finished her treatment her daughter arranged to have her flown back to Mali so she could resume her role at the helm of the orphanage. Over the years Bibi has received many humanitarian awards. Years prior she received the Malian Chevalier des Ordres and on April 3, 2013 she was being honored as the Malian Mother of the Year in Istanbul, Turkey. While she was in Istanbul she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. This is when they discovered Bibi had a brain tumor and she had to undergo surgery. Bibi’s surgery was a success and she returned home to Mali. I marveled at Bibi’s resilience and ability to bounce back from one illness after another. I was relieved until I recently received a frantic call from her daughter, Tina Traore who lives in the United States. She brought Bibi to the States because she was retaining water, so much so that her skin was splitting. I could not believe my ears. I was dumbfounded and amazed that this brave woman and beacon of light for the downtrodden seemed to have no health respite in sight. My heart ached for her and what she was going through.
Today is Bibi’s turn to receive help instead of being the one to give it freely and lovingly. Please read below about the “Saving Bibi Campaign“ as help comes in many forms:
1. Write Bibi a message on our blog. Talk to her. Learn from her. Get to know her as she needs to read your words of encouragement.
2. She needs a laundry list of medicine! If any of you have connections with the pharmaceutical industry, please let us know at tinacornely@bridging-humanity.org. The medicine she needs for her seizures is called Keppra.
3. Make a donation so we can purchase the medication she needs. Here is our PayPal link to “Make a Donation“. After you enter all of the pertinent information, the second screen will allow you to specify that you want your donation to go towards “Saving Bibi” (ie purchasing her medicine and/or paying her doctor bills).
4. Make a check payable to Bridging Humanity and make a notation on the bottom of the check that it is for “Saving Bibi“. Mail the check to Bridging Humanity at 3426 Franklin Avenue, Miami, Florida 33133. Upon receipt we will send you an acknowledgement letter and tax receipt.
5. If you have any additional ideas, doctor connections or suggestions please email tinacornely@bridging-humanity.org.
Bridging Humanity is a volunteer based 501c3. Our Federal ID number is 45-5515265. All proceeds and donations go directly to fund the projects we support as specified by our donors. None of the funds donated are used to cover administrative costs.
On behalf of Bridging Humanity, Bibi Sangho, her family and the Orphelinat Niaber orphans, we THANK YOU!
In the early 15th century in Africa to honor the passing of a Queen Mother, the Benin and Yoruba people constructed altars adorned with ceremonial pieces of tribal art. One of the most prized pieces on the altar was the Iyoba Sculpture. This tradition as well as the Queen Mother Bronze has been passed down from generation to generation from family head to family head.
The Nigerian-Biafran war started in 1967. Another tragic war much like the one going on today in Syria. Brothers killing brothers, a country fighting within itself against itself. The Nigerian war was a tragedy of epic proportions as over 3 million people died. In fact, Doctors without Borders was started because of this war. The Nigerian-Biafran conflict was the direct result of economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions. And primarily because Biafra was threatening to secede and eventually went on to declare itself as an independent state. When the world could no longer stand by watching idly as the tragedies unfolded before their eyes, people from all corners of the globe started getting involved. Foreign mercenaries, former war heroes and even European Counts. My father Edward Cornely was asked to head the Red Cross’ efforts to get desperately needed medicine, emergency supplies and food into Nigeria and Biafra. A noble charge indeed but the very people he was trying to help considered him to be a traitor because he was providing supplies to the “enemy“. Undeterred he continued to provide supplies to both sides and brought in food on pontoons up the Niger River and the Cross River to remote and far to reach villages. My father stayed in Nigeria for the duration of the war and befriended many village chiefs from both sides. One day while visiting one of his Biafran Chief friends they were surprised to hear war cries in the not too far off distance. The yelling was getting louder so my father radioed his helicopter pilot and told him to meet them at a soccer field located 3 miles away. My father and the chief ran to the clearing only to see the helicopter slowly making its descent. They looked behind them and a group of about 30 men wielding machetes, clubs and knives were quickly gaining on them. With the helicopter barely hovering above them my father grabbed one skid and his friend grabbed the other. The marauding horde reached them just as the helicopter began its ascent. One of the men managed to latch on to my father’s leg but slipped and fell while he was left holding on to my dad’s shoe. My shoeless father and his friend had to hold on for dear life until they finally reached the base camp. My father began to step up their distribution efforts until Nigeria blockaded all relief efforts to Biafra. Word got back to my father from his Biafran Chief friend that there was a bounty on his head and that he had to leave the country that night. He told my father one of his family member’s worked at the airport and would help him get on the next flight out. Then the chief handed my father a package and told him it was his family’s most prized possession. He said, it has been in our family for generations and I want you to have it. Thank you for saving my life, Mr. Cornely, I will never forget you. He then gave my father the name of his cousin and told him to ask for him at the airport. My father did as he was told and arrived right before the airport’s closing time. He found the chief’s cousin who snuck my father in and hid him inside a broom closet. My father remained locked inside a tiny, standing room only broom closet for the duration of the night. The next morning the chief’s faithful cousin unlocked the closet and my father quickly went to queue up for the next outbound flight. When my father finally boarded the plane he gave out a long sigh of relief. A few minutes after take off the pilot came on the intercom and asked if there was a passenger on board by the name of Edward Cornely. My father slowly got out of his seat and walked to the pilot’s cabin. Pale and sweating my dad introduced himself to the Captain. The pilot looked back at my dad and said, we were just radioed to turn around and return back to the airport and to deliver you to the army. My father’s eyes grew wide and he remained silent. The pilot radioed back and said “Sorry tower but we do not have a passenger on board by that name, over and out”. My stunned father returned back to his seat, buckled his seat belt and then looked down at the package the Biafran Chief had given him. He put it on his lap and slowly untied the twine and unwrapped the package. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity staring back at the Benin Bronze, mesmerized by the beauty and austerity of the Queen Mother looking back at him.
The Queen Mum has been my inspiration since the day I laid eyes on her when my father finally returned home after having been away for 2 years. You can feel the protective love she has for her people. You can also sense her pain for all of the unnecessary deaths.
Here’s to all of the fallen civilians, volunteers and humanitarian aid workers. And may this be a homily to all of the torch bearers past and present who have dedicated their lives under the direst of circumstances for the betterment of humanity. And may every action we take moving forward be done bearing in mind that the Benin Queen Mother, Gaia and Mother Earth will be forever watching us.
Did you ever wonder what happens to the soap bar you left behind at the hotel? Or the bottle of half used shampoo? One would think the hotel would replenish the bottle with shampoo and reuse, right? Well the vast majority of hotels in the US and abroad do not have recycling programs. Sad but true. Can you imagine how many billions of plastic bottles and used soap bars end up in landfills each year? The environmentalist in me cringes at the thought of so much senseless waste.
Change is occurring, albeit hotel greening in general is a bit slow. I recently found out about a wonderful organization called Clean the World which is taking the lead in repurposing used hotel soap. They collect, sanitize and redistribute bars of soap and bottled amenities to the needy in the US and 40+ countries around the globe. What a great concept. So far they have teamed up with the Sheraton, Westin, Starwood, Marriott, Hilton and about 100 other hotels. There are hotels like the Hyatt who do their part by teaming up with local homeless shelters where their left over amenities are distributed. Simply brilliant!
I was blessed to receive a call the other day from Veronika de la Fuente who works at La Quinta in Miami Lakes, Florida. She asked me if Bridging Humanity would be interested in receiving a donation of her hotel’s used soap. I jumped at the offer (literally) and drove that night to her hotel where she loaded me up with used sheets, bars of soap and other items the hotel was disposing of. She explained that if a sheet had a tiny stain, they must dispose of it. My eyes grew wide as I envisioned my African friends at the Niaber Orphanage tie dying these sheets and turning them into beautiful works of art. The days following I spent time brain storming ways I could translate the used soap and the stained sheet projects into revenue generating job opportunities for the poor.
In reality, the truth of the matter is the poor desperately need the soap for themselves as improper hygiene is one of the number one killers in developing countries. One of the things I teach the less fortunate when I travel abroad is how to make soap out of young yucca root (mature yucca does not work). It is easy and inexpensive. So in theory, the poor could repurpose the used hotel soap and sell it to make money. My next challenge was to figure out how the poor could do this with little or no amenities. I did a couple of tests and figured out a way they could repurpose things that normally get thrown away like tiny sauce containers and egg cartons as soap molds and use solar energy to melt and sanitize the soap shards.
To learn more about this process please take a look at the following video titled Operation Self Sustainability – Jobs for the Poor. Share it and pass it on! Saving a life is a click away. [youtube]http://youtu.be/sZeVOiXvLBw[/youtube]
What better way to help the poor become more sustainable and self sufficient than by connecting them with their environment, economy and community? At Bridging Humanity we accomplish this by showing them how to create artistic and useful products made out of trash. In doing so we inadvertently teach them about the impact their decisions are having on our environment. To toss on the ground or not to toss… This is inherently the question we all need to ask ourselves. In developing countries the poor drink water from plastic pouches. When they are done… they toss the empty pouches any and everywhere. As such the streets in many developing countries are over flowing with empty water pouches. An empty water pouch has no value, or does it? The people we have helped in developing countries eventually realize that trash has enormous potential. This is the tipping point that drives them to embrace their environment. Many of the orphanages we support have followed through with direct action and are repurposing thousands of empty water pouches. Their efforts are serving to make our world a more sustainable and better place. From waste pickers to enterprising entrepreneurs. We are there supporting them and championing them to become passionate stewards and care takers of their environment.
Here is a video of just of one of many ways to repurpose plastic bags and empty water pouches. [youtube]http://youtu.be/Ub_jh0wIzIA[/youtube]
On November 11, 2012 I received an unusual comment on one of my blogs from Antonio Bonache. Antonio and Yolanda found me while they were fishing the internet for news and photos regarding their soon to be adopted son from Mali, Africa. This was not the first time a would be parent had contacted me regarding a child under the care of the Orphelinat Niaber. I was deeply touched by their relentless questions. They asked me what it was like to hold their son, Tidiane. They wanted to know what his needs were and if he had any special requirements. They wanted to know any and everything they could about their son. And yes, he was their son already although they had never met and Tidiane lived miles away at the Orphelinat Niaber. The doting father and mother were anxiously awaiting the day they would fly to Bamako, Mali and meet their son for the very first time. In preparation they readied his room, bought clothes, baby bottles and an arsenal of baby accoutrements for little Tidiane.
As the time drew nearer for their departure date, the war in Mali was escalating. To make matters worse, the government of Mali decided to follow Russia’s lead and put a ban on foreigners from being able to adopt Malian orphans. People were leaving Mali in a max exodus. Undeterred, the brave couple boarded their flight for Mali on January 2, 2013. On January 3 they finally received the long awaited custody of their beloved son, Tidiane. In Antonio’s own words his days in Mali were the most intense time of his life. The Bonache family did not return home to Spain until January 6.
Fast forward 2 months later. Baby Tidiane, Papi Antonio and Mami Yolanda are in seventh heaven. Tidiane is a bright, happy-go-lucky toddler who hungers for knowledge. A fairytale ending for a fairtale family who bravely embraced the odyssey of adoption that took them miles away from the comfort of their home in Spain.
May more childless couples step forward and open their arms, hearts and their homes to the world’s children in need.
