The LOUD Project?

PETE'S WEEKLY ROUNDUP

2010-08-28T12:35:00.001+10:00

Die quickly or live like wonderful!

2010-08-25T10:29:00.001+10:00

This kid lost both his arms in a tragic accident. What does he do? Learns to play Piano with his feet. What a legend!!

PETE'S WEEKLY ROUNDUP

2010-08-21T13:26:00.000+10:00

Charity:Water launches September birthday campaign

This is such a cool idea. This organisation has a simple idea. Ask people to give you money for your birthday for a charity. "There are a billion people living without clean water. Four Septembers ago, we had a crazy idea. We asked our friends to give up their birthdays and ask for donations instead of gifts. We used 100% of the money raised to build water projects. Every year, it got bigger. We've now helped over a million people get clean water. This September, join us again. Watch the Trailer. Start a campaign. Give up your birthday. It can change the world." Why not give up getting presents for your next birthday and ask people to give you money for a charity?

Make the One Percent Giving Pledge Another awesome idea! How much should you give to charity? Have a think about the 1% pledge.

"The billionaires are doing it. Now you can, too.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are asking all billionaires to commit to give 50% of their net wealth to philanthropy. The One Percent Foundation thinks this spirit should be expanded beyond billionaires.

A little goes a very long way. You don't need to be a billionaire to make a difference. Sign The 1% Giving Pledge and commit to give at least 1% of your annual income to philanthropic causes."

Taking the Buffett-Gates Pledge A young entrepreneur joins Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in making a promise to donate his life earnings to charity by the time he dies.

Other noteworthy items
Change.org Social Entrepreneurship blog, challenges other young entrepreneurs to do the same.
Frequent travelers were excited when JetBlue announced its "All You Can Jet" pass this week. The great folks at DoSomething are taking it one step further by offering free passes to five lucky young people for sharing their stories of how they'd use the pass to further their organization's goals, whether by meeting with potential donors or going to conferences to learn new skills.

Have a great week,
Pete

Pete's Newsfeed

2010-08-16T22:36:00.001+10:00

UN targets Australia's human rights record: "RIGHTS groups say obligations to refugees breached, boat arrivals discriminated against."

Man walks Amazon 'because no one else had': "AFTER 859 days and "50,000 mosquito bites", Ed Stafford has become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon."

Amnesty International Sign Up Support At U2 Concerts for Demand Dignity ... - Amnesty International USA: "

The Guardian

Amnesty International Sign Up Support At U2 Concerts for Demand Dignity ...
Amnesty International USA
Heads of State are gearing up to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to eradicate global poverty, at the UN in late September. ...
Amnesty brings campaign to U2 showsUPI.com

all 8 news articles »

Inspirational Idiot Number 1

2010-08-14T17:54:00.000+10:00

I love stories about people who are so passionate about their cause they do crazy stuff. The last few weeks I have come across some crazy stories that have inspired me. I will never do anything like this btw. ;)

Inspirational Idiot number 1
This guy is NUTS! Very passionate about the environment! But NUTS! He is my new hero! After he swam the North Pole, vowed never to take another cold-water dip. Then he heard of Lake Imja in the Himalayas, created by recent glacial melting, and Lake Pumori, a body of water at an altitude of 5300 m on Everest. And he swam it!!! I love him

On May 22nd, 2010 I undertook a 1km swim across a glacial lake on Mt Everest. My purpose was to draw attention to the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and the consequences this will have on the peace in the region.

The combination of the water temperature (2 degrees C), the fresh water (less buoyant than salt water) and the altitude (5,300m) made this one of the most difficult swims....Read more at: http://www.lewispugh.com/expeditions/Expeditions.aspx

What can you do to raise awareness to global issues?

Affero is giving away free books!

2010-08-13T23:41:00.002+10:00

Re-post from Affero

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
This competition is a fun global action awareness campaign. All you have to do is update your facebook status to something about social justice.

THE PRIZES:

One book for the coolest facebook status update.
A second book for whoever scores the most points in the comp.

WINNERS CHOOSE FROM THESE THREE BOOKS

The status updates need to be about social justice, global action, etc. Keep them positive, inspiring, challenging or fun. Link to a website, share a quote or anything else you can think of.

HOW DO YOU SCORE POINTS?

Each unique facebook or twitter update earns you ten points.
2 points for linking back to this post in your status.

WHAT DO I DO?

Fill in form linked below with each status update

Lets see if we can start a global action tidal wave of awareness. How cool would it be if we had thousands of people thinking about global issues and deciding to act this week because of our status updates?

WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN ONE WEEK ON SUNDAY 22ND AUGUST
CONTEST OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

To enter comp click here

Remember, you can just do one status update if you want. Coolest update will be judged by the Affero team and posted on our blog.

Lets Make this huge!

Peace,

Pete

How you can help Pakistan

2010-08-11T18:23:00.002+10:00

How to Help Pakistan's Flood Victims

Millions in Pakistan need clean water, sanitary food, housing and medical care. Organizations are now on the ground helping those displaced by the worst floods in 80 years. Here's how you can support their efforts.
How to Help the Flood Victims in Pakistan
Volunteer to help directly. If you have the sort of skills that might be useful in Pakistan right now, and you can find an organization...
US adds $20 mn for Pakistan flood relief
The US will provide an additional $20 million in relief funding for the flooding in Pakistan that has killed more than 1,600 people in the last...
Australia ups Pakistan flood help by $5m to $10m

AUSTRALIA has pledged another $5 million to help Pakistan recover from the worst floods in the country's history...

Taliban urge Pakistan to reject US aid

Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Taliban faction has urged the government to reject American aid for people affected by the nation's worst floods in 80 years.

Pakistan floods: How you can help

2010-08-09T20:49:00.002+10:00

Sometimes it's to easy to live in our little bubble and not take much notice of the rest of the world. Today it was hard for me not take notice of this huge flood in Pakistan. I'm stunned that 15 million people have been affected by this flood in Pakistan! Wow! That's crazy!

There are heaps of opportunities to give and help people. I found this link today of organisations we can give to. Click here... This also a great opportunity to teach your kids about the world.

I talked to my kids about the disaster, showed them a YouTube and asked them all to think about how much they would give. They all went off to their rooms and counted out their savings.

Carissa who is 5 decided to give $2.20 out of her savings.
Sam who is 9 gave me $2.50 which was huge for him. (He is very attached to his money, always making plans, like his father. He has been saving for something which he was going to buy this week. He now has to wait a bit longer.)
Reuben who is 7 wanted to give me about $50 which he has spent months saving. I suggested he give $5.00. He said, "naa...I want to give at least $10." So he gave $10.

I sat all the kids down at the computer and we transferred the money together. Naomi and I gave $100. I was very proud of all of them. This is the link for Worldvision which we gave through ..click here

Why not turn this into something positive for you family?

When your kids get home from school tomorrow, why not find some stuff on the net about the flood and ask them how much they would like to give? Your kids will make you proud. I guarantee it!

Pakistan struggles with flooding

The Press Association - ‎1 hour ago‎

Pakistan's government is facing rising national anger as it appeared overwhelmed by the scale of floods that have killed at least 1500 and affected millions ...

Pakistan floods could swamp Sindh BBC News

Pakistan Sees More Rains as Worst Floods in 80 Years Hit 12 Million People Bloomberg

Have a great week,

Pete

Global Action News from this week

2010-08-08T20:50:00.001+10:00

Lucas posted this great youtube on Affero this week. Check it out! great thoughts.

40 wealthy American families vow to give big chunk of their fortunes to charity

Forty of America’s richest people have committed to the Giving Pledge, an effort by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage billionaires to provide at least half their money to charity.

PETE'S THOUGHTS - This has had huge interest this week. Maybe we can't give what they can, but we can be challenged to do something bigger then what we are currently doing!

Fellows Friday with Siddharth Kara

Siddharth Kara fights bonded labor, forced labor, and human trafficking with what he says are the most effective weapons against them: rigorous scientific research and analysis. Click here to follow his updates on CNN.com as he travels South Asia investigating labor exploitation.

PETE'S THOUGHTS - Great story if you want to understand these issues more.

BORDERLAND: SEVEN LIVES. SEVEN STORIES. AS TOLD BY VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

A new comic tells seven stories about human trafficking based on real testimonies from survivors. From a pastry maker in Warsaw to a waitress in Istanbul, the underground world of human trafficking touches every aspect of modern life...
PETE'S THOUGHTS = Brilliant idea. Check out the comic!

Restrepo: behind the scenes

It is one of the most honest, powerful films I’ve ever seen. I encourage you all to see it. The film doesn’t make soldiers out to be criminals, or the Afghani people to be perfect sinless victims. It simply gives you a front row seat to the front lines of battle.

PETE'S THOUGHTS = Very powerful YOUTUBE! Blew me away

And the winner is....

2010-08-07T19:17:00.000+10:00

There were many entrants in the competition this week and some great status updates.
Here are a few:-

Action could prevent famineA new book explains why major food shortages are expected to happen mid-century – and raises ways these problems could be solved.
Matt Rees

Bill Gates Convinces 40 Billionaires to Give Away Half Their Fortunes Our favorite charity-worker Bill Gates has successfully signed up 38 billionaires to give away half of their wealth to those less fortunate, in what could be the largest-scale philanthropic work ever.Joanna Rees

Kiva - Loans that change livesMake a loan to an entrepreneur across the globe for as little as $25. Kiva is the world's first online lending platform connecting online lenders to entrepreneurs across the globe.

“If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.” Rob Garth

http://www.turnonthetap.org.au/ Have you read about "turn on the tap"? So easy. Instead of throwing out that water bottle, fill it with 5cents or $2 coins and buy a well for a village. What an easy way to teach children about others in need. Whilst you are looking check out http://theloudproject.blogspot.com/ for more

And the randomly selected winner is....(drum roll)

Rob Garth

Rob wished to win "When helping hurts." Fantastic book! Probably the best I have read. You are going to love it! Well done Rob

Stay tuned...This week I'm going to give someone the opportunity to win an animal...hmmm. You're in suspense aren't you?

Your chance to win a free book!

2010-08-02T21:31:00.008+10:00

Right now I'm looking at Naomi's (my wife) bookshelf. Over the last month she has won several books in writing competitions, which are quickly filling up the free space on the bookshelf. I can't believe she has won so many. She has inspired me to run a fun book giveaway this week.

All you have to do is fill in the survey below and post a comment on your facebook status that is an inspiring quote, a creative message or a link to a website anything really that inspires people about "Global Action".

A quote you could use -

" this generation--yours, my generation--that can look at the poverty, we're the first generation that can look at poverty and disease, look across the ocean to Africa and say with a straight face, we can be the first to end this sort of stupid extreme poverty, where in the world of plenty, a child can die for lack of food in it's belly." "Bono"
You can use one of my news links from my previous post or just be creative and think something up. You could Google "Quotes", "Poverty Stats", "millennium development goals".

The three books that you can choose from if you win are all great books that I have read. I recommend all of them. The competition is open internationally and the winner will be picked randomly and announced on Sunday night. Make sure you click "submit" bottom right corner.
Linking back to this post is optional, but very favoured.

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This weeks - Inspiring "Global Action" news

2010-08-01T20:16:00.003+10:00

The Journey to Northern Uganda Part 2

2010-07-29T20:40:00.001+10:00

Irene and "CHILDCARE Kitgum Servants"

About five days into the trip we arrived in the Northern area of Uganda known as Kitgum. Right in the midst of this war torn area, we met an amazing Aussie lady who is an absolute inspiration. Her name is Irene. Almost a modern day mother Theresa with a bit of attitude....

Irene's Story
In 1989, Irene heard about orphans in Uganda needing help so she sold her beach-side home and all her
possessions. She towed her caravan 500 kilometre's from Kampala to the Sudan border. When she arrived, the district had been ravaged by 37 years of war. It was a community of aged widows and orphan children. First, she gathered the destitute children who sat sick and listless all day, and taught them songs.

Fast forward twenty years to today...
We saw over 9000 kids receiving schooling, meals and medicine. OMG it was huge! Thousands of kids with hope in their eyes! wow! A dynamically stark contrast to many other places in Northern Uganda. Hope! What a moving sight. These kids also learn building, carpentry, agriculture, etc. They also have an aids hospice for the terminally ill and lots of other projects.
I was shocked to find out that 80% of these 9000 had been abducted by rebels at some stage. Irene wasn’t one to sensationalise the war or tell sensational stories about child soldiers. I think because she had seen
the devastating things of war herself, but she did tell us she had been held by gunpoint many times, she told us how her faith in God had saved her. Here was this incredible woman who had given up everything to serve those who had lost so much. Serving, helping, inspiring empowering and so much more to the next generation. Some of the remarks by students were “childcare servants changed my life!”
and “I am free!”

My Reaction
It was so fantastic seeing thousands of kids feed and being schooled, it was sad thinking that if Irene had not been there most likely all these kids would have no hope. There are moments in your life that give you a sharp reminder of whats important. Here’s a woman not striving for success but significance. Not only living in one of the most remote places of Uganda joyfully serving people but living there by her own choice through a terrible war.

The amazing thing that we can do as Affero is support people and organisations like this. Who don’t spend money on administration or marketing, nor do they want to, but spend their moneyon projects and empowering people.

Peace,
Pete Rees
btw if anyone is thinking of using Zemanta for their blog, don't! Its annoying and rubbish! ;)

The Journey to Northern Uganda Part 1 of 2 or maybe 3 :)

2010-07-27T23:09:00.001+10:00

The worst thing I had to worry about growing up surrounded by Government housing in the western suburbs of Sydney was getting raw eggs and the occasional hard boiled egg thrown at me while waiting at the bus stop. We were the “pretty boys” who went to the boys Catholic school dressed in pretty clothes and knee high socks. The worst war I had to worry about was the war between the state school and our catholic school. Good times!

I never worried about where my next meal was coming from, clean water, sickness or disease, whether my parents could afford school or, God forbid, that I would be abducted to fight in a war. What a mad-crazy thought that is!

Night commuters camping out in town for safety

Those worries were the furthest thing from my mind at 12 ,13 and 14 years of age. It’s insane to think that these thoughts have been genuine worries of young people in Northern Uganda for 20 plus years.

Leading up to my trip in Uganda I watched a documentary called “Invisible children” what a film! I was absolutely blown away and ripped apart.

It tells the story of three young guys who went on a trip to Africa in 2003, looking for a story. They stumbled upon Africa's longest running war. Rebel armies, known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), had been abducting children and using them as troops to wage war against the Ugandan government.

The danger of being snatched was so high that children would walk miles at night in an effort to avoid these troops. It is estimated that 90% of the LRA were abducted children. Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, a former witch doctor, aimed to start a new government in Uganda based on the bible and the ten commandments.

Over twenty five years, the LRA abducted more than 30,000 boys and girls as soldiers, some estimate up to 65,000. Attacks against Uganda's Acholi people have resulted in severe trauma to civilians from extreme violence and abduction. Girls are often forced to be sex slaves. Many of the kids were forced to kill, abuse dead bodies and many never returned.

This stuff is profoundly freaky and intense, a sickening nightmare that corrupts and imprisons. How would I be effected living there? What would my life be like? Would I be able to live knowing what I had done if I were abducted for the rebel army? Would I have killed people? These questions are too hard for me because, to be honest, I just can’t comprehend this horror as a reality.

The only difference between me and these now young men is that I was born to a different mother.

Peace has now come to Northern Uganda through a cease fire between Joseph Kony and the Ugandan Government. The people are rebuilding their lives and trying to live a normal existence. The poverty that we saw was extreme and the hardships they now face is like being given a reprieve and moving into a different new kind of nightmare.

Lucas, me and Marc on our war to Northern Uganda

Kony has now moved into the Congo and is trying to move towards the corridors of Southern Sudan and Central African Republic. Peace may have come to Uganda but the carnage has moved.

About five days into the trip we arrived in this Northern area of Uganda known as Kitgum. Right in the midst of this war torn area, we met an amazing Aussie lady...

Every Twenty Seconds...

2010-07-17T21:59:00.002+10:00

How many times have I flushed the toilet today?

Today I've had a shower, washed my hands, washed the dishes (I am a real man), been to the bathroom, washed my car, drank water from the tap and watered my ~~dying~~ oh-so-thriving plants.

I like flushing the toilet. I really like it when my kids flush the toilet (hint hint:my son Samuel). I like hot showers.

I take water for granted. And why not? It's always there...

Or is it?

Across our planet, 884 million people lack access to clean water. That's just a statistic, right? Until you meet the someone who doesn't have access to clean water, and we met many of those somebodies during our trip in Uganda.

Me and a Village in the North of Uganda

Lucas, Marc and I set out to visit a village near Lira. We drove in on a psycho rough road ending up spectacularly bogged in a creek. It was amusing. At first.

We went forward. Reversed. Wheels spinning but no progress. Marc and Lucas bounced and yahoo-ed on the back of the car while reversing (not exactly sure who's idea that was!!?!). Finally, after an hour we spluttered out.

The little village had several huts which made up this impoverished community. As we drove in, the children came running out. The kids were pumped to see visitors, but seemed to hold a sadness. In fact, the whole village has a haunting story - it had only just been resettled. The villagers had returned from spending several years in an IDP(Internal displaced people's) camp.

An IDP camp(a term new to me) is like a refugee camp except your within your own country. You are internally displaced.

The LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) reeked havoc on this community: killing and stealing children for their war.

The people told us that they were devastated and constantly worried the army would return, so they hadn't resettled or planted their crops properly. They lacked a hope for the future, wearily hanging onto existence.

Until this trip, I didn't quite realise how not having access to clean water impacted peoples lives. The people were drinking water that makes them sick, the children were most vulnerable. Until Lifewater International partnered with another organisation and helped out. It was still evident that many of the kids were malnourished and several of them had swollen bellies from worms. This well is bringing hope back to the community and saving lives.

The facts:

In this region of Uganda only 46% of people have access to clean drinking water.
Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. (What the!? That's insane!)
In the developing world, 24,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable causes like diarrhea contracted from unclean water. 1.4 million children die as a result of diarrhea each year.

How you can make an impact:

Vote for clean water on The Affero Project

THE CANNON!!!

2010-07-15T14:24:00.005+10:00

The Cannon! Do I need to say anything more? This is what the Rees' do for family get togethers! :) In this Youtube is my brother Matt, nephew's Josh and Isaac and Son's Sam and Reuben.

The girl's have disappeared, I'm not sure why (!) lol

Quad bike riding down the banks of the Nile

2010-07-14T10:51:00.000+10:00

Experiencing Africa with mud-plastered faces on a quad bike is the way to do it! It was cool going through villages, seeing the kids run after us (wanting money) and flying around corners. I nearly met my maker again on the bottom of the Nile! If you go to Uganda, make sure you go quad bike riding. It was definitely a highlight of the trip. We were so filthy! I had a shower, a swim in a pool and another two showers and I still had dirt on me! Good times!

UGANDA DAY 2 - Cure International

2010-07-12T14:32:00.001+10:00

Marc and I had an eventful start to the journey missing planes, planes delayed, a camera going missing, sleep deprivation and we can't forget poor old Lucas whose meal on the plane came without chicken (!), lol.

We began our journey at Kampala, travelled to Jinja and further North to Mbale. There had been a land slide two weeks previously and a one road was slow going as they were repairing the bridge.

OMG the roads are crazy! Pot holes everywhere. and if the road is too smooth they add speed humps to slow you down, seriously. There were people selling stuff on the side of the roads like fruit salad kebabs, meat kebabs, that looked like they were cooked many hours ago and plantain which is a raw banana cooked. They are mad crazy about plantain.

We visited an organisation called "Cure International", which treat children mostly with Hydrocephalus.It impacted me hugely. We saw many kids who would be dead unless they were treated here.

I was so thankful to God that my children are so healthy and I was a little overwhelmed by seeing kids who looked really sick.

These kids with Hydrocephalus grow really large heads because fluid has built up in their heads.Hydrocephalus is caused by an over-accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).Commonly referred to as “water on the brain,” this condition is caused by a blockage of the brain’s ventricles, leading to a disruption in the outflow of CSF. If left untreated, this condition can lead to significant physical and developmental problems and, more than half of the time, death.

Hydrocephalus is an enormous problem among infants in the developing world. Due to high birth rates, the lack of quality health care and tremendous poverty leading to issues such as malnutrition, the incidence of neonatal infection is higher in poor countries, which in turn leads to higher rates of hydrocephalus. In Uganda alone, over 2,000 new cases of hydrocephalus are reported each year.

Traditionally, children suffering from hydrocephalus are treated using a shunt system to drain the accumulated fluid off the brain and out of the body. The shunt procedure has been in use for well over 60 years; however, even in a developed setting, there is a 50 percent chance that the shunt will fail at some point in the life of the patient. Combined with their propensity for infection, shunts are not the best option for children living in the developing world.

CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda utilises an alternative noninvasive procedure for the treatment of this condition. Developed by the hospital’s former medical director, Dr. Benjamin Warf, this procedure combines an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) with a choroid plexus cauterization (CPC), to provide a safer, more sustainable solution than the use of a shunt.

More than 3,000 infants have been treated at the hospital using this procedure.

They think it may be caused from babies being in contact with cow manure. The doctors here treat more children with Hydrocephalus than anywhere else in the world.

The operation costs the family $1000. $1000 is out of the reach of most Ugandans. This is where "Cure International donors come in.

$1000 will provide life-changing surgery for a child
$100 provides medical care to help cure a child for life
$60 provides nursing care for a recovering child for one month
$35 will provide pre-surgery testing for a child
$15 provides casts to help 3 disabled children

Cure International also treat Clubfoot, Cleft Lip and Palate, Burn Contractures, Brain tumors, Tuberculosis of the Spine and Spina Bifida

Most of these are once off operations which will save a child's life! These guys are awesome. Many of them highly qualified professional who take a considerable pay cut to work here.

You can give straight to "Cure International". But I believe the best way to give is through the "Affero project". "The Affero Project" is a grassroots online community of global justice advocates who join together to give small change every month and Vote to Decide where the money goes. It’s simple... You Give, You Vote, You Decide."

For the person like myself who is passionate about lots of causes, give to Affero. I'm changing the way we are giving and shortly all my kids will be involved in giving to the Affero project. What better way to educate my kids by giving them an opportunity each month to vote what cause they are going to support.

Peace,

Pete Rees

UGANDA - 2 Days to go

2010-06-09T20:59:00.001+10:00

Hi guys

Here's a quick look at my trip. You can click on all the links to get a better idea of what we will be doing.

View Larger Map
June 12-14 - Arrive Kampala, Settle in, visit Watoto Projects and ministry with Empower A Child orphanage

June 15 - Drive to Mbale- Cure International have a hospital out there which does surgeries with kids with club foot, cleft palate, etc. Spend the day with the ministry and with the kids.... Spend the night in Mbale.

June 16 - Drive to Lira, Uganda (Small town where Lifewater International have water projects) - Spend the day with Lifewater visiting the communities they have been working in and seeing their work, how water projects have restored communities etc. Late afternoon or early evening drive to Gulu for the night.

June 17 - Drive to Childcare Kitgum Servants - An 18acre site. which contains a 3,500 pupil Primary School, 1,500 student Trades College, AIDS Hospice with thriving patients, 1000 member community church, clinic etc

June 18 - Early drive to Gulu - Invisible Children

June 19 - Afternoon drive to Murchison Falls National Park and spend the night

June 20 - Early morning game drive and afternoon Nile Boat Ride at Murchison Falls National Park. Early evening drive to Jinja and spend the night.

June 21 - Jinja- Spend the day quad-biking along the mouth of the Nile River and through African Villages R+R. Drive to Kampala early evening.

June 22 - Drive the mission ground- ( 3hrs) Drive back to Kampala and rest, visit with the Kampala folks.

June 23- Home visits with sponsored children/ Schools, visit more slums in Kampala.

June 24- Craft market/ Remand Home

June 25 - 5 July - Volunteer work with Empower a Child

2010-06-03T18:00:00.014+10:00

Budget 2010: Aid levels still on track

Last month, the Federal Government approved spending decreases in health from 16% to 14%.More...

Child Labour in Football Stitching Activitity in India The sports ball industry is exposed for using child labor and slavery to produce soccer balls and volleyballs. More...

World Vision Australia is part of a growing global movement calling for the introduction of the Robin Hood tax. This innovative and tiny tax on global financial transactions could make a huge difference to the lives of millions of people living in poverty. More...

If you liked this post, why not share it on facebook?

The Affero project

2010-06-02T19:48:00.006+10:00

I'm heading to Uganda in 10 days
More...

One of my mates I'm traveling with (Lucas) is the co-founder of a fantastic organisation. Its called the Affero Project. I'm very excited for him. This idea seems simple at first glance, but as you begin to think of the potential and the involvement you can have you get very excited! Well I did anyway! This new project gives me a new way in which I can give and influence where huge amounts of money go. I get to vote every month on where the community gives its money. How awesome is that.! Its so simple and safe to set up your account. It took me about 2 minutes. If you don't have a paypal account it may take about 5 minutes. You can get your kids giving as little as a $1.00 a month and teach and inspire them on the impact they can have with their money. They can influence how thousands of dollars and maybe one day millions is spent by giving their vote. Why don't you give it a go, its so easy. Start with a dollar. See if you like it.

In their words...

The Affero Project is a grassroots online community of global justice advocates who join together to give small change every month and Vote to Decide where the money goes. It’s simple... You Give, You Vote, You Decide.

How it works

People join The Affero Project with monthly donations (as little as $1 a month) and their gift is combined with thousands of others, creating a very large pool of funds. Each year we have 12 categories of funding representing a non-profit organization or NGO with project(s) around the world in each category. Every month community members join online to cast their vote on which category is to receive funding that month, voting weighted according to their monthly commitment. Once a category wins, funds are released to the project(s), and that category will be grayed out until next year, allowing every category to receive their funding. Every month, the pool of funds grow as new donors join Affero.

More...

Affero Project Launch Video from afferoproject on Vimeo.
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Irene Hephzibah Gleeson

2010-05-31T23:20:00.000+10:00

I'm heading to Uganda in 12 days..........

As I've been preparing I've come across this amazing woman's story and web site a few times. A few days ago I came across the web site again. This time I couldn't ignore her story. A friend of mine sent me a message and said he met "Irene" and we should check it out. It looks like it could fit into our trip. I hope it does. Irene is in north Uganda near Gulu. An area where thousands of children have been stolen from their families to fight for the LRA.

Irene Gleeson visited Africa and was concerned at the plight of children there. In 1991 she sold her Sydney beachside home, founded CHILDCARE Kitgum Servants (CKS) and waved a teary goodbye to her 4 children and grandchildren. She towed her caravan to the war zone of Kitgum of North Uganda, gathered 50 war traumatised children under a mango tree and began to teach and feed them. fast forward 19 years and today 10,000 children are given FULL DAY CARE / SCHOOLING / MEDICINE & FEEDING at her schools.

This is her story...

As a small child I loved Jesus so much. Every morning, I would rise for the 5:00am mass, running along the grey streets of North Sydney alone, a small four-year-old girl. But despite my earnest prayers and tears, my home life was one of despair, poverty and sickness. My Mother died when I was 15 years old, leaving me to be housemother to my 7 siblings. I remember kneeling in the dark empty church late one Saturday afternoon.

There was a disturbance at the back of the church as two burly figures carried in a coffin and departed. I rose to read the name of the deceased. It was my mother. I remember the coffin looked so tiny. As I bit back tears of grief, I said to God: "That's it. I'll live my own life now".

The next year, I was married, and by the time I was 21 years old, I had three beautiful children and a lovely home. My life continued with little thought of God until after 20 years of marriage everything fell apart with my divorce.

I lost my home, my children, everything I had worked for. Then began a desperate search for truth. I tried everything: Buddhism, transcendental meditation, yoga, renewing the Dreaming. A 300 mile trek through the Himalayas brought me only disillusionment. Seeking aboriginal spirits brought me only confusion and feelings of unutterable grief.

Manic depressive, with nowhere to turn in 1982, I made a decision to give Jesus control of my life. It seemed like a great weight was lifted from my shoulders, and as I drove home singing, the car seemed to be filled with the voices of angels.

Reading the Bible for the first time in my life taught me truth and how to pray effectively. Within six months, God had blessed me by rescuing my four children from unemployment and drugs. Today, they are married and have given me 15 grandchildren.

In 1989, I heard about orphans in Uganda needing help and sold all my beachside home and ...

Our Actions Impact People All Over the World

2010-05-30T22:31:00.003+10:00

I'm heading to Uganda in 13 days. I'll be travelling around with some m8's....

A few days ago I came across an AWESOME story. I know you are going to love it. Believe it or not I found it in the "Glamour magazine". Naomi has been teasing me about it as she came in as I was reading the story and saw the words, "sex, love & life", "Glamore Magazine" & "sexting"on the page....she now thinks I read Girly magazines, which I don't, lol. Except when i have to catch up with celebrity gossip at the doctor! ;) This story actually came through my "google reader".

Here's some of the article...

Want proof that you can make a difference? Meet nonprofit visionary Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of the Acumen Fund, who tells Glamour columnist Katie Couric how a blue sweater and a little boy in Rwanda inspired her to help millions of people improve their lives.

KATIE COURIC: How you got the title of your book The Blue Sweater is a strange, wonderful story. Can you explain it?
JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: When I was a little girl, I was given a sweater by my Uncle Ed, which I wore all the time, into high school. There were mountains right across the chest.
KATIE COURIC: [Laughs.] I can guess what comes next.
JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: My high school nemesis yelled across the hall that the boys didn’t have to go to the mountains to ski anymore; they could use my sweater. My mother and I ceremoniously gave the sweater to Goodwill. Fast-forward 10 years, when I was in Rwanda: I was jogging, and suddenly I see this little boy in front of me, wearing my sweater.
KATIE COURIC: So weird.
JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: It was crazy. I ran up to the child. I’m one of seven kids, so our names were often in our clothes. I turned the collar, and there was my name. I was like, Ah! That’s what I’ve held as a metaphor for how our actions impact people all over the world......click to keep reading this awe inspiring story!

14 days to go!

2010-05-29T13:18:00.007+10:00

I'm heading to Uganda in 14 days. I'll be travelling around with some m8's....

As I have been preparing for this trip a significant event has happened this month which I hope will have an impact in Uganda. The "Invisiblechildren" have been campaigning, annoying, doing sleeping bag assaults (I'm not sure what that means) to persuade the leaders in the US to consider the "LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act".
For over twenty years the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has terrorized communities in central Africa, attacking civilians and abducting tens of thousands of children in four countries (we will be visiting this area of Uganda).

The LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, will stop the immediate violence and end one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts by:

Stopping the LRA, by mandating President Obama to devise an interagency strategy to prevent LRA violence.
Investing in sustainable peace, by targeting US assistance to recovery and reconciliation efforts in northern Uganda, which are essential to rebuilding and healing war-affected communities and preventing future conflicts.

Here's what "The Invisible Children" said...

In the span of one year, we have made history. In April of 2009, 80,000 of us stood in solidarity with the child soldiers trapped in Joseph Kony’s war. In June, we were two-thousand strong on the lawn of Capitol Hill, asking our leaders to consider the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. In January of this year, we delivered 253,512 signatures to the State Department in support of Kony’s arrest. Our tenacity, annoying phone calls, hundreds of local office lobby meetings, and certainly our sleeping bag assaults (Oklahoma) paid off and the bill has been passed. Getting a bill passed through Congress is an enormous accomplishment. In the last session of Congress, only 3% of bills introduced were actually passed. We’ve done the impossible.

Now, it goes to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law. We expect him to sign the bill into law within the next 10 days.

On Monday, President Obama signed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act into law. Then he issued a public statement about the LRA-affected areas and his commitment to carrying out the law’s mandate. Last April we made it clear “We Want Obama,” and a little over a year later, he invited us into the Oval Office as he signed the bill into law. Whoa. ........ keep reading

FAST FORWARD 10 DAYS!

A message from the President…

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 24, 2010

Statement by the President on the signing of the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009

Today, I signed into law the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. The legislation crystallizes the commitment of the United States to help bring an end to the brutality and destruction that have been a hallmark of the LRA across several countries for two decades, and to pursue a future of greater security and hope for the people of central Africa.

The Lord’s Resistance Army preys on civilians – killing, raping, and mutilating the people.......... KEEP READING

Obama Said Yes! from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

15 Days to Go!

2010-05-28T23:02:00.003+10:00

I'm traveling around Uganda in 15 days with some m8's. CAN'T WAIT! Flying from Coffs to Sydney to Bangkok to Addis Ababa to Entebbe(Uganda). I feel tired just writing that. It's going to be awesome.

Here's the Map if you want to check it out!

We will be visiting some amazing organisations, quad bike riding down the banks of the nile and doing volunteer work.

The organisations that we'll be visting are doing awesome work with rescued child soldiers, aids victims and are targeting helping those suffering from extreme poverty.

I'm so excited. I'll be posting more about the trip and the organisations we'll be visiting over the next few weeks.

Here's some things I was shocked to learn tonight about Uganda.....

Since the onset of HIV/AIDS, it is estimated that about 1.5 million lives have been lost to AIDS related illnesses.

Each year AIDS kills 60,000 people

Every month over 5,000 deaths are registered
Everyday, 165 Ugandans die of AIDS

Every year Uganda registers 110,694 new infections of HIV which 60,648 are women;
Every month 5,054 new HIV infections are registered

Everyday, 167 people get infected with HIV

Click to read more.....

Carissa the Rockstar

2010-03-06T18:20:00.002+11:00

Carissa has been begging me for a while to make a video of her being a "Rockstar". As you can see we had a lot of fun making it.

Day 22 - Our Choice

2009-11-06T20:39:00.007+11:00

Hi everyone

I haven't blogged for a while. I got a little distracted. I had a short break and read some science fiction novels and never quite got back to my blog. But I'm back on track now. I've got tons of interesting thoughts about extreme poverty, as usual ;) to share with you.

Today I had the day off work! :) I spent most of the day reading two new books I bought. "ourchoice" by Al Gore, which is really a text book on global warming. It had a couple of interesting thoughts which I will share in a moment and the other book I started reading is "Speeches that changed the World," a much funner read than "ourchoice".

One of the main reasons I'm reading Al Gores book is because I am interested in what he has to say about poverty. I wouldn't say Al Gore is motivated by extreme poverty. His interest in poverty is more to illustrate the effects of global warming and how population growth is tied into producing more green house gases, blah, blah, etc. So if we control population growth we control global warming, well not control it but you know what I mean.

Anyhoo, his argument for controlling/stabilising the population combines big factors in lifting people out of poverty according to the United Nations. Here are Al Gores factors for stabilising the population:

The widespread education of girls
The social and political empowerment of women to participate in the decisions of their families, communities and nations
High child survival rates, leading parents to feel confident that most or all of their children will survive into adulthood
The ability of women to determine the number and spacing of their children

What I am excited about is, that you can have a direct impact on climate change and extreme poverty by sponsoring a child. ;) Well that's what I figure since the arguments are the same. We have two sponsor kids through Compassion. We have had an opportunity to teach our kids about poverty and about other countries and we are having a direct impact on lifting children and communities out of poverty and now I know from Al Gore that I am having a direct impact on helping reduce climate change. haha.

On a serious note, GET LOUD ABOUT SPONSORING CHILDREN!!

In the words of Nelson Mandela in a speech he gave in 1964, 30 years before he became president, "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Have an awesome weekend,

Pete Rees

Day 21 - 10 seconds with Bono

2009-09-05T21:50:00.002+10:00

But my point is that the world is more malleable than you think and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape. Now if I were a folksinger I'd immediately launch into "If I Had a Hammer" right now get you all singing and swaying. But as I say I come from punk rock, so I'd rather have the bloody hammer right here in my fist.

Day 20 - Cadbury Australia is going Fairtrade!

2009-09-03T01:00:00.004+10:00

This is awesome news! On 26 August Cadbury Australia announced that it would follow the commitment made in Britain and Ireland earlier this year to use Fairtrade cocoa in the production of its most popular product, Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.

What difference does this make to cocoa farmers? This is exciting news, especially for tens of thousands of cocoa farmers in Ghana who will benefit from the deal. Commitments like this provide hope of a better and fairer future. Fairtrade certification guarantees poor cocoa farmers a fair price for their products. In the first year, Fairtrade premiums will provide farmers with over $500,000 to invest in local communities. Labour standards under Fairtrade As a certified Fairtrade producer there are certain independently audited standards that farms must comply with. Many of these standards relate to, and protect, children. These include:

children under 15 not being employed to work on the farm
if children do undertake tasks on the farm, it must not stop schooling or hinder their ability to learn
dangerous work shouldn't be done by children under 18 years of age
fair wages must be paid to workers
the working environment, including equipment, must be maintained to a safe standard.

You can expect to see Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate on supermarket shelves by Easter 2010.

http://trans.worldvision.com.au/news/actionnews/viewArticle_enh.asp?sssdmh=dm16.392764&articleID=221

http://www.cadbury.com.au/About-Cadbury/News.aspx?newsID=45

For the past 17 months, Don't Trade Lives supporters have lobbied Australian chocolate manufacturers to take genuine steps to protect children working on cocoa farms. More than 25,000 Australians have participated in the campaign, calling and visiting chocolate manufacturers and retailers, signing petitions, holding protests and visiting Members of Parliament to demand change. This announcement really demonstrates the power of people campaigning together. We can make a difference!

This is what can happen when we get LOUD together!

Day 19 - Get LOUD about Trade Justice

2009-09-01T20:15:00.007+10:00

If you get stuck in that very unreliable lift with the Prime Minister, do you think you could mutter something about 'trade justice' but wouldn't want the conversation to go much further because you have no idea what it actually is?

Don't worry! It is possible to understand trade justice without a PhD in economics. Just listen to Solomon Mbewe, who, with his wife Joyce, is a cotton farmer in Zambia....

The cotton that Solomon and Joyce grow pays for schooling for their five children, for clothes, for the food they cannot grow, and for other necessities, such as oil and salt - and last year they were hoping, also for some corrugated iron to roof the small hut where they and their children live.

It didn't happen. The price they got for their cotton in 2004 was so low that they only made enough to repay the cost of the seeds and the fertiliser. 'I failed' Solomon says, 'in my vision of getting a better roof.'

Cotton farmers like Solomon and Joyce have suffered from low prices since the early 1990's, when the World Bank and the international Monetary Fund (IMF) forced Zambia to open up to cotton imports, driving down the price local farmers could get for their own cotton. At the same time, Zambia was expected to cut financial support that it gave to Solomon and Joyce and their fellow cotton farmers.

The United States meanwhile paid its own cotton farmers $3.9 billion in subsidies in 2000/2001. Three times more than its entire aid budget for Africa's 800 million people.

By 2001 America's cotton had captured 41% of the world market, driving down prices everywhere. That's all you need to know, really: poor countries, already economically disadvantaged by destitution (bad roads, few trucks, not enough power generators or irrigation channels, depleted soil), are further disadvantaged by trade rules written by the rich. These too often force them to cut support to their own farmers and traders and allow developed countries to dump cheap exports on them.

The rich countries call it free trade, but what is free about having your hands tied by poverty?

Source: MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY by Geraldine Bedell

Day 18 - 10 seconds with Bono

2009-09-01T01:00:00.000+10:00

"This is the straight truth, the righteous truth. It's not a theory, it's a fact. The fact is that this generation--yours, my generation--that can look at the poverty, we're the first generation that can look at poverty and disease, look across the ocean to Africa and say with a straight face, we can be the first to end this sort of stupid extreme poverty, where in the world of plenty, a child can die for lack of food in it's belly.

We can be the first generation. It might take a while, but we can be that generation that says no to stupid poverty. It's a fact, the economists confirm it. It's an expensive fact but, cheaper than say the Marshall Plan that saved Europe from communism and fascism. And cheaper I would argue than fighting wave after wave of terrorism's new recruits. That's the economics department over there, very good.

It's a fact. So why aren't we pumping our fists in the air and cheering about it? Well probably because when we admit we can do something about it, we've got to do something about it. For the first time in history we have the know how, we have the cash, we have the lifesaving drugs, but do we have the will?"

Day 17 - MDG GOAL 2: Achieve universal primary education

2009-08-31T18:14:00.000+10:00

QUICK FACTS
• The number of children of primary school age who were out of school fell from 103 million in 1999 to 73 million in 2006. In that year, primary school enrolment in developing countries reached 88 per cent on average, up from 83 per cent in 2000.
• Around 38 million children in sub-Saharan Africa of primary school age in this region are still out of school.
• In Southern Asia, the enrolment ratio has climbed above 90 per cent, yet more than 18 million children of primary school age are not enrolled.

WHERE DO WE STAND?

Projections suggest that without further acceleration, 58 out of the 86 countries that have not yet reached universal primary education will not achieve it by 2015. The children most likely to drop out of school or to not attend at all are often girls and those from poorer households or living in rural areas.

Although aid directed to basic education for low-income countries increased from $1.6 billion in 1999 to $5 billion in 2006, it is still well below the estimated $11 billion in aid required annually to reach universal primary education by 2015.

WHAT HAS WORKED
1. Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda have abolished school fees, which has led to a surge in enrolment: In Kenya, enrolment of primary school children increased dramatically, with 1.2 million additional pupils in 2003 alone; by 2004, the number had climbed to 7.2 million, of which 84 per cent were of primary school age.
2. In Haiti, collaboration between the Government, UN agencies and NGOs has changed the lives of 4,300 of the country's poorest children, thanks to an education project that provided school materials and supplies to 33 schools. It was funded by a donation of $70,000 from soccer stars Ronaldo and Zidane.

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE
• $11 billion in aid is needed annually to achieve universal primary education by 2015.
• Integrate education as a key part of humanitarian responses to post-conflict and emergency situations.
• Eliminate school fees, particularly for low-income families.
• Offer free meals and basic health services at school to improve children’s health, nutrition and cognitive development.
• Ensure adequate teaching materials and distribute textbooks free of charge.

Challenge for the day: Find one thing that you can do to help educate someone in a developing nation.

Day 16 - Get LOUD about helping others

2009-08-30T16:52:00.006+10:00

This story is one of my favourite short stories of all time. I saw this clip a few years ago and was so moved by the story that I went and bought the DVD and have told this story many times since in schools and at Youth Groups. I love the short film for many reasons. It’s not specifically about poverty but is about the difference one person can make to lift the life of someone else out of their circumstances.

At Rick’s birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development.

"It’s been a story of exclusion ever since he was born," Dick says. "When he was eight months old the doctors told us we should just put him away — he’d be a vegetable all his life, that sort of thing. Well those doctors are not alive any more, but I would like them to be able to see Rick now."

The couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible. When Rick was 10 a group of Tufts University engineers came to the rescue, using $5,000 the family managed to raise in 1972 - an interactive computer that would allow Rick to write out his thoughts using the slight head-movements that he could manage.

In 1975, Rick was finally admitted into a public school. Two years later, he told his father he wanted to participate in a five-mile benefit run for a local lacrosse player who had been paralysed in an accident. Dick, far from being a long-distance runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. They finished next to last, but they felt they had achieved a triumph. That night, Dick remembers, "Rick told us he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing."

Rick’s realization turned into a whole new set of horizons that opened up for him and his family, as "Team Hoyt" began to compete in more and more events.

After 4 years of marathons, Team Hoyt attempted their first triathlon — and for this Dick had to learn to swim. "I sank like a stone at first" Dick recalled with a laugh "and I hadn’t been on a bike since I was six years old."

Rick’s own accomplishments, quite apart from the duo’s continuing athletic success, have included his moving on from high school to Boston University, where he graduated in 1993 with a degree in special education.

"The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."

Day 15 - Jubilee 2000 - the drop the debt Campaign

2009-08-27T19:44:00.010+10:00

Not so amusing...

The three richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million people in the world's poorest countries.

More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.

World trade has increased tenfold since 1970, and more food is produced than ever before, yet the number of people going hungry in Africa has doubled. more than 1 billion people go hungry every day. At current rates it would take more than 130 years to rid the world of hunger.

Jubilee 2000 - the drop the debt Campaign

Starting with a small group of Activists, jubilee 2000 mobilised 24 billion people internationally over five years behind the slogan 'Drop the debt' - a demand to cancel the unpayable debts of the poorest countries by 2000.

On 16 May 1998, 70,000 people demonstrated in Birmingham, the planned venue for the g7, the meeting of the finance ministers of the world's richest countries . A decision had belatedly to move the meeting somewhere else, to keep the leaders away from the demonstrators, but by early afternoon it was clear that this had been a strategic error. Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he was flying back from the country-house meeting early: could he meet representatives of Jubilee house 2000?

When 24 million people sign a petition, politicians have to sit up and take notice. In 1999, at the Cologne G8 summit, world leaders agreed to cancel $100 billion of debts owed by the poorest countries.

Challenge for the day:

'I’d love you, as you read this, to ask yourself: “What can I do this year?” — and then do it. Everyone: young, old, rich, poor, trade unionist, businessman, diplomat, Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Green, churchgoer, concertgoer, teacher, writer, actor. Even — perhaps most important of all — politicians and journalists: please, I beg you, don’t see this moment, this possibility for change, and then waste the opportunity.'

Richard Curtis, scriptwriter, co-founder of Comic Relief, January 2005

Day 14 - Eradication of Smallpox

2009-08-24T20:21:00.002+10:00

Without doubt the issues surrounding poverty can seem unconquerable. In the face of these massive issues there have been some amazing breakthroughs and stunning victories in the fight against poverty. This story is proof that the seemingly impossible can be possible.

Smallpox is believed to have emerged in human populations about 10,000 BC. The disease killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year during the 18th century and was responsible for a third of all blindness. Of all those infected, 20–60%—and over 80% of infected children—died from the disease.

During the 20th century, it is estimated that smallpox was responsible for 300–500 million deaths. In the early 1950s an estimated 50 million cases of smallpox occurred in the world each year. As recently as 1967, the World Health Organisation estimated that 15 million people contracted the disease and that two million died in that year.

In 1967, the world Health Organisation launched a campaign to eradicate smallpox for good. The goal was to vaccinate whole populations. It was a massive endeavour and a huge success. The last natural case of smallpox occurred in 1977. The World Health Organisation declared the planet free from this ancient scourge in 1979.

The cynics said that smallpox would never be eradicated. But it was! They now say that extreme poverty cannot be halved. Will they be right? At the current rate they will be right. There's not enough moment around the issues and governments are not giving what they have promised to give. Nelson Mendella said, "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation!". The answer, I believe lies in the LOUDness of our voice and our united resolve. Not in a few politictions writing some dried up bit of legislation. The answer will be in a united LOUD movement that causes people and governments to take notice and tackle the issues head on.

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity, it is an act of justice" Nelson Mandela at the Live 8 concert July 2005

Challenge for the day: Inspire one person to get LOUD about extreme poverty.

Have an awesome day
Pete

Day 13 - Do you have the will?

2009-08-23T18:17:00.007+10:00

I hope you have had an awesome weekend. I've been relaxing, playing Playstation, hanging with the kids, watching my son play soccer, catching up with some relatives and I started planning a trip with a good friend of mine to Ethiopia and Thailand next year, which I'm pumped about!!

I'm very excited by tonights post. I found this YouTube on a web site I was checking out today. I hope it inspires you.

Every year the United Nations releases a Human Development Report that compares various indicators of wealth around the world. The 1998 report (which is a bit dated now) compared the spending priorities of the world's wealthiest nations with the funds needed to provide basic services to everyone on the planet. What the UN found was:

Cosmetics purchased in the United states $8 billion
Basic education for all $6 billion
Ice-cream purchases in Europe $11 billion
Basic water and sanitation for all $9 billion
Cigarette purchases in Europe $50 billion
Basic health and nutrition for the planet $13 billion

This YouTube below has some very exciting thoughts in it. One of the millennium development goals is to half the amount of people drinking unsafe drinking water by 2015. There is now new technology that would enable every person on this planet to have safe drinking water by 2015 and it would only cost $20 Billion. Which is less then half of the cigarette's purchased in Europe each year.

"We let our own pathetic excuses about how it's "difficult" justify our own inaction. Be honest. We have the science, the technology, and the wealth. What we don't have is the will, and that's not a reason that history will accept..." Bono

Challenge for the day: Consider if you have the will!!

Have an inspired day!

Pete

Day 12 - The LOUD inconvenient truth - Part 2

2009-08-22T16:12:00.003+10:00

Going, going, gone: The vanishing planet

I am a little conflicted in my thoughts about global warming. Some of the claims that are being made I find a little hard to believe. On the same token I feel compelled to write about it because firstly I believe that we all need to be more conscious of how we are treating the environment and secondly because if there is an ounce of truth in the claims then global warming will have a huge a huge impact on the amount of people affected by extreme poverty.

If these claims are true then many parts of the world may be radically affected by global warming. Although they may appear to have little to do with us, some of them will have a powerful impact on food supplies and weather.

Some Pacific Island states have been referred to as the canary in the coalmine for climate change. The small island states in the pacific Ocean will be the first nations to go under if sea levels rise.

The worlds coral reefs may be on the way out. Global warming may make the oceans more acidic. Also, an effect known as global bleaching is caused by warmer water the drives out the polyps that keep the coral alive. Apparently up to 10% of coral reefs were destroyed in a warming event in 2001, and one-third of the remainder are in danger according to experts.

Bye-bye to the coastline as you know it. Its not just the coastline that may disappear. Arable land - that is, land that humans can grow food on - will disappear as well.

LOUD thought for the day: Consider the impact on the worlds poor if the claims about global warming are true and share that thought with a friend.

Day 11 - GOAL 1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

2009-08-20T21:43:00.008+10:00

Quick Facts
· The World Bank’s latest estimates show that 1.4 billion people in developing countries were living in extreme poverty in 2005.
· Recent increases in the price of food have had a direct and adverse effect on the poor and are expected to push many more people – an estimated 100 million – into absolute poverty.
· The proportion of children under five who are undernourished declined from 33 per cent in 1990 to 26 per cent in 2006. However, by 2006, the number of children in developing countries who were underweight still exceeded 140 million.

The MDG(Millennium Development Goals) target of cutting in half the proportion of people in the developing world living on less than $1 a day by 2015 remains within reach for the world as a whole. However, this achievement will be largely the result of extraordinary success in Asia, mostly East Asia. In contrast, little progress has been made in reducing extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (below the Saharan Desert).

Using a new threshold for extreme poverty now set at $1.25 a day in 2005 prices, the Bank concludes that there were 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty in 2005.

With recent increases in food prices, it is estimated that 1 billion people will go hungry, while another 2 billion will be undernourished.

Almost 50 per cent of children are underweight in Southern Asia. This region alone accounts for more than half the world’s undernourished children, while the majority of countries making the least progress in reducing child malnutrition are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Employed persons living in a household where earnings are less than $1 per person a day are considered the ‘working poor’. In sub-Saharan Africa, over half the workers fall into this category.

Slum dwellers, who account for 1 billion of the worldwide urban population, die earlier, experience more hunger and disease, receive less education and have fewer job opportunities.

WHAT HAS WORKED – This is one of many ideas which are working.
Microfinance has helped many of the world’s poor to increase their incomes through self-employment and empowerment. With access to small loans microfinance clients, mostly women, have formed micro-enterprises that generate income. Grameen Bank of Bangladesh is one of the world’s most successful microfinance institutions. From a starting base of 10 members in 1976, Grameen Bank today has over 7.5 million borrowers, 65 per cent of whom have managed to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. Microfinance institutions provided loans to 113 million clients worldwide

There are now thousands of Microfinance organisations that are helping lift people out of poverty. I have found one organisation in particular which is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending organisation you to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. When you loan your money you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.

I’ll be sharing more about this exciting new concept soon.

Challenge for the day: Find out who "Muhammad Yunus" is and what he has done for the fight against extreme poverty.

Have an awesome day

Pete

Day 10 - Think LOUD with your money!

2009-08-20T01:00:00.001+10:00

We obviously think that we are far from rich. I certainly don't think I am rich. My 8 year old son Samuel I'm sure will be rich. You can ask him at any time how much money he has and will give you a detailed account of his money and both his brother and sister in dollars and cents. He seems to notice even when I borrow a dollar off him.

I did some calculations earlier to work out just how rich you are. Did you know that if you only earn just $10,000 a year you are amongst the 13.72% richest in the world, $20,000 a year 11.97% richest, $30,000 a year %10.22 richest, $40,000 5.73% richest, $50,000 3% richest, $60,000 top 0.99% richest. Wow! (At the current Australian exchange rate)

The world bank now draws extreme poverty at $1.25 a day as being extreme poor. That is not a little poor, that is a lot poor. That is not having any food, not having a roof over your head, unsure where you will find clean water to drink next and worrying if you will live the year through.

At the moment in the world there are 1.4 Billion people who live on less then $1.25 a day. That is an incredible number, a shocking number and a statistic that surely couldn't be true. But it is. To me it seems so far removed form real life.
What can you buy for a $1.25? Not much! Certainly not enough to live on.
So the question is just how rich are you? What can you do now to make a difference for one. You may not be able to feed 100 people. But can you feed one?
Buy a gift for a child. Click here
http://trans.worldvision.com.au/Smiles/GiftCatalogue/Gift.aspx?GiftID=79

Challenge for the day: Use your money creatively. Do you have a present to buy for someone? Then why not buy a gift from a charity that changes a life? and see how rich you are on the Global Rich List http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Day 9 - LOUD Tony

2009-08-18T20:05:00.006+10:00

This is a really cool story about one man who did something so LOUD that his whole nation took notice of what he was doing and the message he had. I love this story!

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In March 2003, journalist Teun van de Keuken (Tony), voluntarily surrendered to the police in Amsterdam, for eating chocolate illegally produced using slave labor. The police refuse to prosecute him.
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On March 22, 2004, Tony became the first Dutchman ever to press criminal charges against himself for the crime of eating chocolate.
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The filmmakers first act of protest was personal. One day he ate 19 chocolate bars and then turned himself into police for knowingly buying a product made with slave labor, something he says is criminal under Dutch law.
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"At first, I just called the police and said I did a terrible thing. They said, 'Don't worry, we all eat chocolate, good-bye.' Then I hired a lawyer and took himself to court.
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In the meantime, he took his TV show to Burkina Faso to find some of the children forced to work on the cocoa plantations — kids, he says, who had never tasted chocolate until he gave them some. (They liked it.)
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Tony says recruiters from the Ivory Coast cross the border into the destitute country and lure children over with promises of money or even bicycles. Once they get there, he says, "they're forced to work, not paid, and not allowed to leave —"
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Frustrated by the progress of efforts Tony began producing his own chocolate bars, Tony says they were the first on the market to be packaged as slavery-free. Tony says the bars were an overnight success. "

Remember to press pause on Pete's Playlist to the right before you press play

Challenge for the day: Find out which brands sell fair trade chocolate at your local supermarket. (I'll be talking about this more soon)

Day 8 - Bloggers Sabbath

2009-08-17T01:00:00.000+10:00

Day 7 - 1.4 Billion LOUD Reasons

2009-08-16T00:01:00.001+10:00

Some thoughts from Hugh... Don't forget to press pause on Pete's Playlist to the right.

There are 1.4 billion reasons to get LOUD about poverty! At the moment 1.4 billion people worldwide live on less than $1.25 a day.
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Could You?

Probably not, so why should we expect others to do so?

At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 Heads of State and Governments pledged to work together to make a better world by 2015. On behalf of their people, they signed the Millennium Declaration which promises to free men, women and children from the dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty and make the right to development a reality for everyone! They agreed upon eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges.

The Millennium Development goals include:
halving extreme hunger and poverty;
getting all children into school;
making women more equal;
reducing child mortality;
improving maternal health;
combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
protecting the environment; and
working in partnership to make poverty history.

There has been some significant success in some MDG areas and a number of targets are expected to be reached by 2015. Here are a few:
• Deaths from measles fell from over 750,000 in 2000 to less than 250,000 in 2006. I think you would agree thats quite amazing;
• The number of deaths from AIDS fell from 2.2 million in 2005 to 2.0 million in 2007, and the number of people newly infected declined from 3.0 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2007;
• The incidence of tuberculosis is expected to be halted and begin to decline before the target date of 2015. This will an awesome accomplishment considering In 2006, there were an estimated 1.7 million deaths due to tuberculosis and 14.4 million people infected with the disease, including approximately 9.2 million new cases

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Alongside some of the amazing successes there are a lot of areas that will fall far short of reaching the goals and need a lot more attention. These are some of them:

• The proportion of people in sub-Saharan Africa living on less than $1 per day is unlikely to be reduced by the target of one-half;
• About one quarter of all children in developing countries are considered to be underweight and are at risk of having a future blighted by the longterm effects of undernourishment;
• Developed countries’ foreign aid expenditures declined for the second consecutive year in 2007 and risk falling short of the commitments made in 2005;

During the next 60 day's I will be sharing thoughts about the MDG's in bite size chunks. As I'm sharing these thoughts, stop and think about what you could do to make a difference even if it's just for one person.

I hope that wasn't an overload. If you have skipped everything I just wrote, check out the YouTube above. ;)

Have an awesome day

Pete

Challenge for the day: Find out more about the Millennium Development Goals by doing a google search or by watching a YouTube.

Day 6 - The LOUD inconvenient truth - Part 1

2009-08-15T01:00:00.003+10:00

You can't turn on the TV or open the newspaper without hearing about freak storms, record temperatures, prolonged drought, disastrous floods and other wacky weather. Now most scientists, we are told believe these events are related, and they're caused by changes to the earth's climate. Whats more, it is believed human activity is driving the changes. These changes are called global warming, climate change or climate chaos.
The first people in the firing line as a result of rising sea levels, reduced rainfall and global food shortages are the worlds poor. Many of them already live in marginal environments - the flood plains of Bangladesh or the grazing lands that fringe the Sahara Desert, to name two. These places will be directly affected by global warming. However indirect effects of global warming will include rising food prices, migration and significant economic change.

Challenege for the day: Consider the impact of Global Warming on the world's poor

Day 5 - Get LOUD about Chocolate

2009-08-14T01:00:00.006+10:00

By Christian Parenti

(Fortune) -- Outside the village of Sinikosson in southwestern Ivory Coast, along a trail tracing the edge of a muddy fishpond, Madi Ouedraogo sits on the ground picking up cocoa pods in one hand, hacking them open with a machete in the other and scooping the filmy white beans into plastic buckets. It is the middle of the school day, but Madi, who looks to be about 10, says his family can't afford the fees to send him to the nearest school, five miles away. "I don't like this work," he says. "I would rather do something else. But I have to do this."

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Sinikosson, accessible only by rutted jungle tracks, is a long way from the luxurious chocolate shops of New York and Paris. But it is here, on small West African farms like these, that 70 percent of the world's cocoa beans are grown - 40 percent from just one country, Ivory Coast. It's not only the landscape that is tough. Working and living conditions are brutal. Most villages lack electricity, running water, health clinics or schools. And to make ends meet, underage cocoa workers, like Madi and the two boys next to him, spend their days wielding machetes, handling pesticides and carrying heavy loads................. http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/24/news/international/chocolate_bittersweet.fortune/

Facts

70% of cocoa produced world wide comes from West Africa

40% comes from the Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire)

It is estimated up to 12,000 children have been trafficked for cocoa in West Africa.

It is estimated that in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast alone, more than 600,000 children work on cocoa fields

Most of the Companies of the chocolate that we eat do not guarantee that their products are free of child slavery.

What should our response be? Should we boycott chocolate? What message should we get LOUD about? Should we be eating Fair Trade chocolate? I'll be posting what I believe the answers to these questions are soon.

Challenge for the day: Count how many products you have in your kitchen that contain cocoa and read the link to the article above

Day 4 - Get creatively LOUD with your money!

2009-08-13T01:00:00.003+10:00

Why spend millions on a music video when you can make a very effective one for $15 and give the rest to humanitarian causes?

In this cool video, Sarah McLachlan breaks down how the money would have been spent and how the money was spent:

In LA, catering for a one day shoot = $3000. But this time, $3000 has bought 10950 meals for street children in Calcutta
$5000 = cost of make-up and hair for one day or$5000 = one years schooling for 145 girls in Afghanistan
Most Expensive Music Videos: "Scream" - Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson: $7,000,000. "Victory" - Puff Daddy: $2,700,000+. "Heartbreaker" - Mariah Carey: $2,500,000"What's It Gonna Be" - Busta Rhymes: $2,400,000+"Larger Than Life" - Backstreet Boys: $2,100,000+"Bedtime Story" - Madonna: $2,000,000+

Challenge for the day: Pull $10 out of your wallet/purse, sit it a spot where you will see it every day. Don't let it move from that spot until you have an idea or opportunity to use that $10 to do something creatively significant for an awesome cause. I'm going to do the same. Make sure you tell me what you do!

Day 3/60 - Be inspired by the "Abolition of Slavery"

2009-08-12T07:00:00.004+10:00

The transatlantic slave trade, which led to the forced removal of up to 12 million African people over 300 years, is one of the ugliest periods in human history. By the end of the eighteenth century, three out of four people on earth lived under some kind of slavery. The slave trade changed Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and North and South America economically, demographically and culturally.

The trade in human cargo also created a global market and stimulated major economic growth and the transfer of vast amounts of wealth into the hands of European and American companies.

But through a mass movement that brought together enslaved Africans, anti-slavery campaigners and ordinary members of the public, the slave trade came to an end during the mid-nineteenth century. The abolition of the transatlantic slave trade is one of the modern greatest moral triumphs. This makes the re-emergence of modern slavery all the more shocking.

Slavery ended because former slaves toured Britain, talking about life on the plantation and slave ships, while anti-slavery activists demonstrated handcuffs, shackles and thumbscrews. The campaigners used the postal service, newspapers, books and pamphlets. They held meetings. They were powered by a belief that human beings had the capacity to care about others. The campaign in Britain was something the world had never seen before - the first time a large number of became outraged over someone else's rights.

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Within a few years, more than 300,000 Britains were refusing to eat slave-grown sugar. An abolition commitee existed in every major town or city. Parliament was flooded with pettitions: the one from Edinburgh stretched the floor of the commons floor; 20,000
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The abolition of slavery only happened because people got LOUD! Modern slavery is worth getting LOUD about! Modern slavery will only disappear if you and I get LOUD!

Day 2/60 - Be inspired by Jeremy Gilley

2009-08-10T23:34:00.005+10:00

People who achieve great things in the face of adversity inspire us all. This is one of the most inspiring stories I have read this year because of that very reason. Jeremy Gilley has achieved this amazing day, a global day of non violence, a day in which thousands of people's lives have been saved.

Jeremy Gilley is an English actor, filmmaker and founder of the charity Peace One Day. Disturbed by the images of violence and destruction in every day life, Gilley had an idea: What if there was one day when the world stopped fighting? A worldwide ceasefire – a non-violence day? A Peace Day? He decided to find out if that was possible, and to document his efforts along the way. Gilley realized that the best way to achieve an annual Peace Day was to obtain a UN resolution. With help from family and friends, he was able to send thousands of letters, make hundreds of phone calls and travel the equivalent of 7 times around the world. In 2001, Gilley achieved his goal.

Gilley had amazing, impossible idea to change the world through a single day. How did he do it? He had an idea and he got LOUD!

http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome

Have an awesome day!
Pete

Day 1/60 - Think about it!

2009-08-10T14:03:00.007+10:00

The September 11 2001 attacks in New York tragically claimed 2,967 lives. The resulting “war on terrorism” has dominated the world's agenda ever since.The War in Iraq and the resulting insurgency has claimed at least 30,000 civilian lives.

Yet every day, yes, EVERY DAY 30,000 children under five around the world die from poverty related causes. That’s 1 child every 3 seconds!

1.4 billion people live on less the a $1.25 a day.

HIV/AIDS kill around 3 million people per year, Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities, etc, etc....

The numbers are obviously huge. Its easy to think what can I possibly do when the problem of extreme poverty are so enormous?

I think the first step is to actually stop and think about it................

Don't quickly pass it by, but stop and think about the enormous issues.

Pete

The LOUD Project?

PETE'S WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Die quickly or live like wonderful!

PETE'S WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Pete's Newsfeed

Inspirational Idiot Number 1

Affero is giving away free books!

To enter comp click here

How you can help Pakistan

How to Help Pakistan's Flood Victims

Taliban urge Pakistan to reject US aid

Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Taliban faction has urged the government to reject American aid for people affected by the nation's worst floods in 80 years.

Pakistan floods: How you can help

Pakistan struggles with flooding

Global Action News from this week

And the winner is....

And the randomly selected winner is....(drum roll)

Rob Garth

Rob wished to win "When helping hurts." Fantastic book! Probably the best I have read. You are going to love it! Well done Rob

Stay tuned...This week I'm going to give someone the opportunity to win an animal...hmmm. You're in suspense aren't you?

Your chance to win a free book!

This weeks - Inspiring "Global Action" news

The Journey to Northern Uganda Part 2

The Journey to Northern Uganda Part 1 of 2 or maybe 3 :)

Every Twenty Seconds...

THE CANNON!!!

Quad bike riding down the banks of the Nile

UGANDA DAY 2 - Cure International

UGANDA - 2 Days to go

If you liked this post, why not share it on facebook?

The Affero project

Irene Hephzibah Gleeson

Our Actions Impact People All Over the World

Want proof that you can make a difference? Meet nonprofit visionary Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of the Acumen Fund, who tells Glamour columnist Katie Couric how a blue sweater and a little boy in Rwanda inspired her to help millions of people improve their lives.

14 days to go!

15 Days to Go!

Carissa the Rockstar

Day 22 - Our Choice

Day 21 - 10 seconds with Bono

Day 20 - Cadbury Australia is going Fairtrade!

Day 19 - Get LOUD about Trade Justice

Day 18 - 10 seconds with Bono

Day 17 - MDG GOAL 2: Achieve universal primary education

Day 16 - Get LOUD about helping others

Day 15 - Jubilee 2000 - the drop the debt Campaign

Day 14 - Eradication of Smallpox

Day 13 - Do you have the will?

Day 12 - The LOUD inconvenient truth - Part 2

Day 11 - GOAL 1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

Day 10 - Think LOUD with your money!

Day 9 - LOUD Tony

Day 8 - Bloggers Sabbath

Day 7 - 1.4 Billion LOUD Reasons

Day 6 - The LOUD inconvenient truth - Part 1

Day 5 - Get LOUD about Chocolate

Day 4 - Get creatively LOUD with your money!

Day 3/60 - Be inspired by the "Abolition of Slavery"

Day 2/60 - Be inspired by Jeremy Gilley

Day 1/60 - Think about it!