Be the Change Book Club http://megappleby.com Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:29:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 DoGoodhttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with The Free DictionarySubscribe with Bitty BrowserSubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Excite MIXSubscribe with WebwagSubscribe with Podcast ReadySubscribe with WikioSubscribe with Daily Rotation 5 Heartbreaking Facts about Afghanistan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DoGood/~3/rIw80ycimSo/ http://megappleby.com/5-facts-afghanistan/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:23:39 +0000 Meg http://megappleby.com/?p=2978 One of the things that struck me as I was reading The Kite Runner, is that had I been born in Afghanistan, I would not have known peace in my lifetime.  Imagine that, growing up with an interminable war.  That and the grinding poverty.  Kind of puts my own personal struggles & hardships into perspective.

Here are a few other sobering facts about Afghanistan – along with some links to organisations who are working to change them.  Please consider making a donation to support their work.

The average life expectancy of an Afghan in 2011 was 48 years.

International Medical Corps
Between 1984 & 1996 the International Medical Corps trained more than 1,000 health professionals and workers in Afghanistan, including medical doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, lab technicians, mid-level health workers and vaccinators. Over the past decade, they have successfully implemented dozens of primary health care programs around the country, and integrated development and cash for work programs in over ten provinces.

 

More than 87% of Afghan women suffer domestic violence

Womankind Afghanistan

Since 2009 Womankind has been working to increase literacy rates amongst women and girls and strengthen leadership and women’s participation in the community.

Afghanistan has the third highest maternal mortality rate in the world

Care International

Care International supports maternal and newborn health in Afghanisatan as well as programmes aimed at empowering women, improving Education and promoting rural development.

In 2009, 90% of all opium was produced in Afghanistan

Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps’ primary goal is to enable Afghans to improve their quality of life by strengthening sustainable, legitimate livelihoods. Our programmes are aimed at improving agricultural production and market linkages, community and agricultural infrastructure, livestock health, natural resource management and access to financial services, with an emphasis on linking government, communities and the private sector.

The IMF estimates that GDP per capita in 2012 will be $597.739

Afghanaid

Afghanaid‘s projects are focused primarily on the promotion of economic, political and social rights. Afghanaid runs an extensive agricultural programme, an animal health programme and invests in community productive assests such as irrigation. They also promote the notion of savings, internal lending and creation of economically viable opportunities for Afghan rural poor families and communities to start micro and small enterprises.

 

If you want to find out more about Afghanistan and some of the organisations that are working there, visit BAAG.org.uk

]]> http://megappleby.com/5-facts-afghanistan/feed/ 0 http://megappleby.com/5-facts-afghanistan/ Doing Good in 140 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DoGood/~3/e8s4GKb2nmk/ http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-66/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:15:00 +0000 Meg http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-66/ Follow me on Twitter

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]]> http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-66/feed/ 0 http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-66/ Book Review: The Think Big Manifesto. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DoGood/~3/Eifh3Xr8UwM/ http://megappleby.com/book-review-the-think-big-manifesto/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:04:51 +0000 Meg http://megappleby.com/?p=2960 The Think Big ManifestoI enjoyed reading The Think Big Manifesto.  It is an encouraging and motivating book that exhorts us to take action and make a positive impact on the world.

I would have to say it rambles a little (perhaps more than a little) and is somewhat repetitive, however its a short and simple read full of inspirational little sound bites and stories of fairly ordinary folk who decided to think for themselves, think big, and then took action to make some fairly extraordinary changes in their lives. From a stay-at-home Mum who founded a non-profit bringing seniors & students together to enrich education, to a successful business owner who got there via a childhood in foster care and on the streets …. and a whole lot in between.

I did really like the way that the auther, Michael Port, made a point of stressing that thinking big is not all about fame and fortune:

Thinking big is not about accumulating – possessions, fame, friends, or influence.  It is not about getting rich (though you may reap financial rewards). Thinking big is creating a world of collaboration and cooperation instead of competition. To think big is to build a life in which more is accomplished with others than could have been dreamed separately.
~ Michael Port,  The Think Big Manifesto (pg 20)

In fact, he makes it clear that thinking big is something different for all of us.  Its about aligning your dreams with your core values, and stepping up to take action in whatever matters most to you so that you can make a positive difference in your own life and the lives of those around you.

If you’re looking for a step by step guide to help you change the world – this is not the book for you. However, if you like the idea of having a cheerleader on your side to bring out when the world is getting you down and spur you on to great things … then The Think Big Manifesto may be just what you need!

Have you read The Think Big Manifesto?  Share your thoughts below or leave a link to your review on your own blog.

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]]> http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-65/feed/ 0 http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-65/ The Kite Runner http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DoGood/~3/HdmwVxC8peg/ http://megappleby.com/the-kite-runner/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:42:09 +0000 Meg http://megappleby.com/?p=2949 This month we’re reading  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption, and it is also about the power of fathers over sons-their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

The Kite Runner tells a sweeping story of family, love, and friendship against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, bringing to mind the large canvases of the Russian writers of the nineteenth century. But just as it is old-fashioned in its narration, it is contemporary in its subject-the devastating history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years.

Join us to read this world changing book in March.

I’d love you to share your thoughts on our Facebook page as you read and join in on Twitter (we’ll be using the hashtag #kiterunner), and Goodreads.

Have you already read The Kite Runner?  Share the link to your review in the comments, we’d love to hear what you thought of it!

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]]> http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-63/feed/ 0 http://megappleby.com/doing-good-in-140-63/ Book Review: The Green Year http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DoGood/~3/FiDTcWWn8Wc/ http://megappleby.com/book-review-the-green-year/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:02:59 +0000 Meg http://megappleby.com/?p=2932 The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference
The Green Year has one ‘green’ tip for each day of the year …. that’s 365 small things you can do to make a BIG difference.

This isn’t really a book for a dedicated greenie, but if you’re just starting out and need some ideas or have lapsed a little in your green living ways and need some reminders, then this book is for you.  The tips are practical, bite sized actions you can take NOW and incorporate into you day-to-day living.

Here are a few of my favourite tips from the book:

February 14th

Surprise your Valentine with a candlelight dinner.

Turning out the lights isn’t just romantic, it saves energy.  To make the evening even more eco-friendly, opt for soy candles over candles made from paraffin. Soy candles are made from natural ingredients, last longer than paraffin candles, and reduce the amount of soot released into the air by 90 percent.

June 30

Switch to eco-friendly cat litter

Over 2 million tons of non-biodegradable cat litter ends up in the landfill every year. Traditional cat litter is made from clay using a process called strip-mining. Strip-mining uses heavy equipment to remove the top layer of earth to get to buried clay. It has destroyed thousands of acres of land and removed millions of tons of soil.  Choose cat litter made from wheat, recycled newspaper, corn cobs or other renewable materials that are biodegradable or easily composted.

September 24

Ditch your air freshener

The same air freshener that makes your kitchen smell like a wildflower meadow is releasing toxins into the air every time you spray.  Most air fresheners are made with chemicals like benzenes, phthalates, and formaldehyde.

Opt for natural alternatives like burning a beeswax candle, splurging on a bouquet of fresh flowers, or hanging dried lavender or eucalyptus through the house

Didn’t get to read ‘The Green Year’ last month? Want to win a copy? Share a picture of what’s on your ‘to read’ pile for the month on our Facebook page before the end of February and you’re in the draw!

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