(Re)Blog for a Cause

Help us help our kids with your blog. Blogging add-on service Zemanta is going to donate $3000 to five charities who get reblogged the most before June 6. And we'd like to be one of them.

What can Goods for Good do with $3000? A lot. 

Consider some of this:

$39 clothes 80 orphans in Malawi
$250 buys toys for 4 nursery schools at Consol Homes Orphan Care
$1,057 trains 12 nursery school teachers in early childhood development
$2,218 pays for a year’s supply of pens and notepads for ALL children in G4G schools

The education outlook in Malawi is grim. 50% of students drop out of school before the fifth grade, and 28% of those kids leave school simply because they don’t have school supplies. 

Help us spread the word about Goods 4 Good. Please reblog this post. (And be sure to include the following link.)

This blog post is part of Zemanta’s “Blogging For a Cause” campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.

Thanks!

Girl's Fashion Sweeps Malawi - Aaron Lewani

It has been almost three months since St. Mary Rehabilitation Centre celebrated its annual gala, “YEAR OF RAINBOW”. But for many students at Wisdom Primary School like Sophia Kingstone, the happy mood has yet to subside. Each day she still proudly fashions the dress presented to her at the gala. “I love my dress very much because of its color and style. I handle it with care because it makes me look more beautiful,” said Sophia as her friends listened attentively. She told me she would like to be a Member of Parliament, so that she may best represent the people in her community. As such, she remembers to work very hard at school to ensure that this ambition is achieved. Regarding the Rainbow celebrations, she said the day was unforgettable because the wonderful food and opportunity to dance with her friends; but her dress was her favorite part!


St. Mary’s conducts Rainbow activities each year during the month of November. These activities bring together all the center’s children to celebrate their progress. Children participate in reading poems, acting out dramas, performing traditional dances and even putting on fashion shows. Last year’s attendance was 550 children. This year Sister Rosemary, the teacher who coordinates the distribution and tailoring of all fabrics received by Goods for Good, made a speech. She reiterated that the new dresses will greatly contribute to the children’s education and that it was absolutely impossible to miss the overwhelming joy in the children as they conducted their performances.


In February 2009, I had the opportunity to interview a few more girls who attended the Rainbow Gala. Nine-year-old Maclina Majori told me, “I like education because it helps me to think and question things intelligently so I make good decisions in life. I am so confident that one day I will be strong enough to be independent, as a result of the education I am receiving today.” I asked her if the dress contributed to her confidence to be independent; and she took a moment to think about her reply. “That is a good question,” Maclina commented before answering. “Dress imeneyi imandiwaza kwambiri! . . .My dress is cool, this dress is my source of joy!” All the girls laughed and agreed that Maclina had made a good point. The dresses bring so much joy because they are tailored uniquely for each girl. The final comment from one of Maclina’s friend was, “I know I am the only girl to have this particular dress in my whole village. This is the first time something has been made just for me, it makes me so happy!”

All the girls seemed to boast the same joyful sentiments. The dresses and other clothing will surely have a long lasting impact on all 550 children far beyond November 2009. And, after talking to Sophia, Maclina and their friends, I have come to believe that fashion is truly an international form of expression for girls all around the world.

We Have A Cause - Aaron Lewani

It is a Saturday morning, February 23rd. We are on our way to Consol Homes, a Goods for Good partner, to participate and monitor distribution of the various materials provided to them from the recent shipment. Masekese Centre, which doubles as a Consol Homes Headquarters, is our most important stop because of the large number of people that attend the distributions.

Upon arrival, our first greeter was Malizani Mose. Malizani is a dedicated volunteer with a big heart who I always look forward to seeing. I made a flattering remark about the new uniforms directed at the group of women she was standing with and they immediately broke into a roar of laughter. The response was a welcome surprise that instantly took me back to being in the village so long ago. It had been a long time since I heard such laughter, because recently life here has been very difficult for everyone. It was clear that these women were laughing from their hearts and were quite proud of the new uniforms.

The purpose of the uniforms is to help make volunteers more accessible to community members and children. A volunteer who has a uniform can easily be identified when working in villages. Malizani joked, “Even in large groups we are conspicuous in our beautiful uniforms.” Another lady added that when a volunteer is provided with a uniform, they feel loved and appreciated by those they are working with. “These uniforms are a motivation to us as volunteers and also inspire other people who doubt the logic of our work, particularly our fellow women,” said Agnes Milizi. She also added: “It encourages new membership to the volunteer force because of how professional we look; even the children are more proud of their caretakers.”

Christina Msudzi, a volunteer from Phandula CBCC, explained to me how she felt about the new uniforms. She said, “I am now enjoying my work more than before because of this uniform. But, the most important thing is still the work we do for and with the children.” Malizani jumped in, “Our work always drives us to move forward every day. I am very hopeful that through our work of encouraging children to go to school, some of our students will even reach University. This makes the students more valuable people in our society and will bring greater change in our communities. We now have a cause to fight for!”

I believe it was evident that the group of women I was chatting with enjoyed the discussion of their work and felt comfortable speaking freely regarding both the uniforms and their work. Indeed, they have a good reason to love and be very proud of their dedication. The closing statements made by the volunteers particularly affected me. Their conviction and unyielding faith that one day they will see some of the children they are helping today changed for the better, truly inspired me.

Not Business as Usual - Aaron Lewani

It’s time to return to school in Malawi: Monday, January 5, 2009. You can find teacher’s preparing their lessons and children eagerly walking to their classes. Though it might seem like the beginning of a normal school year, I assure you it is not business as usual this year! I am certain because I have seen what Goods for Good has at its Warehouse designated as education materials.

Currently, we have lots of materials for both the teachers and students. As schools opened, we collaborated with our partners to distribute the educational materials to the teachers and students to ensure that they both receive the materials in good time. During the distributions, I managed to chat with the Chiefs, the Teachers and School Committee Members to hear their views on the support the teachers had received. They all had many interesting stories to tell.

Mr. Kachikopa, the Head Teacher at Chankhaza Primary school said, “I am so grateful for the teaching materials we have received today from Goods for Good. This time you have filled all the material needs at our school. Teachers have enough supplies for the whole year including a bag to carry their things. For me, having a bag is a first, I have never owned a teacher’s bag, instead I used an old carton to carry my lessons and materials. I do not have more words because I am just so grateful.” In all the eighteen schools where we did distributions such as the one described above, teachers were shocked with both surprise and happiness.

At each school, immediately after the Teachers Supply Closet box was opened, teachers could not stop talking about the materials and thanking Goods for Good. “Mwabwera boo! Goods for Good, this is good coming. Our ego is high now,” said Mr. Yakasale Chida, a teacher at Gudyu Primary School. At Chimkoka Primary School, the School Committee members expressed their joy when they saw the teachers had received subject specific materials to help them teach even better. “This means that the education standards in our area are now higher. What more could our children need? The teachers are well equipped to do their job and it is clear that this will be a good year for education in our community,” said Village Headman Cassese.

The Head Teacher of Chimkoka Primary School, Mr. Saidi, agreed with the Village Headman by saying that the combination of student and teacher school materials was an excellent recipe and the outcome will definitely be positive. He explained “Goods for Good has hit the nail on the head, which means they are an organization that listens. They are responding to the needs we presented to them last year when they conducted their assessment. We are amazed with the swiftness of response to the needs we presented,” added the Head Teacher.

To prove to you that every teacher was shocked, let me tell you about St. Mathias Primary School. Goods for Good piloted the Teachers Supply Closet there in 2007 and 2008. So since we had been working with them for a long time, I thought that it would be business as usual when we delivered the teachers supply closet. I was very wrong! Immediately after we opened the box Mr. Martin Banda, the Head Teacher, and his deputy started talking to themselves. “Wow! Aaron this is wonderful. Oooh! This is unbelievable.” The mood was the same in all the schools. What an exciting year for the teachers in the public schools that Goods for Good is supporting. We thank you, our supporters, for making a difference in the 2009 School Calendar.

Got Pens? – Aaron Lewani

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Last week Raphael Tembenu and I distributed close to 4,000 writing utensils to over 1,700 students! As we went around to each school we were increasingly excited by the reactions of the students, teachers and community leaders. Something so small as a pen is having a huge impact on the students, teachers and entire community!

Our first stop was Nkangamira Primary School. When we arrived, we were greeted by loud cheering from the students. The first thing we did was brief the chiefs, school committee members and teachers on their responsibilities. You might be wondering what I mean by this, we have found that handing the goods over to the community and encouraging them to distribute the goods empowers the entire community to take responsibility of the materials ensuring equality among recipients and proper use of the materials.

Once the distribution began, the chief stated, “This initiative has come at the right time when some parents are struggling to find food for their families and this has filled the dips in those families. The majority of the children will now be coming to school because they have received enough writing material”. The Chairperson of Nkangamira School Committee added “Nazitere bwenzi zikomo (this is excellent)! This is a great opportunity that has come to our community. I am seeing change at the end of this.”

On our next stop, the Chiwoza Primary School, the Chairperson addressed the children in preparation for our distribution of pens and pencils, he stated “Today you will receive gifts from Goods for Good, you will receive pens and pencils,” which was followed by heavy clapping by the students. “Thank you for your applauding but I expect that to be followed by hard work in class to ensure that we get maximum benefits from these pens,” he added. A roar of excitement bellowed from the children, CHEERS, CHEERS, CHEERS!

The last stop was Chimanazo Primary School where I took some time to chat with standard eight students to hear how this program would benefit them and their communities. Patience Matemba, a 12 year-old student, explained that “Education is very important because it helps us to know a lot of things that can help us to move from poverty and make us reliable citizen in our communities. Like myself, I would like to be a nurse as such I need to be educated for me to achieve my ambition. I will use these pens that I have received today to write my work in class and this will make me work extra hard to attain my goals. Also, be assured that the orphans and other children from very poor families have been greatly rescued from the burden of lacking school materials.”

Lastly, I met with Village Headman Chiwoko who was very excited with the program. “I feel so happy with this program because it is promoting education in my village. I like the use of all parties, village chiefs-school committee members and teachers, because this promotes transparency and accountability and encourages us to work together during development initiatives in our communities. If our children are educated then our community will be developed because education and development go together.”

Gala for Good - Natasha Hafez

Distinguished guests from varying professions and backgrounds united for a common interest on Monday, December 8th in an effort to help raise funding and awareness for the children of Malawi. Supporters gathered at City Winery in New York City, to celebrate the charitable work of Goods for Good at Gala for Good. I heard about the event through my friend Brigitte, the Program Director of the organization. She and her colleagues are so passionate and dedicated – many of their friends seemed to be in attendance. However, it also appeared that the event drew many new faces, people who were learning about the organization for the first time. In my career supporting charities with communications needs, I know how critical each additional supporter of a cause can be. It was exciting to see a mixed crowd of young and old, friends and strangers that no doubt reflected the “coming out” nature of the event.

The Gala brought meaning to the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words,” as photographic images illuminated the backdrop to the eminent venue. The profound imagery captivated a story of the organization’s efforts in shipping and distributing over 100 tons of goods to over 500,000 vulnerable orphans in Africa. Although the world of the Gala and the world in the photos seemed so far apart, the images gave a gentle reminder to all those at the event as to why they had gathered. I noticed many people looking at the photos around the room and on the slideshow, and I overheard many comment on the organization’s impressive work.

I commend Goods for Good that every penny raised at the event would go to help the children directly, and that the organization managed to keep costs minimal by having much of the food, wine and entertainment donated. A selection of fine wines, appetizing finger food and beautifully ornate deserts -- pleasing for all palates -- complimented the fluid coordination of an African drumming performance and Goods for Good film.

Among the over 400 guests were the Ambassador of Malawi to the United Nations and his lovely wife. I learned from the Goods for Good team afterwards that he is so dedicated to the cause, he bought T-shirts for his whole family!

Gala for Good was, without a doubt, an evening to remember. I am so proud of my friends in the organization for putting on such a classy event that also clearly portrayed the needs of orphans in Africa and the organization’s mission to meet those needs. I was gratified to hear the event raised over $70,000 for a great cause.

Soap Donation Changes Nursery School Environment - Aaron Lewani

In partnership with Water Journey and Pfizer, Goods for Good recently donated 400 bottles of anti-biotic hand sanitizer and soap to Consol Homes Orphan Care. This contribution was the result of several discussions in which the directors of Consol Homes expressed their urgent desire to improve hygiene in the over 120 community based childcare centers (CBCCs) they support. This is particularly important at the centers that prepare and serve meals to the children in attendance.

In order to observe the impact the soap was having and observe the caregivers in action, I traveled to Consol Homes to visit a full day of nursery classes at Kakoma CBCC. Upon arrival, I witnessed the class in session outside under a mango tree with children sitting on the bare ground. It was instantly clear to me that children’s health in this environment needed to be made a priority. Despite the circumstances, children continued reciting letters from the alphabet and eagerly vying for the teacher’s attention in order to show off their skills.


In preparation for mealtime, the children sang a song about health: “Kusamba manja ndikofunika kwambiri,” meaning “washing hands before eating is very important.” Next, each child washed their hands using a drop of anti-biotic soap provided by the teachers. Smiles were abundant, and it was clear the children enjoyed the new routine. The teachers had plenty of positive things to say as well: “Now our work is very easy. Since we started using the new soap, all the children rush to have their hands washed and rub the soap on their hands,” said Janet Oswadi, one of the teachers. “If by chance you forget to give the soap to one of the children, they refuse to move out of the line until they have received their drop,” she added.


With clean hands, the children were taken back to their “classroom.” Patiently seated in the shade of the mango tree, they waited for teachers to hand out the food the children had brought from home. Children were encouraged to share with classmates whose parents were unable to provide them with lunches. I was astonished to see that the children did not think twice about giving some of what little they had to their fellow classmates. After the food had been distributed, one of the children offered a prayer and then they all began eating. Everything from mangos to traditional African cakes were enjoyed in the safety of a germ-free environment.

It was clear to me that the anti-biotic soap is making a real difference. Teachers told me that since they started using the anti-biotic soap, children have stopped complaining of stomach aches, and class attendance has increased by 25%. Encouraged parents are now sending their children to the nursery schools because they know it is a disease free environment. Said Mrs. Chapomba, the Assistant Director for Consol Homes, “Please inform our friends in the US that the soap is helping us a lot. Cases of children becoming ill in the CBCCs have completely disappeared.” I am proud to report the success of the project and the better health of the children involved.