Feel Good Friday - National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)

This coming Monday is Labor Day in the United States. A great time to reflect on the work done by day laborers around the country and highlight an organization that supports them.

National Day Laborer Organizing Network, or NDLON, was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pasadena, California. Their vision is “to live in a world of diverse communities where day laborers live with full rights and responsibilities in an environment of mutual respect, peace, harmony and justice.”

Depending on where you live, you’ve likely seen day laborers waiting for work outside stores like Home Depot, at gas stations or anywhere people might drive up and offer them work. Not only is the work inconsistent, day laborers have no protections against work-related injury and instances of wage theft are on the rise.

NDLON works to improve the lives of day laborers, migrants and low-wage workers by building “leadership and power among those facing injustice so they can challenge inequality and expand labor, civil and political rights for all.” 

They partner with 70 member organizations across the country and have a variety of programs to support day laborers and immigrants. Migrant defense and popular assembly committees mobilize locally and connect through a shared agenda that addresses local and national challenges. The No More Lies video series was created to correct false information with documented facts and honest testimonies, based on the lives and experiences of immigrants and low-wage workers. 

The NDLON website has Know Your Rights information in Spanish and English that people can download. There are also programs supporting workers rights and immigrants rights and the NDLON legal team “provides representation in individual removal cases to support NDLON’s ongoing campaigns, build organizing power, and defend immigrants’ rights.”

One campaign that is a big focus for NDLON given the current political climate is Adopt a Day Labor Corner. Allies who are not at risk of deportation are showing up at corners where day laborers gather for work. They offer support and information, as well as document and report any ICE activity. I’m starting a shift at my local Home Depot next month.

As NDLON says, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo. Only the people save the people.” If you’d like to join them in their mission you can view this calendar of training events, sign up to become a volunteer, shop for merch or make a donation. You can also amplify their work on social media by following NDLON on Facebook or Instagram and subscribing to their YouTube channel.

Feel Good Friday - Toilet Twinning

You’ve heard of sister cities, but have you heard of Toilet Twinning? If not, then you’ll want to keep reading to learn more about today’s Feel Good Friday organization.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in the town of Bournemouth, in the United Kingdom, Toilet Twinning is a unique, quirky way to support people who don't have access to safe and clean toilets.

First a bit about the problem. As they explain on their website, “currently, 3.5 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation, and around 2 billion people worldwide are without access to safely managed drinking water.“ This lack of basic sanitation affects people’s education and livelihoods. In addition, “1,000 children die every day from diseases related to poor sanitation, unhealthy hygiene or unsafe drinking water.” That’s where Toilet Twinning comes in.

By encouraging people to twin toilets in their homes with toilets around the world, Toilet Twinning raises money for Tearfund which is then used to support projects that help families to build their own basic toilet, access clean water and learn about sanitation and hygiene. This work takes place in communities across 50 countries where poverty is extreme and where governments do not provide adequate water and sanitation.

The process to twin your toilet costs 60 pounds (about 80 USD) and is very straightforward. Pick a color for your certificate and the country where you want your twin to be located. Right now there are 12 options including Malawi, Nepal and Pakistan. You’ll see a picture of your toilet twin and can then customize your certificate before placing your order. You’ll be sent either a digital or framed photo of your toilet twin and it’s location which you can then post in your bathroom to raise awareness of the program. Toilet Twinning says that approximately 20% of their donations come from people who’ve seen a certificate in someone else’s bathroom!

In addition to twinning your toilet, there are other ways you can support the water, sanitation and hygiene work being done around the globe. Make a donation to Toilet Twinning and amplify their work on social media by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Feel Good Friday - Fences For Fido

August is National Dog Month and we’re going to celebrate by learning about an organization improving the lives of dogs, Fences for Fido.

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the mission of Fences for Fido is “to improve the quality of life for dogs who spend most or all hours confined to a chain.”

Let’s start with why this is a problem. “The Centers for Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association warn that chained dogs are about 3 times more likely to bite and have more behavior problems. It’s also difficult to provide good care to a chained dog because chains catch on obstacles, putting dogs at risk of strangulation and injury, or leaving them unable to reach their food, water, or shelter.”

Fences for Fido is addressing this issue by building fences for families who keep their dogs on chains, tethers, or in small enclosures. They also provide an insulated doghouse for each dog, spay/neuter services and emergency veterinary care when needed. While the average cost for these services is $800, Fences for Fido works with volunteers and provides these resources free of charge. Click this link to request a fence for you or someone else.

In their first year they built 75 fences that enabled dogs to run free in their yards. Now Fences for Fido builds an average of 13 fences a month and estimates they’ve built over 1,500 fences and unchained more than 2,200 dogs across Oregon and Southern Washington. You can read through these testimonials to see how being unchained has improved the lives and happiness of  so many dogs. 

In addition to the work they do in their communities, Fences for Fido supports and mentors new unchaining groups throughout the United States. 

If you’d like to support Fences for Fido and live in Oregon, you can sign up to volunteer your time and fence building skills. The rest of us can make a donation and amplify their work on social media by following Fences for Fido on Facebook or Instagram.

 

Feel Good Friday - Elephants Alive

Tuesday is World Elephant Day, an international event dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. That makes today the perfect Friday to highlight the work being done by Elephants Alive. 

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa, the mission of Elephants Alive is “to ensure the survival of elephants and their habitats, and to promote the harmonious co-existence of elephants and people.”

Elephants are a keystone species, meaning they have a disproportionately large effect on their natural environment relative to their abundance. According to the Elephants Alive website, in the last 100 years Africa’s elephants have declined by 97%. That’s why the work they do is so important. You can watch this one-minute video for a quick overview or keep reading for more details.

A main focus of Elephants Alive is tracking the movements of elephants. In the last 29 years, they have collared and tracked over 200 elephants and identified and named 2000 more. This enables them to to inform reserve managers, conservationists and landowners about elephants seasonal activities and vegetation impact. It also allows them to find ways to reduce human-elephant conflict. 

Tracking allowed Elephants Alive to identify elephant corridors across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini, and then work with local farmers in those corridors to develop alternative sustainable livelihoods to supplement their incomes and increase their economic resilience.

Elephants Alive has also been tracking trees. Since 2004, they’ve monitored 3000+ individual trees to understand elephant impact. This includes trees containing nesting sites of endangered birds such as the southern ground hornbill. 

The program that brings it all together is the Bees, Trees, Elephants and People program. Elephants don’t like bees, so Elephants Alive trains people how to install beehives in trees to protect them from elephant impact. In addition, the bees pollinate the trees and community members make “elephant friendly” honey and beeswax products to sell. There is an all-female anti-poaching unit in southern Mozambique called the Black Mambas who has installed 100 beehives!

Relocating elephants that wander off private game reserves, removing snares, and rescuing orphaned elephant calves round out their work with the elephants. Their community awareness work includes training the Black Mambas, introducing grandmothers to the study elephants and engaging young people from disadvantaged communities in wildlife through photography.

If this has inspired you to support Elephants Alive and the work they do, you can make a donation and become an elephant guardian and as always, amplify their work on social media. Follow Elephants Alive on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Happy World Elephant Day!

Feel Good Friday - International Volunteer HQ

For everyone who enjoys traveling after the summer season and volunteering while on vacation, you’re going to love learning about today’s organization, International Volunteer HQ.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Taranaki, New Zealand, International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) is the world’s leading volunteer abroad organization. If you’re short on time, this one-minute video gives a great summary.

IVHQ provides a fully-hosted experience, which means you pick your destination, volunteer project and duration and they take care of airport pickup, accommodations and logistics. There are 334 projects in 50+ countries across Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, North America, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Pacific.

The first step is to pick a destination and a project. You can make your decision by starting with the country you want to visit, or choose what type of organization you’d like to support. IVHQ partner organizations work with children’s education, animals, the environment, health and well being and community development. Specific examples of available trips include mentoring young women in Columbia, protecting and preserving endangered wildlife in Namibia, and working in a pediatric hospital in Cambodia.

Once you find a project that works for your interest, schedule and budget you apply online. If accepted you secure your spot with a registration fee, and prepare for your trip. You’ll also need to pay a program fee, which covers accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, 24/7 in-country support, in-country orientation and discounts on local activities. Prices vary depending on your destination. This page of FAQs can answer all of your questions.

Since they began, IVHQ has helped connect over 152,000 volunteers to opportunities around the world where they have collectively spent 8 million hours doing volunteer work! In 2024 alone 11,678 volunteers representing 125 nationalities volunteered in 56 locations. Get all the details in this short impact video.

One of the best ways to let more people know about IVHQ is to go on a trip and tell people about it! Share your photos and videos on social media and tag IVHQ or write a guest blog on their website to share your volunteer story. You can also stay in the loop by following International Volunteer HQ on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.