Feel Good Friday - MADRE

The Women’s History Month theme continues and today we highlight the work of MADRE.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in New York City, MADRE is “an international women's human rights organization and feminist fund” with a mission to “advance women’s human rights by meeting urgent needs in communities and building lasting solutions to the crises women face.”

MADRE works with community partners in Colombia, Guatemala, Iraq, Kenya, Nicaragua and Palestine. They focus on three strategies: grant making, organizational strengthening, and legal advocacy.

Grants fund local, women-led organizations that are meeting immediate needs, such as shelters and health clinics, while also focusing on lasting change. MADRE targets groups that prioritize the leadership of young women and girls, Indigenous women, Afro-descendant women, LGBTIQ people, and people with disabilities.

Community-based partner organizations receive training, advice on funding models, and strategic exchange to strengthen their capabilities. MADRE also helps women leaders advocate for their communities in policymaking spaces by providing legal advocacy and training.

These strategies are applied across the following programs: ending gender violence by equipping women with tools to prevent abuse in war and building clinics and counseling centers;  advancing climate justice through grassroots solutions like building clean water systems and seed bank harvesting; building a just peace by bringing aid to communities, working to address root causes of conflict and involving women in the peace process; and a feminist policy jumpstart which advocates that U.S. policymakers champion gender justice and human rights.

In December, 2019, MADRE Executive Director Yifat Susskind delivered a talk at TED Women encouraging people to think like a mother in order to not get overwhelmed by crises and be able to take action. It’s a philosophy that guides MADRE’s strategy today.  

If you’re interested in taking action to support women leaders around the world, a great way to do so is with a donation to MADRE. You can also help out by amplifying their work on social media. Follow MADRE on Facebook, Twitter @MADREspeaks, and Instagram @madrespeaks. #ThinkLikeAMother

Feel Good Friday - Womankind Worldwide

Women’s History Month is celebrated all around the world, and today’s Feel Good Friday is going to highlight a global organization, Womankind Worldwide.

Founded on International Women’s Day in 1989 and based in London, Womankind Worldwide is “a global women's rights organisation working in partnership with women’s rights movements to transform the lives of women and girls.” Their vision is “a just world where the rights of all women are respected, valued and realised.”
 
Some grim statistics from their website state that 1 in 3 women around the world experience violence; less than 15% of landholders worldwide are women; and women make up just 24% of parliamentarians worldwide.
 
Because of this, the work Womankind Worldwide does with partner organizations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda and Zimbabwe, focuses on three areas:

• Ending all forms of violence against women and girls

• Advancing women’s economic rights

• Strengthening women’s influence and decision-making power

Specific projects in these areas include work to eliminate female genital mutilation and intimate partner violence, fighting to protect women’s land rights and advocating for full economic rights, and improving the representation of women in local leadership while working with communities to challenge and change attitudes towards women.

Since they began, Womankind Worldwide has worked with 282 partners across 37 countries to strengthen women’s movements internationally. In 2020 and 2021, projects with partners directly supported 25,125 individuals. You can read the stories of women realizing their own potential and power at this link. 

If you’re ready to help Womankind Worldwide fight for women’s rights there are many ways you can support them. Join a campaign to demand change, make a donation, and amplify their message on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @woman_kind and Instagram @womankindworldwide.
 

Feel Good Friday - RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

Today I'm highlighting RAINN as
a response to the Kavanaugh senate hearings yesterday. It's part Feel Good Friday, part crisis intervention.

According to their website, "RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operations the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country."

During Thursday's hearings, the hotline experienced a 147% increase in calls compared to a normal weekday. If that's not enough to demonstrate why this is a necessary resource, you can read the statistics: in the United States every 98 seconds another person experiences sexual assault and only 6 of every 1,000 rapists will end up in prison.

RAINN provides services in four main areas:

• Victim services include the national hotline, a Department of Defense Safe Helpline for members of the DoD, training for companies, partner service providers and volunteers.
• Public education includes media commentary, curated news content, an active social media presence, a speakers bureau of volunteers who can share their stories with local communities and the media and the Prevention Navigator program which helps colleges choose an appropriate sexual assault prevention program for their campus.
• Public policy efforts at both the federal and state levels are focused on improving the criminal justice system, preventing sexual assault and ensuring justice for survivors.
• Consulting services are provided to clients in the public, private and nonprofit sectors and include both prevention and response programs.

In addition to contacting RAINN via the hotline or a live chat, you can also view their website, which is full of resources. Whether you're looking for safety and prevention tips, help on what to do after a sexual assault or want to find out how to get involved in public policy you will find the information you need.

Since their founding in 1994, RAINN has helped more than 2.7 million people. You can see the impact their programs have by reading through and watching survivor stories here.

If you'd like to support RAINN and the work they do to support sexual assault survivors there are many ways to do so: volunteer, fundraise, donate, join the speakers bureau and spread the word on social media by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @RAINN.

It's been a difficult week for many people and the Feel Good Friday spin on this is to know that there are people and organizations here to support you. You are not alone. 

Feel Good Friday - Everytown for Gun Safety

While I don't like starting these posts with bad news, there has already been a deadly school shooting this year and it's only January. That's why it's time to focus another Feel Good Friday on a group that's working to end gun violence, Everytown for Gun Safety.

As summarized in their Twitter bio, "Everytown for Gun Safety is a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities." It started in 2006 when a group of Mayors from 15 U.S. cities created Mayors Against Illegal Guns. In 2013 this group joined forces with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group created in response to the Newtown shooting. Everytown now includes over 1,000 current and former Mayors and over 4 million supporters across the United States.

If you need information on why this issue is important you can read details here. Some statistics posted state that "every day 96 Americans are killed by gun violence" making Americans "25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people in other developed countries."

Everytown has some very specific areas of focus to reduce gun violence including: closing the loopholes on background checks and making sure the database is complete, strengthening gun laws to reduce deadly violence against women, educating parents about safe gun storage and advocating for strong federal trafficking laws to stop the trade in illegal guns. They also have resources to connect and empower survivors of gun violence

With wins such as a Colorado law that requires background checks for gun sales and convincing Facebook to crack down on illegal gun sales on their site, Everytown is proving that change is possible.

To support the work they're doing check out these "7 Actions You Can Take to Prevent Gun Violence", which includes my faves liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Everytown. Let's do what we can to reduce gun violence so I can go back to posting about animal welfare organizations and what's new in the world of recycling.

Feel Good Friday - Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (#4)

Normally, I try to stay away from Feel Good Friday repeats but as long as men keep shooting groups of people, I'm going to keep talking about the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

I don't revisit this blog this for every mass shooting and yet, this is still the fourth instance in 2 years. The original post is below, but first some updated info.

"Since 1994, the Brady law has blocked over 3 million prohibited purchases" of guns. That's good news but the Brady Campaign is striving to cut the number of gun deaths in half by 2025.

Their main areas of focus are educating people about the risks of guns in the home (because 80% of unintentional firearm deaths of children under 15 happen in a home), changing gun laws (because 40% of gun sales still require no background check) and holding gun manufacturers and sellers accountable in court (because 90% of guns used in crimes were supplied by 5% of dealers).

Read the original post to find out ways you can get involved and if you haven't already done so, contact your elected officials: 202-224-3121

Friday, October 9, 2015

Feel Good Friday - Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

In the almost 3 years I've been writing these Feel Good Friday posts, there have been a number of mass shootings in the United States, including the most recent at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. So today we're going to focus on an organization with the goal of "cutting gun deaths in half by 2025", Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

You may remember Jim Brady, Assistant to the President. He was shot and paralyzed during an assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. It wasn't until 1993, the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, was signed into law by President Clinton.

Today the Brady Campaign is "the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence." Their mission, as stated on the website, "is to create a safer America for all of us that will lead to a dramatic reduction in gun deaths and injuries." You can go there to read shocking statistics on gun violence. A few highlights are below:

Every day, 89 people die from gun violence: (now 93)

• 31 are murdered
• 55 kill themselves
• 2 are killed unintentionally
• 1 is killed by police intervention
• 1 intent unknown.

Every day, an additional 208 people are shot and survive. (now 222)

In order to reduce these numbers, the Brady Campaign focuses on policy and legal changes, as well as a public awareness campaign. They ensure that all of their programs and efforts have an opportunity for impact, that no one else is doing similar work and that the actions fit into their core values. You can read their full list of solutions here or watch a 16 minute video Pathology of Gun Violence, which explains their strategy in great detail.

Support the work of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence by visiting their take action page, liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Bradybuzz. Enough is enough.

Feel Good Friday - Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (#3)

If you are a regular follower of Feel Good Friday, you know I like to avoid repeats. Sure, I talk about AAA Tipsy Tow every New Year's Eve but otherwise my feeling is there are enough good programs and organizations in the world that every week should be a new story.

However, with the multiple mass shootings in the United States this week, I'm going to post about the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence for the THIRD time.

Lest you get too discouraged by lack of progress on this issue, you can go to the success stories page on the website to read about some of their legal victories. Most recently, "a federal appeals court struck down an NRA-backed Florida law that prevented doctors from talking to their patients about the risks of guns." '

Please read the original post from October 9, 2015 to find out what the Brady Campaign is all about and how you can get involved in preventing gun violence.

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In the almost 3 years I've been writing these Feel Good Friday posts, there have been a number of mass shootings in the United States, including the most recent at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. So today we're going to focus on an organization with the goal of "cutting gun deaths in half by 2025", Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

You may remember Jim Brady, Assistant to the President. He was shot and paralyzed during an assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. It wasn't until 1993, the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, was signed into law by President Clinton.

Today the Brady Campaign is "the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence." Their mission, as stated on the website, "is to create a safer America for all of us that will lead to a dramatic reduction in gun deaths and injuries." You can go there to read shocking statistics on gun violence.A few highlights are below:

Every day, 89 people die from gun violence: 

• 31 are murdered
• 55 kill themselves
• 2 are killed unintentionally
• 1 is killed by police intervention
• 1 intent unknown.

Every day, an additional 208 people are shot and survive.

In order to reduce these numbers, the Brady Campaign focuses on policy and legal changes, as well as a public awareness campaign. They ensure that all of their programs and efforts have an opportunity for impact, that no one else is doing similar work and that the actions fit into their core values. You can read their full list of solutions here or watch a 16 minute video Pathology of Gun Violence, which explains their strategy in great detail.

Support the work of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence by visiting their take action page, liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Bradybuzz. Enough is enough.

Feel Good Friday - Canadian Women's Foundation

I'm in Montreal, it's the last day of Women's History Month and it's Feel Good Friday. So who are we going to talk about today? The Canadian Women's Foundation!

As explained on the website, "we specialize in helping women and girls move out of violence, out of poverty and into confidence and leadership." The organization was founded in 1991 by Nancy Ruth Jackman and Susan Woods who were concerned that only 2% of philanthropic donations went to organizations that benefit women and girls. Since that time, the Canadian Women's Foundation has invested more than $40 million to over 1,200 community programs.

Currently they provide support to 450 women's shelters and 84 community programs across the country which directly benefit 30,000 women and girls each year! You can read details and impacts here or check out the summary below. The work of the Canadian Women's Foundation is focused in three areas:

1. Stopping violence by funding emergency shelters, helping women and girls to escape from sex traffickers and investing in school-based violence prevention programs for both boys and girls.
2. Ending poverty by funding programs that teach women a skilled trade, start a small business or get work experience.
3. Empowering girls by funding programs that allow at-risk girls to "explore science and technology, play sports, learn to think critically, or take on leadership, in a supportive all-girl environment."

For those of you with two minutes and some Kleenex, watch this video titled, "What's possible in a world that's #GirlPowered?"

If you're ready to give, the Canadian Women's Foundation is ready to receive. If you're still not sure why you should take action, here are the top 20 reasons and some more inspiring videos.

As always, stay in the loop by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @cdnwomenfdn. No passport required.

Feel Good Friday - Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (again)

I’ve written over 100 of these Feel Good Friday posts and, with the exception of the AAA Tipsy Tow New Year’s Eve reminder, I haven’t had to repeat myself. Why? There are thousands of groups doing work to make the world a better place and it will be a long time before I run out of organizations to profile. However, I'm repeating myself today because people keep shooting each other!

On October 9, 2015 I featured the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Despite all their efforts, gun violence in the US is still a problem so I’m posting this story again in hopes we can all find a way to get involved.

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In the almost 3 years I've been writing these Feel Good Friday posts, there have been a number of mass shootings in the United States, including the most recent at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. So today we're going to focus on an organization with the goal of "cutting gun deaths in half by 2025", Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

You may remember Jim Brady, Assistant to the President. He was shot and paralyzed during an assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. It wasn't until 1993, the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, was signed into law by President Clinton.

Today the Brady Campaign is "the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence." Their mission, as stated on the website, "is to create a safer America for all of us that will lead to a dramatic reduction in gun deaths and injuries." You can go there to read shocking statistics on gun violence.A few highlights are below:

Every day, 89 people die from gun violence: 

• 31 are murdered
• 55 kill themselves
• 2 are killed unintentionally
• 1 is killed by police intervention
• 1 intent unknown.

Every day, an additional 208 people are shot and survive.

In order to reduce these numbers, the Brady Campaign focuses on policy and legal changes, as well as a public awareness campaign. They ensure that all of their programs and efforts have an opportunity for impact, that no one else is doing similar work and that the actions fit into their core values. You can read their full list of solutions here or watch a 16 minute video Pathology of Gun Violence, which explains their strategy in great detail.

Support the work of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence by visiting their take action page, liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Bradybuzz. Enough is enough.

Feel Good Friday - Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

In the almost 3 years I've been writing these Feel Good Friday posts, there have been a number of mass shootings in the United States, including the most recent at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. So today we're going to focus on an organization with the goal of "cutting gun deaths in half by 2025", Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.


You may remember Jim Brady, Assistant to the President. He was shot and paralyzed during an assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. It wasn't until 1993, the Brady Bill, which required a five-day waiting period and background checks on handgun purchases, was signed into law by President Clinton.

Today the Brady Campaign is "the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence." Their mission, as stated on the website, "is to create a safer America for all of us that will lead to a dramatic reduction in gun deaths and injuries." You can go there to read shocking statistics on gun violence.A few highlights are below:

Every day, 89 people die from gun violence: 

• 31 are murdered
• 55 kill themselves
• 2 are killed unintentionally
• 1 is killed by police intervention
• 1 intent unknown.

Every day, an additional 208 people are shot and survive.

In order to reduce these numbers, the Brady Campaign focuses on policy and legal changes, as well as a public awareness campaign. They ensure that all of their programs and efforts have an opportunity for impact, that no one else is doing similar work and that the actions fit into their core values. You can read their full list of solutions here or watch a 16 minute video Pathology of Gun Violence, which explains their strategy in great detail.

Support the work of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence by visiting their take action page, liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Bradybuzz. Enough is enough.