Feel Good Friday - Peace and Reconciliation Group

St. Patrick's Day is upon us! Before the festivities begin, I want to use this Feel Good Friday post to let you know about The Peace and Reconciliation Group (PRG) in Northern Ireland.

Most likely you know of the decades-long conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, commonly referred to as the Troubles. If not, you can read a very quick summary here. In 1976, the PRG was established to "build bridges and promote a peaceful and inclusive society for all in Northern Ireland."

Specifics of their work can be found on the website and primarily focus on getting people to talk to each other. In addition to providing training programs focused on "community relations, community development and conflict management", they also mediate disputes. Some of their larger projects include a training program that guides people in dealing with the past and shaping the future and another that aims to education young people on democracy and elections.

PRG also works with the police to "manage and mediate contentious situations. This includes parades, bonfires, football matches, elections and other events." They're international as well, working on projects in Africa, the Middle East and Belgium.

While they've got a waitlist of volunteers, you can help them out and stay informed by liking their Facebook page.

Now that you know there are people working for peace, you are all clear to put on a green shirt and try to convince strangers to kiss you!

Feel Good Friday - Global Fund for Women

Sunday, March 8th is International Women's Day and Feel Good Friday is a perfect time to start the celebration! Based in San Francisco, Global Fund for Women is a group that provides support to women's organizations all around the world.

Founded in 1988 by Anne Firth Murray, Frances Kissing and Laura Lederer, the mission of Global Fund for Women, as stated on their website is this: "We advance the rights of women and girls worldwide by increasing the resources for and investing in women-led organizations and women's collective leadership for change."

In practical terms, they fund organizations that are women-led, connected with their communities, underfunded, and using a rights-based approach that supports the larger women's movement. Three areas they focus on, in order to achieve lasting change for women and girls, are technology, education and leadership.

As stated on the website, "Gender inequality will have been addressed when women can fully, freely and safely participate in political, economic and social life and in choices over their bodies, sexuality and reproductive health." We certainly have a long way to go but take heart because Global Fund for Women is identifying and supporting groups that will help get us there.

You can watch videos from a few of their grant recipients here, including: the Fiji Women's Rights Movement which encourages women's political participation, Strey Khmer, a group in Cambodia that helped women set up a mushroom farm in their village so they don't have to migrate for work and Urban Poor Women Development, another Cambodian program that teaches women how to organize their communities to improve their living conditions.

Having supported groups in 170 countries, you can see which parts of the world are current priority areas now. You also can support women around the globe by making a donation, liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @GlobalFundWomen.

Global Fund for Women reminds us that Sisters are Doin' if for Themselves!

Feel Good Friday - Lion Guardians

I learned about today's Feel Good Friday organization by checking out the 2014 CNN Heroes. A lot of inspiring people and today we're going to talk about Leela Huzzah, the founder and executive director of Lion Guardians.

When I traveled to East Africa, I saw lions but I had no idea how lucky I was. The Lion Guardians website states that "In the last 50 years, an estimated 50% of Africa's lions have disappeared."

Lion Guardians is doing something about it. As they explain on their Facebook page, "Lion Guardians is a conservation organization that promotes the coexistence of people and lions. Our more than 70 conservationists, biologists and local leaders work in collaboration with pastoralist communities to protect lions over 4,500 square kilometers (over one million acres) of prime lion habitat across Kenya and Tanzania."


So what does that mean in practical terms? Since 2007 they have recruited Maasai warriors (for whom it is a point of pride to kill a lion) and trained them to track and monitor lions in Kenya and Tanzania. They also provide the guardians with literacy training, conflict resolution training (to deal with farmers who kill lions to protect their cattle herds) and data collection techniques. Not only do the guardians track lions but they also find lost livestock and lost herders.

Lion Guardians attributes their success to collaboration with local communities and using indigenous knowledge in combination with conservation science to determine the best ways for people and lions to coexist. They also provide project management training for others interested in starting a similar organization.

You can get a great summary of Lion Guardians by watching the CNN Hero video about Leela Huzzah and keep current by liking their Facebook page or following them on Twitter @lionguardians

Seeing lions in their natural environment is a fabulous experience and thanks to the work of Lion Guardians, when you travel to Africa, you'll be able to see lions too!