Feel Good Friday - Sydney Wildlife

If you've been reading the news, you know that even though they're getting some rain, wildfires continue burning throughout Australia and the loss of human and animal lives is devastating. That's why in today's Feel Good Friday I'm following Mister Rogers' advice to "look for the helpers", like Sydney Wildlife.

Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Services (aka Sydney Wildlife) is an all-volunteer organization founded in 1997 to "rescue, rehabilitate and release sick, injured and orphaned native animals and to educate the community, at all levels, about the need to protect our native animals and to preserve their habitats."

You can tell you're dealing with an Australian organization when the FAQs include what to do when a Kookaburra attacks your windows or a an Eastern Water Dragon lays eggs in your driveway. Sydney Wildlife cares for a range of animals including: snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, birds, possums, bats, flying foxes, kangaroos, wallabies, long-nosed bandicoots and wombats! If you're wondering what a bandicoot is (like I was) it's a small marsupial you can learn more about here.

Because Sydney Wildlife offers rescue and advice service on a 24/7 basis, they rely heavily on their volunteers. If you live in Sydney and want to get involved in wildlife rescue, you'll need complete the two-day rescue and care course. Volunteers also give educational presentations at schools, offices and nursing homes and can set up an information booth at community events.

For those of us not in Australia, we can support the work of Syndey Wildlife with a general donation, a donation targeted to the "bush fire and drought relief wildlife recovery fund", and by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @SydneyWildlife1.

Feel Good Friday - Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Hello my friends! I've returned from my travels in Jordan and Egypt, where everyone we met was warm and welcoming. Unfortunately, conflict in the region is heating up. That's why today's Feel Good Friday is focused on the anti-war Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

WILPF is an international NGO founded in 1915, during World War I, by suffragists who saw the connection between their struggle for women's rights and the struggle for peace. The mission of WILPF is "to end and prevent war, ensure that women are represented at all levels in the peace-building process, defend the human rights of women, and promote social, economic and political justice."

There are national sections in 50 countries around the world with an International Secretariat in Geneva and a New York office focused on the work of the United Nations. Programs are divided into four areas:

• Building the movement by "sharing knowledge and articulating agendas for action, securing sustainable funding, expanding our networks, and being responsive to our grassroots."
• Leveraging feminist perspectives on peace by advocating to include women in the peace process and for a feminist UN Security Council.
• Redefining security from military might to an economy that invests in environmental protection, social, and economic rights. Example programs in this area include advocating for peace in Korea and nuclear disarmament around the world.
• Promoting socio-economic justice by connecting grassroots activists to decision-makers in the UN and monitoring developments within the UN and creating publications, articles and newsletters suggesting solutions.

The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in both 1931 and 1946!

If you'd like to get involved in being an advocate for peace (Nobel prize not guaranteed), you can become a member, sign up for the WILPF newsletter, make a donation and show your support by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @WILPF.

Feel Good Friday - Nazra for Feminist Studies

Happy New Year! On this Feel Good Friday, my friends and I are three women traveling through Egypt. What a wonderful day to talk about the work being done by the Egyptian organization, Nazra for Feminist Studies.

Founded in Cairo in 2007, Nazra for Feminist Studies "aims to build an Egyptian feminist movement."

Why does it matter? Women in Egypt are being punished for their activism. Nazra's founder Mozn Hassan has been prevented from leaving Egypt since June and a request to overturn the travel ban has been postponed by the courts four times. There are also activists who participated in the country's 2011 revolution who are still in custody.

Nazra advances the cause of women's rights in several ways. Documenting research and analysis of the issues to educate people and advocating for policy and legal reform. Encouraging and supporting women's political participation. Combating sexual violence and providing survivors with legal, psychological and medical assistance. Creating networking opportunities for young feminists and supporting the role of the arts in addressing feminism and gender rights.

Examples of specific programs include fighting to get advocates for street children released from prison, supporting survivors sexually assaulted by a TV presenter, and hosting a conference for women's rights defenders.

Stay in the loop with all of Nazra's work by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @NazraEgypt.

Next stop, California!