I’m back to La Vie Boston both geographically and blog-wise. Two days ago, my four-month-long stay in Australia and New Zealand sadly came to a close. My time there was a whirlwind of new friends, sturdy backpacks, good food, stunning beaches, and heaps of stories to bring back to my Boston life.
This blog is long overdue for an update.
Three weeks ago my global coordinates shifted 10,090 miles away from my Boston life. Studying abroad until January, I now reside in the city “centre” of Sydney, NSW, Australia. Expect a bit of an Aussie influence on upcoming posts in place of my usual Boston-centric perspective! My travel blog “La Vie Sydney” can be found here. Also, if you call Australia home, please get in touch!
“Cheers.”
Spread some light by buying the Queensland Flood Relief Fundraiser Poster by Toben [via here].
[by Amanda de Cadenet]
In observation of December 1st’s World Aids Day, let’s hope atleast one ribbon, one poster, one red shirt, or one speech helped spread some awareness or counter a prejudice. For the 15.7 million women, 15.6 million men, and 2.1 million children under 15 living with HIV worldwide, here’s a bit of red.
[by Annie Leibovitz]
[source]
Peace,
Title from “Red Right Ankle” by The Decemberists
[source]
With the death toll in Haiti passing 50,000, the world has turned to action. Amidst all of this sadness, the good samaritan responses of many organizations have been heart-warming. American airlines is transporting doctors and nurses to Haiti for free. There’s a pending motion to halt all deportations of illegal Haitian immigrants due to the tragically unstable state of their homeland. Yesterday, UPS didn’t charge for shipping on all Haiti-bound packages under fifty pounds. The World Bank is providing a $100 million grant, and the United Nations is sending $10 million. Sweden is rebuilding a base to replace the UN’s destroyed headquarters.Logan Airport waived landing fees for humanitarian flights stopping in Boston to refuel on their way to Haiti. The Irish telecommunications company Digicel said it would donate $5 million and help repair the phone network that is keeping many families from knowing the fate of their loved ones.
How to help in slightly smaller but still important ways:
Donate to any of these organizations or these.
And if possible donate blood, of course.
Look, the sweet George Clooney is helping.
Especially this Boston-based organization started by the amazing Paul Farmer.
Text HAITI to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross.
Stay up to date on the situation in Haiti with NPR.
Peace,
There are women in developing countries who are living the economic catch-22: you need money to make money. And without any form of collateral or credit history, these women can’t even borrow money from a bank. This is even more impossible if they inhabit a country where it’s atypical for a woman to have these things. In a class I took at BU last fall, I was informed about the successes of microfinancing—small grants provided to the working poor. Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus was the founder of the Grameen Microcredit Bank in Bangladesh. With these loans from institutions like the Grameen Bank, people can secure a loan for amounts like $400 to cover expenses like a fridge. And voila. With their newfound added income, they can repay the loan in six months. (Women have an extraordinarily consistent rate on microloans.) They can then work to build homes for their families. These success stories turn poor women into shoemakers, seamstresses, potters. What’s more? The money came from regular people like us. These programs were financed by a series of small loans through a group called Kiva. Please inform yourselves!
Peace,
