I can’t wait to see your generosity in
action.Continue to follow the blog, as
I will post pictures of the trip including photos of the children using these
items.
Founded by Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, Fundacion Pies Descalzos (The Barefoot Foundation) is a United States and Colombian non-profit organization that focuses on the education and well-being of over 5,000 children in the world, and ultimately affects over 30,000, both in and out of the six schools.
Here is what Shakira has to say:
In Latin America, there are 52 million children living in poverty. Among them, 30 million are hungry, even though the region produces three times the food they need. Unfortunately, Latin America is the region of the world with less equity, where the breach between rich and poor is even bigger than in any other region. The only way to close this breach is through education.
No child dreams of being violent, or being a criminal, or being a drug lord. I think children have more innocent dreams. If you as a child in any place of the world what they want to be when they grow up, they’ll always answer a professor, a lawyer, a doctor, a nurse, a pilot. Man is born good and society corrupts him.
The biggest satisfaction that anybody can feel in life is helping a child make their dreams come true and flourish. If education is a right for any child, it is therefor a duty for the whole society.
If there is a way of changing the fate of a child that was born damned to live a life of poverty, that’s through education. The fate of our children is in our hands and in what everyone of us is willing to do according to our possibilities.
(Click the bottom-right box on the video to enlarge.)
According to the documentary, "there are approximately 26 million displaced in the world. After Sudan and Iraq, Colombia is the country with most displaced population [with] 3.5 million people registered. Today, the ‘Pies Descalzos’ Foundation is of benefit to 5,231 people, with its schools and education plans.”
If you are reading this before August 1, 2012, please consider donating to Viajes con Quique in the upper-right corner. All proceeds will go to toward school supplies for the children at the Barranquilla Pies Descalzos campus.
I can't believe I leave for Colombia in less than a week. I'm been feeling several emotions, but up until tonight, I have not felt ready. Ok, I still don't feel ready, but I definitely feel a large step closer. I stumbled upon this video, and it inspired me to finally get some work done for my trip:
The first time I used this song was with Peace Players at the United Church of Christ in Aurora, IL. Peace Players is a camp that instills the values of peace and acceptance through the arts. Every morning, we started by warming up in a circle to Waka Waka. I quickly learned how much power this activity can have on a child. As soon as the song started every morning, the children ran to the circle in eagerness. I decided to take this warm-up to my OHS Drama Club, and they also love it. Often times, students even ask for it. It's always fun to find an activity that transcends throughout all age groups. (Then again, high school students are small children in awkwardly bodies.)
Ok, I'm straying from the point, which is THIS: I can't wait to meet these kids. AND I can't wait to do the Waka Waka with the them!! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes, and most likely, they will have their own version of the dance they can teach me!
After reading an article by Dan Savage in response to an angry Christian mother (L.R.), I was flooded with questions. When is anger appropriate? What is God’s role? More importantly, when should God be used as a weapon? After all, so many wars are started in the name of god, gods, or God. Is this what (G/g)od(s) intended?
The most interesting part of the article is that both parties made me question where I stand. Before I continue, I invite you to read the article and form an opinion for yourself:
Being the linear person I am, I’d like to start at the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself) and work my way through it.
* * * * *
I have to admit, I see L.R.’s point. Who is Dan to blame Christians for the bullying of young homosexuals? If Christians are not allowed to “judge people based on their sexual preference, how [does he] justify judging entire groups of people for any other reason (including their faith)?” The hypocrisy is pretty apparent.
L.R. goes on to point out that she does not and would never “encourage [her] children to mock, hurt, or intimidate another person for any reason.” Hmm . . . let’s get back to this point in a bit, shall we?
In response to L.R.‘s frustration, Dan starts with this remark:
I’m sorry your feelings were hurt by my comments.
No, wait. I’m not [. . .] Fuck your feelings
Ouch. Is this approach really the best one? What does sarcasm and anger really do here? In the first three lines of his response, Dan powers up his followers while losing the attention of this woman and many others like her. I’m not suggesting he tip-toe around the issue, but it makes me wonder what his intention is.
If you continue to read the article, Dan raises some interesting questions:
Do you ‘support’ atheist marriage? Divorce and remarriage? All are legal, all go against Christian and/or traditional ideas
about marriage, and yet there’s no ‘Christian’ movement to deny marriage rights to atheists or people marrying outside their respective faiths or people divorcing and remarrying. Why the hell not?
Honestly, I have never thought about that, and I find myself growing more angry at the bigoted nature and hypocrisy of our society.
The next paragraph is full of anger, and justified anger at that. While this woman claims she does not promote hatred or bullying to her children toward homosexuals, Dan states the following:
The kids of people who see gay people as sinful or damaged or disordered and unworthy of full civil equality—even if those people strive to express their bigotry in the politest possible way (at least when they happen to be addressing a gay person)—learn to see gay people as sinful, damaged, disordered, and unworthy. And while there may not be any gay adults or couples where you live, or at your church, or in your workplace, I promise you that there are gay and lesbian children in your schools. And while you can only attack gays and lesbians at the ballot box, nice and impersonally, your children have the option of attacking actual gays and lesbians, in person, in real time.
Therefore, being passive and ignoring the deathly problem at hand is actually actively promoting the perpetual hate driven toward homosexual children. And we wonder why, according to one study, “about 20 percent of LGB teens attempted suicide in the 12 months before the survey, while only about 4 percent of heterosexual teens had.” Even worse, this paragraph made my heart ache for those homosexual children who have parents like L.R. What if L.R.’s beloved children are gay?
Dan continues with the following:
The dehumanizing bigotries that fall from the lips of “faithful Christians,” and the lies about us that vomit out from the pulpits of churches that “faithful Christians” drag their kids to on Sundays, give your children license to verbally abuse, humiliate, and condemn the gay children they encounter at school. And many of your children - having listened to Mom and Dad talk about how gay marriage is a threat to family and how gay sex makes their magic sky friend Jesus cry - feel justified in physically abusing the LGBT children they encounter in their schools. You don’t have to explicitly encourage [your] children to mock, hurt, or intimidate” queer kids. Your encouragement - along with your hatred and fear - is implicit. It’s here, it’s clear, and we’re seeing the fruits of it: dead children.
Pretty strong words, and I agree with the main point, but why does he mock the overall Christian faith? This paragraph would make just about anyone question their narrow-minded beliefs; that is, until Dan mentions “their magical sky friend Jesus.” Wouldn’t he reach more people if he stayed respectful to the views of others, no matter how absurd they might seem to him?
I close by turning to those wiser than I . . .
The Bible
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
The Qur’an
God does not forbid you to be kind and equitable to those who have neither fought against your faith nor driven you out of your homes. In fact God loves the equitable - Chapter 60, Verse 8
The Book of Mormon
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another and to serve one another. - Mosiah 4:15
The Torah
Love your neighbor as yourself - Leviticus 19:18
Grey’s Anatomy (No, I do not consider this a religion, although many might):
So what’s the message? Where do we go from here? Hopefully we can all agree to love. That’s it, just love. Love the gays. Love the Christians. Love the (wait for it) Gay Christians (and yes, they do exist). Love the Dan Savages. Love the L.R.‘s. You get the idea.
I will be the first to admit how challenging loving someone can be. How can I love someone who condemns me and all I believe in? In college, I used to vent to the Knox College Choir director, Laura Lane. I can’t tell you how many times I used (and admittedly still use) sarcasm or hateful words as a weapon. Each time I threw around the word “hate,” Laura would take a deep breath and say, “Eric, it’s not that you hate. It’s just that some people are harder to love than others.” Interesting how a shift from a negative view to a positive one can make all the difference in the world.
Let me reiterate my point: LOVE. Above and before anything else, love with words, intentions, and actions. Based on the words from the wisest, I’m pretty sure (G/g)od(s) would agree.
If I were to sing "This Little Light of Mine" right now, would I be heard? Probably not. To sing alone, although a wonderful experience, changes no one but myself from safe inside my air-conditioned house.
I need a strong chorus and a resonating cathedral.
I was moved today when I discovered that during the run of their current production, AYP, The Limelight Theatre Company would be displaying the following poster for Viajes con Quique and The Barefoot Foundation in front of the beautiful flag of Barranquilla, Colombia.
In order to change the world, shining this light and singing this song cannot be done alone. Thank you for shining and singing with me outside the comfort of our own homes.
I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Kansas City just before the holiday, and I was amazed at how much art and culture exists in this city. And in the short amount of time I was there, I wanted to see it all.
There are about 32 theatre companies including but not limited to The Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The American Heartland Theatre, and The Coterie Theatre. Joey and I happened to stumble upon an outdoor venue just a few blocks from our hotel that happened to be the host of Kansas City's very own outdoor Shakespeare Festival. For a whopping $0, you could see one of two shows that are playing in rotating rep through July 15: Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night's Dream. That night, we enjoyed Midsummer, which was especially enjoyable after the sun went down and it wasn't 100 degrees anymore.
We also spent an afternoon at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and another at The Kansas City Sea Life Aquarium. Although I absolutely loved the art museum, I do not recommend the aquarium, unless you enjoy feeling claustrophobic as tiny children scream at tanks of fish. Either way, the pictures are still nice!
I received an email today from Gloria, who is a friend of one of my students' parents. Gloria is from Medellin, and I plan on meeting her when I'm there, near the end of my trip. In this email, Gloria sent me several beautiful pictures from her city. Gracias, Gloria!
