i am fortunate to have so much in my life. whether the dusty streets of africa or just a few blocks from my house, i don’t need to go far to realize just how much i have. i’ve made various attempts at saving the world, first wanting to go into international law, then pursuing a career in health care, and most recently decided to end my academic career shy of entering a Phd program in international public health. through travel, i try to raise awareness with the photographs i take. there are many times i feel helpless. i’m not doing enough. sometimes i realize i’m not doing ANYTHING. i’m just one person.. what can i do? collectively, we can do a lot. we can support those who have dedicated their lives to helping others and who have done so with great and proven success.
this is probably the most exciting thing i’ve undertaken a great long time. i am so so pleased to announce that i will be dedicating portions of all print sales to various charities. i look forward to generating new ideas for other fund raising activities as well.
Want to know what you can really do to fight terrorism while improving the lives of others? support the Central Asia Institute. it is their mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. the philosophy is to empower the local people through their own initiative. As of 2008, Central Asia Institute has successfully established 78 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide (or have provided) education to over 28,000 students, with a emphasis on girls’ education.
better yet, read about it in the founder’s book, Three Cups of Tea and see what just a few dollars in the right hands of just one individual can do. the book documents Greg Morteson’s introduction to Pakiston after a failed attempt to climb K-2, and the ensuing events that lead to him to attempt to build schools in remote villages. it reads like an adventure novel and it’s all true. it’s life changing. i downed almost the whole book on a single plane ride. at times i was laughing and at others crying. some of the passengers thought i was nuts, but it’s just that amazing and i now have a serious case of hero worship. order through that link and amazon will donate proceeds to CAI as well. i will gladly purchase this book as a gift for anyone booking a wedding or portrait session who would like to have one.
Further details about donations to this organization to come.
based in San Diego, Just Like My Child works to alleviate the suffering of women, children, and families in rural Uganda. they use an approach of deep development, which means empowering communities, village by village, to move towards self-reliance by creating their own long-term solutions to health care, education and microenterprise. their vision is to To bring self-sustenance to 600,000 people in 48 communities by 2020.
and why uganda and why this organization? i had the opportunity to spend time in uganda a few years ago it’s a remarkable place. the resources in uganda are there, and with the right amount and kinds of support uganda could be an example for the rest of the continent which is in so much peril. JL is a great organization with little overhead and tangible results. visit their website and you can see the girls they’ve sponsored, the medical facilities they’ve supported, the mosquito nets they’ve purchased and the school supplies distributed to young students. they’re a smaller organization doing huge things. and they’re based right here in san diego.
more details on giving activities to come!
