Whole Planet Foundation

I love shopping at Whole Foods and was at their store on W. Alabama yesterday. I picked up a small card that talked about their Whole Planet Foundation...it said, "The Whole Planet Foundation Fights Poverty by empowering those who are in it." Sounds good to me.

From their website:

Whole Planet Foundation was formed with the entrepreneurial spirit of Whole Foods Market in partnership with Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank, co-recipients of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus, founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank, is a pioneer of microcredit, a tool to empower the poor. In Professor Yunus's own words: "Microcredit ignites the tiny economic engines of the rejected underclass of society. Once a large number of tiny engines start working, the stage can be set for bigger things." We are also partnering with Fundación Adelante, Pro Mujer and other microfinance institutions implementing microcredit programs.

What

Microloans are small loans - usually $200 or less - requiring no collateral or contract. They are offered to the poorest of the poor, with a focus on women, wanting to finance self-employment projects that will generate income. Whole Planet Foundation is focusing efforts on the villages and rural communities that supply our stores with products such as tropical fruit, vegetables, tea, and coffee. Giving the poor in these communities access to credit through microloans will enable them to escape the vicious cycle of poverty by allowing them to use their own energy and creativity to help themselves.

For more info, go to www.wholeplanetfoundation.org.

Don't Buy "Healing the Addicted Brain: The Revolutionary, Science-Based Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery Program" Until You Read This

Product Description
"New, scientifically-based approaches that recognize the biological basis of addiction have brought major advances in the treatment of addiction. Dr. Urschel is at the forefront of this treatment paradigm." --Dr. Larry Hanselka, Psychologist

The Proven Scientific Approach to Conquering Addiction and Defeating the Disease

Healing the Addicted Brain is a breakthrough work that focuses on treating drug and alcohol addiction as a biological disease—based on the Recovery Science program that has helped thousands of patients defeat their addictions over the past 10 years. It combines the best behavioral addiction treatments with the latest scientific research into brain functions, providing tools and strategies designed to overcome the biological factors that cause addictive behavior along with proven treatments and medications.

Using this scientific approach, you will learn to conquer the physical factors that keep people tied to drug and alcohol addiction. The proven fact is addiction is not a moral failing or an issue of not having enough willpower. It is a disease of the brain that can and must be treated like other chronic medical illnesses —such as diabetes, hypertension, or asthma—in order to defeat the disease.

This revolutionary program can triple the success rate of patients, from 20-30% to 90%

There Is Hope.

By understanding addiction and using 21st-century breakthroughs, for the first time drug and alcohol addiction can be, and will be, defeated.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Healing the Addicted Brain, April 21, 2009
By J. Wilson "helpful friend" (Dallas Texas USA)

"This book Healing the Addicted Brain was an excellent help to me in understanding what addiction is and how i can get help for my best friend who is struggling with Alcoholism. Before finding this book, I just did not know what to do, but Dr Urschel explains the important issues in how to get great addiction treatment very clearly. The book is easy to understand and to read. It has a lot of great exercises to help me understand the concepts better. It is even linked to an addiction website www.enterhealth.com which provides great information on other topics. After reading it, I bought several more copies to give to some of my other friends and their families that are dealing with the same issues. Really good book. I highly recommend it. It is about time that we had some real, effective information available to help me with my friend."

The last time I checked, Amazon still had some of these books in store; however, being that it's number 12 on their best seller list, it may not be in stock long. Better go get one now or you may have to wait and who wants to wait?

It's a good idea to click Healing the Addicted Brain now and go get one.

Volunteer Match

For non-profits that need volunteers, Volunteer Match offers a way to connect with volunteers.

Check them out at Volunteermatch.org.

Cell Phone Recycling

T-Mobile will take ANY cell phone and recycle it!

From their website, www.t-mobile.com/handsetrecycling:

Recycle your old phone to protect the environment and support charities.
Give your old wireless phone new meaning with T-Mobile's Handset Recycling Program. The program promotes the recycling and reuse of old wireless devices that might otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators--and 100% of the net proceeds from handset recycling now benefit the charitable efforts of the T-Mobile Huddle Up program.
Learn more about T-Mobile Huddle Up.

Prison Ministries

This is it --> Prison Ministry.Net is an International Directory of 4,014 Prison Ministries!

Of the 4,014 prison ministries, of course most are in the U.S. -- 3,481.

I'm really glad to find this site. I had no idea there were that many prison ministries; it's really very heart warming to see.

I highly recommend reading about the Board of Directors who it looks like were all former inmates. Very impressive. But, I must warn you, you'll need your kleenex.

Prison Reform

I am finding it very difficult to find successful prison reform, which saddens me greatly. What I am looking for are programs that are working. What I have found is information about what will work, but not anywhere where it IS working aside from prison ministries which do not address key elements for reform, but do have a great impact.

I am not totally discouraged, because knowing what will work is part of the process.

What will work? It seems that education, job training, drug treatment and mental health treatment will work in prison and in poor neighborhoods.

The problems are: prisons produce and exacerbate a large population of mental illness, the continued and growing use of drugs, gang activity and violence. And the problem is not just with the prisoners, it's also with the guards and prison employees. Of course there are exceptions, but the entire community should not be overlooked.

Part of the solution is eliminating criminal activity before prison especially in the low income neighborhoods which are mostly Afican-American and Hispanic.

Prison ministries are effective for some prisoners and I applaud them. But, what about the mentally ill and those who are on drugs or who refuse prison ministry help?

Although I applaud prison ministries, it's just not enough. A new paradigm is needed to stop the insanity of solitary confinement, incarcerating the mentally ill, cowering to gangs and on and on.

Ok, enough soap box. I'll do a special post on current prison ministries and the few prison related organizations that shed light and do some good.

Wokai

I found out about this microfinance organization through The Hashoo Foundation. Wokai specifically works in rural China.

From their About Us Page:

Wokai's team works on the ground to evaluate and monitor Field Partners who distribute contributions and collect repayments from recipients in rural China. The process is quite involved, but it's the only way we can ensure that all contributions are having the desired impact in rural China.

(1) The first step is visiting, evaluating, and training our Field Partners. Our Investment Committee must approve all new partnerships.

(2) Our Field Partners screen and select recipients in their local communities, then post their profiles on our website.

(3) Contributors (like you!) browse through their profiles, and make tax deductible donations to fund their loans. These tax deductions are valid in the United States of America, per our 501(c)3 status.

(4) Wokai distributes this money to our Field Partner for allocation to recipients.

(5) Field Partners collect loan repayments from recipients, and send updates to Wokai about their progress.

(6) Once the loan is fully repaid, you may reinvest your contribution to fund a different recipient's loan.

(7) This cycle continues for three loan terms. Afterwards, your contribution will be used as long term loan capital at Wokai's Field Partner.

Want to learn more about the process? Visit our Help Center.

$20,000 College Scholarship from KFC

Kentucky Fried Chicken has a window of opportunity until FEBRUARY 10, 2009. I just found out about it when I went to KFC for some fried chicken yesterday.

Here's a quick summary from their website:

The KFC Colonel's Scholars Program® is looking for high school seniors with entrepreneurial drive, strong perseverance, demonstrated financial need, and who want to pursue a college education at an accredited public institution in the state they reside.

The KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program is about you, your dreams and aspirations, and the perseverance to succeed. This program is offered to high school seniors planning to attend a public in-state college or university. Students who meet the criteria may apply online to become a KFC’s Colonel’s Scholar. Students selected for this scholarship are eligible to receive up to $20,000 to complete a bachelor’s degree program.

End Poverty 2015

Watching the Sundance Channel tonight, I saw this awesome little program with celebrities announcing 8 Millenium Development Goals. Josh Lucas, one of my favorite actors, Heather Graham, and others joined together to deliver a powerful message, more of a report, about poverty, hunger, lack of education, unclean water, and more primarily in poor countries and how it affects millions of people, mostly women and children.

They are asking us all to ASK OUR GOVERNMENTS TO HONOR THEIR MDG GOALS. Amen, brother and sister! Ok, I get a little excited about this stuff... It's so important.

Please learn more at End Poverty 2015.

Not On Our Watch

Many years ago, I had a vision of using celebrity status to focus attention on what's working in the world. Now that it's actually happening, I couldn't be happier. Not On Our Watch is a prime example of the power of combining celebrity with a passion for good. Founded by Don Cheadle,George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman and Jerry Weintraub, NOOW's mission is to put an end to atrocities around the world. I love it. It's bold, it's beautiful and it includes Brad Pitt.

George Clooney met with President Obama and VP Biden on Feb. 24 and is 'enrolling' them in helping to end the atrocities in Darfur. Go George!

From their website (please check it out and let's keep this good stuff rollin'):

Our mission is to focus global attention and resources towards putting an end to mass atrocities around the world. Drawing upon the powerful voices of artists, activists, and cultural leaders, Not On Our Watch generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection for the vulnerable, marginalized, and displaced. We encourage governing bodies to take meaningful, immediate action to protect those in harm’s way. Where governments remain complacent, Not On Our Watch is committed to stopping mass atrocities and giving voice to their victims.

Concern Worldwide

In their efforts to eliminate poverty, Concern Worldwide, is involved in the campaigns involving Child Labor, Climate Change, and Education for the poor.

From their website:

Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Solar Aid

Solar Aid's mission is to fight climate change and global poverty by "bringing clean, renewable power to the poorest people in the world." By powering water pumps and electricity for schools, businesses and homes, they can impact villages and improve people's lives, breaking the cycle of poverty.

From: About Solar Aid
Fighting poverty
Right now, two billion people have no access to electricity. They rely on burning fuels such as kerosene and wood for light and heat, which is highly toxic and expensive. Having solar power improves people's health, income and education. That's because solar power can enable poor people to cook food, pump clean water, run fridges, light homes, schools and hospitals, farm more effectively, and much more.

Fighting climate change
Climate change is mainly due to the massive and continuing use of burning fossil fuels for energy. This has pumped vast amounts of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. At the same time, we have destroyed vast tracts of forest, which has released billions of tonnes of carbon.

By replacing carbon-emitting products with solar power, and reducing our
dependency on burning wood and fossil fuels we can alleviate global warming.

Fact:
The average kerosene lamp, used widely across the developing world, creates around a tonne of carbon over seven years. Replacing these lamps with solar lanterns will lead to significant reductions in carbon emissions.

Grameen Foundation

The Grameen Foundation enables the poorest people in the world to break the cycle of poverty by helping them, mostly women, start their own businesses.

What they do:
Microfinance - a powerful poverty-fighting tool: Microfinance helps people to escape poverty by giving them collateral-free loans and other financial services to support income-generating businesses. As each loan is repaid, the money is redistributed as loans to others, thereby mulitiplying its impact. For Fatima, a FONDEP client in Morocco, the loans have helped her build a business and new horizons for her children.

Freedom From Hunger

Freedom From Hunger has been helping people around the world to improve their lives and break the cycle of poverty and hunger since 1946. They have an extensive website and what I like most, besides what they stand for, is that they report on the impact that they are making.

Here's a little bit from their website:

Freedom from Hunger combines microfinance with health and lifeskills services to equip very poor families to improve their incomes, safeguard their health and achieve lasting food security. To implement and expand our programs sustainably, we collaborate with a network of more than 50 local organizations in 16 countries. For more in-depth information about our methods, visit www.ffhtechnical.org.

UN's Water For Life Program

The US & Japan have joined together in a partnership to provide clean water to the world's poor. This was a report from the Johannesburg 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The full report can be seen by clicking here.

What would be possible if all countries joined together in the same partnership?

It looks like this was a UN sponsored event and has not been held since then. However, when I researched "sustainable development" it took me to the UN website where they have the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Sustainable Development. There I found a link to their "Water for Life" website. There are great resources on this site.

Please check them out.

Worldwide Water foundation

Water - something we take for granted in the civilized world, especially in the United States. For others, water is a precious commodity and the lack of clean water is a leading cause for death. The Worldwide Water Foundation provides solutions for desperate situations where clean water is needed.

For more info, click here.

A little info from their website:

Worldwide Water Foundation is a nonprofit International organization serving the worlds developing countries by providing a solution to water related problems. Worldwide Water meets the needs of people through education and well drilling for the development of water resource programs that save lives and bring hope to a thirsty world.

Disaboom

This website provides an online community for people with disabilities and was started by a physician who is also a quadriplegic. It provides support and like-mindedness for this community. For more info, click here.

As stated on their website: For people with disabilities, Disaboom's lifestyle articles, blogs, forums, and health information provide shared knowledge about SCI, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and other disabilities. Whether you’re an amputee, caregiver, disabled veteran, or interested in exploring adaptive sports, accessible travel, or any other disability-related topic, welcome!

About Us

Disaboom.com was founded by Dr. J. Glen House, a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation who is also a quadriplegic. His firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and those whose lives they touch has driven the Disaboom.com mission: to create the first comprehensive, evolving source of information, insight, and personal engagement for the disability community.

Sweden: Prostitution Virtually Eliminated

I found the strategy and success of Sweden's law against the buying of prostitution well worth sharing. The whole premise is to prosecute those buying prostitution and help prostitutes get out of the cycle of prostitution.

This article details the strategy and how it works.

To learn more click here.

Here's a brief excerpt from Justice Women:

Sweden's unique strategy treats prostitution as a form of violence against women in which the men who exploit by buying sex are criminalized, the mostly female prostitutes are treated as victims who need help, and the public is educated in order to counteract the historical male bias that has long stultified thinking on prostitution. To securely anchor their view in firm legal ground, Sweden's prostitution legislation was passed as part and parcel of the country's 1999 omnibus violence against women legislation.

Oceana

What can be done to protect one of the most vital and important aspects of the earth, our oceans? Oceana is doing it. They run specific campaigns to protect the earth's oceans. To find out more visit their website. Emulate!

From: ABOUT OCEANA

To achieve real benefits for the oceans, Oceana conducts focused, strategic campaigns. Each campaign has a specific timeframe and objective that will make a significant difference to the oceans. Each campaign combines scientific, legal, policy and advocacy approaches to reach its goal. Saving the oceans may take decades, but in each of our campaigns we aim to accomplish an important milestone in that effort within two to five years.

The Innocence Project

This is a cool website about exonerating the wrongly accused based on DNA evidence. They are also about reforming the criminal justice system to prevent further injustice. To learn more, please visit their website and emulate!

From: About the Innocence Project

The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal clinic affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University and created by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992. The project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. As a clinic, law students handle case work while supervised by a team of attorneys and clinic staff.

Laptops for Children

Laptop.org has been around for 40 years! Amazing. I haven't figured that one out yet, but I like what they are about and hope to give them more exposure. Here's a little bit about them. Click the link to find out more, and get involved or emulate.

From: About One Laptop Per Child Association

The One Laptop per Child association develops a low-cost laptop—the "XO Laptop"—to revolutionize how we educate the world's children. Our mission is "to provide educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning." We have recently reduced staff to deal with tough economic times; see our announcement for details.

Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston

Healthcare for the Homeless "promotes health, hope, and dignity for Houston's homeless through accessible and comprehensive care." I have never found another agency like Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston. If there are any other organizations, like this, please let me know. In the meantime, emulate.

For more info, please check out their website.

From: About Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston

Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston (HHH) originated from an initial partnership between Baylor College of Medicine and SEARCH Homeless Project. After several years of providing medical services to Houston's homeless, the need to integrate care from a broader perspective became evident. Extensive discussion and planning by numerous community-based homeless agencies and healthcare providers led to the formation of the HHH Advisory Council, which is comprised of representatives from the organizations, together with homeless ombudsmen. In 1999, the Advisory Council determined the need to create an independent nonprofit corporation to more effectively utilize scarce resources through cooperative planning.

Freedom Writers Foundation

Another GREAT movie was Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank. Freedom Writers chronicled the true story of how a classroom of students were inspired by the Diary of Anne Frank to authentically journal their own lives and challenges. The Freedom Writers Foundation was created "to form a community like the one we formed in Room 203, where people feel safe, accepted, and understood."

To learn about their programs and outreach and how you can support and expand it in your community, learn more at their website at Freedom Writers Foundation.

Happiness

What makes a community of people happy? It depends on the culture. Policy makers are taking notice, however. According to an article that appeared on the BBC Online, Nigerians are the most happy and the people of Denmark have become more satisfied over the last three decades.

To read the article, click here.

The United States ranked 16th.

World Food Programme - Free Rice

Wow, you can play this cool vocabulary game or other games and when you win, the sponsors donate free rice. The World Food Programme fights hunger worldwide. Sean Penn is a leading supporter of the WFP. To play the free rice game, click here. To learn more, click below.

From: About The World Food Programme

The World Food Programme is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization.

In emergencies, we get food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After the cause of an emergency has passed, we use food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives.

ReasonOnline Magazine

I had to include ReasonOnline because of the refreshing non-spin articles they publish.

From: About Reason

Reason is the monthly print magazine of “free minds and free markets.” It covers politics, culture, and ideas through a provocative mix of news, analysis, commentary, and reviews. Reason provides a refreshing alternative to right-wing and left-wing opinion magazines by making a principled case for liberty and individual choice in all areas of human activity.

Reason Online is updated daily with articles and columns on current developments in politics and culture. It also contains the full text of past issues of the print edition of Reason. Reason Online is entirely free.

Reason and Reason Online are editorially independent publications of the Reason Foundation, a national, non-profit research and educational organization.

Global Green

Global Green first got my attention when I learned about the Make It Right Foundation founded by Brad Pitt. After looking further at Global Green, I was impressed by their huge undertaking to "stem global climate change by creating green buildings and cities." They strive to create drinking water for all people on the planet as well. Please include them in your knowledge base and get involved.

From: About Global Green

Founded in 1993 by activist and philanthropist Diane Meyer Simon, Global Green is the American Arm of Green Cross International (GCI), which was created by President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future by reconnecting humanity with the environment.

Global Green USA is the only national environmental non-profit headquartered in Southern California with offices in New Orleans, Washington DC, and New York, and is one of 31 national GCI affiliates throughout the world.

The Secrets of Okinawa's Elderly

Hmmm....I love fat, salt and sugar and I want to live long and be healthy. But, it seems there's evidence that although it's possible to live a long and healthy life, the fat, salt and sugar needs to be removed from your diet. Darn. I found this article on AOL that was actually from CNN. I must do more research on this one. :)

From: AOL Article on The Secrets of Okinawa's Elderly

(Dec. 8, 2008) -- In Okinawa, Japan, it's not unusual to see people in their 90s and older running, dancing, or even climbing trees. Illnesses like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimers are almost unheard of. The island has the world's highest percentage of people 100 or older.

What is Okinawa's secret? CNN spoke to a gerontologist who has studied life there for 15 years. He pointed to a range of factors, not the least of which was a diet low in fat, salt and sugar. Okinawans remain physically active well into old age, enjoy a strong sense of community and have access to good health care.

Charter for Compassion

I was really taken with this website because I had never seen anything like it. I guess what really struck a chord with me was their mission to create harmony by establishing common ground among people all over the world. That makes complete sense! They state that one of the 3 things that their charter affirms is that "compassion can build common ground." To learn more, please visit their website and emulate!!

From: About The Charter for Compassion

The Charter for Compassion is a collaborative effort to build a peaceful and harmonious global community. Bringing together the voices of people from all religions, the Charter seeks to remind the world that while all faiths are not the same, they all share the core principle of compassion and the Golden Rule. The Charter will change the tenor of the conversation around religion. It will be a clarion call to the world.

Global Philanthropy Group

This is a really interesting group. Imagine advising the world's leading philanthropists. I am impressed with the initiatives that they have taken on and impacted. I have to applaud Trevor Neilson who is behind this group, I think it his group, for the great job of advising Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Bono, to name a few on their humanitarian contributions. Bravo to all of you and keep up the very great work that you are doing! This is a great example of the power of pulling together for the greater good. There is so much that can be done and together everyone achieves me; it's trite but true!

From: About The Global Philanthropy Group

Global Philanthropy Group advises the world's leading philanthropists. We work with high net worth individuals, charitable foundations and corporations to design and implement highly-leveraged philanthropic strategies. Our management expertise and proprietary network of global experts help our clients achieve lasting, meaningful results.

Global Philanthropy Group's experience encompasses pressing global issues including economic development, education, poverty, HIV/AIDS, disaster recovery and redevelopment, refugees, microfinance, water, global health, immigration, orphans, foster care, global trade, malnutrition, climate change, green building, malaria, conservation, crimes against humanity, genocide and childhood obesity.

Saving Homeless Pets' Lives

Petsmart has this great non-profit that saves pets' lives. It's a great organization. I love animals and would like to applaud Petsmart for this initiative. Learn more at their website below.

From: About Petsmart Charities

A lifelong, loving home for every pet.
Saving homeless pets’ lives. That's the heart and soul of everything we do.
Through our adoption centers alone, we help save one life every minute they are open. In addition, all the programs we create and animal welfare agencies we support help to end euthanasia while promoting healthy relationships between people and pets.

American Society of Criminology

I was excited to learn about this organization and love what they are up to - crime prevention! What I need to know is what they know is being done to prevent crime. I am adding them to the blog so that they are included. If anyone knows more about any success in crime prevention, PLEASE let me know.

From: About The American Society of Criminology

The American Society of Criminology is an international organization whose members pursue scholarly, scientific, and professional knowledge concerning the measurement, etiology, consequences, prevention, control, and treatment of crime and delinquency.

Global Business Coalition GBC

The Global Business Coalition is an NGO, a non-governmental organization, that focuses on AIDS, TB and malaria. I was excited to find out about them and encourage you to learn more by going to their website.

From: About the Global Business Coalition

Applied Knowledge and Collaboration Get Life-Saving Results

GBC occupies a unique place in the community of NGOs—a pivotal place. We apply the private sector's special capabilities to the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We are an unusual NGO, one comprised entirely of businesses.

Coalition members "re-purpose" their business know-how, infrastructure and reach into tools for improving public health. Combined with the work of nonprofits, multilaterals and governments, this translates into more lives saved. Business also helps turn saved lives into productive lives.

Chevron Corporation Vice Chairman Peter Robertson sums up the GBC role this way: "We have resources, but we're not experts in disease. GBC helps us apply our resources where they can really make a difference."

Says former UNAIDS head Peter Piot, "GBC is defining a new economic development model."

The Hunger Project

The Hunger Project was formed in 1977 and continues today to eliminate poverty and end hunger. Bravo to them as they continue to impact these issues around the world.

From: About The Hunger Project

Mission
The Hunger Project is a global, non-profit, strategic organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger.

In Africa, Asia and Latin America, The Hunger Project seeks to end hunger and poverty by empowering people to lead lives of self-reliance, meet their own basic needs and build better futures for their children.

The Hunger Project carries out its mission through three essential activities: mobilizing village clusters at the grassroots level to build self-reliance, empowering women as key change agents, and forging effective partnerships with local government.

Ron Clark Academy

I am a huge movie buff and came across The Ron Clark Story with Matthew Perry. I can't recommend it enough. A true story, Ron Clark transformed a class of students at a Harlem school who had been given up on by themselves, the school and their families. These students excelled beyond anyone else in the school according to the movie. So successful was Ron Clark's transformation that he went on to establish the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. He shares his tips and techniques in his book "The Essential 55," 55 Rules that he used in that first class. The first rule is "We are family."

Learn more about The Ron Clark Academy and borrow, copy and emulate...his stuff works!

About The Ron Clark Academy

Thank you Ron!

About Kiva: Poverty Elimination, Microfinance

Kiva is an awesome non-profit that brings funds to small business entrepreneurs all over the world in order to alleviate poverty. Please learn more by visiting their website, connect with them and emulate.

From About Kiva

We Let You Loan to the Working Poor

Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world.

The people you see on Kiva's site are real individuals in need of funding - not marketing material. When you browse entrepreneurs' profiles on the site, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else in need.
Kiva partners with existing expert microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way. To do this, we are using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Child sponsorship has always been a high overhead business. Kiva creates a similar interpersonal connection at much lower costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery. The individuals featured on our website are real people who need a loan and are waiting for socially-minded individuals like you to lend them money

The Hashoo Foundation

The Hashoo Foundation created a poverty elimination program that recently won the BBC World Challenge 2008 for their "Women Empowerment Through Honey Bee Farming." Learn more by visiting their website and emulate!

From: About The Hashoo Foundation's Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Project

The Women Empowerment through Honey Bee Farming Commitment is designed to economically empower women through technical training, enabling them to generate a stable source of income and contribute to their family’s well being. The commitment will address the employment discrepancy between male and female beekeepers in the Northern Areas of Pakistan (NAP) & Chitral and promote equal opportunity. The project’s impact will improve women’s status in their communities, as they become more integrated in the decision-making process within male-dominated societies.

What is NOWW News About?

NowwNews focuses on what's working in the world in the areas of poverty elimination, hunger relief, prison reform and the many other areas that create harmonious and thriving communities. The purpose of NowwNews is to provide the "how" and "who" of these incredible projects around the world so that they can be connected and implemented in more and more places. The principle here is that whatever we focus on, our life becomes that, so let's focus on what's working to make all communities thrive.