Author Archive
Posted on October 7, 2008 - by Frank
Film Review - Shoah
Many of us have grown up hearing stories about the holocaust through school, television, film, books and museum trips. There is a sense where sometimes it feels too familiar; that the horror of the event is just another of those tales we hear of the past and thus the horror of the catastrophe of the second world war loses it’s human face – a face of darkness and suffering.
Shoah is a 9 hour catalogue of the humanity that lived and breathed during the holocaust. It gives us the face of the tragedy and introduces us to real people with real stories. Its method is pure and simple; interviews and location shots. There is no archival footage with images of countless broken people we will never remember. There are no images that so haunt the memories of humanity where we see rough black and white footage of starved, suffering people who have been subjected to the ravages of human oppression. How many of us forget the faces of those people because when shown that footage, there are so many? Shoah does not allow us that escape. It does not allow the blur of images past.
Posted on October 2, 2008 - by Frank
Bailout for Wall St? What About the Poorest?
WITH the meltdown of international banking and credit filling investors with dread, developed nations are using the crisis to legitimise backing away from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), said TEAR Fund Executive Director Stephen Tollestrup.
The MDGs signed by 189 nations promised to halve poverty for the poorest of our planet’s people by 2015 and increase aid to 0.7 per cent of their countries GDPs.
“The truth is”, says, Mr Tollestrup, “the MDGs go well beyond a handout. If we dare to think outside of the square we will find that we need to see productive and growing economies in the developing world to help us move out of this current mess and bring long term economic stability.
Posted on October 1, 2008 - by Frank
Jesus Would Use Open Source
Ok, so maybe the title takes it a bit far, but I have no doubt that a good argument can be formed to show that Open Source is the ethical and more than suitable choice for any computer user in this day and age.
Last night, after flirting with the idea of shifting my computer operating system to an open source Linux system for years, I finally made the leap last night, wiping Microsoft Windows off the machine and loading Ubuntu on my laptop, with the resolve to never look back and to never pay for software again, but remain completely legal.
Posted on September 26, 2008 - by Frank
Human Trafficking - A Self Examination
There’s only one place to start with this issue after we’ve grasped some of the statistics and basic issues related to human trafficking. Before I go anywhere else, politics, economics, strategies of intervention etc, I need to examine myself and that examination needs to involve some “frank” analysis and honest admissions.
I am a hypocrite of the highest degree. I am the product of a privileged world and I have willingly engaged in the indulgences on offer in my world, often with little to no thought about how those indulgences came to be a part of my world. As my knowledge has grown about the state of the world, I’ve continued to enjoy the privileged life, knowingly living a life that I’m well aware is probably built on the backs of the poor. I ignore that voice that whispers to me to change the inner me, not just the outer me.
I walk a line in my efforts to support humanitarian work, between doing it because it makes me feel good and in so doing being able to placate some of the feeling of guilt, and doing it because I believe there is an intrinsic value in every single person on planet earth. I continually ask the question - how much of this is about making myself feel good and how much is about actually serving others in this world?
I don’t know if that is a tension I will always live with, but it is certainly one that I feel now.
Aside from the broken on my own doorstep - the homeless and the beggars that I walk past in the streets of the wonderful city I live in, Auckland, New Zealand - I have never come in contact with the poverty that gets talked of on this site, the poverty of the developing world. I do what I do at a distance, meaning well and hoping for the best, but ultimately, not really knowing what it is I am helping with - my life is comfortable. I don’t know how much of my approach is a romanticized, feel good ideal… and that bugs me.
Writing this, I get the sense that my self examination needs to start a step back from where I had anticipated. I had anticipated writing here about the products I enjoy, how I enjoy spending money and how I actually keep my eyes pretty much closed when indulging in the things I enjoy… about how I would sometimes much rather enjoy the bliss of ignorance. For I know that this, in some way, helps feed the issue of human trafficking.
It seems, my self examination needs to start a bit further back with my motivations for getting involved in humanitarianism like I do. Why do we care about these things? Do we care? Is it just a selfish exoneration of the lives we enjoy? Are we just trying to do our little bit simply so we can wash our hands of the matter and sleep better at night? How much does that love of our fellow human beings drive deep into our hearts? How much value do we really, honestly see and therefore invest in those who suffer in this world? What price am I willing to pay to serve them?
If I truly want to have an impact in the area of human trafficking, these are questions I need to answer and where I come up short, I need to allow myself to be changed.
Maybe this journey will be more encompassing of who I am than I thought it would. I can’t go on reading stories about children being trafficked and sexually exploited without more change within myself. I can’t go on shedding tears over the way people are used and abused without experiencing more transformation. If I don’t change, if my motivations aren’t right, then taking on board so much of the world’s evil will either make me numb or destroy me. If I really want to find ways to make a difference in this world that carry real meaning then I need to feel real hope. Real hope, not vain exoneration, needs to be the motivation.
Posted on September 25, 2008 - by Frank
Les Mills Bootcamp
Right now, you might be wondering what Les Mills has to do with humanitarianism. That would be understandable since the primary purpose of Les Mills Gyms is to sculpt beautiful bodies and increase fitness rather than save the world - going so far as to have a promotional campaign just for the ladies titled “look better naked”. If the scope of Les Mills ended there, they certainly wouldn’t be getting a mention on this site as they just wouldn’t fit, but there is a little more to them.
One of my work colleagues flicked an email out earlier today encouraging us to donate to The Auckland City Mission in support of her time with the Les Mills Bootcamp, where she is being put through hell as she and others help raise money for various charities.
Posted on September 24, 2008 - by Frank
Bono Blogs with the Financial Times
For those looking for the inside scoop in the goings on of the High-Level Event happening at the U.N headquarters this week, I’ve got just the thing for you.
The event, focussed on progress and plans to move forward with the U.N Millennium Development Goals, has attracted high level leaders and activists from around the world, with development as the central theme. Live blogging from around the events would be awesome, but alas I can’t be there, nor do I have the connections to have offered anything worthwhile, but there are two people who are there and do have the connections - Bono and Jeffrey Sachs. For those who don’t know, Jeffrey Sachs is a development economist guru - the man is a legend.
Posted on September 23, 2008 - by Frank
Millennium Development Goals - High Level Event
“The year 2008 should mark a turning point in progress towards the MDGs. …Together with the President of the General Assembly, I am convening a special High-level Event on the MDGs on 25 September in New York. This gathering will bring together world leaders, representatives of the private sector and our civil society partners to discuss specific ways to energize our efforts. I expect the meeting will also send a strong message that governments are ready to rise to the financing for development challenge. I look forward to working with Member States to make the September event an unqualified success. Together, we must make this year one of unprecedented progress for the poorest of the poor, so that we can realize a better, more prosperous future for all.”
– UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 1 April 2008
(remarks to the General Assembly)
That High-Level Event is to take place this week.
For those of you not familiar with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s), they are as follows:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
* Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.
* Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people.
* Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education
* Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
* Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.
4. Reduce child mortality
* Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.
5. Improve maternal health
* Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.
* Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
* Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.
* Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it.
* Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
* Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.
* Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.
* Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation (for more information see the entry on water supply).
* By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers.
8. Develop a global partnership for development
* Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction—nationally and internationally.
* Address the special needs of the least developed countries. This includes tariff and quota free access for their exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
* Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
* Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term.
* In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth.
* In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
* In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.
The meeting will act as a summit of leaders to assess progress towards the achievement of the goals and reinvigorate the commitment of U.N member states to achieve those goals. Every single member state of the U.N signed on to the United Nations Millennium Declaration (PDF) in 2000.
The achievement of MDG’s faces an unforeseen challenge in the form of the current global food crisis and the latest market crunch being experienced in the financial sectors of the west. The commitment needs to remain strong and this meeting should provide a much needed boost in the midst of such turmoil.
There are lobby and public awareness groups that exist to put pressure on U.N member states to keep their commitments towards the goals - some are yet to reach their commitments.
Check out these organisations to get involved:
Micah Challenge - an alliance of Evangelical organizations who have come together in support of the MDG’s.
Point Seven - A New Zealand organization bringing together various aid agencies to put pressure on the NZ government to reach it’s promise of giving 0.7% of our Gross National Income to international aid. Currently NZ is well below that.
The Millennium Development Goals can be so much more than a feel good shot in the arm for the world. With the member states of the U.N backing such an endeavour, rather than just paying it lip service, real change is/will be achieved.
Follow these sites to see what comes out of the High-Level Event this week.
MDG Blog
Gateway to the UN Systems Work on the MDG’s
Check out these sites/tools related to the MDG’s:
Ideas for Development
The MDG Monitor (a great tool for nation specific monitoring of efforts towards achieving the goals)
The Good News (a downloadable Powerpoint presentation from Micah Challenge on current progress)
Posted on September 22, 2008 - by Frank
Compassion Bloggers (with video)
Marketing is a huge factor in what many NGO’s do. PR and marketing are integral in what such organizations do as they live off support from the public, giving the public the opportunity to be involved in what they do.
A successful marketing and PR tool that has been used by some organizations is the use of bands/musicians to spread the message of their work. Many organizations have bands/musicians aligned to them that promote their work at gigs. It’s a worthy method of promotion.
Compassion International has found another tool that follows very similar lines - it has entered the world of blogging.
Compassion International has adopted a program that brings on board Compassion Bloggers - bloggers that align themselves to Compassion and promote the work done by the organization. They organize trips for bloggers, taking a few people along to different areas it is involved in, thus giving selected bloggers first hand experiences that they then write about.
The potential for a high impact and an increase in awareness of their work is significant. Blogging allows for thoughts to be processed extensively rather than relying on sound-bites from a stage at a music gig where everyone is there primarily to hear the music and the organization hopes to capture some of the audience in the process. When a blogger writes about a given topic, there is nothing else the reader is hanging around for - reading the bloggers writing is the primary reason for being there. The promotion of the work of an organization like Compassion is not a distraction from the main thing (like the music at gigs), if the blogger chooses to write about such things then it is the main thing.
Blogging often also allows for conversation. It allows for the reader to process their thoughts in the community that interacts with the given blog. Thus the participant is given more opportunity than just hearing a musician express their support for a cause, with the organization hoping they will walk away and do something with that, they’re given the chance to engage, ask questions and process their thoughts with others.
Blogging presents a great way for NGO’s to promote their work and create awareness amongst the online community, in a way that provides a deeper engagement than what can take place at a music gig, though I see high value in that in today’s culture as well.
Compassion International has taken a great step by moving into blogging and getting popular bloggers alongside what they do and in so doing, experiencing and endorsing what Compassion does.
Compassion Bloggers & The Dominican Republic
November 27, 2008 Compassion International will take a group of bloggers to see their ministry to over 40,000 children in the Dominican Republic. Known for its resort-speckled beaches, theres another side to this Caribbean nation unknown to most vacationers. Our bloggers will visit a city dump where families scavenge for food and clothing. Theyll tour a neighborhood where drugs are trafficked and children live beside open sewers. And bloggers will also see firsthand how Compassion International and child sponsors are bringing hope to children living in these places by releasing them from poverty in Jesus name.
Posted on September 19, 2008 - by Frank
Human Trafficking - My Journey Begins
Human trafficking has well and truly captured my attention and I know it’s not an issue that is going to go away, so here begins my journey into one of the darkest issues facing our world today.
There is a popular saying - “knowledge is power” - as if knowledge provides some kind of ruling force that allows us to exert influence over others, but allow me to once and for all rephrase this rather self serving line so that it better serves humanity - “knowledge creates responsibility” - feel free to quote that.
Let me explain. In my world, with the issues I focus on, knowledge does not act as some force I can manipulate to subjugate others; it does the exact opposite. In my world, increased knowledge leaves me knowing about things that I must act on, it endows me with a sense of responsibility and that responsibility involves serving others rather than ruling them with a form of power. Knowledge of human trafficking inevitably creates such a responsibility. Once one has a working knowledge of human trafficking, we become endowed with a responsibility to act.
Posted on September 18, 2008 - by Frank
Luke, Dan and Kibera (with Audio & Video)
Last week we had the opportunity to chat on the radio with Luke from 100 Days 100 Dollars and Dan, the lead singer from Kingston.
Check out the earlier interview with Luke here on The Humanitarian Chronicle.
The highlight of this chat for me was Dan’s honesty about his feelings during his visit to the Kibera slum, moving from taking it all in like a tourist, to just being overwhelmed by it all. Have a listen. His comments are raw.
Check out the vid for Kingston’s song ‘Good Good Feeling’.
Posted on September 17, 2008 - by Frank
Zimbabwe Political Agreement in Full
The Zimbabwe MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) Party pressroom has released the full text of the power sharing agreement reached between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. The agreement was facilitated by South African leader Thabo Mbeki. This is something that will be watched closely by the international community.
Thankfully it includes provision and a way forward around food and humanitarian assistance and it is good to finally see the MDC given a significant place in the governance of Zimbabwe. May this agreement serve the nation well and may all those in positions of government find the means to work together for the good of their people
The text follows:
The political agreement in full
16th September 2008 - MDC Pressroom
9644959
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ZIMBABWE AFRICAN NATIONAL UNION-PATRIOTIC FRONT (ZANU-PF) AND THE TWO MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) FORMATIONS, ON RESOLVING THE CHALLENGES FACING ZIMBABWE
PREAMBLE
Posted on September 16, 2008 - by Frank
Art*Music*Justice
This came from musician, Derek Webb:
ART*MUSIC*JUSTICE on tour this fall, benefiting both the International Justice Mission and Food For the Hungry.
The International Justice Mission (www.IJM.org) is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. Food for the Hungry (www.FH.org) works in more than 26 developing countries providing disaster and emergency relief, and implementing sustainable development programs to transform communities physically and spiritually.
Derek is pleased to be joining Sara Groves, Brandon Heath, Sandra McCracken, and Charlie Peacock on this tour, running from September 19th-October 26th (Click here for dates), bringing not only the music of these tremendous artists but also telling stories of the great work of these organizations as they work for justice, advocate for the oppressed, and point towards the day coming when all things will be made right. More than just music, these unique evenings will bring with them opportunities to involve yourself in the stories of our poorest neighbors.
SHARE THE MUSIC
In addition, all of the artists on the tour are offering songs on NoiseTrade.com for the price of telling five friends or paying any amount you choose. Please help us spread the word by clicking “Embed This Music” at the top of the widget to promote this tour and these artists on your MySpace, Facebook, or favorite blog site.
Posted on September 15, 2008 - by Frank
Shopping Activism
There are a few different ways of referring to the topic of this article. Some refer to it using the mouthful - “Socially Conscious Purchases” or “Socially Aware Consuming”. Over at Phoenix and in many other places they’re calling it “Ethical Consumption”. I like that term, but love the subversive tone in “Shopping Activism” so am going to work with that.
Every purchase we make is an act that says something, whether we like it or not. When we speak through our consumption there are messages sent - whether we agree with the messages our consumption sends or not. When we spend money on a product, we are telling the supplier of that product that what we have purchased has value to us and that, in some sense, we appreciate them getting it to us. We are telling them that we want the supply of that product.
The message that we are also sending is that we are ok with whatever practices enabled that product to reach us as at the price that we paid for it. Now many of us might protest at this assumption because many of us don’t know what happened to enable the supply of that product from the beginning of that process to the point of purchase, but nevertheless, our purchase of any given product is a stamp of approval, even if that stamp has a degree (whether it be high or low) of ignorance attached to it.
Through our purchases, we enable companies to do what they do or adversely, by ignoring certain products, we very quickly put some companies out of business or force them to adjust their offerings to the market place to better meet demand and profit.
When we understand such market drivers and understand the basic concept that every purchase makes statements that say something to all those who choose to supply us with the products that we consume, we very quickly get a picture that shopping and consumption are inherently a form of activism. Sometimes that activism supports practices many of us would deem to be unethical, yet we act in support of such unethical practices often out of ignorance. We can change that.
Many of us aren’t in a position where we can uproot our lives to head into poverty stricken areas to serve the poor. Many of us shiver at the thought of entering one of the world’s slums even for a visit. Many of us don’t see ourselves as activists wanting to chain ourselves to trees to save the planet. Many of us can’t be bothered bugging our politicians with letters to compel them to act in the worlds greatest needs. Many of us just want to live our lives and feel like we’ve got enough on our plate just trying to get through life without having to worry about trying to cause tectonic shifts in the worlds problems as well. But with all that in mind, many of us still have a heart and many of us would still like to see the world become a better place. If that’s you then Shopping Activism is for you.
Shopping Activism only asks you to understand one thing and to do one thing with that new understanding. Shopping Activism asks you to understand that every purchase you make sends a message. That message might be about what’s ok and what’s not ok in how companies treat the environment or animals. That message might be about the use of cheap labour around the world; it might even be about human trafficking. The question is, what messages do you want sent by your purchases? Choose those messages and then buy accordingly. Choose products that support the messages that you want sent and ignore products that insult those messages. Send a message to companies that support your values that their products are in demand and send a message to the companies who do not, that they need to change their approach if they want you to support their products.
Become an ethical consumer; become a socially responsible purchaser; become a socially aware consumer; become a Shopping Activist and don’t passively send messages out of ignorance in support of values and ethics that do not align with your own.
If you want to know where you can purchase different products - leave a comment, tell us what you’re after and let’s see if we, as a small community reading this, can help each other find products that better align with our values.
To get started as a Shopping Activist, check out places like Good Books and Trade Aid.
Posted on September 11, 2008 - by Frank
Nathan King & World Vision (audio & video)
Some of you will know that I work as an afternoon radio announcer for a station in New Zealand called Life FM.
One of the privileges I have in such a role is the opportunities I get to talk to some very interesting people. This week my co-host (Di) and I had the chance to chat with Nathan King.
A couple of weeks ago we caught up with Nathan about his first solo album, The Crowd, due out later this month. During that chat, Nathan mentioned that he was going to be heading off to India with World Vision for a couple of weeks. We arranged to catch up with him once he got back. He had never been into any part of the developing world under the burden of poverty before so I was looking forward to catching up with him about the experience.
Nathan got back earlier in the week and this is the chat we had yesterday about the trip.
Nathan King in India Day 1
Watch the rest of the vids of Nathan in India by clicking here.
Posted on September 9, 2008 - by Frank
In Support of - Jedidiah Clothing (with video)
The Humanitarian Chronicle supports socially reponsible businesses whose very reason for existence consists of more than a drive to generate a profit. we support businesses that have written into their DNA a drive to positively impact the world.
We identify Jedidiah, a California based clothing company, as one of those businesses. Jedidiah exists to serve the world around them and was born in 2001 as an entity shunning the pitfalls and extremes of the consumer driven world around us. Essentially, clothing was identified as a means to generate a healthy community. That community is being formed amongst those who work for the brand, those who identify with the brand and those organisations that benefit from the brand.
Jedidiah has done a magnificent job of forming partnerships with humanitarian organisations that directly benefit from its sales. They have dedicated to giving 1% of their revenue to humanitarian organisations, but also have the Hope Collection - a line of clothing where 40% of the revenue goes to the organisations that have inspired the designs.
As you would expect, Jedidiah sum themselves up well:
Mission StatementEstablish Jedidiah as a premiere message driven brand in the fashion industry so that we can create a revenue stream to assist those less fortunate than us through increased awareness, financial contributions and service projects.
The following six principles will help guide us to measure the purpose and effectiveness of our decisions.
• Create a heartfelt work environment where everyone is treated with respect, dignity and compassion.
• Use the highest standards of excellence in designing, sourcing, producing, branding, selling and shipping our products.
• Embrace our clothing as a platform to convey our message of Hope, Grace, Encouragement, Forgiveness and Love.
• Develop and maintain passionate customers through thought provoking product and superior customer service.
• Contribute to the world around us through financial, emotional, relational and prayerful support.
• Understand that being profitable is essential to our future and fulfilling the desires of our hearts.
Jedidiah is a good example of what can be accomplished when it’s about more than simply making a profit for shareholders - the world can be made a better place. May the old model of pure profit driven businesses quickly give way to such socially conscious businesses that realize they leave an imprint with what they do and choose to make that imprint a positive one.
Jedidiah, you get the Humanitarian Chronicle thumbs up…. and we love your website!
Posted on September 6, 2008 - by Frank
100 Days 100 Dollars (with Video)
Recently I took the opportunity to pass a few questions to Luke Winslade. Luke heads up a great campaign that The Humanitarian Chronicle is right behind- 100 Days 100 Dollars. Here’s the conversation:
(Frank) To kick this off, give us a brief run-down of how 100 Days 100 Dollars got started…
(Luke) The whole 100 Days concept kind of came completely out of nowhere. In 2006 we found ourselves standing in the midst of 1 million people living in their own filth and hopelessness in one of the worlds densest living areas, Kibera Slum in Kenya.
Whilst there we met some amazing people who were running this awesome lil school right in the heart of the slum and they told us their dreams of one day getting rid of the lil mud huts they 
were using and replacing them with real buildings. Ones that have bigger rooms, better light, and an overall better environment for the kids to learn effectively in.
Upon returning back to New Zealand we thought “Hey imagine if we could get just our mates to donate $100 each so we could raise a bunch of cash that could go a really long way over there in Kibera”. From that, the idea kind of grew and it turned into “Hey imagine if we could get not just our mates, but a whole bunch of strangers involved” and from there it kind of just spread. We wanted the 100 Days campaign to be really simple and something that people could really jump on board with and take on. Being a small indie charity with next to no budget we’ve realized that our best weapon is ‘word of mouth’ so that’s what we try and do…tell people about the need and offer them a chance to help out.
We want people to feel like they are investing into a real life building. We want them to know where their money is going and what its achieving. And from that the 100 Days 100 Dollars campaign was formed.
(Frank) You’ve built a school in the Kibera slum after a successful campaign last year – how does it feel knowing you’ve affected the lives of some children so significantly?
(Luke) Seeing that money go into building that school building is a really 
rewarding thing and knowing that the kids that go to that school are now going to be able to learn so much easier definitely makes you feel good about what we achieved. But I guess we’ve moved on from that small case of ‘pride in our achievement’ into a new sense of determination to do more. Seeing how thankful those kids were for their new school building and then comparing it to the kids that don’t have the chance to go to school has definitely inspired us to do more this year. And the crazy thing is we didn’t actually do that much last year and we somehow ended up with just over $55,000. With a little bit of work here in New Zealand our money can go a MASSIVE way over in Kenya and we really can have a HUGE impact in the lives of the kids that live there.
(Frank) Establishing educational facilities has long term effects, what difference do you foresee these facilities making in the future lives of the children who become a part of what you’ve done?
(Luke) Nelson Mandela really sums it up perfectly “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”. Everyone in the Hope Foundation strongly believes that statement and that is what we are all about. We’re lucky enough to be able to get an amazing education here in New Zealand that really does set us up for life. For a lot of kids living in Kibera they don’t have that luxury and security. We wanna fix that.
You talk to the kids who live in Kibera and you ask them “What do you wanna be 
when you grow up” and they respond with “I wanna be a…..pilot, teacher, doctor, nurse, and even the President of Kenya”. For these kids school isn’t considered a drag or something they wanna skip. For them school is the coolest most rewarding thing in their lives.
We hope that by building these school buildings we are going to enable the teachers to be able do their job better, the kids are going to be able to learn better and more children will be able to set themselves up for life with an education.
(Frank) Kibera is one of the biggest, if not the biggest slum in the world. Your work and vision extends to toilet facilities and water pipes. I would imagine that some of these are bigger and long term projects – how long do you envisage being involved with Kibera – is this a case of long term advocacy?
(Luke) At the moment we are keeping things really simple. The need in Kibera really is HUGE! And what we are doing is merely a drop in a massive bucket of needs so we’re trying to just keep our endeavors really focused.
Last year we raised just over $55,000 and that has gone into the construction of a 6 classroom building, 4 toilets and a new water pipe for a school in Kibera. This year we are working with the same school and are wanting to build another 6 classroom building, more toilets, and 
hopefully purchasing some more land to give the children of the school enough room to run around and play in.
Obviously all of this depends on how much money we can raise but we see this years campaign and the money we raise from it going into finishing that school and setting it up for the future. The programs they are running and the teachers and staff they have on board are doing a phenomenal job and we just wanna help them by providing some better facilities for them.
What the future holds for 100 Days 100 Dollars is still to be determined. But the beauty of the 100 Days 100 Dollars campaign is that it can be used anywhere in the world and all that will change is the story and needs behind it.
We are excited to see where and how far this thing will go but for the time being we just wanna do as much as we can for Kibera slum and finish off the school that we have started.
(Frank) Your work in the slum will have a trickle down effect, benefiting many people in the slum beyond the immediate children you’re working with, but it can also have a trickle effect back home with people who get involved in the campaign. What has the reaction been like to the work back here?
(Luke) To be able to help out a bunch of kids living in Kibera and give them an education really is a cool thing to be a part of but to be able to do it alongside mates and a bunch of strangers who care about the same sort of stuff makes it so much more valuable. Its been such an awesome experience finding and 
meeting all these different types of people from around the country who have somehow found out about 100 Days 100 Dollars and are so passionate about helping out. It makes the task at hand feel far less daunting knowing there’s real support out there for the work we’re trying to do. We just wanna grow the family!
Some of the highlights have definitely been meeting younger people who are really passionate about this sort of thing. Like seriously young kids (13-15) who know so much about a wide range of different causes and are actively searching out solutions and answers. Kids that are asking and challenging us on some really awesome questions about aid development that you typically wouldn’t hear from people so young. When I was their age all I cared about was Playstation, so to be able to work along side those kids is really rewarding.
(Frank) I’m guessing that you have some memories of the children in your head that are going to live with you forever. Are there any children/stories that really stand out to you?
(Luke) Hanging out with the kids in Kibera and asking them what they want to be when they grow up totally blows your mind. Despite the environment and circumstances they live in, they still have so much hope for the future and who they want to become. Whether it be doctors, teachers or even the president. For example one of the kids that goes to to the school, Alvin, dreams of one day becoming an international soccer star. Now when you ask him about what he wants to be when he grows up there is no hesitation in him listing off his favourite players and his desire to one day be up there with them. Judging by his passion alone you would be a brave person to bet against him.
Another great story was of a young girl called Theresa. Her dream is to one day find the cure to AIDS. You hear the stories of how AIDS has ravaged Africa but until you hear it from a young girl it never really hits home. Theresa had to pull out of high school because her mother got very sick and could no longer work and afford to pay her school fees. Thankfully John Blaiklock (Chairman of the Hope Foundation) decided to sponsor her and pay for her school fees and she is now back in high school and hopefully on her way to one day finding that cure.
(Frank) Would you say this has changed you?
(Luke) It’s definitely made me look at the world in a completely different way. We live in an age where we have so much power at our finger tips and how we use that power is totally up to us. We can do some amazing things if we put our hearts and minds into it and we can save lives at the same time.
I also now have a bunch of friends that live in one of the worlds largest slums, who I really care about and wanna help out. The people in Kibera are the nicest most welcoming people I’ve ever met and despite the situation they find themselves in, their hearts are so pure and their love for justice has inspired me like nothing else.
(Frank) 100 Days 100 Dollars finishes in November – how can people get involved and help out?
(Luke) We can’t do this thing without the help and support of people so we would love to invite people to join with us and help us finish the work we have started in Kibera and build a school in that dreadful slum. Joining up is as simple as laying your hands on $100 and deciding you want to make a difference in the lives of some really needy kids. That’s it! Pretty simple really.
But as well as donating we want your voice. We don’t have the budget or even the desire to do big ad campaigns so instead we’re relying entirely on people spreading the word and rounding up people to join us. Tell your friends, your family, your grumpy neighbor or even the girl at the checkout at your local supermarket. Whatever you do just tell them that kids in Kibera slum in Kenya are desperate to learn and we wanna help them.
Head on over to our website www.100days100dollars.com and check out all of the videos, sign up to mailing list and join the family.
Get involved and help us to raise awareness of the plight of the incredible kids who are stuck in this awful slum, and how easy it is to give them the gift of hope and education.
A hundred bucks – to us it’s nothing but to them it’s a future.
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