wednesdays

Every wednesday I get out of bed at eight to catch bus #20 and travel to the International Institute on the lower East Side South Side of Providence. There I volunteer at the Refugee Resettlement Program, helping to look after the kids, while their parents take resettlement courses. I look after kids mostly from Liberia, Cote d'Iviore, Burandi, and Iraq. There are not a lot of resources or money flowing into the Institute, so the kids are kept in a makeshift daycare. One room not very big, but made to seem bigger by the lack of things to fill it up with other then kids. There are about 12-16 kids in the room at a time, and unfortunately, half of them have figured out that they can open the door, run across the hall, and find their mommies or daddies. The kids themselves are amazing, they were so open and friendly within five minutes of meeting me, hugging me, kissing me on the cheek, asking me to play with them. Only about two speak good english, and the others either speak french or can hardly speak at all. The kids dont have a lot of toys to play with, so a lot of the time they fight over what they do have. Not surprisingly when they get mad the resort to their native tongue, probably out of instinct, but maybe so I cant understand them. None of them can read, or write in english, and because they are such a handful already, not a lot is being done about this.
So far I really love it, the kids are wonderful, and I can't wait to get the chance to help them.

blanket society

In class we have been working on learning about Millenium Development Goals, and problems developing countries are experiencing. I personally have been focusing on Afghanistan, because as you probably I am very active and vocal about my political beliefs, so looking at Afghanistan was very important to me. The effects of the Taliban, civil wars, and of course the current war have had an obvious and detrimental affect on the country. When I was doing research I found that the province of Badakhshan currently has the highest maternal death rate in the world. It is thought that 6,500 women die out of 100,000 live births. For the rest of the country the rate is around 1,600, which is high, but is low in comparison to Badakhshan. To give some perspective the rate is around 17/100,000 in the U.S. The effects of a rate this large are devistating. For each woman that dies there is a 75% chance that the child will die as well. The reasons are numerous, the war, and local militant groups are influencing the women's lifes, the men are leaving their families more frequently, drug use is increasing, along with food prices, the cost to live in Afghanistan is climbing.

I pinpointed the main problems I wanted to address; a need for education of new mothers, family planning, and a source of income.
My idea for a solution is what I am calling a "Shadow House".

Its a building that is directly connected to a clinic, or a hospital in the Badakhshan province. That would serve as a place were women could go to learn about traditional Afghan embroidery, by making blankets. The blankets would be sold in the U.S., and would come with an insert. So for each blanket purchased in the U.S. it would cover the cost of two blankets, and two inserts. One blanket would be flown to the U.S. and an insert printed in the U.S. would be placed inside, the insert would have a personal message on it that is determined by the buyer. The second blanket staying in Afghanistan has a standardized insert printed in the U.S. that describes the basics to delivering a child.

Some of the benefits of working in a Shadow House, is that they would be able to learn about childbirth and family planning. They would be able to work closing with the clinic, and get training in medical procedures. Also with the money being made selling blankets they would be able to recieve daily rations to help support their family. And after they complete a blanket they would be able to take it home and use it, pass it through the family, or give it to a neighbor. And because the insert is completely hidden it is up to the women as to how they use it.

Problem Statement In the Afghan province of Badakhshan it is estimated that 6,500/100,000 women die when giving birth. That would be the highest maternal death rate in the world. This is due to their poor location, the raise in food prices, lack of education, recent and current wars.

Mission Statement To provide a safe place women could go to learn about maternal health and family planning, without judgement or persecution. With a goal of creating a product, making a profit, and distributing the wealth appropriately, as well as to educate the Afghan women in Badakhshan and reduce maternal death.

some images for my latest project

whats on my mind

Meet the Veeps

As soon as the words "he has been no maverick on the issues that matter to people" rolled off his tongue I was happy. At the beginning of the debate I was waiting to see the real Biden, and with that statement he came through. Biden is a man with a lot of personability, to put it simply he's got that grandpa quality, and that is exactly what the Democratic Party needs.



Not that I am an expert on any level, but to be honest this election has done to me exactly what it has done to so many other young people who for the first time have decided to take a passionate interest in the election. There have always been qualms about the environment, religion, issues have always existed. But in this era the information is streaming so much faster into the hands of the public and especially kids that its impossible to overlook it, its all over MTV for gods sake.


This debate brought it full circle. it was a striking portrayal of politics today.

The Republican Party is exactly where they were 8 years ago, and they should be it has been winning them elections, and a lot of money. They have a story, they have connections, even if their loyalties are to the richest of the rich they have the ability to recruit the poorest of the poor. Palin is just another story, but perhaps this time Republicans will be able to see through the cover, and see exactly what she is, a fictional character, and that is not sexism. You could see that in everyone of her answers.
The Democratic Party is somewhere new, and you can tell they are a little bit apprehensive about it, as they should be. At no time in history has computers and cell phones played such a major role in an election. Not to mention his race. Its an amazing time to part of politics.

Thats it for now. But there is more to come on this subject.