FUNding

just a quick fundraising update:

• Cupcakes for Change Waterloo raised $1000 :D
• Cupcakes for Change Mississauga has about $150 in orders so far
• Sunday Snacks raised $205 on Sunday #1

Coming soon: Online donations can be made to my account on Canada

Only $5000 more to go...
God will provide.

"Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."

- jerimiah 33:3

goosebumps.

"do you ever get that feeling, that you're on the brink of something really amazing but you're scared to tell anyone? and then, then you get these signs that make you realize that you're doing the right thing? it's so amazing, it gives me goosebumps."
- RB on our idea (:

there's a reason for my sleepless nights and it's not school. my heart pounds and my head spins when i think about all the possibilities. the revolution we can create, the changes we can initiate, and most importantly, the people we can help.

this is going to be amazing. because we're going to make it amazing.

great. just what i need before my 3 finals in 2 days.
more to come on [insert project name here].
im SO excited :D

love your neighbour.

north america, the land of opportunity. families from all over the globe immigrate here in hopes of finding what many of the established already have: stability and happiness. in a society that doesn't have to worry about the obtaining the basic necessities of life, many people never have to think about poverty, nonetheless, relate to it. many people understand that there are wars happening, injustice taking place, and poverty surmounting, but can't relate to those issues because it doesnt happen here, right? wrong.

hi waterloo. never seen poverty? stop and look into the eyes of the homeless man sitting at the plaza. never experienced war or political injustice? talk to a refugee who chose to escape their country with her 5 children, after the government had killed her husband. never had to take desperate measures to provide for your family? talk to the 6.5% of the region who is unemployed (thats 1.2% above the national average).

global issues are not just global. they're local, right down the street from us. no, they may not be as severe locally as they are globally, but they are here. they stare us (literally) in the face, and we avoid eye contact and keep walking.

the definition of community and neighbourhood is constantly changing, with talk that gen y may ruin local communities. in the parable of the good samaritan, a man asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus answers "Love your neighbour as yourself". "And so, who counts as my neighbour?" the man asks. then as Jesus tells a story. as scott harrison puts it "a man [is] beaten near death by robbers. He's stripped naked and lying roadside. [Two] people from his village pass him by, but [an enemy from another village] stops. He picks him up and bandages his wounds. He puts him on his horse and walks alongside until they reach an inn. He checks him in and throws down his Amex and tells them to give whatever he needs until he gets better. "Which of the 3 men," Jesus asks "is the man's neighbour?" The man replied "The one who had mercy on him."

our neighbours are defined as the people who live next doors, the cashiers at the local grocery store, and the joggers passing by. but also encompassing our neighbours include the refugee family that just moved to waterloo, the teens living on the streets, and the homeless man in the plaza.

lets pass a little kindness onto our neighbours, shall we?

a tiny ripple of hope.

“…Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance….”

i heart the i-heart revolution.

on critics.

admittedly, i am human and get frustrated sometimes. sometimes at people like my cubicle neighbour having a social gathering while i try to study, and other times with people.

i dream of a world where clean water is commonplace and not a luxury. a world in which caring acts dominate violent ones. simply, i dream of a world in which people can worry about how to live life and not how to survive it.

too much? too ideal? possibly. probably. but a girl can dream right? i can (almost) understand indifference to local and global issues, but dont you dream of the same kind of world? im just trying to help create the world we both dream of. i didn't mean that you should no longer drink water, but just understand the problem with bottled water. the unfortunate truth is that all the social actions that im posting about address issues that directly affect you and your future. you don't have to care, but just be aware. you don't have to help, but just don't criticize. there are many people out there fighting to create a better world for you.

it seems to be the trend wherein if there is someone who is trying to make a positive social impact, there will always be criticism of what they are doing. charities are criticized for not donating 100% of donations towards aid, overseas volunteers are criticized that their work will not be sustainable, and buying a homeless man a coffee is seen as not making a difference. im guilty of the above criticisms, but the underlying principle is that these people are just trying to help. and isn't some help better than nothing? why does help always have to be criticized? maybe so we can help in a better way. nothing spurs passion more than a little criticism and critical thinking. so bring your criticisms and i will bring solutions!

just wait, we're planning a caring revolution. just wait for it :D more to come.

No matter how complex global problems may seem, it is we ourselves who have given rise to them. They cannot be beyond our power to resolve

- Daisaku Ikeda

life. add water.

today, i continued my rounds of vaccines pre-malawi and only got 1: hepatitis a. the process is fairly good in that i am always required to read an information sheet before receiving the vaccination.

hepatitis a: is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by Hepatitis A virus, which is most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route via contaminated food or drinking water.

wait a second. fecal-oral route? at first i was a bit shocked. how does that happen? how can that happen? but then i actually thought about all the knowledge i've been gathering on clean water solutions. in developing countries where a water hole is shared by one or more villages, animals, and development, how could this not happen?

water is scarce is developing countries, forcing any water to be communal. the water that you bathe in, that animals clean themselves in, that garbage is dumped, is the same water which is drawn to suffice thirst.

pause.

it's not fair. so what can i do? what can you do? support charities that give 100% to clean water solutions such as charity:water. come up with an innovative solution like lifestraw. other than that, i dont know. which is the hardest part. personally, when i think, watch, and read about clean water problems, i get this feeling in my stomach and this anger in my heart. it's not fair.

is hepatitis a something that you have to worry about every time you take a refreshing sip of water?

i know you can't wait. but i promise i'm going to help. help others help and think of new ways to help myself.

goosebumps.

"do you ever get that feeling, that you're on the brink of something really amazing but you're scared to tell anyone? and then, then you get these signs and realize that you're doing the right thing? it gives me goosebumps."
-RB on our idea (:

there is a reason for my sleepless nights and it's not school. my head spins and my heart pounds when i think about the endless possibilities. the revolution we'll cause, the impact we'll create, and most exciting, the people we'll help.

this is going to be amazing. because we're going to make it amazing :D

great. this is just what i need before my 3 finals in 2 days. more to come on [insert project name here].

imagine that.

nothing less than amazing. just a little afternoon inspiration.

"it is wild to have reality outpace your dreams".

- jessica jackley flannery, co-founder kiva.org

materializing passion

"in my twenties, i went to Africa to try and save the continent, only to learn that Africans neither wanted nor needed saving. Indeed when I was there, I saw some of the worst that good intentions, traditional charity, and aid can produce: failed programs that left people in the same or worse conditions."

-the blue sweater, j. novogratz

ad and i got into a short discussion ( thanks for cutting me off ;p ) the other day about materializing passion.
my argument: passion alone is not enough to succeed
his argument: passion is all you need

like above, there are unfortunate cases were passion blinds reality, which leads me to believe that passion will fuel actions but there are also essential elements that need to be added/subtracted to the formula (im such a mathie):

- (western superiority complex)
there has been no shortage of ethnocentric westerners building schools in developing countries that are left empty because they did not address the issue that children must spend hours each day fetching clean water, which is a basic necessity. in three cups of tea, greg mortenson makes it his life mission to build schools for balti children, but along the way also addresses the barriers to education, such as building a bridge! while his focus is building schools, he maintains the ability broaden his passion to not just building schools, but to providing education by whatever means necessary.

+ (educate yourself )
read research read read. build your knowledge.

+ (action)
passion is nothing without action. passion should always be acted upon. for those of you that know me, it's not a secret that i spend more time talking (and blogging?) than i do acting. premal shah, the president of kiva, says that his biggest regret is spending too much time (2 years) talking to people and trying to affirm his idea. and so i've decided to take my first step but there is SO much more to do. ideas/thoughts on actions i can take are very welcome =)

+ (confidence)
those of you that know me also know that i'm not the most confident person in the world. i fear failure. i have been blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people in my life that it's impossible to feel intimidated. these amazing people are also the same ones who have more confidence in myself than i do. they are the ones that truly believe in me. and through the past year, i've learned that amazing things can happen when i take leaps of faith. i had absolutely NO idea what to do when renjie took me on for the Conference on Social Entrepreneurship. i doubted my skills, knowledge and even time, but it turned out well =) passion is essential, but the confidence in self and to act upon that passion is equally, if not more, important.

= (success)
pas-sion; a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything
passion is an amazing feeling. combined with a humble western heart, deep understanding of everything pertaining to that passion, action, and the confidence to take leaps of faith, great successes will be materialized.
at least i think so =)

kindness in action

it's times like these, when i can push all the critcism and doubts to the back of my head and just smile at the encouragement. it's these incidences that reinforce my faith in humanity and belief that there are genuinely kind people in the world and im surrounded by them. i forget a box of cupcakes, miscalculate costs, even run down keats way after you and i get this:

"KLLLLLLugo...what will I have to do to make you understand why I did this??...haha

Listen...I really believe in what you're doing...and you're one of the verrry few people whom I believe has the mind and heart for a cause like this...

If I could, I'd buy your plane ticket for you - haha!!...so let's not get caught up in small details, all right?"

thanks HE (:
and RB and the boy from econ344 who told me that they believe in me, and cupcakes are a bonus.

i heart.

i had a great talk with my coordinator from EI last night (thanks, Helen!), and she presented me with an additional opportunity: coordinate my stats background into the overseas program. her idea was for me to measure the impact of partnered EI projects; this means looking at cost-benefit analysis, population impacts, and growth opportunities to hopefully get government grants and support to make the projects sustainable.

:D

i'm probably one of the few people that would get really excited over doing stats for a summer.

sometimes i don't really understand God's plans. sometimes my heart is unsettled because i have no idea what im doing and why im doing it. if you asked me a couple months ago "why africa?" i'd respond with "because?"
but now i can tell you it's because i want to make a career of international development and the first step is to go overseas. i can say that it's because this is what God has planned for me. when i first applied to EI, Helen told me about Malawi and i've always wanted to go to Malawi! i told her i was in math, and she told me they've been looking for someone with my background. i saw the budget and was a bit overwhelmed, and awhile later she told me that they had overestimated by $1200. And now, I get to use even more of my mathiness. I know that sometimes God works in mysterious ways, but sometimes He is also very clear =)

one day im going to stand before God and He's going to ask me "what did you do on this earth for me?" and i can only pray that i call answer with "everything you planned for me to do." i want to be part of a generation that pursues justice, helps the lost, and heals the broken.

why? watch this.

"one generation commends your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts."

-psalm 145:4