Ghana Votes!!!

What do you think?  Ghana is investing in using social media and fingerprint technology to encourage free, fair, and safe elections in 2012.  What do you think??

Social Media and Fingerprint Technology in 2012 Ghana Elections Article

Human Rights Perspective

Who is deserving of what?  This is the underlying question that often is unspoken in the discussion of state assistance programs like Welfare in the United states, the public support of political involvement in foreign aid, and worst of all social welfare systems with limited resources faced with overwhelming need for services.  It is the unconscious question that is asked, but rarely uttered because it seems wholly subjective.  A human rights perspective would allow us to begin to discuss standards and levels of service that are afforded to all people.  These rights outweigh all other priorities and at their best are not in conflict with each other.  

It may be easy to agree that all humans should be afforded food, shelter, basic healthcare, and an education in casual discussion, but this is not our reality.  I hope this video will help us think further about what "development" means for nations and our world in light of the struggle to identify what our basic human rights are.  I also caution the idea that it is simply an aim for developing countries to "catch up" to developed countries, and ask that we be more reflective and discriminating in our concepts of how to address global development in our new world.  

The complex issues of free trade, fair trade, micro-credit and financing, debt forgiveness, multilateral, bilateral, and unilateral aid, and the development of "good governance."  Each of these will be discussion of future posts, but for now, if nothing else, this may illustrate the complexities of our world community.  With little control over the mechanisms it is often the most impoverished and vulnerable that suffer for the decisions of those with power and often money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo 

Can you imagine living off of less than $1 US Dollar per day? This is less than the cost of a 2 liter of soda, pack of gum, and about ¼ of the cost of 1 gallon of gas in the United States. Imagine 1.4 billion people worldwide (more than the populations of China and India – the two most populous countries in the world, combined) live on $1 US or less per day. Poverty often disproportionately impacts women and children around the world.  How can we begin to tackle such a widespread issue?


The UN's Millennium Development Goals include a goal to halve the number of people living in extremem poverty around the world by the year 2015.  For more information about the UN Millennium Development Goals check out this website!  http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

A Time for Change

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” -Andre Gide

The transformation of my goals and life wishes during a 5 week journey was something I could not have predicted 1 year ago when I chose to leave the shores of the United States to journey to a place I had never been...Ghana...Africa...West Africa. I've decided in light of this epic life realization, that my blog should strive to create conversation and awareness of life for women and children around the world. Not only in the countries and places where I have left a piece of my heart, but in the world at large. So here goes! This blog becomes my effort to open up discussion about our world community and to offer hope and information, aspire to encourage positive change, and create opportunities to connect with others who are equally as passionate about the health and vitality of our world neighbors. Together as one - we can offer a better world to the children not yet born and the mothers we are raising today.