Dear all,
water is precious, as we all know.
However there is more we can do than taking shorter showers or brushing teeth without running water.
An initiative that goes along with the "World Water Day / Weltwassertag 2010" is aimed at helping those people that have no or bad access to clean water:
http://www.wasserfuerafrika.de/
I would like you to help me supporting one of the projects:
Every old cell phone, old, not in use, that is sent to Vodafone, results in a donation of 3 Euros. The money will be used to support the water projects in Africa.
--> If you have any old cell phone, that is broken or just not used, please give it to me. I will organize the shipment to Vodafone and will keep you updated on the amount of money we were able to collect. Just put it on my desk or send it via Hauspost (M02) please.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COOPERATION !!!!
http://www.wasserfuerafrika.de/index.php?option=com_ content&view=article&id=47& Itemid=55
Kind regards, Ulla
Ulla Hüppe
International Brand Management
- Gliss Kur
Even though it may not be considered fashionable these days, I have to confess that I am a feminist. Originating from the suffragettes who chain-linked themselves to lampposts and the bra-burning hippies from the seventies, feminism is now considered slightly ridiculous and outdated. The young women of today either think that women have equal rights or that the good old days of being a housewife were not that bad after all.
For me, feminism simply means that a woman has the same rights as a man, has equal access to health services and education and can function as a responsible, leading person in her community. Those minimal rights are still a utopia for millions of women and girls today. We, as Soroptimist, must empower women and girls to become equal partners in their communities and show our solidarity to the women all over the world by celebrating March 8, International Women’s Day
Education is the key to a better life; literacy enables women to know and defend their rights and opens the road to self-improvement. To be educated and to go to school, girls must have the time and be in good health. Freeing them of water-fetching chores gives them time. Having access to clean water and adequate sanitation helps preserve their health.
That is why World Water Day on March 22nd is so important and must remind us of the 2.5 billion people who lack these basic services. Soroptimist can help by supporting and implementing water and sanitation projects.
In most communities, women are responsible for providing and managing the water supplies. By setting up practical and sustainable water projects and teaching the women to manage them, we empower the local women to be responsible and respected members of their community.
Women’s emancipation and access to safe water and sanitation are both basic human rights that SI/E has pledged to sustain.
So, with all this in mind, I encourage you to be an old-fashioned feminist like me: stand up for women and their rights (no handcuffs or bra-burning needed) and campaign for access to safe water and sanitation for all – but especially for women and girls. If you need inspiration, please go to our water website www.soroptimistsgoforwater.nl or go to the SI/E web site www.soroptimisteurope.org and learn about the latest projects and events .
In friendship,
Eliane Lagasse
SI/E President 2009-2011
The fight for women’s rights is central to the UN’s global mission.
Fifteen years ago, in Beijing, Governments committed themselves to equality, development and peace for all women, in all countries.
The Beijing Declaration was a landmark on the road to women’s empowerment.
It has guided policy making.
It has inspired women and girls to strive for equality and opportunity, and reminded everyone that this is their right.
We have seen progress.
Girls are now more likely to receive an education.
Women are now more likely to run businesses or participate in government.
But much work remains.
Death in childbirth is still too common. Too few women have access to family planning.
Violence against women remains a cause of global shame, and sexual violence in war is endemic.
I have just appointed a special representative to mobilize international action to address these crimes.
At the United Nations itself, we have more women in senior posts than at any time in history.
Securing women’s rights is central to all our hopes for peace, security and sustainable development.
As we look back on 15 years of achievement, let us look forward to a world of equality and progress for all.
source: National Geographic News
Published March 2, 2010
Billions of bits of plastic are accumulating in a massive garbage patch in the Atlantic Ocean—a lesser known cousin to the Texas-size trash vortex in the Pacific, scientists say.
"Many people have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch," said Kara Lavender Law, an oceanographer at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. (See pictures of the Pacific Ocean trash vortex.)
"But this issue has essentially been ignored in the Atlantic."
The newly described garbage patch sits hundreds of miles off the North American coast. Although its east-west span is unknown, the patch covers a region between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude—roughly the distance from Cuba to Virginia (see a U.S. map).
As with the Pacific garbage patch, plastic can circulate in this part of the Atlantic Ocean for years, posing health risks to fish, seabirds, and other marine animals that accidentally eat the litter.
For entire article, visit National Geographic
Cousteau webclip by Soroptimist International of Europe / Buzzmedia Network
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