Calling Oprah!
I’m sharing a new blog that has nothing to do with scrubs, textiles, or the green movement. This blog, titled CALLING OPRAH! is written by my cousin Katherine, a school teacher who traveled to Africa with a group of American teachers to promote education at Christ’s Gift Academy in Mbita. She was so profoundly impacted by the potential of one little girl, Valary, who she has sponsored for years, that she has decided to write this blog to find the child a spot at Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls.
“Katherine’s 30 Day Mission: to write Oprah Winfrey everyday…hoping to earn Valary Akinyi, my African “daughter” whom I sponsor thru the school where I volunteered on a mission trip for teachers, a spot at her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls.”
Follow Katherine’s Blog at: http://callingoprah.blogspot.com/2012/01/dear-oprah-im-on-mission-and-i-need.html
Not-so fair trade – Victoria’s Secret Revealed in African Child Labor
As Victoria’s Secret’s partner, Guebre’s organization, the National Federation of Burkina Cotton Producers, is responsible for running all aspects of the organic and fair-trade program across Burkina Faso. Known by its French initials, the UNPCB in 2008 co-sponsored a study suggesting hundreds, if not thousands, of children like Clarisse could be vulnerable to exploitation on organic and fair-trade farms. The study was commissioned by the growers and Helvetas. Victoria’s Secret says it never saw the report.
Clarisse’s labor exposes flaws in the system for certifying fair-trade commodities and finished goods in a global market that grew 27 percent in just one year to more than $5.8 billion in 2010. That market is built on the notion that purchases by companies and consumers aren’t supposed to make them accomplices to exploitation, especially of children.
Read full article here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-15/victoria-s-secret-revealed-in-child-picking-burkina-faso-cotton.html
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Clarisse Kambire, 13, a child laborer, begins her daily task of picking the crop from her farmer’s field of fair trade organic cotton near Benvar, Burkina Faso, on Nov. 10, 2011.
Extraordinary Nurses Recognized at Saint John’s Health Center
2011 Nurses Week goes into full swing to celebrate some of our most valued medical caregivers May 6 through May 12, 2011.
Every year, Saint John’s takes the time to recognize each of its amazing nurses and the hard work they do to make Saint John’s a leading health center. This year, Nurses Week is being celebrated May 6-12 at Saint John’s with treats, gifts and awards being given out to the nurses throughout the week.
Saint John’s will also host an Evidence-Based Nursing Symposium, which will cover topics such as sepsis, diabetes and thoracic surgery. In addition, the Medical Staff will be continuing their long-standing tradition of hosting a dinner to celebrate its nurses and the care they provide.
During Nurses Week, Saint John’s will also be announcing its annual Preceptor and Charge Nurse Awards. The honorees are chosen based on nominations by their peers. The awards are supported by Saint John’s Nursing Endowment, a program set up to support nursing through education, equipment and any other needs that may arise. This program is able to exist through the support of donors such as the Brody family, who recently donated $1 million to the Nursing Endowment in honor of Sister Marie Madeline. (more…)
