Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money -- & love.

Poverty, money -- & love [Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva]

"For me, the best way to be inspired...is to stop and to listen to someone else's story... Believing in each other, really being sure when push comes to shove that each one of us can do amazing things in the world. That is what can make our stories into love stories and our collective story into one that continually perpetuates hope and good things for all of us. So that, this belief in each other, knowing that without a doubt and practicing that every day in whatever you do, that's what I believe will change the world and make tomorrow better than today."

Love it.

Gil: "Psh, he's just a hater."

In discussing Sunday (Halloween):

Garland: yup
scrub it up
me: haha
no im being a minion!!!


Garland: u aint that cute
me: :(
i know
but i want a million of those!!!!
im obsessed with them
:D
me: "Gil: hahaha
tell garland i disagree"
yeahhh!! w'dupppp

[insert a series of major typos/typing fails]

Garland: ...
you totally failed typing up that snipet
TWICE
me: haha i know, i kept hitting enter
Garland: hehe
silly you
i guess a minion would do something silly like that
i suppose you are becoming more like one
cute
DONT LET THAT GET TO YOUR HEAD THO
me: HAHAHA
i actually LOLed in class.
sigh.
this is why im gonna fail my midterm later
Garland: i have such awesome powers.

Summer '07.

I remember coming back from my summer in Peru and hearing about the Korean missionaries that were held hostage in Afghanistan. I remember hearing about the pastor who sacrificed his life to save his team and about his wife's amazing strength & faith when she spoke to her 9-year-old daughter about the death. I remember crying by myself when I heard this story. I remember the year before, when Ani asked me what my passion was and I responded "missions." I remember when Ani heard about the Korean missionaries and, knowing what my passion was, came to me and asked me not to go to anywhere as dangerous as Afghanistan. I remember looking at him and telling him that I couldn't guarantee anything because wherever I was to go, I was going to go. I remember him getting worried and I remember trying not to tear up too much as I explained to him that my passion for healing a broken world was so strong that I would die for it.

I may not be as intensely on fire as I was back then, but I do know that my passion is still there and that I would still die for it.

I'm looking forward to May 2011.

Agents of change.

Awww. You know you're special when someone not only quotes you, but puts your quote into some pretty graphic that looks like it belongs on someone's Tumblr page :)



Haha. Thanks, Jeannie.


PS - Yesterday, I made the comment that a sign that you've pretty much succeeded in my field, the sign that you've done something pretty spectacular with your life, is when you're mentioned, quoted, interviewed, or (best of all) highlighted by Nick Kristof. Hero.

Just because...

[via Alicia's Food For Thought]

Print is not dead.

I wanted to post this up a while back when Design*Sponge first presented the new design magazine Anthology.



I was reminded of this when I came across another video this morning. A piece created by Lane Smith titled It's a Book.



Not only are these videos adorable (I pretty much love everything about the Anthology one) but they remind me of why I have 2 bookshelves overflowing with printed pieces, about 10 more books strewn across my bedroom, and 3 more in the mail coming to me.

About Smith's book, Adam Gopnik writes in the New York Times:

“The moral of Smith’s book is the right one: not that screens are bad and books are good, but that what books do depends on the totality of what they are — their turning pages, their sturdy self-­sufficiency, above all the way they invite a child to withdraw from this world into a world alongside ours in an activity at once mentally strenuous and physically still.”

Perfect!

More water talk. #BlogActionDay2010

Just earlier, Mark and I were talking, and the fact came up that a lack of clean water kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. He mentioned that this was the fact that struck him the most about the water issue. It's pretty horrific and really puts into perspective how deadly water can be for many in this world (one in eight billion, actually). Not to sound callous, but it sounds about right. If over 38,000 children are dying every week because of water-related illnesses, then yeah, I can believe that the issue kills more people than all the wars and acts of violence occurring in our world.

Mark went on to comment that the Nobel Peace Price should go to the person who most alleviates the water problem.

Honestly though, there are so many who are working on this issue from so many levels. The solutions are already there. But it takes more than just organizations like Charity:water or Lifewater International to change the numbers. It takes people and mobilization. Unfortunately, for every great idea or solution we have out there, there is even more apathy and inaction.

I read this quote from Christian just yesterday as he was presenting MakeSense at the i7 Summit in Paris yesterday:

"Reward success. Celebrate failure. Punish inaction."

I know it was more in relation to the work that MakeSense is doing, but it made me think yesterday. Yeah, "punish" is a strong word but it's true that the biggest hindrance to development and progress in our society today is inaction, often driven by apathy. It is one of the things that keeps me up at night -- how can we motivate people to bring social change or to do social good?

It's been one of the things that has been on my mind a lot. It's one of the main reasons why The 3:18 Movement was birthed. And it so happens we're currently focused on the clean water issue.


Moving onward, I do have to say that I am incredibly glad for today. It has been such an inspiring day -- what with Blog Action Day (#BlogActionDay2010 #bad2010), The Feast conference (#feastongood), the RSA animation on Sir Ken Robinson's talk of social change, and a work meeting with some amazing & dedicated NYC women in fighting sex trafficking.

Today was the reminder I needed of why I do what I do and how much I love doing it.

Lastly, consider doing some of the following:

• Blog/tweet/FB/whatever about the water issue.
• Join The 3:18 Movement's campaign by either walking for a cause or joining the 3:18 team
• If you can't do the walk on October 23rd, consider sponsoring one of a walker. The money raised will bring clean water, health education, and community development to hundreds in Northern Uganda.
• Sign the petition below:

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Let's change the world :)