Countdown nears for final 1,000 days of MDGs

Posted on April 29, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Friday marks the start of the last 1,000 days for creating and implementing the Millennium Development Goals. Social media campaigns will highlight the MDG achievements as well as spur where it is needed. “Organizations will rally their supporters to share their stories about what has been working and what can be done to advance the MDGs moving forward in the post-2015 agenda,” GOOD writes.

UNICEF is one of many organizations working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. While the MDGs are for all humankind, they are primarily about children, in part because children are the most vulnerable when essentials like food, water, and healthcare are scarce. Children are often the first victims when basic needs are not met. Six of the eight goals relate directly to children. This is where UNICEF comes in, working to promote and protect children’s rights and their well-being around the world. Please read more on: Good.is

Posted in Education, MDGs | Comments Off

Rose George: Let’s talk crap. Seriously.

Posted on April 21, 2013 by ChangeMaker

It’s 2013, yet 2.5 billion people in the world have no access to a basic sanitary toilet. And when there’s no loo, where do you poo? In the street, probably near your water and food sources — causing untold death and disease from contamination. Get ready for a blunt, funny, powerful talk from journalist Rose George about a once-unmentionable problem.

Posted in Education, Grassroots, Health | Comments Off

Virtual Choir Live

Posted on March 24, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Eric Whitacre began his music career singing in his college choir; by 21, he had written his first concert work, Go, Lovely Rose, and advanced to Juilliard, where he studied under John Corigliano. Today, he has published more than four dozen choral works, conducted in some of the most esteemed halls in the world, and featured on dozens of recordings.

His album Cloudburst and Other Choral Works earned him a Grammy nomination in 2007, as did his Decca debut Light & Gold, while his new album, Water Night, debuted at #1 in US iTunes classical charts.

You may know him, too, as the creator and conductor of the virtual choir, a network of YouTube-connected singers whose voices blend together online to become true magic. And he’s now touring with the Eric Whitacre Signers, a 28-voice choir (yes, they’re all in the same room).

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World Water Day

Posted on March 19, 2013 by ChangeMaker

World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater.

In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGOs promoting clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Day for Water as a time to focus public attention on the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance, the World Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum during the week of World Day for Water.

Participating agencies and NGOs have highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking and the role of gender in family access to safe water. In 2003, 2006 and 2009, the UN World Water Development Report was launched on the occasion of the World Water Day. The fourth Report is expected to be released around 22 March 2012.

Posted in Climate Change, Environment, Grassroots, Water | Comments Off

Community garden changes diets and lives

Posted on March 8, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Posted in Education, Environment, Grassroots, Women | Comments Off

One Woman: A Song for UN Women

Posted on March 8, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Please share it with the others!

Posted in Education, Environment, Human Rights, Women | Comments Off

Boy scares off lions with flashy invention

Posted on February 27, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Richard Turere, 13, has found an innovative way to protect his family’s cattle from lions. He created “Lion Lights,” which keeps the predators away from the family’s enclosure. The Kenyan boy will speak about his invention at the TED 2013 conference.

I had to look after my dad’s cows and make sure that they were safe.

He fitted a series of flashing LED bulbs onto poles around the livestock enclosure, facing outward. The lights were wired to a box with switches and to an old car battery powered by a solar panel. They were designed to flicker on and off intermittently, thus tricking the lions into believing that someone was moving around carrying a flashlight. See more pictures and read the whole story on CNN

Posted in Children, Education, Energy, Grassroots | Comments Off

African rappers giving voice to women’s issues

Posted on February 22, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Female rappers in Africa are using the medium to address the challenges facing women across the continent. Soultana, whose hit single is titled “The Voice of Women,” raps about issues such as illiteracy, domestic violence and sexual harassment in Morocco, while Sister Fa, of Senegal, raps about female genital mutilation and the drive to end it.

Soultana’s hit single Sawt Nssa (“The Voice of Women”) is her anthem.

“She gave him money, love and life,” Soultana raps. “He gave her lies and violence. This is the Moroccan woman. This is one of a million.”

Soultana raps about the challenges facing women in this North African country: illiteracy, poverty, domestic violence, and daily harassment on the street. Soultana’s real name is Youssra Oukaf and she’s 27. She walks a fine line, calling for change in Morocco without criticizing the King.

Posted in Education, Environment, Grassroots, Human Rights, Women | Comments Off

Women and girls make up 75% of all trafficked people

Posted on February 18, 2013 by ChangeMaker

An estimated 20.9 million people are trafficked worldwide — about 58% for purposes of sexual exploitation and another 36% for other forms of forced labor, according to a report of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. Traffickers target more women and foreign nationals than in other crimes, pulling from at least 136 nationalities in 118 countries, the report said.

According to the report, trafficking for sexual exploitation is more common in Europe, Central Asia and the Americas while trafficking for forced labor is more frequently found in Africa, the Middle East, south and east Asia and the Pacific. Read more on: The Washington Post

Posted in Children, Grassroots, Human Rights, Women | Comments Off

A Better Place | Playing For Change

Posted on February 13, 2013 by ChangeMaker

Playing For Change and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund partnered to create this video performed by musicians from all around the world… and now we are delighted to share it with you.

Thank you for being part of this global community, and for believing that peace and change are possible. PFCF is working every day to create opportunities for kids and communities around the world to lead better lives through music. Learn more about our programs and become a supporter at playingforchange.org.

We realize that true change for the good of everyone always comes from the hearts of the people, and with music we can unite together to make the world A Better Place.