Every day for the past two years, The Pollination Project has made seed grants to up and coming social change leaders around the world. We are happy to share the extraordinary people and projects that we are honored to support this week.
A Film about the West Virginia Coal Industry.
Women in Sports in Uganda. Ruth Ayugi has been a soccer player since childhood, and is now a trained coach and referee. Due to the cultural norms and negative perceptions of female footballers, Ruth had many challenges during her time playing, and decided to use her experience in soccer to promote access to sports, education, and health with the Female Sports Access Initiative (FESAI). Headed by female footballers in Lira, Uganda, its mission is to empower and advocate for gender access in sports. Ruth explains, "By advocating for gender-based access to sports and other basic necessities in life such as education and health, we bridge racial and ethnic divides and stereotypes, empower youth, foster social skills, and create opportunities in soccer and education."
Hip Hop, Martial Arts & Chess in California.
Veganism in Cameroon. Banga Essobe Sadrack, an animal rights activist and vegan lifestyle promoter, intends to join the efforts of local residents of Garoua Boulaï, Cameroon who demonstrate a remarkable solidarity by distributing their own food to refugees when large global programs are slow to act. Garoua Boulaï is a border city of the Central African Republic (CAR), where more than 22,000 refugees have fled in the last few months. The majority of refugees have only the clothes they wear and are weak and tired from walking many miles to cross the border, and have only eaten what they found along the way, which is often just leaves and roots. When refugees arrive, they are first herded into transit camps where they stay for about 60 days. That's how long it takes to identify them and landscape their space in the main camp, where they will be fully supported by the UNHCR and other international agencies. But during those first two months, they are faced with starvation, cold, and desolation. CAR Refugees intends to assist them during this period by providing healthy, plant-based food and clothing, as well as by raising awareness about the ethical treatment of animals living in the camp.
A Generous Home in India.
Promoting HIV/AIDS Treatment in Kenya. John Keta has been living positively with HIV/AIDS in Kenya since 2003. He was bedridden for two years and almost died before he was taken to the hospital and given proper medication. Death rates from HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are high in the informal settlements in Kisumu, Kenya. Patients, especially adults, fear that if they go to the hospitals their friends will see them and tell other people that they are infected. As a result, many patients from the slum areas don't access the drugs when they need them, leading to higher death rates. The Positive Living Group will create awareness in the community on how to thrive with HIV/AIDS by going door-to-door and following up with both TB and HIV/AIDS patients in the community, encouraging them to take medication, and referring them to hospitals where necessary. This project will also help them cultivate local vegetables that are affordable and will boost their immunity to keep them healthy and productive in the community.
Teaching Kindness to Animals in Nigeria.
Rooftop Gardens in Kenya. For the past several years, Kelly Campbell has worked in Lamu, Kenya, as a mentor for New Life Trust Lamu, to support them in creating a sustainable small business that can help bring in income to support their mission. New Life Trust serves as a drop-in center for children who have been orphaned or live in extremely poor circumstances. Lamu is a place of immense beauty that is suffering a great deal due to the current economic and political crisis in Kenya. Land is scarce and expensive, so Kelly and organizers of New Life Trust came up with the Lamu Kitchen Gardens Project, with the goal of creating kitchen gardens on their roof in order to alleviate the cost of purchasing food in the market. The kitchen gardens will provide nutritious, healthy vegetables for the children. They will also install several water filtration systems to make sure the children have clean water to drink. Initially, the project will simply supply the center with food and water. As it grows, they plan to expand the project to generate income by selling excess vegetables at the market.
Want to be part of the joy of giving? Join our Daily Giving Community, or simply create your own giving practice. It will change your life!