9 Life Lessons for my Children to Live By #ChooseToChallenge #IWD2021

It's International Women's Day tomorrow (8th March) and I try to mark this special day each year, either in real life or on my blog. It's a day when we recognise that although there have been great steps forward in terms of gender equality, we acknowledge that there is still a long way to go for there to be equal representation of women in all forums - business, the media, politics, religion and academia.

This year the theme of IWD 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge, where we are all encouraged to challenge gender bias and inequality. I think you can also take the meaning of that hashtag wider too and choose to challenge any kind of discrimination that you witness or become aware of.  Also, it's important to choose to challenge behaviour and attitudes that you don't agree with. As an outspoken and ballsy woman, it has been a journey for me to be able to challenge things in a non-threatening way. Many people find me too much, a bit forceful and for a while that shut me up, but starting to work with charities and NGOs like Save the Children and ONE Campaign changed all that and I had to start shouting about the things that upset me and I was happy to challenge once again.

As I reflected on that today I was keen for my children to know that it is OK to challenge the things that do not sit right with them. This is something I have been teaching each of them since an early age, especially Miss E as she is less forthright than the other two. Of course, with the noisy ones that are naturally more like me, I've been trying to help them soften a little and be able to put their point across in a kind way, allowing others to feel differently too. 

This reflecting led on to more thinking, as it often does with me and I ended up making up a list of the life lessons I want my children to know and understand. Things I think it is important to live by. They are, of course, very different people to me so they have to make up their own mind whether they want to live by these nuggets of wisdom or not, but I'll just do my part and pass them on.

Blogging: Not Always Easy but it can Change Your Life!

In Ethiopia with BritMums Jen Howze, supermodel Maya Haile and Cherry Friedmeyer, Director of Women at Risk

Having been blogging since 2008 it is now easy to see that the same things come up time and time again. Every 18 months or so you get a few bitchy people who are jealous of the opportunities that other bloggers have been offered and they start to stir up ill feeling. You see posts, tweets and general ill feeling towards a few, often the very successful few and sometimes the most vulnerable. It is so depressing.

The accusations of cliques (or more recently tribes) begin to flow and many bloggers start to question why they are doing it. 'Who needs this kind of controversy and animosity?', 'I only started my blog as a memory trove for my family' and 'thats it, I'm out of here' are the kind of statements you see shared. Sadly I've seen dozens of really decent bloggers stop writing and sharing because others have targeted them.

Yet here I am eight years on and the nasty trolls didn't manage to scare me away. I've had two particularly bad blogging times when I easily could have thrown the towel in, but no, I'm still here. I'm not sure what has made me so resilient, maybe it is my faith or maybe it is because I believe I am doing important work.

Are there 100 supportive MP's out there?

I sure hope so is the short answer, we really need them to show their support and turn up in parliament on 12th September 2014 for the second reading of the International Development Bill.

What is that you may well ask? and don't tune out if you don't know what it is, if politics is not your thing because I'll be honest I wouldn't say politics is my thing either. I'm not one of those clever types who know exactly what is going on or how it all works but I know right from wrong.

And quite simply it is right for our rich country to commit to giving 0.7% of our national income as UK aid. The fight against extreme poverty has come so far in the last few years, there are massive success stories -

• like under 5's child-deaths reduced by 50% in the last 50 years
• like cases of polio being reduced by 99% and smallpox being eradicated
• like primary school enrolments up by 50 million from 1999 to 2007 *

and it would be sinful to allow all that good work to start to ease. There is still so much more to be done but if the rich countries pull together and provide the aid needed there are forecasts which show we could put a end to extreme poverty by 2030, that's not that far away, right? But it sure is exciting!

So today I'm asking you to do a few things to play your part in helping our Government make this 0.7% commitment law. They made the first commitment 40 years ago and then last year all 3 of our major UK political parties pledged their support and said they would enshrine that promise in law. The private members bills will be discussed and voted on on 12th September 2014 and if there are 100 supportive MP's there, the proposer Michael Moore MP can force a vote.

So could you please take a moment to help?

• Sign the ONE petition to encourage your MP to be there on 12th September
• Click this link to tweet your support and encourage your MP to #BeThere
• Check out all the other ways you can easily share this important message - by Google +, email etc
• You can also easily email your MP via Save The Children too

Any one of these things would be brilliant, two would make you fantastic and if you do them all then God bless you and thanks for your help.

Come on, lets pull together and pester those MP's!

* Source - http://www.one.org/international/living-proof/#

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Why do more Daddies go to work than Mummies?

This was the question my 10 year old JJ asked me the other day.

"I'm not sure babe" was my response. "I suppose it is because the mummies are the ones who physically have the baby and then it just happens that they stay home for a while, often they are breastfeeding. Also in our country they get paid to take leave and stay home whereas the daddy can only have paid leave 20 weeks after the baby has been born and even then it is only if the mummy goes back to work, the government are not making easy for the dads to stay at home".

This wasn't enough for him though and he carried on "but things are changing aren't they mummy? When you were a little girl no dads ever dropped their kids off to school did they and some do now? It is OK for daddies to stay at home and for mums to go to work instead now isn't it?".

This of course opened up a great conversation about how it was more than OK for women to be working nowadays and to be doing all the things that men do and vice versa. Thank goodness things are progressing here in the UK and whilst our legislation in regard to maternity and paternity pay is slow to get to the standard it needs to be it is at least moving in the right direction.

Sadly the same can not be said for every country the world over and there are still many countries were the sexes are treated completely differently. One thing that does seem to stand out across the world sadly is that poverty is affecting women and girls disproportionately. Of course poverty in this country is not quite the same as poverty in third world nations but never the less there are far too many women going without food so they can offer the very little they have to their children.

Photo Credit - Karen Walrond/ONE

The NGO (non-governmental organisation) that I travelled to Ethiopia with in October 2012 have launched a fabulous new resource for anyone who has an interest in seeing an end to extreme poverty and particularly for those who have an interest in girls and women's affairs. Click on the link to go and visit the ONE Girls & Women initiative. Each month there is a guest curator who will tell you a little of their story and also introduce some great reads, videos, play lists or photos that have spoken to them. It is a great place to stay in touch with what is happening  in the fight against extreme poverty. ONE work with all the big charities and aid agencies so if you already have a favourite charity that you support you do not need to feel compromised by supporting the campaigning and advocacy work that ONE do too. Some of my favourite web pages of ONE are the Living Proof ones where you can read about the success stories and how progress is being made and change is happening in the fight against extreme poverty.

As per always with ONE, they will never ask for money from you, what they want is your voice. We know that when we collectively come together people in positions of power start to listen and change can happen, so why don't you sign up and add your voice. This month they are asking people to add their name to a petition to show that we believe those living in Sub-Saharan Africa also have a right to electricity. Currently 7 out of 10 people in Sub-Saharan Africa do not and they will give birth by candlelight or eat food which could not be refrigerated adequately. Read more about why it is important that people can be lifted out of energy poverty here.

You might not have heard of the ONE Campaign before if you live in the UK, as sadly the profile here is fairly low but don't let that put you off. Take a look, find out who ONE are and realise they are credible and have nearly 6 million members across the world. Do you want to sign up too? Go on, it is easy and will mean that the latest information arrives direct to your inbox.

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Nelson, may you rest in peace brother

I had a chat with the kids tonight about the passing of Nelson Mandela and like whenever Miss E hears about someone dying she gets very sad. I had to remind her that Nelson is now in the best place ever and he is reunited with Jesus.

Nelson Mandela was a man who inspired a generation and showed us that average and ordinary people can make a difference. It won't always be easy and it won't always be fun but it will be worth it.

I love that quote above from Nelson, there are so many I could have chosen as he spoke such sense during his 95 years here on earth but this one sits really well with me. You'll know that I am a supporter of the ONE Campaign and I think they embody this - they have vision and they take action and one day we really will see the end to extreme poverty, I feel sure of it.

I've added in a clip of Nelson speaking in Britain back in 2005 as part of the Make Poverty History campaign and I think it is important to acknowledge there has been progress but there is still so much further to go.



I'd urge you to visit ONE and to sign up to offer your support and voice in the fight against extreme poverty.  You don't have to give any money and you don't have to do anything you don't want to. Every small action makes a difference - 1 signature on a petition, 1 tweet, 1 share on Facebook, 1 letter to an MP or one conversation with your coffee group - we all have different ways and we can all help.  But please add your email so ONE can keep you up to date with what is going on and what needs our most urgent support.

Thanks for your time, Mich x

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BritMums Live - My Tips for successful Blogger/ Charity Partnerships

Today at BritMums Live I was sitting on a panel with some other great women, we were speaking about what it is like to work with charities and NGO's (Non-governmental organisations) as bloggers.  As part of that session I shared my top tips and I thought it was only right to share them here too and that way if you could not make the conference you can still have a read.

Michelle's tips for successful blogger/ charity partnerships

Choosing which charities to work with
• Don’t be afraid to make the first move. Blog about your chosen charity and then contact them and see if they have ideas of how you can help further. Don’t just wait to be contacted, they may not even realise the power of social media.

• Remember that charity is a very personal thing, don’t be bullied by a PR or the crowd/ other bloggers to get involved with a campaign that does not float your boat.

• Have a 'no response' already written and stand your ground when you get approached by charities that do not fit your criteria. I'm happy to let them know that I have my favoured charities that I blog for and I wish them luck with their campaign.  One person cannot be everywhere doing everything.

Establishing a relationship
• Treat every charity as an individual; find out their needs and requirements. What will they provide and what do they want in return? We hate approaches that treat us bloggers as all one and the same and charities are no different.  Ask questions, don't assume you know what they want or what fits in with their ethics and strategy.

• When working with your chosen charity establish their aim for this campaign (or trip if appropriate). Again don't make any assumptions. Not all campaigns are about making the biggest twitter noise ever, some are purely to increase awareness, to sign up new volunteers, to gain petition signatures and so on.

• Be clear in your own mind what you will and won’t do for your chosen charity/ cause. Whatever you agree to, you want to be able to fulfil and do well whilst feeling comfortable with your choices.

• We have to face the fact that some charities or their PR agents who contact us will make rubbish pitches, offer bog-standard information and give you short deadlines. Just because they are not social media experts does not mean you should not work with them. If you support their cause and like their campaign then help them by lending them your creativity and showing them the power of social media and how they can use it.

• If you want to forge an ongoing relationship with a particular charity then try and meet face to face with a representative to learn more about them and establish the best way forward. Personal relationships are at the heart of it.

Writing a post for your chosen charity
• Inject yourself into every post. Copy and pasted information impacts far less people than when you make yourself vulnerable and share how you really feel about a campaign. Link to everyday life and make it real for your readers.

• Offer your readers accessible options of how to get involved – break it down and make it easy - if you have 1 minute, 5 minutes, 1 hour etc you can.....

• Be honest - don’t be afraid to tell the truth and say you don’t know everything there is to know about all the politics surrounding the charity. Take questions if necessary and direct them appropriately/ find the information out.

• Be ready to take some stick on behalf of your charity if you really believe in them. I receive lots of negative comments for my choice to work with Samaritans Purse, an evangelical Christian charity but I believe in what they do and thus am happy to defend my position, whilst acknowledging things might be different for you.

Finally....
• Remember not every blogger/ charity relationship will result in a life-changing trip abroad and if you are offered one then think it through really carefully - yes, they are amazing but also hard work and heart-wrenching as real-life goes on.

I'll write another post in the next few weeks with my top tips about travelling abroad with a charity and all the things you need to think through and do to plan for your trip.

Thanks for reading, Mich x

How cute are these little guys?  Some children I met in the slums of Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia

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Memorable moments from Ethiopia #ONEMums

I wrote this post on 13th October as I sat at the airport waiting for my return flight.  I have just found it in my drafts and thought it was high time it got published!
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I am sat at the airport waiting for the flight to board and I’m just trying to process everything I have seen, heard and learnt.  My travel partner Jen is poorly and has been for a few days so she is having a snooze whilst I work.

I am trying to sort out in my head what the key times have been from this journey but I keep coming to the same conclusion that practically every moment in Ethiopia has been memorable; all for different reasons.  This country will defiantly stay with me and now has a special place in my heart.

In no particular order here are some of my really special times –

*   Connecting with a little girl on the first day at the Mary-Joy centre, all those stolen glances, coy smiles and hand holding really set the tone for my stay in Ethiopia.

*   Being told by 2 Ethiopians that my accent is so good that they thought I could speak Amharic,  oh yes, how I chuckled at that one, I think I am up to about 10 words now! But for someone who has always struggled with languages it was welcome words to hear.

*   Seeing just how beautiful this country is, there is so much land and it is all so lush at the time of the year.

*   Experiencing first hand that the Ethiopians are a beautiful people.  So warm and friendly, they go out of their way for you and there is always a smile.  In a country where so many have so little there was no danger of pick-pocketing or violence, isn't that wonderful?

*   Finding out about the women being rescued by Women at Risk and meeting some of them at FashionABLE. To take them out of the sex trade and to pay them a good living wage is a marvellous thing.

*   Overhearing at Bahir-Dar airport two women talking in American accents, ‘they all have those #ONEMoms tags, I’ve read about them’.  Yay, the message is out there.

*   Shaking hands, doing high 5’ and hugging a million and one stunning children. One little girl in the slums project kissed my hand, it was so touching. I am in awe of Gabrielle’s natural manner with all children, they love her as much as she loves them.

*   Getting to know Jen Howze and spending time with the most eclectic group of women, I truly feel I have firm friends over the pond now. I have such admiration for the work these women are doing and whereas I started by feeling like the poor relation in blogger terms, all they did was affirm me and build me up.  Thank you ladies. X

*   Having so much loving support from home, despite a bit of unrest, people rallied together and I’m proud to be a UK parenting blogger. I can’t even begin to name all of you that helped, but you know who you are and I love what you have done.

*   Our farewell dinner as we each sat and shared how we had been impacted during our 8 days in Ethiopia, we all agreed over tears and laughter that this was just the start. We are a force to be reckoned with and we will fight for justice for all people.

*   The finally, finding God’s grace in just about everything.  Perfect.

Thank you Lord, thank you friends, thank you ONE.

I would love for you to read more about ONE and to sign up to offer your voice. There is a very simple widget in my sidebar.

Disclosure: I travelled with the ONE campaign to Ethiopia on an expense paid trip in October. Our trip was about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. And it is about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs.
 The good Images need to be Credited to the wonderful Karen Walrond

Not so #SilentSunday - a powerful story from Ethiopia

Late last week I received the final cut of the video that was made whilst I was out in Ethiopia with the ONE campaign as a #ONEMum. 

We had a talented professional videographer with us the whole time and on the first day when he said he wanted to interview me I nearly choked. Really, surely there were better candidates? He assured me I would be great and he would just ask me a few off-the-cuff questions and I should answer them honestly and from the gut.  So that is what I did and he obviously thought I did OK as I feature not just once, but three times in this video. 

I won't lie to you, I was a bit thrilled by that. Not because I am seeking fame and fortune but because it boosted my confidence, it made me feel like I was good enough to be doing this. To be going out on a limb and leaving my family to travel 9000 miles to try and help a country I had never been connected with before, to be using my voice to be an advocate, to be aspiring to make a difference.

Ethiopia is an awesome country. The people's positive attitude, faith and giving spirit are a challenge to me to live my life more full of joy.

I won't say any more, I'll just share the video as I feel it speaks for itself.



I would love for you to read more about ONE and to sign up to offer your voice.  There is a very simple widget in my sidebar.

Disclosure: I travelled with the ONE campaign to Ethiopia on an expense paid trip in October. Our trip was about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. And it is about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs.

Reasons to be Cheerful - The Supportive Bloggers Edition

<center> <a href="http://mdplife.blogspot.com/search/label/reasons%20to%20be%20cheerful"><img width="150" alt="Reasons to be Cheerful at Mummy from the Heart" src="http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac230/RebaMc/reasonstobecheerfulv2-1.jpg" height="150" /></a></center> I was sat here yesterday afternoon wondering what might be the theme or twist to my #R2BC post for today and a few things were coming to me but as I finally got myself organised and answered all the comments that have been sitting unanswered on my blog for the last 3 weeks or so I realised what was making me the most grateful............  the wonderful community that is blogging. Specifically parent bloggers, they are the ones I engage with most often and yes there is the odd spat every so often but in the main this is a really great group of people.

Many of you will know that I headed off to Ethiopia with Jen Howze and the ONE campaign a couple of weeks back and I had asked a few like-minded people if they would support me from home and tweet out posts, maybe do a post or so and I was blown away by the support.  There are literally hundreds of people I could name and thank for their posts, RT's, shares and everything else but lets be honest there is not really time.  So I'll just share about a few extra awesome people.

What makes it extra special is that many people (like me if you go back 8 months ago) have never heard of ONE and as they are not a charity it is hard for people to easily get their heads round what ONE do and why they should support them. Charities like Save the Children, that so many bloggers work with are a much easier win as people get what they do and know and trust the name. It takes a bit more effort to get involved in ONE as you have to take some time to find out who they are and if you can trust them, I totally get that and that is why I am super thankful.

If you want to find out more about who ONE are then check out these couple of past posts from me.

I'm just ONE Mum
Failure to Thrive.....  but YOU can help.
Come journey with me - Ethiopia part 1

Image Credit

I won't keep you waiting anymore, here are the people I want to give a big #R2BC hug and kiss to:

First up is my bestest bloggy chum and fellow #R2BC hardcore member Clare from Seasider in the City. Her job keeps her really busy and she is often travelling hundreds of miles and back in a day so I did not even think to ask her, knowing what her schedule is like. However, there was no need for me to ask as she was one of the first in there asking me if she could help and then she came up with such a lovely meme to support the journey and the #ONEMums initiative.

Next up is the true champion of this campaign. Rachel at MidLife Single Mum literally came on this journey with me and she could not have been more involved except to have physically been there. I am not even sure how to put in words about how I feel towards Rachel given all her wonderful support.  She truly rocks and I'll be happy to offer a favour anytime in the future.

Ruth at DorkyMum has established herself as a really credible blogger for good and it is for that reason (amongst many others) that I loved knowing she was supporting us from home. The thing I really like about working with Ruth is that she leaves no stone unturned, when she gets involved she really gets involved and she investigates and makes sure very little thing fits with her values.

Also I want to thank the legend that is Maggy from Red Ted Art, at the end of my Ethiopia trip there was a bit of a 'incident' (I have no idea what to call it and the air has been cleared now) but she got really passionate on my behalf and became a champion rallying up loads of support and getting people to join in with Clare's meme.

Grateful to you all....
All the visitors and commenter's to my blog.  As I sit and read my Ethiopia and ONE posts I get all emotional and I feel so humbled by the support I received.  People seemed to have been touched by the stories I was able to share and that makes a difference.

Then last to everyone who put their details into the ONE widget and decided they would like to join the mailing list and add their voice to the millions of others. By signing a few petitions, writing a few blog posts, sharing the information and perhaps writing to our MP we are making a difference and we can give ourselves a pat on the back, as collective voices work.

I am waiting for some information so I can share with you just how much collective voices work but here is a  really encouraging nugget of information.  Because of the ONE trip to the FashionABLE factory there has been a surge in sales of their scarves and this means that they are able to employ another three ladies.  Tat might not sound much but if that is three more women into the rehabilitation program that no longer have to sell their bodies for 30 cents a trick then I think that is amazing news.

I can't really sign off without saying, please do read some more about ONE and sign up to add your voice if you can.  The widget is in my sidebar on the right there.

Now it is your turn...
Over to you now, what is making you happy/ grateful this week?  Write your post, add in the blog hop code if you fancy and link up.  Then go hopping around some blogs and leave some comment love and I'm sure others will do the same. I have enjoyed getting back into blog reading the last week or so since I have been home.  If you leave me a comment, I'll of course come visit you this weekend.

Have a great week, be blessed.  Mich x

Should you lose hope? No you shouldn't! (#ONEMums)

The last Friday when I was in Ethiopia I met a man that I will remember for the rest of my life. This was a kind man with a warm and giving heart, a man that tells me he can relate to the children of the slums, for he too grew up in Ethiopia.

Gebeyehu is living proof of what people can achieve when they believe in themselves and they are willing to work hard and make something of their lives.  I do not know all the details of Gebeyehu's life very well, I spent just a few hours with him. What I know is that he grew up in Ethiopia in difficult circumstances and he trained as a producer and later travelled to England to study for his postgraduate qualification, he then came back to Ethiopia and has worked for numerous humanitarian organisations doing work to fight for a better Ethiopia.

Look at her face, that joy!

To be honest I don't need to know too much about Gebeyehu, when you watch him relate to about one hundred young girls who all live in the Merkato slums in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia you know this man has a heart for his people. How important it is for these girls to hear empowering and uplifting words from a strong male role model. Many of these young female domestic workers (as young as 7 years old - gosh it breaks my heart) are experiencing gender based violence or GBV as they refer to it, so it is so important for them to be able to see someone like Gebeyehu lift them, even if just a fraction. Most men treat them entirely differently, respect was something they did not know was meant for them until they started to attend the Biruh Tesfa program run by the Population Council and funded by USAid.

Biruh Tesfa translates in Amharic to Bright Future and that's exactly what these girls are encouraged to aspire to by attending the program. While at this basic three classroom project housed in the middle of the slums we had the privilege of having this awesome man translate when we went to visit the girls and as we asked him to give them messages of hope from us he went that bit further and showed them how to keep putting one foot in front of the other and to take those steps towards their goals. With passion he asked them 'should we give up?' and then informed them 'no we shouldn't!'. This room full of girls aged between 10 - 15 years were mature beyond their years, probably because of the chores and responsibility they have taken on for years but those uplifting and encouraging words must have meant the world to them. Gebeyehu's female colleague told us that he was instructing the girls 'that someone who cries all the time has no vision' and that they must visualise their future and believe their dreams can happen.

Gebeyehu is ONE man, one relatively unknown man and yet he is having a positive effect on hundreds of vulnerable children.  We can all be like Gebeyehu, that is what my walk with Christ and my work with the ONE campaign is teaching me.  Every ONE person counts.  We all impact people each day and by thinking it though first, we can make sure that impact is a positive one.

If I'm honest I get really fed up of cries of 'why bother?', 'I can't make a difference' and the 'problem is too big'.  Thank goodness Ghandi, William Wilberforce and Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ himself did not just throw up their arms and say 'well what can I do, I'm just ONE person?'.

I might not change the world on my own and the things I stand for may be different to those that really rock you but I can hold my head up high and say I'm trying. I'm fighting for a better world and I care about our world, about our people. About ONE people.

I don't judge you if your passions are different to mine, I just pray that you feel some passion and that you are able to channel it, for apathy achieves nothing.

If your passion is similar to mine and you hate to see people living in poverty, then please do consider signing up to ONE and offering your voice.  There are no catches, it is as simple as it seems. Every so often You'll get an email from ONE and they'll ask for your help - sign a petition to lobby Government, show your support on social media, write to your MP - that type of thing.  You can choose to act on it or you can choose to bin it, I understand - different days, different things.  Sometimes we have enough head space and time to deal with this and sometimes we don't. I'm no different, I do not join in with every request of me, I just do what feels right.

Take it back 8 months ago and I had never heard of ONE, take it back 8 years ago I was not actively involved in trying to create a better world and take it back 18 years ago I had no idea why anyone would bother.  Times change, people change.  Thank the Lord.

I'll leave you with the words of Gebeyehu shouted at the top of my voice - 'Should we lose hope?, No we shouldn't'.

Who is inspiring you today?

Takea  peek at my giveaway post if you fancy winning a FahsionABLE scarf made in Ethiopia.

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I've just returned from Ethiopia, where I was travelling with a group of 11 other inspirational Mums and Moms as part of an expense paid trip courtesy of the ONE Campaign. Our trip is about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. 

It is also about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs. You can sign up to ONE using the widget on my blog right sidebar.



An #Ethiopian gratitude example to us all (#R2BC #ONEMums)

Reasons to be Cheerful is being hosted over with the lovely Becky at Lakes Single Mum today, head over there and link up.  Below is my entry for this week, I'm sharing another one of my tales from Ethiopia. It would be amazing if you could take the time to read and share, every person that becomes aware of ONE and is willing to share their work or sign up and add their voice is deeply appreciated.

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Wednesday was the most full-on day, to the point that I had to back out of dinner.  I just did not know how I was going to make it through a big dinner with more guests and another compelling story to tell. Of course I want to hear what they had to say but I am only human, I had been up since 4am to catch an early flight up to Bahir-Dar and I was burnt out.

The order of the day was to visit some healthcare facilities and see the work in action and the education that happens at grass roots level. In the Ethiopian healthcare system they have 17 hospitals (which is shocking for the 84 million people that live here), 739 regional health centres, 3039 health posts (small 1 or 2 room clinics) and about 30,000 health extension workers. There is still a long way to go. It needs to be better but I say let’s focus on the positives. Things are changing and progress is being made for the future and as this continues it will snowball; change takes time but it is all heading in the right direction.

I have to be honest and say that that way people live here is a million miles away from my life back in the UK; I could not imagine having to take my child to a dirty and broken room acting as a healthcare facility. But I also see things I would love to take back to the UK, like the sense of community and the way a small group of mothers work as a collective together and each save 5 birr a week (30 birr is one British pound, so you realise how little that is) so that when difficulties arise they can all take from the pot and sort out the problem as a group. Someone on twitter recently said to me those with the least give the most and I can honestly say that is definitely what I have observed here.

I received a text from my husband today to say one of our twin daughters had been sent home from school as they believed she has an ear infection, he was able to take her straight to the doctor’s surgery and she was seen quickly and they got some antibiotics. I saw a picture of her snuggled up on our sofa fast asleep letting the magic medicine do its job. What would happen here? Not a lot I expect, that sounds harsh but an ear infection is not life or death, the child would be comforted by their mother and would have to rest and sweat it out. People are tough here. Thank the Lord.

It is the simplest healthcare interventions here that can have a massive impact. Diarrhoea is still a cause of death in a country such as Ethiopia; people dehydrate very quickly when they have a lack of nourishment, poor quality water and hot weather. Thankfully each health centre and post now has an ORT corner.  Sounds complex doesn’t it?  Basically it stands for oral rehydration therapy and it is water and sachets of a substance such as diarlyte. This is enough to get the essential salts back into a person and gives them the opportunity to live through a bout of diarrhoea.

Whilst every health professional I have met has been welcoming and looked competent it is the health extension workers that I am most impressed with. Predominantly they are women and they run the health posts for about 4 hours a day, in that time they might give family planning advice, administer family planning drugs, give child vaccinations, test for HIV, diagnose illnesses (such as neonatal tetanus, polio, etc) in people that they wish to refer up to the next level of healthcare and they give education classes in nutrition, breastfeeding and sanitation. That is some job description to pack into 4 hours, but it does not stop there.

Oh no, they will then spend the rest of their day going house to house to meet their allocated families (500 each) to educate on home cleanliness, food combining to meet nutritional needs, giving pre-natal care and delivering babies amongst many other duties. Each health post has a small wood, straw and mud built classroom that they will use for their educational classes. These are also used as models to help educate the people about having a dwelling with more than one room and that animals should sleep separate to humans. Currently the sheep/ goats will sleep next to them to protect them from theft

One of the first round of Health Extension Workers, she has been doing the job for 7 years now and yet
looks barely old enough to have left school! She spoke to us knowledgably, passionatley and eloquently
though as only a professional could.

I was interested to learn that Ethiopia spend a bigger proportion of their budget on healthcare than any other African nation, this really shows their determination to make strides forward and to change things for the better.

Whilst I was at the health centre I was very privileged to be able to briefly meet a new mother and her new-born daughter, she was just establishing breastfeeding having given birth half hour before.  We congratulated the grandmother and her face turned from a stony scowl to a bright smile and pride shone through as he told us thank you. This birth that had taken place in the delivery room is a million miles away from the one this lady would have experienced even 10 years ago in Ethiopia.  All births would have been in the home then and would not have been attended in the main.  Now the health extension workers and/ or midwives will try to be with a lady as she labours to ensure things progress correctly.

The delivery suite is very basic and the paint is peeling but it was clean and there
was instructions for sterilisation of utensils etc

Because this lady had come to the health centre she was able to have some pain relief, oxytocin to help with the afterbirth and stiches to any tears if necessary.  After resting up a while and feeding her baby she will be given a lift home in the ambulance and she is very happy for this new service.

The midwife we met was a petite and quietly spoken lady, well dressed and very beautiful. I asked her about twin births and she responded in Amharic for translation but the terms ‘complicated’ and ‘present breach’ gave me a good idea of the kind of issues she has, she told us she needed new breathing equipment if she could have anything but she was grateful for what she had.

We can all take a leaf from her book and be grateful for what we have, I know I am!

What is making you feel grateful today?

I'll just add in a soundclip I made last week about this days visits too, enjoy!

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I've just returned from Ethiopia, where I was travelling with a group of 11 other inspirational Mums and Moms as part of an expense paid trip courtesy of the ONE Campaign. Our trip is about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. 

It is also about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs. You can sign up to ONE using the widget on my blog right sidebar.

Image of Health Extension Worker - Karen Walrond/ ONE



Down to earth with a bump! #ONEMums



Cards the kids made for me, you can't really read them as they are in pencil
but I loved Miss M's, it said Praying for Mummy

I've been home 48 hours now, that's not long is it?  No wonder I still feel pretty weird. 

I'm not quite sure how to describe how I feel right now but I'm a bit like an alien in my own home town. I think my biggest issue is that I am completely tried but I am also very overwhelmed, I'm trying to process all the things I saw, heard and learnt during my seven days in Ethiopia and it is taking the wind out of me. I feel kind of fragile, like I might break if you shout at me. So please don't.

We landed into Heathrow early Sunday morning and was greeted by freezing fog - the first big shocker, where has my sun and beautiful blue skies gone? I was mighty pleased to enjoy a cup of real English tea and a toasted sandwich for breakfast whilst I waited for my family to arrive and then when they did we did the movie scene stuff and ran towards each other for a big hug. It felt really good to have my babes back in my arms. I took my girls to the toilet and they were busy chattering away to me about their week and how pleased they were to see me. We came out of the cubicle to find a lady beaming at us with the biggest, most friendly smile and she commented about how lovely my girls were, so happy. It's true, this trip has certainly made me appreciate how lucky I am to have three wonderful children and a great husband, but most importantly that we have all the basics and do not have to worry about where the next meal is coming from. I am so looking forward to the weekend and having some time to just enjoy being with them.

People  keep asking me how Ethiopia was and throwing questions at me and I an a bit shell-shocked, I do not feel ready to answer all their questions yet. When you visit in excess of 15 different projects, areas and groups of people in a matter of seven days you are bound to fell pretty burnt out and overwhelmed aren't you?

I know that I need to be kind to myself and not push too much and just allow the processing to take place and slowly the information will fall into place and then dh and I can make some decisions about how we want our lives to change and we both know that we do.  Last year dh went to India on mission and that touched and changed him and now my Ethiopia journey has done the same for me, but we need to see how those changes translate to real everyday life.


The delightful picture my kids chose to send me whilst I was in Ethiopia!

I can't seem to keep away from twitter and my new friends blogs, reading about our time in Ethiopia helps me to remember it was real and not to let go fully yet. I miss that group of women so much, we had the most amazing time together and I don't think anything will ever break that bond.  I have a lump in my throat just typing this.

There are so many ideas going round my head; posts I want to write and publish, promotion for ONE that I want to do and ideas for the future.  When I hear yet again that people don't know who ONE are or what they are supposed to do I get a little disheartened, it feels like a massive job to help educate the UK about who ONE are. I have written so many posts about it now that I could start to question myself about my ability to transfer information. But I won't as it's not productive. With ONE not being a traditional charity and not asking for money I realise it is a bit harder to be able to fully grasp who they are and want they want. I turn my worries over to God as it is no use me pondering them over and over.

I can't deny that I have been effected by all the talk of our trip, both positive and negative.  I am so thankful to all those who chose to help share our journey and I feel happy that I fulfilled the brief I was given of sharing the living proof that UK and US aid is working successfully in Ethiopia.  As I mentioned elsewhere I never went to Ethiopia to become a blogging superstar, I don't care if not one person recalls my name. I just wanted to do something for an campaigning and advocacy organisation that I have become super passionate about in the last 8 months. At the beginning of this year I had no idea who ONE were but now I am happy to give my time to spread the word and I ask for nothing in return.

But this is not the end, not by a long way.  I'll have many more Ethiopia posts to share and I'll keep doing my bit for ONE as each new campaign raises its head. I'd love it if you feel you would like to as well.

If you want to know more about ONE you can check out their website, any of my posts on here tagged with one.org or ask me a question direct, I'll happily help. Then if you want to sign up and add your voice and be available to sign a few virtual petitions in the future, do the odd blog post, tweet or share or if you are willing to write to your MP to back up a campaign then you will be doing far more than most people in the developed world and that makes you a rock star in my humble opinion.

Thanks again, Mich x

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I've just returned from Ethiopia, where I was travelling with a group of 11 other inspirational Mums and Moms as part of an expense paid trip courtesy of the ONE Campaign. Our trip is about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. 

It is also about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs. You can sign up to ONE using the widget on my blog right sidebar.



Leaving a part of my heart in #Ethiopia #ONEMums

It has been the most intensive week ever, I cannot even remember anything like it before and I expect I may never experience it again but I swear I'll never forget this or the people of Ethiopia and I so want to come back.  I'd be so proud of them to come back in 10/15 years time and see the progress - because I know 100% that things will have moved on massively.

I am a little bit overwhelmed, tearful and tired right now, so this post will be my last for a day or so and I just wanted to share my week with you in photos.  I'll try and cut down the 561 photos that I have taken down to a managble number for this one post.  All photos shared here were taken by me or with my brilliant little iPhone.

Yet again, I'll just say thank you for following this journey.  You are all awesome (yes I have gone all American but still with a very British accent) and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting to know who @ONEcampaignUK are. If you can lend your voice, via petitions, emails, social sharing, blogging or even 1 simple RT then you are doing better than most people in the world and congratulations YOU are making a difference joining the fight to end extreme poverty.

If anyone is not sure who ONE are or what they do and you want more information, in easy to understand language then email me and I'll help.  Love you all lots, Mich x

Arrival in Ethiopia - Day 1

Day 3 - Journey to 2 schools in Mojo

Day 4 - Travel to Bahir-Dar and visit a healh centre, health post and bee keeping project

Day 5 in Bahir-Dar - Visiting a farming training centre and health post

Day 6 visit to HIV clinic and Merkato slums project for you g girl domestic workers

Day 7 - Visit to Muta scarf and pottery factory

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I am currently in Ethiopia travelling with a group of 11 other inspirational Mums and Moms as part of an expense paid trip courtesy of the ONE Campaign. Our trip is about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world.  And it is about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs.