Period shaming in Nepal and its toll on mental health
A tradition that kills women and children is still observed, even though it has been officially banned in Nepal. Chhaupadi is a banishment that sends girls and women to live in makeshift huts while they’re menstruating or right after giving birth. The name means “untouchable being”.
They are not allowed to enter their homes or do any regular activities, as their blood is considered impure.
Disobeying Chhaupadi spells doom for whole villages. According to Hindu beliefs, crops can die, people might get sick and water can get contaminated. The truth though is that the women are the ones who suffer and get sick because of precarious living conditions.
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Announcing the winners of our Hope Letter 2019
We wrapped up our Hope Letter Campaign in Bangladesh and we want to send a big thank you to everyone who participated in sending hope to Mina.
And special congratulations to the winners! We evaluated all entries and picked the most inspirational letter and artwork.
Stay tuned to see her reaction receiving all the letters!
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Camp subsidy: proud mom shares her story
Camps offer fantastic learning opportunities for children but they can be quite costly.
“As a single mother, I don’t always have the time or the money to give my boys summer experiences that get their brains working. Subsidized day camp at the Children’s Museum gives them that opportunity.” – said Deborah, one of the parents in the day camp subsidy program.
Her two boys, ages 9 and 8, are avid learners who are fascinated by everything from dinosaurs to outer space. We are thrilled to hear that kids like Deborah’s boys were able to play and master new skills.
“My boys are always eager to learn. Camp at the Children’s Museum gives them the chance to explore new interests – and have fun while they’re doing it!”
Wishing Well: a $10k single gift to clean water
Good Neighbors ambassador Soriel entertained over 400 people in his concerts in Canada. The singer performed in six venues from the 18th of August until the 25th.
Earlier this year during another Soriel concert, we had a very moving surprise: a single donation of $10,000 to our Wishing Well Project. The initiative, under the Good Water project umbrella, provides clean water in Zambia, where numerous communities suffer from remote water sources that are contaminated.
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I am NOT a bride
Women’s Equality Day in the United States marks the anniversary of a special day: when women stopped being denied the right to vote.
Before women fought for that, they had to escape coverture: by marriage, the husband and wife were one person in law. That meant women couldn’t sign legal documents, own property, obtain an education against her husband’s wishes or even keep a salary for herself.
Coverture has been abolished but gender inequality is still entrenched in several aspects: pay gaps, sexism in the workplace, gender roles in parenting and household work.
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Massive fire in Bangladesh destroys thousands of homes
On August 16th, a fire broke out in the Chalantika slum of Mirpur-7, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, about 3 km away from the Mirpur School, which is the focus of our Save a School campaign. Although there were no deaths reported, at least 10,000 people are now homeless.
The authorities are trying to find permanent accommodation for the residents, who are receiving food and water in temporary shelters. Fires are frequent in the area, mainly because of unsafe materials and poor safety measures. At least 100 people have been killed this year in fires across Dhaka.
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Music for Mirpur: Over $10,5k raised in one night
Our Music for Mirpur benefit concert brought Good Neighbors Canada one step closer to achieving our goal to rebuild a school in Bangladesh. During the event that happened on August 8th, at the Wolf Performance Hall in downtown London, our caring guests helped raise $10,507.37 for the Save a School campaign!
This raises the bar to $15,932.37 donated to the Save a School campaign!
What exactly does that mean?
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World Refugee Day 2019: Good Neighbors Canada creates opportunities to those facing forced displacement
From the 14th until the 17th of May, kids in our community could visit the Children’s Water Festival at Fanshawe Conservation Area. It is a fun and educational event for students in grades 2 through 5 to learn about the importance of water in their daily lives.
Good Neighbors Canada was at the event to see how youth is learning about water and the environment. There are many activities focused on showing children how water is filtered, how floods can be prevented and how some people struggle to have access to water.
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The importance of water: visiting the London-Middlesex Children’s Water Festival
From the 14th until the 17th of May, kids in our community could visit the Children’s Water Festival at Fanshawe Conservation Area. It is a fun and educational event for students in grades 2 through 5 to learn about the importance of water in their daily lives.
Good Neighbors Canada was at the event to see how youth is learning about water and the environment. There are many activities focused on showing children how water is filtered, how floods can be prevented and how some people struggle to have access to water.
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Tween Council gets a first look at our Hope Letter campaign
Last Wednesday we met with the Tween Council at the London Children’s Museum to tell them about our Hope Letter campaign and the 2019 release, featuring Mina Akter (9), from Bangladesh.
The group, between the ages of 9 and 12, meets once a month to voice their opinions on museum exhibits and community events. They watched Mina’s story on our YouTube channel and were amazed with the fact that her family only earns 70 cents a day while working full-time.
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