Day 312: Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project

I started rehearsals at the Goodman today for El Nogalar, I’m excited to be apart of this world premiere production with Teatro Vista, it’s going to be really excellent. Things are going to be crazy for me the next 5 weeks or so, so you may see posts coming in at weird hours. I’m keeping up with my giving, it’s a matter of when the posts can be constructed. Today’s give is a recommendation that comes from fellow tumblr-er Natasha!

Shanti Bhavan Children’s Projects’s mission is to adequately develop the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children of India’s “lowest caste” by providing them world class education and instilling globally shared values to enable them to aspire to careers and professions of their choice. Shanti Bhavan is a home and exceptional school located in rural Tamil Nadu, India, for the region’s most socially and economically disadvantaged children.

Shanti Bhavan seeks a quantum change in the trajectory of each child it serves. Their model is based on the following long-term goals:

  • Offer excellence in education to socially and economically disadvantaged children.
  • Create highly productive members of society with strong educational backgrounds and leadership skills and the confidence to act on their ambition.
  • Break the cycle of poverty permanently, and empower children with tools to carry others forward.

Amount Donated: $5

To support Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, please visit: http://www.shantibhavanonline.org

Day 309: The Bhopal Medical Appeal

Late night post today, I spent the day at my alma mater Illinois State University, I was invited back to talk with current students about my work in the theatre as well as my mission of giving. It was the first time I ever a guest speaker, but I had a wonderful time talking about my experiences and answering questions. I just hope it was beneficial for the students as I well, I will be making a donation to ISU down the line.

After my talk I watched the Crossroad Production of Bhopal  in the Westhoff Theatre, a theatre where I acted in 3 shows while in college, it was fun to see the old classrooms and halls. Bhopal has been described as a taut political drama based on the events leading up to one of the worst industrial catastrophes in history. In 1984, a leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals occurred at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Hundreds of thousands of people were exposed, and depending on the source, somewhere between 2,259 and 3,787 deaths resulted from exposure to the chemicals. The play reveals the human stories within the complex political and economic web that located a chemical plant in Bhopal and leads to human tragedy.

It was a lovely and moving production and they were raising money after the show for the Bhopal Medical Appeal an organization providing free medical services to the survivors of the gas leak, so I’m giving today’s contribution to The Bhopal Medical Appeal.

To date their Sambhavna Clinic has treated more than 35,000 people. They also employ over 60 staff, roughly a third of whom are themselves gas survivors. They carry out valuable studies, inform, educate and train people in gas-affected communities to monitor their health. Working to a principle of ‘first do no harm’ BMA has pioneered new treatments combining modern medicine with traditional ayurvedic herbal medicine and yoga. 

Amount Donated: $11

To support the Bhopal Medical Appeal, please visit: http://www.bhopal.org

Day 110: Keep A Child Alive

There is no doubt the impact that AIDS has on families, it becomes increasingly hard to ignore especially when it has reached the level of intensity as it has in Africa. When 14.1 million of the 15 million children orphaned by AIDS are in Africa alone, that is cause for serious concern and action. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region in the world, and it is important that organizations like Keep A Child Alive are working to fight the disease and help the children and families affected by it.

Keep a Child Alive is dedicated to providing life-saving anti-retroviral treatment, care and support services to children and families whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India by directly engaging the global public in the fight against AIDS.

Keep a Child Alive focuses on:

Treatment: Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has transformed the lives of people with AIDS in the West, returning them from sickness to health. But only 42% of the 9.5 million people who so desperately need treatment, have access to it. When children are infected, 50% die before the age of 2 and 80% die before the age of 5.

Care: Keep a Child Alive provides first class AIDS care through doctors, nutrition, testing, transportation, and treatment for opportunistic infections, which are all necessary for anti-retroviral treatment to be successful. KCA also provides the care and support to keep orphaned and abandoned children safe.

Orphans: 15.2 million children have lost their parents to AIDS. These children will face enormous risks in their struggle to stay alive. They will often be forced into sexual exploitation or enrolled as child soldiers. Keep a Child Alive supports the children’s extended family caregivers, and builds and sustains orphanages to keep the most vulnerable children out of harm’s way.

Amount Donated: $5

To support Keep a Child Alive, please visit: http://keepachildalive.org