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Education

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Lift Your Spirit in 2018

We’ve talked a lot about mending the spirits of the kids in our schools, but anyone who has ever heard a flight attendants safety instructions – you have to give yourself oxygen before you can take care of another person.

So today I want to provide some insight on 5 ways you can improve your spirit this year.

Lift Your Spirit in 2018

Clear Mental Clutter

Whatever it is, get it out! Your mind can only handle so much at one time, so find the routines, apps, and resources that help you clear mental clutter. Try apps like ToDoist or Omnifocus to help keep track of your to-do list. You can also try apps like Evernote, Quip, or OneNote to organize and store thoughts for work and personal life. Not a fan of technology? Start by carrying a notebook with you to jot down thoughts as they come to you. Also, don’t underestimate the power of taking 5 minutes to yourself to jot your day’s thoughts down on paper. Not only will you be able to more easily recall and process the information later, you’ll save your mental energy for more important tasks.

Create a Vision Board/Find Your Spiritual Core

Take some time to ask yourself the deep questions and figure out who you really are. What does your spirit comprise of? What do you desire? Map this out on a Vision Board and place it somewhere in the house where you will see it all the time. Let it remind you of who you are and who you are becoming.

Balance Your Negative Energy

Every moment of every day our body comes into contact with energy, both good and bad. It’s how our body reacts to this energy that contributes to our energy balance or unbalance. Thankfully, there are a few all-natural homeopathic products and services that can help restore this balance such as essential oils, nutritional supplements and BioEnergetics (BIE). Take a look at our friends at Graceful Spaces for more information.

Take up Yoga

Along the lines of clearing mental clutter, you need to clear physical clutter too. Even if you don’t consciously feel all the little kinks in your body, your mind is constantly using energy to mask them. Practicing Yoga releases strains on your body, and when combined with meditation it becomes an even more powerful tool to connect the mind and body and help clear your mental clutter. Join our friends at Sin City Yoga for a session or two and see the results for yourself!

Travel

One of the most often recommended solutions to lifting spirits is to travel. Sometimes we have a need to just get away from it all. While traveling can be chaotic and expensive, the results are worth it. Not only do you get to explore the world, but the break in your routine forces you to focus on the here and now, disconnecting from the stress of your daily life. It’s here that you can find more clarity, peace and come back rested to tackle a new day.

Don’t find it selfish to take care of yourself first. You have to remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Once you’ve taken time to lift your spirits, you will have more mental and physical energy to dedicate towards helping others. We hope you will consider giving some of that energy to helping the kids in our schools.

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Leadership Starts with Education

I recently read a great op-ed piece in one of Uganda’s major news outlets, Daily Monitor. The headline reads “Why youth participation in national leadership is critical.” The writer talks about how it’s not enough to have youth voting in elections, they need to have real representation in the leadership of the country. I think the writer makes a very good point – it is critical to not only have a voice, but a leader who can truly represent that voice.

But in a democracy, leadership isn’t freely given – it is earned. And if the youth of Uganda want a representative in the government, they have to start by first educating themselves. The future leadership of the country needs to start with a basic education.

Leadership Starts with Education

The ability to read, write, and think critically are important skills necessary to having an educated democracy that can thrive. Voters need to be aware of not just their needs, but also the needs of the country as a whole, and which potential leaders can best fulfill those needs.

And for the leaders themselves, it’s even more important to be well educated. Not just regarding the issues faced in theircountry, but the world around them. Being a leader involves learning from other leaders’ successes and failures so that they can develop solutions that work for their constituents. It means collaborating with other world leaders to bring ideas and partnerships to your country that improve the lives of its citizens.

All of this has me thinking about the important work we are doing here at Hope for Hearts. In a country plagued with poverty and turmoil, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to educating the youth. Children are needed at home to work and help make ends meet. Many children don’t have a home to go to, and are left fending for themselves on the street. And while working to survive helps in the short-term, it won’t lead to long-term growth for the country, and the cycle of poverty will continue.

That’s why there needs to be more resources and an emphasis on educating youth, especially those who are orphaned or in poverty. We’re not just giving orphans shelter or training the next seamstress, chef or business owner. We’re educating the future leaders of Uganda. From voters to representatives, help us develop the next generation of Uganda’s leadership by making a donation today.

With Gratitude,
Cristen

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August 26, 1920 signifies a very important date in history for Women in the United States. Although the 19th amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, it was not declared in effect until eight days later on August 26, 1920. Now, every year we celebrate Women’s Equality Day on August 26 to commemorate the anniversary of Women in the U.S. gaining the right to vote. We also take pause to focus on other equality issues still faced by women.

Although throughout the years women have made great strides towards achieving equality, the fight must continue until we can ensure that women have equal economic opportunities, equal education, and an end to gender-based violence. Of all of these, I believe that education is the most important as it is the root to solving all inequalities for women.

In order to solve the problem of inequality, we must first be educated enough to know and realize that said problem exists. From a global perspective, many women, and men, have taken that first step to recognize the issue at hand; and many have already made an impact with their activism.

However, there are still many women and young girls throughout the world that are unaware that a gender equality issue exists. Think of young girls who grow up in a culture where they are taught that their role in life is to stay at home, be the homemaker, not receive an education, and be subservient to men – sometimes to the point of taking physical and emotional abuse. They’re so indoctrinated into this lifestyle they’re unaware that any other way of life exists.

Once we are able to educate women (and men) on the gender inequality issues that exist, we must then fight against it. Education is another key component here. Not only being educated on the causes of these inequalities, but ensuring that women receive a proper, and equal education as well.

We can’t ask for equal rights in the workplace if we don’t have educational equity to begin with. The whole concept is that women receive equal pay for equal work. So it stands to reason that if women don’t have equal education/experience, they can’t possibly have equal economic opportunities. Thus, it’s up to us as a society to provide educational equity world-wide, and it’s up to women to take advantage of those educational opportunities so that they can be entitled to/have earned the equal economic opportunities they are seeking.

This is why we at Hope for Hearts make it our focus to provide both traditional and vocational education opportunities. To give all children, female and male, equal opportunity to an education that can lift them from poverty to prosperity. You can help join the fight by making a donation today!

Peace and Love,
Cristen

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Summer is winding down and back-to-school season is upon us. Many parents are rejoicing, while kids may be groaning, that soon they will be returning to the land of lectures and homework. If the kids in your life can be included in this group, perhaps they’re in need of a reminder of the importance of education.

While many here in the US think that education is a right, the unfortunate reality is that worldwide it is really a luxury that not everyone can afford. In Uganda especially, public schools require payment in order to be able to attend. Not many families can afford to send their kids to school, so the kids end up working in the family business or doing odd jobs to support the family.

For orphaned children, the situation is much more dire. They have no familial support, and in some cases, older children have to support their younger siblings. They end up begging on the streets, prostituting, taking any lowly odd job just to fight for basic necessities to survive. Facing these extreme economic troubles, the ability to earn an education is far beyond their reach. Without this education, they are doomed to a life of the streets without hope of self-sufficiency or independence.

So as your kids are grumbling of returning to school, use this story to remind them that they are fortunate to be able to receive an education. They should be thankful that they have a place they can go to each day to see their friends, laugh, play, and learn. Remind them that the skills they are learning today will provide them with a lifetime of opportunity to earn money and support themselves, and one day their families. And it could always be worse…

Take it a step further, you can buy one of our handmade Kambulagos (or necklaces) as a back-to-school gift to the student or teacher in your life. It is a symbol of the importance of education. Each necklace is hand-made by women in Uganda who have learned a trade skill that provides them a steady source of income. Additionally, proceeds from each Kambulago sold benefit the orphaned children at our schools in Uganda by providing them with a free education that will give them a hand up to live a prosperous life of independence and self sufficiency. Talk about a win-win.

Kambulagos come in a range of colors and sizes and vary in price from $15-$30 plus shipping and tax. Take a look at our selection and order yours today at: hope4hearts.org/products

With Gratitude,
Cristen