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International Women’s Day. It’s a day where people of all gender identities come together to champion women’s equality and advancement. This year’s theme #BeBoldForChange, and I thought now would be a great time to explore just what it means to be bold in the weekend word.

bold
/bōld/
adjective

  1. (of a person, action, or idea) showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous
  2. (of a person or manner) so confident as to suggest a lack of shame or modesty.

To be bold requires taking risks. Standing confident in your beliefs and having the courage to take action in line with your beliefs – even if it challenges the status quo. And that encompasses the spirit of International Women’s Day. All around the world people come together for one day to be bold, sharing ideas and taking action to challenge the status quo and improve the quality of life, increase equality for women around the world.

Hundreds of events took place throughout the globe on March 11, including a global mentoring walk in Kampala, Uganda, where many of the girls in our schools are located. It’s just one of 134 walks happening in 60 countries around the world where mentors and mentees will come together to walk while sharing challenges and solutions as well as forming bonds that foster leadership.

Here’s how you can participate. Take the pledge to #BeBoldForChange by taking action to challenge bias and inequality, campaign against violence, forge women’s advancement, celebrate women’s achievement, and/or champion women’s education. We can help you with that last one! You can champion women’s education by making a donation in any amount to help lift an orphaned girl from poverty to prosperity.

DONATE TODAY

However you choose to support women, be bold for change and don’t give up the fight!

Boldly Yours,
Cristen

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Well, the Super Bowl is officially behind us. The NFL has crowned the New England Patriots as this season’s football champs. In Vegas, where Hope for Hearts is based, we see the end of football season as a sign that another sport returns to our city. Every year around late February/early March Rugby fans from around the world unite in Las Vegas for the HSBC World Sevens Series. The championship this past weekend pits 15 of the best international Rugby teams to crown a victor in this sport. While the 15 teams are chosen based on their performance in the current season, South Africa is almost always on that list.

Whether you’re a fan of American Football, Rugby, Futbol or Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, or just about any sport out there, they all have one common goal – to crown a victor. In any sport there is a championship series. The finest athletes embark on an epic battle for the chance to be the one, true champion of the season. In light of the recent championships, I thought it would be fun to explore the word champion in the weekend word.

cham·pi·on
CHampēən/

Noun

  1. a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition, especially in sports.
  2. a person who fights or argues for a cause or on behalf of someone else.

Verb

  1. support the cause of; defend.

It’s interesting to note that there are two different, but similar definitions of a champion. On one hand a champion rises to the challenge and comes out on top of the competition. On the other, a champion can be a person who fights for a cause or person. This second definition stems back to the days of Kings and Queens, who would select champions to fight on their behalf. In this day and age, we don’t have kings and queens, but there’s still a need for champions, and not of the athletic kind. A champion can also be someone who fights for a cause – and that’s something anybody can do.

So while you’re busy watching your champions, I challenge you to take a moment to stop and think about how you too can be a champion. I am a champion for orphaned children living in Uganda, and you can be too. When you make a donation to support a child in need, buy one of our handmade kambulagos, or simply spread awareness/advocacy for Hope for Hearts and the children we care for, you serve as our champion. On behalf of all of us at Hope for Hearts, we are honored to have you as our champion.

 

DONATE TODAY

 

Wishing You Victory,
Cristen

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St. Elizabeth Girls Academy Turns 19

February is a special time of year, not just because of Valentine’s Day, but it also marks the anniversary of St. Elizabeth’s Girl’s Academy (SEGA) in Uganda. SEGA is the reason Hope for Hearts exists, and in honor of their 19th anniversary, we’d like to share 19 fun facts about the school.

St. Elizabeth Girls Academy Turns 19

  1. 1998– St. Elizabeth Girls Academy (SEGA) founded.
  2. Father Mugagga Lule – Co-founder and President.
  3. Mission– To assist orphans in Uganda, East Africa, lifting them from poverty to prosperity through primary education, vocational training and life-skill classes.
  4. Kampala – SEGA’s hometown.
  5. 1 Acre– Girls live in tents and buildings on one acre of land dedicated to the school.
  6. 300 – Number of girls (and now boys too) served on average each year.
  7. Birth-21– Age range of children supported by the schools.
  8. 2 – Number of counseling and guidance sessions each girl receives every week.
  9. $25 – Amount it costs to purchase a handmade necklace to support Hope for Hearts efforts to fund education and provide a hand-up to children in conflicted areas.
  10. Seamstress in Training– One of SEGA’s programs that offers women home-based business opportunities.
  11. Culinary Training– A SEGA program that helps girls gain practical experience so they can start their own restaurant business or gain employment in Uganda’s culinary industry.
  12. Banquet Services– A girl-led service SEGA provides to outside businesses and organizations. Girls participating in the banquet services program receive hospitality training that prepares them for job opportunities for life after SEGA.
  13. Auxiliary Programs– In addition to educational and vocational training, girls at SEGA receive: spiritual development and support, recreational activities,  sports programs.
  14. Nuns– The very special ladies who serve as protectors, teachers and spiritual guides for the children at SEGA.
  15. Self-Reliance– SEGA empowers kids with survival skills for self-reliance, lifting them from poverty to prosperity.
  16. Profile of Prosperity– Najjuko Resty “Kalisizo” went from being a maid and a prostitute to a self-employed seamstress living in St. Balikuddembe thanks to the education and services she received at SEGA.
  17. $240– Cost of providing one-year of education to a child at SEGA.
  18. $3,750– Average monthly cost to feed students at the school.
  19. You Can Help– hope4hearts.org/donate – Link to where you can make your tax deductible donation to lift children from poverty to prosperity in honor of SEGA’s 19th anniversary.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and that’s certainly true. Support from people like Father Mugagga, the nuns, myself, and most importantly – you, our children not only survive, they thrive. Please help us celebrate this important milestone by making a donation of $19 or more, and help us provide many more years of education lifting a child  out of poverty to prosperity.

“My success depends on others doing their part. Success does not depend on any one person, but by every person fulfilling their responsibility to give back to the whole.  As humans we are independent, but we are not meant to live in solitude, but in a living and loving communion with others.” – Father Mugagga Lule, Co-Founder and President, St. Elizabeth’s Girls Academy

Warmest Regards,
Cristen

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Piglet: “Pooh?”
Pooh: “Yes Piglet?”
Piglet: “I’ve been thinking…”
Pooh: “That’s a very good habit to get into.”

Our ability to think is often taken for granted. From time to time we express our gratitude for food, air, shelter; however, not many people take the time to recognize and appreciate the ability to even have these thoughts. I don’t blame you. Who wants to think about thinking? Well, the Girl Scouts and Girl Guides of America do.

World Thinking Day 2017
via

Every year since 1926, on February 22 girls from around the world come together for World Thinking Day – “… a day of international friendship, speaking out on issues that affect girls and young women, and fundraising for 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.”

The organization is not only bringing awareness to this special ability, but turning the girls’ sights to how they can use the power of thought for good. By sharing ideas and stories, they can help improve the world for young women everywhere. Each year comes with a special theme, and this year’s theme is growth. So, in honor of World Thinking Day, I thought we’d take a look at the word grow for this edition of the Weekend Word.

grow
ɡro
verb

  1. to increase by natural development, as any living organism or part by assimilation of nutriment; increase in size or substance.
  2. to arise or issue as a natural development from an original happening, circumstance, or source.
  3. to increase gradually in size, amount, etc.; become greater or larger; expand.
  4. to become gradually attached or united by or as if by growth.

There are many ways we can apply the word grow to World Thinking Day. Girls are coming together, growing in numbers, to support causes that impact other young women worldwide. In the process, they are developing their compassion and fortitude to tackle these issues head on.

If you have a young girl at home, I encourage you to celebrate World Thinking Day. While you’re at it, you can share some of our recent blog posts with stories of what some of the orphaned girls in Uganda are facing. Perhaps your child could come up with a great idea to help support our girls!

For other resources on World Thinking Day visit the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts website at www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/world-thinking-day.

Thinking of You,
Cristen

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That’s right. My heart belongs to Uganda. You may ask why I’m devoted to a third world country facing many societal, political and human rights issues. And while all of this may be true, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit this country. Meet it’s people. And I fell in love. Let me backtrack and tell you why.

Several years ago Father Muggaga Lule entered my life when he became the priest at my church. He enlightened me into the plight of Uganda. For decades, the country has struggled with war, disease and poverty. But the people most affected are the children left orphaned after their parents passed, mostly due to AIDS and the war. In fact, in the past 20 years, Uganda has seen more than 2 million orphans. While most everyone in the country is struggling, it’s the orphans, left fending for themselves with nobody to care for, or love, them who struggle the most. I couldn’t bare the thought of these children being left out in the cold all alone. Doing whatever it takes just to survive and get the bare necessities.

After hearing this story in 2007 my children and I decided to take action. We started a lemonade stand at our church to raise money for children in St. Elizabeth’s Girls Academy (SEGA). Soon after, I was fortunate enough to travel to Uganda and meet the children we were helping. One look, and they stole my heart.

You see, the country may be facing a lot of societal and political issues; but underneath all of the turmoil is a country of beautiful souls. The innocent bystanders having to work with the cards they are dealt. And they are strong. They do not give up. They do whatever it takes to survive, and make their lives better.

The children in our schools were dealt a very bad hand. Born into poverty, losing both parents to illness, war, or both. Yet, they still have smiling faces and a deep drive to better their lives. They’re working hard every day out our schools to lift themselves from poverty to prosperity. They form new familial bonds with the nuns and other students. They run, laugh, play, learn. Although they have had a rough go at life, seeing the smiles of resiliency on their face melted my heart and inspired me to continue taking action by founding, and running, Hope for Hearts.

The people of Uganda are like a caterpillar. They may be facing a lot of hardship right now, struggling in a cocoon of turmoil. But they are continually seeking to improve their lives and overcome the obstacles. And when they do, the country will become a beautiful butterfly. The world will see past the turmoil, and learn to love the country for the beautiful cultures, customs, foods, etc. that have been there all along.

So yes, my heart belongs to Uganda. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

With Love,
Cristen