Tammy Barry thinks she has the best job in the world and I can’t blame her. At Mercy Learning Center in Connecticut, moms study English as a second language, prepare to earn their high school equivalency degrees, and learn life skills essential to success in America. Meanwhile, their children spend the day in Mercy’s preschool programs.

But Tammy does much more than just read to kids and keep them out of mom’s hair for the day. She makes the books comes alive and teaches mothers the importance of reading to their children.

I love the philosophy at Mercy Learning Center: “If you educate the woman of the house, you’re going to educate the whole family.”

For the kids, the best part is when they each take home a brand-new copy of that week’s book. Every week they give away 40 to 45 books which Tammy acquires through creative and inventive means. Sometimes she purchases books using grant money from local organizations. Others are donated by individuals or through book drives at local schools. One friend throws an annual holiday tea party. Instead of hostess gifts, guests bring books (Tammy registers the titles at a local bookstore). And Tammy’s kids often request books in lieu of birthday presents.

The Center’s programs focus on empowering women, and providing dignity, economic self-sufficiency and hope to the most vulnerable members of society. By educating these women, Mercy Learning Center provides critical training to help functionally illiterate women improve their skills and earning potential, creating a more hopeful future for themselves and their children.

I love what they are doing and know the incredible impact this can only have on future generations. If you’d like to support this project just visit Mercy Learning Center and find out more!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Did you know that only 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled worldwide? Were you aware that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean?

When on the sailing trip recently to Belize, I was horrified to literally be in the middle of nowhere and on this tiny island, hundreds of pieces of plastic had washed ashore.

One area of excess plastic bags I had never thought of is dry cleaning bags. Probably because I try to live in shorts and t-shirts much of the time and everything needs to go into two suitcases, I never think of dry cleaning anymore. But apparently, they are a large environmental problem.

One woman came up with a solution and as a byproduct created a fabulous entrepreneurial venture. Although it took Jane Wyler 19 years of allowing the brilliant idea to sit on the shelf while she raised a family, she knew the timing was right for taking dry cleaning to a level of environmental friendliness.

They’re called the Clothesnik, a 100% cotton garment bag made specifically for those who love to dry clean but don’t want to add to the 1 billion plastic bags that get thrown away every year.

Designed with a drawstring at the bottom and zipper down the front, just bundle your dirty clothes in the Clothesnik to the dry cleaners or laundry, and they come back clean and ready to go hanging in the same bag. Just like a regular garment bag, but better.

Today, Jane’s company, Reuseniks, sells the Clothesnik all over the world. Her reusable bag has been purchased in large numbers by corporations, by dry cleaners, by top fashion boutiques and fashion designers and by individuals, perhaps like you, who don’t want to leave behind a plastic bag that can take 500 years to degrade.

Do you have any ideas about making a difference that you’ve put on the shelf for various reasons? Perhaps now is the time to take them off the shelf, dust them off and see if they evoke any passion in you? One small idea like this can make a huge difference in the world.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Iranian woman at a protest in Brussels

A global online community is making a massive impact. Last week they made sure that whales weren’t hunted legally and today they are attempting to save an Iranian woman from being stoned.

This organization caught my attention a few months ago and they are definitely one you want to notice. For every person who wants to see a better world but doesn’t know quite what to do, connect yourself with www.avaaz.org.

Avaaz means “voice” in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages. Their mission is to organize people around the world to help close the gap between the world we have and the world most people want.

In just 3 years, they have grown to 5.5 million members from every country on earth, becoming the largest global web movement in history.
They’ve caught the media’s attention but more importantly, I want them to catch yours.

Today I received an email that Avaaz is working desperately to save an Iranian woman’s life. Most of us cannot even imagine being stoned to death for adultery but it is happening everyday in certain parts of the world.

Can you help? Absolutely! Right now they need 50,000 signatures and I mean today!

Yesterday they saved her life. Tomorrow it could be too late. Please go to http://bit.ly/aMqsQb now and sign the petition.

I love what Avaaz is doing in the world and I think you will too!

Photograph: Thierry Roge/Reuters

Popularity: 7% [?]

Almost 20 years ago, Ann Cotton, visited Zimbabwe, Africa to find out why girl’s school enrollment in rural areas was so low. She discovered that the primary obstacle was poverty. Families couldn’t afford to buy books or pay school fees for all their children, so they had to choose who would receive an education. Girls were rarely chosen. The reason was simple: Boys had a better chance of getting a paid job after graduation.

So Ann wondered: Could an economic solution open school doors to girls? Could it lead to economic, social and cultural benefits for rural Africa?

She returned home to Cambridge, England, determined to find a way to help girls go to school in Zimbabwe. She recruited friends and family and sold baked goods to raise money and awareness about the lack of education for girls in Africa. At the end of her grassroots campaign, she supported 32 girls through school.

In 1993, Ann formally launched Camfed, the Campaign for Female Education. The girls supported by Camfed stayed in school and did well, demonstrating that girls’ education was valued by families when the costs were not longer a burden.

What have been the results of this woman committed to making a difference when it would have been so much easier to turn a blind eye?

Camfed’s model has now been replicated in 2,295 communities in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania.

In Tanzania, schools supported by Camfed through the Safety Net Fund showed a 37 percent reduction in drop-out rates between 2005 and 2007.

In Camfed partner high schools in Zambia, pregnancy rates fell by 9 percent between 2006 and 2008, compared to an increase of 38 percent in a control sample of schools.

Since 1993, they’ve improved the school environment for 1,065,710 children, provided scholarships for 42,184 girls to go to high school, trained 4,068 teacher mentors and helped 769 young women go to college.

Their microfinance program has helped 6,084 women start small businesses and 1,449 expand.

They’ve also trained 1,504 community health activists through Cama, the Camfed Association, which has 14,005 African members who advocate for change in rural Africa.

I am sure when Ann was baking cookies back in 1991 to raise money to send a few girls to school, she had NO idea of what the next 20 years would bring. Thankfully, she didn’t let the obstacle of a massive continent, a huge problem and a desperate need stand in her way of just taking the first small step.

I know that in looking at problems in various countries I have visited, I’ve thought, “what can I do to help?” Ann’s example is an amazing role model for all of us to just start. eradicate

Camfed needs your help and they have made it is so simple!

On Facebook Causes, more than 544,000 members have joined their cause “Educate Girls in Africa. Fight Poverty and HIV” and are helping promoting the benefits of girls’ education.

But two anonymous donors want them to do more and have issued a challenge: Reach 1 million supporters on Causes by the end of the year. To sweeten the deal, they will donate 50 cents for each new supporter that joins the Cause, up to $100,000.

So you can make a big difference now, in five seconds or less. Simply visit www.causes.com/camfed and join the cause. Then, share this message and ask your friends to join the cause and recruit their friends. You’ll not only be promoting the benefits of girls’ education in Africa, you’ll help Camfed raise enough money to send 4,000 girls to elementary school!

Will you do that today and make your difference? Please do!

Popularity: 9% [?]