The Giver of Life

Water, that clear liquid that drips from the faucet, runs through rivers and gives life to this world.

Sadly, only 2.59% of water on earth is freshwater. So what does that mean? It means that while our world might be water wealthy, we have little access to clean drinking water. Ten countries control 80% of the world's freshwater. The Great Lakes alone is 21% of the fresh water on the planet.

So now thing about Africa, or the middle east or anywhere else in the world.Think about the lack of infrastructure they have. Where getting water is dangerous. It means going near malarial hubs, women walking alone on rural paths, snakes and worst of all the most the women and children can carry is one jug. That one jug has to last the entire family for a day. That one jug often is full of bacteria and is not clean. That one jug is all they have to rely on.

The statistics are real. 3.4 Million people die from water related illnesses and 99 percent of these deaths occur in the developing world. Less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water yet the human body is 66% water.

3.4 million people might seem like just a number, but the majority are children under five. The majority are those cute little babies you love.

Yes those babies.

So what can we do?

Well first, we can learn more about the issue. Organizations like Charity Water are attempting to combat the issue.

And they make a good argument. Now the truth of all of this is simple. The world has a climate change problem. GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL! By 2030, the majority of the world will be water stressed. Which means that there will be more conflicts, less stabilization and more hungry/ thirsty people dying everyday on our planet. Water is important for food, transportation, economics, and so many other things. Our lives would not exist without water.

Second thing we can do, we can attempt to turn off our facet when were doing dishes, take shorter showers and maybe not water our lawn twelve times a day during the summer.

We can also do our part. We can support the building of wells, water filtration systems all by giving money to organizations like Charity Water. We can also lobby our congress to not cut the foreign humanitarian aid budget. So do your part, if that's taking a shorter shower, having people donate instead of giving birthday presents, say that you do not need that new dress or just by calling your senator and telling them what you think.

This is a women's issue, a children's issue, an ecological issue, an economic issue, a health issue but most of all it's a global issue. We're all humans, sharing one world, and we should do our best to help one another. 

Everyone can do their part, now let's help you do yours.

It's a Barbie World after all

Barbie is someone every girl knows. They all received their first barbie doll on their birthday, another holiday or that visiting great-aunt. I was no exception, I had numerous barbies (most of who were decapitated by younger brother).

I had baywatch barbie, texas longhorn cheerleader barbie, teacher barbie, wedding barbie (and ken) and all the barbie books to match. I can thank my aunt for signing me up for the barbie book club, in which Barbie, and her siblings/friends, went on all kinds of adventures. Barbie had numerous jobs in these books, to match her doll personalities. She was a vet, a doctor, nurse, pre-school teacher and a fashion designer.

Every girl under the age of ten knows what a Barbie is. She’s the first toy super star. She made headlines for breaking up with Ken, songs about her and Jeep and Mercedes even make custom cars to match her. Girls are told that Barbie can do everything.


Yet there was never a real-world barbie. Barbie is distorting the way girls think about themselves. Barbie never shows real world problems, she’s never been abused, drank too much, been sexually assaulted, never ages, doesn’t gain weight, commit crime and doesn’t fall into depression. Barbie doesn’t have an eating disorder. depression or anxiety. She’s perfect and many girls try to be her. Recently a woman spent 80,000 dollars on plastic surgery to look like Barbie and she’s absolutely terrifying. Isn’t it time that Barbie begins to look more like the rest of the world’s female population?
Just for Women posts these stats on their website:

• 90% of all women want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance.
• 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat.
• Every 15 seconds a woman is battered.
• 57% of rock music videos portray women as a sex object, a victim, as unintelligent, or in a condescending way.
• 1 in 3 girls who have been in a serious relationship say they’ve been concerned about being physically hurt by their partner.
• Women are devalued in the workplace, making only 76% of their male peers’ salaries.
• One out of four college-age women have an eating disorder.
• Women make up nearly 51% of the population, but hold just 16% of the seats in Congress.
• Three-fourths of girls with low self-esteem engage in negative activities, such as disordered eating, bullying, smoking or drinking.
• Only 2% of women think they are beautiful.
• 1 in 3 girls between the ages of 16 and 18 say sex is expected for people their age if they’re in a relationship.

 If Barbie is the norm, why aren't there Abused Barbie, Eating Disorder Barbie and Real Curves Barbie? If Barbie is supposed to represent what any girl can be, why is there no real world Barbie?

Girls around the world have barbies and they all grow up, wanting to have that platinum blonde hair, bleach white skin and large breasts. It's time to change the image women have of themselves. A first step is passing CEDAW, which means telling girls everywhere they are equal to men and deserve not to be discriminated about. Another is changing the culture around women. Women should be able to go to school just as men do. They should not have to worry about carrying water, being raped on the side of the road or if there is a bathroom for them to use. Women and girls deserve everything that men deserve. Help us change the message about women, help us show girls that they can be themselves and do not need to embody a plastic doll.

V(iolence against women) Day 2013

Yesterday I started my internship with Globalsolutions.org. It is a NGO that uses social media to get messages on global issues across.

I've been working on a projected called Violence Against Women, which is their current campaign. Normally I just help with the social media promoting One Billion Rising or similar issues.

One Billion Rising is a rally taking place all over the world on Valentine's Day. In places from Richmond Virginia, to Richmond, England, men and women will join together to stop violence against women. This is issue is close to my heart for many reasons, and not the least because Valentine's Day is my birthday.

I attend Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. For those of you that don't know it, which I assume is most of the population, it is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. My freshman year, just a few weeks into the school year, a tragedy struck my campus. A student, who lived across the hall from me, committed suicide.

What does this have to do with violence against women? She died after a University of Notre Dame football player sexually assaulted her. When she tried to report the crime, she received death threats and was told not to ruin Notre Dame's football season. The police did not investigate her allegations until after she died, and even then because she died, they could not persecute.

Notre Dame is a loving community. I've been privileged to live there for three years and it will always be part of me. Yet, I still cannot forgive them for her death. What does it say about a place where football is more important than the death of one of it's students.

I know the jokes, Saint Mary's is the school for sluts. We all throw ourselves at football players and party far too wildly. The bus that brings us to ND is called the sluttle. Yet we're part of the community too. I'm the Vice President of the Notre Dame Model United Nation's team. Half my friends go to Notre Dame. I take classes there, my boyfriend goes there and I'm involved in many clubs there. No one would dare call me a slut, so I don't see why anyone should degrade any woman to that term.

Another girl that I was friends with freshman year was sexually assaulted and emotionally abused by her boyfriend at Notre Dame. She attended Saint Mary's, yet when she tried to kill herself, the school could not wait to kick her out. She needed to go home on her terms, not having her ID deactivated. When she tried to bring charges against her ex, following the school's process, nothing happened. A trial was held for him to see if he committed anything wrong and even when his friends testified against him, he was still found not guilty.

Saint Mary's is all women. We try to speak up and yet everyone shushes us, telling us to go get our home economic degrees (which the school thankfully doesn't offer). People ask me if I'm going to marry my boyfriend the minute I graduate and get my MRS. degree. I laugh at them. I'm not some crazy feminist, but I am an equalist. I am standing up to violence against women because I've watched it destroy people I love.

It's no longer 1812, women have the vote, women control companies, run the government and most still manage to have children. This is why I'm spending my birthday and valentine's day, not with my boyfriend, but supporting all women out there that have been abused. It's time to end violence against women. If women hit a man, it would be called assault, not a domestic problem. Let's even out the playing field. Check out One Billion Rising and join a rally this Valentine's Day.