There was a terrible plane accident Sunday with one of CHOICE Humanitarian’s expeditions to Guatemala. About 45 minutes after the plane left Guatemala City, the pilot radioed the tower that they were having engine trouble.  The plane crashed shortly after.  All but three people perished in the crash, including the amazing CHOICE staff members and donor expeditioners.

Our hearts go out to the grieving families.  Please send your thoughts and prayers to our dear friends, who dedicate themselves completely to the eradication of extreme poverty around the world.

CHOICE Humanitarian focuses on sustainable village development by building skills,  capacity and leadership.  Visit their web site to learn more about a marvelous organization!

Are you a college student or living from paycheck to paycheck but still want to help a great cause? Here are three fast and easy ways you can still make a difference!

You can also add these widgets links to your Facebook, MySpace, other blog or website to help spread the word! Instructions and code available at the GoodShop, GoodSearch and Mission Fish websites.

GoodShop is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy’s, Home Depot, Travelocity and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

An extra convenience: you can order your shopping list online through GoodShop with stores like Home Depot and opt to pick up your pre-filled order at the Home Depot location you designate, saving yourself a lot of time walking up and down aisles. Tia employees also book all their travel thru the Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline or Travelocity links on GoodShop so a percentage of their airfare comes back to Tia.

Continue reading “Broke? Other Ways You Can Still Help :)”

On July 12^th and 13th, Tia completed follow up visits in two villages: a six month follow up in Teocuitatlan, and a three month follow up in La Presa, Jalisco.

In Teocuitatlan, the Promotoras spent their time comparing best practices and helping to solidify each others skills and knowledge, while impressing us with how much they have been helping their friends and neighbors with their knowledge. In addition to the care they provide, they report a significant portion of their time is dedicated to encouraging healthy habits such as sanitation and nutrition improvements in their fellow villagers.

In La Presa, not only were we impressed by all the help and care these extraordinary women are giving, but also the additional responsibilities that they have already begun to take on. Carmen takes her medical kit to local rodeos, so that she can treat the injured. Jasmin and Aracelia go to the health clinic each month when the state doctor comes, and help by taking vitals and complaints from patients needing care. In the process, the doctor helps them hone and expand their own medical knowledge. The Promotoras often also take on the responsibility for checking in on patients of the doctor, and ensuring that wounds or illnesses are healing as expected.

These are all wonderful examples of self development! These women are taking the knowledge they have been given, and are becoming a force for further development in their communities.

Self-development as it applies in the context of sustainable international development usually begins with self-respect. Using Tia’s villages as an example, once the Community Health Workers or Promotoras develop confidence in their abilities and personal worth, they organize and begin looking for other ways to improve their lives and their communities without outside supervision and encouragement.

Without any suggestion from Tia, each example appears spontaneously in almost every Tia village: