Brainplug

The Freedom to Create Prize celebrates the power of art to fight oppression, break down stereotypes and build trust in societies where the social fabric has been ripped apart by conflict, violence and misunderstanding. History shows that prosperous societies are founded upon creativity. Societies that encourage artistic expression build strong foundations for economic, political and cultural development. They will lead tomorrow’s world.

Established in 2008, the Freedom to Create Prize is a celebration of the courage and creativity of artists around the world who use their talents to promote social justice, build the foundations for open societies and inspire the human spirit. It is open to artists in all creative fields. Each year, US$125,000 in prize money is awarded across three categories: Main, Youth and Imprisoned Artist.

Freedom to Create (www.freedomtocreate.com) is a global movement of creative people who are changing the world.

To apply for the prize, click here, or visit the Freedom to Create website for more information. The application process is open until August 15, 2010.

An old Nepalese woman in Kathmandu, Nepal. With no options to retire, any of the elderly in this part of the world are forced to work at a very old age in order to support themselves and their families.

In the souq of Damascus

With now several branches throughout the world (UK, Australia, Israel), Orphfund is continuing to grow and make people more and more aware about the fate of street children and orphans in our world. With the overwhelming news of the earthquake disaster in Haiti, Orphfund has decided to raise funds to raise schools and facilities for some of the children who have been affected by this saddening disaster.

Before the earthquake, knowing that Haiti had a number of about 380 000 orphans, Orphfund was in contact with two communities and was planning a project for 2010 to help vulnerable children. Now, children in the “hatless country”, as Haiti-born author Dany Laferrière calls it, are in much greater need for assistance than ever before. According to the United Nations’ Children Fund, an estimated 1.26 million children – approximately 700,000 of them school-aged – have been directly affected by the earthquake in Haiti. This is a frightening number and it is difficult to estimate how long it will take before this age group recovers from this personal and national trauma caused by the earthquake.

At the moment, world organizations are working towards reuniting families that were displaced or separated during the earthquake. This colossal task is crucial within the chaos and aid needed. This is especially important for young children who are left alone, without knowing their address or their relatives, thus becoming at high risk of trafficking. Let me emphasize that Orphfund does not specialise in emergency or immediate aid. We rather bring help children by building and rebuilding of communities following horrific events or crisis, such as this one. We have projects in Cambodia, Tibet, Sierra Leone and Kenya, and our next projects will take place in Uganda and Haiti.

We are planning on going to the Leogane area in about one year from now, with a team of volunteers. In addition to the building of schools and orphanages, many ideas are in the talks, such as farming and tree nursery projects. However, at the moment, the situation on the ground is far too chaotic to have a detailed idea of what our project will consist of. We will know more details as time unfolds within the next months.

In the mean time, we are raising as many funds as possible among people and hold fundraising events in different parts of the world, so that we will be able to help as much as possible when the time comes. ALL funds received are going to be 100% used for the rebuilding project.

I am sure that some of you readers have already generously donated to charities providing aid and relief for immediate needs. Good job!
-If you did NOT donate for Haiti yet, I strongly encourage you to do, and by helping our initiative.
-If you did already donate for Haiti, I still encourage you to squeeze in a few more dollars from your pocket, to help this rebuilding project, because MANY funds will be needed to truly help this contry.

For donations (there is NO minimum amount, any amount will be greatly appreciated!), please write anneso.orphfund@gmail.com and I will explain to you how to donate, according to your country.
Also, if you are interested in helping or if you want to know more about our projects or about us, send me a message to the above email.

Thank You!
Anne-Sophie Cardinal, co-Director of Orphfund Israel, who is watching this world right now and thinking that Haiti will need help beyond words, to get back on track… (but with your help, we can do it!)

Potosi, Bolivia Miners: 5 Centuries Deep is a photo documentary project that aims to explore the changing face of the mining community and mining industry in Potosi, Bolivia. Photographer Irina Zhorov hopes to bring more awareness to
the present situation of the miners, the surrounding towns, the country’s nationalization efforts and work with foreign companies in the context of a Colonial past. It’s a beautiful and terrifying place that has, according to lore, yielded enough silver to build a silver bridge from Bolivia to Spain. In reality, it does not fall too short of that claim – it was the biggest silver mine in the world and has been mined continuously for about 500 years. With ore deposits close to exhaustion, new foreign companies operating on site, and a president that promises not to repeat history’s mistakes in Bolivia, changes are afoot. Whether the mining industry in Potosi is changing or, perhaps, yielding its last is yet to be seen and this project aims to document it.

Please read more about it and help make it happen at Kickstarter: Potosi, Bolivia Miners: 5 Centuries Deep.

A miner in Potosi, Bolivia

October 15 is Blog Action Day 2009, and this year’s theme is Climate Change. So, come on bloggers and let your readers know what they can do to make a difference.

Head over to blogactionday.org for more information.