Birthday Celebrations: Charity

How about adopting this birthday tradition? Birthdays are a big deal in many parts of India.  Some widely respected traditions include wearing new clothes, blessing parents, feeding others birthday cake - often including some messy frosting face smearing - and, in some offices, taking the day off work. But another practice I especially like is to give to charity.  Many people donate to a charity on this special day, especially by giving clothing or food to an orphanage or perhaps hosting a meal at a shelter home. It is both a blessing for the person celebrating the birthday as well…

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Shop for a Cause: Kamalini

Kamalini's spring Mela is coming up!  Kamalini works to empower underprivileged young women by providing basic education, useful skills, and confidence-boosting activities through two centers in Delhi and numerous outreach programs.   This Mela features women's and children's clothes donated by El Corte Ingles, a large Spanish department store. Shop for bargains and help Kamalini at the same time.

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The Care Imperative

Women and the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) What About All That Unpaid Labour? Two ideas are promising, both for proponents of gender equity and for policy makers looking to boost economic growth: Women's empowerment is now widely seen as central to reducing poverty and creating better health outcomes. Countries with greater gender equity in employment and education have higher rates of human development and economic growth. Super, you think.  Everyone will now have an interest in greater gender equity throughout society. So, the logic goes, to improve overall economic growth and human development, get those women jobs and political power. Voila.…

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