Tag Archives: absolutely art

Jan5

A Human Right, Not a Birthright: Help Support Education in Ethiopia

Posted on by
Standard

stehwithkidsDear Friends,

I so completely agree with the words of Nelson Mandela, who we sadly lost this year but whose vision lives on. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” he once said, and it is this belief that compelled me to board an Ethiopia-bound plane for the first time. And now, I’m excited — truly excited! — to have the opportunity to teach and learn in this beautiful and complex African country once more.

I firmly believe that education is a basic human right, not a birthright. And when I act on this belief by traveling to Ethiopia to work with youngsters there, I still feel that I’m acting locally, despite the physical distance, because in the end, all of humankind is connected.

Ensuring education, this basic human right, requires money, but less than one might think. A mere $21, for example, educates a child for a month; $252, a year. These sweet children in Ethiopia desperately want an education, yet most families lack the means to fund one. If everyone reading this contributed $21 to send a child to school for just one month — well, we would begin to move mountains.

I’m traveling more than 7,500 miles, rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty to help. Rough terrain, food poisoning, bedbugs and fleas are all very real possibilities as I make my way in Ethiopia. Believe me, I get more than I give when I interact with these sweet children, but it won’t be easy.

I’m asking you to help in your own way. Think about what you life would be like if you were born somewhere where the opportunities and education you’ve enjoyed were virtually impossible if not for outside intervention. Then click “donate now” to assist me in my efforts. Let’s give everyone, regardless of where they were born, a fair shot at education.

[DONATE NOW by clicking here]

I know how busy we all are, so when I reach out again, please know it is coming from a sincere and humble place of wanting to remind you, as I myself often need reminders.

With deepest gratitude,
Stephanie

Jan3

Introducing … Absolutely Art: A Project for Change

Posted on by
Standard

ImageAfter nearly a decade of learning on the ground in Ethiopia and traversing the globe to improve ourselves, we’re ready to give Art Aid International a makeover of sorts — and that includes a new name.

What I’ve learned in my 40 years on Earth — plus my real time in the field in Ethiopia — is to follow my gut and to listen to my heart. “Aid” has become a word I don’t like. It implies a sense of hierarchy, dividing the world into the “haves” and the “have nots.”

I have gained so much more than I have given in my time in Ethiopia. How I wish we could do an exchange whereby people with such little monetarily could share with those of us who happen to be financially fortunate, teaching us about what really matters — which I believe is something you gain by the absence of “things.”

Yes, I have access to the mere $21 that it takes to send an Ethiopian child to school every month, but that’s only a product of my birthplace, not of my own doing. That $21 a month means the world to parents who can’t afford to send their child to school simply because of where they were born. Seems kind of crazy unfair, doesn’t it? But that says nothing of me or them — just of chance, really.

ImageSo this word “aid” started to bug me, to fester in my thoughts, and I felt compelled to set it right. I decided this project has outgrown its old name; it needed a new one to honor the people it’s there to serve and to highlight that, in a much broader sense, we give and we get — it is an exchange.

Thus, Absolutely Art was born, a project for change. I do believe in change: I believe every child has a basic human right to education, literacy and to live out loud in full color, despite there place of birth and parents’ income bracket. A dollar a day — a typical Ethiopian salary — doesn’t afford education for sweet children eager to learn, but it affords love, community, basic human dignity.

So with the humble heart of a student, I’m really excited for this new chapter in learning and growing and sharing art! Join me in celebrating Absolutely Art: A Project for Change!