Alternative Gift Fair @ Earth House

Thanks to Earth House at Lockerbie UMC for sponsoring the Alternative Gift Fair.

Lockerbie UMC is old inner city church located in downtown Indianapolis.

Visiting Friends, Man's Best Friend

Nets for Dogs? No but pregnant women and children under five.

He left his wallet home!

Saving Lives in the Congo

You can save a life for just $1.50! How? Donate $1.50 for an insecticide treated mosquito net to prevent malaria.

Offering an Alternative Christmas

Looking for that special present! Consider giving 10 life-saving insecticide treated mosquito nets. Just $15 for 10 nets.

Reading How Congo is a Victim of Discrimination

The Congo is a victim of discrimination? No way!

That's a polite way of saying the truth. In the case of Congo, I believe the western world views them as 'collateral damage' in quest of their 'vital interest'. I may be wrong!

But how do you let over 5.4 millions people, mostly women and children, died from a preventable and treatable diseases while you import their mineral resources?

BBC NEWS Africa Congo victim of 'discrimination':

"The world is not sending enough troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo because of discrimination, a former top UN official has told the BBC.

There is 'inbuilt discrimination when it comes to Africa', said Jan Egeland, pointing to the world's response to crises in the Middle East and Europe.

He is one of 16 former top officials and leaders to sign a letter calling on the EU to send troops to DR Congo.

Some 250,000 people have fled recent fighting in eastern DR Congo.
The UN this month said it would send an extra 3,000 troops to DR Congo, on top of the 17,000 already there - the world's largest peacekeeping force.

But Mr Egeland said this was not enough for DR Congo, which is almost the size of western Europe."

A Dog-gone Good Meeting

Mike, Randy, and Mimi of Indy Mantrailing brought two certified Bloodhounds to the Indianapolis Northeast RC meeting. The K9s (dogs) are used for Search and Reach (SAR) operations in support of law enforcement agencies in central Indiana.

The

Woody M. Collins
http://www.EndingExtremePoverty.org

Created a Congo Helping Hands' Page on Facebook

Social media, that is, connecting to people electronically on the "networks" required in this new age. Meeting face-to-face is ideal but not practical because it is time consuming and expensive. Also, it is great for staying connected.

Congo Helping Hands enters the social media world of Facebook.

Woody Collins
President, Congo Helping Hands, Inc
facebook: http://profile.to/woodycollins/

Visiting With a Friend and Eating Jambalaya

It was a good day for Jambalaya and catching up with a friend. Today's weather was misty and windy with the temperature falling. Yats on College was perfect.

I met with Greg who selected for last year's Rotary District 6560 Outbound Group Study Exchange (GSE) to the countries of Kenya and Ethiopia (in Africa). Greg was interested in Africa before on the trip. Now he is really interested in making a difference somewhere in Africa.

Greg gave me a book, Facing the Congo -- A Modern-Day Journey into the Heart of Darkness, by Jeffrey Tayler. It is story of a seasoned traveler and journalist's trip to re-trace Stanely trip down the Congo River.

Greg decided to join the Carmel Rotary Club. It was exciting news to find another passionate person for Rotary's work in Africa.

Reading George Clooney's Appeal to Obama

Obama must end FOUR wars while jump-starting the United States' economic engine. Where should he start first?

The four wars are Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, and Congo.

Obama's Opportunity to Help Africa - WSJ.com: "Given the daunting challenges before him, it would be unsurprising if bringing peace to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo was not at the top of Barack Obama's list of early priorities. But it should be. Not only because Sudan and Congo are the two deadliest wars in the world, but because they are wars that the Obama administration could actually help end."