Australian aid agencies have begun the first wave of cuts to overseas projects, as they start to feel the effects of the Government’s budget decreases to foreign aid. The cuts would heavily affect poverty-stricken children and youth across the world.
Plan Australia and World Vision have settled on more than a dozen projects, worth around $6.5 million between them, after negotiations with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade over the foreign aid cuts announced in last December’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
The projects being axed are only the first instalment of what will be a $1 billion slice out of the foreign aid budget, affecting four continents.
World Vision estimates up to 1.31 million people will miss out on services affected by the cuts.
Projects include:
Senegal – Child Protection and Participation Project: $459,000
South Sudan – South Sudan Education Project: $966,000
Uganda – Urban Youth Livelihoods Project: $432,000
India – Child Protection Project: $700,000
India – Delhi HIV/Aid Mitigation Project phase two: $80,000
Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza – North Gaza Community Resilience Project: $765,000
Pacific Timor-Leste – Clean water, gender-based violence eradication, health, education: $591,000
World Vision’s total cuts are valued at $5,574,012.
In 1990, Wassoulou singer Sangare became a superstar in WestAfrica with Moussolou, which sold an astonishing 250,000 copies (many more were likely pirated). She received much of her attention for writing and singing lyrics that specifically addressed concerns of women in modern West African society, such as the conflict between marriage and personal freedom; not a shocking subject in the Western world, perhaps, but a pioneering one for the popular music of the region. Western listeners who can’t understand the lyrics will be drawn in by her mellifluous vocals and smooth, circular compositions, which use full arrangements without sounding over-produced. Both traditional instruments and electric guitars/basses are prominently used (without getting in each other’s way) on her 1993 release Ko Sira, her most widely available recording in the U.S.
I believe love is the greatest and the most powerful emotion of all emotions we feel as human beings. Every person needs love in whatever form they can get. If we have love from our children, friends, lovers or partner, and some from pets, (or blog readers), love is the one thing that would make us feel good about ourselves. I truly believe love makes us better people. In this application, the love I am referring to is the romantic kind. I also hope I am interpreting this challenge the right way.
In a recent Valentine’s Day Challenge, my friend MillieThom nominated me to write ten four-word phrases about LOVE. The phrases must represent what I believe is love. Then, I must state one favorite love quote from a book, a movie or a famous person and then tag ten other bloggers to do the challenge as well. I have nominated a dozen. I believe that love is important to all of us – friends, readers and writers. It is a good challenge for poets and romance writers but as writers in general, we all would have or will experience and write about love at some point, so if I nominate you, have a go! as we say in Australia.
Here are my ten, four word phrases about LOVE:
Love is . . .
….. magic without spoken words
……a temptress at play
……an arrow of doom
……seeing quicksand at work
…….a work of art
….. soft strings in tangle
……knowing, hearts can open
……a devil in disguise
……a wild, crazy emotion
……soars when hearts entwine
…….a song of hearts
Image: Public domain
Now for my favourite love quote – (I can’t do a short phrase for love)
A love message from Bob Marley.
“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
― Bob Marley
Image: Public domain
I have nominated a dozen love messengers. I could have done more, but I was told to do ten. Have fun!
“Life is easy” says Jon Jandai. “Why do we have to make it so difficult?”
After pursuing “success” in Bangkok for several years, Jon dropped out of university to return to village life. There, he went back to the life he knew as a child, working two months of the year to grow rice (with an additional 15 minutes a day to grow vegetables), dug a couple of fish ponds, built his own homes using earthen bricks, and gave up buying clothes (he has so many clothes from friends and visitors that he has to give them away). Jo contends that to be happy, we cannot just rely on money; we have to reconnect with each other.
“Before I thought that stupid people like me … cannot have a house… because people who are cleverer than me and get a job need to work for 30 years to have a house. But for me, who cannot finish university, how can I have a house. It’s hopeless for people who have low education like me. But when I start to do earthen buildings, it’s so easy! I spent two hours per day… and in 3 months I have a house. A friend who was the most clever in the class he has a house too but he has to be in debt for 30 years, so compared to him I have 29 years and 10 months of free time. I feel life is so easy.”
Jon runs Pun Pun an organic farm, seed-saving operation, and sustainable living and learning center. At Pun Pun they use ancient natural building techniques with readily available, local, natural materials with little embodied energy and salvaged materials to make homes, a practical and affordable alternative to resource intensive conventional building.
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