I am French. I live in Belgium. "What's it got to do with thanks?", you wonder. Well, actually, nothing. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving, of course, it's not part of our history. We French are more used to complain about basically everything and go on strike whenever something's bothering us. Since we complain about everything we're always on strike.
That said, I am first and foremost a world citizen, and I'm thankful to be one. I feel, as a world citizen, that whenever a celebration such as Thanksgiving takes place, I want in. I usually write about what's needed, let's turn around and write about what we have, and what we're thankful to have.
I am thankful for my parents, who might not always understand what the hell I'm up to, but who have supported me in every decision I've made.
I am thankful for my boyfriend, who might not always understand what the hell I'm up to either, but who has always supported me in every decision I've made.
I am thankful for my friends, here and far away, for the great conversations :)
I am thankful for my first real English teacher from my days of yore, who doesn't know the Anglophile monster he's unleashed.
I am thankful for my two yoga teachers, one in Brussels and one in London, who are taking me on a path to a destination yet unknown, but what a ride it's been so far already!
I am thankful to have a roof above my head and food on my plate, which is not the case for everyone as we all know...
I am thankful for my body: for my legs that carry me all day and every day, for my arms that are strong enough to make me look like a crow (yoga talk, sorry peeps!), for my brain that takes me to places you can't even imagine, for my heart that has opened up so much lately that it's almost unbearable.
But most of all, today, I am thankful for you, readers, change makers, yoginis, friends and coworkers, who inspire me daily. I am thankful for having met lately amazing people who are so compassionate, so committed, that you can't help but think that yes, eventually, it will all work out. Hope and faith, that's what I'm thankful for.
Today I am thankful for EpicChange, Stacey, Sanjay, and the awesome work they have been doing to do good in this world. I am thankful to be part of such a group of wonderful people who are committed to spreading gratitude, and by doing so helping and honouring individuals who make a change in their communities.
This year, TweetsGiving / EpicThanks will celebrate and honour three changemakers. Yes, not one, but three. I'm sure you're dying to know who they are, aren't you? Truth is, I have been searching for my words to tell their stories, but whatever I write no match to their own voices, so I'll it to them to share, enjoy!
- Mama Lucy, Tanzania
"My village in Arusha, Tanzania did not have many good schools. So, I started a primary school in 2003 with money I raised from a small chicken farm. I began with only 10 students. Now I serve more than 411 kids and my school is currently ranked #2 in my district out of 123 schools.
I am Mama Lucy Kamptoni.
I am Mama Lucy Kamptoni.
Over the past two years, TweetsGiving and Epic Change have supported the expansion of our school, and our primary school is now complete - with seven classrooms, even a school bus, library and technology lab. Most importantly, our students continue to perform well, and have been recognized as some of the best and brightest in our area. While I’m excited about our progress, I’m also honestly worried about what will happen to these children once they leave the doors of our primary school.
Primary education in Tanzania ends at class 7. Next year 2011 October, our first class 7 will sit for their final primary exams. Thereafter, they’ll need a good secondary school to join by January 2012. We believe they’ll perform well enough to earn a place in secondary school, but due to the lack of enough good schools in our country, the Government will place them to any available school. What I know is that, most of the government schools across the country lack good/enough teachers and also teaching materials. I’ve come across secondary school students complaining on going to school for almost a month without being taught one/two subjects like Math or Science. I’m so much worried about this for my students.
How can Gideon fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut without ongoing good education after the primary level? What about Glory who’s dream is to be a lawyer and stand for human rights? Will Leah’s dream of being a doctor come true without continuing good education? These children have incredible potential to transform our nation. It’s my hope that we can continue their education until they become independent young adults ready to lead Tanzania.
I ask you to join us on making it possible. The world we share will be better for all of us if these children are able to reach their amazing potential. I know that’s true.
I’m so grateful for what many people across the globe have done so far for my dream and for these kids. Your shared love and gratitude made so much possible. Thank you so much for pushing these kids’ dreams into reality!
Connect with me.
You may also follow my sixth grade class, the TwitterKids of Tanzania, on the twitter list at http://twitter.com/EpicChange/twitterkids."
Mama Lucy's actions do not stop there. She helped EpicChange pick up another project, and she chose Subhash Ghimire's initiative in Nepal!
- Subhash Ghimire (Nepal)
"My journey to this day began in Arupokhari, a remote western Nepali village, which is more than a day’s walk from the district headquarters. My village was at the heart of Nepal’s ten years of civil war from 1996 to 2006. When I was five years old, every day I walked barefoot to and from school and then came home to study under the kerosene lamps as part of my daily routine. Even though we didn't have blacktopped roads, electricity, telephones or a proper school, all the children I knew dreamed of becoming doctors or pilots. We knew even then that no one wanted us to settle for anything less. But over time, as we busied ourselves building dreams amidst poverty, hunger and scarcity, we slowly began to realize how unrealistic and impossible those dreams were. After all these years, we do not have a single doctor or a pilot from my hometown.
Still, with all of this, I have never been able to stop dreaming big. From the time I was young, I longed for changes in Nepal. My audacity to think like this came in part because at the age of nine I had one very important dream come true. I was selected to study in a prestigious British-style school in Kathmandu, Nepal. That was when I saw buses and electricity for the first time; and first started to learn English. That is where I first learned that sometimes in one moment, your life can change forever.
I am a wildly optimistic person willing to sacrifice for my country so that future generations do not have to suffer the same way. I believe that changing a country has to start with educating the young generation and that is where I am investing my energy. With the Sarswati Foundation that I founded in the summer of 2009, I am now working on building the first peace school in Nepal so that the children whose lives were blighted by the war get an opportunity to overcome unfounded prejudice and discrimination and realize the possibilities of creating an informed and tolerant society for future generations. I want all of the children in my village to get the best possible education so that they can achieve their dreams of becoming not only doctors or pilots but anything else they desire to be.
Still, with all of this, I have never been able to stop dreaming big. From the time I was young, I longed for changes in Nepal. My audacity to think like this came in part because at the age of nine I had one very important dream come true. I was selected to study in a prestigious British-style school in Kathmandu, Nepal. That was when I saw buses and electricity for the first time; and first started to learn English. That is where I first learned that sometimes in one moment, your life can change forever.
I am a wildly optimistic person willing to sacrifice for my country so that future generations do not have to suffer the same way. I believe that changing a country has to start with educating the young generation and that is where I am investing my energy. With the Sarswati Foundation that I founded in the summer of 2009, I am now working on building the first peace school in Nepal so that the children whose lives were blighted by the war get an opportunity to overcome unfounded prejudice and discrimination and realize the possibilities of creating an informed and tolerant society for future generations. I want all of the children in my village to get the best possible education so that they can achieve their dreams of becoming not only doctors or pilots but anything else they desire to be.
After years of poverty, struggle and despair, I became the first person in generations of my family to graduate from college. My mom passed away when I was nine years old. Her life has been a light and inspiration to me and without her motivation and upbringing, my journey to this day would have been impossible.
Dear Friends, we need countless stories to move our world forward. We need schools that teach our students to action; we need education that not only teaches us to be good citizens but also go out and make a difference. We need idealists; we need dreamers, thinkers and leaders. My education has made me look beyond and contribute towards the greater good of the society. As President Obama once said, “every generation we have an obligation to work on behalf of the next generation.”
Some may have called me naive for daring to dream at all, if they had seen the place where I started from. But if we stop dreaming and if we stop believing in ourselves, we are never going to create a world that is fair and just for everyone. If we are not willing to sacrifice, who will? How long can we wait? Please support my peace school project to educate and enable thousands of war affected Nepalese children to dream big and achieve their dreams.
Connect with me.
Twitter | Facebook | Blog"
The third project has been chosen by the EpicChange team in Tampa, let's have a look:
- Mike Halley
I’m a Marine. My journey with the United States Marine Corps began in 1960. I served for eight years, including two tours in Vietnam. I survived the horrors of that war, and returned home after the Tet Offensive to find a country that had abandoned us.
After returning from Vietnam, I found myself at a loss. I couldn’t get close to other people and I couldn’t explain what was wrong with me. Just driving my truck down the road, I’d be in tears. The explanation was found in the fact I have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an invisible disability that affects many Americans, military and civilians alike, following a traumatic event in their lives. My diagnosis finally came in 1988, twenty years after my honorable discharge from the Corps.
It took my collection of experiences as a Marine to lead me to where I am today. Presently, my vocation is to serve my fellow service men and women find peace when they return home from war. In 2007, I trained my Doberman pinscher, Porsche, to be my personal service dog. Having a partner like Porsche has led to making my life better both in how I deal with my PTSD as well as how I relate with other people.
After returning from Vietnam, I found myself at a loss. I couldn’t get close to other people and I couldn’t explain what was wrong with me. Just driving my truck down the road, I’d be in tears. The explanation was found in the fact I have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an invisible disability that affects many Americans, military and civilians alike, following a traumatic event in their lives. My diagnosis finally came in 1988, twenty years after my honorable discharge from the Corps.
It took my collection of experiences as a Marine to lead me to where I am today. Presently, my vocation is to serve my fellow service men and women find peace when they return home from war. In 2007, I trained my Doberman pinscher, Porsche, to be my personal service dog. Having a partner like Porsche has led to making my life better both in how I deal with my PTSD as well as how I relate with other people.
Following the success of my training of Porsche, I was inundated with questions about who trained my dog or if I could train a dog for someone else with similar needs to mine. This got me thinking and, as a result, I founded Halley’s K-9s for Veterans in October of 2008.
The goal of the organization is to provide service dogs to disabled veterans of all ages, to help these veterans overcome their invisible disabilities in order to become more productive and functional, and to inform the public of the need for service dogs other than seeing eye dogs. Even with our humble beginnings, we’ve been very successful in teaming over 25 disabled veterans with their new partners, and we’re very proud of the good we’ve been able to create as a result.
Our next goal is to build a temporary home at our kennel where veterans can stay while we pair them with their service animals and, of course, to expand our work to serve as many veterans as we possibly can. In my eyes, it’s the least we can do for them.
And I know it can make all the difference in the world. It certainly has for me.
Connect with me.
Twitter | Facebook"
Don't these stories make you all warm and fuzzy inside? So unleash your thankful self and give EpicThanks too! Spread the word on Twitter (hashtag #EpicThanks) and Facebook and any place you can think of, contribute and support these beautiful projects!
THANK YOU!
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