This Easter, give someone a real bunny to eat

Horrified vegetarians and rabbit-lovers aside, it's actually a great cause. For a $35 donation, Plan Canada will add matching funds and send an orgy of six sex-crazed rabbits to a family in the developing world to breed for food.

According to the site:

"Working out the math for this gift could keep anyone hopping. Six rabbits, which can breed up to 10 bunnies every 31 days, can also create an instant business for a family. That business means food on the table and an income to pay for housing, healthcare and education. All of which adds up to families in charge of their lives, children with opportunities, and hope that will reproduce just as rapidly as this gift."

Thanks to Because I am a Girl Canada for the great gift idea that can start to reverse the karma of all that non-fairtrade chocolate you've probably eaten.

Attention hoarding for a cause

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I love the new social media landscape. But every once in a while, as I walk through my city, I am reminded that I am also still in love with one of the oldest ad media in existence: hoarding posters:

This campaign, from Plan Canada, shows how good old fashioned physical presence can still dominate the attention of an audience.

The campaign,"Because I Am a Girl",  is "a global campaign to claim a brighter, safer future for girls. Investing in girls is key to eliminating poverty and creating a better world."

The campaign is a combination of membership drive, fundraising, and awareness for the women in poverty.

The statistics are chilling:

• 70 per cent of the one billion people living in extreme poverty are women and girls.
• Girls are 3x more likely to be malnourished than boys.
• Over 60 million girls are denied access to primary school.

But the opportunities are inspiring:

• An extra year of school for girls will increase their lifetime income by 10-20%.
• Children of women who have completed primary school are less likely to die before age 5 than children of mothers with no schooling.
• Women who do work reinvest 90% of their income back into their household.

The Because I Am A Girl campaign funds projects to promote water and food security, health care and education and microfinancing livelihoods in Africa, South Asia and South America.

If you'd like to help, visit their site and register, or join their Facebook page.