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.
"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."
It's World Water Day today, and I'm up to my baby blues in "real" work, so here's a compilation of classic water-related PSAs to remind us all of what's at stake if we don't keep our water resources clean and safe (hint: we all die).
Matt Damon's viral PSA "making of" freakout (contains F-bombs, via earthfirst.com)
Jennifer Connelly has to fetch water from Central Park to live (via search)
A group called Malaria No More has engaged a large group of American entertainers to laugh in the face of death — and spread awareness of a deadly disease.
Malaria has essentially been wiped out on North America for decades, but it continues to kill thousands of people a day in places like Africa.
"Comedy Fights Malaria shows that the disease is no laughing matter — every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from malaria — but humor can keep malaria in the spotlight and in the conversation. The result is always amusing, often absurd and sometimes downright bizarre messages from a broad range of stars.
"Our goal is to engage people in a new way of talking about malaria and see how each person can contribute their own unique skills to keep malaria at the forefront of the conversation."
Look for Aziz Ansari, Will Arnett, Lake Bell, Orlando Bloom, Elizabeth Banks, Ted Danson, Lisa Edelstein, Sarah Gilbert, Elliott Gould, Josh Groban, Rachel Harris, Ed Helms, Rob Huebel, Ellie Kemper, Nick Kroll, Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, John Mayer, B.J. Novak, Jeremy Piven, Jeff Probst, Rob Riggle, Paul Scheer, Jason Schwartzman and Scott Wolf:
What do you think of comedy being used to fight tragedy? (Even absurd, lightweight, too often unfunny humour li
ke this.) Is it appropriate? And more importantly, will it work?
As far as this specific NGO is concerned, awareness is a key step in achieving their ambitious vision:
"We’re determined to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015—and we’re helping the world get it done. Malaria No More leverages high-impact awareness campaigns to engage the world, global advocacy to rally leadership and strategic investments in Africa to accelerate progress, build capacity and save lives."
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.
• 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.
There's a bit of a debate going on Osocio's comments thread about this post regarding Kia Canada's new "Corporate Social Responsibility" campaign. Some readers are pointing out (and not without justification) that a car campaign dressed up as goodwill has no place on a social marketing blog.
Ironically, whenever I read the comments, I am confronted with this banner ad just below:
We are working to get Coca-Cola to open up their distribution channels in developing countries to carry 'social products', such as oral rehydration salts to save children's lives. You can by a Coca-Cola virtually anywhere but one in five children die before their fifth birthday. This moratlity rate has not changed significantly over the last three decades which indicates that we need to look for new options like ColaLife.
And, while ColaLife associates itself with Coca-Cola, it's actually lobbying Coke to sign on to this project, open up their distribution channels, and provide seed funding. And they're looking to public fundraising for sustainability.
It's a brilliant idea, piggybacking on one of the most robust distribution systems in the world to get medical supplies to the far corners of the third world with an elegantly simple solution:
They're driven. They're very organized. But I wonder just how much Coke is going to want to take them along for the ride.
If you'd like to help these social entrepreneurs, you can donate online.
Well, I'm back from a week in the wilds of Northern Ontario, and eager to re-enter the blogosphere.
This being the first day of the working week, and Acart Videographer Christopher Redmond still teaching film in Africa, it's time for another Burundi Monday.
Today, I'd like to share some still images from the field, captured by Artistic Director Bridget Redmond. (She and Christopher are married.) The pictures are lifted directly from the BFC blog, and give us a foretaste of some of the cool stories we're sure to hear on Christoper's return.
That's Mr. Redmond, eating local.
This is lunch.
This is inside.
This is outside.
And this is a wall.
Pretty wild stuff. You can see more pics, and follow Christopher and company as they begin shooting a new series of Burundian stories, at the BFC site.
