"a little help" needed

I have been sending small donations to an organization i first found mentioned on the nightly news. It is called "a little help". It is run almost single-handed by an American woman named Rosemary Stasek. Click on this link to hear a little bit about her story. It is fascinating....http://msnbc-222615.newsvine.com/_video/2008/06/27/1619286-lending-a-hand-in-afghanistan Even more fascinating, when i send her my little donations via Paypal, she actually takes the time to write me back, personally thanking me for my small donation. Right now it is Winter in Afghanistan and it is very difficult to get supplies to her various locations. So, money is the best way to donate. But Rosemary has special programs she runs, like the school for the blind for women and girls, where they teach the women how to knit. (This gave me the incentive to learn to knit. I figured if THEY can lean how to knit without sight, then i certainly can at least give it a try!) When the weather clears Rosemary will again be collecting donations of yarn and knitting needles for her program. She accepts clothes, blankets, toys, etc for her children's programs and schools. She also offers a school for young women artists and accepts donations of art supplies too, weather permitting....Rosemary travels around the country speaking on behalf of her organization. She will be visiting California in January and February, and is scheduled to be in New York at Cornell University in March. I would love to try to see her there. She is a remarkable woman who is making a huge difference in the world, all by herself. The photo at the top of this post is of one of the blind students, learning how to knit on donated materials. Click on the photo to see Rosemary and her photos from 2008.

"a little pin money = a little help"

Photo from the website " a little help"

One of the reasons i like to put my arts and crafts out there for sale is, it gives me some "pin" money to do with what i want. When i sell my sock and glove animals, i take a little of that money and contribute it to The Mohawk and Hudson Humane Society..the animal shelter of my choice. If i sell something that is related to my teacher Amma, then some of that money goes to her many many good charities. Usually i ask that it be put towards her orphanages. After the Tsunami, the number of displaced children in the orphanages grew and grew. I wonder how Amma manages to feed and clothe them all. When i finally sit down and start my planned series of paintings based on the stories of some of the women i support thru Kiva, (IF these paintings ever materialize and IF they ever sell) some of that money will go back into Kiva. It is all so natural and it makes so much sense to me. The Universe gives and you give back. In my mind, that's how it all works. Well, while watching the Nightly News last night there was a special segment on "Making a Difference" (click on Making a Difference link to view the segment) about this organization, called " a little help" It is a non profit organization, run by one American woman in Afghanistan, who has only one part time assistant, and she is REALLY making a difference in this big world-especially for women and girls in that war torn country. Please take a few minutes to check out her site. Her requests for help are simple and few. One of her current goals is to supply a blind woman's group with yarn and knitting needles. These disabled women are being taught to support themselves in a simple way...working with their hands. And aren't some of us striving to do the same thing? The big difference here is, we can get up, get in our cars and drive to the craft or yarn store, buy our materials and go to work. These women, in addition to being blind, cannot go out in public alone, unescorted...Yarn shops in Afghanistan? I would guess not many. And without being allowed or being able to work, who has money for yarn and knitting needles? So i thought i would share this story with you all in hopes that someone else will be inspired and keep the story going. In the meantime, i need to get to work and make some money!