Posts tagged ‘Indonesia’

Numbers

By Monica Brand, 8 March, 2009, 1 Comment

In a country with high unemployment and over 4 million school-age children unable to go to school, it is not difficult to understand how trafficking can thrive. The latest government estimates in 2004 put the number of children trafficked for prostitution at 21,000 for Java and 70,000 for the whole of Indonesia. But the ILO says this is just the tip of the iceberg as trafficking is notoriously difficult to track.

At least 70,000 Indonesian children trafficked for prostitution. This is beyond comprehension.

Read the rest of the article at IRIN.com.

(And I’m glad I didn’t listen to that little doubting voice in my head whispering, “Don’t post anything today. Nobody is interested.” I’m going to continue to speak out about for these kids, even if I do live on the other side of the world.)

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I dare you to look

By Monica Brand, 1 March, 2009, 1 Comment


Please visit the Compassion International sponsor page for another act of daring love. Or make a gift to the Global Food Crisis Fund.

On behalf of the forgotten children of the world – thank you.

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Indonesian children: surviving on the street

By Monica Brand, 22 February, 2009, 2 Comments

Sundays. I’ve never been much for posting on Sunday, preferring to take a break from all things Internet related. But now I think a better use of this space on a Sunday is to point to a problem that we should be giving loads of attention and linkage.

Hence this video.


This is the link to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Or if Compassion International with it’s passionate Christian message isn’t your thing, I suspect there are plenty of other organizations helping Indonesia. Go find them and do something.

If you are wondering, “Why Indonesia?”, you can read about my connection to the country here and here.

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Soles for Souls: a little giving goes a long way

By Monica Brand, 10 November, 2008, 1 Comment

The 50,000 Pairs in 50 Days Challenge

When I lived in Indonesia, I witnessed quite a few people, especially little kids, going barefoot. That’s not such a big deal if you have nice soft grass to walk in, but this was the city, with it’s dirt, garbage, open sewers and all-around grime. I mean, big rats were on those streets at night, people. Would you let your children run barefoot in those conditions?

Friends, today kicks off an exciting grassroots effort to help others.

It’s called Soles for Souls and it’s simple: get 50,000 pairs of shoes on the feet of those who need them in only 50 days. A five dollar donation buys two pairs of shoes.

I was going to donate $5, then realized I could easily double that amount. It’s not too often I can double the pledge amount when I give to a charity. So I’m in for $10.

Four pairs of shoes for $10. You can’t beat that with a stick.

Wanna help? You don’t have to be a shoe diva (or dude) to donate, just a fan of helping others. Follow the link above in the lovely graphic to do that. And to make this more interesting: if 50 of my readers donate $5 each (or more), I’ll kick in another ten bucks. Just let us know in the comments when you donate. Let’s spur each other on to make a difference in the world.

Five bucks equals two pairs of shoes and it goes to the least of these. If you still need incentive to give, check this out: Soles for Souls is going to select one donor to hand deliver shoes in Mexico. How cool is that? You could be like a Shoe Santa Claus, giving shoes to someone who has never had a pair before.

Don’t think your $5 doesn’t matter, because it does. 50,000 is a lot of people, but if many of us give, we can do it!

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18

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What I’m reading: August 2008

By Monica Brand, 26 August, 2008, 10 Comments

A Year in the World (Journeys of a Passionate Traveler) by Francis Mayes. Heavy on the food and history descriptions. I’m still in the first few chapters (Spain) with Mayes; not the most exciting read.

I’m enjoying Tales of a Female Nomad (Living at Large in the World) by children’s book author Rita Golden Gelman. I would finish it if I could FIND THE BOOK. I hate it when I do this, put an object down somewhere in the house and lose it (is it lost or misplaced? I hope it’s not misplaced outside. It’s a library hardcover).

Tales reminds me of the Gilbert book Eat, Pray, Love because both authors lived in Indonesia, by far the most exotic place I’ve ever lived. I like comparing my Indonesian experiences with other women. If you liked Eat, Pray, Love, you may like Tales of a Female Nomad. Tales isn’t a spiritual jouney like Eat, but there are spiritual elements to it.

While searching for Gelman’s book, I found this book. I started reading it months ago and – you guessed it – mislaid it. Maybe I’ll take Anytime Playdate (Inside the Preschool Entertainment Boom) by Dade Hayes on vacation with me next month to finish it. I like the fact that it’s the baby’s Daddy who authored this look into children’s television.

These I took out of the library but have yet to start them:

Without Reservations (The Travels of an Independent Woman) by Alice Steinback

Almost French (Love and Life in Paris) by Sarah Turnbull

Nothing to Declare (Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone) by Mary Morris

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What are you reading? Cybersurf over to 5 Minutes for Books to share what you’ve been reading this month.

If you are visiting from 5 Minutes for Books, check out my latest book contest.

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When two worlds collide: Elizabeth Gilbert and why I home school

By Monica Brand, 28 July, 2008, 15 Comments

Did you feel that tremor last week? The lighting, the rolls of thunder, the shifting of the earth under your feet? Two of my favorite subjects – Elizabeth Gilbert and home schooling – collided Friday when my husband brought home the local newspaper.

I was writing a blog post about why I home school. Husband handed me the paper with Gilbert on the cover. I read the story, I looked at the picture. I laughed. I read it again. I almost made a puddle on the kitchen floor.

Eat, Pray, Love author Gilbert gave a demon statue to a local school!?! O, the blog fodder! What a gift! Can you just see me rubbing my hands together in glee? Bwaahaahaa. Blogging is fun, but this was almost too much.

Are you ready for this? Here we go, let’s start with the facts-

Elizabeth Gilbert donates demon statue to local elementary school

According to the Delaware Valley News, Gilbert and her business partner presented Frenchtown Elementary School with an 8-foot high Balinese demon when they visited the school to talk about life in Indonesia. A contest to name the huge foam monster will be held in the fall, according to the paper. (Gilbert owns and operates a store in Frenchtown of south east Asian imports; it’s across the street from the school).

I’m sorry I don’t have a picture. I tried scanning it, but it came out poorly. Trust me when I say this demon statue is truly ugly: a screaming red-yellow striped face, wide mouth open with dagger teeth, arms getting ready to snatch, with one big foot raised to squish a student.

So, those are the facts as presented by reporter. Now to the topic at hand: why I home school. I’ll get back to Gilbert’s demon in a minute.

Why I home school

These are my three main reasons:

  • To be the strongest influence on my kids. Me, their mom. Not their peers, not some unknown stranger year after year I don’t know personally. This is a biggy for me. My husband and I want our children to know us, to come to us for advice, to feel part of a team. Home education is the best way to accomplish this goal.
  • To teach my children the Christian faith. We believe the most effective way to do that is though spending as much time with them as we can, talking about it, living it daily before them. Teaching my children goes hand-in-hand with being the greater influence in their lives.
  • Because I can. For me, it’s a no-brainer, a logical choice. I have the freedom to home school, so I’m going to seize the opportunity. I guess I’m a bit of a rebel that way.

I’m not a home schooler to produce super spellers or math whiz kids. I’m not home schooling because I think the public school education is lousy. It’s not out of fear my children will be bullied or a gunman will attack the school. Public school (and Christian school too) is simply not the best choice.

Elizabeth Gilbert is why I home school

Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But I think you can see where I’m going with this.

As a Christian parent, I believe it’s my responsibility to protect my young ones. This demon statue is a good example of what kind of nonsense kids are exposed to under the guise of education. (I’m not going to get into whether demons exist; check out the New Testament gospels for stories about evil spirits and how Jesus dealt with them).

In this world, we battle against TV, movies, video games, the Internet, peer groups, magazines and other things to win our children, be the greater influence, to teach them the way to go. Why would I make it more difficult for myself by giving my children over to someone else?

I can think of no better task. Teaching my flesh and blood Truth and Beauty and how to live.

Final thoughts

To be clear – I don’t walk in fear. My kids go places without me, they have fun, they’re not locked away. We do watch SpongeBob and iCarly. Schools are not the devil.

We have public school friends, Christian school friends, friends that don’t believe like we do and friends that are even more radical than we are. We talk to our kids about other world views, we just don’t glorify them, treat them like silly creatures that can’t harm. And we sure as heck don’t make an 8 foot statue of it and give it a name. Good grief.

So, that’s why I home school. Comments and questions always welcome. A Stumble or a Kirtsy much appreciated.

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