Three days ago I was invited to be the guest speaker at a Lions International event. After my speech, this wonderful lady came up to me and told me about this American student, named Ian Edelstein, who went to South Africa a year ago and stumbled upon a very passionate South African named Nyameko Gabada, from the township of Philippi right outside of Cape Town.   Nyameko had a dream and vision to introduce Baseball into the most crime-infested and troubled townships in South Africa, starting with his own township of Philippi. He wanted to give children an alternative to violence and crime, and an opportunity to work hard at something, to excel in it, and be proud of themselves. This American student made it his mission to try and help this local South African achieve this beautiful goal of his.   With mentorship and help from several individuals, paired with an undying determination to see this dream become a reality, Nyameko Gabada has started the Baseball Team in Philippi!

Before I continue, watch the clip about Nyameko Gabada and his AFRICAN BASEBALL dream!

“I wish someday I can be a best superstar of baseball…that’s all I have”. -Jack Masxhole, 14 years old

These are the kind of individuals I want to empower through Hand & Heart Organization, the Nyameko Gabadas of Africa…local Africans who have an idea, a vision or a dream for change!   And by doing so, therefore want to create more positive role models in Africa so kids can see that it pays off to dream and to dream big, and that not only the sky is the limit. I want to help give Africans more opportunities to rise out of poverty, hardship and the state of limitation and hopelessness that so many find themselves in. But in addition to that, I want kids to escape this state of being, through a vehicle which they choose, a vehicle of their specific passion and ability or talent.Africa has incredible potential, because Africans have incredible potential, but all this potential is currently in a cage, locked away behind centuries of chains…chains of inequality, racism, oppression and violation of human rights.

As long as Africans don’t realize their own inherent potential and ability, African will remain in shackles….locked up, dormant…Every time I am in South Africa, I see so much talent and potential all around me, specifically in the area of sport, music and dance!   South Africans, and africans in general are very gifted in these three areas especially.   I want to tap into this and maximize this with Hand & Heart in Africa.   By introducing something, even something which might seem pointless, such as baseball, you are adding another option to the short list of options they have available to them, and therefore you are empowering them and expanding their horizons of what is possible in this world. You never know, they might, just through baseball, completely excell…so much so that they win themselves a scholarship at a top university and then through education and sport combined, completely turn their lives around as well as the lives of those they will touch and interact with!

I 100% believe, without a doubt, that we are capable of anything.   I look at those kids in South Africa that are walking around with their heads down, kids who’s only list of opportunities stops even before it starts, and I worry, I worry because they will never know the amount of potential that lies within them.   If only they had more options and if only they knew that they were capable of so much more than what society tells them they are capable of!   We aren’t born to do anything or to not do anything…we are born to find our own way and to determine what it is we will do and accomplish with our lives!With hard work, the right support, refusal to give up, and an unwavering dream and vision…anybody can be anything and can achieve anything. There is nothing in the universe that can stop us except ourselves…we are our own worst enemy and barrier because we either allow or disallow the words of others or the societal expectations of us to define us…

This very much reminded me of another clip I watched a while ago on TED.org of this Incredible African Woman and her view of AID in Africa…

This clip influenced me so much.   In fact, it made me rethink my entire organization’s mission for the last year since I last watched this clip.   This clip just kind of made me realized why 99% of the charities in our world bug me so much.   I am so sick of the “Africa of Suffering” image we see over and over again. Yes, Africa has a lot of problems, but when that becomes the only thing we see of Africa and when that become the only image we associate with Africa, the starving children with flies on their faces, then all hope for Africa breaking these shackles disappear.

There is a whole other side of Africa, the “Africa of Opportunity and Unlimited Potential” that we don’t ever see or focus on!   And what a huge disservice we are doing Africa and all these amazing Africans who are waiting to just explode and be great!   I am sick of charities dehumanizing African kids by using their suffering as advertisement for fundraising, and thinking it’s okay because it generates money for a ‘good cause’.   It’s not okay, it’s just another form of complete oppression and dehumanization.   I am sick of charities using these horrific images and statistics to get people to the point where they feel so bad that they whip out their checkbooks and write out a check to just feel better about the whole thing.

I want to dust of the stars of Africa…and see them shine like they were born to…and then I want to share these amazing success stories of amazing Africans with people, and instead inspire them to the point where they whip out their checkbooks, not out of guilt and obligation, but out of inspiration and wanting to INVEST in the “Africa of Opportunity”!

Can I get an Amen, seriously!

Watch this clip, promise it will be worth your time…

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives,nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” – Darwin

Just wanted to highlight a few things from this talk…
Just wanted to again highlight the definition of Disabled: adjective: “crippled, helpless, useless, wrecked, stalled, maimed, wounded, mangled, lame, mutilated, rundown, worn-out, weakened, impotent, castrated, paralyzed, handicapped, senile, decrepit, laid-up, done-up, done-for, done-in cracked-up, counted-out; see also hurt, useless and weak. Antonyms, healthy, strong, capable.” I was reading this list out loud to a friend and at first was laughing, it was so ludicrous, but I just I’d just gotten past mangled, and my voice broke, and I had to stop and collect myself from the emotional shock and impact that the assault from these words unleashed.

Unbelievable how irresponsible we have been and continue to be with our words and ‘definitions’ of people and things. We frown upon genocide and sick serial killers, while thousands and thousands of people in our society everyday get ruined for life by our societal expectations and definitions of what we think they are and what we think they can and will be in life. This is why one of my majors in university is Sociology because I so strongly believe that everything we see in the world are simply social constructs. Individuals more often than not become what their society pushes them to become. There are always exceptions and examples of incredible individuals like Amy Mullens and Nelson Mandela breaking the stereotype of what their societies expected them to be at birth…but in reality, most individuals end up fitting the mold set out for them by their families, cultures and societies.

One paragraph in Amee speech that really shook my insides is the following…
“Everyone is going to have to meet adversity, so the question is not whether you are going to meet it, the question is how you are going to meet it. So, our responsibility is not simply shielding those we care for from adversity, but preparing them to meet it well. And we do a disservice to our kids when we make them feel that they’re not equipped to adapt. There’s an important difference and distinction between the objective medical fact of my being an amputee and the subjective societal opinion of whether or not I’m disabled. And, truthfully, the only real and consistent disability I’ve had to confront is the world ever thinking that I could be described by those definitions.”

So why would we choose oppressive, destructive words and definitions? That we will never know. But we can look at this cold reality and examine how we do it ourselves in our everyday life to those we love and those we fear and dislike…even if it’s just in the slightest way, we all hurt people everyday with our words, if we didn’t, this would not exist in our world. We HAVE to, as individuals realize the incredible power words have…
As Amee said in her speech…
“Our language affects our thinking and how we view the world and how we view other people. In fact, many ancient societies, including the Greeks and the Romans, believed that to utter a curse verbally was so powerful, because to say the thing out loud brought it into existence. So, what reality do we want to call into existence, a person who is limited, or a person who’s empowered? By casually doing something as simple as naming a person, a child, we might be putting lids and casting shadows on their power. Wouldn’t we want to open doors for them instead?”

The change and the challenge starts with each of us…how do we choose to utilize our words??? “If you want to make the world a better place, stop, take a look at yourself and make a change” – Michael Jackson

Yuri’s South African Kids Day at Botshabelo Orphanage, May 2009

H&H Ambassador, Yuri Bojorquez, born and raised in Mexico, took an extended travel and volunteering break from her everyday life in Canada to travel the world and live at Botshabelo Aids Orphanage in South Africa for 3 months. While at the Orphanage, Yuri exceeded all of our expectations. Yuri not only became an incredible teacher, nurturer, and friend to the kids at the Orphanage, she also grew very attached to the staff and orphanage as a whole. While at the Orphanage, Yuri started her own tradition, which she has been repeating and will continue to repeat every year. This tradition is a kids celebration day that she makes her own by adding her very own unique Mexican flare to it. The kids at the Orphanage know Yuri as the Pinata lady and look forward to her visit every year! The kids get to make awesome Pinatas and explore the deeper meaning behind the Mexican Pinata Tradition, which is facing all your fears, frustrations and anger by smacking a pinata, so that you can break all these negative feelings and then open the doors for blessings (candy) to poor into your life and fall from the Pinatas. Yuri has touched the hearts of many individuals at the Orphanage and here at Hand & Heart and we are so proud of her, she represents Hand & Heart so beautifully!

Click here to view pics of Yuri’s Kid’s Day

The Gardening Initiative, April 2009

Hand & Heart partnered with 3 other businesses in South Africa and over 40 volunteers and ran a weekend long educational farming initiative at Botshabelo Orphanage.   Our goal was to teach the staff and kids at Botshabelo Orphanage cost effective farming techniques and in the process fill the empty greenhouses at the orphanage with fresh new veggies and plants.   While the older kids were hands-on learning the techniques and farming, the little ones were watching and learning and also painting veggies and being taught basic nutrition facts.   The project was a huge success and was filmed and written about in local newspapers.   Hand & Heart and our partners supplied all the materials needed for the weekend and donated plenty of much needed supplies and products to the orphanage to use and consume.   It was a great weekend and we had lots of fun! Click to view more pics.

H&H Christmas Celebration at Botshabelo Orphanage, Dec 2008

As a continuation of our celebration of World AIDS Day, Hand & Heart is holding a fundraiser for Botshabelo Aids Orphanage in South Africa, on Dec 2nd. The goal is to raise money and awareness about AIDS, it’s effects and link to the growing number of Orphans, and about Botshabelo in general.

Please come to our fundraiser. There will be a screening of the documentary called “Angels in the Dust”, as well as a pre-screening discussion by the Director, Louise Hogarth. We will also have a silent auction, sell our shirts, and also paintings and jewelry that were made by the kids at Botshabelo!

Don’t miss this, it is going to be a night to remember!

For more info, go to our “events” page!

This day, is a day dedicated to the struggle of AIDS victims. Let’s take this time and celebrate all those who have lived, and are living with AIDS. It should be our mission to let those living with this disease know that they are not alone in their struggle. There are thousands of people actively working every day on finding a cure for this disease. There are also thousands more people fundraising, and spreading awareness for AIDS every day. You are not alone…

What I have learned from my travels to South Africa, is that no disease or pain is stronger than the human spirit. I have witnessed such strength and resilience among AIDS victims, and it is therefore, that I am celebrating YOU today, because you are truly the unsung heroes of our time!

Today I was sitting in a coffee shop, and as I was stressing out about my millions of responsibilities, I for a second dozed off and just started staring at the people around me. Right in front of me, a little boy was standing next to his mother, and they had just gotten their drinks and were at the station where you add sugar etc to your drink. All of a sudden…splash, the boy spilled his entire hot chocolate on the floor. And instead of the mom yelling at the son, she just looked at him, and then just smiled. Then she went down on her knees in front of everybody and just started cleaning her son’s spilled hot chocolate off the floor. No fuss, no anger, no resentment, she just did it because that is her son and she loves her son.

I wish everyone could have as much compassion as a mom has for her child. If we all could be this compassionate, tolerant and patient, little mistakes would remain little. How great would it be if we could all just take mistakes for what they are….mistakes. Mistakes are already irreversible the moment you make them, so what is the use in beating up yourself or someone else about something that can’t be changed?

Today, just today, let’s try to have just a little more compassion and patience with ourselves and others. The grateful look on someone’s face when you excuse and forgive them for a mistake, is something so rewarding. You might like it so much that you will want to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next!

Hi world, just want to say I am excited to embark on this new blogging adventure!   Join me!

H&H Art Project