Mend

MEND: Aromorach Monica from MEND on Vimeo.

awesome
The Mend Campaign, and one I'm more familiar with, the Bracelet Campaign, are really where I see a future in sustainable foreign aide from NGOs. When I was at the IC office the summer before this, my friend was showing me around and telling me everything going on. When we got to the bracelet campaign office I was really impressed. They are really giving people an opportunity to make money and start their own lives. The thing that is best about it, is unlike a factory/sweatshop, where they employ a ton of people, paying them just enough to get by, in bad conditions, the people at bracelet campaign are getting paid enough to get by and a little more. With that money the women can leave the bracelet campaign and start their own venture to make money. The woman in this video apparently bought pigs she can sell, but another group of women through the bracelet campaign have started their own loan company in their village! And now they are helping other people in their community get some money to get back on their feet again. So not only are these people empowering themselves, empowering their neighbors, they're also giving their families a start by sending them to school! And while schools in Northern Uganda are certainly not the most encouraging places, it's far better to try and get educated than to stay home. Hopefully these people are sending their kids to some of the better, less crowded schools.
Anyway, I got this video in an e-mail and I thought it was really well done. I really liked how they presented the mend campaign and how you hardly even saw the product. So often I roll my eyes a little at the advertising IC puts out. I thought this was really tasteful and well done.
www.invisiblechildren.com