Welcoming a new year

Christine Campbell

Quit smoking;  get in shape; get out of debt; organize your life. The promise of the New Year brings hope of new successes, but it can also bring the pressure of a daunting laundry list of self-improvement standards. All too often we throw up our hands in frustration and abandon our resolutions before we make it to February. 

I think we need a different approach. To start the New Year off on the right foot, we need to spend more time celebrating our achievements and reflecting on the challenges we overcame, and putting the knowledge we acquired to use. 

Year in and year out Crossroads International keeps working on the same resolution, and we are not discouraged. We aim to reduce poverty in some of the poorest parts of the world, and support women in attaining equal rights. It's a tall order, and it will not be achieved in a single year, but it’s a resolution that we’ll never abandon. We don't expect to close the book on poverty or women's rights in 2014, but we do know that we can make important strides towards these goals. 

This year holds a lot of promise for Crossroads and our partners. This month another shipment of fair trade coffee will arrive in Canada from a cooperative supported by one of our partners in Bolivia.  In Ghana, we will double the reach of the Access to Justice project which helps women realize their human rights.  And we’ll be launching 20 more girls empowerment clubs in Swaziland. Why don’t you choose a resolution this year that will survive long after January is through?  Support us in meeting our New Year’s resolutions and we’ll guarantee that you’ll be keeping this one all year long. 

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year, 

Christine Campbell, acting Executive Director 

Buy them the Best Gift this year!

So many of us struggle with gift ideas at this time of year. Does Dad really need another pair of socks? How many chocolates can grandma eat?

This year do something different.

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzutti/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Make a donation to Crossroads International on behalf of a loved one. When you purchase Crossroads International’s Best Gift, you’re contributing towards lasting change. With each donation you’ll be helping to build brighter futures and exciting opportunities for people in Africa and Bolivia. These aren’t gifts that will be used up and forgotten after the holidays. They represent a commitment to strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations driving change in some of the poorest parts of the world.  

Making a gift is easy: simply select a gift and card to send to your family member, friend, or colleague, letting them know you made a donation to Crossroads International in their honour.

Here are a few gift ideas to suit every person on your list:

•  For children: Help a girl in Swaziland attend a Girls’ Empowerment Club, where she will learn to build the courage necessary to create a brighter future for herself and her community.
• For teenagers: Contribute towards youth entrepreneurship programs that empower young people to take control of their future.
• For your outspoken sibling: Support legal literacy volunteers, who reached more than 9000 rural Ghanaians last year. They help women learn their rights so they can stand up and speak out.
• For the strong women in your life: Support women running cooperatives. Their income enables access to healthcare, nutrition and education for themselves and their families.
• For your workplace colleagues: Build the capacity of individuals to create thriving agricultural and business opportunities by supporting local organizations offering technical training and marketing guidance.  

Give them the Best Gift under the tree today!

Yes, you can help on International Day of the Girl!

Extreme poverty, illiteracy, hunger, exploitation and disease all form part of the difficult puzzle that is international development. But there is one piece of the puzzle that, if supported and encouraged, could alleviate the impact of all of these other challenges. That crucial piece is girls. Girls are disproportionately affected by the problems making up the development puzzle, yet when we invest in girls by educating them and providing opportunities for a secure livelihood, their impact resonates powerfully in terms of poverty reduction, economic growth, and democratization.

We need to break the cycle of inequality for girls and perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in Swaziland. One out of every three girls in Swaziland experiences sexual abuse before she reaches the age of 18, furthering the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country with the highest prevalence in the world. That is why Crossroads International has been working with local women-led partner organizations in Africa for more than a decade to reduce violence against women and girls, and to encourage training, economic opportunities, and access to justice.  

Programs like our Girls’ Clubs in Swaziland are growing exponentially and transforming lives by providing girls with the tools and confidence to build a brighter future. But this is a critical time for Crossroads International. In a few months, our funding agreement with the Canadian government will come to an end. Canada spent about 20% less on development in the past year, and there has been no call from the government to renew funding for next year. We’re hopeful that the government will issue a call for proposals soon, because without it our ability to support programs like Girls’ Clubs in Swaziland will be compromised.

 This International Day of the Girl, we want to know that we can continue to effectively carry out our work. We want assurance that we can increase the number of girls we’re reaching in Swaziland through Girls’ Clubs. In the next five years we want to see 4000 girls in Clubs, building up from the 1200 girls we’re supporting through these Clubs today.  

People ask, “What can I do for girls on the International Day of the Girl? What is my role?” Well this year more than ever we need your help to continue our work with Girls’ Clubs, and all of our other programs, including enabling women in accessing the justice system, and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs in countries where making ends meet is a serious challenge. You can contribute to securing our future reach by supporting Crossroads financially, help us help others!