
Dec 16, 2023 Need Therapy? In West Africa, Hairdressers Can Help. Joseline de Lima, a single mother of two who was grieving her brother’s death and had lost her job at a bakery, got help from an unexpected counselor: her hairdresser, one of about 150 women who are helping to provide mental health care in one of the world’s poorest regions. Togo has only five psychiatrists for more than eight million people, and families seeking to treat a relative suffering from severe mental health issues often resort to traditional remedies or forced isolation. Bluemind Foundation organizes the three days of training. Hairdressers are taught how to ask open-ended questions, spot nonverbal signs of distress like headaches or disheveled clothes and how not to gossip or give detrimental advice. Some 150 hairdressers have so far received the honorary title of “mental health ambassador” after undergoing the training. [...] The hairdresser, Tele da Silveira, is one of about 150 women who have received mental health training in West and Central African cities from a nonprofit trying to fill a critical gap: provide mental health care in one of the world’s poorest regions, where counseling remains barely accessible, let alone accepted. Ms. da Silveira began with gentle questions and encouraging words as she braided or blow-dried Ms. de Lima’s salt-and-pepper hair. More careful listening followed, then the suggestions for new braiding styles and walks to a nearby lagoon, which Ms. de Lima described as “lifesaving therapy.” “People need attention in this world,” said Ms. da Silveira. “They need to talk.” Read the full story of these "mental health ambassadors" here.
Dec 15, 2023 'Signs Of Life': Sycamore Gap Tree Will Live On, Experts Say A 200-year-old sycamore tree near a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northumberland, England that was felled this past fall in an suspected act of vandalism will live on through viable saplings. The tree is situated near Hadrian's Wall, that once marked the ancient frontier of the Roman Empire, and was a famous spot for people to visit during vacations, walks and picnics. The felling had sparked public sadness and outrage as arborists rushed to the scene to try to preserve the tree. Plans to create a lasting tribute to the tree are underway, including how best to use the wood salvaged from its large trunk. [...] "[We] are encouraged by positive signs of life, and are hopeful that over 30 per cent of the mature seeds and half of the cuttings (scions) will be viable," said Andy Jasper, the National Trust's director of gardens and parklands, in a statement sent to NPR. "Over the next year, we'll be doing all we can to nurture the seeds and cuttings, in the hope that some will grow into strong, sturdy saplings," Jasper said, "providing a new future for this much-loved tree." Read the full story here.
Dec 14, 2023 South Korean Women Reimagine Family In An Aging Society Eun Seo-Ran, 43, and her adopted daughter, who is 38, are among many women in South Korea who are reimagining family in an aging society with strict gender roles and a patriarchal family culture. While only those related by blood, marriage between a man and a woman, and adoption are recognized as family, women who choose to stay single are pushing the government to recognize a broader range of companionships as family, often driven by concern about who will care for them when they grow old or get sick. Some one million Koreans lived with friends or partners as of 2021 but cannot access benefits and services available to married couples and families, and have few rights If a companion dies. Lonely deaths are increasing, many among men in their 50s or 60s. But even as proposed legislation to widen the legal definition of family is stalled by conservative and evangelical claims that it would effectively allow same sex marriage, women are creating grassroots social and healthcare cooperatives themselves, and Seo-Ran's story has inspired many single women living with friends to consider adoptions. Read the full story here.
Dec 13, 2023 Swedish City Takes On Loneliness With A Simple Hi While hobbies keep many in the northern Swedish city of Luleå going through the cold dark winter months, loneliness remains a problem, especially among 16 to 29 year-olds. So authorities in Luleå have launched a campaign to encourage people to say hello to one another. The Säg hej! (say hello!) campaign aims to create a friendlier city by nudging people towards small but significant social interactions. Adverts are running on buses, and workshops are being held in schools. Åsa Koski, who works for Luleå municipality, came up with the idea for the campaign. She wants the city, which is undergoing a period of rapid growth as it tries to attract tens of thousands of new people to work in “green” industry and other services, to stay pleasant, safe and friendly even as it grows. [...] Being greeted by strangers makes people feel “more seen and a bit more like you belong”, she adds. “Research shows that it has an effect on health and often an effect on wanting to help each other. If you say hi to your neighbours you are more likely to help them.” Read the full story here.
Dec 12, 2023 Read on for a few touching stories of heartivism from our KindSpring community this week ... Rajni: My Birthday Celebrationi Thanked ... My Birthday Celebration by Rajni Gohil. I thanked God for giving me this beautiful life. Sent inspiring email to about 200 of my contacts. I sent a message with prayer for the recovery of one Divine sister of her ailment. Gave some groceries, soaps to needy people. Milk, and Biscuits for kids and candies ... Mish: 🧶 👶🏻…. Hubby asked me if I might crochet a baby blanket for a customer service gal he’s been dealing with over the phone for years, who is always incredibly kind & always helpful. She’s expecting a baby. Need he ask, of course, I’d be happy to! 😊 🧶He sent her this picture of ... Rajni: Manav Sadhna Officially Relocated ... Manav Sadhna officially relocated to our new temporary Manav Sadhna center in Ranip. As we continue to settle into our new space, we hold the past 30+ years full of beautiful memories at the Gandhi Ashram close to our hearts. Most importantly, our programs are still running smoothly. For this ...
Dec 11, 2023 KarunaNews: A 'Beacon Of Hope': The Muslim Caretakers Of Kolkata's Synagogues While the Jewish community and the number of synagogues in Kolkata (capital of the Indian state of West Bengal) has shrunk dramatically over the past 75 years, one thing has remained constant. The synagogue caretakers have always been Muslims from Kakatpur village in Odisha state, reflecting a bond between the faiths that dates back to the early 1800s, when the Jewish community was about 300 strong and came mostly from Iraq and Iran. Kolkata-based Jewish author Jael Silliman describes the bond as "a beacon of hope", which is also reflected in the Jewish Girls' School, where 90% of students are Muslim. "Our 'mazhab' [faith] doesn't teach us to hate," says Sheikh Gufran, one of three caretakers at Maghen David synagogue. "Whenever I offer namaz, I pray for the people of all religions suffering in the war [in Gaza and Israel]. Muslims are in pain there. Jews are in pain. I hope their suffering ends soon." Read more about this story here.
Dec 10, 2023 KarunaNews: The Recipe For Childlike Wonder: Uncertainty In her latest book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure, Maggie Jackson suggests that we need to rethink our attitudes on uncertainty so that we can see its value in readying our brain to update our knowledge of the world. “Uncertainty is a kind of wakefulness, you know, as a result of that neural arousal that occurs when you meet something new,” she says. “Uncertainty is really about waking up and then being adaptive, being nimble, being at the edge of what you know.” An example is the Mars Explorer rover mission, a collaborative effort that involved teams across the world in multiple disciplines to put rovers on Mars for the first time. The mission cultivated disagreement and that mattered because uncertainty drives a tremendous kind of collaboration, she says. “As I write in the book, you know, why come together to be less than the sum of our remarkable parts?” Read the full story here.
Dec 7, 2023 KarunaNews: A Judge Was Sick Of Sending Kids To Prison, So He Found A Better Way "It's very easy to pull a trigger if you don't have any future, you don't have any goals and you don't have anything to look forward to" says Superior Court Judge John Phillips. Having crossed too many youth with no options, in 2000, he decided to turn an old juvenile incarceration facility in Monterey County into a comprehensive learning and social services center for underserved and disconnected youth, called Rancho Cielo. It began with 94 students and today has 214 and has gone from being a school of last resort for young people in serious trouble to a place students around the county think about when regular high school isn’t working for them. This model could be expanded to other counties and even other states.“With everything we know, what it took the judge 20 years to figure out, others could do in five or 10." Read more here.
Dec 4, 2023 KarunaNews: NY Woman Clears Millions Of Dollars Of Other People's Medical Debt -- After Dying Of Cancer When Casey McIntyre was planning her own memorial service, she decided she didn't want it to be all doom and gloom. The 38-year-old New Yorker had stage four ovarian cancer. And as her condition worsened, she knew she'd soon be leaving behind her husband and 18-month-old daughter. But, she also decided to leave behind a legacy – one that would change the lives of Americans saddled with hospital bills they couldn't afford to pay. "Casey is a very joyous person and we wanted there to be an element of joy to the ceremony. And we had this idea for, you know: What if we raise money to relieve debt?" McIntyre died on November 12. Two days later, her husband posted a statement on her social media accounts asking people to donate to RIP Medical Debt, a US charity that buys up health-care debt and destroys it. As of the publication date of the story, her online fundraiser had collected more than $800,000. The charity says that is enough to wipe out $80 million in medical debt across the US. Read more here.
Dec 3, 2023 KarunaNews: Retired Wind Turbine Blades Live On As Park Benches And Picnic Tables The benches outside the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland used to be wind turbine blades. Painted by local artists, the benches were crafted by Rocky River, Ohio-based Canvus, which will install 10 more later this month. Altogether, the dozen benches reuse roughly a quarter of a single 150-foot (45-meter) wind turbine blade. While roughly 85% of turbine components can be recycled, most blades end up in landfills or are incinerated. So turbine manufacturers are working to sunset their own products sustainably, for pedestrian bridges, bike shelters, and playground equipment. Canvus clients donate the benches and planters they purchase to public spaces. Each item is a marketing vehicle for the company that donates it, displaying their brand at a school or community park for about $11 per month. Since the company started production this summer, it has sold more than 200 products. Read more about these upcycled wind turbine blades here.