Swimming 981 miles to educate 44,000 girls

What would motivate you to swim 20 miles? What about 20 miles, six days in a row? What would it take to make you do that for eight weeks?

If you’re tired just from thinking about it, go talk to Mimi Hughes, who wrapped up her 981-mile swim down the entirety of the Ohio River on July 17. What motivates Mimi? She wants to educate and empower women and girls, and she’s hoping to bring greater awareness to organizations like the Central Asia Institute (CAI), OneTribe.com’s newest humanitarian partner.

Mimi knows, as a mother of four and a teacher/tutor of students with dyslexia and developmental disabilities, “the transformation that can take place in women and girls when they are given the appropriate educational opportunities, mentoring, and open doors.”

Greg Mortenson saw the transformational power of education in Afghanistan and Pakistan when he began working there in 1993. Since then, he has founded CAI, written a #1 New York Times bestselling book, and opened 131 schools with the primary goal of educating women and girls as a path to peace. His community-centered philosophies are now helping to turn the tide of U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan.

You don’t have to be a swimmer to help Mimi, Greg, and hundreds of middle eastern communities make education accessible to all. Check out the tees at OneTribe.com, where 50% of your purchase goes directly to fund CAI’s schools.

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Rebuilding Haiti by listening to children

When Child Helpline International (CHI) establishes new helplines, they target the most vulnerable countries in the world. In 2009, it was Albania, Maldives, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and Togo. But their next endeavor may prove even more challenging: Haiti.

In June, CHI facilitated a meeting between Haitian police and a number of non-profits that aim to serve Haiti’s youth. Despite Haiti’s poor infrastructure and low governmental capacity in the midst of reconstruction from the January earthquake, CHI is operating on their most fundamental value: that everybody has a right to be heard.

Initially founded by a social worker in Bombay, Child Helpline International is an organization that fields 14.5 million calls annually from children in 134 countries. Helplines provide resources and support to children facing, most commonly, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and stigma, domestic violence, suicide, and bullying. Many in developing countries also face abuse, exploitation and discrimination.

To recognize the Indian roots of Helpline, the women’s tee depicts boys and girls faces (note the dot on the girls’ foreheads) arranged into a traditional Indian flower design. The faces are connected by the ears, and their hands join in the center to represent the supportive structure that’s created when understanding is coupled with community action. The men’s tee features a dial pad with a life-preserver on the bottom button.

Support the efforts of CHI in helping children help themselves by purchasing your own eco-friendly tee at OneTribe.com. As always, 50% of your purchase goes directly to support CHI’s programs.

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Celebrating 20 years of clean water with Water.org

As you sip cold lemonade at a Fourth of July barbecue, raise your glass to the incredible benefits of clean, safe water. Here at OneTribe.com, we’re not just celebrating our country’s birthday, but the birthday of our humanitarian partner, Water.org.

Water.org recently celebrated the completion of an 11-month well project in Guatincara, Honduras, where 80 percent of families have to walk to collect their water from contaminated wells and creeks.

But this ribbon cutting also marks 20 years of clean water initiatives in Honduras. Since 1990, Water.org co-founder Gary White has now seen more than 40 communities and 11,000 people served in Honduras, where 63% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day.

White has been fighting for access to clean water for communities worldwide ever since. He co-founded WaterPartners International in 1993, which has since merged with H20 Africa, a similar organization co-founded by actor Matt Damon. This month marks the first official anniversary of Water.org, now a 3.5 million dollar operation.

The merger has since led to the growth of a new enterprise. The WaterCredit program is an innovative way to help remote communities fund their own water projects without relying on limited grant money. It provides fair access to affordable loans (around $130), so that communities don’t have to wait to address their needs. To date, more than 16,000 microloans have been granted and repaid in full.

Help Water.org celebrate 20 years of innovative water solutions in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Uganda, and more. Visit OneTribe.com, where 50% of each purchase goes directly to support Water.org.

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