Check out Ben Afflek and Mick Jagger’s short video for UNHCR’s Gimme Shelter campaign…

Today is World Refugee Day…

Check out the UN Refugee Agency’s Website

[I copied this from ecorazzi, one of my fav sites - check it out!]

Matt Damon is encouraging people to sign a petition asking senators to help cosponsor the Durbin-Corker Water for the World Act of 2009. Over 100 million people would stand to benefit from the passage of the legislation, which would increase access to clean water and sanitation by 2015. Damon is seeking an additional 15 cosponsors to move the act forward.

“On my trip with the ONE Campaign to Zambia, I walked two miles with a 14-year-old girl to a well—the closest water source to her village,“ said Damon. “I asked if she wanted to stay in her village when she grew up, and her face exploded into a huge smile. The translator said, “she is being very shy…she says that she wants to move to big city, Lusaka, and that she wants to be a nurse.”

“Women and girls, like the one I met in Zambia, bear most of the burden of lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation. Women are more than twice as likely as men to be responsible for water collection, and on average, women in the developing world walk three and a half miles each day to collect water—time that could be spent in school or at work.

“Economically, water is one of the smartest poverty-fighting investments we can make. My friend Ben Affleck and I met with the World Bank and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Tanzania, and we saw how a lack of good water infrastructure is holding back businesses. We talked to Prosper Mbarewoai of Allied Chemicals, who estimated his detergent-production business is operating at only 60% capacity because he spends anywhere from two hours to an entire day just getting water.

“The MCC in Tanzania is working to revamp the water treatment and supply infrastructure in two major cities, decreasing the risks of water-borne illness and enabling business productivity. In fact, every $1 spent on water and sanitation generates a return of $8 in saved time, increased productivity and reduced health costs in Africa.

“Improving access to clean water and sanitation is also an investment in women, making possible the dreams of young girls in Zambia and beyond. To help make this change happen for her and 884 million others worldwide who live without clean water, please ask your senators to cosponsor the Water for the World Act.“

Currently, the petition is at 57% of its goal of 100,000 signatures. Click here to sign and support the act!

One for One
TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we’re all about.

I think this is one of the coolest companies and I’ve been wanting a pair of their shoes for quite some time now. Today I finally ordered a pair for myself and a pair for Eric and thus 2 children somewhere in the world who are without shoes will soon have new shoes!

Check out the video below to learn more, or click over to their website for information or to purchase a pair for yourself!

I was just checking out the website of Charity: Water and found this video where they unveiled a new well in Africa given by Saks Fifth Avenue of Chicago.  It is great to know a business in my community - and one the I shop at – is making a difference in providing safe water.  Check out the video!

Well funded by Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago. from charity: water on Vimeo.

We were humbled last year by the effort of Saks Fifth Avenue employees, customers and vendors that resulted in more than $500,000 raised – enough clean water to transform the lives of over 30,000 people. The heart, passion and generosity by all who participated was incredible.

This year, while we in the developing world are challenged by our economy, those we seek to serve need our help even more. We’ll do our part and make sure 100% of your gifts reach them.

Globally, an estimated 125 million children under the age of five live in households without access to a safe drinking-water source. Even more people – a total of more than 2.5 billion around the world – are living without proper sanitation.

Learn more from UNICEF

Please take a minute to watch this video of Joel Madden in Africa for UNICEF…

TODAY the European Union slammed shut the door on trade in the products of the commercial seal slaughter.  The Canadian government used every trick in the book to try to derail the ban: massive lobbying, misinformation, and even threats of trade reprisals.  But the EU stood its ground and honored its citizens’ opposition to this trade in cruelty.  By doing so, the EU has saved millions of seals from a horrible fate.

Every year, the ProtectSeals team has endured hazardous conditions to document the seal hunt. We are committed to showing the world that the Canadian government is lying when it claims that the hunt is humane.

What Does It Mean?

This is the beginning of the end for the Canadian seal hunt. The Canadian government estimates that losing this primary market will cost Canada’s sealing industry $6.6 million (CAD) each year. The hunt brought in less than $7 million last year. It’s not hard to do the math.

Just the promise of an EU ban was enough to drive the prices for seal fur down to $15 (CAD) per skin — a decline of 86 percent since 2006. As a result, many sealers stayed home. Out of this year’s quota of 280,000 harp seals, fewer than 60,000 have been killed so far.

Now that the EU has banned its trade in seal products, countless more seals will live their lives in peace from this year forward.

What’s Next?

Canadian seal hunt supporters won’t give up just yet. With government subsidies still in hand, the sealing industry will be chasing down new markets. The ProtectSeals campaign is working to convince all targeted nations to follow the EU’s example.

The Humane Society of the United States is keeping the pressure on the Canadian fishing industry and government with the global boycott of Canadian seafood products. Since the boycott began, the Canadian fishing industry has suffered a $750 million (CAD) drop in the value of snow crab exports alone to the United States.

Canadian Senator Mac Harb has introduced his nation’s first bill to end the hunt. The ProtectSeals campaign is striving to convince other members of Canada’s Parliament to support the bill.

Yes, there is still much to do — and if you’d like to help, please visit humanesociety.org/protectseals to learn how.

Population Services International’s Global Ambassador and Board Member Ashley Judd calls for the world’s attention on World Malaria Day 2009. Check out the video then read more about what PSI and its partners at the Global Health Council and Johns Hopkins University Global Program on Malaria are doing to celebrate success on World Malaria Day.