Earth Day, every day!

I intentionally did not post an Earth Day blog on April 22. I always believe that we should celebrate Earth Day every day and often people feel some guilt about their environmental footprint on Earth Day and conveniently forget about it the next day. So I am here the day after Earth Day to make you feel a bit inconvenient. It’s ok. Learning and growth often happen in discomfort zones.

There are ways we are addressing this problem.

Navigating Social Justice: Why Strategic Foresight is Important

Note: This article first came out of the United Edge blog. See the original post here.

Anticipating and planning for the future is not a luxury in the dynamic and complex world of social justice. It’s a necessary instrument for impactful advocacy that happens through strategic foresight. Foresight is the process of creating visions of the future and developing strategies that could help to achieve those future visions.

URGENT APPEAL: Please donate to rebuild the house of Jonathan and Nanay Noning dela Cruz

The typhoon season is here and 81-year-old Nanay Noning and her son Jonathan who has a physical disability, are facing the very real threat of homelessness. Their house in Brgy Silagon, Ajuy is made of light materials and was really intended to be a temporary shelter. But they didn’t have the resources to make it permanent. It is now in a terrible state and on the verge of fully collapsing.

Jonathan, the breadwinner of the family, lost his arm in an accident many years ago. He is only able to do some manual work and barely scrapes enough for their needs, and Nanay Noning is too old to do much. They need our help to rebuild their home.

Back to Thrifting!

Four tops at a steal! It’s definitely back to thrifting for me! Nice emerald blue sleeveless top, sheer floral top, brown front knot top, and blue and pink floral top. All of these fit me to a T and the price will surprise you!

For so many years, thrifting was my go-to way to shop for clothes. I have always prided myself on being able to find quality clothes for less. I first got into thrifting maybe 20 years ago when I saw some really good, hardly worn, and even brand-new pieces at thrift shops in Baguio City. I bought some pieces and sold several to my friends. Since then I really enjoyed hunting for great bargains. I consider it adventure shopping, where I am ready to be surprised by whatever great piece I might find.

A miracle in Ajuy

Someone, I forgot who took a photo of the skid marks the van made as it sped from a curb and hit Jhoann.

This happened eight years ago.

It was a Saturday. My team at the Philippine Red Cross Haiyan Recovery Program worked overtime conducting participatory evaluation in several barangays in Ajuy and Balasan. After a long day, we brought the staff to the staff house. We stopped and waited to make sure that Jhoann, one of the Technical Assistants in the MEAL Team, which I led, crossed the road safely. Jhoann was a newbie on our team. She almost left after the first day on the job. I was in Manila attending a workshop so I asked our HR Manager Carmela to ask her to stay until I return. When I returned, I sat her down and convinced her to stay. She did. She was only three weeks in when it happened.