Peacekeeper Truth Serum Blog

For all of you health advocates, Love, Positively is a great short film addressing the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Uganda. It’s been estimated that 27,000 children were born with HIV in 2007 alone, most of whom will be orphaned at a young age; approximately one million children have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS. Statistically, 66% of these children will die before the age of three. Those who survive their childhood face harsh stigmas at home as well as in society. IRIN/PlusNews’s Love, Positively features two young adults Gordon and Princess who were both born HIV positive and how they cope together. Princess has been able to deal with the complications of her “status” with counseling and now she in turn has become a counselor for those born HIV positive. When it comes to combating HIV/AIDS in nations like Uganda, knowledge is key to prevention. Sharing their stories is one step towards ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has already claimed so many lives.

Click here to read the article accompanying Love, Positively and here for the video link.

Peace,

Alice

Greetings fellow PeaceKeepers!

Last weekend I was lucky enough to attend a conference on Humanitarian Action here in New York City. The JUHAN conference (Jesuit University Humanitarian Action Network) gathered students from twenty different universities across America to learn and exchange ideas about what it takes to be a humanitarian in the twenty-first century. I had a chance to sit in on lectures from some brilliant people in the humanitarian field on a variety of subjects, from regional issues to camp management and advocacy. One lecture that stuck with me was on Nutrition, Food, Water and Sanitation. At first I wasn’t so thrilled with the topic of the lecture. I’ve always been interested in the issues refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) face politically and psychologically. The speaker was a professor at Georgetown University with decades of experience with humanitarian organizations, quick intellect and a sense of humor. As a student, I love it when a professor challenges my conceptions of the world. One of the points he made that I found startling was that after a quick onset disaster like a flood or an earthquake, there is no significant increase of malnutrition, starvation or disease. But the most important thing I learned from that lecture is something so simple, but crucial: without water, people die. Scientists and doctors agree that most humans can last several weeks without food, as long as water is available. Without water, most humans can only make it a few days–in extreme conditions it is posisble to succumb to dehydration in hours. Water has even more implications in camp settings where thousands of refugees and IDPs live in close quarters in harsh conditions. According to SPHERE, (a binding, voluntarily accepted commitment of standards for nongovernmental organizations in the humanitarian field), each individual should have access to 15 liters of water per day. While most of this water goes towards consumption, sanitation is critical when it comes to hygiene and disease prevention. Research done by the African Ministers’ Conference on Water, shows that more than 300 million people do not have access to drinking water in Africa and upwards of 313 million people don’t have access to adequate sanitation. “Why is that?”, we asked our professor. His response: “Sanitation isn’t sexy, water isn’t sexy.” When it comes to raising money for projects in regions like Africa that suffer long-term droughts or to disaster stricken areas like Myanmar, organizations would be hard-pressed to put a latrine on the cover of a fund raising brochure. Separating disaster-affected people from their waste is one of the first steps towards better hygiene and fewer contamination-related diseases. Programs that promote hand washing and techniques to remove toxins from water sources save lives. Organizations like WaterCan bring water to remote areas in eastern Africa to deliver water fit for consumption  and promote cleanly behavior. By making monetary donations to organizations like WaterCan that specifically target water concernts, or to broader organizations like UNICEF, you can help ensure that disaster-affected men, women and children can have access to potable water.

Peace,

Alice

Today the United Nations Security Council recognized rape as a weapon of war. This may seem like an obvious statement for those who are familiar with the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the resolution passed today has some serious implications for future humanitarian action. The resolution that was passed today defines rape and sexual violence as “war tactics” that are used to “humiliate, dominate, instill fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group.” The integration of rape and sexual violence into the definition of war will hopefully force governments to take more serious actions in conflict zones like the DRC. While this is definite step forward to ending the use of rape as war tactics, this resolution won’t have any teeth until it is incorporated into international law. Now it’s time for human rights organizations and national governments to put pressure on the UN to create an international law that would treat rape and sexual violence with the same severity as genocide and torture. Advocacy counts on every level! Write your representative! Call a senator! Even writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper makes a difference.Together we can make sure that the silent war that has been waged against women during conflict is stopped.
Peace,
Alice

Click here for a full copy of the resolution!

The shocking truths of the sex trafficking industry have come to light lately through films like Holly, but stories keep coming forward. Due to economic circumstances, women often turn to prostitution as a last resort to feed their families. Beenu, a woman who was married and pregnant by the age of 13, turned to prostitution to support her child after being shunned by her husband. Daughters of former prostitutes like Naina suffer the same fate; she was trafficked into prostitution much like her mother Meena at the age of 13. These women and children in the sex industry face many difficulties; working for below living-standard wages, physical and emotional abuse from their clients and brothel owners as well as the danger of contracting sexually-transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDs. Women working in the sex industry cannot protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, they cannot force customers to wear a condom nor can they turn away men who refuse to do so. Many women see suicide as the only means of escape from the horrors of prostitution. But there is hope, and you can help!

Women’s rights group Equality Now has a campaign aimed at the Indian government to stop fostering trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. Equality Now, along with Apne Aap Women Worldwide (an organization headed by prostitution survivors from Mumbai) are petitioning to gain support for the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Amendment Bill, which aims to decriminalize prostituted women as well as penalize buyers of prostituted women. Show your support by writing to Indian officials at the addresses given:

Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister’s Office
South Block, Raisina Hill
New Delhi, 110011, INDIA
Email: pmosb@pmo.nic.in
Fax: +91 (0) 1123016857

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, President
Indian National Congress
10 Janpath/24 Akbar Road
New Delhi, 110011, INDIA
Email: soniagandhi@sansad.nic.in
Fax: +91 (0)1123017047

Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science& Technology/Earth Sciences
19 Teen Murti Marg
New Delhi, 110011, INDIA
Email: ksibal@sansad.nic.in
Fax: +91 (0)1123018705

For more information on the campaign and more survivor’s stories, click here.

Check out the promotion for Spore, a video game that mimics the evolution process from single-celled organism to land-walking creatures. The Spore marketing team is hosting a competition where contestants and their creations fight for your vote in hopes to win the grand prize: a $15,000 donation to the charity of his or her choice! The competitors range from Elijah Wood (yes, THE Elijah Wood) to Katy Perry (the new sensation for her song “I Kissed a Girl”). Rather than voting by celebrity, I suggest you vote by what charities matter most to you. The creature “Hoops” made by fellow blogger Ze Frank has my vote. If he wins, the $15,000 will go to Sanctuary for Families which is a group that offers shelter, clinical and legal services to women and children suffering from domestic abuse.

Click here to vote!

Want more information on how you can help Sanctuary for Families? Click here for more information.

Peace and Love,

Alice

For those of you in the New York area, we here at PeaceKeeper want to take some time out of your day to raise awareness about rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Human Rights Watch International is holding a screening of Lisa Jackson’s film The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo on Tuesday June 17th at 6:30 p.m. and on Thursday, June 18th at 1:30 p.m. as a part of their festival highlighting human rights messages.

Winner of a Special Jury Prize for a Documentary at the Sundance Film festival this year, The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo is not only a shocking and emotional expose on the widespread practice of rape in war-torn Congo, but it also documents the healing process of the director, Lisa Jackson, who was gang-raped as a young woman. A good mix of autobiography and documentary, the film does an exemplary job of illustrating the political and social problems of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a resource-rich nation with a highly unstable and feeble central government which has lead to international and civil wars; over 4 million people have been killed in the DRC since 1998. The contrast of the physical beauty of the nation and the ugliness of war is stunning; however it is the inner strength of these women, these survivors that give this film its power. Jackson took over all aspects of production of the film; it is clear to the viewers how important this topic is for her. During her journey to the Kivu lakes region in the east of the DRC, Lisa Jackson met with the area’s Special Victims Unit (one woman covering vast amounts of territory), doctors at the Panzi Hospital who work with  victims to treat the physical (often extensive) wounds of rape and UN peacekeepers assigned to the area, all to document their stories and perceptions of rape in the Congo. She even went so far as to interview self-professed rapists to inquire as to their justifications and beliefs surrounding the use of rape as an intimidation tactic during war. While these attitudes paint a dismal portrait for the future of the DRC, the message of courage and strength of survivors and those who continue to fight to stop rape resonates long after the film The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo ends. The faith-based support groups as well as work programs for rape survivors illustrate the inner strength of these women to continue to live even after being dehumanized by their society; many rape survivors are rejected by their husbands and communities. While this film is heartbreaking at times, it’s vital to spread knowledge of these women’s stories, their strength and their struggles. Please take the time to acknowledge the women who have shown the strength to speak up and work with Human Rights Watch International to promote awareness as a whole.

Information on the screening of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo can be found here.

List of other films being shown at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival this year can be found here.

Melinda from Township Trades emailed PeaceKeeper recently and I wanted to share this with everyone. It’s is a video about their program in Capetown South Africa that aims at providing skills training and product development in a way that can really make you feel good about your purchase. You can check out thier website to learn more, http://www.townshiptrades.com/ .

From the Video Description: “A story of soap and hope. A film about a group of AIDS orphans in Khayelitsha being supported to trade their way out of poverty by starting a soap making business.”

bella cupcake’s Gee emailed us for some product samples to review for her blog. If you know anything about Gretta, our Director of Fullfillment here in the office, she LOVES cupcakes and was so excited to meet a fellow cupcake and cosmetics lover.

Be sure to check out the PeaceKeeper review and check back in at bella cupcake for other reviews as well. Its a great site for anyone that loves cosmetics (and cupcakes!) and is supercute to boot.

PK Review: http://bellacupcake.blogspot.com/2008/06/review-peacekeeper-cause-metics.html

Blog Site addy: http://bellacupcake.blogspot.com/

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Review: PeaceKeeper Cause-metics

PeaceKeeper Cause-metics is not just another natural mineral makeup company. They are the first cosmetics line to donate all their after tax profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues. Their approach is unique as they use our consumer buying power to raise funds and awareness. With a purchase, YOU make a direct contribution to helping women around the world. Finally, have your cake and eat it too with the help of PeaceKeeper. Please check out the video below for more information about PeaceKeeper Cause-metics.

I have an all natural, lipstick in Paint Me Healed. It applies creamy and is extremely moisturizing as it contains shea butter and jojoba oil. I even had slightly chapped lips and the moisturizing formula healed some of it. I’ve never tried mineral lipstick and I was thinking it might not be so pigmented, but this is very pigmented! The color is very vibrant and surprisingly long lasting. There is no scent or flavor, which I prefer in a lipstick. Paint Me Healed is a gorgeous matte coral shade. The color looked dark, but applies a bit lighter than it appears. PeaceKeeper offers a total of 12 beautiful shades to choose from for $16.50 each.

I also have a mineral lip gloss in Eternal Equity, named after an organization PeaceKeeper donates to. It comes in a standard tube with a doe-foot applicator. This gloss is completely non-sticky, which I absolutely love! You can apply it liberally and it will never feel sticky. It has a very slick and creamy texture. Similar to the lipstick, it’s made with moisturizing ingredients and kept my lips hydrated. The gloss has light sweet vanilla, sugar cookie essence scent with no flavor. It’s not very pigmented, but just enough to leave a noticeable amount of color. The formula itself makes for a shiny gloss, but it also contains a subtle shimmer. Eternal Equity is a deep pink, mauve shade with gold shimmer. I’ve now tried several mineral glosses and I have to say that I really like the formulas, because they provide non-sticky shine. At $16.50 each, you’ll be making a helpful contribution as well giving your lips some much deserved loving.

PeaceKeeper even has a lip balm, called Eco-Sensual. It’s not just your average chapstick. It’s 100% natural, 100% vegan, and 73% organic! It comes in a standard twisty tube, which I like. Lately, I’ve noticed balms come in jars and I just don’t like using my finger for it. Plus, sticks are smaller and take up less room in my already crowded purse. It glides on to keep your lips thoroughly moisturized and chap-free. It has a slightly methylated feeling because it contains spearmint oil. It actually feels refreshing! I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just very soothing. The scent reminds of Wrigley’s chewing gum because of the spearmint, but it’s very mild. If you have severe dried lips, this should heal ‘em right up! This is a Self Magazine reader favorite product, so you know it’s gotta be good. Snatch some up for only $3.18 for a stick!

Lastly, they even have natural nail polish! These are mineral based lacquers that are densely nutritious with amino acids for healthy nails. They apply creamy and smooth. They dry fairly quickly and so far have minimal chipping. My shade in Paint Me Forgiving looks like dark pink, mauve with shimmer in the bottle. When applied, it’s more of a light pink, nude shade with shimmer. It reminds me of the word “seashell,” just a pretty nudy pink. It may be my particular shade, but you might have to do a few coats to get the color to show. Mind you, I naturally have very white tips so I always have to do extra coats. Also, in the picture, I quickly did 2 thin coats and if you don’t have very white tips like me, the color should be decently pigmented for you. These nontoxic, vegan friend nail colors are available for $12 a bottle.

I urge you to check PeaceKeeper Cause-metics out! Not only are their all natural products great, their mission to do goodwill is even better. Please support PeaceKeeper Cause-metics, make a contribution, and spread the word!

This weekend when I was at a friend’s Grandparent’s house she got involved in a political discussion with them. I tried to stay out of it as long as possible but ended up throwing my 2 cents in anyway.A debate is like chocolate, I just can’t resist.

We ended up on the topic of people joining together to stop rape. My friend’s Grandpa asked me what I thought should be done and I related a story of my former college about an on-campus rape that when reported to Campus security the woman was encouraged NOT to file a report and that the campus police would “handle it”. Not being an isolated incident, schools seem to do this to keep their crime statistics low but it is detrimental to the women (and men) that are sexually assaulted on campus.  Needless to say the situation was not handled, the rapist was allowed to stay on campus and eventually began harassing the woman who he had raped both in classes and on campus. To me this is en example of how attitudes of officials can be accomplices to rape.

The importance of this discussion is based around the reaction I received to it, disbelief. The story “sounded” like it wasn’t true so the Grandpa thought it couldn’t be true. He didn’t believe the Campus Police would do this nor did he believe the rapist would be follow the young woman around and harass her. He doubted the truth of a story heard second hand to which I replied that I knew the girl personally and heard her relate this story with my own ears. Then it became that it was her fault for not reporting it to real police, not “Rent a Cops”. I looked up those police today on the school’s website. These officers are armed and fully sworn police officers who work on campus, not baton wielding “rentals”.

This is too often the double edge sword of women’s experience of sexual assault. Its either too much to believe so its just s lie or so common place that its no big deal and shouldn’t be brought up. This is a lose lose situation. Often men who experience sexual assault have an even harder time just to to social constraints of masculinity.

This of disbelief of women’s experiences is exactly one of the factors that helps rape happen. I decided I should look up some organization of men who are working to stop rape to send to Grandpa so that even in his age he can learn the reality of what rape is and does to our society. I hope you share these organizations with those you know as well. There are National and Regional groups. I encourage you to find one in your community and offer support to the men involved in this important work.

I really like this quote from a website I found: “Rapists are not born, they are made”. It takes active resistance to that “making” to ensure justice and equitable treatment of men and women.

Peace,
Jen

If you have a story you like to share post it in the comments below.

Here is a list of some Men’s Organizations dedicated to Stopping Rape. If you find others that you think should be in this list post them to the comments and I’ll add them.

-Men Can Stop Rape: http://www.mencanstoprape.org/index.htm Features some great videos, like THIS short one
-Men Ending Rape: http://www.menendingrape.org/info.htm
-Men Stopping Rape, Inc: http://www.men-stopping-rape.org/
-Men Against Sexual Violence: http://www.menagainstsexualviolence.org/
-Educational Video “Tough Guise”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI
-Article titled “Masculine, Feminine or Human?”: http://www.slepton.com/slepton/viewcontent.pl?id=1845 (Thank you to Feministing for the link)