Day 121: May 1, 2009

Question 17:
If you could donate one million dollars to charity, which would you choose?

Responses:

• Beah's child soldier charity for the rehabilitation of child soldiers.
• I would donate one million dollars to FINCA, an American NGO that does microfinance lending in 21 different countries. They lend small amounts of money, mostly to poor women in third world countries, for small business loans. This model has many strengths - they are small loans to very poor people so they fly under the radar of corrupt local officials and the money gets right to those in need. They lend to those in poor communities who can start micro-businesses, thereby feeding and educating the children and employing others in their communities. They do not tell the loan recipients what kind of businesses to start or what to do with the profits - people know how to live where they live, they do not need some busybody foreigners coming in and telling them what to do. Sometimes they need a loan to give themselves a start. This organization has been going for 25 years and is well established. Full disclosure - my husband is on the board, but that makes it even more likely I'd donate my million to them. They have less than 8% overhead, the board pays all their own expenses, the staff fly coach to all kinds of difficult places (like Afghanistan) and I know my million would be exceptionally well spent.
• Not sure, but it would definitely be a kids’ charity

For background on this project, go here: http://christopherheath.blogspot.com/2008/11/over-table-and-under-bar.html

Song:
Home, by Marc Broussard

Lyrics:
Hmmmmm...
Rolling down the road
Going nowhere
Guitar packed in the trunk
Somewhere 'round mile marker 112
Papa started hummin' the funk
I gotta jones in my bones and before we know,
We were singing this melody
Stopped the car, pulled out the guitar
Halfway to New Orleans

Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Take me ho-whoa-oh-ome

Could feel the sun about to rise
When I realized we had nothing to fear
It's just me and my daddy and a kid named Cope
Makin music that nobody would hear
And then the sun let up and it spent the night
Spillin' over our jubilee
10, 000 cars by the side of the road
Groovin' far as the eye can see

Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome

Said this greyhound is delta bound mama
Baby boy done finally found
Said this greyhound is delta bound mama
Baby boy done finally found his way ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome

Here we go...

Hot damn you should've felt the groove
Like I was swimmin' in a sea of soul
The sun was risin' and the day was hot
And we all about to lose control
My daddy turned his face up towards the sky
And I knew that there was nothin' to lose
I felt the crowd breathe in and I closed my eyes
And we disappeared into the groove

Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome

Straight from the water
Straight from the water children

Straight from the water
Straight from the water children

Straight from the water
Straight from the water children

Straight from the water
Straight from the water children

You don't know nothin' about this!
Take me home, home, home, home
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Take me ho-whoa-oh-ome
Said take me ho-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-whoa-ooh-oh-ome