Day Three

It is Sunday here, and it has just finished raining - as it seems to do in the late afternoon everyday. I finally finished Paradigm Found by Anne Firth Murray. Her experience is priceless in what it means to birth and run a non-profit. I was heartened to read that she started The Global Fund for Women at the age of 52.

Anne said that at the beginning she wanted The Global Fund for Women to say and mean to all women all over the world, "We believe in you and your dreams. You are not alone." For MoMo I would like to say to each child that finds themselves in an orphanage, "We love you, and are here for you. You are not alone."

Martha, thank you for your encouraging words on how to reconcile the mission of MoMo - starting up a business to help with self-reliance + change the way we take care of children in orphanages. I've been busy reading up on Half the Sky, my inspiration for 1:1 care for children. I looked at their financials and learned that they have a very large operating budget. I think they are funding the programs within the orphanages through donor money. My concern with that is the reliance on donor money. So, the idea of starting a business to fund key initiatives, like a 1:1 infant program, may be the way to go. I am getting excited about the idea of marrying caregivers to a way to pay for them. It's a tall order.

Moving along. Anne states, "Be clear about what you want to do and why." This will be a key focus for me in the next few weeks. Tomorrow we have our first meeting with the staff from the orphanage. More to come on this topic.

Another thought - Anne encouraged me to write about the situation in orphanages to raise awareness. I never thought of myself as a writer, but am contemplating the idea. Anyone heard of Yensine Larsen? I met her a few years ago. She launched a magazine that voices the situation of women and children in poverty-stricken areas. May be a good start. But first, to write the article!

It's getting late and tomorrow I have to be at the orphanage early. I will end with a quote from the Talmud that I recently found...

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, neither are you free to abandon it.