Skip to main content

Project Inspire - 5 minutes to change the world








 In August, Love Mercy Foundation had the absolute honor of being selected as 1 of only 9 finalists in Project Inspire's "5 minutes to change the world" contest. This contest is run by the United Nations Women's organisation in Singapore, and to be amongst such incredible company was a dream come true for us... our little ole project, right up there with the world's best... who'd have thought!

Anyway, Eloise and myself weren't able to attend the finals in Singapore as we were in Uganda, however we sent our very able representative Rachel in our stead. Rachel did much of the research the contributed to Cents for Seed's success, so who better to send than her!

Here are some updates from her on her trip:

Singapore is a beautiful city—basically an Asian Dubai—that is addicted to gargantuan shopping malls, global commerce, and air conditioning. Brrrr! It’s much too sterile for me to ever live there, but it was a nice Western vacation from my simple life in India. I even started laughing when I crawled into bed; it was SO comfortable!

Everyone loves Love Mercy’s story, as I was able to tell it twice over the course of the week. A few people want to do interviews with and magazine articles on Eloise and Caitlin and the organization. I was flat-out honored to be able to represent LMF at the UN Women Project Inspire finals.

The competition and events leading up to it was an amazing test of my confidence, as I was a panel speaker for a group of university students (I’m an expert at something?!), gave my globally broadcasted-live presentation in front of a panel of seven big wigs, and sat in workshops from pretty well known individuals and companies. Did I feel fit for the job? Nope, but I put those shoes on and walked around in them quite well. I networked a bit with the development professionals there, and I have some leads for jobs, if I don’t open my own business first—an arts-based community program? Orphanage? Love Mercy India? We’ll see.

The other contestants—from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia—were amazing human beings who inspired the socks off me. We laughed, supported each other throughout the competition, and all went home friends. Many have started their own companies and NGOs, so that got my mental juices flowing. I left Singapore with a head more full of dreams and determined to make a difference than ever.
 
We didn't win much to my disappointment, but the presentation went extremely well; I had many people come up to me and tell me how much they loved the project, my presentation.  Everyone loved Love Mercy's unique microfinance idea, but the winner, Rustam, had an excellent presentation as well as a solid, already well-established social enterprise. We were amongst amazing human beings, and everyone left more inspired than when they arrived!

Rachel, back center









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I am Strong

Tug of war with the boys  We began our second session - this time talking about "strength" in the harsh heat of the afternoon on Friday. We started with a brilliant demonstration of strength. We bought 3 yards of rope and  set up a tug-of-war. We started with two strong boys against each other, and then added  more and more people but only on one side. The game made everyone laugh and led to lots  of different teams: kids vs adults, girls vs boys etc. Andy began the session by stating "on our own we may not be strong, but together as a  team, we can be strong." this was a clear way to communicate a strong message of the  importance of unity. Then we explained that being strong is not only about having big muscles. Strength can  be on the inside as well as on the outside, and being strong means making good decisions. Andy used the example of two coke bottles. He took one and shook it very hard, then put another unshaken bottle next to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Training Program - Week 3

Week 3 Cronulla Mums and Bubs - Photo by Bird and Bee Studio Hopefully by now you are starting to see an increase in fitness by following this Sutherland to Surf training plan. Beginner: Walk 1 minute followed by a 4 minute jog. Repeat x 4. Do this work out 3 times per week Intermediate: Interval session: 7x3 minutes hard pace with 90 seconds rest Tempo run: 20 minutes at tempo pace Long run: 65 mins at easy pace Tip: If you find it hard to run for 4 minutes straight without stopping, just go for as long as you can and make that your benchmark for each rep. Are you a new mum too? Ask your mothers group to join you and walk together for a purpose! www.lovemercyfoundation.org
Post a Comment
Read more

More from Awake: Rachel Hardy

 Like Water....   Rachel Hardy is spending time with the Kids in our sponsorship program to see how we can best help them in their future. Have a read of what she has to say on her latest trip to Orum Primary School. “A few years ago, you wouldn’t have stopped on the side of the road like this, would you?” “Eh, no. You didn’t ever stop. If you stopped, eh…you were gone.” On our way to Orum Primary School to take pictures of the sponsored children, nature called Jimmy, so we slowed to a stop on the side of the road. I asked him about stopping, and he gave his haunting response as he shut his door. I shuddered. Much of the territory I traverse for research and photo documentation is former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war land. Though the sheer beauty of the seemingly untouched countryside is stunning, I find myself wondering how many bodies are buried in those rolling hills and how many horrific tales I’d hear if those majestic trees could talk. Somewhat spooked, I ...
Post a Comment
Read more