Give Thanks

If the only prayer you said in your life was “thank you,” that would suffice – Meister Eckhart

This was my first Thanksgiving away from home.

I was expecting it to be a difficult day, anticipating that most of the traditions that mark the holiday for me would be absent. There were different people around the table and different food on our plates, but I was surprised that it still felt like Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a completely American tradition and some parts of the holiday were difficult to explain to my Tanzanian coworkers (Pilgrims? Cranberry sauce? Balloons of cartoon characters on 5th avenue?).

The important parts, however, translate. There was good food, good people and a day to appreciate the generosity I’ve received. Silent thanks for teachers who have inspired; for family who have loved selflessly and siblings who have always been my toughest critics and most loyal companions; for friends who have walked with me and strangers who have made the journey a little easier; and this year, most of all, for the many people who have welcomed me into their country, their homes and their lives.

Another deeply American tradition is expressing our gratitude by sharing what we have with others; sharing a meal, sharing our stories, sharing our wealth. Americans have a long tradition of giving and, looking at charitable giving as a percentage of a country’s GDP, Americans give over twice as much as any other country. In 2006, Americans contributed $295.02 billion and nearly 76% of this money came from individuals. (You can read more here).

According to a July 2007 study by the Charities Review Council, Minnesotans are especially likely to support charities, with more than three-fourths of Minnesotans giving to non-profit organizations (other than religious groups and colleges and universities).

Consider supporting MIHV. Your generosity makes a difference in the communities we serve.

$50 for a brick will help establish and support on-going activities at Health Mother/Healthy Babies Centers throughout the project area.

$80 will purchase a bicycle for use by a Village Health Worker in the provision of community based health education and identification and follow-up on pregnant women and sick children under 5.

$10 will purchase a delivery kit for project trained traditional birth attendants to provide safe deliveries of women in emergency situations and isolated areas while protecting the traditional birth attendant and mother from blood-borne diseases.

$500 will provide training to 20 traditional birth attendants in safe delivery, antenatal care, post partum care and referral services.

$3,000 will provide training at ward and village level for community-integrated management of childhood illnesses.

$100 will support performances in two communities by the project’s trained cultural troupe disseminating life saving information on malaria, diarrheal disease, MNC, pneumonia and child spacing.

$250 will support one year of meetings for a village level Survive and Thrive Group providing health information and capacity building training to young, unmarried, pregnant women.


For more information and to support MIHV, visit us online.