More than Me Foundation

I AM A MOTHER. MY CHILDREN ARE MY WORLD. I HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY THE MORE THAN ME FOUNDATION… FORTUNATELY.
I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS
I thought about how I would feel if my daughters weren’t given the chance to receive an education or, if they walked the streets in fear, not knowing what may happen to them. What if they had to watch their backs constantly, worrying they may be abused or violated, even in daylight? That is something I could not imagine being faced with. Unfortunately, the girls MTM support are faced with just that every day.

Let’s start with some statistics …

LIBERIA, WEST AFRICA

85% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

60% OF THEIR POPULATION IS UNDER THE AGE OF 25

FERTILITY RATE WAS 5.9 BIRTHS PER WOMAN IN 2009

20.4% OF CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5 WERE MALNOURISHED IN 2007

ONLY 17% OF THE POPULATION HAD ACCESS TO ADEQUATE SANITATION FACILITIES IN 2008!

THE POPULATION IS APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILLION

AREA – 43,000 SQUARE MILES – SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN OHIO

West Point is one of the poorest slums in the country of Liberia.

MORE THAN ME FOUNDATION

If you have not had the opportunity to learn about the More Than Me Foundation, you are in for a really incredible story enhanced by some pretty amazing people!

I stumbled upon More Than Me by sheer luck! While researching and learning about the many organizations dedicated to helping and giving to others, More than Me stood out for a few reasons:

*MISSION

GETTING GIRLS OFF THE STREET AND INTO SCHOOL IN ONE OF THE POOREST SLUMS IN THE WORLD IN LIBERIA, WEST AFRICA.

Browsing through www.morethanme.org was a blessing for me. We hear stories all the time about some person who experienced something that changed them forever and now they want to do something for others. Often, these are just stories or dreams. It is rare that people like Katie Meyler, founder of MTM, actually turn these dreams and hopes into a reality. Katie has done more than that though. Her dreams encompass the whole organization, making it quite a force! Reading everyone’s bio’s made my eyes well up. Here are a group of people, who have their own lives outside of the organization, whether families with young children, busy careers and more, that share a similar goal. They are truly helping those in need, and are focused.

On so many occasions, I have given to charities and other organizations not really knowing if the money, or any of my contributions are going towards the cause. MTM is different. They have a strong purpose, and the purpose is achieved with each contribution. They don’t make promises they cannot keep. Their goal is to not only to educate these wonderful little beings but to keep them safe. They are a like a family. It is awful and causes heartache when things beyond the foundation’s control happen to these innocent children. Amazingly enough, the MTM foundation doesn’t try to hide anything. They say it like it is. Their words and website make us aware of the reality of living in Liberia, the slums, and the awful things the children living there are faced with daily. On the flip side, the organization gives one the opportunity to witness the love and hope the young girls have for both MTM and themselves. It is about giving them a chance they probably would not have had. After reading about MTM and learning more about Liberia and the girls that MTM support, the reality of all things we take for granted surfaces. One realizes how much these children do not have that many of us just could not dream of being without. It is hard to believe that even in 2012, children are deprived of educations. They consider receiving one a luxury. Although I am a strong believer in education, it has always been mandatory. It is hard to believe that while some of our children complain about going to school, girls in Liberia would give anything to have that opportunity.

After all of my reading and research, I decided to contact MTM. I sent an email and received a response fairly quick. The email was sent by Stephanie Hood, a member of their organization. A few things she wrote truly stood out. In my email, I asked how I could help. 90% of the time I have tried to get involved in an organization, the first thing I am asked to do is contribute money. This time, the response was quite different. This group wants to get the word out! They believe that educating others about their organization and making people aware of what they are trying to do and what the girls of Liberia are going through is just as important as collecting funds. Stephanie was not only pleasant to deal with but offered to let me use any of the information, including pictures posted on their website to spread the word. This may sound ridiculous to some, but genuinely, it is a rarity. Stephanie allowed me to feel like I was a part of something no matter what I contributed and she welcomed it. I wish more charitable organizations were like this but more so, that more people in this world had the same care and love in them like the men and women involved in MTM.

If anything, please take the time to view their webpage, read some stories, donate if you can and really, get the word out. Many people may not know about MTM, but if made aware, I genuinely believe they would want to help.

Educating these girls is so important! Why girls? Below are just a few reasons presented by The MTM Foundation on their website:

When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
An extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20 percent. An extra year of secondary school: 15 to 25 percent.
When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90 percent of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40 percent for a man.
These statistics are pretty amazing if you ask me!

Donation Link:

http://morethanme.org/donate.html

Video Link:
http://vimeo.com/31349402
MTM also has a very active Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/morethanme
*direct quote from http://www.morethanme.org

photo credits: all photos contained in this post are from http://www.morethanme.org