dress: worn as a dress, pinned short // red dress: mom's closet // belt: target // cupcake socks: from a friend // shoes: thrifted
Today was such a lovely picture taking day! Besides hiding from the mail lady and bicyclists and worrying about stepping in moose poop and nearly freezing my fingers, it was a very enjoyable time. Sometimes I go outside with no ideas and no particular location (okay, that's like 99% of the time), and sometimes I just have a blast. There's just something about photography and being in nature that is so therapeutic and aaah! it's just awesome. But it started snowing ... come on Alaska! It's May. You're not really funny any more. Thankfully it was just a few flakes. Quit scaring me like that, Alaska.
Aah only six days left of school! I can do this ... most of my classes are winding down but there is still the dreaded AP English tests. I think I'm more worried about our final than the actual AP test. It's going to be an oral test, and it's so hard (apparently) because my teacher gave us all the questions ... eek! So scary, haha. I'm ready to get it over with. Only a couple more days!
Check out how awesome these shoes are! They're from the thrift store that I talked about a couple days ago (the one where you could apply to be a kitty cuddler) and they were only a dollar! I'm thinking about painting them, but I'm not sure what color/design I should do. You guys have any suggestions?
As always, I'm wearing this purple dress every day for a month to support the Batonga Foundation, which provides girls in Africa a full education, which benefits their entire life. So please please donate and spread the word! Every little bit of money is helpful.
The great thing about using a long dress for this challenge is that it's very versatile. Today I wore it as an asymmetrical skirt with some comfy shirts over it. Of course when it was sunny outside I had assumed it would be warm as well. Nope! I think it was about 45 degrees today. So cold! Haha after the warm weather we've been experiencing in the last frontier I've gotten soft skin. It's funny because when we had our first "warm" day it was only 50 degrees but I was practically sweating! That's just how the mind works, I suppose.
As always, this 30 day challenge is to raise money for the Batonga Foundation, an organization that gives girls in Africa a full education, which improves every area of their lives, be it their jobs, their family, and their health. It's an awesome organization and I encourage you to help me reach the goal of $500. Also at the end of the month, everyone who donated will be automatically entered into a giveaway. I'm not sure yet what that giveaway will include, but trust me, it will be spectacular.
Thank you so much, have an awesome day, and please spread the word and donate!
Today I launched my month long project to raise money for the Batonga Foundation, which supports girls in Africa by giving them a full education which in turn gives them a better life. It's an amazing cause and I am so excited to be raising money for them. I'm styling this dress every single day in the hopes that people will come alongside me and donate money to reach the goal of $500. It's a mighty feat, but with a team effort, it's easily possible. I am so thankful for any and all support, so every bit of money and advertisement is greatly appreciated.
I had been contemplating not posting my 365 project on Introvert's Introduction (for those of you who don't know, it's a year long photography journey where I take one photo a day for an entire year), but because I am practically obsessed with having all of my internet stuff in one place, I figured people wouldn't mind two (and maybe even three!) posts a day. The more the merrier!
Please keep the girls in Africa in your thoughts and prayers, as well as Batonga and the 30 day dress challenge. It's a big endeavor to raise $500 in one short month, but I am confident that together we can change the lives of many girls.
The month of May is going to be a very special one and I am so excited for it! For thirty days I am going to be styling this dress thirty different ways. Why you ask? I am doing this in order to raise money for the Batonga Foundation, an organization that supports girls in Africa to give them a hope and a future. Not only am I doing this to raise awareness for this awesome organization, but also to raise money to support the education for these girls. My goal is to raise $500 over the course of this month, and I would greatly appreciate your help! On the right side bar there are buttons you can grab for your blog to spread the word, you can like Batonga's facebook page here, or you can donate money by clicking on the donation button at the bottom of this post!
(My family decided to show up in nearly all of these photos. :))
I had the chance to talk with Stephanie, the executive director for the foundation, to do a little interview to help kick off this thirty day fundraising challenge.
1. Can you tell us just a little bit about the history of Batonga? How it got started and what had to happen for it to become successful?
Angelique Kidjo, the founder of Batonga, grew up in Africa, where in poor families the girls were the first to be taken out of school to take care of the home. Angelique's parents made great sacrifices to give her a full education and in 2007 she started Batonga to help other girls who were in her same situation. The organization is still fairly new, but already it is supporting girls in five different countries in Africa, providing them the tools they need to succeed in school and life.
2. About how many girls a year does Batonga support?
Batonga supports just over 1,200 girls spread out over the countries of Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali, and Sierra Leone.
3. How many girls are added to the program each year?
Not too many girls are added each year because of the fact that we are focused on taking the girls through college, so we make sure we have enough money for her to graduate from college. More money means more girls, so every amount of donation is important to bettering the life of a girl.
4. I also understand that Batonga is stationed among several different countries within Africa, are there any specific needs that need to be met with in any certain countries?
Each country is different and even each town is different. General education is a challenge because in poor families, the girls are the first ones to leave school to come home and help support the family. It all depends on what they're going through. But what every girl needs is a mentor for life coaching because there aren't many successful role models surrounding them. They also need school supplies, uniforms, books, scholarships, and sometimes additional money to support their families while they are at school. You can read more about the specific needs in each country here.
5. If someone cannot donate monetarily, are there other ways to help?
Of course! You can always like the facebook page (here) or follow us on twitter (here). Also we have an internship program here at our Washington D.C. office and we are always looking for help at events, which are usually in New York, Los Angeles, or Washington D.C. You can also host fundraisers or just get the word out at your church or school.
6. Are there any future plans for Batonga? If so, what are they?
We are always looking to raise funds because there are so many girls that need it that we just can't support yet. When we can reach more countries we can reach more girls. Education is so important because currently girls are not treated as equals, so they are taken out of school and marry young and have children at very young ages, which is also a health danger as there isn't much medical care available. When they stay in school, not only are they and their future families healthier, their entire life is more successful. It's like a ripple effect. There is a very good video that describes this perfectly and really shows what Batonga is trying to do.
here is the video:
Also we are organizing a trip for people to go to Ethiopia to assist with summer classes and teaching computer skills at the youth center. There are also opportunities to go to the various countries with our Partners (listed here).
You can find out even more information about the Batonga Foundation on their website here.
I encourage you to join me on this journey as I style this dress and raise money for Batonga over the course of this month. Please feel free to donate or raise awareness, and I would also like to thank those bloggers that have already helped me out. You guys are the best. It's going to be an exciting adventure and I cannot wait to be able to present our gift to Batonga at the end of May. Because now it's a team effort. I have faith in us, and I know we can do it!
