Tag Archives: Water

Day 368

From a spiritual viewpoint you are always a creator. The tiniest situation in your life is not made “out there” but “in here,”, from the source of reality, which is awareness. – Deepak Chopra

It’s 7: 09 PM on day 368 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, practice writing by hand, practice typing with two hands, make sandwiches on behalf of Virginia’s Sandwich Run– I’m such an idiot I bought three loaves instead of four two weeks in a row – feed myself spaghetti bolognaise for lunch, watch TV and tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – Ramon Thomas, a motivational speaker from South Africa, made a donation – thanks Ramon 🙂

As you know the realization that I can alter my reality simply by shifting my perception has been LIFE CHANGING for me you will always find me using my “negative” experiences to help others with that said today while I was having breakfast I thought about the fight I had with my father – my brother needed R30 for school and when I saw how reluctant my father was to give it to him I said in an irritated tone he’s your son to which he responded yelling you act like you’re the one who pays all his expenses – and how unlike in the past it didn’t affect me in the least which is when it occurred to me that there are thousands of kids out there right now who need to hear what I needed to hear growing up when my parents were fighting – sometimes using me as a weapon literally – and calling each other names so to those kids I say you are light, love and everything thing the world needs, you have the potential to change the world and regardless of what you think you did wrong it is NOT YOUR FAULT you don’t deserve what is happening to you whoever is hurting you had something wrong with them before you were born. Are you the creator of your life experience?

Resources

If you’re a child and you’re being mentally, emotionally, physically or sexually abused please visit Child Helpline International – they have 61 countries listed who have helplines for children – tell someone you trust about what’s going or send me an email at adventuresofme@hotmail.co.za –I promise you whatever you tell me will stay between you and me it will not end up on this blog or anywhere else – because once you tell the person who hurts you will no longer have power over you.

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

If you’ve given to my cause or you can’t give now, please help me by sharing my cause with others. You can tweet about it like my friend Stan Faryna. This is the tweet he uses: @Nisha360 is a brave, smart young woman trying to make a better world for us all. Please help her do an amazing thing. http://bit.ly/hC7vOu

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 367

2 Replies

The little things do matter – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 18 PM on day 367 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, drink Milo – chocolate milk – in a glass, practice writing by hand, feed myself a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast – it’s silly but I again used a fork and knife to eat the sandwich because I needed practice – practice writing by hand, practice typing with two hands, feed myself spaghetti bolognaise for lunch, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – I set up some automated tweets about water last night and just popped in to chat with people once in a while so that I could do what I needed to do and do good at the same time – watch TV and feed myself garlic bread for dinner.

Today our housekeeper and I – we hired someone new because the other one failed to pitch up for work for weeks – were talking about how everybody has something they cannot do and how being “disabled” doesn’t make you any less of a person and she said I sometimes watch you using the laptop and I wish I could learn and without even thinking about it I said I’ll teach you after you’re done with work because I figured what’s the use of having skills if you’re not willing to pass them on to others. Do you pay attention to the little things you can do to serve?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 365

4 Replies

How you overcome your challenges and not your challenges itself will define you– that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 49 PM on day 365 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, learn how to drink from a glass– I usually drank from a mug because it had a handle I’m so proud of myself – practice some more writing by hand, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck other than the donation Chrissy (@chrissy_bertolo) from Canada – can you believe it my campaign has truly gone my campaign has truly gone worldwide – thanks again Chrissy 🙂 – watch TV, tweet about some more–still no luck– feed myself rice and curry for lunch, watch some more TV, feed myself oranges for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Today as I was learning to do more new things by myself I came to the comforting realization that everybody has challenges only each of us have challenges that are unique to us – for me it’s not being as physically independent as I want to be – and that I guess is my message to you guys stop whining about hard your life is because there is no one on planet Earth who has an easy life. What defines you your challenges or how you overcome them?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!7

–7
/*-**7*5.-

Day 364

Day 363

4 Replies

Going to church doesn’t make you a better person – that’s what I learned today.

It’s 7: 00 PM on day 363 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, publish my Kid of the Week feature, feed myself a peanut butter sandwich and scrambled eggs for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – watch The Rugby World Cup match: South Africa vs. Wales–we won by a point– set a timeline to do the things I need to do to become phyically independent– I gave myself two months to accomlish the difficult tasks and two weeks to accomplish the “easy” tasks (see below)– feed myself rice and chicken biryaanii for lunch, continue reading Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, exercise for a few minutes, feed myself oranges for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

This morning my mother came into our room and asked us if we wanted to go to church today and my sister and I both said no I could hear the disappointment in her voice so I said it’s what you do outside of the church that matters and that I guess is my message to you guys if you pray –to your God – read your holy book as often as you can, give with whole heart and treat everybody with kindness it doesn’t matter if you go to your place of worship every week. Do you go to church just to say you did?

Timeline to complete all the things I need to do to become physically independent

 To brush my teeth – partially achieved – I can brush my teeth just fine but I need someone to help me lean over the sick so that the toothpaste ends up in the sink and not all over my shirt ‘[MUST BE achieved two Sunday’s from now (October 2, 2011)]

 To sign my name on a document (I never write anything out I always use a computer/laptop) – achieved sort of/needs more practice – I signed for my debit card and it was accepted but when I signed to renew my passport it was denied [MUST BE achieved two Sunday’s from now (October 2, 2011)]

 To type with both hands – needs more practice – I have been typing with only my left hand so long that it’s hard to break [MUST BE achieved two Sunday’s from now (October 2, 2011)]

 To eat and drink by myself – partially achieved/needs more practice – I can feed myself with a spoon and drink from a mug but feeding myself with a fork and knife and drinking from a glass (because it has no handle) is still difficult [MUST BE achieved two Sunday’s from now (October 2, 2011)]

 To push myself around on my wheelchair – needs more practice most of the time I’m too lazy so I ask my family to wheel me around ‘[MUST BE achieved in the next two months (November 11, 2011)]

 To get in and out of bed by myself – not yet attempted because my parents are always around and even if they weren’t I would be too afraid to try because I fall and break my bones ‘[MUST BE achieved in the next two months (November 11, 2011)]

 To go to the bathroom by myself– again not yet attempted because my parents are always around and even if they weren’t I would be too afraid to try because I fall and break my bones ‘[MUST BE achieved in the next two months (November 11, 2011)]

 To bathe myself – attempted/needs more practice – I tried two days ago when my mother was in the hospital with my brother but since I can’t bend my back because there’s a metal rod in it – I had Scoliosis – that proved to be difficult ‘[MUST BE achieved in the next two months (November 11, 2011)]

 To undress and redress myself – attempted/needs more practice – sometimes I can only get one hand out a sleeve other times it’s both and on a really good I can take my whole shirt off ‘[MUST BE achieved in the next two months (November 11, 2011)]

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 362

3 Replies

Everybody goes off track once in a while – that’s what I learned today.

It’s 8: 03 PM on day 362 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself toast, and scrambled eggs and chicken polony for breakfast, drink guava juice from a glass and not a cup–I usually drink from a mug because it has a handle on it– make sandwiches on behalf of Virginia’s Sandwich Run– special thanks to my mom who helped out today 🙂 –feed myself uzhunnu vada–a savory Indian doughnut – and chutney for lunch, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – chat to my friend from the U.S, Jack King –he actually gave me some tips on how to raise money –start reading Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, feed myself pineapple for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

This morning I was in the bathroom when it occurred to me that this blog has become more about giving and less about gaining my independence in that moment a light bulb came over my head and I decided to kill two birds with one stone i.e. I am asking those of you who are yet to donate to my campaign to donate $10 for every new task I accomplish – see the progress I’ve made in the self-assessment below (Note: For the sake of proof I will post pictures of me accomplishing all the tasks I will tell you I accomplished). Do you find it harder to get back on track once you’ve gone off?

Reflections of the past 321 days: Self-assessment (Note: This assessment was made on July 31, 2011)

To push myself around on my wheelchair – needs more practise most of the time I’m too lazy so I ask my family to wheel me around

To get in and out of bed by myself – not yet attempted because my parents are always around and even if they weren’t I would be too afraid to try because I fall and break my bones

To go to the bathroom by myself– again not yet attempted because my parents are always around and even if they weren’t I would be too afraid to try because I fall and break my bones

To bathe myself – attempted/needs more practice – I tried two days ago when my mother was in the hospital with my brother but since I can’t bend my back because there’s a metal rod in it – I had Scoliosis – that proved to be difficult

To undress and redress myself – attempted/needs more practice – sometimes I can only get one hand out a sleeve other times it’s both and on a really good I can take my whole shirt off

To brush my teeth – partially achieved – I can brush my teeth just fine but I need someone to help me lean over the sick so that the toothpaste ends up in the sink and not all over my shirt

To sign my name on a document (I never write anything out I always use a computer/laptop) – achieved sort of/needs more practice – I signed for my debit card and it was accepted bt when I signed to renew my passport it was denied

To type with both hands – needs more practice – I have been typing with only my left hand so long that it’s hard to break

To eat and drink by myself – partially achieved/needs more practice – I can feed myself with a spoon and drink from a mug but feeding myself with a fork and knife and drinking from a glass (because it has no handle) is still difficult

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 361

Day 358

Water

884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; approximately one in eight people. (5)

3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease. (11)
The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns. (1)
People living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city. (1)
An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country slum uses in a whole day. (1)

Children

Diarrhea remains in the second leading cause of death among children under five globally. Nearly one in five child deaths – about 1.5 million each year – is due to diarrhea. It kills more young children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. (13)
Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. (2)
Diarrhea is more prevalent in the developing world due, in large part, to the lack of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as poorer overall health and nutritional status. (13)
Children in poor environments often carry 1,000 parasitic worms in their bodies at any time. (8)
In the developing world, 24,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable causes like diarrhea contracted from unclean water. (13)
1.4 million children die as a result of diarrhea each year. (11)

Women

In just one day, more than 200 million hours of women’s time is consumed for the most basic of human needs — collecting water for domestic use.
This lost productivity is greater than the combined number of hours worked in a week by employees at Wal*Mart, United Parcel Service, McDonald’s, IBM, Target, and Kroger, according to Gary White, co-founder of Water.org.

Millions of women and children spend several hours a day collecting water from distant, often polluted sources. (1)
A study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) of community water and sanitation projects in 88 communities found that projects designed and run with the full participation of women are more sustainable and effective than those that do not. This supports an earlier World Bank study that found that women’s participation was strongly associated with water and sanitation project effectiveness. (7)

Disease

At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. (1)
The majority of the illness in the world is caused by fecal matter.9
Almost one-tenth of the global disease burden could be prevented by improving water supply, sanitation, hygiene and management of water resources. Such improvements reduce child mortality and improve health and nutritional status in a sustainable way. (14)
88% of cases of diarrhea worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene. (9)
90% of all deaths caused by diarrheal diseases are children under 5 years of age, mostly in developing countries. (8)
It is estimated that improved sanitation facilities could reduce diarrhea-related deaths in young children by more than one-third. If hygiene promotion is added, such as teaching proper hand washing, deaths could be reduced by two thirds. It would also help accelerate economic and social development in countries where sanitation is a major cause of lost work and school days because of illness. (6)

(Note: The facts and images above are coutesy of water.org)

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 357

4 Replies

Sometimes the questions you ask are more important than the answers – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 7: 49 PM on day 357 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, fill in forms to make donations on behalf of Iris Fischer and Betsy Cross–(thanks you guys) they made donation to my campaign via Paypal (I filled in most of the page and decided to wait for my father to complete the payments because I didn’t know his credit card number only after a few hours the webpage expired so I had to do it all over again a few hours later) – pay my dad back all the money he donated on behalf of every Paypal donor I’ve ever had – I hate feeling like I owe anybody anything father or not so now we are all square – tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – feed myself a chicken nugget sandwich and an avocado sandwich for breakfast, watch TV, tweet about my campaign some more–still no luck other than the donations I made on behalf of my Paypal donors and the $6.50 I personally made I figured I couldn’t ask you to do something I wasn’t willing to do :)– feed myself rice and curry for lunch, watch some more TV, feed myself oranges steamed vegetables for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Yesterday I was doing something – I don’t remember what it was – and I thought to myself I wonder what would happen if everybody said – to each other – how can I help you because I swear it really makes a difference – if you don’t believe me try it out for a month ask not what can you do for me but rather what can I do for you and see if you don’t feel good about yourself afterwards – my primary aim when I interact with people is to serve them in any which way I can and I think they can sense that which makes all my human interactions all the more enjoyable. Have you ever asked yourself a question that has changed your life?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 356

4 Replies

You never know where you’re next lesson is going to come from – that’s what I learned today 🙂

It’s 8: 02 PM on day 356 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to publish my Kid of the Week feature, brush my teeth, feed myself chicken nuggets and scrambled eggs for brunch, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck other than the donation Shasta (@outrageousblog)– thanks Shasta 🙂 – chatted to Bonnie on Facebook – she is an AMAZING woman – tweet about my campaign some more–I tweeted stats and videos still no luck– chat to my cousin on Skype feed myself steamed vegetables for dinner, brush my teeth once more and continue to chat with my cousin on Skype.

Last night I was watching Never Say Never on the laptop in candlelight – the whole town was plunged into darkness – and there was this one particular scene in the movie where Justin Bieber was on stage singing where he looked like he owned the world and in that moment I realized that for him singing wasn’t about the money or the fame it was about doing what he loves and making other people happy at the same time which I could totally relate to because that’s how I feel when I write – when I write I have no concept of time or space all I feel is peace – why am I telling you this because I believe that everybody has a stage – somewhere where they can do what they love and make other people happy at the same time. Have you ever learned something very important from someone you least expected?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!