The Circuitous Linkage of Dog The Bounty Hunter, The Rwandan Path To Peace Project, My Blog, And You (GIVEAWAY!)

Congrats to Terra of Heck Of A Bunch!

I was watching Dog The Bounty Hunter last night. It's not a show I regularly watch, but if I'm flipping channels and he happens to be chasing someone interesting I usually stop and see what's going on. I've always thought he and his family seem like pretty cool cats, and I appreciate their down to earth approach to faith. They seem to genuinely care about the people they capture. They give them pep talks and try to reach out to them during the short window of time they have these people in custody.

The show last night? Confirmed that a zillion times over. The fugitive was a nineteen-year-old car thief. A kid, basically, headed the wrong way on the highway of life. They captured him the day before his birthday, and do you know what they did? They celebrated this kid's birthday. After having a serious heart to heart with him on the ride to the station, they walked him to the back of the vehicle where there was a huge Birthday Balloon and cake. I couldn't help it; tears ran down my cheeks.

I cried because I miss that feeling. The moment when someone realizes that although the entire world has given up on them, you haven't. The moment when someone realizes, for the first time in a very long time, that they still have a shot at turning this train wreck of a life around. I miss that more than I can tell you, Internets. I experienced it when I taught in prisons. I experienced it when I taught anger management classes for the Navy and Marine Corps. I experienced it when I investigated child abuse. Heck, I even experienced it when I taught High School and Community College. And I really miss it.

As I watched Dog do his thing, I thought to myself, "What in the heck can I do now, at this stage of my life, to give someone that feeling?". I'm a stay-at-home-mom now. My big fancy degrees sit in boxes, untouched. My world consists of diapers and bottles now. I don't have any opportunities to reach out to anyone anymore. What can I possibly do?

This morning I received confirmation to run an amazing giveaway, which I'm about to get to, and it hit me right on top of my head. I may not be able to inspire hope in a prison inmate anymore. I may not be able to show a teen runaway that they are worth saving at this stage of my life. But I can do something. I have this little blog right here. I have a voice. I can use that voice to bring awareness to people and campaigns that deserve much more attention than they get. I can use this voice to bring awareness to issues that many aren't even aware of. So this? This blog post right here? This is just the first of many, my friends.

The project I'm focusing on today is the Rwanda Path To Peace Project. If you aren't familiar with the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, it was not a happy moment in the history of the world. It was heinous and atrocious; estimates of one million people were brutally murdered over the course of one-hundred days. Yes, it was that bad. Naturally, survivors of the genocide have had a very long fifteen years, and many will never fully recover from what they experienced. Some reports say that any woman who survived the genocide was surely a victim of rape, multiple times over. Many women were even kept as sex slaves for years after the genocide. Imagine trying to build your life again?! How would you even take the first step?!

In 2004, Willa Shalit created a basket-weaving, income-generating program for Rwandan widows. "The company, with offices in New York City and Kigali, Rwanda, embodies a new paradigm for global trade between so-called “developing” and “developed” nations. [Shalit's company] identifies culturally authentic products, enhances design for the U.S. markets, and works intimately with partners in Africa and the U.S. to assure full sales of all imported products through retail channels and major corporate gifting programs.". Willa Shalit believes that women helping women is the foundation for a better Rwanda (and a better WORLD!), and believes her program will allow these women to achieve economic development through trade (not aid).

Recently one of Path To Peace's items was featured in O Magazine, with a fantastic article discussing the Path To Peace program and highlighting a few of the women involved. The item featured in O Magazine was the "O Bracelet", and is a tangible tribute to the Path To Peace Project.
The round part of the O Bracelet is woven in Rwanda, and the bracelet is completed by an artisan in New Orleans. Women helping women, indeed. You can view photographs of the artisans in New Orleans working on a batch of O Bracelets here. The O Bracelet, and many other handmade items, can be purchased through Macy's Shop For A Better World.
I had the chance to see the O Bracelet up close at the Type-A Mom Conference last month. That's the beautiful Christie of The Blog Rollers, sporting a lovely turquoise O Bracelet.

Remember that feeling I'm trying to give? Money talks, my friends. How we choose to spend our money speaks volumes. What we spend our money on is what we support, so what better way to show support than contributing to a program such as Path To Peace?

**WIN IT**

One of you is going to be blessed with your own O Bracelet. Perfect for yourself, or to give as a holiday gift!

To enter, leave a comment with your thoughts on the Rwandan Path To Peace Project.

For additional entries:
1. Visit Macy's Shop For A Better World and tell me one other item that catches your eye.
2. Make a purchase from Macy's Shop For A Better World and let me know you did.
3. Become a Facebook Fan of Path To Peace
4. Tweet about this giveaway
5. Mention this giveaway on Facebook or any other Social Media platform
6. Blog about this giveaway

Comments will lose at midnight, October 28. Winner will be randomly selected and notified via e-mail on October 29. Winner will have 24-hours to claim their prize. Open to US Addresses only, please.

Keeping it real: I was not compensated in any way, shape, or form for this blog post.