Hello, Parenthackers! It's the end of Day 2 in Ethiopia with ONEMoms, and we are learning and experiencing so much. Thankfully the world looks and feels much clearer once you've gotten a good night's sleep. Our first field visit to the Mary Joy Association happened shortly after we arrived in Addis Ababa yesterday afternoon. I've […]

Photo credit: ONE/Karen Walrond After two days of flying (and five hours of flight delays), we've arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. How strange and wonderful it was to feel the jet wheels touch down in Africa. My context-addled, jet-lagged brain isn't processing much at the moment, so I'll share a few impressions that have whizzed […]

It's the eve of the ONEMoms trip to Ethiopia. I'm (mostly) packed. I'm excited, nervous, full of anticipation. I'm incredibly grateful to Rael for setting aside his work so I can leave confident the kids and house are in good hands. (That's an understatement; his support over the last few months has been nothing short of amazing.) […]

I’ve been trying to place the “bigness” of the ONEMoms trip to Ethiopia into context both for myself and my kids…but I’m falling short. But at least I can share a bit of Ethiopia with my kids before I leave home: we can eat Ethiopian food.

In six weeks, I board a plane to Ethiopia to learn and share stories about the remarkable partnership between Ethiopian community leaders and the advocacy organization ONE. I’m heading into the experience with very little knowledge about the political process, international aid, the history and culture of Ethiopia, or its modern struggles and triumphs.

I’m not proud of my ignorance. But I’m telling you about it for three reasons.

Last year, I was one of several community partners that shared the story of ONEMoms — a remarkable collaboration between ten social media moms and the advocacy organization ONE. ONE brought this group to Kenya to educate them about the incredible work going on to support local entrepreneurs, slow the maternal transmission of AIDS, and […]

I spent this morning reading about the ONEMoms' visit to Kibera, a large slum in the city of Karen, Kenya. They are meeting with women entrepreneurs and community leaders there, and are finding out just how much can be done with small infusions of money and support. Just as important, perhaps, is the hope they […]

This picture about stopped my heart when Lauren Balog of ONE posted it on Twitter. Given how much thought, reading, research, and handwringing I've done over my own kids' education so far, seeing these children hit me hard. Their beautiful smiles, their school made of corrugated metal (imagine the heat), their desks made of rough […]

The stories coming out of the ONEMoms’ trip to Kenya are remarkable. (If you need context, read my intro to ONEWeek, the collaboration between advocacy organization ONE and ten parenting bloggers). Their first two days were spent observing work that comes out of the collaboration between the US Center For Disease Control and the Kenya […]