APJ Country Director, Bryn Mooser, pictured here, coordinated the donation of a mobile clinic to serve those who cannot make it into town for medical emergencies and living supplies. On this day, they drove the clinic from St. Damien hospital in Port au Prince to a community cut off from the outside world. They brought food, medicine, doctors, tents and clothes.
Me, two adorable Haitian girls, and Barbara Burchfield, December '09
This is one of my favorite shots from Haiti. My friend, and fellow APJ enthusiast, Barbara Burchfield, and I walked hand in hand with two little girls, through the most dangerous slum in Haiti, and all we could hear was laughter and singing.
For me, this photo illustrates the love I feel in Haiti. I’m inspired by their strength, and reminded by their ways to treat every stranger with warmth and respect.
When I was a teenager, the first organization I started working hard to support was the incredible Doctors Without Borders (or if you’re cool and French, Medecins Sans Frontieres.) I have fantasized about becoming a doctor so I could travel with them to the world’s most dangerous places, caring for those with no access to desperately needed health care. They are an international coalition of medical professionals who work independently from any government so they can speak out against atrocities they witness from the ground. I’ve seen their work in Haiti, and I have met their doctors, and based on everything I know about their outstanding commitment to humanitarianism, I award them my own personal BAD ASS Award.
From their website:
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Today, MSF provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols. MSF’s work is based on the humanitarian principles of medical ethics and impartiality. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.
If you can, see the new documentary about them, Living In Emergency.
Thank you, Ice cream Gods, for creating this insanely good Vegan treat. If you need me, I’ll be in the freezer hugging this pint of dark chocolate Heaven.
And the company that makes it says awesome things like:
“Luna & Larry created Coconut Bliss as an alternative to dairy ice cream not only for the great taste and health benefits that coconut milk provides, but also with the hope of lessening the heavy ecological and ethical impacts of dairy farming.”
Thank you Luna & Larry, wherever you are!
I don’t know what the human race did so right in order to deserve the PERFECT STORM OF GOODNESS that is Babycakes Bakery in NY, and now in L.A!!!! I remember the first time I tried one of their yummy vegan carrot cupcakes. I realized then that the evil mega-death sugar, and processed food industries were about to lose their disease-inducing power over the general public once people tried these incredible treats made with only good, REAL, food.
I love every single person behind Babycakes and want to thank them from the bottom of my happy stomach!
Get their cook book if you can’t get to the bakeries!
There are some seriously sexy vegetarians in this world (see: Prince)
The kind folks at Peta recently asked their supporters to vote for their “sexiest Vegetarian celebrity” and today I learned I won that title, along with a dude who disproves the silly lie that Vegans cant be strong: Biggest Loser trainer, Bob Harper. I am really honored, and very inspired to continue living the vegan lifestyle that has been so good to my body, my animal friends, and the world we live in. So thank you, PETA, and thanks to all who voted for me!
A very special, moving, and very cold day, spent with my mother, celebrating a turning point in history.
riding through Port au Prince in the back of the pickup with UN choppers overhead
I love my TOMS, and wear them almost every day, whether I’m in New York, Haiti, or Venice Beach. They’re unique, comfortable, fresh, funky, and fly. But wait, there’s more! With every pair of TOMS you buy, a pair of desperately needed shoes goes to a child in the developing world. Voila, ladies and gentlemen, you have done a great deed just by looking cool. This is not just a fashion statement, its a movement. Check them out and read the story behind TOMS here.
My friend, and TOMS founder, Blake Mycoskie, participating in a "shoe drop."
Standing with a few of Haiti's bright young minds, weeks before the earthquake
Many of these students are now attending class in tents set up outside their school, which suffered some structural damage in the quake. This photo was taken on a Sunday, so they’re dressed casually, but despite incredibly hot temperatures in the tents, they show up to class each day in their blue uniforms, ready to learn. Because of our recent partnerships with the World Food Program, and TOMS shoes, APJ is able to ensure that these kids will not go hungry, or risk injury from walking barefoot. Armed with a pencil, paper, and a sense of well being, we are confident these kids will grow to make their country proud.