Tina Strobos

This blog has already mentioned a few selfless women who sheltered Jewish citizens during the holocaust, but there is always room for one more kind woman who deserves a little recognition for endangering her own life to save others. Tina Strobos was physician and child psychologist who was living in Amsterdam during World War II when the Nazi Germans occupied The Netherlands. Tina, her mother, and her grandmother, set up the attic of the boarding house they owned as a secret refuge for Jews fleeing persecution. There were able to keep four or five refugees at a time and also built a secret compartment a couple of people could squeeze into in case of a raid or search. Tina also helped bring food, supplies, and information to Jews hiding in other parts of the city or in the countryside so they would not have to risk being seen to find food and would know when it was safe to run. She transferred weapons and radios for the Dutch resistance and used a radio to send secret messages to Great Britain. Her dangerous work caused her to be questioned by the Gestapo nine times, but she was always released. Tina Strobos and her family managed to save the lives of over a hundred Jewish people, not to mention the aid she lent to those that didn’t stay in her home and to those who were striving to oust the Nazi regime from the country. Her courage and compassion made a difference to a lot of people and an important impact on history.

Today, be inspired to…Built a tradition of charity with your family. Maybe do something with your mom and grandmother, or maybe instill the value of compassion in your daughter or granddaughter’s life.

Photo credit: db.yadvashem.org

Graca Machel

Graca Machel is known as the widow of former South African president Nelson Mandela and as a humanitarian and political activist in her own right. Much of her work has centered around children and their education and well-being in war-torn areas. Early in her life, Graca was the Minister for Education and Culture in Mozambique for ten years and worked for the United Nations reporting on the impact armed conflict had on children. Her other work with children includes being chairman of the National Organization of Children in Mozambique, helping to find homes for orphaned children, and acting as a delegate for UNICEF. She has supported education through the School of Oriental and African Studies and the World Conference on Education for All. Graca currently serves as the chair of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa and is a member of The Elders, a group of world leaders that her husband was also a part of. Together The Elders try to combine their wisdom and experience to solve some of the world’s greatest problems. Graca’s particular topic of interest in the group is child marriage, and she founded Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage as a part of her work. In addition to The Elders, she also is privileged to be one of the ten members of the African Progress Panel and to contribute to its African Progress Report. For her humanitarian efforts, Graca has been awarded the Nansen Refugee Award, the InterAction humanitarian award, and the North-South Prize. At sixty-eight years old, Graca Machel has already put in a lifetime of humanitarian work, but she isn’t slowing down any time soon. She works to help children affected by war, promote healthy relationships between Africa and the rest of the world, and to make the continent of Africa a better and more vibrant place, and it’s unlikely that she’ll stop until she’s done.

Today, be inspired to…Don’t stop until you’re done. Even though you want to collapse at lunchtime. Or is it just me that does that?

Photo credit: wikipedia

Nancy Reagan

Best known as the wife of President Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan has also done quite a bit of charity work during her lifetime, both as first lady and afterward. Of course she did all of the usual appearances and visits as a politician’s wife, but she particularly supported the Foster Grandparents Program, which connects senior adults with young children needing a positive older influence in their lives, and was instrumental in encouraging its growth in both the United States and Australia. Nancy is also especially known for her participation in the Just Say No drug awareness program which sought to education young people on the dangers of drug use and to encourage them to simply say no to using drugs. She traveled more than 250,000 miles as part of the program, visited drug rehabilitation centers, and appeared on talk shows, television shows, and even a music video to promote awareness of drug abuse. Nancy also invited the first ladies of other nations to join her for a conference on drug abuse and spoke in front of the United Nationals General Assembly on the subject. And of course, we love Nancy simply for being her opinionated but polite, outspoken but genuine, and spunky but kind self. Like all the best first ladies, she wasn’t there just to smile and look pretty, she was a strong right hand to the man in charge and occasionally a nudging conscious too. She captured a lot of attention and gave a lot of attention to some worthy causes. Who knows–maybe Nancy even stopped a few teenagers from doing drugs.

Today, be inspired to…Just say no…to drugs, drinking and driving, overtime, road rage, drama, and uncomfortable shoes.

Photo credit: wikipedia

Mia Farrow

Mia Farrow is one of those actresses who didn’t settle for basking in the glow of her own success and instead looked outside herself to see what she could give back after being so blessed herself. She became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in 2000 and raises money for children in Africa living in war-torn regions or suffering from polio. She is particularly active in Darfur, starting the Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign and taking part in the documentary Darfur: On Our Watch. She even offered herself in exchange for a prisoner’s freedom and attempted a water-only fast to bring attention to the troubles in Darfur. Mia narrated the documentary As We Forgive about the genocide in Rwanda and testified in a trial against the former president of Liberia. She was also somewhat influential in bringing attention to the environmental damage caused by oil companies in Ecuador. Mia has been given the Leon Sullivan International Service Award and was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of the world. Mia Farrow has had a lot of controversy and conflict in her personal life, but she is trying to do some good in the world, and the spotlight that follows her around (for good or ill) is also falling on the people she endeavors to help. Sometimes it’s not our histories or troubles that define us, but rather how hard we try to truly help others in need.

Today, be inspired to…Don’t let any problems, failures, or shortcomings you’ve had in life make you feel like your contributions and efforts are in any way diminished. If you are trying with a good heart, that’s all that matters.

Photo credit: issimomag.com

Queen Rania of Jordan

Queen Rania of Jordan is known for her social activism, particularly in causes concerning children and young people, education, and intercultural cooperation. To improve education in Jordan, Rania launched the Madrasati program with the goal of improving 500 of the country’s schools in five years. She is also the chairperson of the first interactive children’s museum in Jordan, which encouraged children to learn, and offers the Queen Rania Scholarship Program for those seeking education at a higher level. She is honorary chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative and co-founded the 1GOAL: Education for All campaign. In addition to their education, Rania champions the needs of children through the Jordan River Children Program, a commitment to place children’s welfare above politics, and the Child Safety Program, which seeks to stop violence and abuse against children. She also started the Al-Alman Fund for the Future of Orphans and works with UNICEF’s Global Leadership Initiative. All the while she’s working to improve education, Rania is also working to spread tolerance and understanding between different cultures, correct Western misconceptions about Arab culture, and to start discussions about such issues as religion, nationality, and gender. Rania is always busy helping somewhere; through her organizations, writing children’s books, through microfinance endeavors, or even through social media. The work Queen Rania is doing is being felt today, and hopefully what she accomplishes will bring the world a better tomorrow.

Today, be inspired to…Break down some misconceptions today and realize that people don’t all fit into some stereotype we’ve been told.

Photo credit: royalcorrespondent.com

Emilie Schindler

Emilie Schindler and her husband Oskar are remembered for saving the lives of well over a thousand Jewish people during the Holocaust of World War II. Oskar was a reluctant member of the Nazi party who employed Jewish citizens in his factory as a way to keep them from being sent to concentration camps. He and Emilie bribed guards and forged paperwork to keep their employees from being sent away, but it wasn’t enough. Emilie sold her jewelry to buy food, clothing, and medicine and medical equipment for the people they saved. She often had to delve into the black market to find enough supplies to go around. She cared for those who were ill, hiding them from the German soldiers who would certainty cart them away. The work Emilie and Oskar did put them at great odds with the Nazi party, and they were eventually forced to flee, taking about a dozen Jewish people with them. For her work, Emilie received the Righteous Among the Nations award and the Order of May. Emilie Schindler put her own life at risk to save the lives of so many people during the war, providing food, shelter, medicine, and safety to many people who desperately needed it. Her selflessness marks her as one of humanity’s greatest and bravest givers and protectors.

Today, be inspired to…Remember that all people of all colors, religions, and nationalities are all still people. We’re all human beings, and we should look out for each other.

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Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt goes down in history as one of the world’s classiest ladies, but she was also a thoughtful and compassionate humanitarian. She was impressive for being remarkable outspoken in a time when women supporting their husbands were meant to be demure and radiate perfection, and she both campaigned on her husband’s behalf and openly admitted when she disagreed with his policies. She displayed that same outspoken attitude while supporting her causes of women’s rights, racial equality, and human rights. Eleanor worked for the Women’s Trade Union, campaigned for fair hours for workers, and opposed child labor. She was supportive and attentive to those suffering during the Great Depression, often attending meetings and visiting with those who needed a concerned listener. She was also active during the war effort, standing up for the rights of immigrants and refugees, though she admitted later she wished she had tried harder to help them. She is remembered for her support of singer Marion Anderson and her friendship with Mary McLeod Bethune, as well as her attempts to outlaw lynching. During WWII, she encouraged greater involvement for African American soldiers, notably openly praising the Tuskegee Airmen. For women, Eleanor encouraged female journalists by forbidden male journalists to attend her press conferences and by establishing an annual dinner for the female journalists who were excluded from the men-only event. She was quite a writer and journalist herself, often writing a regular column for a newspaper. Eleanor became a delegate to the United Nations after her husband’s death and the first chairperson of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, helping to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. Eleanor Roosevelt’s life positively brimmed with her passion for the rights and well-being of all people, regardless of gender, race, or place in life, and her long career championing her many causes does credit to the kind heart and optimistic spirit she surely must have had to care so much about so many people.

Today, be inspired to…If you aren’t already inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt, I don’t know what to tell you, ’cause you surely should be.

Photo credit: bjf.org

Susan Berresford

Humanitarian Susan Berresford has spent decades of her life working with the Ford Foundation to advance knowledge, end poverty, and champion social justice. Susan started her work as a program officer for the Neighborhood Youth Corps, then as an employee of the Manpower Career Development Agency. She began working for the Ford Foundation in 1970 as a project assistant in the Division of National Affairs before being promoted to a project officer, then moved on to become the officer in charge of the Foundation’s women’s programs. She continued up the ladder as vice president before finally becoming the president of the Ford Founation in 1996. Even after her term as president ended, Susan continues to work in charitable endeavors as a philanthropy consultant for the New York Trust Fund. She serves on the boards of the United States Artists, the Trinidad Trust Fund, and the Council of Foreign Relations, as well as serving as trustee for the California Endowment and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Her work reaches globally through UNICEF and the Vietnam Dialogue Group. Susan Berresford could have directed her attention and business skills toward making herself wealthy or famous, but she chose instead to use her knowledge and talents to coordinate relief and charity for others who need it.

Today, be inspired to…Examine what you’re doing with your gifts and talents today. Is everything just about you? I know I personally spend most of my time thinking about myself, but we should all learn to think of others more often.

Photo credit: nycommunitytrust.org

Emily Hobhouse

Emily Hobhouse was instrumental in bringing the attention of the British public to the terrible conditions of the concentration camps in South Africa during the Second Boer War. Emily did her first welfare work among Cornish miners in Minnesota, but she ended up back in her native country of England where her attention was caught by the Second Anglo-Boer War. She was invited to become secretary of the women’s branch of the South African Conciliation Committee and was heartbroken upon discovering the horrible conditions the women and children displaced by the war were suffering. She organized the Distress Fund for South African Women and Children and went herself to arrange the distribution of aid. What she found when she arrived shocked her still further. The 45 camps set up in South Africa were dirty, overcrowded, and lacking the basic resources to keep people alive and healthy. Many people, especially children, were dying in large numbers in the camps from lack of proper sanitation and nourishment. Emily was as touched by the resilience of the women she met there as she was horrified by how they were forced to live, and she submitted her findings to the British government in scathing condemnation. Both the government and the media lashed back at her for her criticism, but she held her ground, and eventually an investigation was performed and both more funding and more attention were given to the camps. After the war, Emily assisted with rebuilding war—torn South Africa, teaching young women to spin and weave until her health no longer allowed. She extended her compassion to others touched by a different war when she organized food provisions for thousands of women and children in Central Europe after World War I. Emily Hobhouse stood up against her own government to speak for those who being oppressed and neglected, and she succeeded in savings the lives of many people living in war camps in South Africa.

Today, be inspired to…Tell your government how you feel about an issue. Government should reflect the values, morals, and concerns of the people, and your representatives can’t know how you feel if you don’t tell them.

Photo credit: wikipedia.com

Hawa Abdi

Hawa Abdi is a human rights activist and doctor who seeks to bring medical care to those most in need in her native country Somalia. After becoming the first female gynecologist in Somalia, she began her work by opening a one-room medical clinic called the Rural Health Development Organization to provide obstetric care for women. The little clinic eventually grew into a hospital with room for 400 patients, then, after it was renamed the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation, continued to expand into a relief camp that could hold 90,000 people on its property. Hawa remained to help care for those displaced and orphaned during the civil war in Somalia, and when militants tried to force her to shut down her relief camp, she refused to leave. Today, Hawa is joined by her daughters, who are both physicians, and work continues through the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation. The foundations provides a hospital, nutrition center, clean water, and shelter to those in need, all at no charge. To cover the foundation’s expenses, Hawa grows food through agricultural projects and a small garden plot and also runs a fishing operation. Hawa Abdi is a brave and compassionate woman who uses her medical skills and love for the Somalian people to care for the women, children, and elderly who need someone to advocate for their health and safety during troubling times in Somalia. You can find out more about the work the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation does at http://www.dhaf.org

Today, be inspired to…Keep hope alive.

Photo credit: dhaf.org