Helping those facing hardship overseas

Over the past couple of weeks, we've all been witness to the extraordinary generosity that people have towards their fellow Australians when disaster strikes. These acts of generosity, both monetary and the volunteering of time, further confirm that the concept of the 'lucky country' is a real one.

In many places around the world, people are not so lucky. Pakistan also faced widespread flooding last year, but the toll on the country is far greater than we can imagine. 20 million people were displaced - that's almost the entire population of Australia — and roughly 3000 people were killed. However, as a developing nation, the people of Pakistan will not recover in the same way that Australia will — they are not a rich nation, so their people can't afford to give in the same way that Australians are able to give to each other in times of need. That's why those of us who are fortunate enough to live in a rich nation should also remember to help those overseas who are in need as much as we can. There are a number organisations through which people can help — I personally support Plan Australia in their Pakistan aid, but there are many others out there as well.

In addition to the 'big guns', there are also many overseas aid organisations that go largely unnoticed. Some are simply overlooked as a place to direct donations as they are unable to provide a tax deduction, and most simply do not have the marketing power of the bigger players that we are all familiar with. I wanted to share with you three such organisations that I've become aware of recently.

Project 18 is lovingly run by Cate Bolt, and 'exists to improve the quality of life of orphaned and underprivileged children by providing a safe environment in which to grow, whilst educating them for a brighter future living in harmony with their environment'. Project 18 does not have tax-deductible status, but Cate and her team selflessly run their sustainable orphanage and wildlife sanctuary project with amazing love and dedication. Plus, you can buy chocolate 'bricks' to help build classrooms — organic, fair-trade chocolate!

OrphFund is an entirely volunteer-based organisation that helps vulnerable children around the world, regardless of their ethnic background or religion. They guarantee that 100 per cent of funds donated, although not tax-deductible, will reach children living in poverty. OrphFund founder Steven Argent also sells 'photo blocks' of his work to further add to the funds of the organisation.

One Girl focuses on educating underprivileged girls around the world. Like Orphfund and Project 18, donations are not currently tax-deductible. But, for only $10 a month (roughly the cost of three takeaway coffees), you can provide a scholarship for a girl in a country such as Sierra Leone. You can even sponsor an entire classroom by joining together with colleagues or family members.

Please take the time to visit the websites of these organisations and, if you can spare it, make a contribution to their amazing efforts.

Baked Relief: Un-feminist, or just welcome help?

Many of you will be aware of the Baked Relief effort happening post-flood in south-east Queensland (which I have been participating in myself). While most are praising the efforts of the bakers contributing to the cause, a minority on Twitter have labelled the movement as 'un-feminist', and accused the volunteers of clogging up the roads with their cars trying to deliver the food.

This has me pretty pissed off, to put it mildly. I consider myself to be a feminist. Yeah, I like to bake stuff and do the occasional bit of sewing, but that has nothing to do with being 'un-feminist' in nature. I bake because I like food, and I sew to avoid contributing to the exploitation of women and children in the garment manufacturing business around the world. Not only that, but my husband helped with the Baked Relief effort - what the hell does that make him?!

Contrary to popular opinion, Baked Relief does not simply consist of 'kept women' fucking around in their kitchens to make ourselves feel better. Many of us live in unaffected suburbs and either don't know someone directly to help with the grunt work, or can't get to an affected suburb to assist. Some of us CAN'T assist for whatever reason (such as physical disability, or children to look after). A good number of us are men (including a colleague of mine), but, yeah, I guess most of us are women. So fucking what?! Clearly the food has been VERY much appreciated, and continues to be. The fact is that the people working so unbelieveably hard out in the sun NEED to be fed and watered. Who else is going to do it if we don't lend a hand?

The Baked Relief team seems to consist of a diverse range of people. There are the stay-at-home mums making a wonderful contribution to the cause, as well as professionals who've been unable to get to their usual place of work. From what I've seen, there are publishing professionals like myself (and Kelley from Peppermint magazine), marketing and PR professionals, IT professionals, and I'm sure many others that I'm not aware of.

My personal situation is that I've been told I can not yet return to work. I do, however, have some work I can complete from home. So, in between jobs, I've been cooking up a storm for Baked Relief. I have not been clogging up the roads to deliver my baked goods - I have either delivered to a mass drop-off point like Black Pearl Epicure in Fortitude Valley, or my goods have been collected by someone doing the rounds of the city. Most of us have been combining our efforts in order to deliver as much food at one time as possible, but also ensure that less cars are out there on the roads.

Baked Relief is not about women saying that they can't get out there and shovel mud and push a gurney. It's about a large group of people making a big difference to the lives of others in their own way. They should not be criticised for what they are doing, they should be congratulated.

I'm pretty sure I'll be doing my fair share of dirty work when I can get back into the office later this week, and until then I'll continue to bake along with the wonderful people who started and continue the Baked Relief movement.