Eshin Direct

Why raise for the UNHCR?

I’m really pleased with the fund raising efforts of my friends and family, and everyone who has donated so far to my Swim for a Cause. And so is the UNHCR it would seem¹.

Naturally, like any activity that is competing for scarce resoures like funds and attention, charities have their fair share of competition. Since my company is allowing us to choose our charities that we want to support, there is some friendly competition going on at our offices as my colleagues vie for share of wallet.

There are some interesting comments being made. For example, one view is that donating to charities that support things that are more likely to touch people’s lives are easier to raise money for. Take cancer – it’s easy to imagine that you might be touched by it at some point in your life. The plight of refugees can seem a world away and irrelevant to your life.

I agree. It’s easier to raise money for these charities. Does that mean we shouldn’t raise money for organisations like the UNHCR because the plight doesn’t touch us as directly or as forseably?

No, I think it is even more important for us to proactively raise awareness for these other charities that don’t have an “easy” pull for people. There is humanitarian crisis that is going on today in the world, and at some point, it will impact us all at some level.

Yesterday, we celebrated International Women’s Day.

A 48-year-old Somali woman, Hadja, told the gathering that she had been abducted and held by a militia group for four years in her homeland before managing to escape. “I was subjected to a lot of physical and mental violence and the numerous scars on various part of my body are a reminder of the pain and hurt I had to endure,” said Hadja, who has been living in Islamabad for the past three years.

Her husband, a former UN driver, was killed by militiamen in Somalia along with her father and eldest son. She said that she had been warned that she would be killed if she returned to Somalia because Hadja had refused to marry her brother-in-law. She lives in Pakistan with one of her daughters, but her three other children remain in Africa.

Hadja survives largely on an allowance of 4,500 Pakistani rupees (US$52) a month from SACH. She has a refugee card from UNHCR, but no right to work or permanent residence. Despite this, Hadja’s strength has made her a leader among the Somali women in Islamabad.

I can’t imagine a world where someone is abducted for four years, suffering brutalisation by her captors. Nor can I imagine a world where death, flight or marrying someone you don’t love are the only options available to you. And I certainly can’t imagine living in a world sustained by a meagre $52 a month.

Perhaps because I can’t imagine it, along with so many other people, it more important for me to bring attention to it than other “popular” causes.

Swim for a Cause

1. “We at the UNHCR in the UK wish to thank you for your support! It’s great to see people committing their bodies and minds to raise money for good causes and we feel honoured that you chose us. With an estimated budget of $3.2 billion US dollars for 2010, and with over 95% of our funding coming from donations, your cause is a great asset in our bid to help the 34.5 million people around the world who rely on our services and support.

   Thanks!” [↩]

Over 50% raised for UNHCR and AWWA

Wow, I must say that it really does add an extra dimension to training for a race when you are doing it for charity. See Swimming for a cause.

With less than 2 weeks to go to my swim at the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore 2010, all of you have helped raise over 50% of the target amount of S$2,000 for the UN High Commission for Refugees and the Asian Women’s Welfare Association. I certainly feel a sense of accomplishment already without even having heard a starting horn!

But the race is not yet finished, and we still have 48.5% of the target amount to go! Any amount that you can donate is appreciated, even if it is a small one. Remember, small drops can eventually fill a bucket.

So get on over to Swim for a cause and donate today.

Swimming for a cause

Last year, I had never competed in any race, in any shape or form. After I survived the 1.9km swim as part of the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Corporate Challenge, it gave me a great sense of accomplishment. So this year, I wanted to do something extra – race for a cause.

This year, I am back at the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore 2010, competing as part of a relay team and taking to the water as the swimmer. I’m looking to raise money for two charities – the UN High Commission for Refugees¹ and the Asian Women’s Welfare Assocation²

You can support these worthwhile causes by donating directly to them yourself or visiting my page on Ammado – Swim for a cause – where you can help me raise a combined total of S$2,000 for both charities.

You can either:

1. Just donate outright (and be mighty generous)
2. Wait until I have completed the distance (to make you feel I’ve earned it)
3. Only donate when I’ve beaten my time last year of 58 mins (to make me really feel I’ve earned it!).

This is the first time I’ve done something like this and raced for charity so bear with me if I haven’t quite got it right yet.

A couple of things to note:

• Yes, my company sponsors the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore so I do have an interest in this, BUT
• No, I don’t see a cent of what you donate and nor does my company. The money goes directly to the charity.

C’mon and do something good today and support my swim for a cause! That link again, in case you missed it: Swim for a cause.

If donating money isn’t your thing, then I’d happily welcome a couple of virtual cheers over at the Aviva Ironman Virtual Crowd just to let me know that I’m not swimming alone. Just look for my name on the drop down list and leave a message of support. (Warning: This is a shameless link to my company’s corporate site and an attempt to solicit support for myself!).

1. The UNHCR
   The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, was established in 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly to provide protection and assistance to refugees worldwide.

   Today, UNHCR is one of the world’s principal humanitarian agencies, its staff of 6,540 personnel helping more than 30 million people in 116 countries, providing the world’s most vulnerable people with safety and coordinating access to food, shelter, clean water, medical care and basic education.

   When possible, UNHCR helps refugees and other displaced people return to their homes voluntarily, safely and with dignity. When return is not possible, the agency assists with local integration or resettlement to a third country. [↩]

2. The Asian Women’s Welfare Association
   Our Mission is “To empower the disadvantaged, from infancy to old age, to maximize their potential to lead a dignified and independent life”. [↩]

Microwaved

I recently had a discussion with Mrs. Eshin and her uncle regarding microwave ovens. She’s convinced the damned things are harmful when they’re busy superheating water molecules in our food. Her uncle, a wise gentlemen of electrical technical engineering experience, confirmed this but said that he wasn’t sure about the microwave ovens as he didn’t know how well the protection plate at the front of the oven insulated against harmful rays.

Of course, I scoffed at this notion. Given the millions upon millions of microwaves sold in the world, surely they would be made safe. The US government, no less, would have had a field day with the FDA infractions if it was an unsafe technology.

Mrs. Eshin’s uncle did remind of something one of my old teachers mentioned – you should remember who is telling you something to evaluate its trustworthiness.

Here’s a little known fact – Percy Spencer, who invented the microwave oven, worked for Raytheon at the time. Raytheon is a major American defense contractor that works tightly with the government.

You be the judge.

Scam-dalous Service

I’ve been scammed twice in 24 hours with a new trick to earn restaurants a few bucks more – taking down the incorrect order and charging a higher price for it.

The first time it happened was at The Villa Bali last night. Apparently some genius decided that it would be clever to call the alcoholic and non-alcoholic version of a drink, Strawberry Freeze and Strawberry Freezy respectively. Mrs. Eshin had ordered a Strawberry Freezy quite clearly but they naturally heard Strawberry Freeze to the tune of $6 more.

The second time was just now over lunch at Manna Korean restaurant. Apparently, they mistook the order of a $17 beef rib soup for an order of $24 beef rib set. The unfortunate thing, which might be mine own stupidity, is that it sort of looked like a beef rib soup abeit a poor one so I didn’t send it back.

So now being $13 out of pocket, I’m not a happy camper. Not a large amount but it’s the principle that matters. That being said, the food at both places was still good.