GIVING BACK TO THE WORLD

One organization I like to support is the Trevor Project.

I am passionate about the goal of the Trevor Project to support the needs of our youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, and more.

As we know, youth who identify with gender identities and sexual orientations other than the gender identity they were assigned at birth and other than heterosexual have much higher rates of mental health struggles than those who identify as cisgender and heterosexual.

Supporting our queer identified youth is both a personal and professional passion of mine.

To learn more about the Trevor Project, go here:  https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/407873/?c_src=UCGOF220620250&c_src2=dt-202206-c-Pride-NoMatch-Google-SEM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwheyUBhD-ARIsAHJNM-OCi4ktLy7TVl8BD5Z2aJlfciZyDDMfReGeFMBpUcOuhy9vWMbU2xQaAvYrEALw_wcB#!/donation/checkout

Another organization I like to support is BRAC International.  

My father's family has lived in the Indian subcontinent for over one hundred years.  

My first home as a child was Dhaka, Bangladesh.  At age eight, I moved to Peshawar, Pakistan, on the border of Afghanistan.  

My step mother was from Peshawar.  She and I were very close throughout my childhood.  She grew up in extreme poverty and told me many stories of the unbelievable trauma she went through as a child, as a child bride, and as a mother to thirteen children, nine of which died before age 2.

I grew up with a deep passion for my "ummis" (mothers), sisters, aunties, cousins, and friends in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan.  I witnessed and heard countless stories of injustice, trauma, and heartbreak while I was growing up and into my adulthood.

In honor of all of our mothers, sisters, cousins, aunties, grandmothers, and friends around the world (including perhaps ourselves) who have and still are enduring incredible hardship.

BRAC is a non-profit organization that I have been connected with my entire life.  It was started in Bangladesh (my first home as a child) to alleviate poverty and suffering by helping  people develop the capacity through education, medical care, food, financial programs and other basic needs to care for themselves and their families. It now serves many countries around the world.  

The BRAC program that hits my heart most deeply is their Gender Equality and Justice projects.  Learn more about BRAC and this particular program here:  http://www.brac.net/program/gender-justice-and-diversity/