Blog Archive

Read Michaela's most recent posts directly on the Huffington Post

A Rebel Nun? Rather, an Angel in a Rough Patch of Hollywood!

Posted December 7, 2012 | 12:12 PM

A visit with Sister Margaret Farrell at the Covenant House in Los Angeles.

On a bright sunny afternoon at two o'clock, a half-naked young man breaks through the electronically secured doors of the Covenant House in North Hollywood. Blood gushes from wounds on his shaved head and neck....Read Post

'Pissed Off' in Rural India

(29) Comments | Posted July 3, 2012 | 1:34 PM

Recently The New York Times highlighted a subject that, though considered taboo in the West, represents a critical human rights issue in the East: lack of access to toilets. The article, written by Jim Yardley, showcased the novel "Right to Pee" campaign in Mumbai which is working to...Read Post

Why Giving Matters: How 15 Dollars Can Educate a Girl for a Year

Posted December 8, 2011 | 3:26 PM

Now it is scientifically proven: Money doesn't buy happiness. Giving does. This is one conclusion to draw from a number of recent studies and surveys. The World Giving Index shows a greater correlation between a person's degree of happiness and giving than happiness and wealth.

Similarly, the University...Read Post

Unleashing The Power of The "Girl Effect"

 (2) Comments | Posted October 13, 2011 | 2:38 PM

Many of us in the charitable community have already heard about the Girl Effect, a ground-breaking campaign launched by the Nike Foundation to bring attention to the unique role adolescent girls play in facilitating the development of third world economics. Read Post

Turning the Tables on Domestic Violence in Asia

(2) Comments | Posted September 7, 2011 | 6:52 PM

In America, every 15 seconds a woman is beaten by her husband or domestic partner. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 -- more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. I always thought these figures were shocking, especially since...Read Post

Pedaling Back to School: How Bicycles Bridge the Gap in Education Access For Girls in Rural Asia

Posted August 26, 2011 | 12:26 PM

Every morning, a small yellow school bus stops in front of my house to pick up the neighbors' kids. Grabbing their new book bags, they lament the end of the summer break, while showing off this year's school clothes to their friends.At the same time but on the...Read Post

Oh, Boy! The Anti-Girl Bias Is in Fashion

(828) Comments | Posted June 26, 2011 | 4:27 PM

If you could only have one child, would you prefer it to be a boy or a girl? Honestly? Here it is: 40 percent of Americans prefer to have a son and only 26 percent a daughter. This is the result of the Gallup poll of 1947 and...Read Post

World Day Against Child Labor: From Brick Kiln to ABC

 (54) Comments | Posted June 12, 2011 | 3:04 PM

On World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, the international nonprofit Lotus Outreach will celebrate 400 child workers in India who enrolled in school for the first time in their lives. While Lotus Outreach has many projects designed to keep children in school and out of work, the brick...Read Post

Khandro Tsering Chodron, Female Tibetan Buddhist Master, Dies

 Posted June 7, 2011 | 12:25 PM

Wherever she went, whether it be in a small park in India, or a hospital in Europe, inadvertently people would feel drawn to her. Not knowing anything about her, people would inquire as to who the petite Asian lady in the wheelchair was, noting they felt a special presence. Read Post

Human Rights Meet Rites of Passage: How Education Helped Sima Escape the Sex Trade

Posted June 3, 2011 | 10:18 AM

Commitment, sacrifice and personal growth are universal virtues celebrated every spring at graduation time. The significance of these words could not be greater for 65 of rural Cambodia's poorest teenage girls, who will receive their high school diplomas this August, thanks to the Girls' Access To Education (GATE)...Read Post

2,500 Years After the Buddha, Tibetan Buddhists Acknowledge Women

(96) Comments | Posted May 18, 2011 | 10:18 PM

Buddhist women are celebrating a landmark victory: In April, the renowned Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies (IBD) in Dharamsala, India, conferred the degree of "Geshe" -- the Tibetan equivalent of Ph.D. -- to Venerable Kelsang Wangmo, a German nun. This is a historical first in so many ways: Traditionally, Geshe...Read Post

Every Mother's Greatest Wish: A Better Future for Their Kids

Posted May 9, 2011 | 1:05 PM

Mother's Day is a chance for children to acknowledge their mother's love and sacrifices. In the developing world, this acknowledgment might not come in the form of flowers and cake. In too many countries, children must help substitute the family income, share the burden of heavy-duty chores and work in...Read Post

Why Demi Moore's and Ashton Kutcher's Funny Ads Fall Short

(14) Comments | Posted April 19, 2011 | 1:57 PM

I was thrilled that Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher joined the battle against sex slavery with their own nonprofit, "DNA." Sex slavery is a widespread affliction and has been one of my main causes ever since (as an international reporter) I interviewed dozens of teenage girls who had been sold...Read Post

'Dining for Women' and Engaged Giving: Thinking Beyond Checkbook Philanthropy

(1) Comments | Posted April 10, 2011 | 1:31 PM

Supporting a charitable cause seems to almost always demand a sacrifice from the donor. We have all seen heart-wrenching appeals telling us how many children we could help if we could just cut out our morning lattes. But more and more, nonprofit organizations are embracing what could be called "engaged...Read Post

How to Prevent Child Marriage Through Education

Posted March 14, 2011 | 8:40 PM

Imagine: in your hometown, only three in 100 girls ever learn to read. Female students in high school are a rarity, and a girl's reputation is so fragile that she is rarely permitted to venture beyond her village unescorted -- not even to go to school. It may sound unfathomable,...Read Post

Self-Help Groups: A Powerful Alternative to Traditional Microfinance

Posted March 9, 2011 | 4:25 PM

Few emerging models for international development have offered as much promise and peril as microfinance. Pioneered by Grameen Bank, founder Muhammad Yunus in 1976, microfinance promised to fill a major gap in economic development: extending capital to the world's poorest citizens so they could lift themselves, their families, and their...Read Post