On Friday Soroptimist International of the NW Americas honored me at their annual conference with their “Making a Difference for Women Award”. Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world. Almost 95,000 Soroptimists in about 120 countries and territories contribute time and financial support to community–based and international projects that benefit women and girls.

It was an absolute honor to be given this level of recognition from SI, they are a massive group of powerful women who are up to creating a better world for women and girls. Much of my time is spent in my small office, hunched over a laptop planning, designing and making good things happen in the world. I can sometimes lose sight of how amazing my life has become – what I have begun and what HHI has accomplished in only the last few years for thousands of children and women!

I spoke to the 400+ Soroptimist women and shared my story, which is now interwoven with Hands to Hearts’ story. I was given an award, a generous contribution to support HHI and I was showered in appreciation with a 3 minute standing ovation that left me teary eyed and humbled to the core. I really hit my stride talking and the women enjoyed it so much that when there was some free time at the end of the lunch, I was asked to speak again. I told them to be careful what they asked for, but I did speak again, sharing a more personal side of my journey and HHI’s fragile times. They had time to ask questions, offer ideas and again they overwhelmed me with cheers and applause. I had such fun! I feel like a little kid when I say – “I wanna to do it again!”

On Friday Soroptimist International of the NW Americas honored me at their annual conference with their “Making a Difference for Women Award”. Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world. Almost 95,000 Soroptimists in about 120 countries and territories contribute time and financial support to community–based and international projects that benefit women and girls.

Soroptimist International of Portland has awarded Laura Peterson its Making a Difference Award for Women, honoring women who are making a difference in the lives of other women. “So many women in developing countries are yearning for opportunities to learn new skills and contribute to their families and communities,” said Peterson. “When you give a woman the opportunity and tools to truly make a difference, she will without fail rise to the occasion, and the number of children the women of HHI have reached are a testament to this. I am honored to have Soroptimist International of Portland recognize all we have been able to accomplish.”

“Laura is a premier example of the power of one,” said Kathy Halfmoon, member of Soroptimist International of Portland. “Laura’s work has touched the lives of thousands of women worldwide, providing them with marketable skills that in turn drastically improves the care at-risk children in developing countries are receiving. We are very excited to recognize Laura for the great work she has done and is continuing to do.”

As part of the award, Soroptimist International of Portland also awarded HHI a cash donation of $3,000.

All orphanages who have had HHI’s support have demonstrated improvements – some dramatic and some more modest. The outcomes are heavily dependent on the quality of management and support that the caregivers have and thus that they can pass along to the children. Yesterday I visited at an orphanage that whose caregivers received HHI’s training in July of 2006. The management and all of the caregivers have fully embraced HHI’s practices and the improvements in child health were amazing. The Director reported that even after eight months, the caregivers are still using HHI’s techniques to nurture the 36 children in their care.

The outcomes she reported for the children were that their improved health has remained consistent and they still have significantly less trips to the hospital, this has meant that children are able to be adopted (in country) much faster and are spending less time in the orphanage. The children are now singing, laughing, smiling, making eye contact, and they now respond to their names being called. The caregivers carry the children tenderly, not “like logs of wood”, they respond immediately when children cry and consistently give the children more attention. They show greater empathy and are bonding with the children, calling them by their names, singing to them as they spend time together and overall they are happier and take greater pride in their jobs.

Today our trainer conducted a follow-up visit at another orphanage that received HHI’s training a few months ago. This orphanage is in a very difficult situation, today they only had 3 women caring for 57 children! They are not able to apply many of HHI’s recommendations, as they can barely feed and diaper all of these children. However, what was interesting to note was that even in this compromised state the women reported that they felt more confident in how they provided for the children, each child now had their own crib and the sanitary conditions showed improvements.

I never cease to be amazed in the tenacity of people’s will and their ability to overcome seemingly unbearable odds to make a difference in the life of another. HHI is not a panacea, it is a tool, an extremely simple yet powerful tool, that when applied can make monumental changes in the lives of orphaned children and low-income women.

I am about to return to the US and HHI’s accounts are almost empty. This provides me no end of frustration, but as much as I grumble, struggle and fuss to about having to raise money from people/foundations/companies, I recognize that what I do in an honor. My creation has touched the lives of thousands, in ways that I can see and ways that I will never know of. I cannot compare the challenges I face with those of the people HHI serves. I am continually inspired by their compassion, courage, hard work and dedication.

Every year UNICEF publishes The State of the World’s Children Report which gives a comprehensive overview of what its title implies. This year’s report is the first ever to acknowledge that the state of the world’s children is inextricably linked the to the state of the world’s women. It argues that “one of the most powerful constraints to realizing children’s rights and achieving the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the global level is the discrimination against women”. Although this seems obvious to many and is a core principle on which HHI was founded – nurturing children and empowering women – it is thrilling to finally see it so boldly stated by such a world force.

I wanted to share a few excerpts from the report, specifically from the special edition they did on the women and children of SE Asia, as I think it is not only interesting, but extremely powerful information.

“Countries reap double dividends when gender equality is promoted and ultimately attained. Women are healthy, educated and productive, and children survive and thrive. These benefits are bequeathed to future generations.”

“Since women are conventionally the primary caregivers for children, their well-being is directly connected to their offspring. Healthy, educated and economically empowered women are more likely to have healthy, educated and confident daughters and sons…”

Also, specific to India, the region where HHI has begun its efforts:

“In South Asia, approximately 45% of children under the age of five are underweight – the highest prevalence in of underweight children in the world.”

“A girl in India is 40% more likely than a boy to die between ages one and five.”

As I have already shared, starting HHI has been the most challenging venture I have ever taken on, and there are many days I question, “what am I doing?”. But, knowing that the best and latest research, from the largest institutions are validating HHI’s strategy –that of empowering the women – by default alone – is the core issues in caring for the world’s children. I mix this in with all of the on the ground stories I hear from HHI’s women, who reach out, rise up, and change the course of their lives and the lives of all of those around them, with this, everyday, my courage builds anew.