As a mom, my children’s healthcare is important to me. Praise God that my children have been healthy and haven’t needed a lot of medical care beyond their well child visits. I know that is not the case for all families. I also know how hard it is to afford medical insurance. My husband and I have not had health insurance for the past 15 years, we are both self-employed and though we have tried, we have never found a plan that would fit our budget given our priority for the best car insurance overall. Our children have been covered for the last 12 years by a CHIP plan through the state of Florida. It is very affordable though the care is greatly lacking. Recently, the state changed our insurance provider and none of the caregivers we have seen in the past will participate in this program. That has left us with no participating hospital or walk-in clinic in our county and the only pediatrician that participates is the one at the Medicaid clinic. I am thankful they have some coverage but the quality has continued to decrease year-after-year.

Speak Now for Kids is a grassroots effort to make sure that children are represented in Washington, D.C. as healthcare reform discussions are undertaken by our government. “Speak Now for Kids in Health Reform urges parents, family members, health care providers and other advocates to tell Congress why children matter in health reform – through stories, photos and videos. Be a champion for children and Speak Now.”

What can you do to help?

Visit Speak Now for Kids and learn the facts about children’s healthcare in America.

Speak Using the form on the Speak Now for Kids website, you can let congress know that you care about children’s healthcare. You can also upload videos and pictures to share your message.

Share follow Speak Now for Kids on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. Blog about what you have learned about this worthy cause and e-mail your friends and family and ask them to also get involved.

Party Join us Wednesday night 5/6/09 from 9-10pm EDT for a Twitter Party to share the message of Speak Now for Kids. Use hashtag #speaknowforkids and make sure you follow @speaknowforkids and our host @resourceful mom. I’ll be there so please follow me too, I’m @MomMaven.

Get involved in this grassroots effort and help us take care of the kids.

The post Speak Up-Speak Now for Kids appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Slavery is not legal anywhere in the world today. No where is it ok to own another human being. Modern day slavery a.k.a. human trafficking, is the 2nd largest criminal industry worldwide. There are an estimated 27 million victims of slavery on earth today. Of that 27 million, 70% are female and 50% are minors.

Human trafficking happens all over the world, even here in the United States. An estimated 15,000-18,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually. In the U.S. these slaves are used as domestic and field workers  or sold into the sex trade.

Sex slavery is big business. Worldwide it generates an estimated $7 billion annually. Destitute families around the world sell their children for as little as $150. The traffickers can turn around and sell the children to a brothel for $1000.

There are many organizations worldwide doing what they can to educate parents and rescue victims. One such agency is The Emancipation Network or TEN. They help rescued survivors rebuild their lives by education, training in handicrafts to create sustainable income, and reintegrating them into society. TEN offers shelters, healthcare and legal aid to survivors. Most victims who were sold or abducted into slavery cannot return to their family’s. When they are ready to move out and start fresh, TEN offers rent support, medical care and continuing education.

TEN helps prevent trafficking by working in high risk communities to train adults and create sustainable income. Often as little as $100 a year in addition income will allow a family to not need to sell a child into slavery!

What can you do to help?

• You can purchase the beautiful handmade products at Made by Survivors.
• You can host a home party or community awareness event. http://madebysurvivors.com/HowYouCanHelp
• Donate to The Emancipation Network via Just Give

Today’s giveaway is for a beautiful Eco-Chic Wood Handled Tote Bag in Blue and White

Ultra-green product!  This unique wood-handled purse from our Eco-chic collection measures 15″ x 15″ and is made from reclaimed garbage – plastic shopping bags that were littering the landscape of Ahmedabad India.  The bags have been collected, washed and woven on a loom to create the ultimate bag and matching small case, laptop case, and camera case. The bag sells for $24 at Made by Survivors.

How to Enter

Mandatory entry: Visit The Emancipation Network and learn more about the plight of human trafficking. Then come back here and leave me a comment about something you learned about this international crisis.

Bonus entries: You may chose to complete any or all of these after completing the mandatory entry. Leave a comment for each one you complete.

• 5 entries for making a purchase from the Made by Survivors store.
• Fave this blog on Technorati-click on the button in my sidebar
• Subscribe to my RSS feed
• Tweet this on Twitter “@MomMaven is hosting a giveaway to support the survivors of Human Trafficking. I entered, you can too! http://tinyurl.com/dm8suz” leave the URL of the tweet in your comment-you may do this 1X a day.

This contest is open to US residents only and the winner will be chosen by Random.org on May 9th at 5pm.

The post Day 2 of 10 Days of Celebrating Mom-Giveaway to Support the Survivor Mom appeared first on The Mom Maven.