This week, I came across a charity called Positive Women which is being championed by a British Actor named Joseph Morgan who plays “Klaus” on the hit CW series The Originals. Originally, Joseph Morgan was slated to play four episodes in the CW’s The Vampire Diaries with the possibility of earning more episodes or a recurring role. Now, he is living the American Dream with a new hit spin-off series of his own, but his charitable work started long before he became the infamous Niklaus Mikaelson the most feared vampire-werewolf hybrid on the planet.
Until this past week, I had never watched an episode of Vampire Diaries or The Originals. My mind needed to decompress from the 24 hour news cycle, so I retreated into the world of Netflix and Vampire Diaries just happened to be the series I decided to overdose on. The evil villain “Klaus” was so well-played that I wonder if the actor who played him mirrored psychopathic tendencies in his on life which led me to a video by Joseph Morgan on Positive Women.
According to the Positive Women website, Kathryn Llewellyn explains why it was important for her to help create this charity:
I’ve lived and worked in many countries across Africa and so I often get asked, why Swaziland. Swaziland is a country just next to South Africa, has a population of 1million and a country that most of the world has never heard about. It also has some of the most appalling statics that I want to share with you now:
- Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence in the world.
- One of the lowest life expectancies in the world.
- The last absolute monarch left in sub Saharan Africa.
- 80% of the population live in extreme poverty.
- 25% of Swazi children are orphaned.
These are statistics that just shouldn’t exist. When I talk about Swaziland, I often get the response, “well Kathryn its just a million people” and I always reply “yes exactly, it’s just a million people”. It’s a country that we can actually have an impact in and make a change that will inspire the world, by showing that change is possible. Read More
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Washington, DC at the Center for American Progress for the release of their 2013 Poverty Report. While there, I also attended other events which attempted to rally support to prevent cuts to the food stamp program. At times, its easy to feel war weary and powerless to make any measurable changes that will impact the suffering vulnerable populations endure on daily basis. However, inspiration can strike when you least expect it, and the power of our words can make a difference in influencing others towards civic engagement. An interview Joseph Morgan did with Huff Post Live talking about Positive Women reminded me of that.
For more on Joseph Morgan, you can see him Tuesdays on the CW at 8 PM Eastern and 7 PM Central, and you can also view his interview on Positive Women below:
Deona what is your email address? The USC School of Social Work and MoveOn.Org is hosting an event, The Los Angeles Training Summit Conference at USC. I would love for you to attend.
It is most often when we roll our sleeves up and work with the most adversely affected populations that we see change. Those who are not as affected often question why change until things are so bad they have no choice, not that it is easy to work with populations which have been marginalized or shattered,as there are those who might interfere by misusing religious beliefs and inflicting the belief these people suffer due to some hidden disobedience. That premise is of course wrong, it most often is due to lack of education or access as well as the populations ability to work together to climb out of poverty instead of every man for themselves.A wise woman reminded us years ago,”It takes a village to raise a child”.This was from an African Proverb….well equally it takes the entire village to recover as a village rather than leave the old the young and the poor as well as the disabled behind. Having worked with people from under bridges for 30 years, I saw miracles happen and people decide they could stand back up and walk again as well as try to live. I always said ,”despite having had a building fall on me in the early 80;s and been in a car accident which fractured my neck and 3 leaky valves in my heart and Parkinson’s…..That I could still lift 50 to 100 pounds or more from time to time in order to assist a sick or dying person..and so it was okay to teach the good things of faith, but to never cast blame or judgement on the people who were so destroyed as they already were aware of their own faults.Rather It was more important to set a good example and seek them out even in the lowest and filthiest places and not only tell them but show them they were worth helping so they could learn to help themselves once again. Many ….even from teams with the name “Hope” as part of their name refused to help….but my organization was called “My Brother’s Keeper”, and that often meant going under bridges or out in the dark and cold to do so. By doing the groundwork and then encouraging those who have risen back up to participate there is the possibility of building an army of volunteers or those who will some day give back . I saw that in action often and the ladies from the University Women’s Book Sale and the Strawberry Festival (Historical Society) saw it as well when they showed mercy and generosity towards the poor one hot summers day….The volunteers did not come back to help pack and load the books as well as put the tables and chairs away….and neither the older people nor myself could have done it ,so I asked some of the people present who had been given refreshments if they could help….they were more than glad to . The good ladies gave the 3 men $20 each as well and as they were homeless it was appreciated. May all of your efforts be blessed ….and may they all bear fruit….it is clear you have the heart for the good work you do……God Bless…
Saw this today! Just sharing a nice article I found about @Positive_Women and @JosephMorgan from
http://t.co/4LysYzzqUO
“: Being Bad With Purpose: Joseph Morgan- http://t.co/XxbBFqWOLU #SWUnited #socialwork” i love everything about him