DEAR FRIENDS,
Soon after Haiti’s earthquake, I had asked: if trafficking of children takes place in normal times, what happens in extreme conditions, when money is scarce?
Discussing this issue with the U.S. media, American State Department spokesman, P. J. Crowley, said that there are concerns about traffickers in Haiti.  “…People on the ground, be alert for this kind of danger,” he requested.

To understand this danger, we have to understand what trafficking is.  It is, basically, the transportation of children to another place so that others can exploit them.  They are used for cheap or free labour; they are forced into prostitution, child pornography and other forms of sexual activity.  In war-torn countries, they are used as child soldiers.  Sometimes, their internal organs are removed and sold.
Many of these children are kidnapped.  Yet, many are sold or given away by their parents.  Why would parents do this?  Why would families willingly send their child with strangers, to somewhere as far as Denmark, Canada, America or England?
Most of these families come from countries where unemployment is high, or where there is political crisis.  They exist in financially harsh conditions, where there are too many children within each family.  Parents believe that if they send away a child, that child would be better off.  They are completely unaware of the dangers their child can face in those other places.
Government regulations alone do not work.  If they did, there would be no kidnapped child, no child pornography or child prostitute even in well-regulated countries.
What can we, as ordinary citizens, do to prevent this from happening to impoverished children here?  Just as our grandparents, older aunties and uncles and neighbours did – pay keen attention to what is taking place in our communities.
Instead of talking about the good old days when people were more caring, when an entire community looked after our children, why not do?  If you can afford to, why not help by giving meals to a poor family?  Why not sponsor a child, to send that child to school?  Maybe you can help the parents find work.  Also, report cases of child labour; report signs of a child being given away to a foreigner – we hear stories; neighbours talk.
Sometimes, we tell ourselves we cannot do anything.  But we can; we should.
What do you think?  Write to the Chronicle or email savannahwomenscircle@gmail.com.

CRAFTY LADY.
Earn from home.
Why learn to sew, paste, paint; make cards, purses, scented candles…?
Because, just like K, you can make a living, right from home.
K., a mother of a teen girl, used to work for a grocery shop in Georgetown.  She barely managed to make ends meet.  Tired of struggling, she decided to make pillow cases to sell.  There was only one small problem.  She did not know how to sew them.  But she was determined.  She called a friend who taught her over the phone.
Now, K. is doing so well, she has increased her savings and has bought another sewing machine.  Her daughter helps her with the extra sewing.
Are you like K., determined to learn?  Do you seek opportunities or do you wait for them to fall into your lap?  Are you sitting there, twiddling thumbs, thinking that you don’t have a sewing machine?
Good news!  You can make toys, pillow cases, curtains, bed sheets and more, without a machine.
Next week: a no-machine pillow-case…

EARTH WOMAN.
How safe is the air that you breathe?
Do you have a gas stove, a computer (or computers); coated electrical cables, a carpet (or carpets); mattresses and pillows made from synthetic materials?  Do you use air fresheners and cleaning fluids?
Look around you.  Take note of all the materials that have plastic, paint, lacquer or strong scents.  You will be surprised to discover how many of these materials you may be harbouring in your home or office.  You might also be shocked to know that these materials emit toxic chemicals which can cause asthma, headaches, allergies or worse, cancer.
The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) call these chemicals volatile organic compounds or VOCs.  As early as 1973, NASA found over three hundred of these chemicals in Skylab III.
Even though these VOCs are harmful, we cannot escape them.  They are deeply entrenched in our life today.  They are in paints, adhesives, wall boards, ceiling tiles, laser printers fuels and paint solvents; they are in electrical wire coatings, feedstock, and refrigerants.  They are in the modern, synthetic building materials and household furnishings.  If you can smell it, it is likely a VOC.
More next week…in the meantime, stay calm; put plants in your home and office to clean up the air…

HOW TO…
…Take control of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)
It’s almost that time of the month; you’re tired, cranky; you can’t sleep; your moods swing; you crave food, sweet and salty snacks.
Take heart, you can ease these PMS symptoms.  Start from the inside, because what you consume affects you.  Here are some things you should avoid before your period.
* Caffeine – coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks.  Caffeine intensifies those PMS mood swings; it can make you irritable, nervous and keep you from sleeping.
* Sugar – sweeties, sweet pastries, cakes and drinks.  Sugary foods give you a quick rush but bring you down just as fast, dropping your blood sugar very low.  Low blood sugar can bring on crying spells and make you irritable.
* Salt – in meals and snacks.  Salt makes you retain more water before your period, which then makes you gain weight and feel bloated.
* Simple carbohydrates – white bread, sugary snacks; they can make you feel bloated and irritable.
* Alcohol – it can make you depressed; it sucks essential vitamins from your body.
* Nicotine – cigarettes.  Even if you do not smoke, stay away from those who do because you will inhale their smoke.  Cigarette smoke acts like caffeine during PMS-time, making you irritable and depressed.
* Fatty foods – mince, chicken, beef, hamburgers and hot dogs.  The fatty tissue in meats contains oestrogen which can cause bloating and weight gain.
So what can you eat?  Lots of good stuff – learn more next week…

BEAUTIFUL YOU…INSIDE & OUT.
Your first steps towards building confidence.
Would you like to see your world as exciting, filled with possibilities? Would you like others to respect you and not put you down?  Do you want to stop doubting yourself and calling yourself stupid?  Do you want to fulfil dreams, solve problems without having to depend on others every single day?
With confidence, you can.
Even if you were not born with it or were not brought up to believe in yourself, you can develop confidence.  Here’s how you begin.
Take an honest look at yourself.
Go past the physical, look inside you.  Who do you see?  What makes you happy?  What makes you angry, sad or frightened?  What do you day-dream about?  What do you give to life?  What do you take from it?  Five years from now, ten years from now, what do you want from life?
Make a list of your good points.
How do you feel about the woman you see inside?  Does she make you sad?  Does she make you feel b
ad, guilty or glad?  Find the person you like.  Write down your good points.  Everyday, read this list to your self.  If someone puts you down, read your list.
Love yourself.
Think of the home you love.  It gives you food, rest, shelter.  Right now, you like this home the way it is, but one day you will make changes here and there.  Now, think of yourself as your home.  You like yourself as you are, but one day, you will do some renovations.  For now, love what you are.  The changes will come when you are ready to make them.
Next week: creating a confident you…
Enjoy the rest of your week, ladies.  Be good to yourselves, take care of you.