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Every week, you and I and the rest of the United States attend happy hours: to catch up with friends, shoot the breeze, and take the load off with an ice-cold lager.
Across the globe in Sudan and the Horn of Africa, women and children yearn for the luxuries of friendship and laughter. Caught in the crossfire of genocide and civil war, Sudanese families struggle daily to survive. In fact, as the youth of America toast to the future, a typical woman in West Darfur is looking for the safest place to collect firewood or put her children through school. And for orphaned Sudanese children, whose numbers are growing, the prospect of safe living and good fortune remains even more elusive.
I propose that we turn the tradition of the happy hour binge on its head. Yes, you can still pad your beer gut after a long day’s work. But let’s dedicate the second and third drinks to a child’s education in Sudan.
For $25, you can pay for a Sudanese teacher’s salary for one month. In beer speak, that’s about 4.5 beers. ONE MONTH’S SALARY for a SUDANESE TEACHER or 4.5 beers. The choice is yours.
This initiative is a win-win for everyone — you drink less, improve your health, and help orphans receive an education in Sudan. You’ll also have much cooler stories to tell than your friends.
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You: Hey dude, what’s up?
Your buddy: I got totally wasted last night. It was awesome!
You: Wow, that’s pretty sweet…I just bought textbooks for these Sudanese kids. Plus, I switched to one bottle of Miller Light a week and have lost twenty pounds.
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To get the ball rolling, I am chipping in $10 per week for the next 16 weeks to support Schooling for Sudan Orphan Refugees. The reason I choose GlobalGiving is because as we — the Happy Hour All-stars — get closer to our goal, you and I can get automated email updates on how the project is doing. See the latest one here.
How YOU can help:
1) Host your own weekly happy hour to support the cause.
2) Tell all of your friends to come.
3) Donate the cost of two beers — $10 — to support education for Sudanese orphans. You can donate online through Facebook or GlobalGiving.
If you prefer, you can also collect donations at your happy hour and give on everyone’s behalf either online or by check.
I am also launching three official “Summer Happy Hours of Hope” here in Washington, DC. The venue will most likely be Bus Boys & Poets on 14th Street and V in Northwest DC. Stay tuned for further details.
