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“...The simple concept of looking outwardly and beyond ourselves, of kindness and collectivism, might just be as good a starting point as any.” -- Jacinda Ardern
Hello everyone! Did you know that studies show that acts of kindness positively contribute to our well-being? It’s true! And one of the big lessons from the study was that our well-being is boosted most when we help others spontaneously. It can be as easy as opening a door, picking up something that was dropped, or letting another in the lane while driving. Our stories this week are filled with kind and gracious acts: grandmothers in Zimbabwe sit on designated benches and offer free listening support, Starbucks brings trained outreach workers into their cafés, and a Chiefs fan donates a kidney to an Eagles fan. May this week bring you and yours extra kindness. Wishing you well!
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Costa Juta | Wikimedia Commons
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Zimbabwean psychiatrist Dixon Chihbanda has devoted himself to solving the problem of how to help people who most need mental health care but face barriers to accessing it. In his research, he found that there was already a large cohort of experienced, empathetic, respected caregivers who were ready and willing to help: grandmothers. "The most important resource that is left in most communities are grandmothers, because they are custodians of local culture and wisdom," Chihbanda said. He developed a pilot program to train grandmothers; the aim was to reinforce women's capacity to listen, to make people feel heard and seen, to give patients a feeling of belonging, and to help them gain the confidence to find their own solutions. The program positioned grandmothers outside in parks, on "Friendship Benches", where they were available to community members to discuss their concerns. Data shows how effective the program is: at six months, participants who interacted with the grandmothers were – according to a range of indicators, including fear, anger, and sleep patterns – better off than patients who received therapy from a community mental health nurse or psychologist. This model could help the US as it is facing a similar shortage of mental health professionals.
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At the 57th NFL Super Bowl yesterday, Philadelphia Eagles fan Billy Welsh sat next to Kansas City Chiefs fan John Gladwell. Despite cheering for different teams, their bond runs deep -- with Gladwell donating his kidney to Welsh more than two years ago. The duo met over 20 years ago when they both served in the U.S. Marines. They remained in touch through social media after leaving the service, but didn't actually speak for years. The friendship rekindled in 2019, when Welsh shared on Facebook that he needed a kidney. Welsh is a father to a two-year-old son, not much older than Gladwell's grandson. "I wasn't going to let his son grow up without his dad being there for everything," Gladwell told to NBC San Diego. Gladwell was a perfect match, and the two underwent a sucessful 10-hour transplant. When the two friends' story found its way to the Eagles, team President Don Smolenski contacted the Chiefs, and both teams agreed to send Welsh and Gladwell to the Super Bowl in Arizona, U.S.. "The opportunity to bring these two guys together, their two teams playing on the biggest stage in sports, it's very, very humbling and gratifying," Smolenski told The Philadelphia Inquirer. The kindness of the Super Bowl tickets surprise was especially poignant for Gladwell, as his wife currently undergoes treatment for cancer.
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England's government announced, in late January, plans to make it so all citizens to live within 15 minutes of green space or water. The plan outlines how ministers intend to clean up air and water, boost nature, and reduce waste over the next five years in England. Among the plans are the creation or restoration of at least 2,000 square miles of wildlife habitats; restoring 400 miles of England's rivers; and new targets for 2028 in reducing plastic, glass, metal, paper, and food waste. Access to green spaces varies considerably in the UK; in 2020, Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that black people in England are nearly four times less likely than white people to have access to outdoor space at home. The government promised in 2018 to leave the environment in a better state for future generations, yet in early February 2023, the Office for Environmental Protection said efforts were "far short" of what is needed. Between 1970-2018, figures show key animals and plants declined by 82%. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak remarked, "This plan provides the blueprint for how we deliver our commitment to leave our environment in a better state than we found it, making sure we drive forward progress with renewed ambition and achieve our target of not just halting, but reversing the decline of nature."
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Leonard Alcira | Unsplash
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On a cold winter day, customers inside New York City's midtown Starbucks are buying coffee, warming up, and chating. But one person was walking through the store, greeting patrons and offering gloves and handwarmers. Thashana Jacobs is an outreach worker for a local organization contracted by the cafe to engage unhoused people who frequent the store looking for a warm place to rest and use the bathroom. Since 2020, the coffee giant has been bringing trained outreach workers into its stores, and the program is currently active in eight US cities, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle. The program is an example of how private companies may find themselves filling gaps in a systemic social net. It also supports baristas and cafe staff who can often become de facto interfacers with vulnerable populations, often without proper training. Jacobs stops to greet a regular, encouraging him to visit a drop-in shelter downtown, as a storm was expected and temperatures would be dipping. On her rounds, she carries a binder with various resources like one-pagers of soup kitchen locations, as well as warm clothes.
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Basit Zargar
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Bilal Ahmed, a math teacher from Srinagar, Kashmir, India, set out to build a 'luxurious' and sustainable vehicle that is not just for the super wealthy. He achieved his dream in June of 2022, when he created a solar car. The region is one of India's coolest, with typically gloomy weather, so Ahmed used solar panels which can give higher efficiency even in low sunlight days. His creation is all the more remarkable for having been achieved without any external funding. The inventor is hoping to start a company to mass produce the vehicles, which could also be a golden employment opportunity for young people in the region. While backers are needed, Ahmed already has the support of the innovation center at the National Institute of Technology in Srinagar. The center will help connect Ahmed with the industries or forum that can help him.
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