I got a note yesterday from Rachel Strickland, one the folks at Raising Malawi. She told me the Orphan Care Center in Malawi is open; thought I'd like to know.

(End of Construction)

I can't put into words how I felt reading that email. I was like, OK. We're doing it. It's happening. It's real. There is a place now for 4,000 orphans to go for food and a sense of family and maybe even a little fun.

I am proud to have had a hand in this, however small my hand may be.

I walked into the other room to tell David the good news. He's my second biggest donor followed by my friend Steve Centrillo, so I wanted him to know we hit a first big milestone in Malawi. I went to share the news, but bumbled and fumbled for words.

I don't think I can even explain it now. I have all these flashbacks from my own life that make this event particularly momentous in my mind. How to explain?

Have you ever felt invisible? Like you're way too young to hold all this burden and no one is looking, but you know they should? It's crazy for me to even have these memories. I don't feel entitled to them. I'm an American. I have it pretty good. But I did struggle to get a leg up. Pay for college. Make something of myself. And the whole struggle really sucks in so many ways....but the hardest part is believing you're totally alone. People all around you could help....but they don't. They choose not to see. You become invisible.

Being seen and being heard is a big driver for me. I'm not always good at it. In fact, I'm still mostly bad at it. But sometimes, I let myself and my interests be seen and heard. And giving voice to these orphans is how I am completing my past. It feels good. It's where the vulnerablity inside of me becomes my strength. It's where the most vulnerable of the vulnerable -- orphans left to fend for themselves -- can go to care and be cared for; and be SEEN.

And I'm seeing it happen in real time.

The Orphan Care Center will help so many children in countless ways.

If you gave so much as a nickel to this cause, please take a minute to SEE these pictures. YOU did this.

Thank YOU.

(Pre-school - exterior)

(Pre-school interior)

(Feeding Hall - exterior)

(Feeding Hall - interior)

(Orphan Affairs Unit)

Special thanks to my David - David Duncan - for being a regular part of the conversation with me.

And thanks to my friends for always supporting me and caring about what I care about and your notes and thoughts of encouragement during this journey, esp: Steve Centrillo, Donna Bellamy, Jessie Quiroz, David Freeman, Ed Kishinevsky and Justin Kiernan.

YOU make a difference for ME.

Thank you.

Millennium Promise and Malaria No More hosted a joint benefit last monday in NYC at Cipriani -- 42nd Street. The event raised $2.7 million, thank you VERY much!

This video premiered at the event. It outlines the 8 goals of the original Millennium Declaration, a visual complement to the words of Kofi Annan's 2000 Millennium Summit address to the UN. Please take three minutes to watch and get familiar with the Millennium Promise.

Check out Vanity Fair, July Issue

The entire issue is dedicated to Africa. There are 20 covers photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

The Cover Shoot



In it, Madonna talks about Raising Malawi.

What is really cool for me is that I met some of the people featured in the Malawi article and am growing much more aquainted with others.

For one, Madonna says that she was first introduced to Malawi by Victoria Keelan, a native Malawian businesswoman.

I know Victoria Keelan from the Raising Malawi charity video updates. She is the first person to appear in this video. Remember, I have a cameo appearance in the same video....6.5 mins in, so now I'm feeling doubly honored!


I met Nathan Rissman, who is the director working on the Malawi documentary. I included a picture of him on my "Memories of Malawi" blog entry.

I met Fanizo show below here, who Nathan introduced me to. I shook his hand and visited the school (er...concrete hut) he attends. I took a picture of the kids in his village all huddled in the rain under a single umbrella. (see "Memories of Malawi" entry). Fanizo is an orphan and now aged 14, is on his own to pay for further education. He's a lovely boy. I truly wish him well (and money for school!).


I clicked on more photos from Malawi on the Vanity Fair website, to discover Kristen Ashburn here as the Kristen I met on this trip. She was on the tail end of her visit when I arrived, so I didn't get to know her too well, but I really liked her. So much that I brought her filthy muddy shoes she left in Africa all the way back to New York with me (as we both live there), per Maureen's request. Maureen runs the lodge. I had no idea Kristen was such a big deal in the photography world! I should've guessed! Hey Kristen, I have your shoes if you want them. P.S., I'm loving your work! I had no idea!

And lastly, my new heroes Jim Yong Kim (shown below) and Paul Farmer who are the renegade pioneers of Partners In Health. Jim Yong Kim interviewed Madonna. You can read it on vf.com.

juLiA siLkA is moving to LA
blog fundraiser chain letter experiment

After six years in NYC, I’m moving again. This time to LA! I'm transferring with Ogilvy. What better occasion for a blog, fundraiser chain letter experiment? Heads up: that means I'm asking you for a charitable donation and/or to send this to someone you think may be interested in this cause.

My goal is to raise $101,000 for some of the world’s most vulnerable children by Christmas. So far, I’m at $28,503.57, which leaves a mere $72,496.43 to go.

I searched long and hard for a charity till I set my sights on Raising Malawi. (RaisingMalawi.org) Its mission is to literally raise the entire country by bypassing the crap bureaucracy and administration of many not-for-profit organizations and channel funds directly to a few select community-based organizations that show real promise to be able to make an immediate difference.

I visited many of these CBOs this past February and can vouch they are set up to help orphans and vulnerable children. They are genuine in heart, demonstrate solid money and resource management and could really rock the planet if only they had the financial support.

If you don’t know Malawi, it’s a little sliver of a country in sub-Saharan east Africa. The government is, alas, not corrupt. The people are loving. Malawi is nicknamed “the warm heart of Africa”.

If you’d like to help, here’s what to do:

STEP 1: Make a tax-deductible donation by:

Check: make payable to Raising Malawi.
Send to: 1062 South Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 Attn: Philippe Van Den Bossche

Credit: click here to make a donation online at raisingmalawi.org

Step 2: After you donate:

Please email me (jsilka@yahoo.com) with the amount so I can count it against my goal.

Thank you for being someone who makes a difference in the world. Your donation will literally save lives.

Come on Money Angel!


Special thanks for the juLiA siLkA blog chain letter fundraising drive go out to:


David Duncan (NY)
Wendy Joice-Denhard (IL)
Justin Kiernan (NY)
Ed Kishinevsky (NY)
Mary McGoldrick (NY)
Deborah McNally Yalango (NY)
Jason Singer (LA)


May all good things return to you!

Memories of Malawi

I went to Malawi this past February. I went alone. I didn't know who would be there other than Philippe Van den Bossche, director Raising Malawi. I didn't know him personally and I certainly didn't know what to expect.

I stayed at the Kumbali Lodge, a private family-owned farm. This is the car they sent to pick me up. How cool! It set the tone for the whole trip.

The Lodge was a dream. Majestic room -- striking because of the huge white bed net draping down from the ceiling. Private balcony. Big bathroom. Home-made everything fresh off the farm. I could have stayed at the lodge the whole time and had an amazing vacation. But that's not why I went.

I came to see where exactly the funds we sent to Raising Malawi were going and to decide for myself if this was something I could/should continue to put my energy into. I was lucky enough -- or fated, or something -- to make friends with Janja, one of the producers down there getting an update for the charity. She invited me to join her on most of her interviews, so all I had to do was wake up at the crack of dawn and tag along.

On my visit, I experienced some of the saddest conditions and circumstances of my life – I choke up just thinking about them.

And yet, I am deeply inspired by the progress we’re making in real time.

I watched orphan care centers and feeding centers being built. That's Janja and Kevin getting an update.

I watched women and children pumping fresh water from a borehole we installed for the nearby peri-urban village. I met hundreds of curious children delighted (and sometimes frightened) to see a "Mazungu" (white person) in their village.

I met hundreds of sweet little orphans with not a single toy to play with -- nothing but each other, but happy and managing all the same.

I witnessed a lot full of children who walked barefoot tens of miles (yep) in the cold and sometimes pouring rain in tattered clothes only to wait hours in line for a ration of food – a heavy bag of grain to carry on their pea-sized heads all the way back home.

Typically, this burden falls to children because their parents can’t do it. One is usually sick or working. The other is usually dead.

That's Nathan on the left. He was down there to make a documentary for Madonna. It was his fifth? sixth trip? I forget, but he has been on assignment there for a long time. He's almost a local. People know him by name. He was very cool, and seemed to care as much about the people of Malawi as he did about getting his story.

On this day I did everything in my power to keep myself from a public display of upset. I wanted to scream! It was one of my first days on the trip and I felt so compelled to hug, help, warm the littlest shivering children -- give them my jacket, sarong, money, something! But I didn't, under strict counsel.

There are just too many of them. And because I was with the Raising Malawi crowd, I had to play by their rules of engagement.

Besides, you can’t just give a child a jacket and stop the cold. You can’t just throw money at a problem and expect it to go away.

Raising Malawi proposes to not only address the basic human needs for survival, but also build out the infrastructure so that survival will no longer be a daily concern.

I walked through a cornfield we helped to fertilize that yielded enough crop to feed 850 more children than the year before.

I met people who inspired me to be a better person. Smiling children who taught me to smile more. Grateful people who reminded me to be grateful for all I have. Strong men and women who shattered my ideas of what deserves drama. Dying mothers and fathers who showed me how much I complain. It makes me embarrassed to think how much I still need to learn. But I am learning, and for that I am proud. And very grateful to the people of Malawi for giving me so much of what I don't already have.

I ended my trip with a big shindig at the Lodge with new friends, great food and live Malawian music. It was a trip to remember and one that will stay with me forever.

Partners In Health is in Malawi!

I first heard about Partners in Health when I was doing research on extreme poverty about a year ago. I was watching a slide show about the Millennium Development Goals: How to Change the World by 2015.

I have a link to it on this blog if you're at all interested (The Plan to End Extreme Poverty). The presentation was put on by The Earth Institute at Columbia University, which is directed by Jeffrey Sachs.

Anyway, when you get to "Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases", you'll see this picture (courtesy Partners in Health). I have carried it in my head for more than a year now.

It changed everything for me. In an instant, my perspective shifted from woe and hopelessness (so sad that this is happening. Too bad there is nothing I can do about it) to a sense of urgency -- Are you kidding me? That's the same guy?! All he needed was ARVs (meds)?!

The "before" guy can't work the fields or provide for his family, but how about the "after" guy? If we get pills to the before guy, we won't have to spend as much on the AIDs orphans. Because there won't be any!

And yes, I think we need to do more to educate and prevent against AIDs and other diseases, but we have to stop the bleeding first. The only reason that people stopped dying in droves in America from HIV/AIDs is because they got medicine.

So anyway, I am delighted to report that Partners in Health recently launched a new project in Nemo, an impoverished rural area in Malawi.

The government and Ministry of Health invited PIH based on its success and track record in rebuilding the public health infrastructure in Haiti, Peru, Cuba, Russia and Rwanda.

I'm reading the Tracy Kidder, Pulizer Prize winning book, "Mountains Beyond Mountains." It's the story of Dr. Paul Farmer, Founding Director of Partners In Health.

It talks about how he grew up a poor boy in Birmingham, Alabama -- like really poor; they lived in a bus -- and went on to kick ass at Harvard Medical School, all the time while working hands-on to provide care to the poorest of the poor in Haiti.

He was a total renegade. Steal from the rich (like meds out of the cabinet at the lab in Boston) to treat the poor. And he was smart. He has all these novel and unorthodox views about human rights (like, we all have them regardless of our social status) and just kept pushing and pushing till he got noticed. In reading this book, it's clear to me that changing the world is so damn frustrating! As Tracy Kidder explained in an interview, where most NGOs give up and ultimately blame the very people they've come to help, Paul Farmer and PIH never did that. They stayed. They asked themselves questions about what they were doing wrong. They developed relationships with the people (the public/cultures) they were treating to understand what social and cultural barriers they needed to integrate into their approach. They never wavered from their mission.

The back cover of this book says it's Paul Farmer's life calling to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most.

It's sorta how I articulated my own calling, "to raise (insert amount here: $101K) for the people who need it most."

I hate fundraising and I am actually pretty bad at it. But, I've been put in a very privileged situation, surrounded by positive, big-thinking and successful people. I have to think there is a reason for that. I believe that building awareness within my communities (and fundraising where I can) is what I am meant to do right now.

I know all too well that I am not the smartest, most articulate, creative, caring, thoughtful or charismatic kid on the block. But I've got a big heart, and that's my gift.

Silly to have it go to waste.

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration Paul Farmer!

You can grab for all that life offers with greed and selfishness, or you can appreciate what you receive and share a portion of it with others. Receiving for the sake of sharing creates a circuitry, a constant flow of good fortune in your life.

Find little ways to establish this circuitry in everything you do today.

Raising Malawi -- 2007 Update



Here's an update of all the great progress we're making in Malawi. It's 9:30 long. I hope you'll watch. I have a cameo appearance around six and a half minutes in.

Thank you everyone who made this goal possible! Let's not stop here!

I'm in LA this week.

I'm staying at the W in Westwood. It's very overcast, so I'm hanging out in my room. They always upgrade me when I visit. It's nice. I have a separate little living room to the bedroom.

I've already wrecked the place with my "piles" of stuff that drive David crazy at home. The room service guy didn't know where to put the tray last night. He almost fell over on some books on his way to the table across the room. Am I messy? I don't think of myself as messy. But, I dunno.

I may go out later to see if I can get a chocolate chip cookie somewhere. I'm craving one all the sudden. And a bottle of wine. And David. We're starting to figure out this dating thing and how to be loving and supportive of each other. It's so nice. I honestly miss him.

Too bad I'm moving in a couple weeks. I'm transferring to LA with the agency. They're putting me in corporate housing starting June 11th. It'll give me some time to figure out where to live. Buy a car. All that good stuff. I really love the people in the new office. I hope LA is full of more like them. They're smart, cool, creative. Real.

I'm here all week. I have to do a quick trip to Chicago tomorrow through Wed for groups, but then back to LA Thurs/Friday. I head home to NY next weekend. And then off to Ted's wedding in St. Croix the weekend after that. That should be fun. With all this going on, I need to figure out when to say goodbye to my friends.

I went to CVS last night to stock up on some of the stuff I forgot to pack -- makeup and junk. I found myself looking for a belated Mother's Day card. I couldn't find one. I guess there's not a big market for that sort of thing. I've got to get better about not letting my personal life fall apart when I get busy at work. Today is Luke's first communion! I would've loved to be there, but it's just so much travel. I'll send him cash or a gift instead.

I bought the movie, "The Break-up" at CVS to watch in my room. I really liked it! It's true Chicago and actually made me a little homesick. I didn't think I missed Chicago. But the movie reminded me of so many of my favorite things -- the Cubs vs. Sox bit in the beginning, concerts at the Riv, the Lake, the Chicago River, Vince Vaughn in those ridiculous Polish Pride T-shirts!! Go Polacks! I grew up a Sox fan btw, so while I've attended my share of games at Wrigley, I've never rooted for the Cubs a day in my life. It's sacrilege.

I haven't done much on my Raising Malawi initiative lately. My last fundraiser idea fell through because I couldn't attend my "One Woman Show" graduation in New York due to this new business pitch I'm on. Maybe I'll do a reprise. I was thinking about a fundraiser going-away party. But that limits me to my NY connections. I have a long way to go to meet my money goal this year.

I need a big idea!

Maybe I'll rent out my NY apartment for charity one week at a time? Stay a week, donate $500 to charity. You get the write-off, plus cool digs in the world's most amazing city. I want to renovate it first. But that could be a good idea provided I can still afford to pay the mortgage.

I've gotta focus my priorities. How much will I do for vulnerable children? In my head, I think everything and anything. But in my actions, I've been stopped.

Hunger and malnutrition kill nearly 6 million children in the world each year. If you have ever seen a starving child, you can't "un-see" it. But for some reason, we all try. Somehow it's not our problem. Truthfully, I'm not a big fan of taking on problems. I am, however, really inspired by participating in programs that deliver smart solutions.

Feed the Children has a cool program going on right now. They recently received a donation of 11-million pounds of rice from the government of Taiwan . Eleven million pounds! This is very exciting. So, they've got the food, but they need money to transport it from Taiwan to Kenya. $20 = 1,000 meals to starving, malnourished kids. If this inspires you, you can make a donation to Feed the Children.

A friend also turned me on to Heifer International. It's a great program to end hunger in 50 countries while providing a means for sustainable living. Buy a family a cow, the cow gives milk to a village. Buy a sheep, the sheep provides clothing for a community. Buy a chicken, you have eggs and food. You get the point.

And, of course, if you've found yourself on my blog for whatever reason, please please please send me a note to let me know that I'm not totally alone out here. You can click on this link to donate to Raising Malawi. And if you do, please RSVP on this blog or send me a private email (jsilka@yahoo.com) with how much you've donated so I can count it against my goal.

If you donated last year, please don't feel like you have to stop there ;) We're not finished yet! Be a channel for the Light. If you give, you will NOT be left without. You'll just have a bigger vessel for giving. It's like pumping weights. The more you pump the bigger your body gets. The more you give, the more capacity you have for giving. Spiritually, what I believe happens is that you expand your capacity to receive. The abundant Universe fills that void unconditionally. You have more so you can give more. You're just the vessel. Let yourself be used. If there is money in your pocket right now, it may be earmarked by some higher good as a gift.

Don't block that energy. Give it already! It'll only come back to you tenfold.

Look, so I started this "charity/tithing adventure" a year ago as a test. And I trusted the process. I gave more than I've ever given before, and my life is bigger today than ever before and only getting bigger. I'm meeting so many great people and I'm falling in love with my life. My life has purpose. I'm happy.

Buddy up with me! Write me a note. Join me on this amazing adventure of expanding yourself and being a contribution in the world.

What else is the point?