Episode 71: Kindness Is Loving A Pig Named Esther

Derek Walter’s life took a dramatic turn when his then partner, Steve Jenkins brought home a tiny little pig named Esther. Derek talks to Anitha about how this small being created huge and wonderful changes in his life.

Derek quickly fell in love with Esther, became one of her two dads, moved from a suburb to the country so Esther could have all the space a pig needed, welcomed even more farm animals, and eventually co-founded Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary (HEEFS)

This is an incredible conversation about love, family, community, grief, and an unbelievable legacy.

To learn more about Derek and HEEFS, please check out these links:

Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary 

http://www.happilyeveresther.ca 

Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/happilyeveresther?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Derek’s personal website

www.derekwalter.ca

Derek’s personal Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/EsthersDadDerek?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Esther the Wonder Pig Website

www.estherthewonderpig.com

As a thank you to Derek for sharing his story, Anitha donated to HEEFS. Having volunteered at HEEFS and seeing firsthand the beautiful and healing place it is for both the residents and the folks who spend time there, Anitha was thrilled to support this organization.

To listen to this heartwarming episode, click on the link below.

Episode 68: Kindness Is Creating For Children

Anitha is joined by M.O. Yuksel and Omar Abed, two creators who write books for children.

In addition to talking about their amazing books, M.O. and Omar share their thoughts about the role of a children’s author when actual children in the world are being harmed.

It’s an honest conversation about an important issue.

Here are the covers of the beautiful picture books written by M.O. Yuksel and Omar Abed

To connect and learn more about these incredible authors, please click on the links below.

For M.O.

 Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/moyuksel.author

For Omar

 OmarAbed.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omarabedwrites

There are many groups posting about what’s happening in Palestine, but one both M.O. and Omar are a part of is KidLitSoul. To find out what this group is sharing, check out their Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/kidlitsoul/

As a thank you to M.O. and Omar, for sharing their stories, Anitha donated to MECA For Peace. MECA, which stands for The Middle East Children’s Alliance is a non-profit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East. To learn more about this group and the work they are doing, please check out their website: https://www.mecaforpeace.org/

Episode 32: Kindness Is Saying ‘Bye Bye Plastic Bags’

In 2013, twelve-year old Melati Wijsen and her ten-year old sister, Isabel were inspired by a lesson they had in school about significant people such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Ghandi.

Melati and Isabel decided they too wanted to do something to make a difference, and from this desire was born BYE BYE PLASTIC BAGS.

The organization has grown within Bali and across the world.

Anitha was delighted to speak with Raina Hwong and Dara Ginthing who are part of this amazing organization.

Raina and Dara spoke about the goals of Bye Bye Plastic Bags and some of the projects they are involved with, from Mountain Mamas to reaching out to schools and young people all over the world.

To learn more about Bye Bye Plastic Bags and all the incredible work they do, please check out their website: http://www.byebyeplasticbags.org/

As a thank you for sharing their stories, Anitha donated to Sungai Watch—a community river clean-up organization with the mission to protect waterways starting in Indonesia. To learn more about Sungai Watch, check out their website: https://makeachange.world/sungaiwatch