Following my post on So-Me Designs, the socially sustainable and eco fashionable t-shirt company, we got to speak to its founder, Ms. Somy Ali. Former Bollywood actress, model, freelance journalist, and documentary film maker in the United States, Somy also founded No More Tears, a foundation that has helped 184 victims of domestic violence since 2008, including women sent to the US in arranged or paid marriages. Somy put all $286,000 she made from working in film into No More Tears, and some of the proceeds from her popular So-Me Designs go towards helping this and other global humanitarian causes. We spoke to Somy about both of her projects and how she thinks the eco fashion industry can instigate real change.

Continue reading the interview at Urban Times.

This course will provide attendees with an in-depth understanding of the scope and extent of domestic and dating violence, both in the US and globally. It will examine victim and offender characteristics and review theories that attempt to explain abuse. Additionally, the course will draw attention to the many barriers to leaving abusers and the short and long-term impact of abuse on victims and their children. Finally, the course will review legal and non-legal responses and will highlight best
practices in both responding to and preventing abuse.

For more information and to register visit National Peace Academy. You can also email certificate@nationalpeaceacademy.us or call 202-556-1075.

I volunteered for NMT this past Saturday and was asked to write a post describing my experience. No single adjective can describe it. I can say that when I walked in, Somy described it as “unpredictable,” and she wasn’t kidding. For you long time NMT followers, we had 3 intakes come in so fast that Somy forgot to post when 186 happened, as 187 happened within minutes.

There was a whirlwind of paperwork, testimony, tears, and consolation, as well as an internal maelstrom of rage (that someone could be such a scumbag) and empathy for a pregnant single mother of one (soon to be two) as I heard her stories of anguish and suffering stemming from a one-sided, unrequited affection (hence the empathy) and the terrible and adverse tolls taken on her and her unborn child.

That was just one intake. Can you imagine 186 others?

Somy doesn’t have to imagine them; she’s seen them all, and it was evidenced by her swift actions and perfect words. Still, I could tell she was just as disgusted and appalled as I was, if not more so. I can still see that mother’s face in my mind’s eye as clear as day. I don’t think I could bear 186 more like that, but guess what: there are literally countless other victims out there that need help – that need YOUR help – as much as that mother does. Just because you can’t see their faces, or hear their stories, doesn’t mean that they aren’t still out there. They need you, even if they don’t know it yet.

You can’t depend on others to make the difference. You have to do it yourself. Donate $10 a month. Volunteer your time to NMT. Go through your closet for old clothes or garage/attic/storage unit/whatever for anything you think can help. Do SOMETHING. Just don’t click “Like” and leave it at that. In fact, don’t even “like” my post. If you have the urge to click something, click on http://www.nmtproject.org/ instead to go to the No More Tears website to find some way you can help and don’t leave the site until you actually help.

As for me, I will be back in the NMT HQ ASAP. Can’t. Wait.

“My So Green line offers people encouraging images of how you can be more eco-friendly,” said Somy Ali, founder of SoMe Design and No More Tears. “Our ‘Plant a Tree’ tee for men and women has been a big seller as well as our baby collection, which offers onesies with designs such as ‘Love your Mother,’ and ‘Nurture Nature’.”

Read the rest of the article at Sun Sentinel.

Food Sponsored by Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. Dance Group

Performance by Dance Group Quillami. Jewelry from Colombia

Breathtaking Colombian Jewelry & More For Sale.

In the months of March and April, No More Tears has saved five lives. The lives saved are of women and children that were beaten severely and had no hope of ever escaping the abuse. It is only because of YOU that we are able to assist victims of domestic violence. We are reaching out to you again because we need your support. Please donate as little as $5.00 or $10.00 a month to help us continue our work. We need and appreciate your support.

Donate Here

You can also contribute by purchasing one of No More Tears’ T-shirts where 100% of the proceeds go to the victims. Shop at So-Me Designs.

Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Donate Here

You can also contribute by purchasing one of No More Tears’ T-shirts where 100% of the proceeds go to the victims. Shop at So-Me Designs.

Thank you CBS Miami.

Extraordinary personal stories from around the world.

Today, retired Japanese undertaker Atsushi Chiba tells us how he cared for bodies awaiting identification after the tsunami.

Also how a young Pakistani-American turned her dreams of dating a Bollywood star into reality.

And in our Edible City series, how to cook the perfect American meatloaf.

Listen to the interview and more at BBC World or Download to Your Computer.

It was 2:27AM when she received a call.

A Pakistani woman on the other line rasped for help. Her husband had just stormed out the door, after threatening to thrash her and her daughter with a cricket bat. Amna wanted to get out. Having noted down Somy’s number from a local Indo-Paki grocery store some time back, Amna Zafar finally mustered the courage to call: before her man came back.

Read more at Look To The Stars.