The 1st of every month always has me SUPER excited for one particular reason: the latest issue of Wild Sister Magazine comes out. “Wild Sister is an online empowerment magazine for women who want inspiration, and who believe that by empowering women, we can change the world.“ Founded by our world changing friend, Jen Saunders, the magazine is my monthly dose of inspiration. I go back to certain articles throughout the month as I need it.
Having just finished Week 2 volunteering at Animal Aid Unlimited in Udaipur, Rajasthan (India) I am completely in awe of the incredible staff that runs this amazing hospital and sanctuary. Though the ENTIRE staff should (and will) be recognized for their beautiful work, the women of Animal Aid are this week’s Girls Who Are Changing The World.
Erika Abrams founded Animal Aid with her husband Jim about 15 years ago. They moved to a small village close to Udaipur from Seattle to create a haven for the un-owned street animals of India. Though neither of them had veterinary experience, they had a love of animals and a passion to help them. Along with their daughter Claire, they settled here and haven’t looked back.
“As they deepened roots and their understanding of how things work here, they learned that in most cities in India there are no hospitals or shelters for un-owned animals. The government veterinary facilities are aimed toward milk production and animal farming.”
Claire spoke fairly good Hindi by the time she was 10 and has been an ambassador for animals in schools throughout the area. She began doing slideshows at the age of 15, giving presentations to inform kids what Animal Aid does and why their work is so important. She also conducts vegan outreach activities in the community. I like to watch her with the animals. She gives unconditional love to every one.
Claire giving love to Octopus, a deformed & handicapped dog.
Trudy is the Volunteer Coordinator. She’s basically my boss and one of the coolest chicks you will ever meet! She gives tours to visiting groups and assigns the volunteers their jobs. She knows the place inside and out. She also has a huge passion for animals like I have never seen. It is a pleasure to get to work with her every day!
*Photo by Erika Sidor
Then there is the female staff of Animal Aid: Radha, Dhapu, Manju & Kamla. Each of them has their specialty. Radha and Dhapu are in charge of pups. I’m positive that the puppies think Dhapu is their momma the way they follow her around and cry when she leaves their sight for a second! Manju is the woman in charge of cleaning and let me tell you with the 100+ animals at the hospital, it’s a NON-STOP job!
Then there is Kamla who is probably my favorite person in the world! You only have to be in her presence for a minute before you know that she is someone extraordinary. Kamla’s main job is physical therapy and massage for the handicapped dogs. She has gotten many of the paralyzed dogs gain more mobility with her healing ways. Not only that, but there are at least 2 dogs that have made a full recovery thanks to her. She is magical. And probably one of the most joyous people you will ever meet!
Last but not least, there are the female volunteers of Animal Aid. In my 2 weeks, there have been quite a few people who have come through to spend time helping the hospital. 99% of them girls! Some come for a day or 2 and some come for weeks/months at a time. Julie O’Neill has been coming to Animal Aid for 6 years. The first time she came, she only planned on a week and stayed for a year! Since then she’s been coming for several months at a time, living in a nearby village and spending every day working at the hospital. Her dedication to helping the world is inspiring! Julie definitely deserves her own GCTW post one day highlighting her amazing adventures in volunteering all over the world!
All the women of Animal Aid go above and beyond to help animals in need on a daily basis. I am completely honored to get to be in their divine presence every day. Thank you all so much for inspiring me and making me a better person!
♥∞
~B
Follow B on Twitter in India: @iamsunshine78
**If you know a super rad girl that you would like to nominate for our ‘Girls Who Are Changing the World’ feature, send them to us at: loveinfinitelyproject@gmail.com
(contact Clara for a Clara’s Cakes t-shirt! $15)
This week’s “Girl Who Is Changing the World” is Clara Polito. To most of us, owning and operating a vegan baking company (Clara’s Cakes), being a full-time student, participating regularly in animal activism, running a music/animal-rights/fashion blog (Clara in Veganland), and still having time to walk the dog might seem daunting- but it’s no problem for 14-year-old superstar Clara.
Clara, whose vegan delicacies have been photographed and raved about by LA’s most notorious vegan blogger, QuarryGirl, started her company a year and a half ago, shortly after going vegan at age 12. Since then, she has provided her incredible desserts for concerts, web series launch parties, charity bake sales, and farm animal sanctuary holiday celebrations, and has been featured in articles & interviews for Girls Life Magazine, The Elephant Journal, Change.org, Peta2, and Huggerfood. Most recently, her phenomenally addictive ‘gobs’ have been added to the weekly home delivery service run by one of Los Angeles’ most renowned gourmet vegan restaurants, Madeleine Bistro. Not bad for a young lady who has yet to commence high school!
“Well, when you bite into a delicious, fluffy, moist cupcake with some crème filling inside you get this moment of joy. Especially when you realize it’s completely animal product-free. So if most vegan food tastes that yummy then why not go vegan?”
- from Clara’s interview with The Elephant Journal
Clara truly believes in the power of decadent vegan food to change hearts, influence opinions, and ultimately relieve some animal suffering, but her world-saving doesn’t stop in the kitchen. She regularly participates in protests against animal cruelty (I’ve proudly marched alongside her in Beverly Hills’ annual Black Friday fur protest), attends & promotes animal-rights-related film premieres (for movies like Bold Native and Skin Trade), and spreads the vegan truth in her blog.
Suffice to say- this girl isn’t messing around. She doesn’t stop at rescuing animals, either- she also wants to empower women. She recently published an extremely well written piece about rampant sexism in television commercials. Her message to her female peers:
“I guess my point is to tell girls that they don’t have to have a family, or make a perfect dinner or wear a bikini and wiggle on a car (unless you want to later on!). You don’t have to work for the man. You do what makes you feel empowered and happy.”
I personally cannot wait to see what else Clara has in store for the world. At 14, Clara already has more poise, confidence, ambition, and eloquence than many people ten years her senior. Though she is sure to be busy after starting high school in the coming weeks, hit her up with an order if you’ve got a vegan sweet tooth that needs satisfying!
(photo by Schwartz Studios)
Learn more about Clara’s Cakes.
Like Clara’s Cakes on Facebook.
Read Clara in Veganland.
Follow Clara on Twitter.
Contact Clara to place bakery orders or ask questions! Clara@claracakes.com
~ Jessica
Follow Jessica on Twitter: @jlschluet
**If you know a super rad girl that you would like to nominate for our ‘Girls Who Are Changing the World’ feature, send them to us at: loveinfinitelyproject@gmail.com
