NEED | Humanitarian Living and News

Maximize your giving

2009-11-17T14:56:00.001-06:00

The first Give to the Max Day is today! GiveMN.org will be matching donations made to Minnesota nonprofits today, November 17, until tomorrow at 8 am CST. Let’s stand up and show everyone the tremendous caring that Minnesotans are capable of! Thanks to The Bush Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation who are sponsoring Give to the Max Day by committing funds to match contributions. Every donation big or small helps.

visit GiveMN

Students unite for documentary activism

2009-11-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

In 1999, Courtney Spence was a sophomore in Duke University. After doing research and getting involved in a documentary media program at Duke, Courtney was particularly struck by social activism and implementing change through documentary media. In combining the two ideas, she founded Students of the World. The organization, based in Austin, Texas, sends university students around the world to document the work of nonprofit groups and global initiatives making change in developing countries.

Through the online media outlet See Change, students immerse themselves in a community for one month and produce documentary-style media for partnering organizations. This past summer, students from Duke University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of North Carolina, Columbia University, New York University, the University of Michigan and Brown University kept blogs, shot photos and edited video from countries in Asia, South America and Africa.

Ten years into this endeavor, Courtney and Students of the World are working to make their projects more collaborative between the university students and the communities they document. The organization mostly works in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America, and Courtney would like to expand to the Middle East.

Courtney shared with me a little about how Students of the World has progressed.

Q: What is your mission at Students of the World?

A: The idea came out of wanting to find a new way for young people to engage in the world in meaningful ways, particularly with a focus on developing countries. The goal of Students of the World is to do what students do already and that’s to go out and to learn and to transcribe that learning into something with more impact, more meaning. The way we translate what we learn in the field is through multimedia, which consequently nonprofit organizations are in great need of. We empower young people to partner with innovative problem-solvers around the world to produce and leverage documentary-style media — films, photography, audio documentary pieces, and magazine and journal articles. Then they return to campus and do advocacy events in the community for that organization as well.

Young student in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo | Verneva Ziga, Columbia University

Q: How did Students of the World start?

A: We started off really humble and small. We went to this one orphanage village in Russia, which was designed literally to care for orphans from some of the worst off-state orphanages in Russia at the time, and we lived with families. We didn’t speak Russian and they didn’t really speak English, but it was an amazing experience for me to realize that you didn’t necessarily need to speak the same language to communicate and understand. We did predominantly black and white still photos and written articles. We came home, did a bunch of presentations at Duke, and it was really a successful model in terms of the academic community that came to listen about this, but also the students that were participating. It grew very organically. The next year we went to Cuba, and then we saw an expansion to the University of Texas and University of Michigan. I didn’t really push for this. I told other students about it, but there was definitely an interest that was larger than I thought it would be. In the past couple of years, we’ve really tailored our focus to be a media and marketing provider for organizations and using students to do that.

Young girl at the Sehgal Foundation's model school in Notki, India. Photo | Juan Elizondo, University of Texas at Austin

Patient at an eye clinic in Dar E Salaam, Tanzania - part of Standard Chartered Bank's initiative to combat avoidable blindness "Seeing is Believing" Photo | Shaylene Spaniola, University of Michigan

Q: How do you pick the places that you send the teams?

A: It’s evolved over time. This is our fourth year working with the Clinton Global Initiative to identify our partners. In turn we would provide them with media about what their organizations are doing. The Clinton Global Initiative looks at issues through a different lens — climate change, health, women’s empowerment, and education — and with them we get to look at a broader range of issues. I think there is something inherently different in hiring a production company … versus bringing on six young people to immerse themselves in a community for a month and really have a chance to dive deep into a program and thus creating more powerful and organic storytelling.

Family from Notki village in India. Photo | Megan Peyton, University of Texas at Austin

Q: What power do you believe students have to change what’s out there?

A: Six years ago, there was a sort of discounting students and the kind of work they can produce. In the past couple of years, we’ve been able to see, especially through Facebook, the election, and other ways, that there’s been this newfound respect for youth-generated media and the importance for media literacy among students and the innovative approach they take. In students we see this sense of optimism, and positivity and collaboration, and they really want to contribute to society at large.

Two boys in northern Uganda. Photo | Emily Silverman, Brown University

Students of the World
See Change

Finding Freedom

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

This photo essay was submitted by Brennan O'Connor / NOMAD Photos.

Brennan O'Connor is the Southeast Asian adviser for The Peoples of the World and president of NOMAD Photos agency, a Canadian cooperative of photojournalists dedicated to using the economic efficiencies and social power of a collective to highlight under-reported social, political, health and environmental issues worldwide.

In 2005, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began resettling thousands of Burmese ethnic minorities from Thai refugee camps to locations across the world. The UN referred to it in a report as "the world's largest resettlement operation." By the time it's completed in 2010, over 30 thousand people will be resettled across the world.

The majority of the approximate 140 thousand people who live in the nine camps along the Thai border are from the Karen tribe. Many of them started fleeing Myanmar after a major offensive between the KNU and the junta in 1995. These refugees, and the thousands who were born and have spent their entire lives in the camps, can't return to Burma without risk of imprisonment, torture or death. In the refugee camp they live in overcrowded, dangerous conditions without the ability to work or travel. In Mae La Oon their homes are built on steep hillsides which make them susceptible to landslides in the rainy seasons. There have also been reports of attacks by the Burmese military and proxy armies on some camps.

Everyday outside my apartment in Toronto, Canada, I hear Karen and Burmese children playing in the courtyard of the building next to mine. Their happy voices touch my heart but it also reminds me of what they left behind: the wars in Burma and the bleakness of the refugee camps.

The UNHCR resettlement project has allowed thousands of Karen and people of other Burmese ethnic groups to find freedom in UN countries across the world.

Brennan O'Connor
The Peoples of the World
NOMAD Photos
(UNHCR)

Multiple Sclerosis in Palestine

2009-10-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by Rajiv Kapoor.
Profiles of Safyya, Tariq and Shadi courtesy of MSPF.

Health care in Palestine does not meet the needs of its population. In addition to receiving sometimes inadequate health care, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are often isolated. Multiple Sclerosis Patients’ Friends is an organization that supports MS patients in Palestine. It holds community events where people with MS can find current information, mutual support and advocate for themselves and their families and friends. It is also raising money to buy wheelchairs for patients who cannot afford them and holds other events such as yoga classes. These photos show Safyya, Tareq and Shadi, who have been diagnosed with secondary-progressive MS, and who are involved with Multiple Sclerosis Patients’ Friends.

Safyya Barakat Salem Ahmad

Safyya is a single 31-year-old who lives with her family of six in Al-Sawya. Her health has deteriorated since she became affected by MS ten years ago. Safyya’s legs are paralyzed and she has difficulty moving her hands, as a result of which she cannot eat alone or carry heavy things. She stopped taking medication for MS because of its complications and side effects which affected her kidney function and her speech. An ambitious woman, Safyya strongly hopes to recover and work in business administration.

Tareq Samarah

Tareq resides in Beit Mreen. Aged 34, he is married and has two kids. Hand and leg tremors make it hard for Tareq to control his body movement. He had to quit his job ten years ago when he started experiencing MS symptoms. He is not on medication because he cannot afford it.

Shadi Sami Yousef Abu-Ayyash

Shadi is married and lives with his own family in addition to his father and brothers. He quit his job three years ago at when he discovered that he had MS. Paralysis of the leg and loss of balance limit Shadi’s mobility. He uses a wheelchair with the help of family members. He is 32 years old and resides in Balata Camp.

Rajiv Kapoor
Multiple Sclerosis Patients’ Friends (MSPF)

the virtuous brew that kicks back

2009-10-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

CityKid Java is a savvy business with a keen understanding of how to channel the profits from exceptional coffee to benefit an entire community of kids. Its comprehension of how to build and sustain a successful business is only surpassed by its commitment to the community in the Central and Phillips neighborhoods in the south side of Minneapolis.

Buying coffee is a much more complicated endeavor than it used to be due to its exponential growth in popularity in recent years. Grocery stores stock entire aisles with an array of flavors and roasts. The other day I was browsing the coffee section in a grocery store when a bag of CityKid Java caught my attention. I took a closer look at the package and read, "the virtuous brew that kicks back to kids in the Twin Cities."

Curious to learn more, I set up an interview with CityKid Java's general manager Jennifer Siegle and Mark-Peter Lundquist, founder of CityKid Java and vice president of Urban Ventures Leadership Foundation. As I sat down with these two, their compassion for their community and passion for coffee were apparent. Mark-Peter, who brings a background as team leader at Caribou, explained that CityKid Java was started as a for-profit subsidiary of Urban Ventures "to bring about an infusion of operating dollars." 100 percent of profits go back into Urban Ventures.

In 2002 CityKid set out to combat an economic downturn and spur the important programs of Urban Ventures. The programs are extensive and offer mentoring opportunities for at-risk kids at the Urban Hub, where kids can also skateboard at an indoor skate park, or record music at a state-of-the-art recording studio. There is also a family center where parenting classes are offered and a learning lab where kids can come after school. These are just a few programs that CityKid Java helps fund at Urban Ventures, which stretches over a conflicted area like a blanket offering refuge and support.

Along with helping fund programs at Urban Ventures, CityKid itself deeply impacts the community and the world in a positive way. "We are a "true trade" coffee company, we pay more than fair trade prices, so kids and families in coffee-growing communities benefit as well as kids here, explains general manager Jennifer Siegle. She adds that the company is conscious of the environment as well: "We plant a tree a day to off-set our carbon footprint." CityKid also employs local youth, some of whom get an opportunity to work as baristas at the cafe that CityKid operates at the University of Minnesota. Jennifer is adamant that giving youth a job, especially on a college campus, does wonders for their sense of self-worth. CityKid hopes to open more cafes in the near future at other surrounding colleges.

The revenue that CityKid generates would not be as extensive without its commitment to providing the highest level of coffee. Jennifer is quick to point out, "We use only 100 percent premium Arabica beans. We are right up there with the Starbucks and Caribous of the world." The dedication of presenting a high-quality product and understanding the business of generating money for programs that change lives is clearly understood at CityKid Java.

CityKid Java
Urban Ventures

The Elephant in the Room

2009-10-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

This multimedia essay was submitted by Brent Lewin.

The Elephant In The Room from Brent Lewin on Vimeo.

Since 2007 I have been documenting the plight of the Asian elephant in Thailand. Elephants, revered symbols of Thailand's glorified past, have long walked side by side with the monarchy and common farmers alike. The indispensable role of elephants in Thai society has been captured in countless tales and works of art along temple walls. One would be hard pressed to look in any direction in the capital and not find an elephant motif somewhere. But for all the iconic representations of elephants as symbols of strength and prosperity, in reality the only elephants seen in Bangkok are those being led by their mahouts, wandering the congested streets begging.

Groups of mahouts from farming villages in Surin province come to Bangkok to squat in fields and walk the streets, offering tourists the opportunity to feed their pet elephants sugarcane for a couple of dollars. With no income beyond a short farming season, the mahouts claim that traveling to urban centers with their elephants is a matter of survival.

Although it is illegal to bring elephants into Bangkok, the poverty in Thailand's rural areas, the loss of the elephants' natural habitat and the resulting threat of starvation evoke sympathy among Thais. Most police, politicians and citizens continue to turn a blind eye to the urban elephants, failing to address the underlying issues and allowing the situation to remain "the elephant in the room."

Brent Lewin

Taste of Success: Cookie Company Builds Capacity

2009-10-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

Ingenuity, determination and a little bit of luck has marked Alicia Polak's trajectory from a business student to founder and CEO of a for-profit, community-enriching enterprise in South Africa, Khaya Cookie Company. Simply put, the company was founded to "create opportunity one bite at a time," teaching the skill of baking gourmet cookies while providing gainful employment to the impoverished residents.

While pursuing a MPH/MBA at New York University, Alicia's dream of holding a leadership position at an international aid organization prompted her to pursue an internship at the UN. There she worked with Gay Rosenblum-Kumar, who specialized in conflict resolution and had helped prepare South Africa for its first democratic election. Her exposure to South Africa intrigued and excited Alicia to create and enroll in an exchange program with University of Cape Town, where she interned at Freeplay Foundation. Working on the issues while traveling within the country exposed and endeared her to the people, and to the dark history of South Africa, a country she began to call her own. After working for an investment bank in New York and a year as an employee of Freeplay Foundation, she was ready to start something new.

In 2004, inspired by the mission of Ben & Jerry's ice cream company to create and redistribute wealth, she founded Khaya Cookie Company in the town of Khayelitsha, with one Xhosa-speaking worker and a single recipe for chocolate chip cookies. In two years, the company grew to employ 10 workers and as a successful supplier of gourmet cookies to high-end establishments throughout South Africa. The cookies are made using unique South African ingredients such as rooibos extract with recipes for a variety of fruit flavors. In keeping with her community-building mission, the company was sold to the locals in 2005 and Alicia stayed on as the CEO. In 2006, working with the Wharton Societal Wealth Program, a University of Pennsylvania business school initiative, she founded the US-based Khaya Cookie Company, and has focused her efforts on setting up the US distribution center and expanding marketing efforts.

Today Khaya Cookie Company employs over 500 South Africans (95 percent of whom are women), is a major supplier within South Africa and is sold worldwide through its website and the gourmet retailer Zingerman's. In 2007, it was recognized by the Food Network as the Edible Entrepreneur of the Year. But the company does not measure its successes through commercial profits alone. One of its more tangible successes' is the positive changes it has brought to the lives of its employees. One way they have enpowered lives has been through the comprehensive life skills training that its production facility offers every employee.

Vanesca, a 25-year-old single mother solely responsible for her daughter and disabled mother, joined the team with little prior experience. In addition to baking cookies, she enrolled in the first-aid course offered by the Life Skills Training Program, where she discovered her love for nursing.

In addition to the first aid course, the program teaches health and safety (including AIDS education), business skills including management training, and personal finances management; and the younger staff members are strongly encouraged to pursue higher education. Andiswa, the youngest employee at the company, is now in her third year at university with Alicia's encouragement.

In the future, Alicia hopes to replicate a similar model- a for-profit business with a majority female workforce that offers education and life skills training in other developing countries and within impoverished regions of the US. But for now, she is focused on branding the Khaya Cookie Company.

Khaya Cookie Company

A tough sentence

2009-10-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by Benno Neeleman

For minor crimes like stealing sweets from stores or pickpocketing mobile phones, there is a risk of being jailed in the Philippines, even when you are only 12 years old. Prisons and police detention centers in Manila are filled with youngsters, who are held along with adults accused of offenses as serious as rape and murder. Most of the minors stay in jail for months without any kind of trial.

The nonprofit Preda (People's Recovery, Empowerment Development Assistance Foundation), based in Olongapo, not far from Manila, is trying to get the youngsters out of prison through negotiation with judges and lawyers. They treat the kids in daycare centers where they get necessary education and food.

One of the financers of this program is the Dutch nonprofit Cordaid/Kinderstem (“Children’s Voice”), a member organization of Cordaid, which assigned me to photograph these children in Manila detention centers in 2008.

Benno Neeleman
Preda
Cordaid/Kinderstem
Cordaid

Curriculum Teaches Awareness of Hunger

2009-10-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

“Trick or treat for UNICEF!” Does that sound familiar to you? I was one of those children who went door to door with my younger sister to collect change from neighbors in our orange boxes. It was probably my first experience being a global citizen in an attempt to help children around the world. I remember that the children we were raising money for didn’t have enough food and that made an impact on me.

TeachUNICEF is a new program designed to make an impact on children. That’s what UNICEF does best: it has helped more children, in over 150 countries, than any other humanitarian organization. TeachUNICEF is a program designed to engage students to become aware of the needs of children and their families worldwide. It was launched in 2005 as a free resource for US educators of students in grades three to 12. The content is derived from the UNICEF annual report “State of the World’s Children” and the curriculum is written with the national standards of social studies, mathematics and other key subjects at the forefront.

Some of the units are arranged into themes such as poverty, safe water, armed conflict, gender equality and child labor and child rights. There are plenty of visual aids such as maps and photos to spark discussion; I even watched an educational YouTube video that was filmed in Niger. Ways to take individual action are also included.

24,000 children still die daily from preventable causes. Through TeachUNICEF, students can get involved in UNICEF’s work to “bring that number to zero.”

UNICEF
TeachUNICEF

School and Hot Meals

2009-10-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

After 15 years serving as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and 18 years owning and operating a McDonald’s franchise with his wife in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Bob Davisson decided it was time to retire and help build a better future for an impoverished country and its children.

In November 2005 Davisson accepted an invitation to visit Haiti from some missionaries who were in the process of building a school, but were struggling to get it up and running. Meeting children of this poverty-stricken country filled Davisson with compassion and he felt called to help. “This is something that had been on my heart for many years,” he says. “The trip to Haiti and the connections made at the time confirmed this was where I was to serve God.” Less than two months later, Davisson and his missionary friends completed their first school in Chabin, a small town in the southern part of Haiti.

The children’s joy in response to the school’s opening provided the inspiration for Lifeline Haiti, the nonprofit organization that Davisson started with his wife, Linda. Since that time, Lifeline Haiti has completed 14 elementary schools, three bible schools and two high schools for 4,300 children. In the areas where they have set up schools, students receive instruction along with clean drinking water, one hot meal a day, and whatever medicine they need.

The statistics paint a grim picture of the obstacles children face growing up in the poorest country in the western hemisphere: 54 percent of the population goes without clean drinking water, 49 percent are malnourished and 45 percent are illiterate. Each day 400 children die from starvation in Haiti, where the median age of the nine million citizens is only 18 years old.

Progress in such an uphill battle is measured incrementally, but Davisson feels that Lifeline Haiti has made significant changes in the areas it has touched. “There have been no deaths due to starvation in any of the areas,” he says. “Along with the microloan businesses we have set up so far, all 63 of them are doing well and helping to stimulate the economy.”

Much of the success thus far can be attributed to the organization’s partnership with Reverend Wilbert Placide, Bishop of the Christian Evangelical Church of Haiti. “When I first met him it was like we had known each other all our lives,” Davisson says of Rev. Placide. “Without someone like this, we would still be at our first school.” As part of their partnership, Lifeline Haiti opens schools at Placide’s churches.

The global financial instability is proving to be a very difficult barrier to overcome. “Just recently our biggest obstacle was the ability to feed all the children, as nearly 70 percent of our budget went to food. With the 4,300 children attending our schools we are looking at just over 1.1 million meals [annually],” says Davisson. This past summer Lifeline Haiti connected with two churches in the Minneapolis area, The Urban Refuge Church and Evergreen Church, both of which are partnered with Kids Against Hunger, to meet part of their goal to feed these young students. Providing meals is a vital element of the program, and without the proper funding Davisson acknowledges, “We would have had to close several of our schools.”

Lifeline Haiti

Student earns scholarship, celebrates success of summer camp in Nepal

2009-10-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is a cross-post from St. Olaf College News by Kari VanDerVeen

A ceremony put on by local villagers to welcome Ghimire's staff and students included songs and dances performed by local children.

St. Olaf student Subhash Ghimire ’10 set out this summer to establish a camp in rural Nepal for children impacted by the country’s decade-long civil war, but he didn’t stop there. In addition to managing a 16-member team and 42 children during a successful six-week camp, he created a scholarship fund, established a library, and launched a foundation to support youth movements.

It was the experience of a lifetime, he says, that was topped off by a letter he received shortly after returning to the United States informing him that he had received a scholarship from the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for Peace and Justice. He’ll use part of the $3,000 award to attend law school, but is putting a portion of it toward the scholarship fund he established for Nepalese schoolchildren.

“To be able to help the people who needed it the most was the best part of the camp,” Ghimire says. “I could see in people’s eyes how thankful they were.”

Ghimire will deliver two presentations on campus about his efforts to foster peace and social change in Nepal. The first will be held Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. in Holland Hall 317. The second will be part of the World Issues Dialogue held Thursday, Oct. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in Buntrock Commons, Trollhaugen Room. He will also be presenting at the European Summit for Global Transformation in Rotterdam, Netherlands at the end of November.

A summer success
Ghimire established a summer camp in Arupokhari — the remote village in western Nepal where he was born — using a $10,000 grant he received from Davis Projects for Peace, an initiative that funds student plans for grassroots projects that promote peace. Half of the camp’s 42 children were under age 10, all were under age 14, and most had lost one or both parents during the war.

Using traditional song, dance, theatre, and other teaching aids, the Fulbari Summer Camp worked to help children overcome the scars of war and the country’s caste system. The children, many of whom had witnessed their parents’ murders or lost siblings as well during the war, began to open up throughout the camp and play with new friends, Ghimire says. “The children no longer sketch guns, and instead draw books and birds. To me, that was the biggest achievement of the summer camp,” he says.

Villagers also embraced the camp, holding a welcome ceremony for program leaders and hosting them each day for meals. “I also think that the camp helped galvanize the community to share its painful past and realize that everyone went through difficult times,” Ghimire says. “It was an excellent opportunity for the villagers to reflect and pledge to come together in trying times.”

Ghimire (second from right), assisted by volunteers, tells students the plan for one day during the six-week camp.

Small efforts, sea of change
In addition to the camp, Ghimire established the Sarswati Memorial Library in honor of his mother, who died when he was a child. He collected and brought 1,600 books and two computers for the library, which is located in the same school where he began his education. He also established a scholarship fund, and all of the children who attended the camp received enough money to attend school this year. With that accomplished, he pledged to increase the scholarship fund in coming years in order to ensure that more children in the village have access to an education.

Ghimire also established the Sarswati Foundation in his mother’s memory. Youth are Nepal’s only hope for a better future, he says, and the foundation aims to help the country’s young people lead movements in health, education, democracy, and human rights.

If he’s able to pull together more resources in the future, Ghimire says he’s like to run the camp again. The summer project, he says, made him realize the importance of education and further appreciate the opportunities he’s receiving in the United States. “I have learned how our small efforts can bring about a sea of change in many people’s lives,” he says. “It isn’t hard to make our world a wonderful place to live.”

St. Olaf College News

Media that Matters hits Minnesota – A Success!

2009-10-12T16:09:00.000-05:00

On behalf of NEED, I would like to thank everyone who was involved with the Minnesota screening of Media that Matters. The night was a complete success!

As local organization staff and moviegoers filled the lobby of the Oak Street Cinema, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Since this was the first Media That Matters screening NEED has ever held, we had no idea what to expect. The night exceeded anything we could have hoped for. Poetic Assassins opened up the event with a moving spoken-word performance, and all the presenters made inspiring connections to work being done in Minnesota.

The best part of the night came after the films were over and people thanked us for bringing important issues to the big screen. This was exactly what we were hoping to achieve. With your help we were able to bring people together and show the great work of Media that Matters.

Thanks again for all your support!

>> view list of films and organizations involved.

Strength From Within

2009-10-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by Ken Driese

Joel Katamba is visionary. Compelled to help his struggling family as a young man, he cut short his schooling, vowing to help others in his community get the education he missed. As an adult, Joel built the Kyamulinga School using funds generated by selling pineapples.

I stayed with Joel while visiting Kyamulinga to photograph a successful partnership between his school and a small but energetic non-profit from Boulder, Colorado, called One School at a Time. One School worked with Joel and the local community to add a classroom building and a water system at Kyamulinga, facilities that were needed but unaffordable, since many students can’t pay full fees.

One School at a Time helped by providing funding and technical oversight for the addition of a classroom and an on-site water system including a cistern, treadle pump, filtration and solar heater. The community provided labor, local materials and enthusiasm. For girls, at-school water is especially important because it saves hours spent out of class, walking to remote ponds where they are vulnerable to assault.

One School is building on its success by partnering with another school in the same area, a strategy intended to strengthen both project schools.

While staying with Joel and photographing the children of Kyamulinga for One School at a Time, I was especially impressed by two human qualities in the school community. First, among today’s Ugandans, there is a powerful commitment to education that is constrained not by a lack of vision, but instead by scarce financial resources. Second, the children at the schools are fully committed to their educations, attending school with enthusiasm, humor and an irresistible sense of fun and camaraderie in the face of hard circumstances. Every child is affected directly or indirectly by AIDS and poverty, and yet they remain full of spirit.

Helping schools succeed in Uganda is not about dumping resources on perceived problems and moving on, it’s about building strong partnerships with local communities to harness the remarkable intelligence, vision and commitment that they share for education. It is these partnerships that offer the opportunity for sustainable gains in the quality of education for these children, each of whom has the potential to make their lives and their nation better. One School at a Time continues to strengthen the Kyamulinga School from within, instead of from the outside.

One School at a Time
Ken Driese’s book about One School

Their Own Kind of “Extreme Home Makeover”

2009-10-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

A group from Austin, Texas called Austin2Africa will travel this November to Nyanga, South Africa, one of the poorest townships in Cape Town. The group will be restoring, painting, decorating, and celebrating the completion of an orphanage building there.

Called Emasithandane, or Emasi, the orphanage is home to 32 children from ages zero to 17 years old. Amazingly, all of the kids are taken care of by one woman, Mama Zelphina Maposela, who founded the orphanage. A nurse, Mama Zelphina was taking care of patients with AIDS when she decided to open Emasi for the children of the patients. It is a warm, loving place, yet it is very small — two rooms, a small kitchen, and a little bathroom — and in disrepair.

This is what the Austin2Africa project would like to change. The project took seed in 2008, when Vanessa Noel volunteered for two months at the Emasi orphanage in South Africa. She visited the preschool in the village and was shocked at its condition. Vanessa asked how much it would take to repair the preschool and was amazed how little amount it would take — so she decided to raise the money herself and manage the renovation.

So Vanessa got her friends and co-workers involved, and Austin2Africa was born. The group’s goal is both to restore and expand the orphanage and to help it become more established and official. The group believes that the renovations will create opportunities for further funding for the orphanage, including governmental social service support. Institutions must meet certain requirements to receive funding, and the upgrades would make the orphanage more eligible.

More than anything, Mama Zelphina and the children just need more space for their home. According to the website, “This will allow the children to live and grow in a comfortable space, and to potentially welcome new orphans in need of a safe home and happy place to live.”

As of the writing of this article, the group has raised $11,500, and they aim to raise $9,500 more by the time the volunteers leave for South Africa in November. All of the funds raised will go toward the renovation of the orphanage, including construction, installation of electricity and plumbing, furniture and supplies. Once the volunteers return to Austin, they plan to continue their fundraising for additional equipment.

Austin2Africa is affiliated with Aide Abroad, which provides volunteer opportunities at NGOs around the world, providing personnel and other support that strengthens the local organizations. Started in 1992 as the Alliance Abroad Group, the organization was originally sponsored by the US State Department to help internationals to have a cultural experience in the US, and Americans to have a cultural experience abroad. “It’s not just about a volunteer vacation,” says Vanessa Noel of Aide Abroad. It’s about supporting and building capacity of the organizations and the local staff.

Austin2Africa
Emasithandane
Aide Abroad

Film Festival with a Conscience

2009-10-05T09:21:00.000-05:00

On October 8 at 7 pm the Media That Matters film festival will make its Minnesota debut at the Oak Street Cinema. Poetic Assassins will open the night with a spoken-word performance, and festivities will wrap-up with an afterparty at Stub & Herb’s.

Throughout the evening, leaders from nonprofit and community organizations will present 11 award-winning short films that represent different social issues. Each organization’s work will relate to a certain film’s message. At the afterparty the organization leaders will be available to answer questions and explain how to get involved.

Part of ticket proceeds will go to Media That Matters, and Finnegan’s Irish Amber will donate all of their beer proceeds to charity. Help us make an impact by joining us for a night of entertainment, inspiration and conversation. Get your tickets today!

>> more details

The Media That Matters film festival is co-presented by Arts Engine and Cinereach.

BAOBAB

2009-10-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

This film by Simon Sticker introduces three projects that the Baobab Family, a Germany-based nonprofit, carries out in Mombasa, Kenya. The Baobab Family cares for 31 kids at its orphanage, teaches tailoring skills that enable community members to earn an income, and supports people affected by HIV/AIDS while raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. Sticker says, “Even when a film could not give you the experience — the smell in the slums, the sounds and the feeling of being in these little huts — … maybe it could give a glimpse of a feeling for it. And of what could actually be done.”

BAOBAB from Flow Media on Vimeo.

Simon Sticker
Baobab Family

Party With A Purpose

2009-10-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

“Masala” is a mixture of spices, a staple of Indian cuisine. Masala Jam is a spicy blend of musical talent that will take the stage at Gluek’s Bar in downtown Minneapolis on October 13 to benefit street children in India.

The hot list of performers includes the smooth jazz and R&B of Wain McFarlane and Friends, reggae from Ryan Liestman and Ipso Facto, and gospel and soul from JD Steel. Internationally-renowned guitarist and composer Billy McLaughlin will toss in some acoustic zest. The sultry vocals of George Scott McKelvey, of Rhythm Jones fame, will sweeten the lineup. Shawn Douglas, Brian David Band, Michael Wright and many others lend a hand in the cooking of this spicy blend of entertainment.

Masala Jam will benefit Care & Share, a foundation dedicated to giving “children their childhood back” by helping to alleviate the devastating effects of poverty on orphaned and street children in Vijayawada, India. Care & Share supports three children’s villages, where nearly 2,000 orphans are schooled, clothed, fed, sheltered and nurtured in a loving community. The kids can stay active with skating, biking and soccer that are also on offer at the facilities.

Care & Share receives funding mostly through child sponsorship. Sponsors donate a dollar a day to an individual child, and develop a familial relationship through correspondence with the sponsored child and organization. “Every penny, except for some flyers and mailings, goes directly to the kids,” says Julie Roberts, US director for Care & Share. Two hundred children are sponsored by Americans and 5,000 by citizens of Italy, with the need growing every day as more children are losing their parents to AIDS.

Daddy’s Home, the original of the three villages, is “the most joyful place I’ve found in India,” says Roberts, a Northwest pilot. She was a volunteer for 10 years before taking her current position with the organization, based in Venice, Italy. She said she was depressed each time she visited India by being unable to make a difference in the lives of thousands of street children who suffered from malnutrition, neglect, abuse, and prostitution. Once she discovered the village, she committed fully to their work, sponsoring seven children and adopting two into her family.

In addition to the villages, which employ many villagers, Care & Share brings milk, food, medical care and education into the slums of Vijayawada. Approximately 30 percent of the population of the city lives in the slums, lacking hygiene, sanitation and clean drinking water. The organization estimates that it provides 5,242 meals a day to the children in their care, as well as those living with their families in the slums.

Last year, the usually-reliable monsoon season never materialized, causing widespread drought. This has lead to food shortages and hiking food prices. “We’re in a panic. You can’t just have all these kids relying on you and say ‘sorry, no food,’” says Roberts. Masala Jam is a response to the call for immediate help to buy food.

Wain McFarlane, who is helping organize the benefit, said when he found out about the tragic lives of the street children, he had to take part. He said it’s important to help save these children, many of whom were living like slaves for “bad guys with negative interests” before being taken off the streets by Care & Share. “I expect it to be an incredible night of music that will set your soul on fire, and for a great cause.”

Care & Share
Information about Masala Jam can be found on Care & Share’s website

Why Congo Matters (Part II of II): Top 5 Reasons

2009-10-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

This article was submitted by Emily Troutman.

1. An enormous tragedy requires an enormous response. Since 1998, 5.4 million people have died from war-related causes in the DRC, making it the world’s deadliest documented conflict since WWII.

The above statistic comes from the International Rescue Committee and is often cited in coverage of Congo. But for full effect, it ought to be amended to this: “Since 1998, 5.4 million people have died — one at a time — from war-related causes.” Because 5.4 million is such an astonishing number, it has the power to make progress seem impossible.

We are asked in a situation like this to think smaller, not bigger. Just as death is experienced one person at a time, hope and progress can also happen through each of us. The enormity of our response is not measured in size, but in depth and of commitment over time.

2. A little safety goes a long way. Ninety percent of early deaths are due to non-violent, preventable causes including malnutrition, infectious disease and complications from childbirth.

Congo's staggering mortality rate results from its ongoing battle with the FDLR, Hutu forces that invaded the country following the genocide in Rwanda. Most people will be affected by the ways in which this violence limits their freedom of movement. When people don't feel safe to travel, they also don't have access to medicine, health care, education or clean water.

3. Women need other women to stand beside them. In March of 2009, there were 1,154 confirmed rapes just in North Kivu province. Of these rapes, 65 percent were committed by the armed forces.

The national army, the FARDC, recently underwent an integration of forces, in which a Tutsi rebel group, the CNDP, was folded into the regular army. Some people blame these numbers on that change, saying a new, more criminal element is at work. Ultimately, however, the epidemic of rape in Congo is an old problem that only got worse.

At the heart of the problem is the Congolese government's unwillingness to hold criminals accountable. Rapists are either not tried, or are tried and then set free. In addition, there are no safeguards to keep people with known criminal records out of the military. UN peacekeeping forces continue to work side-by-side with the FARDC despite its incompetence.

4. If you're reading this on a computer, you're implicated in the crisis: Congo holds 80 percent of the world's resources of coltan, a rare mineral that is a critical component of cell phones and other electronic devices.

The battle in Congo right now is not about identity, it is about resources. The FDLR, as well as dozens of unaffiliated gangs of criminals, is hiding in the mountainous jungles in order to secure its own wealth. Congo exports numerous minerals, including gold and diamonds. Right now, global demand is especially high for columbite-tantalite (coltan) and cassiterite, which are used in nearly every electronic device, including phones, game stations, computers and cameras.

5. Your attention can create change. People are talking about Congo now more than ever before and, as a result, international actors are starting to respond.

Just last week, the number one purchaser of tin ore from Eastern Congo, Thiascaro, pulled out of the country, citing “bad publicity.” Thiascaro, whose parent company is based in the UK, was involved with the development and implementation of a new “certification process” to ensure mines aren't funding the FDLR, in keeping with new UN regulations. But the certification process, meant to launch in early 2009, hasn't happened.

In the US, more pressure needs to be placed on companies such as Apple and Intel to offer “conflict-free” electronic devices, much in the same way the public increased awareness regarding “blood diamonds.” US Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) has put forward the "Congo Conflict Minerals Act" (S.891), which would support the UN regulations for transparency and require companies to declare which mine their materials came from. But without wide-ranging public demand, it is unlikely to move forward. Americans can help by calling the US Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and asking for their senators' office.

Emily’s Photography
Emily’s blog, Who We Are / How We Live

Why Congo Matters (Part I of II)

2009-10-01T09:24:00.000-05:00

Why Congo Matters from Emily Troutman on Vimeo.

After spending a month in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I find myself speaking most often about the numbers: 5.4 million dead, 2,000 rapes per month, 17,000 UN soldiers, a war that started 15 years ago (or more?).

And suddenly, the conflict seems impossibly huge, unsolvable, tragic and remote. It is easy to forget that numbers are symbols, representing real people who take up an actual, physical space; who walk the down the dirt roads at sunset and carry water from the river, just as they did when I was there.

Numbers are a simple way to measure what has been lost. But we also lose something in the counting. We begin to think we know the exact dimensions of a problem, and then we file it away to be solved later, somewhere between running out of milk and global warming.

For a number to be useful, it should have a beating heart and a face. It should collect names and remind us of something in ourselves. A number should challenge us to unravel it, to give it a smell (the earthy jungle undergrowth), a color (the black volcanic dust), a taste (papaya), and a sound (the “snap” of a green bean).

Each death, each rape in Congo, happens in a moment when the sun is either up or down, when the rain has started or stopped, when a small phrase was uttered, or a glance exchanged. The numbers can tell us something about how often it has happened, but almost nothing about how. Or who.

With a story this big, and so little public awareness of it, I started to ask myself, “Does Congo matter?” I don't know. I guess that's hard to measure. It matters to the people who live there. It matters to me.

The statistics used in this video can be found in the following reports:

UNICEF – Country Statistics
International Rescue Committee – Mortality in the DRC, An Ongoing Crisis
International Committee of the Red Cross – Survey on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Civilians

Emily’s Photography
Emily’s blog, Who We Are / How We Live

College Students Teach Health Ed

2009-09-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

According to Peer Health Exchange statistics, one in four American teenagers is a binge-drinker, one in four smokes cigarettes, one in five sexually active teenage girls becomes pregnant each year, one in five teens experiences violence in a relationship and one in six is overweight or obese. Budget cuts have eliminated comprehensive health courses in many public high schools, leaving teenagers to face these health risks unprepared and alone. In 2003, Louise Davis and Katy Dion co-founded Peer Health Exchange to aid teenagers in high schools that lacked health education to make healthy decisions regarding sex, drugs, drinking and more issues that are growing concerns in the United States.

Peer Health Exchange trains college students in four urban areas (New York City, Boston, San Francisco Bay area and Chicago) and prepares them to teach one of twelve workshops. The college students travel to different schools in their city, holding workshops in the homeroom periods of ninth grade classes. The workshops are interactive and easy to comprehend for ninth graders and the benefits of the peer education are far-reaching.

In observing a session on sexual assault and rape, I noticed that the initial questions asked of the students revealed the underlying need for such a program. About 80 percent of the students responded “yes” when asked if sexual assault was ever the survivor’s fault. Over the course of an hour of acted-out scenarios and question-answer sessions with the group leaders, each student came to understand that this belief was unequivocally false. After the session, I asked Lloyd, a 14-year-old from the class who had answered “yes” to the question, what he learned from the class. He responded, “That rape is never the girl’s fault. You have to ask if it’s okay, and that if she doesn’t actually say ‘yes’, it means ‘no.’”

At the end of the twelve-session course, nearly 90 percent of the students claim that they will use something they learned from the Peer Health Exchange workshops in their daily lives. Peer Health Exchange is a straightforward yet highly effective organization that is doing great things to help address the health crisis that underprivileged youth face in the United States. The organization recently began a five-year growth plan to expand the program to new sites across the country with the hope of reaching as many youth as possible.

Peer Health Exchange

Reaching out to those in need

2009-09-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

A team of college kids wakes up before sunrise to prepare for the day. Breakfast is served at a local church and then they’re off to work. Soon, you can hear the sound of hammers pounding on a roof; kids laughing as they run into each other’s linked arms, playing red rover; a relieved sigh as a client walks out of the thrift store with bags of free food and clothing. These are just a few sounds you would hear if you spent twelve weeks at Appalachian Outreach, an organization located in the Appalachian Mountains of Jefferson City, Tennessee.

Appalachian Outreach was founded in 1984 in association with Carson-Newman College. From its beginning as a home repair organization, it has expanded to serve people who are in need of food, clothing, linens and household items. An estimated 600 clients came in and out of Appalachian Outreach in June 2009.

In order to help these 600 clients plus the home repair clients, Appalachian Outreach hires college students to work for twelve weeks. Some students are from Tennessee’s Carson-Newman, and others come from states such as Illinois and Mississippi. Many of them work on home repair projects for the summer, including roofing, tiling and landscape.

Michelle Shackleford, then a Southern Missouri student who has since transferred to Carson-Newman student, didn’t know much about home repair but was excited to learn. She wanted to make an impact on someone’s life. “I was given more opportunities to love people as they are, as we were in their homes and spending more time with them, getting to know and love them as people,” Shackleford says.

Other students work in the thrift store. Taira Smith’s job consisted of helping clients who came in the thrift store find whatever they needed. She also sorted through clothes in the back room. “We found many ‘treasures’ that we could pass on to our customers to make their children's lives better,” Smith says.

Appalachian Outreach reaches out to the children as well. A summer Bible camp is hosted at the community building in the low-income neighborhood. Smith, a Carson-Newman elementary education major, spent the majority of her time leading the Bible camp. I also helped Smith with the camp. We played games, taught Bible lessons and served the kids lunch.

Smith says the camp was the most rewarding part of her experience with Appalachian Outreach. “It was very rewarding when after the summer one of the girls wrote me a letter about being able to turn down drugs from her friends,” she says. Smith was able to connect with the kids and impact their lives.

Houses were repaired, people were fed, children were loved. The summer is gone and the students have returned to their colleges. But the work of Appalachian Outreach is never over. There are still roofs to repair, people to feed and children to be love.

“People [are] looking for someone to listen and to love them,” Smith says.

Appalachian Outreach

15 Years

2009-09-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by photographer Simon Sticker

In 1994, one of the darkest chapters of human history happened in Rwanda. In only 100 days more than 800,000 people were killed in genocide. Even churches turned out to be no shelter anymore, and many Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed where they hoped for safety.

While Rwanda today is recovering, the wounds are still deep and from time to time there is still brutal murder related to what happened 15 years ago. Most Rwandans are trying to create a future, yet under the surface you'll find an attempt to forget the unforgettable.

After spending time there, talking with people, and seeing the mass graves and dead bodies, it’s still hard for me to imagine what happened in Rwanda. These photographs are a reminder of those who died in a way that should never happen again.

Simon Sticker

Remembering Javier

2009-09-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to let NEED readers know that I was recently informed of some very sad news.

In NEED magazine issue 5 I wrote a story entitled “In the Crossfire” about an organization called Youth ALIVE! working with youth in Oakland, California. Yesterday, a member of the Youth ALIVE! staff contacted me and informed me that on August 31 of this year, Javier Carreto, one of the young men who was featured in the story, was shot and killed. I know next to nothing about the circumstances surrounding his murder, but I can tell you about meeting Javier.

Javier was the first young man I talked with in East Oakland. He was very eager to tell me everything that was on his mind. For every question I had, he had a thousand things to say. When he spoke, it seemed he felt surrounded by the constant violence that was part of the gangland mindset of youth around him. He was visibly frustrated with the insecurity he felt walking in the street and the tension that he felt at home. In spite of all that he dealt with, what Javier said to me showed he was an insightful young man who genuinely cared about those around him. He was eager to tell me about his new commitment to studying hard in school and the help that he received from Youth ALIVE!. Javier was proud of his GPA and the hope that he had through his education.

The loss of Javier had a profound impact on those around him. I know the staff at Youth ALIVE! are taking this tragedy very hard, especially Javier’s former mentor, Fabian Martinez. Javier spoke very highly of Fabian. In the interview, Javier said, “For me, he’s much more than a friend; I can tell you that. He’s way more than a friend. I have his trust; I have everything. … And Fabian did change a lot of my life. He did, and even though I am still okay, he’s still here. And he told me, ‘even though I not still working with you, I’m always here for you.’ And I like that.” I met Javier for a day, but Fabian was there nearly every day of what would be the last few years of his life, helping him choose a different path and become a better person.

I wanted to take this opportunity to point out the heroics of the Youth ALIVE! staff who pour their lives into some of America’s most at-risk youth daily. I am sure at times like these it would be easy for them to wonder what all their work is for. Sometimes it is hard to know just what to say. I do know that Javier’s life, along with countless others, stands as testament to the amazing work that the mentors at Youth ALIVE! do and I thank them for it.

I would encourage readers to write a quick thank you to Youth ALIVE! staff or perhaps to a mentor who gave a piece of their life to help you in yours.

Youth ALIVE!
3300 Elm Street
Oakland, CA 94609
USA
510.594.2588 ext 300
mail@youthalive.org

For audio of the interview with Javier Carreto click here.

GOODBYE NEED?

2009-09-23T16:23:00.001-05:00

GOODBYE NEED? NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!

So far we have not gained the subscriptions and investment needed to continue. Instead of disappearing we are using this as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves.

We need your help to make this happen.

Take this short survey to inform us how to become better and more effective.

>> Take the survey

Documenting Voluntourism (Part II of II)

2009-09-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

In this episode, documentary producer Trent O'Donnell was sent to Nepal to capture the essence of a World Expeditions voluntourism trip. He joined 13 travelers on a trek into one of the most remote parts of Nepal. During their stay they refurbished the Saramthali school and repaired a retaining wall that were constantly threatened by the harsh climate of the Himalayas.
This is a story of traveling with a purpose and the effect it has on all people involved.

Positive Footprints - Nepal from WorldNomads on Vimeo.

Positive Footprints
Footprints Network
World Expeditions

Communities Given the Chance to Fly

2009-09-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

A group of women opened a clinic in Kenya this year. The clinic belongs solely to those women, and the clinic serves approximately 20,000 Kenyans entirely under their direction.

After one of the women died of cholera, funeral services were provided for the family by an organization called Give Us Wings, which had worked with the women for a number of years to get the clinic off the ground. After speaking with the widower, the organization helped with funeral costs and paid for the coffin. If the family had paid for the coffin themselves, it would have depleted nearly all of their resources.

Because her mother was deceased, the daughter of the family would now have to spend hours each day collecting water, causing her grades in school to fall. Without education, she could not hope for a better future. Give Us Wings hired help for the family so that the children could stay in school and focus on their studies, relieving them of the burden of domestic duties.

“Crisis compounds and compounds and compounds,” says Mary Steiner, the director of Give Us Wings. “Becoming part of the fabric of people’s lives is what makes this program successful. We need to be involved directly and stay with people long-term, otherwise we would never know the daily problems they face.” Give Us Wings, an organization founded that Mary Steiner in 1998, aids Kenyans and Ugandans to become self-sufficient in various facets of their lives.

After a recent trip to Africa, Steiner says, her commitment to the model of Give Us Wings was renewed. In this model, the people of the African villages lead initiatives with Give Us Wings’ the commitment of support for upwards of 10 years. “They know the best way forward,” says Steiner. “There is not one path that will suit all villages. After witnessing so many half-finished projects, we found the best way to aid them is by giving them a trusting relationship and a sort of infrastructure.”

Without earning the trust of the people, the organization would not have been able to help the family of the woman who died of cholera. Paying attention to minute details of people’s lives allowed volunteers to follow the chain of effect to see that because the mother died, the daughter would have a difficult time completing her schooling and would likely fall into the grips of poverty.

Overturning a cyclically oppressive structure is no easy task, but Give Us Wings is taking steps to ensure that the people of the village are given an opportunity to use skills they already possess and develop new ones to improve their economic condition.

Fishermen who were no longer able to fish for lack of fish in the lakes and rivers became organic farmers through one year of training. A schoolhouse was opened for women, age 19 to 20 years old, who dropped out of primary school due to domestic obligations and were now too old to attend primary school. Eight women will take their secondary exams this year, a major accomplishment for the school. One graduate of the school has even started university this year, an unrealistic option for her several years ago.

The process of assisting communities begins with volunteers on the ground asking families what they need most. Some may say training, some education, some medical supplies, but all need their own strengths recognized, says Steiner.

Give Us Wings

Interviw with Jimmy Carter

2009-09-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Issue 01 | Dialogue
Interviewer: Matthew Pritchard
Photographs: The Carter Center

Former US President Jimmy Carter in Southern Ethiopia in 1997. Photo | Robert Grossman/The Carter Center

President Carter, what initially inspired you to become involved in humanitarian issues?

When I became a state senator, then later governor and ultimately president, I realized that all public officials have a great responsibility and duty to analyze the needs of the people that they have been elected to serve. When I was a state senator, we were still in the midst of 100 years of racial segregation in this country, based on the fact that we were supposed to have separate but equal facilities. I saw in my own early life the need for equality of treatment between black and white American citizens; that was the first introduction I had to alleviating suffering and discrimination and giving people some hope that their lives would be equal to others as citizens of this country.

What would you say to inspire others to become involved in humanitarianism?

President Carter looks as election officials begin the votecounting process during liberia's presidential and legislative elections in October 2005. Photo | Deborah Hakes/TCC

First of all, each one of us has to analyze our inventory— our own talents, abilities and opportunities of influence— and see how it is that we can utilize what we have been given by God for the benefit of others. Secondly, I would say we need to be ambitious about it and not dormant; we need to search for opportunities to help other people have better lives. The third thing is that in my own experience in this realm, when I’ve [volunteered], I never have found it to be a sacrifice; it’s always been a blessing to me—a very gratifying experience.

In every case when I thought I was doing somebody else a favor by building a house or something like that, I found that I got a lot more out of it than I put into it.

One of the themes that emerges throughout the work associated with the Carter Center is hope. This theme is also central to NEED magazine and the motivation behind each of our features. Based on your experience, why should people be hopeful in regards to humanitarian assistance, peace and human rights?

First of all, we have to be aware of what’s going on in the rest of the world. You know we just finished helping with an election in Liberia. It’s very disturbing to know that over half of the people in Liberia are living on less than 50 cents a day, and over half the people in the whole world live on less than two dollars a day. That’s almost inconceivable to rich, prosperous, safe and satisfied Americans. If you just stop for a few minutes and think how [you] would survive if [you] only had that much money to pay for a place to live and to pay for food and clothing, you can see that there’s nothing left over for health care, education, self-respect or hope that the future will be better than you’ve already known it. The absence of opportunities [along with] human suffering, persecution, being in the midst of war and suffering from unnecessary diseases [are] all factors [that] eliminate hope among many people in the world, and to give them a better opportunity provides hope.

Within the realm of humanitarianism, is there one issue or project that really inspires you?

There are a lot of them. The Carter Center has programs in 65 nations, and 35 of those countries are in Africa. We deal with diseases that have been completely eliminated in all of the industrialized world. These are diseases, though, that still afflict millions and millions of people. So we go into local villages in the jungle or in the desert areas in Africa and sometimes in Latin America and try to alleviate this suffering. To see the dramatic transformation that takes place in the lives of those people when they never have to suffer from a terrible and preventable disease is the type of thing that really inspires me.

For instance, we began working on a disease called dracunculiasis or Guinea worm a number of years ago. We found 3.5 million cases in over 23,000 villages in more [than] 20 nations. We’ve been in all those villages now and taught the people what causes the disease and how to prevent it. We’ve reduced the number of Guinea worm cases in the world by more than 99.7 percent. We still have .3 percent of those original cases primarily in Ghana and southern Sudan, which have been afflicted with wars. This is the kind of experience that we’ve had that has been inspirational to me.

I would say that the biggest surprise for me has been to see the quality of these people’s lives. Because they are poor and suffering and uneducated, we often tend to underestimate them. I found that these same people are just as intelligent, ambitious and hard working, and their family values are just as good as mine. If they’re just given a chance to improve themselves, they are very enthusiastic and capable of doing it.

The Carter Center has remained dedicated to fighting neglected diseases. President Carter, what is meant by the term “neglected disease”?

These are diseases that are still prevalent among hundreds of millions of people on earth that have no reason to continue to afflict people because we have proven in the rich world that they can be eliminated or prevented. And people that are still suffering need to have our help with that. If other agencies, [such as] the United States Government, the United Nations, the World Health Organization or UNICEF are already taking care of a problem adequately, then we don’t get involved in it. We just go where we’re still needed. These are people who are suffering from diseases that have long been eliminated in our own world. And that’s proof of the fact that they ought not to be suffering from it themselves.

As you mentioned, the Carter Center has reduced the prevalence of Guinea worm by more than 99.7 percent since 1986. Within the next few years, Guinea worm will become only the second disease to be eradicated. What does this exciting accomplishment mean for future work on neglected diseases? What does it mean to you personally?

I think it’s proof that it can be done. The only other disease ever eradicated was smallpox, and that was 25 years ago. The Carter Center has the only organization in the world that analyzes all diseases to see which ones might possibly be eradicated completely. It’s the International Task Force for Disease Eradication. And we have about a dozen key agencies around the world who come and meet at the Carter Center.
We address and analyze every human illness to ascertain which ones, if treated properly, can be completely eradicated. That’s what we will prove with Guinea worm once it’s eradicated.

This will give more confidence to other people to join us in identifying and working together to eradicate diseases. We hope that also in the near future polio might be eradicated, and we’ve been helping with that to some degree. As you know they’ve had a setback in the polio eradication progress, and they’re trying to overcome the problems. But there are other diseases that we are analyzing now that might be susceptible to complete eradication in the future.

To go into an African village, say in Ghana, and you find two-thirds of the people in the village suffering from [Guinea worm] which incapacitates people, and knowing this disease has been eliminated in our own world, is an exciting experience. The disease forms enormous sores as it emerges from the body. It takes about 30 days for the worm to come out. Farmers can’t go to the fields; children can’t go to school. People can’t even walk quite often. They just drag themselves along the ground.

Then we’ve seen what causes a disease and how to prevent it. And if they do what we say, which most of them do, we go back a year later and there’s no more Guinea worm. They never will see a case of Guinea worm again, and in three or four years they forget about [it]. This is what we’ve done in more than 23,000 villages.

President Carter shaking hands with an Ethiopian child. Photo | Robert Grossman/TCC

President Carter shakes hands with a young boy in Mosebo, Ethiopia, in 2005. Photo | John Moores/TCC

In just one year of Carter Center trachoma control activities in the 2000-member village of Mosebo, Ethiopia, 251 people have been treated for active trachoma, which causes blindness. Forty-one patients have received surgery to treat trichiasis, which can cause visual impairment and severe infections, and 367 households have built latrines to lessen infection risks.

The Carter Center provides the tools and means to help farmers in sub-saharan Africa increase their crop yields through agricultural development, sometimes two or even threefold. By increasing the amount of quality food produced, Third World hunger and poverty will be lessened, food security enhanced and national resources protected.

Through your individual work as well as projects undertaken by the Carter Center, you have become a great figurehead of strength and support for issues of peace, health and human rights. As such, whom do you admire within the humanitarian realm?

We work with a lot of people. I would say one of the more generic admirations I have is for all the volunteers who join Habitat for Humanity. We sometimes have as many as 10,000 volunteers that join Rosalynn and me in the annual Jimmy Carter Work Project. It’s where we go into a community or country and build a large number of Habitat for Humanity homes for poor people in need over a five-year period. To see the dedication of these volunteers who pay their own way, for instance, from [the US] to the Philippines, South Korea, Mexico or to South Africa [sic]. This year they’re going to join Rosalynn and me in October in India. They provide their own tools, they dedicate a full week or 10 days of their lives and they work side-by-side with families who have never had a decent home but who join in the work and will own their own house. This is the kind of dedication that’s just one example of the hundreds of different ways that folks around the world volunteer to help their neighbors.

From a distance, there would be a person like Mother Theresa, whom I was lucky enough to meet before she passed away. I think what makes her contribution so notable is the fact that she did it in almost total obscurity, without any self-promoting publicity. Obviously, there are tens of thousands of people like that around the world who are devoted to humanitarian causes but are never recognized in any way. I’ve been recognized for the few things I’ve done because I used to be President of the United States, and I have the image and fame that comes from that exalted position.

I think that the ones that I admire most are the ones that Mother Theresa exemplifies. The Habitat volunteers I just mentioned to you that go year after year or day after day under sometimes the most difficult and private circumstances, and devote their lives or a portion of their lives to helping other people.

The point is that if you’re a lawyer, a teacher, a reporter, an editor, a farmer or a builder, obviously your primary duty is to pursue your own profession and to earn a living and take care of your family; that’s part of your responsibility. But all of us, including all of those I just mentioned, [and] many others, have an opportunity and an obligation, maybe a duty, to take a portion of our good fortune and invest it in helping others. This is a chance to have a much more exciting, challenging, adventurous, unpredictable and gratifying life. And when we embark on projects that encompass people whom we would otherwise not ever know, the result is always a greater benefit to us than we anticipate, and the benefits always exceed whatever sacrifice of finances, time or effort we invest.

President and Mrs. Carter observing election day in Liberia in October 2005. The two were present during the election process as part of a larger carter center/national democratic institute delegation. Photo | Deborah Hakes/TCC

The Carter Center
One Copenhill
453 Freedom Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30307 USA
404.420.5100
carterweb@emory.edu
www.cartercenter.org

Habitat for Humanity International
Jimmy Carter Work Project
121 Habitat Street
Americus, GA 31709-3498 USA
229. 924.6935, ext. 2551 or 2552
publicinfo@habitat.org
www.habitat.org

An Antidote to Cynicism

2009-09-18T09:00:00.002-05:00

David duChemin, a photographer based in Vancouver, submitted this story.

In a world of growing poverty it is easy to become cynical about efforts to help. In three years as a photographer serving the international humanitarian community I have often been asked whether the organizations I shoot for are doing the good work they claim to. I am by nature cynical and when I started this career I feared the work would only fuel that tendency. There are days on the field when it resurfaces, when the lack of resources and the over-worked field-staff make me angry at the world and cynical about a great many things, but it’s been a constant surprise to me that my work for groups like World Vision has been the antidote to my cynicism, and a source of hope to me.

My primary work for World Vision Canada is the Christmas Gift Catalogue. Responsible for raising millions of dollars each year, this catalogue has sent me to Malawi twice, Uganda twice, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and most recently Mongolia. The images we gather for this project are a long way from the distended bellies and flies around the eyes that were the mainstay of fundraising images several years ago; instead they reflect the hope and dignity of the children and families we work with, and the joy they experience when given a step up. These assignments are the highlights of my year.

I have no desire to romanticize the poverty against which we’re fighting. There is nothing redeeming about the struggle to survive or watching one’s family succumb to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. But within that struggle the children and families I photograph remain human; they hang on to their strength, dignity, hope, joy and beauty. Their poverty makes them no less human, and I suspect that if the so-called First World truly saw this they’d be much more inclined to see philanthropy as an issue of justice and not merely one of charity.

The children strike me the most and every trip I’ve gone to bed and stared at the ceiling as tears run down my face and pool in my ears. I cry for the situations they struggle in, and for the incredible strength of character they have. They humble me. There isn’t one I don’t wish I could take home with me.

In Mongolia we met a little boy about six years old—a bundle of energy with a remarkably short attention span. I photographed him in short sessions and then let him loose to burn off his energy. We ran around the family ger (yurt), me chasing him, him chasing me, the beleaguered dog running after us. And as we ran and played, laughed, and babbled at each other in languages neither of us understood, I began to feel the hope he had.

Because of the World Vision Area Development Program this little guy would go to school, as would his sisters. He had access to clean water and a pit latrine. His parents had access to vocational training. His neighbors had access to micro-enterprise loans. The community had a support system, advocates, and a growing hope for their own future.

On my last trip to Malawi I asked a man who’d received a dairy cow through the Gift Catalogue project what difference the cow had made. I expected the diplomatic answer, that yes, it had made a big difference, thank you. Instead he said, “Look at my children—they are healthy. My wife is healthy. We’ve been able to buy more cows, and now the village grows healthier. I am able to employ others to work with me. The cow has made every difference.”

Each time I hear these stories, and they are re-told everywhere I go, my hope grows and my cynicism recedes a little further. Each time I feel guilty that I am not doing enough, giving enough, I meet a sponsor-child who tells me their life has changed. Each time I feel like giving up I meet a graceful woman living with AIDS with dignity or a community leader facing staggering odds with laughter and resolve. There’s a great deal of struggle, pain, and darkness out there, but it’s hope that pushes it back, and these people feed that hope.

World Vision Canada
1 World Drive
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T 2Y4
1-866-595-5550

Kurdish Refugee & IDP Camps

2009-09-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

I set out this summer to look at refugee camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. What I found were Kurdish refugees and asylum seekers from Turkey, Syria and Iran, and internally displaced Kurds from Mosul. I saw everything from a youth group practicing traditional dance to a six-year-old boy that has been addicted to smoking for two years. But most of all, I experienced a wide range of people, living in hard situations, but with attitudes towards life that have left me deeply invested in the future of the people in these camps.

Makhmoor Refugee Camp

Makhmoor, home to around 11,000 Turkish refugees, was actually nicer than most villages that I have visited in the region. After a short drive through the dust-filled town of Makhmoor, about 45 minutes from Erbil, my translator, Leo, and I came upon the large security barriers that formed a maze before coming to the first guard. I promptly got yelled at for taking a photo of the UNHCR flag at the gate, which led to a traditional Kurdish yelling match in which I can never quite tell who is winning. Until, invariably, someone will turn to me and say "OK. Everything is OK."

After talking with the director, I met a camp representative in a large, mostly empty room -- a few couches, a hole in the wall for the air conditioner, and only two things on lined the wall: a UNHCR flag and a picture of the former PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. It is clear where the inhabitants’ allegiances lie.

The representative took us to visit the home of Siso Saleem, a 55-year-old father of eight. Sensing my surprise about the number of kids, he responded with, "We must have many children. Some to end up in Turkish prisons, some to join the PKK, some to be educated, and some to take care of the home."

His wife and two daughters proceeded to lay out a large feast of rice and vegetables. The portions surprised me -- not the stereotypical image of a refugee camp.

When Mr. Saleem first came to Makhmoor in 1998, he worked as a laborer for $0.20 a day. Since then, through saving and with the help of the UNHCR and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), he was able to build his family a home.

The majority of the camp’s development has happened within the last several years through the help of the UNHCR and the KRG. The camp is still growing at a rate of 100-200 people a year, plus around 300 new births. Each new family is required to build their own home, but the community now supplies the tools and supports the construction. The camp has five schools and its own hospital.

When I asked if they want to go back to Turkey, they say that they of course do, however they have a list of demands. These include full amnesty for past activity, the release of their POWs in Turkey, former villages reconstructed, and the rights to teach their schools in Kurdish. In other words, it looks like Makhmoor is not going away anytime soon.

Grdachal Refugee Camp

The Grdachal camp was the polar opposite of Makhmoor. Twenty-two families consisting of more than 120 people live in an old converted schoolhouse. Grdachal is a stark alternative to their former lives in Iran, which they fled around 1980.

Unlike the people at Makhmoor, the refugees at Grdachal have lost hope. When asked what they wanted, there wasn’t even a trace of ambition. They responded only with, "We don't know anymore. All we know is that we want a better life than here." They complained about the facilities (in one case, four families are forced to share the old schoolyard bathroom – a room that smelled so bad I almost had to immediately walk out) and they talked about how they do not even have the opportunity to work because they are located too far from any city.

Tara Saifulla, 17, sat quietly in the corner next to her mother as my translator interpreted what the men of the camp were saying. Finally, a soft "Please, may I speak?" came from Tara. She had learned English by reading a dictionary and watching TV. She proceeded to tell me of their plight in no uncertain terms and then told me of her mother and her need for a heart surgery that is not possible in Iraq. They openly asked for my help. I have since spoken to several people about her mother's case. However, the humanitarian organizations which provide heart surgeries do not even want to look at her case because she is 33 years old – after 18 the success rate is too slim.

Moqoble Refugee Camp

After these two camps, I decided that it was time to return to Dohuk and to the camp that I initially visited during my trip last summer. Moqoble Refugee camp was established for Syrian Kurds, who face the worst situation of all in the Kurdish region. Currently, there are over 200,000 stateless Kurds living in Syria without citizenship or any rights.

The Moqoble Camp consists of more than 40 families that arrived after July 2004. They live in winterized tents, or tents with cinderblock walls, to make it livable during the winter season.

Azadi IDP / Refugee Camp

The Azadi camp is composed of many different peoples. Originally a training area for Saddam's army, the houses have since been converted to homes for internally displaced people (IDPs) from cities such as Mosul and Baghdad, as well as many outlying towns and villages. Toward the back of the Azadi Camp are 88 houses that were built for the original arrivals at the Moqoble Camp.

While not quite to the level of development of Makhmoor, this camp still was much closer to the feeling of a small village.

Grdasin IDP Camp

Grdasin was established in April 2006 for Kurdish people forced to leave their homes in Mosul due to increased threats and violence. At its height, the camp was home to over 200 families. Now hovering around 100 families consisting of over 800 people, the camp is little more than a temporary solution at best. It is comprised of a mashup of tents and simple cinderblock construction. Small gardens for fresh vegetables line the sides of these homes. Conditions within the camp lead to frequent illnesses, especially among the children and elderly. Employment is again hard to come by as the camp is located far outside any major city.

Jonathan's Travels
Jon Vidar Photography

Documenting Voluntourism (Part I of II)

2009-09-16T09:00:00.001-05:00

The Positive Footprints initiative was created by World Nomads, a travel insurance company. World Nomad’s website explains, “We believe there is a moral obligation to give a little back to the communities in which we travel. The Footprints Network was founded as an online philanthropy project to do just that.” The Footprints Network raises money for community development projects which Positive Footprints documents.

In this episode, documentary producer Trent O'Donnell was sent to Kenya to capture the essence of a World Expeditions voluntourism trip. He headed into the heart of the country with 16 other travelers who built desks, refurbished classrooms and assisted in installing a new water tank.

This is a story of traveling with a purpose and the effect it has on all people involved.

Positive Footprints - Kenya from WorldNomads on Vimeo.

Positive Footprints
Footprints Network
World Expeditions

Ethiopia shakes down its Minnesota refugees

2009-09-15T09:00:00.003-05:00

This is a cross-post from Twin Cities Daily Planet by Douglas McGill

Immigrants to Minnesota from eastern Ethiopia are being forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom payments to support an Ethiopian security force that tortures and kills thousands of innocent Ethiopians.

Under an extortion scheme run by the Ethiopian army, soldiers in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia abduct men, women and teenage boys and girls, holding them without charge in one of scores of military jails in the region, which borders Somalia.

Knowing that many Ogaden families have relatives who live in Minnesota, the Ethiopian army tells the prisoners’ families that their loved ones can be freed upon payment of ransoms ranging from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.

Hating to pay the money but having no other choice, the Minnesota refugees empty their personal bank accounts and pass the hat to raise ransoms to release their husbands, wives, sons, daughters and friends from overcrowded jails where torture, rape, beatings and killings are common.

Destruction of Villages

“It is a booming business for the Ethiopian army,” said Mohamed, a Minnesota school teacher who immigrated from the Ogaden in 1993. “It happens every day in the Ogaden, and every day someone in Minnesota is sending money.”

Mohamed and other Ogaden immigrants quoted in this story declined to give their full names for fear that their families and friends living in the Ogaden would be jailed, tortured or killed in retribution for their openness.

In recent years, one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises has unfolded silently in the Ogaden region, where a vicious counter-insurgency campaign by the Ethiopian government has wiped out scores of villages, killed thousands of civilians, and displaced tens of thousands or more to refugee camps in Ethiopia and northern Kenya.

About 5,000 Ogaden refugees have found their way to Minnesota, which has one of the largest refugee populations from the Ogaden crisis in the world. They Ogaden refugees in Minnesota are settled mainly in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Willmar, St. Cloud and Faribault.

Frantic Calls

“I cry every night, believe me,” said Abdi, an Ogaden refugee who has sent $600 ransoms on two occasions. “You are forced to do what is not right, you are forced to do the wrong thing. It’s horrible. It lives with us, it lives with us everywhere. No matter where I am, in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the living room, I cannot hold back my tears.”

The ransoming of Ogaden refugees in Minnesota is exacting a disastrous economic, psychological and social toll within the Ogaden community and the broader society, Ogaden immigrants here say.

Being forced to spend thousands of dollars to free their relatives from jail in Ethiopia slows down the Minnesota Ogadeni refugees' attempts to learn English, to get an education and to successfully assimilate into U.S. society, they say.

“We get frantic phone calls day and night,” says Mustafe, an Ogaden refugee who works at Minneapolis employment agency. “Friends and family need money to be freed from jail. They say ‘Please send us money, please send us money!’ We send it, of course, but as a result we go into debt ourselves. I don’t even dream of going back to school to improve myself until the situation in Ogaden changes and improves.”

Financial Aid

In 2007, Mustafe sent $1,500 towards a $4,000 ransom collected in Minnesota to release a teenaged cousin who was jailed for three months, and was released after the ransom was paid. As a result of that and other ransoms Mustafe has paid, plus monthly support he sends back home to relatives, he is about $10,000 in debt.

The ransoming of Ogaden refugees is only one facet of an extreme humanitarian crisis involving countless crimes against humanity bordering on a full-scale genocide, that has been building in the Ogaden for more than a decade, but intensified sharply in 2007.

The roots of the Ogaden crisis lie in the fact that eastern Ethiopia is inhabited by ethnic Muslim Somalis at a time when the Ethiopian government has been waging war against Somalia. In December 2006, with financial aid and military training from the U.S., Ethiopia crushed the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist government that controlled Somalia.

In 2007, the Ethiopia-Somalia war intensified in Ogaden, where the Ethiopian Army launched an all-out counter-insurgency against a separatist militia, the Ogaden National Liberation Front, which it calls a terrorist organization.

Collective Punishment

The ONLF conducts deadly raids against Ethiopian military, such as an April 2007 attack against a Chinese-run oil operation in the Ogaden which killed not only Ethiopian soldiers but several dozen Ethiopian citizens and nine Chinese nationals.

In retaliation for that attack, Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, launched a vicious crackdown on the ONLF, targeting not only ONLF fighters but their families, friends and other supporters throughout the region. In 2008, Human Rights Watch published a report, “Collective Punishment: War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia's Somali Region.”

The report documented hundreds of cases of torture, rape, executions and indeed the destruction of entire Ogaden villages on the mere suspicion that someone in the village was harboring an ONLF fighter. Human Rights Watch said the likely scale of the disaster was far larger than they were able to document in the report.

Since 2007 all foreign journalists and many aid organizations, including the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, have been forced by the Ethiopian government to suspend operations in the Ogaden.

Virtually all of the ransoms paid by Minnesota Ogadeni refugees to the Ethiopian military are to release friends and relatives who have been jailed on suspicion of knowing, sheltering, or aiding ONLF fighters.

Clan Elders

But in a region like Ogaden, where almost every village has at least one son or daughter who has joined the ONLF, to declare war on all people with even a slight relationship the ONLF is tantamount to declaring war on the entire Ogadeni people – on their society and culture. From an Ogadeni perspective, that is what has happened.

In Minneapolis over the past two weeks, I interviewed 18 Ogaden refugees. Every one confirmed knowledge of the frequent payment of ransoms by Minnesota Ogadenis to free imprisoned relatives held by the Ethiopian army in the Ogaden.

About half of the refugees I interviewed said they had personally paid ransoms to free relatives from jail, and some had done so many times.

The ransom amounts ranged from $300 to $1,500. In some cases those amounts were contributions to total collected ransoms of more than $10,000, which seems to be a typical amount needed to release Ogadeni clan elders who are held.

Here are four ransom stories I was told:

Abdi #1: “In 2002, in the city of Harare, Ethiopian soldiers arrested my brother and beat him badly, tying a rope at the top of his elbows. For five nights they beat him. My Dad had to pay money to get him loose. He came back with marks on his arms above his elbows. Another time, my brother-in-law was arrested. On two occasions, his relatives called me in Minnesota to say he is alive in prison and asked us here to send money. So on two occasions since 2002 we sent $600, but my brother-in-law was never released and we still don’t know if he is alive or dead.”

Mustafe: “In 2007 my brother, who was in high school, was arrested and put in jail. They accused him of being a collaborator of the ONLF. They said he was buying khat [a chewed leaf that is a legal stimulant in Ethiopia and a major cash crop there] to give to the ONLF. But he was only a student with no money and he never did that. We collected $4,000 here in Minnesota to release him which they finally did after three months.”

Mohamed: “In 2005 they put my brother in jail. He is a tea shop owner and the Ethiopian army said he sold some food to the ONLF. My brother’s wife and cousins sold their sheep and goats to get the ransom money and he was released, but five months later they put him back in jail. This time, his wife called me and said ‘Mohamed, our sheep and goats are very thin and weak, it’s the dry season, and none of them can be sold. We need money. They will kill your brother if we don’t pay.’ So I sent what I could afford which was $700. Again he was released, but today, only a few hours ago, I got the bad news from my village that my brother and two others were taken by the Ethiopian army and no one knows their fate. So again I don’t know if my brother and the others are okay or if they are killed. If they aren’t killed, I will once again have to pay ransom, for the third time. They said my brother is a sympathizer of the ONLF, but he is only a tea shop owner. How can he discriminate if a customer who comes in who is ONLF? They don’t wear any uniform, how can he tell?”

Abdi #2: "My friend and cousin is named Hassan Ahmed, from the town of Jijiga. Last year he was jailed and sentenced to death for supposedly helping the ONLF. But he has asthma and was seriously sick and he needed to go to the hospital. So his mother called me here in Minnesota and said, ‘If we pay $500 they say they will take him to the hospital.’ So we managed to raise $500 which we sent to the family, and they gave it to the Ethiopian army. But he was never let out of prison and we don’t think he was taken to the hospital either. Instead, after they got the money they said, ‘This guy is sentenced to death, he will never get out.’”

Cell Phones

Mohamed, the Ogaden school teacher, has collected records of 182 separate instances of extortion and ransoming of Ogadeni civilians by the Ethiopian Army. The total amount paid in these cases was $84,500, which Mohamed estimates is less than 1% of the total amount of money extorted and ransomed by the Ethiopian Army in the past two years.

“You cannot imagine how widespread this is,” said Mohamed, who collected the data through cell phone calls to contacts in the Ogaden and the global Ogaden diaspora.
As a result of the humanitarian aid and information blackout imposed by Ethiopia on the Ogaden, accounts given by the Ogaden refugees in Minnesota provide one of the richest sources of information about the crisis there.

Money, Army or Jail

Ogadeni shopkeepers and traders are also frequent targets for Ethiopian army threats and shakedowns, Minnesota’s Ogaden refugees say.

“In the town of Gode,” said Mohamed, ‘the Army just last week gathered more than 100 business people recently and told them, ‘You have three choices: you can give us money, you can join the army, or you can go to jail.”

The McGill Report
Twin Cities Daily Planet

Take a Break to Make a Difference

2009-09-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Taryn's forehead is marked with tika to celebrate Dashain.

Taryn Lilliston was an American college student who was unsure what direction she wanted to take with her education. Instead of pursuing classes, she decided to take a break from college and pursue the world. Taryn found the Global Volunteer Network (GVN) by looking for an opportunity to give back. GVN is a relatively new non-governmental organization (NGO), launched in December 2000, whose vision is to connect people with communities in need.

Knowing that uprooting herself to volunteer in another country would present many challenges, Taryn chose to work somewhere culturally close to home. She signed up to volunteer for the Stop Child Poverty campaign in GVN’s New Zealand headquarters. “I had never traveled by myself before, so I figured going to some place like New Zealand before somewhere like Africa would help me ease into it a little bit,” she said.

In New Zealand she began her month-long journey to work in the office at the headquarters. Her work included an array of office work such as fundraising, building contacts and databases, and assembling informational packets concerning social activism. One project that captivated Taryn involved hosting dinner parties where donations could be made to the Kenyan Children’s Fund. The project took off: “It was incredibly successful, we raised something like 38,000 USD….It is amazing what people can do by just having dinner together.” Taryn’s enthusiasm prompted her parents to get involved by hosting their own dinner party back home.

After her incredible experience in New Zealand, Taryn decided to volunteer through GVN again. This time she challenged herself with a longer volunteer experience in an orphanage in much more hands-on role. Her stay at the Jyoti Children's Home was a three-month obligation that began with a training course which gave her the basics on the language, customs and culture.

Taryn stayed with a Nepali family where her culture shock was immediate. She recalls, “There were goats in the kitchen, and we ate on the floor, it was just so different from anything that I’ve ever seen.” She was also forced to give up her anonymity: “In my village I was the only white person, and I was constantly stared at.” She had to come to grips with people’s curiosity about her.

Kids at the orphanage eat daal bhaat, a dish of lentils and rice.

The loss of anonymity proved a small obstacle in comparison with the challenges of working in a Nepali orphanage. Taryn shared the responsibility of taking care of eight children with a 16 year old Nepali girl, doing everything from helping the kids with their school work, to performing head-to-toe health checkups. The responsibility of her role was intense, and seeing the plight of the children’s daily life took its toll.

After one particularly difficult day Taryn questioned her ability to make a difference. The day centered around a little boy whom, she explains, “had the most furious mood swings I have ever seen. He would go from playing with the boys one minute to an almost catatonic state where he could not be reached.” Taryn took the kids to a parade celebrating a Holy Day and kept losing this boy, who insisted on going his own way. A day that was intended for celebration turned into a day of frustration where none of the children could watch or participate in the parade because they were constantly finding and losing this boy.

Flying kites in the village of Bistachap.

Alternative Wedding Gifts

2009-09-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

Couples can create their own registry that describes the causes they support.

Gift-giving is intended as a means of celebration, so why does shopping often feel like a chore? This act of generosity often gets bogged down by expectations, guess-work and price tags. Thankfully, there is an alternative solution and you don't even have to go searching very far. Changing The Present is a nonprofit website that serves as a resource for socially responsible gifts. Their site allows individuals to search for a meaningful cause of their choice and allows them to make a donation on another's behalf. Shoppers can browse an online catalogue for a gift that is sure to make a real difference in the world, leaving both the giver and the receiver feeling satisfied. Whether a contribution is made towards women's rights, world health or any other cause, it redefines the sense of purpose that comes with gift-giving.

Changing The Present provides an assortment of causes, allowing donators to choose a gift that best compliments the personality or interests of whomever they are donating on the behalf of. Additionally, the site's registry application allows recipients to request selfless gifts. A popular example is the wedding registry, in which over 130 couples have signed up to participate. A couple can compile an online list of causes towards which they wish friends to donate, in place of or in addition to the purchase of more traditional gifts, such as household appliances. Jill Golden, spokesperson of Changing The Present, explains, "If you're lucky enough to find somebody that you love enough to marry and excited enough to start a whole new life together, it can be a really exciting thing to celebrate your love by making the world a better place. It just builds in this whole level of sharing and community and it's a real opportunity to express your passions and your concerns. It can be a kind of powerful thing to do."

Under the tag for each item/cause, the couple may write a brief explanation for their choice. Say the bride-to-be has a passion for an endangered animal, then she can share this personal detail with friends and family who are browsing the registry, inspiring them to support something of true value. Golden says, "Apparently, it's a really interesting process for couples to go through and choose gifts together, because they learn about each other in a way that they may never have had the opportunity to discuss before."

Not only is the process easy, but the customary wedding gift is transformed into something completely productive and far-reaching. "It [also] gets a very positive response from wedding guests," adds Golden. "It's a pretty cool thing to get to go to a wedding and then get to make a contribution to something you and the couple really care about at the same time. So, it's one day of celebrating...that can also have sort of a ripple effect in the world."

Extending the theme of giving, couples can order their wedding favors on the site. For instance, a pair of socks for each guest may be donated to a homeless shelter on behalf of the newlyweds. "[These are] heartwarming little gifts that you can give to everyone to thank them for sharing the day and traveling," says Golden. Creating a wedding registry on Changing The Present is a beautiful option; it is hard to imagine a more fulfilling way to make your debut as a newlywed couple.

Changing The Present

The Power of Education

2009-09-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by photographer Amiran White.

I first visited Shanti Bhavan in the south of India at the end of 2008 and have made several trips back. Shanti Bhavan, which means ‘Haven of Peace,’ is a residential school in south India. The free school offers the best education possible to children from India's lowest caste, the dalits, enabling the students to dream of becoming doctors and astronauts rather than the rag-picker and cleaner jobs they would have been destined for.

The project began with one man, Dr. Abraham George, and his belief that education can change people’s lives more than anything else. Through his dedication and that of the teachers, they have kept the doors open for 10 years, but recent financial difficulties have halted the intake of any more students.

I was taken with the children’s openness and conviction that anything is possible. They aspire to give back to their communities. It’s a brilliant model for how we can help from the ground up, a model that could be taken not just throughout India but to any country, giving everyone the power of education — something that can be given and never taken away.

Amiran White
Shanti Bhavan

Education Foundation in Numan, Nigeria

2009-09-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Pepe Wonosikou, founder of the Numan School Project, enjoys some time with a young student in Numan, Nigeria.

The Numan School Project is an organization working to furnish schools in Numan, Nigeria with the tools necessary to provide a quality education to students. Founded in 2007 by 32-year-old Numan native Pepe Wonosikou, the organization aims to accommodate over 200 students with everything they need for a proper learning environment. These needs include plumbing, windows, doors, desks, chairs, books, blackboards, and uniforms (to name a few).

NEED caught up with Pepe Wonosikou for a conversation about Numan, Nigeria and the hopes she has for her project.

Q: How long did you live in Nigeria, and why did you leave it?

A: I moved to the United States in 1991. My father moved here to pursue his graduate studies at Luther Seminary.

Q: How would you describe Numan?

A: Numan is beautiful and rich in tradition. The vast savannah land of Numan covers approximately 2,193 square kilometers of which the Benue River flows right through. The projected population of Numan as per the last census recorded stood at 225,599 people. The area is blessed with rich and fertile land, just like the traditions and culture of its people.

The Numan School Project provided the students in this classroom with supplies.

Q: What is life and education like in Numan?

A: The major occupation in the area is farming and fishing. However, government and private sector jobs do exist, just not enough to support the incredibly high unemployment rate of the community. There are some primary schools in the area and a handful of secondary schools as well, nonetheless not nearly enough to satisfy the growing population of Numan. The schools that currently exist are over-crowded with students and have very limited resources.

Q: Why did you found the Numan School Project?

A: Because I believe that education is the most contributing factor for social and economic development, for present and future generations. It was important for me to find a way to give back directly to my community in Nigeria. I’ve been very lucky to have received a good education. I want to create the same window of opportunity for primary school student in Nigeria. The Numan School Project provides resources necessary for a safe, healthy and successful learning environment. One school at a time! The goal of the Numan School project is to provide primary schools student with the tools that allow them to gain access to quality educational services, by providing a pathway to future success.

Primary School students in Numan, Nigeria gather for a photo.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of Numan, Nigeria?

A: I hope that every child will have access to a quality education despite their socioeconomic background. In Nigeria currently 7 million children of primary school age are not enrolled in school, of which 62% are girls. I believe the right to an education should be granted to all children.

Numan School Project
P.O. Box 3953
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Peace in the Northside Zone

2009-09-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

Efforts to abolish inner-city violence in Harlem, New York, astounded scientists studying the effects of the Harlem Children’s Zone Project on children’s test scores. The project’s comprehensive approach to preventing violence includes parenting workshops, charter schools, afterschool care and an obesity program designed to improve children’s health. Its results are significant compared with other approaches taken to reduce child violence in inner-city areas. The Harlem Children’s Zone website boasts, “This past spring, 100 percent of the third-graders at HCZ Promise Academy II scored at or above grade level in the statewide math tests. A few blocks away, 97 percent of the Promise Academy I third-graders were at or above grade level.”

The city of Minneapolis identified youth violence in North Minneapolis as a public health issue in 2008, and its test score disparities between white and black students are second in the nation. To mirror the effects of the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Peace Foundation and the NorthWay Community Trust formed a collaboration called The Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ). “We are building a movement to end local violence at the ground level with permanent solutions. NAZ is the antidote to violence by creating a community of achievement,” says Michelle Martin, co-chair of the steering committee. NAZ plans to combine the strength of local organizations and families to provide children in the “zone” with structure and stability in every aspect of their lives.

NAZ became operational on the ground in 2009. Liaisons are canvassing door-to-door to obtain basic geographic information and to find out where specific services are needed. The team also invites families to join NAZ Connect, a web tool that will be up and running in October 2009. By enrolling in NAZ Connect, resources can be targeted to specific families, holding the systems serving and educating the community accountable for positive outcomes.

Education is a critical area of the program because fewer and fewer children from North Minneapolis are going to college. Sondra Samuels, president of the Peace Foundation, co-chairs the education team. With over 40 education institutions in the area willing to participate, Samuels is confident that children in a multitude of programs will receive aid. Participating schools won’t need to be located in the Northside zone but will need to have a significant population of students from the Northside in their system.

The education team itself, which consists of educators from charter, public, private, colloquial and state-sponsored schools, allows the Northside Achievement Zone to extend its reach to a large number of students. “We are all very excited,” says Samuels. “When I talk to educators from these schools, they all say that they’ve never been part of a collaboration of all school disciplines. We’re in uncharted territory.”

The team will spend the rest of the year researching geographic information and teaching practices before becoming operational in schools. Samuels expects to have programs in schools by 2010.

The 20 people on the NAZ steering committee have chosen to focus on four main areas of concern: mentoring, early childhood, housing, and afterschool care. As the program gets off the ground, the committee will look into expanding into other areas of need, such as health services. Both Samuels and Martin emphasize the flexibility of the program and its potential to grow in order to provide support for Northside kids from birth to college.

Harlem Children’s Zone Project
Peace Foundation
NorthWay Community Trust
The Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)

NEED Concert Raises $5,000 for Street Kids

2009-09-09T13:26:00.002-05:00

Film Crew & Sound: Lisa Walker, Mark Hentges, Zach Nelson, Lance Lundstrom, Chase Hentges, Nate Peterson

NEED’s first-ever music event proved an event worth repeating. The concert brought together NEED readers, music lovers and 12 bands. This unique night of music yielded nearly $5,000 in donations to help street kids in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Although inclement weather resulted in a last-minute venue change from Peavey Plaza to Hell’s Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis, turnout and energy remained high. Undeterred, Twin Cities musicians performed back-to-back sets of acoustic and a cappella music. The Hell’s Kitchen staff was extremely accommodating in allowing all the musical acts onto their stage and housing the large crowd that attended.

The eclectic sounds of the evening ranged from the soulful vocals of Sounds of Blackness to Wookiefoot’s Mark Murphy’s quirky acoustics. Along with raising awareness and donations for street kids, the event provided a great opportunity for local musicians to get their music heard by a spirited audience.

Those who attended had a chance to pick up free copies of NEED magazine and to donate to the Nurani Insani School for Street Kids. To add to the atmosphere, children from Youth Performance Company dressed as street children. Following a bagpiper as he paraded around downtown, the children handed out flyers for the event and then milled around Hell’s Kitchen accepting donations in cups. Hell’s Kitchen served a beverage called “Jakarta River Water.” A portion of the drink’s sales were donated to the Nurani Insani school.

Content on this page requires a newer version of Adobe Flash Player.

Online donations to the Nurani Insani school will be accepted until September 22.
>> more info about the event, the Nurani Insani school and how to donate

Please check back for upcoming events. We’d love to see you there!

Friends get together do to good

2009-09-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

“I believe everyone is generous and wants to help those that are less fortunate, but life often gets in the way and we don’t end up volunteering,” says the founder of Volunteer Club, Lisa Swayne Proud. This is the reason why Swayne Proud started the first Volunteer Club.

It works much like a book club in that each month, a different person organizes where the group will volunteer, and then emails the group with the details. “The beauty is that when you are not coordinating, all you have to do is show up for a few hours once a month. Plus, it’s an opportunity to hang out with your friends and have some fun,” says Swayne Proud.

Yet showing up for just a few hours can really add up. Swayne Proud estimates that her Club has volunteered almost 300 hours as a group. Three hundred hours may sound like a lot, but to break that down that number, a group of seven friends can easily accomplish it by working less than two hours a month for two years. Now just think about how many hours there would be if there were a couple hundred Volunteer Clubs; soup kitchens wouldn’t know what to do with themselves!

Start you own Volunteer Club today, and join the effect!
Volunteer Club

A Bike and a Mission

2009-09-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Photographer Gustavo Fernandez and his 2003 Harley Davidson FatBoy are riding across 5,000 miles of the United States with a program he created called The HOG for Kids Project. Fernandez designed The HOG for Kids Project to raise awareness and collect donations for the children of the Dominican Republic.

Through a partnership with Children International, Fernandez is taking his office on the road. This is the second year of his annual project. This summer he is photographing families all over the country on his journey from California to New York for the price of $100 to cover ride costs and bills. In addition to the base amount, he asks the families for a $264 one-year commitment to sponsor a child in his homeland, the Dominican Republic.

The money collected will go through Children International to where the greatest needs are in the Dominican Republic, or according to Fernandez, “just having the resources to get kids educated, access to textbooks, and qualified teachers.” In a country where 42 percent of the population is below the poverty line, his work goes a long way.

The second part of Gustavo’s journey will be a tour of the Dominican Republic to document the needs of the country’s children and the effects of Children’s International efforts there. Children’s International is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization that channels resources for the lasting change of sponsorship to children in impoverished regions all around the world.

A professional photographer based in San Francisco, Fernandez has built his life around volunteering and promoting social action. When I spoke with him he had just returned from the Annual Youth Assemblys at the United Nations in Washington DC. He says that his goal for the program is sponsors for 50 children, and he is halfway there already.

The HOG for Kids Project
Children International

(Product) red | pt. 2 of 2

2009-09-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

While still a young venture, (RED) is already making a tangible difference in the fight against AIDS in Africa. Positive feedback about (RED)'s efforts has reached their headquarters in Los Angeles, sometimes through surprising avenues. Smith recounts a meeting with executives from Gap in which she was told about how a man from Ghana waited outside a Gap store in southern California, asking if he could meet some of the employees. The man explained that he had lost eight family members to AIDS and knows of several more that are ill, and because of (RED), he has hope for their lives.

Home based care for people living with HIV and AIDS in Rwanda. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/John Rae

Antiretroviral drugs are offered to HIV/AIDS patients. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/John Rae
Folding T-shirts at that particular Gap store probably never felt the same after a meeting filled with hugs and a thank you from someone who believed (RED) could change the lives of people he cared about.

Retail employees of respective (RED) partners have proven to be an integral element in the brand's success. Amid store-specific duties, retail employees often have impromptu discussions with customers about AIDS in Africa, the Global Fund and how buying (RED) affects them both. Shriver seems happily in awe of this type of communication. "The most amazing [success] to me is the amount of word of mouth going on in the Gap, Sprint, Motorola and Apple stores where the sales people are talking to customers [about AIDS in Africa]."

A care point and feeding center supported by the Global Fund, Swaziland. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/Gideon Mendel

These employees are able to discuss a variety of topics concerning AIDS in Africa. With the help of the Global Fund, these conversations focus on the positive impact that (RED) makes through their programs. Dr. Feachem recounts the story of a young Rwandan girl named Denyse who was, in essence, brought back to life three months after starting antiretroviral treatment for her HIV positive condition. At their first meeting, Denyse was skeletal, listless and had just found out that she was HIV positive. When Dr. Feachem returned three months later, Denyse was full of life - smiling and skipping down the hall. Her treatment is made possible by a health center financed by the Global Fund with contributions from (RED).

Orphans attend school with fees supported by the Global Fund in Swaziland. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/Gideon Mendel

With so many choices available to consumers, it's easy to get lost in the process of selection. (RED) offers a lot more rhyme to one's purchasing reason, as well as a way to feel connected to something positive. "You know, it's interesting, I don't think of (RED) as a cause or as a model. I think about 6,000 Africans a day dying, and that's an emergency," Smith states. "With (RED) you don't have to feel bad, you don't have to make a sacrifice; you can actually do something. It's very immediate; it's visceral; it's a very American idea. It's empowering - it's turning commercialism and pure self-interest on its head and making it work for the poorest people in the world."

Orphans and vulnerable children learn income-generating skills at this trade school in Rwanda. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/John Rae

Even though (RED) incorporates a great sense of benevolence into its business brand, the staff is quite savvy at combining their strong humanitarian convictions with an even stronger sense of business ethos, making (RED) a powerful business model. "We're kryptonite to complacency and inertia," Smith explains. With impressive sales, an army of MySpace friends and a contribution to life-changing AIDS work in Africa, (RED) has already proven that it will do more than just confront the business jungle; it will embrace it.

People receive training to develop income-generating skills in Swaziland. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/Gideon Mendel

A People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) outreach worker stands in front of a patient's home in Rwanda. photo | courtesy of the Global Fund/John Rae

(RED) ™
info@joinred.com
www.joinred.com
www.myspace.com/joinred

The Global Fund
Geneva Secretariat
Chemin de Blandonnet 8
1214 Vernier
Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 791 1700
info@theglobalfund.org
www.theglobalfund.org

(Product) red | pt. 1 of 2

2009-09-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Bobby Shriver and Bono launch (PRODUCT)RED: Motorola phone.
photo | Daniel Berehulak/Getty ImagesIssue 02 | Cooperation
Writer: Liz Werner

For decades the business world has been summed up by the simple phrase, “It’s a jungle out there.” One doesn’t need an MBA degree to understand the truth of this old adage. However, instead of seeing a cut-throat, bottomline motivation for the almighty dollar, we should all rub our eyes and adjust our vision for something new. (PRODUCT)RED combines innovation with a profound sense of humanity into a business brand that is not only making money, but is also committed to fight AIDS in Africa.

(PRODUCT)RED, more commonly referred to as (RED), is the creation of Bono, lead singer of U2, and Bobby Shriver, chairman of Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa (DATA). The two co-founded (RED) to engage businesses and consumers in the fight against AIDS in Africa. Companies who have become partners designate certain items as (RED) products. They then direct a portion of the profits from those products to the Global Fund, which invests the money into AIDS programs in Africa.

RED) launched in the United States in October 2006. Partnering companies have made a five-year commitment to participate, which ensures continual private sector support for the Global Fund. The contribution to the Global Fund from (RED) products is $25 million and counting. "[(PRODUCT)RED] is the future of publicprivate partnership as it leads to initiatives which are sustainable because all stakeholders benefit. [It is] effective because each partner does what they do best," says Dr. Richard Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund from July 2002 until April 2007.

The soon to be famous red parentheses are on the wall in the (RED) office in Los Angeles.
photo | Jason Elias

Partnering with (RED) is an impressive list of companies, celebrities and media outlets; all of whom have something unique to offer the brand. From cell phones and iPods to sneakers and clothing, the range of (RED) products provides consumers with several ways to exercise their buying power. Prominent celebrities, including Don Cheadle, Christy Turlington and Steven Spielberg, have lent their name and face to promoting (RED).

On the popular Internet friend network, MySpace, (RED) has over 600,000 friends - the majority of which are individuals who have joined to support (RED) and meet others who do the same. "The cool thing about MySpace is they can all get in touch with each other," Shriver says. "You know 4,000 [of our friends] flew to a [U2 concert] in Honolulu and tailgated in the parking lot. No one ever said a word to them; they did it on their own. It was unbelievable."

President of (PRODUCT)RED Tamsin Smith. photo | Jason Elias

Not only is there a connection between the consumers who support (RED), but there is also one among the companies involved. "Some cool things have happened within the partnerships," Shriver explains. "In Motorola TV ads, the people . are wearing Gap shirts, and you know Gap didn't pay for that. Gap started to sell a bunch of Converse shoes, which they had never done before. The companies [are] not only embracing us, but embracing each other."

The notion of an embrace seems an unlikely sentiment to use in the same sentence as "business;" however, it seems to be central to the spirit of the (RED) brand - right down to the logo. "We want to grow and sustain the brand, [and] we want those parentheses around the word, 'red', which we call the embrace . to be famous," says Tamsin Smith, president of (PRODUCT)RED.

Shriver is trying to find more products that people use every day to brand as (RED) "like chewing gum, toothpaste, shampoo and lipstick." Along with increasing the amount of money given to the Global Fund, he hopes the addition of such products will encourage consumers to think about their purchases in more socially conscious terms. "If people start to think about their daily purchases, not their charitable giving, but their daily purchases . that's [who] (RED) people are."

(story continued tomorrow)

WOMEN’S TREK FOR PEACE & DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL

2009-09-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by photographerKiran Ambwani

Last year, 20 Canadian and 12 Nepalese women embarked on a powerful and meaningful journey: a trek for peace and development in Nepal. The project, organized by the Center for International Studies and Cooperation and Uniterra, was an initiative to communicate the reality, the dreams and the hopes of the Nepalese women. These mountain women face poverty, disease, and lack of access to basic resources, along with gender and caste discrimination. Their voices are often unheard and they are excluded from decision-making processes. For 20 years in Nepal, the Center for International Studies along with its local partner organizations has encouraged women's participation in community development.

In the midst of western Nepal's stark beauty, cultural heritage and diversity, I witnessed a grinding, hopeless poverty and dependence. However, I was pleased to discover that women teachers, health care workers, healers, human rights activists, community leaders, reporters, and managers of women’s cooperatives, are conduits of social change. These inspirational women are the future of Nepal as it emerges from 11 years of conflict and decades of monarchy, offering hope of dignity, equality, wealth distribution, and access to basic resources. Achieving gender equality and empowering women is of utmost necessity for building healthier, better educated, more peaceful and prosperous societies.

Kiran Ambwani
Center for International Studies and Cooperation

"Save the World" Challenge Images

2009-09-04T09:00:00.003-05:00

Art workshops with street children. A moment for them to have a childhood instead of working or begging
photo | Jodie Fried
organization | The Anganwadi Project

A brilliant young student in Matopeni, Nairobi.
photo | Mark William Mann
organization | The 1010 Project

A young girl from a rural school in Cambodia
photo | Heather Jean Starbuck
organization | Operation Lyhou

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

Healing Invisible Wounds

2009-09-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

When the people of a country experience a traumatic event, the aid that is needed usually consists of tangible items: food, water, shelter, health care and so forth. However, Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman believe that treating the psychological scars of war warrants the same attention as treating the physical ones. “The way we’re wired, people get over physical torture pretty quickly. But mental torture — unless they’ve got appropriate treatment — they don’t get over it,” says Stephen, co-founder of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation.

Stephen and Elizabeth Alderman’s son, Peter, was 25 years old when he was killed during the September 11 terrorist attacks. After his death, Peter’s parents sought a way to do something in his memory that would help people. The idea of aiding those who had survived acts of terrorism dawned on Elizabeth when saw a broadcast on “Nightline” about torture, terrorism and mass violence. “Peter was killed because of terrorism. If we could help people who had survived, it would be a perfect way to honor him,” she says.

To put it in perspective, one billion people (one-sixth of the world’s population) have experienced torture, terrorism or mass violence through civil war, ethnic cleansing or genocide. The psychological wounds of war are debilitating to entire populations. If left untreated, the mental trauma can prevent people from working, caring for their families, and leading productive lives. Stephen stresses that the cycle of traumatic depression has to be stopped because it can perpetuate for generations. “The abused becomes the abusers,” he says.

The Peter C. Alderman Foundation consists of various initiatives. In one key program, doctors from post-conflict countries are trained in methods to treat victimized populations. Another component of the foundation are its nine clinics around the world, the first of which opened in Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2005.

The Aldermans believe that treating psychological health is fundamental for all other aid programs. “If people don’t care whether they live or die, they’re not going to bother putting down their mosquito netting at night. They’re not going to walk that extra mile for potable water. They’re not going to care for the children in the same way. Dealing with the mental health issues is primary. If people don’t care whether or not they live or die, they’re not going to care about microfinance. You can’t rebuild society if that’s the way you feel,” says Elizabeth.

The Aldermans recently returned from the second annual Peter C. Alderman Foundation conference in Kampala, Uganda. The conference brought together mental health practitioners to share and learn best practices for treating psycho-trauma in their region. While in Africa, the Aldermans witnessed not only the improvement and growth in the clinics, but also how infectious their passion for this cause had become. Many enthusiastic young people attended the conference, including medical students, nursing students and young social workers who presented fresh data and country reports.

Unlike at their first conference, the Aldermans had a chance to talk with many of the clinics’ patients and observe their recovery processes. Elizabeth recalls her discussions with three child soldiers. “One child soldier in particular is expressing a lot of his emotions through art. He drew all the terrible things that happened to him. Then he drew arrows to our logo and the tree to see that this was his safe place sustaining him. I felt wonderful to be able to help them, but it broke my heart to see that children have to experience what these children have experienced.”

To date, the Peter C. Alderman Foundation has trained 35 doctors from 12 countries on four continents. Building the capacity for countries to treat their own patients is the ultimate goal of the foundation. According to Stephen, “The real endpoint is for them to throw us out of the country — when they don’t need us anymore.”

Alderman Foundation

Ugandan child mothers get a second chance

2009-09-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

This is a cross-post from World Vision U.S. by Simon Peter Esaku, World Vision Uganda, and Rachael Boyer

Franka, 17, sits with her baby, Sharon, in front of the Pader Girls Academy. Photo | Simon Peter Esaku/World Vision

She was born at the Kalongo Hospital in northern Uganda in 1992. Fifteen years later, Franka Aneno was back in the same ward, this time to deliver her own child — a baby girl named Sharon.

What Franka had thought was only a little adventure with a boyfriend became a life-changing situation. “When my mother found out I was pregnant, she whipped me,” Franka recalls. Then, adding insult to injury, Franka’s head teacher expelled her from school.

After her baby was born, Franka lived at home with her mother and 10-year-old sister, helping grow food and caring for baby Sharon. A Ugandan rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, killed Franka’s father in 2003.

Franka's ray of hope

When her baby was about a year old, Franka found out about a program that might help her continue her education. It gave her a reason to hope. “In April [2008], I applied for World Vision to give me a scholarship to learn vocational skills in Pader Girls Academy,” says Franka. “My application was successful, and I reported to the academy in August.”

With Sharon securely wrapped to Franka’s back, the young mother explains, “I am learning tailoring and knitting, and I will complete my course in May this year.”

A school of opportunity

The academy’s headmistress, Catherine Anena, founded the school in March 2007. “The academy is born out of the desire to help formerly abducted girls and child mothers continue education or acquire skills for self-sustenance,” explains 27-year-old Catherine, an ambitious university graduate who holds a bachelor’s degree in education.
Catherine reports that about 200 girls attend high school completion classes there, with some 65 girls also learning vocational skills in tailoring, knitting, and bakery.

About 50 babies also live on campus, sharing dormitory beds with their mothers at night, and playing in the on-site day care center during the day. The young mothers have the freedom to breastfeed their babies during class or tie them to their backs and bring them along.

World Vision's Rebound Project

Franka, right, learns how to use a knitting machine to efficiently make sweaters. Photo | Simon Peter Esaku/World Vision

Franka is one of 15 girls who are receiving scholarships through World Vision to learn vocational skills at the Pader Academy. The scholarships are funded through World Vision’s Rebound Project, to help promote peace through education in a country that is just starting to rebuild after a 20-year civil war. In basketball, the word rebound means a second chance to score. It was chosen for this project to signify the second chance that education gives to the war-affected children in northern Uganda.

“The project pays tuition fees for the 15 girls,” explains Paddy Mugalula, who manages the program. World Vision’s Rebound Project also just completed funding two dormitories that can accommodate 400 students at a vocational training institute and a technical institute in the Pader district. Additionally, it provided workshop tools for job training.

Thankful for the opportunity she’s had through World Vision, Franka is looking toward the future, with a dream, a plan, and the skills to make it happen. “After my training,” says Franka, “I want to make clothes and sweaters to support myself and my child.”

World Vision

Mountain Climbers Support the Fight Against AIDS

2009-09-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

This article was cross-posted from (BLOG)RED.

(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED-branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund, to invest in African AIDS programs, with an emphasis on women and children. Members of the (RED) community are doing amazing things to inspire friends, family, co-workers and neighbors to take action and exercise the power of (RED). Here’s one story that takes the concept of shouting (RED) from the mountain top to a whole new level….

On March 27, experienced mountaineers Jeff Dossett, Melissa Arnot and David Morton set off on a nine-week expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest – an expedition they have turned (RED). Everest Team INSPI (RED), led by Jeff Dossett of Washington state, who is executive producer and general manager of the MSN Media Network, plans to scale the 29,035-foot peak by late May. By making an attempt on the summit, the team hopes to excite others to support (RED) and impact the lives of people with HIV/AIDS in Africa. You can hear their stories and follow their progress through pictures and dispatches here.

In their own words, EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) explains: “….just as the highest mountain on earth is climbed one step at a time, we believe that the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa will be won through the combined efforts of millions of individuals inspired to take action.”

EVEREST TEAM INSPI(RED) keeps an online journal of their travel.

The Global Fund

Teen Reporters are No Rookies

2009-09-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

“From WNYC, this is Radio Rookies — true stories from New York City teenagers.” So begins “Growing Up, Getting By,” the hour-long special commemorating the tenth year of the Radio Rookies program at New York Public Radio. Since Marianne McCune started the program with a small workshop in 1999, Radio Rookies has been working with teenagers throughout the metro area, combining training in basic radio reporting techniques with a chance to tell their stories. Radio Rookies moves throughout the five boroughs of New York City, working in partnership with organizations such as The Next Generation Center (Bronx), the High School for Global Citizenship (Brooklyn) and Project Hospitality (Staten Island).

According to Kaari Pitkin, the program’s senior producer, McCune began the program with the goal of combining radio diaries with arts education for teenagers. Pitkin explains that an integral part of the Radio Rookies program is their willingness to work with kids from all educational backgrounds and walks of life. As such, the kids “come to the program with a huge range of skills and tools, and interests and curiosities, and strengths and weaknesses.” The most important attribute a teenager can bring to the table, however, is bravery; as McCune explains on “Growing Up, Getting By,” “You have to be courageous to be a Radio Rookie. … They dare to tell some of the most difficult stories: stories they are right in the middle of, whether or not they want to be.” Indeed, topics of Rookie stories include homosexuality, illegal immigration, and the ease with which teens can buy guns. They also explore some of the universal aspects of growing up, such as gossip, bullying and young love.

Pitkin says that the Rookies reap great rewards for their bravery. “The most rewarding thing,” she says, “is seeing how much a young person can grow through a creative process that demands deep thinking, critical thinking, questioning, and then having some kind of an output and a connection with a larger audience.” Sometimes, too, the Rookies’ stories lead to drastic changes in their lives. One Rookie who produced a story about struggling in school soon was contacted by the principal of a magnet school and offered a substantial scholarship; another Rookie who did a segment on the difficulty of finding a job was later employed by a listener. Life is not easy for the Rookies, and it can sometimes interfere with their radio work; Pitkin says that “sometimes the kids’ lives can overwhelm their ability to participate in the program.” Rookies have had to drop out in order to make money to support themselves, take care of younger siblings, or any number of other reasons. But they are always welcomed back to the program, and many go on to make great strides. Pitkin says that working with the program helps kids to “connect the dots” and take advantage of the opportunities they discover.

As with many nonprofit institutions, Radio Rookies is currently going through what Pitkin calls a “belt-tightening time.” Despite this, they are still producing quality radio programming. Pitkin says that “the goal is both youth development and bringing stories that you normally wouldn’t hear in a mainstream market to that audience.” Their hard work and commitment to artistic integrity have been made more salient with the receipt of such awards as the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, and a National Coming Up Taller Award that was presented at a White House ceremony.

Radio Rookies

"Save the World" Challenge Images

2009-08-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

A formerly homeless child being fitted for school uniform in Kenya
photo | Julianna Morrall
organization | Flying Kites

Student holds up CD of song written and recorded by her band.
photo | Ross Green
organization | Music Seeds International

Children in the slums of India watching their new school being built from the windows of their existing "school"
photo | Jodie Fried
organization | The Anganwadi Project, Inc.

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

A Charitable Retirement

2009-08-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Children stand with Ben Wilson in Vietnam.

DANANG, VIETNAM
Amazing, exhausting, and heart-warming: that's how I would describe my week visiting the programs conducted by Children of Vietnam (COV), the Children’s Culture Connection-represented charity that supports Vietnamese children in need.

Children of Vietnam, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary, was started by a man named Ben Wilson as he was facing retirement after a long corporate career. According to Ben, he didn't play golf and was worried that he wouldn't have enough to do to keep busy. So, at 65 years old, he started COV.

After seeing how many ways his organization is impacting the lives of children in need, I can confidently say that Ben does NOT need to worry about being bored.

Vietnamese girl moves into her first real home.

In less than a week, we have visited orphanages and kindergartens where COV provides everything from new buildings and structural renovations to food and milk programs. We have visited sick and disabled children who suffer from blindness, missing limbs, deformities, and the effects of Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War, and seen how COV is providing them with medical assistance and limb prostheses. We have visited children living with their families in tin-roofed shacks wrapped in plastic bag siding that COV is replacing with permanent houses. (Something like Extreme Home Makeover...only a lot more extreme, to say the least.)

We have visited schools funded by COV, witnessed their tutoring programs that help high school kids get into college, and we gave new bicycles to 19 kids in a village school. Now that they can get to and from school faster and spend more time helping support their family farms, they won’t have to drop out.

Finally, we watched as four peasant families were told that they won't have to watch their kids die of heart complications because COV has raised the money to pay for their surgeries. Not a dry eye in the house during this event.

Honestly, I can't begin to describe the impact this organization is having on the lives of so many children. I am truly humbled.

Bicycles from COV make it possible for these children to stay in school.

As a country, Vietnam is wonderful, and not just because it is 75 degrees warmer than Minnesota right now. The countryside is beautiful, the people friendly and hospitable, and they are working hard to improve their lives despite the hardships of life in the Third World and the lingering after-effects of the war. But the most wonderful part of all is the energy and love that radiates off of the children no matter how dire their situation is. It is truly a privilege for Children's Culture Connection to support COV in their efforts and I can't imagine a week better spent.

It is a good thing that Ben Wilson doesn't play golf.

Children of Vietnam
c/o Mr. Ben Wilson
817 West End Boulevard
Winston Salem, NC 27101

Volunteering in Kenya

2009-08-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Displaced Kenyans gather to receive aid from volunteers.

On December 27, 2007, the disputed re-election of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki spurred an outbreak of ethnic and political violence around Nairobi and Western Kenya. Subsequently hundreds of thousands of Kenyans fled their homes, and now live in or around crowded displaced persons camps.

Rafe Steinhauer volunteered in Kenya for more than two months with the Global Volunteers Network (GVN). He taught math, English, and soccer at schools in Nairobi and Maasailand and helped aid missions into displaced persons camps after the post-election violence. In Nairobi, Steinhauer taught at a rehabilitation school for teenage boys who had committed nonviolent crimes. I asked Steinhauer some questions to find out what his experience was like.

Q: Tell us about the atmosphere in Kenya. What were the people's needs? What were the difficulties?

Soccer team coached by Rafe Steinhauer at the Boys Rehab School.

A: The atmosphere in Kenya was very tense. I didn’t witness any violence associated with the post-election crisis, but it obviously dominated the news and all conversations. Over 300,000 people lost their homes as a result of the violence, and many of those people remain in camps even though it has been over a month since the last account of violence. People need to realize how infeasible it is for these people to move back to their former neighborhoods. The perpetrators of the violence are mostly at-large and unknown. Is it really possible to ask people to move back next to people who killed their relatives and burnt down their houses? The international community has three responsibilities: to support a program of relocation for the displaced persons; to keep the IDPs alive until this scenario can be executed; and to push for programs that encourage people to identify themselves as Kenyans rather than members of a specific tribe – similar to the programs implemented in Rwanda after the genocide.

Q: Describe one person or one moment that demonstrates how the work you were involved in impacted that person and/or the people in Kenya.

A: Although the work I did fundraising for the IDP camps did the greatest good from a quantitative standpoint, the moment I felt most rewarding occurred on my final day of work at the Boys Rehab School. I bought a bunch of phone credit and let each kid make one call – only realizing the ironic similarity to US prisons as I’m writing this now. Most of the boys called numbers sadly out of service, but many successfully reached parents they hadn’t talked to in months. That night, I received two calls from parents just wishing to thank me for letting them talk to their sons. One mother cried as she voiced her appreciation. I’m usually a thoroughly dispassionate person, but that moment really touched me.

Q: How did this trip affect you?

Kenyan boy at a displaced persons camp.

A: I used to really enjoy having a structured and routinized life. I was already on the road to enjoying the unpredicted, but living in Kenya for a couple months blew away any OCD tendencies possibly remaining. I already had a good sense of the living conditions in the third world, so I’m not sure I came away with a raised awareness or anything like that. But I now strongly encourage everyone to visit the third world and can’t wait to get back myself. [People] owe it to themselves – not to mention to people in need – to visit a developing nation and do some short-term volunteering. The Global Volunteer Network is a great organization to do it with. Their minimum volunteering length is two weeks.

Q: What would you tell someone who was thinking about doing what you did

Displaced Kenyans gather to receive aid from volunteers.

A: I would tell someone thinking of doing what I did, “yes!” Go do it and chill out because everything will be fine. People worry too much. One more specific word of advice I’d give to someone volunteering is to make sure you are working on a project or towards a goal. It sounds obvious, but a lot of volunteers I saw just showed up for work and did what they were told by the orphanage or school leader, which was often something unrewarding and menial. Doing menial work can be part of the deal if you’re volunteering, but the true aim is to be as helpful as possible. You will often have a better idea of how to be useful than the director of the placement will. And usually it involves working towards some goal and not just being a punch-card employee without wages.

To read more of Steinhauer's amazing stories about living and volunteering in Kenya, visit his profile at Volunteer Journals.

Global Volunteer Network Ltd
PO Box 30-968
Lower Hutt
New Zealand

Swat valley refugees

2009-08-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by photographer, Jonathan Alpeyrie

I constructed this photo essay around one specific Pashtun family from the Swat valley in Pakistan. In the wake of the recent government offensive against militants, the family fled south to seek refuge and safety. These photos show the life within a few hundred yards, from activities around the camp to the few tents where the family and its neighbors eat, play and survive as well as they can.

The feeling of photographing these refugees, or any kind of refugees around the world, is one of frustration in the sense that things never really change in these parts of the globe. This frustration is driven by a sense of realism which strikes me as the most appropriate approach towards human suffering: an overall condition that is here to stay in the human experience. These feelings are deeply attached to my view of the photojournalist profession, which teaches you many things about life in general, but above all the notion that, as a whole, things remain the same.

Jonathan Alpeyrie

Jonathan will have a new website to launch in September

Zambian caregiver presses Congress for Aids and TB funding

2009-08-28T12:44:00.001-05:00

Lister Chingangu outside the Capitol Dome. Courtesy of World Vision.To raise awareness about the tragic impact of HIV/Aids and Tuberculosis (TB), a Zambian caregiver who partners with American organization World Vision has just visited the United States and spoken to members of Congress.

Lister Chingangu asked them to take action swiftly and renew the Global AIDS, TB and Malaria Bill, a bipartisan legislation worth USD 50 billion that was first passed in 2003 to fund programs to fight these diseases in poor countries. World Vision has worked with Congress since then to ensure that this funding is protected, but authorization for this bill expires on September 30, 2008.

NEED magazine had the opportunity to speak to Mrs. Chingangu about God Our Help Ministries, the home-based care program that she runs in Lusaka, her hometown in Zambia.

“My husband is a pastor and together we opened a church in Lusaka in 2001, a time when we had a lot of people suffering of HIV/Aids and TB," Mrs. Chingangu says. "We started by just doing holistic care, looking after people physically as well as spiritually.

“One day I visited a widow who was very sick and had children to look after, and she told me about the miracle she had witnessed: only two days before, she told me, they didn’t have any food in the house so they started to pray until she felt fine again. My husband and I felt that God brought us this sickness but was also going to help us. So we founded God Our Help Ministries, and we registered it separately from the church because we wanted everybody to come and seek help, not only the members of our congregation.”

Through support from the World Vision-administered RAPIDS program (Reaching AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support), God Our Help has become a partner in a network of local aid groups implementing community-based care and outreach to orphans and vulnerable households in Zambia. With her background as a nurse and her passion for caring for the sick, Mrs. Chingangu started working as a caregiver and recruiting others to join the cause.

She says: “We worked for three years without any external support using only our own funds, but in 2004 we became partners of World Vision who began to give us some money to send children to school and finance other activities like the creation of a group of dedicated caregivers.

“It was initially a group of ladies, which now has grown to 65 members, 43 women but also 22 men. From 2001 we have increased the number of households we visit to 300, and we look after 1,500 children. We used to train family members who were not sick with the basics to look after their relatives, but now we train caregivers very carefully for two weeks, teaching them all they need to know from first aid to nutrition.

“Among the activities we do with children there is the memory book in which orphans put photographs of their parents, write their names, what they looked like, where they came from and what did they die of. The book helps the children to work through their loss but also to connect with God and accept his will.”

Zambia has a population of 11.5 million, 17 per cent of whom live today with HIV/AIDS and 54 per cent with TB. Three quarters of all Zambian families care for at least one child orphaned by AIDS, stretching the support networks of extended families to the limit.

But Mrs. Chingangu is positive about the future and she stresses how people in Zambia are recovering very rapidly thanks to the introduction in 2005 of free anti-retroviral drugs: “Many are going back to work and some have become caregivers in turn. When a person who was very sick becomes better and can go back to work and look after his or her family, I feel satisfied; when a orphan who has no hope to go school because his or her grandmother cannot afford it, I help to raise some money to buy the uniform and I feel very satisfied; when a mother who cannot feed her children starts to sell at the market to earn some money I feel great.

“These are the things that make keep going, but when the resources are not there and my ideas cannot be put into practice, I feel bad, because I really want to help but I can’t. I was in Congress last week and explained to them my work in the same way I’m explaining it to you now. I think it went well, and they understood what I was asking: I was asking for continuity in their financial help, which is vital for carrying on with the empowerment of the people of Zambia.”

World Vision
P.O. Box 9716, Dept. W
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716

"Save the World" Challenge Images

2009-08-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Doctor Jennifer Furin of Partners in Health works on a 15 month old girl who came to clinic in Lesotho suffering from malnutrition, and possibly AIDS and TB.
photo | Justin Ide
organization | Partners in Health

A Kenyan boy collects water for the day
photo | Peter Chasse
organization | The Water Project, Inc.

Little "Puja", who now goes to school in one of our newly rebuilt anganwadi preschools in the slums of India.
photo | Jodie Fried
organization | The Anganwadi Project

Submit to the "Save The World" Challenge

Health Through Water

2009-08-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

An estimated one billion people worldwide are without access to adequate drinking water, a problem that 22-year-old Jordan Wagner of California and his dad, Pastor Philip, are devoted to help solve. Their organization Generosity Water funds 82 well projects in 15 countries throughout Africa, South America and Asia. Supported by individual and community donations, Generosity Water supplies an estimated 32,000 people with clean water.

In his trips to Africa since starting Generosity Water last year, Jordan has seen women and children lug heavy buckets of dirty water for miles, leaving little time for education or community development. He’s also toured hospitals where more than half the patients were admitted due to a water-related disease such as malaria or diarrhea, which kills an estimated 3.5 million people a year. “We shouldn’t be building more hospitals if we’re not stopping the reason people are coming to the hospital,” Jordan says. “For us, the first step is water.”

Generosity Water partners with local nonprofits in each community they help to engineer the wells, which cost about $3,000 each and serve about 400 people per project. Members of the villages help build the well. “The women make clay bricks; the men dig holes,” Jordan says. Generosity Water can’t travel to every project, so the nonprofits train community leaders on well maintenance, hygiene and sanitation practices, and the community leaders pass these skills along to residents.

Jordan, an innate entrepreneur, lost his lucrative mortgage company to the recession in 2008. Fed up with his health care recruiting position, he traveled to Africa to visit a well that his father’s church had funded through bottled water sales. The trip changed his perspective and brought him back to reality. “I came back really grateful for what I had and I wanted to dedicate the next part of my life to making a difference and giving them clean water,” he says. Since then, Jordan has spoken at schools and churches to raise water shortage awareness.

Communities that have worked with Generosity Water have seen vast improvements in health since installing wells. The Tanzanian government even opened a school near one of the wells.

In the next few months, Jordan will travel to five African countries – Nigeria, Liberia, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda – to check up on how existing wells are progressing and talk to communities who have applied for a well. Generosity Water hopes to build 1,500 wells by 2012.

All photos courtesy | Genoristy Water

Generosity Water

Fashion With A Heart

2009-08-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

Fashion is the epitome of narcissism and vanity, right? Wrong. As Sheena Matheiken has proved along with designer Eliza Starbuck, fashion absolutely can be the vehicle for sustainability and philanthropy. The Uniform Project launched in May when Matheiken put on the versatile black dress for the first time, and vowed to wear it every day for one year. Well, to be precise, she plans to wear seven identical copies of the dress, reinventing it daily with vintage pieces and accessories.

In addition to being an exercise in fashion sustainability, the project is a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing the means to educate slum children in India. The Indian government spends an average of $360 on one child’s schooling. The Akanksha Foundation pledges to spend the same amount of every slum child to afford them the same educational opportunities as their peers.

At the end of one year, The Uniform Project will send supporters’ donations to the Akanksha Foundation. For the duration of the project, Matheiken herself will add one dollar to the jar each day, so that by the end of the one year, she will have provided the funds necessary for uniforms and other educational expenses for one child living in the Indian slums.

The Uniform Project is only gaining momentum. On August 17, the project hit the $10,000 mark, the equivalent of putting 27 kids in school. As a result of its huge success, The Uniform Project was nominated for the first annual NAU Grant for Change, which will support socially responsible creative projects.

In order to understand the person beyond the famous black dress, I asked Matheiken a few questions about The Uniform Project:

Q: What prompted you to start The Uniform Project?
A: The idea sparked early last year when I took a six-month sabbatical from my full-time job in order to decompress, travel and focus on some personal projects. Aside from giving myself a fun creative challenge, I also wanted it to be something of consequence and also a platform that people could engage and participate in. That's how the idea of making this a fundraiser came about. A friend of mine in India introduced me to Akanksha and their work and when I learnt about the incredible work they are doing, I was convinced I wanted to dedicate this project towards raising funds for the Akanksha schools.

Q: I understand you grew up in India. What were your experiences and observations concerning children living in the slums?
A: I had a modest, upper-middle class upbringing in the southern state of Kerala, which is known for its highest literacy rate across the country and one of the few parts of India where you don't really find as many slum children panhandling compared to cities like Mumbai, Calcutta, etcetera. Every time I travelled to Bombay to visit family and friends, I was always appalled by the jarring displacement of the cityscape with its luxury high rises on one side and the dismal slums on the other. I did get to visit a slum in Kochi as part of an outreach program when I was in high school. I remember being terrified with anticipation, but what I experienced was quite contrary. The children I saw in these slums were resilient, enterprising and brimming with life — they actually left me feeling elated and inspired to help.

Q: In your opinion, how can one person make a difference? How are you trying to make a difference?
A: Do what you love to do and try to be conscious of the world around you. Making a difference and having fun needn't be mutually exclusive. This project is an attempt to send a message that style and sustainability can co-exist and that fashion can have a heart too.

Q: Why did you decide to use fashion to create awareness about education in India?
A: Fashion is such a visual and subjective medium, so there was that intrinsic draw. I consider my personal style very much a part of how I express myself and I wanted to take that daily act of dressing up and make it part of something bigger, something more consequential. The repetitive model of a 365 day project makes it addictive as well, bringing viewers back on a regular basis, which made it a great platform for fundraising.

Q: What do you hope to achieve by the end on the year?
A: A substantial fund! There are over seven million kids that don't attend school today in India, so it’s up to everyone to see how many kids we can put through school at the end of this project. At the close of the 365 days, we have ideas on extending this into an ongoing nonprofit mission that promotes and practices sustainability and charitable causes.

The Uniform Project
The Akanksha Foundation

Dialysis Clinics Save Lives

2009-08-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

The dialysis clinic had just opened in Guayaquil, Ecuador, when Juan Carlos was wheeled in, clinging to life, his body bloated. Juan’s mother, learning of the possibility of saving her son’s life, “sold everything they owned, sold the chickens for bus fare” to get Juan to the clinic for help, says Ginny Mello, executive director of Bridge of Life, which is a charitable arm of Davita, a dialysis provider in the US. Until that day, Juan had felt he didn’t want to go on living, didn’t want to burden his family with expensive dialysis treatment from a private hospital. Within days of receiving the dialysis that saved his life, Juan Carlos said that he now wants to be a doctor.

The nonprofit clinic in Ecuador was the first of several Bridge of Life to open in developing countries where kidney disease means certain death for those who cannot afford the expensive, ongoing treatment. Mello, who was a full-time Davita employee, and her husband, who is the company’s chief operating officer, founded Bridge of Life to share their knowledge and passion, to “take what we know that works here and transplant it to a place where it doesn’t exist” in developing countries, says Mello. Davita donates equipment, expertise and employee hours to get the clinics up and running, which takes about a year.

Our kidneys filter excess water and waste from our blood and make urine. The two leading causes of kidney disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, can damage the blood vessels, causing kidneys to shut down. In developing countries, another risk factor for kidney disease is lack of knowledge, as a result of which poor people become very sick before seeking care. In addition, lack of understanding of the disease among medical professionals decreases the number of patients who are properly diagnosed and treated in its early stages. Instances of kidney disease are not well-tracked in developing countries, but are believed to be much higher than in the US, where millions are affected by it, according to The National Kidney Disease Education Program.

For Bridge of Life, choosing a partner in an underserved area of the globe is the first hurdle. Since Bridge of Life doesn’t operate the clinics, the in-country partner, maybe a small hospital, must be able to financially sustain the dialysis clinic, be geographically accessible, and be able to offer nurse and physician expertise. Once a partner is identified, Bridge of Life helps to build the clinic, bringing in nephrologists, nurses and technicians who donate their vacation time to train local staff in operation and maintenance of the machines. Bridge of Life staff and volunteers return for a clinic review every six months for three years, and clinics are expected to be self-sufficient thereafter.

Water used in dialysis must be cleaner than US tap water. Another challenge is identifying a location with an abundant water supply sufficient to run the dialysis machines, and a local supplier of parts for the water filtration system. Bridge of Life is overcoming these challenges and more, one clinic at a time, at clinics in Cameron, India, Ecuador, Guatemala and the Philippines. “We are saving hundreds, not thousands, of lives,” says Mello, who admits there aren’t enough dialysis chairs in the world for all the people who need them. But she remains passionate about her mission to help as many people like Juan Carlos as possible. “Who knows what he will do with his life? He may touch another one hundred or a thousand lives.”

Bridge of Life

Made Without Child Labor

2009-08-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Though its mission remains the same, RugMark, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical carpet production by eliminating the use of child labor in India and Nepal, is slated to launch a new brand, GoodWeave, this fall. RugMark will remain the organization’s name while the brand name will be replaced by GoodWeave.

April Thompson, director of marketing and communications for RugMark’s US office, made it clear that RugMark will remain focused on eliminating child labor, but the organization is expanding its reach to improve adult worker conditions and to institute progressive standards for water and air pollution. “There were multiple reasons to make the switch [to GoodWeave]. We’re strengthening the work around child labor as many of these issues are interconnected,” says Thompson. “We can only make progress on these issues in collaboration with our industry members, and they are very supportive of these changes, and excited to see the program expand.”

Providing workers and children with adequate childcare and schooling effectively prevents children under age 14 from entering the handmade rug industry. A percentage of each certified rug purchase supports RugMark's programs in weaving communities, including educational programs for former child laborers. If inspectors find child laborers working on the looms, they rescue the children, attempt to reunite them with their families, and offer the children the opportunity to attend school, while the manufacturers forfeit the right to use the RugMark label.

Aside from the expanded scope of improving conditions for workers in Nepal and India, the new GoodWeave label is more aesthetically pleasing. Thompson says that the new label has a “more contemporary look and name to complement the beautiful rugs. All members are embracing the new look and the other changes the brand is undergoing.” The brand name “GoodWeave” does not include a specific product in the name because RugMark is interested in potentially expanding its branding to other woven products such as shawls made in Nepal.

Importers of all products certified by RugMark must register all of their looms and are subject to random inspections by Rugmark inspectors. According to RugMark’s website, its inspectors visit an average of 64 looms per day, resulting in a total of 16,000 looms inspected per year. Both exporters and importers must be sign agreements with the organization, and pay a small fee that offsets the costs of both inspections and community programs.

One of the main goals of GoodWeave is to make the process of becoming a member more rigorous and transparent, relying on a multi-stakeholder committee for critical input. In order to achieve this goal, GoodWeave has become an associate member of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling Alliance (ISEAL), an organization that focuses efforts on international standard-setting for organizations focused on social and environmental issues. Thompson notes that becoming a member of ISEAL was a rigorous, three-year process to become a member of ISEAL.

“We're the first ISEAL member to tackle some of these issues, namely working with child slavery in an informal sector where workers are very vulnerable to abuse. We look forward to strengthening our operations with ISEAL's guidance,” says Thompson.

GoodWeave
RugMark
ISEAL

Thank You! | Street Music for Street Kids

2009-08-24T14:28:00.002-05:00

Billy Johnson. photo | Steve Floyd

The Street Music for Street Kids event on Thursday, August 20th was an amazing success. The one-night street music festival that was scheduled to be held outside at Peavey Plaza had to be moved inside due to substantial rain. The fantastic staff at Hell’s Kitchen were overly gracious in welcoming the entire event onto their stage and the large crowd into their seats. People were standing in the aisles, crowding booths, and sitting on any patch of space they could find on seats or on the stairs. The mass of people that braved the weather were rewarded with show like no other. Twelve great local bands put aside their amplifiers and electronics and played back-to-back sets of beautiful acoustic music. The event raised nearly $5000 in one night for a school helping to educate street kids in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Mark Murphy from Wookiefoot. photo | Steve Floyd

We at NEED are extremely grateful for the relentless support of so many who helped us put this event together from the city of Minneapolis, Peavey Plaza, Hell’s Kitchen, Lisa Walker and the film crew, and all the musicians who came out in support of street kids.

We have many more photos and video to come!

Sounds of Blackness. photo | Steve Floyd

If you can, go out and support these local musicians at their next shows here in the Twin Cities.

Sounds of Blackness – CD Release Party at the Mall of America Rotunda. Tuesday , August 25 6:30 pm Free and open to the public

Aby Wolf – Late Night at Barbette. Monday, August 31, 10:00 pm

Hyland – Benefit show at The Crossing. Saturday, August 29, 7:15 pm

Enchanted Ape – Downtime Bar. Friday, August 28, 9:30 pm. $5 cover

Billy Johnson – Crave. Thursday, August 27, 8:00 pm & – JJ’s Dry Dock Friday, August 28, 5:00

The Get-Rites – Acadia Café. Friday, September 12, 9:00 pm

Ada Jane – University of Duluth. Tuesday, November 17, 9:30 pm

Wookiefoot – Harvest Fest. Friday, September 11-Saturday, September 12

Thinking about Impact and Public Perception

2009-08-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week I had the opportunity to attend an event presented by the Charities Review Council and Thrivent Financial entitled, "Delving into Public Perception: what Minnesotans think about the charitable sector (and what to do about it)." To a captive audience of non-profit professionals, presenters discussed findings from a survey conducted for the Charities Review Council that polled Minnesotans on their giving habits and attitudes towards charities. The survey questions touched on issues of trust, ethics, and the proper use of funds by charities. For the most part, the survey respondents believed that charities could be trusted, that they are ethical, and that they wisely spend the money they receive from donors. Although the survey findings concluded that, for the most part, the public’s perception of charities is quite favorable, the event’s presenters reminded the audience that many external and internal forces have the potential to hurt charitable organizations.

Discussed by the panelists was the tendency for the public to allow their distrust or disappointment in one organization apply to their perceptions of all organizations. In other words, there is a tendency to let one bad apple ruin the bunch. As a result, the presenters emphasized the importance of everyone in the non-profit sector being conscious of public perceptions and conveying a clear message to targeted publics.

Since I work in media, I was struck by the issue of how much the press influences public perception. A large percentage of those surveyed looked to television and newspapers to learn information about charities. This can be a tricky relationship. As the panelists discussed, so often, the press picks up a negative story, and can neglect to focus on the positive. So anyone using solely traditional media to inform them about organizations can get a limited view. All of these are reasons why I LOVE my job at NEED. I get to go where few media professionals get the liberty to go: into the realm of optimism! I was also encouraged to hear that word of mouth is another popular way in which individuals learn about organizations and make decisions about whether or not to support them. So I think the take-home lessons from this event are, when it comes to supporting organizations:

-inform yourself through multiple forms of media or channels.

-don’t be afraid to ask questions of the organization.

-if you really like an organization, be their cheerleader.

To learn more about this topic visit www.smartgivers.org

A look into the Myanmar Culture

2009-08-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

This photo essay was submitted by photographer Gail Shore, who explores locations where native cultures and environments are in jeopardy. She believes that the more we know about each other, the better we are able to shape our world. Shore founded Cultural Jambalaya, a nonprofit that aims to celebrate cultures through international photography.

I visited Myanmar / Burma in December 2009. The country is rich in ethnic groups, languages and traditions that date back centuries.

In spite of a ruthless ruling junta that commands absolute power, the people throughout this fiercely religious Buddhist country exercise profound kindness, compassion and respect for elders, community and family. They maintain an exceptional mental discipline, and as a result, their disposition is persistently positive and their friendliness is organic. With seemingly little hope for a better life, I got a glimpse of what the human spirit is capable of accomplishing.

In an attempt to characterize the remarkable spirit of Myanmar’s people, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi says, "It’s part of the unceasing human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his nature."

“Novice Monks”
These novice monks are from the ethnically diverse area of Kengtung, located in Shan State on Myanmar’s eastern border where Laos, China and Thailand come together. Because of the geographic relationship, this remote region is of strategic importance to the Myanmar government.

“Mun Chin Women”
The Mun Chin, Tibeto-Burmese people dating back to 500 BCE, live in western Myanmar in the mountains that border Bangladesh. I was told that only a handful of foreigners have ever been to this isolated village, and that I’m likely to be the only American to visit this tribe since the missionaries before WWII.

“Thanakha”
Many women, children and some men paint their faces with a paste called thanakha, a moisturizer and sunscreen worn as a decorative makeup.

“Myanmar Nuns”
Nuns shave their heads, wear pink robes and take vows like monks. The nuns do not share the same prestigious status as monks in Burmese society but because of their exceptionally high standard of religious learning, there are more Theravada Buddhist nuns in Myanmar than anywhere in the world.

“One-legged Fisherman”
The hard-working Intha people of the Inle Lake region in central Myanmar are known for their unusual one-legged fishing technique. Fisherman row with one leg so they can stand up and spot fish in the shallow lake, while leaving their hands free to drop their cone basket nets over the fish.

“Bagan”
Bagan is the heart of Myanmar’s Buddhism. Thousands of temples, pagodas and shrines cover the landscape. In the eleventh century, the king began a building program that Marco Polo said was one of the greatest sights in the world.

“Tattooed Woman”
In Mindat in western Myanmar, there are several different tribal groups that are famous for their facial tattoos. This extraordinary custom began in the eleventh century when some young maiden girls tattooed, disfiguring their faces to protect them from slavery or capture by the ruling princes.

“Lunchtime at the Monastery”
For centuries, the monastic education tradition has been an integral part of Myanmar culture, where Buddhist monks hold the highest moral authority.

Cultural Jambalaya

Education Amid Upheaval

2009-08-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

This article was contributed by Timon Bondo, founder of Rabondo Community Project USA, as an update on its progress.

Gifts of time, money and kind thoughts have contributed to the revitalization of the Rabondo Village in ways that I could not have imagined ten years ago. In fact, we have just built two new classrooms earlier this year.

During my recent visit to Rabondo, I witnessed the upheaval that gripped Kenya following the disputed election. This affected every area of the country including Rabondo. The school was closed for over a month because parents were too frightened to allow their children to attend. The small dispensary was overwhelmed by many people coming from other areas in hopes for better care. People displaced by the violence are attracted to Rabondo because of our reputation for good education and medical care. As a result of this the Rabondo school is closed again due to a cholera outbreak introduced by evacuees who have recently joined the community.

The student population at our schools has increased due to the recent political crisis. We need to build more classrooms and more than half of our classrooms are in need of desks. Our recent progress has given us great hope. The success of the Rabondo community and its school means hope and opportunity for the children. To continue we need more resources. A contribution of $120 will pay for three new school desks hand crafted by a local carpenter. For $90, a local seamstress in the Rabondo community will sew ten school uniforms. We thank our friends and supporters for ongoing support and partnership.

Rabondo Community Project USA
PO Box 27954
Minneapolis, MN 55427

Better Sustainable Development for the Future

2009-08-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

A United Nations Volunteer from India (right) assisting a farmer in Bhutan. Photo | UN Photo

What should a student be taught if he or she is going to be in charge of billions of aid dollars or plot the course of an entire country’s development?

For many years, students who wanted to be leaders in humanitarian development typically focused their studies on economics and management. The belief was that sustainable development could be achieved by efficiently coordinating the flow of aid dollars and resources. Last year, the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice concluded that while economics and management are important, future leaders of development need a broader base of knowledge.

The commission’s final report states that “extreme poverty in much of the world is rooted in a complex set of causes including poor agricultural productivity, the stress of climate change, the burden of tropical disease and the absence of basic infrastructure.” As a result, it recommends that professionals striving to eliminate poverty train in the fields of public health, agronomy, engineering and environmental science alongside economics.

The MacArthur Foundation, in response to this report, has provided grants to nine universities throughout the world in order to help them establish a Master of Development Practice (MDP) program that incorporates these different studies. The foundation hopes that these programs will allow future leaders—such as ministers of finance, managers of aid organizations and heads of international financial institutions—to better address complex development issues in a more sustainable manner.

“Through our work around the globe, we at MacArthur understand that poverty, population, health, conservation, and human rights are all interconnected, requiring sustained and comprehensive interventions,” said foundation president Jonathan Fanton. “These new programs are a model for training the next generation of these critically needed professionals.”

The first MDP program will launch this fall at Columbia University in New York. Aspiring that this master’s program will catch on at other schools, the foundation has committed money for up to 15 universities to receive MDP seed grants over the next three years. They expect to have helped produce 250 graduates by 2012. If this program is a success, these graduates will be able to become leaders in the humanitarian world who have the proper knowledge base to recognize the underlying causes of the need and foresee some of the ripple effects of development action.

By broadening students’ focus, the MDP program is endeavoring to make future development better suited to individual problems. If holistic sustainable solutions can be fostered by these students, then they may someday eliminate the necessity of new development programs, putting themselves out a job. An unemployment line full of Master’s in Development Practice who did their job well is a future scenario that I, for one, look forward to.

The MacArthur Foundation

The Rabondo Community Project

2009-08-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

photo | justi grierson

Issue 01 | ONE
Writer: Liz Werner
Photographer: Candice Towell

Timon Bondo is hard to miss with his bigger-than-life smile, hearty laugh and effervescent spirit. Though lighthearted in most aspects of his life, Timon is serious about helping the children of Rabondo, Kenya, a small subsistence farming community where he grew up. Fraught with AIDS, poverty and a sense of hopelessness for the past decade, Rabondo is experiencing dramatic change because Timon is taking action.

Timon may not be whom you picture when you think of a hero. While his story carries a legacy of heroic proportions, Timon himself is an unlikely superman. Unsure of his actual age due to a lack of accurate birth records, Timon estimates that he is somewhere between 65 and 85 years old. His youth is not the only thing slipping away; he has been losing his eyesight for the past 10 years and now is almost totally blind. So how, then, did an aging and ailing man almost single-handedly restore a sense of hope to a village that is nearly 8,000 miles from where he sits today? Admittedly, Timon acknowledges that he is neither a genius nor a millionaire. Determination, patience and a vision of education were the guiding and abiding lights of Timon’s efforts as his programs continue to strengthen and save Rabondo’s children and community.

Reggie Achieng, 5, and maurine atiyo, 6, cousins and best friends, sit outside of Atiyo's mud home. Achieng is known in the village for her contagious smile, a reminder of her uplifting spirit.

It was a visit to Kenya in 1996 that shifted the focus of Timon’s life from Minnesota, where he lives today, back to Rabondo. According to Timon, this visit showed him a Rabondo that he never knew existed. HIV and AIDS had infected many people and they lacked access to basic health care, medication or information about the disease. “When I went back in 1996 it was dramatically different. [Because of AIDS] I saw a lot of orphans and widows, and there were people of productive age dying of disease.” Without parents, many children were forced to fend for themselves: finding shelter and food where and when they could. This community existed without sanitary facilities, safe water, electricity, motorized vehicles or businesses. To make matters worse, the only existing school in Rabondo was crumbling to the ground and scheduled for closure by the government.

Timon was then left with the dilemma of how to repair a community and school system already on a path to destruction—all as a one-person army. Without a background in community organizing, non-profits or development, Timon had quite an undertaking ahead of him.

Growing up in Rabondo for Timon was not the complicated and hopeless way of life that he witnessed in 1996. Timon recalls the prevalence of a barter system as a way of exchanging goods and services when he was growing up. As a child he had dreams of becoming a doctor or engineer, always knowing that he wanted to help others in some way. The hardship of losing his father when he was in third grade required Timon to help support his mother and family through farm work. That experience caused him to learn the importance of responsibility, hard work and to care for others.

Timon’s educational journey took him well beyond Rabondo. Interestingly, when growing up in Rabondo there was not a primary or secondary school for Timon to attend. Instead, he stayed with host families in three-month intervals, 50 miles from Rabondo in order to attend school.

Preschool and kindergarten students at rabondo’s nursery practice the alphabet. Due to overcrowding in the primary school, the younger students study outdoors under a thatched roof.

After completing high school, Timon left Rabondo and the outlying rural communities for Nairobi because he knew he wanted to seek opportunities in a city. In doing so, he rode a bus for the first time and moved to a city where he knew no one. After working odd jobs in Nairobi, Timon moved to Germany for a short time. After three years of traveling, he eventually moved to the United States. He attended the University of Minnesota where he majored in Agricultural Economics. He then went on to receive his master’s degree in the same field from Kansas State University. Soon after that, he came back to Minnesota to work in sales and insurance. He was unaware of the serious nature of Rabondo’s problems until he visited in 1996.

The condition of Rabondo in 1996 would leave almost anyone overwhelmed. “The life of people at that time was governed by ignorance, poverty, illiteracy and sickness,” Timon recounts. “Many people did not know why they were dying, and prayer was the only thing that they thought would save them.” The barter system that Timon grew up with was no longer a way of life; now everything required money. The circumstance of the land itself even looked bleak. There was less land to farm because of over-population and infertile conditions. “Not only did people not have food to sell, they did not have enough to eat,” Timon explains. “I knew that I had to do something to help. I felt a responsibility that I could not run away from.”

Fredrick Ochieng, the assistant principal, math teacher and bookkeeper at the secondary school, teaches a math lesson at St. Timon’s secondary school in Rabondo.

Timon focused on efforts to provide education to the children of Rabondo as a way to encourage the young and empower the community as a whole. Timon believed education would help prevent HIV infections because students would be taught how the disease is transmitted, how to respect themselves and how to plan for their future.

“Education is the only weapon that you have in a Third World country,” Timon says with conviction. With so many problems in Rabondo it was hard for Timon to focus on efforts to improve just one, but he decided to start with building a primary school. This way children could attend classes in an actual classroom as opposed to the outdoor sessions they had been having for quite some time. It would offer a place to focus on studies and help children get into the mind-set of being students.

Risiki Auma Omollo, 7, (right) studies next to Elizabeth Akoth Okinyi, 8, in Edward Olango’s class in the primary school. The students study in dark classrooms because the school is lacking many basic resources, such as electricity.

In Kenya, all secondary schools are boarding schools and often are too expensive for students who come from communities like Rabondo to attend. Though the government does not provide school buildings and furnishings, they will provide teachers if a community builds a school. Alone, Timon knew that he did not have the financial means to start building a school structure, “I had to find a way to energize and mobilize some resources, and I found that to do things effectively you have to form a non-profit organization.” In 1998 he formed The Rabondo Community Project USA (The Project), a non-profit organization aimed at improving the quality of life in Rabondo through education and community involvement.

After forming the non-profit organization and solidifying his vision for how to best help Rabondo, Timon was then left to raise funds for all the projects. He first approached social service clubs, churches and small businesses in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for donations. To supplement, he also made cold-calls to individuals in the area explaining who he was and what he wanted to do in Rabondo. “It looked huge; people thought I would need $500,000,” he said. “If I had $100,000 to start, I could work miracles.” Timon met reluctance in the initial donation process because everyone wanted to see something already completed, “It’s a catch-22; you don’t have money, but people want to see what you have done.” The small donations that he did receive were immediately put toward the construction of a primary school because it would serve as a catalyst and be something to show potential donors. In 1999 the primary school was completed, leaving Timon to continue fundraising for the provision of uniforms, desks, a food program and for the construction of a secondary school, health clinic and science laboratory.

Moses Ojwang, the nurse in Rabondo who serves more than 8,000 people a year, consults patients from his closet-sized office as Joshua Ongili, a volunteer, administers a shot. There is no doctor in rabondo

The community continues to be abuzz with excitement surrounding the recent and pending constructions.Committees focusing on education, health care, water and electricity were organized in Rabondo to monitor the progress of and discuss ideas about certain changes in the area. The committees helped the people become involved and fostered a community-wide sense of ownership. According to Timon, the work of The Project and the ownership of their future that the community now possessed, changed them for the better. "The character of the community has changed; people feel proud to be from Rabondo," Timon said. This is an obvious improvement from the hopelessness that once engulfed the village.

Queen Agade gravely ill and pregnant, waits to be treated after stumbling into Ojwang's office.

Timon remains positive but he still knows there is more to be done. To date The Project has completed the construction of a primary and secondary school as well as a dining hall. The construction of a kitchen, health clinic, science laboratory and teachers’ housing has been started. In partnership with Lifewater International, Rabondo has attempted to drill a well for clean water. While some students have desks to sit in and uniforms to wear, many more are still needed. Timon would also like to raise enough money to build a dormitory to give the many orphans of the area a safe place to sleep, shower and focus on their studies.

The excellent academic performance of the students has really proven the motivation that exists in Rabondo. After all, Timon did not force these children to come to school; they wanted to be there. This year, for the first time in Rabondo’s history, 41 secondary school students sat for the national exam given to all Kenyan students that is a requisite for secondary school graduation. Of those 41, there are at least seven students who are applying to a university or college in the future. Considering that these students are competing with others from Kenya who attend private schools, have tutors, running water, enough to eat, electricity and parents caring for them, Rabondo has really progressed.

Elsa Atieno Odoyo, the cook at St. Timon's secondary school, breaks apart collard greens in the kitchen to make skuma wiki, a traditional Kenyan dish, for the students' lunch.

The school system provides equal access to education for any student who wants to attend. Regardless of gender, ability or disability, all children can attend school. If they do not have enough money to pay for school fees or uniforms, The Project takes care of it for them by setting up scholarship funds. The Project also has increasingly encouraged girls to attend school, even though historically many adults in the community have not seen the value of a girl’s education.

While still guided by a vision of education, The Project is switching its focus from strictly school provisions to an effort focusing on human beings. The implementation of a food program, for example, and the construction of a health clinic and student dormitory are all efforts to help support students.

Though Timon has acted alone throughout The Project's history, he makes a point to mention all the help he has received along the way. He reminisces about friends who helped him fill out paperwork when petitioning for non-profit status for The Project. He also recounts working with a young student from Minnesota who helped him with tasks that his failing eyesight had made difficult.

A young girl with a severe case of malaria waits for her mother to come home.

By typing and reading letters for Timon, this young girl (who is now a graduate of Stanford University) indirectly helped provide education and hope for Rabondo. There are many people who have helped Timon in small ways. No monetary donation ever went unnoticed, however large or small. Similarly, no donation of one’s voluntary time ever went without a thank you. While Timon has been the catalyst for change, he acknowledges that without help from others along the way, Rabondo would probably not be the place it is today—hopeful, vibrant and educated.

Elisha Owuor, caretaker and guard of Rabondo's first well, and Kenedy Osura, a water technician on the water committee, take turns flushing out the well to rid it of termites. This took two days.

When asked what the legacy of his story is, Timon reacts modestly. He’s proud of the accomplishments that The Project has made so far, but he does not measure success through buildings and books. Instead he would be satisfied to see that all the children in Rabondo are taken care of, if only in small ways. “When the children have a little clean water, one meal a day and a place to go after school, then we have succeeded,” he said. Many setbacks and problems still face Rabondo despite all of Timon’s efforts; however, he is confident that The Project’s successes will have longevity because the citizens are empowered. “People [in Rabondo] feel good; they have life in their face” he says. “There were days that they felt they had no future; it’s a big change in their outlook.” Possessing the ever-so-envied virtue of patience, Timon remarks at how he never felt rushed to get what he needed. He always felt that positive events would transpire if he worked hard enough to achieve them. “I don’t give up easily and I was determined. If you are determined, nothing is impossible.”

Rabondo Community Project USA
PO Box 27954
Minneapolis, MN 55427 USA
763.545.2828
info@rabondocommunity.org
www.rabondocommunity.org

Living in a Cemetery

2009-08-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Brian Carlson submitted this story about his motivations as a photographer.

photo | Brian Carlson

I traveled to the Philippines to do a photo story on families who live in a garbage dump and squatters who live in a cemetery. Being knee-deep in trash and watching children and teenagers pick through garbage is heartbreaking. On arrival I teamed up with an organization called Metro Ministries, whose mission is "to bring hope to urban children through faith based and character education while addressing issues such as hunger, AIDS awareness, and child abuse." Through them I had the opportunity to interview a woman who had been raped, gave birth to a child from that rape, and was living in the dump. They were providing this woman with food and emotional support through her struggle. I've been in some sad situations, the slums in Kenya and war torn Sudan, and this was equally saddening. When she began to cry after recalling what happened, I had to turn away and hold back tears. Nothing can prepare you for that. I'm currently using the interview in a multimedia story that I am producing on the garbage dump.

North Cemetery is located in Manila, the capitol city of the Philippines. Because of the country’s population and poverty, the above-ground tombs must be recycled every five years. One would expect that the government does this with highly sophisticated equipment and trained technicians. Not so. The squatters living in this cemetery clean out these graves with their bare hands, picking up skulls still covered in hair, pelvic bones, and other remains. These remains get put into bags and discarded like common waste.

I've seen a lot of suffering in my travels and my goal is to bring others' suffering closer to your heart. I want you to care. I want you to help.

Metro Ministries
P.O. Box 695
Brooklyn, NY 11237

NEED on KFAI Radio

2009-08-18T16:00:00.001-05:00

NEED co-founder Kelly Kinnunen was featured on Twin Cities radio station KFAI on August 18 at 8 AM to talk about NEED’s upcoming music festival. Interviewed by Pam Hill Kroyer, Kelly described plans for the event, who it will benefit, and how listeners could get involved. This was a great opportunity for NEED to get the word out about the Street Music for Street Kids benefit concert, which will be held in Minneapolis at Peavey Plaza on August 20 from 6 to 8 PM. Kelly told the KFAI audience about the struggle plaguing the street children of Jakarta, and of the hope that the event’s beneficiary, the Nurani Insani School for Street Children in Jakarta, strengthens in them.

Listen to the program on KFAI website

Color, Polka Dots, and Hope for Shelters

2009-08-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

In 2007 Terry Grahls, an interior designer, visited a women’s shelter in Michigan. She went through the normal routine for a prospective project, taking “before” pictures, yet felt overwhelmed with the idea of a pro bono shelter makeover. Grahls put the visit in the back of her mind until she developed the pictures and noticed polka dots—her long-time favorite pattern—on a stained pillowcase laid on one of the shelter beds. She took this as a sign and decided to do whatever she could to help re-decorate the shelter. She began looking for sponsors, donors, and volunteers to revitalize the shelter into a beautiful, inspirational place.

The project at the first shelter was so successful that Grahls has continued this kind of work. In January 2009 Grahls’ original design company, Terry’s Enchanted Cottage, officially became Enchanted Makeovers, a nonprofit that redecorates shelters for women and children in Michigan with story-book designs that encourage dreams, possibility and hope for the residents. With a plan in mind, Grahls creates a wish list of supplies that must be donated or sponsored before the refurbishing can take place with the help of volunteers. Everything must be new or handmade, to make it clear to the women that they deserve the best. “They see how hard people work and how they care to take the time to make handmade items for the rooms,” says Grahls.

Grahls’ style is colorful and fun, evoking faraway lands. Through her makeovers, she hopes to evoke a make-believe world and share her way of coping with life’s hardships “which is really creating your own life visually.” In the redone rooms, she hopes the women are not constantly reminded of their difficult situation. “I wanted them to really feel like they have these hidden cottages tucked away in the forest” says Grahls.

Inspirational and encouraging quotes pervade the redone rooms. In the hallway dubbed “the forest” for its mural of green trees trimmed with inspirational quotes that stretches the length of the stairs, one woman experienced the power of a positive environment. Alice, who arrived at the shelter with little faith in herself and the program at the shelter, was moved by the quotes on the wall. Upon reaching the top landing of the forest, “she knew she could do it,” Grahls said.

In another instance, Grahls noticed that residents argued over the single old mirror in their shelter. She remedied this by placing several mirrors throughout the room and embellishing them with the uplifting words, “You’re more than just a pretty face.” Every day when they look in the mirror, the women at this shelter absorb the positive words. The makeovers are not just about giving a beautiful place for deserving women, but also about helping them to think positively and confidently.

In the redone shelters, “there will always be inspirational quotes” says Grahls, but that is not all. Polka dots — the pattern that started it all — hold a symbolic value for Grahls and have become her trademark, finding their way into each makeover.

Enchanted Makeovers

Addressing Issues of Poverty with Design

2009-08-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

A new exhibit at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden showcases a myriad of products and practical designs for use in developing countries to address issues and symptoms of poverty. The exhibit is described as reflecting "a growing movement among designers, engineers, architects, and social entrepreneurs to create low-cost solutions for everyday problems faced by the world’s poor."

The displays include water purification devices, solar-powered lighting, drip irrigation systems, and cargo-hauling transportation. The items function to keep people healthy, increase crop yields, increase productivity, or to provide connection to others or information. Many of the problems that the designs address are problems that people living in developed countries hardly think about such as access to clean water, proper sanitation, and electricity. The designs address complex problems in seemingly simple ways. For example, the Q Drum, a cylindrical container that can hold 75 liters of clean water, and is transported by rolling rather than carrying. This makes the transportation of water easier and faster for the individual.

Ceramic water filter: The Ceramic Water Filter combines the natural filtration capability of ceramic material with the anti-bacterial qualities of colloidal silver, dramatically decreasing diarrhea, days of school or work missed due to illness, and medical expenses. It is used in: Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia (Bali), Iraq, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Though the exhibit presents a handful of high-tech designs, the majority are designs made from simple materials that are readily available in the areas they are used. One such design is the Pot-in-Pot Cooler. It consists of a small earthenware pot that fits inside another pot, with the space in between filled with sand and water. Fruits and vegetables can be kept in the smaller pot and as the water evaporates it pulls heat from the interior of it, which increases the longevity of the produce.

While most of the designs address problems mostly prevalent in developing countries, there are a few that address domestic issues of need as well. One example of this is the Mad Housers Hut, a temporary shelter design created by Georgia Tech architecture students in 1987 to address homelessness in the Atlanta area. The pre-fabricated houses can be erected in less than one day and include a door lock for security and wood-burning stove for heat and cooking.

Domed pit latrine: The latrine cover slab can be cast quickly on-site and does not require steel reinforcement. Its tight-fitting lid helps keep the odor in and the flies out, while the wire hand heats up from the sunlight, killing germs and reducing contamination. These latrines are the standard in refugee camps in East Africa, where more than 90,000 slabs have now been installed.

Beyond health, productivity, and basic needs, the exhibit has a few products that function to connect individuals both to one another and to information. One such product is a solar-powered laptop that is distributed to children in developing countries. It boasts low-power consumption, long battery life, and a display that is readable in sunlight (a necessary design feature since many classes in developing countries take place outdoors).

Bamboo Pump Treadle: The Bamboo Treadle Pump allows poor farmers to access groundwater during the dry season. The pump consists of two metal cylinders with pistons that are operated by a person’s natural walking motion on two treadles. It is used in: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Zambia.

The exhibit’s designs function to address many of the problems of today’s poverty-affected communities, but they contain farsighted benefits as well. Through arming individuals with tools that: keep their bodies healthier and safer, make their businesses more productive and profitable, and create a more educated generation of young people, the positive outcomes from these designs should be felt worldwide for years to come.

>d. Pot-in-pot cooler: The pot-in-pot system consists of a small earthenware pot nestled within another pot, with the space in between filled with sand and water. When the water evaporates, it pulls heat from the interior of the smaller pot, in which vegetables and fruits can be kept. Used in: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Niger.

If you are in the Twin Cities area I highly recommend checking out this exhibit. It runs through September 7th at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and is free to attend. For more information visit: www.walkerart.org

Helping One Household at a Time

2009-08-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Roughly 1,600 homeless people live in Ramsey County alone. The magnitude of homelessness is so great that we often accept it because facing the problems and questions that homelessness presents can be overwhelming. Personally, I know I have walked by homeless people and thought, what can I do? Or tried to avoid eye contact because the pain is too real, and the solutions too obscure. How can we solve such a problem?

Well, if you ask Jim Anderson he is quick to tell you, “how can we not.” Jim works as a low income and homeless planner and with immigration services for Ramsey County. His excitement and commitment to ending homelessness, “one household at a time,” has the power to motivate people and create solutions.

One solution that Jim is currently invested in is Project Homeless Connect, which he serves as Chair. Project Homeless Connect is part of a nationwide effort that began in San Francisco in 2004. It is a one-day event that will be held on June 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the RiverCenter in St. Paul. Its website defines Project Homeless Connect as “a one-stop shop model of delivering services to people experiencing homelessness in our community.” It is a highly organized and effective event where trained volunteers gage each person’s individual needs and supply on the spot support. This is imperative to the success of the project because, as Jim explains, “one size does not fit all.” Some people come in with severe needs like housing or coping with a disability, and others just need temporary assistance or someone to talk to.

The project is armed with services and professionals who are well equipped to deal with a full spectrum of problems. There are employment, legal and veterans services; doctors who supply medical and mental health care; even volunteers who cut hair. Last year it was able to help nearly 1,000 people. The project packs the event with many services and still remains dedicated to each individual’s needs.

Not only does Project Homeless Connect provide services to people and families experiencing homelessness, it also raises awareness, and strengthens the community as people in need come together with people who are willing to help. Although the project is held on one day, it is a culminations of work and represents the constant commitment to the “community wide effort to end homelessness,” as Jim says. He emphasizes this pledge by saying, “We are carrying out what we are preaching, and committed to solving homelessness one house hold at a time.”

The idea of “one household at a time” and the aptitude to provide so many services in one day struck me. It transcended my thoughts to the solutions of homelessness from being so obscure and overwhelming to attainable. It also made me realize that making something a priority is what gives way to change.

Project Homeless Connect - Minneapolis/Hennepin County
c/o Family Housing Fund
801 Nicollet Mall, Suite 1650
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Anna Kari featured in TIME Magazine

2009-08-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Getting to work with passionate, documentary photographers is one of one of the perks of NEED. One such photographer, Anna Kari, donated images for our arguably most difficult article to date, Issue 2’s child soldiers story. We are proud to share Anna’s latest project which has been featured in TIME magazine with you.

>>view the photo story

Anna Kari

The Coffee Process in Guatemala, a labor of love

2009-08-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Photographer Alexander Zoltai submitted this article.

Photo | Alexander Zoltai

Coffee production in Guatemala is a timeless process. For the most part, coffee farmers produce coffee the same way their grandfathers did. It is a long, arduous and beautiful process.

The problem associated with coffee production in Guatemala lies in the small amount that farmers receive for a very labor-intensive product. Fewer that six families are responsible for the majority of coffee production in Guatemala, a monopoly on coffee that allows the families to dictate the price of coffee in the country.

Nestled on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala's mountainous region, San Lucas is a small town in the process of changing Guatemala's coffee injustice. The San Lucas Parish set up a small coffee co-op over 15 years ago to buy coffee at a price dictated by the farmers. Asking what farmers think their product is worth, the parish pays the same price of 200 Quetzales ($26) no matter the world market price, even throughout the coffee crisis when an influx of Vietnamese coffee caused the price to plummet in the market. This steady income allows families to earn dependable income as long as they produce a quality product. This price provides incentive.

The co-op has grown from 15 families to over 450, now buying over 750,000 pounds of coffee fruit annually. The project is set up to be self-sustaining, since the majority of money made from the project goes back into the farmers' pockets.

The coffee process is something consumers in the U.S. know little about. To take the husk, dry, store, toast and grind adds up to close to a month. For a product that has become the second most valuable in the world, behind petroleum, it is essential to understand where our products come from and how they are produced.

San Lucas Mission

A platform for voices

2009-08-13T09:00:00.003-05:00

All photos | Rajiv Kapoor

Tara and Daniel

Bookkeeper Tara and painter Daniel lost their jobs as property managers after a shift in property ownership. As a result they also lost their housing. Securing temporary housing through Seattle’s Solid Ground has enabled Tara and Daniel to focus their energy on finding jobs instead of searching for places for them and their two children to spend the night. Their temporary apartment is equipped with basic phone service but no way to receive messages. Through the Community Voice Mail program, the family now has a phone number to place on the mounting pile of housing, assistance, and employment applications, and a means to stay in touch with friends and family. The basic phone service allows Tara and Daniel to return messages placed on their Community Voice Mail number. Things are looking up. Kristjan and Sophia, ages 8 and 6, have weathered the storm remarkably and continue to do well in school. Tara recently completed a GED program with terrific success and is considering pursuing a college degree in social work.

Bill

Over the course of eight years, Bill spent countless days and nights in and out of hospitals and doctors’ offices dealing with stomach-related illnesses and depression. The former Peace Corps volunteer, social worker, and amateur photographer pressed on. Unable to work during this period of his life, it wasn’t long before Bill found himself sleeping in homeless shelters between hospital visits. Community Voice Mail was the only constant thing in his life. He used the service to track medical appointments and keep in touch with family and friends he made during his time in the hospital. He now manages his illnesses through a regimen of 30 medications a day. He’s off the streets and out of the shelters, residing in a tiny subsidized apartment. He still gets messages on his Community Voice Mail. Through his ordeals, Bill has learned that he is stronger than he once thought.

Carolyn

Carolyn was working her dream job as an in-home daycare provider when her dream quickly disintegrated. She lost her job and soon after lost her home. After living out of her car and in a variety of Seattle shelters, Carolyn attempted to take her own life. Through her faith she found help. The Haller Lake United Methodist Church allowed her to stay in a small office for a month and a half as she transitioned. Determined to get her life back on track, Carolyn searched for jobs and housing on the church computer and used her Community Voice Mail number to complete applications as well as manage doctor’s appointments and maintain contact with friends and family. Her hard work paid off when, a year after becoming unemployed, she found a job as a teacher at a preschool across from her church. She has an apartment. She also volunteers her time in her church’s nursery reading to children. Her courage and perseverance is an inspiration.

Community Voice Mail

Africa's Healthcare Plight, Beyond Malaria and AIDS

2009-08-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

Julia Fenster, Editor-in-Chief of The Lohasian, contributed this article.

Dr. Seyi Oyesola"Hospital in a Box" developed by Dr. Seyi Oyesola, is a portable medical system containing anesthetic and surgical equipment. Light enough to be dropped into inaccessible zones by helicopter and powered by solar panels, the kit is a life and death solution for those most in need. But for millions in Africa the kit is not enough to address a continent-wide challenge of an outdated health care system that fails to properly and safely treat the most basic medical conditions.

At a recent talk given at the TED conference, Dr. Oyesola pointed out that the state of medical care is so dire in most parts of Africa that injuries as basic as burns can lead to fatal consequences. His illuminating speech reminds us that without proper education and training of new physicians, and attention paid to the quality of facilities of care, millions will die from ailments far more treatable than malaria and AIDS that are known to plague the continent.

Here is his sensational presentation, courtesy of TED:

Sounds of Blackness: Inspire and Deliver

2009-08-12T11:25:00.001-05:00

Sounds of Blackness have been making music since the early 1970s. They have performed on the world’s largest stages, including the opening ceremonies for the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics. They have sold millions of records, won three Grammys, and been nominated for awards ranging from The Emmys to the NAACP Image Awards. Sounds of Blackness are more than a band, they are a movement. With melodic melodies they draw upon genres of jazz, gospel and field hollers to celebrate African and African American culture. Becoming a voice for both comfort and inspiration, they speak to the problems of the world, and uplift their audiences with messages of hope and acts of service.

Building upon this foundation, Sounds of Blackness are ready to release their new album “The 3rd Gift: Story, Song & Spirit.” Their CD release celebration, free and open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, August 25 at 6:30 pm at the Mall of America rotunda. Recently I got a chance to speak with the band’s music director and producer, Gary D. Hines. He explained that the title of their new album comes from the prolific civil rights activist W.E.B DuBois, who “pointed out the countless contributions that people of African descent have made to the world and American culture, a notion that at the time was largely dismissed. But in addition to all of those things [DuBois] said, we have brought our three greatest gifts, the gifts of story, song and spirit.” A clear example of how Sounds of Blackness stays cognizant of the past while keeping an eye on the future.

Like W.E.B DuBois, Sounds of Blackness are unafraid to tackle social or political injustices. “We have always been directly and clearly out in front of political/social issues in our music and in our message,” Hines explains. “In our forthcoming album we address the war, the economy, racism, sexism, etcetera, and do our best to offer solutions.” The band uses music to get involved in the solutions they envision. For example, they have helped many organizations on a global level, such as the United Nations, and in their community of Minneapolis with Children’s HeartLink. On their new album they have recorded a few songs regarding domestic violence. Hines explains, “We not only address the problem of domestic violence, but we put our music tangibly to work by partnering with The Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community. We have songs that are not only about domestic violence, but are utilized by domestic violence agencies in their treatment programs and in their struggle against domestic violence.” Their music both delivers a message and helps offer a solution. “We not only address issues, but we get into the fight,” Hines adds.

Sounds of Blackness have offered to “put their music to work” once again at the upcoming event Street Music For Street Kids, which will take place on Thursday, August 20 from 6 to 8 pm at Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis. The evening is part of NEED’s Your Powers for Good event series, and will feature free music by artists such as Aby Wolf, Mighty Fairly, and of course Sounds of Blackness. The beneficiaries of the event are street children in Jakarta, Indonesia, many of whom beg using music to help support themselves and their families. All donations will go to the Nurani Insani School for Street Children in Jakarta, a refuge for street children to learn, eat and interact in safety.

Come out on August 20 and watch Sounds of Blackness do what they’ve been doing since 1971: inspire hope, and deliver change. Maybe you will be moved to do the same.

Download an MP3 of Optimistic, the first single from the forthcoming “THE 3RD GIFT: STORY, SONG & SPIRIT” CD.

Sounds of Blackness

How to become an aid worker

2009-08-12T11:10:00.002-05:00

This is a cross-post from Peter Casier's blog The Road to the Horizon

Video courtesy of WFP

I regularly get emails from people asking more information on how to join one of the humanitarian organizations, either full time, part-time or as a volunteer.

One of the goals of this site is to provide people with inspiration, and -if possible- make them think about humanitarian issues. So, getting that amount of queries is really great, and I try to give sufficient information to get them on their way.

If you have been interested in this field of work, but never dared to ask the question, then today's post, is your post: "How to become an aid worker, in 1-2-3" or something like that.

I write this with the fear of being grossly incomplete and vague. But it should set you on your way.

1. On the crossroads of life?

Many of the people who wrote to me, talked about being on the crossroads of life. Looking for a new challenge, a new meaning-full job. Have a read how I got into this work ... .

2. What is "Aid Work"? What is "Development Work"? How Does It All Work?

Before we start, you should definitively have a look at this excellent eLearning tool from Alertnet. You might also have a look at this excellent introduction manual from All-In Diary.

3. What kind of people are these humanitarian organizations interested in?

or "Do I have to be a doctor or a nurse to work in the humanitarian field?"

Well, let's compare a humanitarian organization to something we all know. A company. Say, a construction company. The activities in a construction company -like in any company-, you can split in two parts: the internal support part and the external part.

The latter deals with the external world within the specialty of that company. For instance, in a construction company, the external part would be the architects, engineers, construction workers: all people specialized in the core business of that company: "construction."

The internal support part has people working in accounting, budgeting, marketing, public relations, human resources, procurement, administration, ICT ... . These would all be people whose job it is to support those working in the external part.

A humanitarian organization has both parts too. They have the 'specialists', doing the core external work. And there is a wide spectrum of specializations: from medical, social, (micro-) finance, education, to basic emergency support, arts, logistics, construction, environment etc ... . You name one aspect of life, and I bet you can find a humanitarian organization specializing in it. Most of the people working in this part of the organization either studied this stuff, or got into it, through experience.

But most people forget the internal support part of each organization. They forget we need accountants too. And budget people, HR officers, auditors (well ... ), or even legal specialists ... . These are all 'generalists'. Internal support staff.

So, no, you do not have to be a doctor or a nurse to work in the humanitarian field. There is work for standard 'generalists' too. Even in the field offices.

4. Do YOU have what it takes to become an aid worker?

All Photos courtesy | Peter Casier

I agree with some parts in the video on the top of this post. People often have the image of us, aid workers, as taking pictures with kids on our knees, singing 'We Are the World,' ... . The reality is rather different. But we are not all hardcore logisticians neither. We don't all work in the desert or in the jungle, thousands of miles from no-where ... . Probably more than half of us work in the 'deep field'. Many of us do spend a lot of time in an office too!

Despite that, it is not all gold that glitters! Between 1997 and 2005, there were 408 security incidents involving aid workers. 434 died in the line of duty, 305 were wounded and 202 were kidnapped. Read this ODI report! And it is not getting any better. In the past running year, 63 aid workers were killed due malicious acts.
Patronus Analytical is keeping track of all incidents related to humanitarian workers in the field.

Still, what is important, though, is that we all spend a long time away from home. Read my post 'The Things That Are Important To Us'. And *that* is often a thing people do not consider when starting to work abroad, particularly in the humanitarian field: "How is my family going to cope with that?". You would be surprised how many people quit this 'line of work', just because of that reason. Even if THEY can cope with the work pressure and the potential dangers, their FAMILY might not ... .

So answering the question "Do I have what it takes to become an aid worker?" should be extended to "And does my family have what takes for me to become an aid worker?".

Now to the practical points:

5. Things to consider when you want to volunteer

There are two groups of volunteers:
- the real short term: volunteering while travelling or just "giving up" two, three weeks of your time
- the longer term volunteer.

The volunteering traveler, the traveling volunteer, the short term stuff:
There are commercial and non-profit "tour operators" which organize volunteering holidays. You pay, and you can go off helping to build a school in Vietnam for instance ... . Nothing against that, and many of those companies do good work. You can find them easily if you Google "volunteering, abroad." Just make sure that the fee they ask you is justified. The good-will, the humanitarian part should dominate the commercial and financial aspect.

If that is not your thing, let's have a look at volunteering for an organization directly.
People often say "I want to volunteer two weeks of my time, and look for something in Congo" ... . Well, not much of a chance, unless if you want to pay for it. Sounds odd, but it takes a while before you are run in, and become 'useful' to the organization. The organization has to invest a certain amount of time to get you up to speed, to guide you through your first weeks. They also have a cost in 'administrating' you. And you make - directly or indirectly - use of their infrastructure. All of this comes at a cost, an overhead cost. So they expect you to compensate for that. Again, make sure they justify their cost, and it sounds reasonable.

Exceptions do confirm the rule. There are cases where you are really specialized in what you do, and find a corresponding volunteering short term job in that specialization. Or you have done that kind of job, or have worked for that organization several times before. For these, one could expect the fee the organization asks, to be less.

The longer term volunteer.
The longer time you volunteer, and the more specialized or experienced you are, the higher the chances the organization will compensate your cost, give you free boarding and meals, pay for your travel, or even pay a small fee for your services.

Don't forget insurance!
Even if the organization is paying for all expenses, make sure you are also covered by an insurance (illness, medivac, accidents, etc ... ), either through them, or through your own insurance. Traveling abroad to remote areas has a certain risk of accidents (did you know most of the casualties we suffer are not caused by bullets or illness, but by car accidents?), illness or similar doomsday scenarios. Better safe than sorry, so make sure you understand how you are covered! By the organization? Or do they expect you to cover yourself? And does your normal medical insurance cover you if you are traveling to Timbuktu or Upchawayaya? Are you sure? If not, try these guys ... .

6. How to make contacts as a candidate-volunteer

There are organizations (like the UN Volunteers-UNV) specializing in recruiting and guiding volunteers. Try also onlinevolunteering.org even if you only have a few hours per week to help. You can also go to the different web pages of the humanitarian organizations to see if they have a specific internship or volunteering programme. Lists of humanitarian organizations you can find on Reliefweb, on OneWorld, People in aid, Dev-Zone and at the International Crisis Group. Alertnet lets you check which organization is working where.

You can then apply through the organization's main office. Or, dependent on the type of organization, your chances might be higher if you apply directly to a field office in a country of your choice. Try to find the email contacts from that field office through the web pages of the organizations. Often you also increase your chances if you find someone of your nationality in those field offices. It immediately opens up a door.

Another good source for volunteers is Nabuur, an online volunteering platform that links Neighbours (online volunteers) with Villages (local communities) in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Also have a read through Jayne's post on volunteering. It also lists a wide range of organizations.

The key often is to know someone already in that organization. Or to get to know someone, who knows someone. Pick a country. Search the web for contacts in that country. Register in forums (travel forums, or expat forums like the one on the expat-blogsite. Ask questions. Look for people who live in the country you are interested in. Check with them if they know of organizations interested in volunteers, working in their area. Often they do, as expat communities abroad are usually smaller communities where "everyone knows everyone else" ... .

7. No, I want to do this full-time. Who employs?

Ok. Many different ways, many different contract types, different durations, different organizations ... .

You can divide the thousands of humanitarian organizations in four basic groups:

NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) either local and international one. This is the gross of the humanitarian organizations. Well known names are Care, Save the Children, Oxfam ...
GO (Governmental Organizations), which are often part of the Ministry of International Development (or something of that kind) of a government. DFID, USAID are just a few examples. Most of the time, you need to be a citizen of that country.
IO (International Organizations), which are like NGOs but with a large distributed network of local organizations. Well known IO are MSF, IFRC and ICRC (the 'Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement).
UN (United Nations). Forget the UN security council, and the big UN buildings in New York. The UN humanitarian organizations are quite independent from them, and each have their own funding, their particular work territory and/or specialization. Well known UN humanitarian organizations are UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP. But there are others: OCHA, WHO, UNIFEM, UNFPA, UNDP etc ... . Just scan www.un.org and you will find most of them.
All of them employ full time aid and/or development workers besides a vast set of volunteers and part-timers ... .

8. Where are the jobs advertised?

Well not in the Financial Times, that's for sure ... . A list of vacancies you can often find on the organizations' web pages. There is a global one on Reliefweb and another one on Alertnet. Try also the vacancies published on OneWorld.net, which also features a list of other job vacancy sites. UN Wire also has a list of vacancies. Check out the vacancy page from Dev-Zone. A bit broader view on vacancies, you find in Philanthropy.com and on Idealist.org.
Reliefweb made it even easier for you: they put all the open vacancies on a map for you, and have an extensive list of vacancy websites, like the one on the UN website.
If you are looking for jobs in human rights, the vacancy listing on Human Rights Tools might be your best resource.

Most of the time this involves sending a resume to the main office, or applying online. Plenty of people do get jobs that way. Still, understand thousands might apply for the same job. You should see the amount of applications we get when a job is advertised publicly ... . So your chances of success are pretty meager, to be honest. Well, meager is harsh, call it one in a hundred, one in a thousand ... .

You have a higher degree of success when you get to know people in the organizations working in the field you are specialized or interested in.
Say you are an accountant. Well look for contacts in the finance departments of the different organizations. Look up names, give them a call, write emails. When they get to know you one way or the other, and are interested in your resume, often they will go to the HR departments stating "I want THIS person, recruit him/her."

Network! If you know someone who knows someone who works in a humanitarian organization, follow that link. Build the contacts. Again, if you get to know the right people, the recruiting managers, you increase your chance of success.

And: follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! Once you applied, make sure your application stays on top of the pile. Call them regularly asking for updates. Email them. Insist. Friendly but firmly.

9. Which organization should you apply to?

Well, it depends on your specialization. A generalist (someone applying for jobs in the internal support departments, see higher), can apply in any organization. The more specialized you are as a generalist, the smaller the niche, but also the higher the chances for success.

Or, if you are not a generalist, then you need to find an organization working in the field you specialize in. Art? Medical care? Environment? Logistics?

Are there 'bad' organizations? Hmmm ... . not really. A bad reputation spreads and those few ill- reputed ones work themselves 'out of business' pretty fast. Some organizations are slower than others, though. Some have a bigger overhead than others. Some emphasize real field work while others work mainly from a head office. Some work on longer term stuff, some specialize on hands-on short term work. Some do mainly studies, others 'do' things ... .

10. Oh and by the way: What's the difference between an aid worker and a development worker?

In two words: An aid worker specializes in acute emergencies. The short term stuff. A development worker specializes in the longer term work, in sustainability ... . Both are needed. You can not only give people fish, you also need to teach them how to fish. But a starving person is not interested in learning how to fish. He wants to eat first ... .

Still questions? Drop me an email. I will be happy to help you further ... . If you choose to become an aid worker, or a development worker, either as a volunteer or full time, I am sure it will be just as fulfilling for you, as it was for me. And still is, even after 13 years. Wishing you the best of luck!

PS(ssst): Have a look at this post if you still look for (video-)inspiration!

PPS: Check out the excellent article "Advice for First-Time Aid Workers." It is published on aidworkers, an excellent resource made by and for aidworkers. (Thanks, Tom!)

The Road to the Horizon

Muhammad Yunus shares his insights on a world without poverty | NEED Video Interview

2009-08-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus, shares his insights on a world without poverty with Stephanie Kinnunen, NEED CEO and Co-Founder. photo | Thomas Lee

Muhammad Yunus, along with the Grameen Bank, was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to further social and economic development. “Muhammad Yunus has shown himself to be a leader who has managed to translate visions into practical action for the benefit of millions of people, not only in Bangladesh, but also in many other countries. Loans to poor people without any financial security had appeared to be an impossible idea,” states the Norwegian Nobel Committee prize announcement. “From modest beginnings three decades ago, Yunus has, first and foremost through Grameen Bank, developed microcredit into an ever more important instrument in the struggle against poverty.”

MUHAMMAD YUNUS INTERVIEW

Question 1: What was the initial start to Grameen Bank, and how many people are now empowered by the expansion of the Grameen programs?

Download link

>> click to watch the rest of the interview

for more on the Grameen Foundation visit: www.grameenfoundation.org

Computers for Education

2009-08-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

Leaders not pictured: Ms. Amy Bellus, Fr. John Forliti, and Mr. Rob Peick

Computers have revolutionized the way we interact and go about our daily lives. Case in point: you are reading this article from a computer or smart phone connected to the internet. Having a computer has becoming the norm and an expected expense — or graduation present — for American students entering college in the fall.

Not every student is so fortunate. Many students in Kenya have never seen a computer, much less expect to use one to further their education. Education itself is considered a luxury. This creates a digital divide between those who are virtually connected to the world and have the tools to enhance their education, and those who aren’t. Computer skills increase the chance of employment and can potentially become the gateway to a better life for an African student.

A group of eight students and three staff members of Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota, made it their mission to close the technology gap for students in rural Rabondo, Kenya. On June 8, the “Kenya Krew ’09” journeyed to the village to teach the students of St. Timon’s Secondary School how to use the ten Dell computers they had received through a generous grant from the Augustine Foundation. “There were twenty or thirty students who would gather around the computers at a time and we would show them things like how to open a Word document, what a monitor is, and how to save their work. Basic stuff,” explained Megan Kramer, a student from the group.

More than 200 students are enrolled at St. Timon’s Secondary School. Five of its eight teachers are paid by the government, and the others volunteer and receive a modest stipend from the money raised by the Rabondo Community Project USA, a nonprofit organization started by Timon Bondo, who grew up in Rabondo and came to Minnesota to further his education.

During a return visit to Rabondo in 1996, Timon was struck by the destitution of his village. Restoring hope to his home was not an easy task for the blind and elderly man, but he could not ignore the orphans and widows of AIDS left to fend for themselves, or the lack of sanitation facilities, safe water, electricity, businesses and access to basic health care. The first story in NEED magazine’s premiere issue tells how Timon created Rabondo Community Project USA to provide resources to educate the children of Rabondo.

Photos Courtesy | Rabondo Community Project USA

Thirteen years later, the children of Rabondo are receiving not only a roof over their classrooms, but also the technology to truly excel in their academic endeavors.

This is not to say that donating computers to Kenyan students is the simple solution to improve their lives and further their education. Without the technical training, internet connectivity, and a way of maintaining the machines, the computers are useless. One big issue is the variance of software compatibility, which leads to chaos in the classroom as teachers struggle to make the machines work. It is not as easy as visiting the Genius Bar at the Apple store, or calling the Geek Squad to troubleshoot computer problems. Many computers donated out of goodwill go to waste or end up polluting the land without the proper expertise to ensure the computers are useful.

Aware of this problem, the Kenya Krew ‘09 travelled from St. Paul to Rabondo to share their knowledge of how to operate the computers. When the school year resumes, they plan to tell their fellow classmates and teachers about their experience in hope of fundraising for the village to maintain the computers.

Students of CDH class of 2010: Brian Boyle, Maura Daugherty, Sam Dooher, Louise Gappa, Mary Henry, Megan Kramer, Cecelia Leatherman, and Revalon Wesson

What started as Timon’s passion to encourage the children and empower the community of Rabondo, has grown to a number of inspired individuals including the Kenya Krew ’09 as well as the Rotary Clubs of Alaska and White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The Rotary Clubs’ donations have made it possible for a well to be dug that will furnish St. Timon’s as well as the surrounding area with safe water. Work is expected to be completely by October of this year.

As the parents, students, and leaders gathered in a St. Paul house to share stories and experiences from the trip, one parent asked the group, “Who would go back?” All eleven members of the group raised their hands without hesitation.

Rabondo Community Project USA

Timon Bondo is deeply grateful for the help he has received along the way to improve the lives of the Rabondo community. He is currently seeking an intern to assist his continued effort to provide Rabondo with necessary resources by helping him with tasks that are difficult due to his failing eyesight. For more information, contact the staff of NEED magazine.

Who is Feeding America?

2009-08-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

A family receives donated food at Grace Evangelical Free Church. Feeding America estimates that 35.5 million Americans live in food insecure households, including over 12 million children. photo | Steve Floyd

In the largest and most efficient food producing country in the world, who would imagine that anyone would go without food? The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the United States produces about $100 billion worth in crops and another $100 billion in livestock every year. Knowing this, it may be surprising to learn that, this year, Feeding America will feed over 25 million people who would otherwise go hungry in the United States. Feeding America is a network of over 200 food banks across the county that collects and distributes donated food and grocery products to those with low food security: whose ability to acquire acceptable foods is limited or uncertain.

Feeding America utilizes a network of over 63,000 local charitable organizations to make donation of food possible for local businesses. Without these local organizations, transportation of donated goods would too expensive for most businesses and billions of pounds of food would just be thrown away. Also, local organizations help to make distribution into communities possible by setting up soup kitchens, pantries, and distribution sites. I recently attended a food distribution at Grace Evangelical Free Church in Fridley, Minnesota.

Food is being handed out to a long line of recipients. photo | Steve Floyd

The church receives 30,000 lbs of food and grocery products once a month from Feeding America and up to another 10,000 lbs from a local food bank called Ruby’s Pantry. In July of 2007, when the church began to distribute food to the local community, most of the organizers were astonished when close to a thousand people assembled outside the church doors to receive food. Economic pressure and a migration of low income families away from the inner city has brought a great many more hungry people to suburban areas in recent years. Arlette, one of the food recipients at the distribution, said that she and her daughter used to volunteer at food distributions like this one in years past, but now, her and her children’s families have fallen on hard times. As she waits for her turn to go through the food donation line, she tells me, “The rest of my family is too proud to come and stand in line, so I have to.” She gladly accepts the help explaining, “You give when you can, and then [the volunteers] are there when you need it.”

Grace Evangelical Free Church distributes more than 50 lbs of food product to each of the 650 to 700 family units that come to the church every month. To unload, tally, repackage, and distribute this amount of food takes around 130 volunteers. The volunteers sweat in the sun on hot days as they unload pallets of food; they stand in the cold wind directing traffic in the winter months, and they spend long hours ensuring that each anxious family gets through the food lines and has someone to help carry heavy boxes of product out to cars and busses. In spite of the hard work, volunteers continue to come back. “The food distribution is an awesome ministry, a great thing.” says Teri Porter, one of the distribution volunteers. “It’s my favorite day of the month!”

Feeding America states that “volunteers and faith-based organizations are the lifeline of America’s emergency food distribution system.” They note that nearly 75 percent of food pantries and 65 percent of soup kitchens are run by faith based agencies and as many as 90 percent of these organizations use volunteers. The people feeding Americans are volunteers like those at Grace Evangelical Free Church distributing the food collected by food banks like Ruby’s Pantry and Feeding America. Without them, one could find a thousand more hungry people in and around Fridley, Minnesota, 25 million more starving mouths in the US, and over 2 billion pounds of food products wasted.

A girl in line for food holds the door while others file in to receive over 50 lbs of food from Ruby’s Pantry and Feeding America. photo | Steve Floyd

Feeding America
35 E. Wacker Dr., #2000
Chicago, IL 60601
ph: 800.771.2303
ph: 312.263.2303
www.feedingamerica.org

IMPACT | The Miguel Angel Asturias Academy

2009-08-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

The IMPACT blog series demonstrate that stories have the power to inspire and create change.

Transforming Education | NEED Issue 4

a young student studies at the academy. photo | john abernathy

The Miguel Angel Asturias Academy

“The ideas are spreading — it looks like more young projects are able to get support easier because we are so visible.”

Jorge Chojolán started the Miguel Angel Asturias Academy (The Academy) for Guatemalan children in need of an education. Since his story was featured in NEED magazine The Academy has undergone some significant changes.

Steve Mullaney, The Academy’s director of development, explained that since the publication of the academy’s article, the school has received great publicity. Due to increased awareness, The Academy will have its first ever graduating high school class this year, and more students are enrolled than ever before. The waiting list is full for the 2009 school year.

The Academy was also able to start this school year fully funded. Mullaney attributes this achievement to Chojolán’s promotional tour of the US. NEED supplied Chojolán with magazines that he was able to distribute for free wherever he spoke. As a result, Mullaney explained that being able to start the year fully funded “gave [The Academy] more time to focus on our mission.”

Not only is this school encouraging students, but it is also inspiring other educators in the area. The innovative teaching methods that define The Academy are catching on. “The ideas are spreading … it looks more like young projects are able to get support easier because we are so visible” says Mullaney.

>> read The Miguel Angel Asturias Academy feature article