Girls Education International, Spring 2010 E-Newsletter

Girls Education International Partners with Bedari, starts program for 2 villages

Girls Education International (GEI) partnered with the Pakistani women’s rights organization Bedari late in 2009 and started its joint secondary school education project this March, 2010.

GEI is providing a total of $5000 toward a Bedari-designed scholarship model for girls, which will be implemented in two villages: Laphi and Sar Kalan. Both these villages lie in the northern mountains of the Salt Range in the Punjab region. Originally GEI planned to work only with girls in Laphi, but nine Laphi families decided against educating their girls. Thus, the opportunity was opened to various families in neighboring Sar Kalan, nine of which signed on. A total of 30 girls will now attend the Government Higher Secondary School, Buchal Kalan, district Chakwal.

The money provided to Bedari for the 2010-2011 school year will pay for transportation, school fees, two sets of uniforms, books, and other school supplies for the girls, as well as a 15% stipend for Bedari to administer the program. For more information on Bedari, visit their site. For more information on the village of Laphi and some of the girls we are supporting, please visit our blog.

New Executive Director, Therese Thompson to Lead Girls Education International

Therese Race Thompson started March 1, 2010 as the part-time executive director for Girls Education International. She will work 10 hours per week while finishing up her MPA in Nonprofit Management from the University of Colorado this May.

According to outgoing Executive Director Lizzy Scully, “Heidi and I took Girls Ed pretty far, and we are really proud of our efforts. But there’s only so much we can do with the experience we have. Therese brings extensive executive director experience and board management skills to the table. She has actually written and implemented nonprofit business plans. We are so excited to have her running the show.”

Not only does Therese bring extensive fundraising experience to the table, but she also brings a passion for women’s issues.

“I have always been interested in girls’ and womens’ issues,” she explains. “I am especially concerned with the education of girls. If you can affect the girl who becomes the woman of the house, you are affecting all of the following generations of both men and women. You are affecting the children and the communities.”

Therese looks forward to building out GEI’s current projects, raising funds for administrative costs, and completing the Girls Education International Fundraising Plan. Her first three months will be spent on “figuring things out, setting things up, and really looking for grant opportunities. There is a ton we need to do, but we really need to get the money coming in for long-term sustainability of the organization.”

Therese comes to us from Summit Cancer Solutions, an organization specializing in providing six-month individualized exercise and nutrition programs for cancer survivors. She will continue to work part-time for Summit, but is looking forward to the new opportunities afforded by GEI.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity to make a difference to girls in Liberia and Pakistan for now, and hopefully more countries in the future as we raise more money,” she says.

Therese resides in Lakewood with her husband Jay, and two children, Ryan, 14, and Connor, 11. They spend their free time backpacking, camping, hiking, and traveling. Therese’s personal hobby is playing the piano. To see Therese’s complete resume, please click here.

Rai Farelly, a PhD student in Linguistics at the University of Utah, is the co-founder of Project Wezesha, an organization raising funds to build a school in western Tanzania. Passionate and driven, Rai will help implement and evaluate current and future international projects and will be the board treasurer. Rai plans on visiting Liberia this summer to assess the Girls Education International/Common Ground Society Scholarship Program. To read more about Project Wezesha: (Hyperlink to Rai’s fundraising site: http://bit.ly/d1HJko)

Liberia Project Successful: Girls maintain strong GPAs despite the odds

All the participants in the Girls Education International-Common Ground Society (GEI-CGS) Scholarship Program maintained C or better averages during the 2008-2009 school year. Numerous students ranked within the top ten of their class. At E.J. Yancy Elementary & Junior High, Kakata, Margibi County, Teta Y. Dolo ranked 1st in her 8th grade class out of 20 students, with an average of 84%. She excelled in English, Math, and Vocabulary.

At St. Christopher’s Junior High, Kakata, Margibi County, Martu Kollie ranked 2nd in her 4th grade class (total # of students not known), with an average of 87%. She excelled in Religious Education, English, Science, Health, and Spelling. And Dorothy George ranked 3rd in her class with an average of 85% in her classes. She excelled in English, Reading, Science, and Spelling

At William V.S. Tubman-Gray Elementary & High School, Jennie Flomo ranked 5th in her 4th grade class out of 42 students, with an average 82%. She excelled in Reading, Spelling, English, and Phonics. Read Jennie’s story here.

At St. Martin’s Catholic High School (8th grade, 52 students) Neomi Mulbah and Madusy K. Kromah, ranked 6th and 7th, respectively, both averaging just above 82%. They both excelled in Physics, Social Studies, and Literature.

Dekegar Public School Students Out-Perform Other Schools

At Dekegar Public School in Montserrado County, Liberia, there were 20 7th graders during the 2008-2009 school year, 11 of whom were supported by the GEI-CGS Scholarship Program. Out of all our schools, the girls we support at Dekegar performed the best in the 2008-2009 school year. We continue to support these girls and will report on their grades for the 2009-2010 school year as soon as they arrive. To read more about these girls and to hear what they and their families have to say, click here.

Notes & Stuff:

Special thanks to Advisory Board member Steve Murchie for acting as board chair for the first two meetings of 2010.

Purchase one of Girls Education International’s new T-shirts, and support the Liberia and Pakistan projects. We still need to raise $5000 before August to pay for fall semester for both projects! Buy a T-shirt here.
Welcome New Board Member

Co-founder Heidi Wirtz stands with former CFO Justin Voorhees at the 2010 Beats for Books event wearing the new Girls Ed Tees.

Dekegar Public School Students Out-Perform Other Schools

At Dekegar Public School in Montserrado County, Liberia, there were 20 7th graders during the 2008-2009 school year, 11 of whom were supported by the GEI-CGS Scholarship Program. Out of all our schools, the girls we support at Dekegar performed the best in the 2008-2009 school year. We continue to support these girls and will report on their grades for the 2009-2010 school year as soon as they arrive.

Famata Harris ranked 1st in her class, getting a 98% in Literature, Geography, and Health, but also getting above 90% in Science and Religious Education. Her average grade was just above 89%. Read about five of our girls and what they had to say on our blog:

Henriette Tamba ranked a close 2nd, and had an average grade of just below 89%. She excelled in Geography, History, Healthy, Science, Religious Education and Vocabulary.
Henriette is one of our self-supported students. She has lived on her own for many years, and survives by running a small business. “As for my education, thank God for the Girls Education International Program,” Henriette says. “It has granted me a scholarship to enable me to gain my education.”

Rebecca Kollie ranks 3rd in her class, with just above an 87% average. She excelled in English, Literature, Geography, Health, Science and Vocabulary. According to the principal at Rebecca’s school, she is a “smart, obedient, and hardworking student.” She lived with her mother, but because her stepfather regularly beat her and was generally unsupportive of her desire to pursue an education, she moved to her aunt’s house. She now lives in peace and is benefiting from the Girls’ Scholarship.

Annie Jouah ranks 5th in her class with a GPA of 85%. She excelled in Geography and Religious Education. Annie is another one of our self-supported students. She earns money by planting small crops and selling them locally. With the Common Ground Society/Girls Education International program, she was able to go to school. “Now she acts like a happy teenager,” says Emily Sherman-Davis, the Liberia Program Director.
According to Annie: “I’m grateful to be on the scholarship program, and I will do my best to make the supporters of this program proud.”

Graciel Holder ranks 10th and has a GPA of about 82%. Graciel excelled in Literature and Religious Education. She currently lives with her mother (no name given) and has never completed any academic school year due to financial problems. “My daughter is all I have in this life, and I really want the best for her,” says her mother. “But my hands are short. I’m not working, and she doesn’t have a dad. But thank God that with the help of the Girls Education International scholarship program she was able to be in school and was promoted to the next class due to the program.” Graciel’s mother continued by saying education was the most important way to help girls. “One can never repay those who are helping our girls,” her mother continued. “Many thanks to Girls Education International.

Atura Garway ranks 11th in and has a GPA of about 82%. She excelled in History and Vocabulary. Atura lived with her brother and his wife for many years, but was treated poorly by her husband’s wife. She was not supported in her efforts to get an education, and she was made to do a lot of work without any recompense. “I decided to move to live on my own,” says Atura. “Now I’m self supported and in school due to a scholarship program and I’m really grateful for that.”

Now selling T-Shirts

You can now buy Girls Education International T-shirts. We have cute, feminine V-necks and scoop necks and standard men's Tees. Check out the button on our blogs, or go to our website.

Pattie Lee Becker to donate art for Tues., Oct. 27th Beats for Books fundraiser and more news!

Less than two weeks left until the Girls Education International Annual Beats for Books Fundraiser, sponsored by The North Face, The Spot Bouldering Gym, and Oskar Blues!

Pattie Lee Becker just offered to donate a piece of artwork for the Girls Ed fundraiser! Thanks Pattie Lee. Check out her cool stuff at her site.

Ammon McNeeley, big wall climber, has also just agreed to auction himself off for a day of climbing in Yosemite. But because we have so many amazing people to auction off that we may save him for our California Beats for Books event. We'll let you know early next week. Thanks Ammon! Visit Ammon's website by clicking here.

Visit the Girls Ed website early next week to see complete bios of all the athletes to be auctioned off, plus photos and descriptions of all the silent auction items, from artwork to outdoor equipment.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell--Interview with producer, Abigail Disney

Don't forget about the showing of Pray the Devil, to be held at the Old Main Chapel on the University of Colorado campus, September 21st. Doors open at 5, and the show will start at 7:30.
:) Lizzy

Read the interview below, or listen to Abigail Disney talk about the film at the Radio Without Borders website.

WWTW Interview: ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell’ producer Abigail Disney
MAY 16, 2009


The women at the heart of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” craved peace in their native Liberia after too many years of bloodshed.

So they bonded together, setting aside religious differences, to make the country’s raging civil war history.

Their peace effort plays out in “Devil,” a new documentary produced by Abigail Disney and slated for a fall DVD release. It will also be shown during the September Global Peace Tour.

Disney, founder of the nonprofit Daphne Foundation and, yes, the grand-niece of Walt Disney and daughter of Roy E. Disney, checked in with WWTW to share her transformation from social change advocate to film producer and the power of a potent last name.

WWTW: How did you get involved in the project, and was it difficult to find backing for such a remarkable story?


AD: I found the project totally by accident on a trip to Liberia to explore how I could be helpful through my foundation. I just heard some women refer to it here and there and started trying to put together all the pieces I was hearing. Little by little I figured out that something incredible had happened and it was unknown outside of Liberia and that just struck me as so deeply wrong.

WWTW: One of the women in “Pray the Devil …” relates the reasons for the ongoing bloodshed (power, money, greed, ethnic tension …). The film doesn’t delve much deeper into the root causes … or the politics. Can you explain why the film took that approach?

AD: Our feeling was that this film was for the women and should be entirely from their perspective. And to them, those causes were so petty and uninteresting compared with the agony they were suffering. At the end of the day they really believed that it was only a power grab and all the other reasons were covers for that anyway. To go into any detail was to dignify the warlords entirely more than they deserved to be dignified.

To read the complete interview, please visit the What Would Toto Watch Website.

Malnutrition in Liberia

MONROVIA, 19 March 2009 (IRIN) - Health officials have launched a strategy to tackle hunger in Liberia, where 37 percent of children under five suffer chronic malnutrition.

Stella Subah, nutrition adviser at the Health Ministry, told IRIN malnutrition will kill 74,000 children in Liberia by 2015 if urgent action is not taken.

Chronic malnutrition causes stunting in nearly one-third of Liberian children and leaves one in five underweight, according to Subah. A further seven percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition.

The policy commits the government to improving food security for the majority of Liberians, decreasing dependence in imported foods and boosting education strategies to help prevent malnutrition.

“This policy refocuses nutrition and puts it where it ought to be – on the higher agenda of the government,” said John Agbor, head of child survival at UNICEF. This is the first nutrition policy the government has developed since before the war broke out in 1989.

“Malnutrition…is a major problem here, because all the factors contributing to it still exist,” said UNICEF nutrition specialist Kinday Ndella Samba. “You still have high rate of poverty, poor access to water and sanitation and a lack of health care.”

Only 30 professionally trained government medical doctors work in Liberia, along with 46 NGO doctors, for a population of 3.3 million.

Moderate hunger has been endemic in Liberia for years, but thousands of additional people were put at risk of acute malnutrition in 2008 because of rising global food and fuel prices, according to aid agency Action Against Hunger (ACF).


Liberia imports 90 percent of its rice, and prices have not dropped since they shot up to US$35 for a 50-kilogram bag in early 2008 – the average monthly salary for a security guard in the capital Monrovia. Liberians told IRIN 50kg of rice will feed a family of seven for two weeks.

Malnutrition in turn hampers economic growth, with conditions such as anemia and iodine deficiency lowering the country’s economic productivity by $431,000 each year, Subah told IRIN.

Priorities

“If we want to address the issue, we have to address the underlying factors, such as food security, lack of access to water and sanitation, the failure of most mothers to breastfeed their babies and mothers not taking their babies for regular vaccines,” Subah said.

Improper care and feeding of children stems in part from low education rates and high rates of teenage pregnancy, according to William Dakel, director of local NGO Aid for the Needy Development Program (ANDP).

Forty-six percent of teenage girls are pregnant in Liberia, according to 2007 figures – the latest available. UNICEF says just 39 percent of girls attended primary school in 2007.

Agbor urges donors to maintain support to aid groups and the government to fight chronic malnutrition. “There are still a lot of children out there who need care, and if we have enough funding we can start to integrate aid groups’ work into government facilities.”

ANDP’s Dakel said: “It took us 14 years to fight a war, and it will not just take overnight to take care of all our problems. Donors and partners need to be patient.”

pw/aj/np

Year End Giving Letter

We completed our year-end giving letter campaign and got 350 letters out to friends, family, and colleagues. I've pasted the text below. For people wanting to donate as a gift to a family member or friend, we will be keeping track of names and sending out thank you notes after Christmas. Thanks for your generous support!

Dear YOU

Two years ago, while on a rock climbing expedition to the Karakoram Range of Pakistan, Lizzy Scully and I stayed in the remote village of Khane in the Hushe Valley. During our visit to the village’s two schools, we experienced a major aha moment that changed our lives. Shocked, we found feces on the grounds of the dilapidated two-room girls’ school, but a beautiful garden, four rooms, and white washed walls at the boys’ school. That evening we decided to find a way to support educational opportunities for women and girls in remote, mountainous regions of the world. Soon after, we founded Girls Education International.

Since our inception, we have successfully implemented a scholarship program for 47 girls in Liberia, provided school fees to two Nepalese girls, and established a relationship with a Pakistani NGO that will do a viability assessment for a school renovation project in Khane, spring 2009.

Our programs help girls like 18-year-old Gifty Yohn, who was just four years old in 1994 when she became one of a million refugees from Liberia’s brutal civil war. Gifty lost her father to cholera, her family home to looters and vandals, and any opportunity for an education. She and her six siblings live on less than $1 per day, which her mother earns selling fish at a stall in the local market. Gifty wants to become a nurse, but hasn’t been able to consistently pay her school fees. However, in August 2008, this promising student won a Girls Ed scholarship that will enable her to complete high school.

So why am I telling you this? Because Lizzy and I need help in order to expand and sustain our programs. Your generous donation will give us the means to do this. Think about it, for just $71 you can pay for a Liberian girl’s education for one year. Give your donation in someone else’s name as a holiday gift, and you will double your impact by raising awareness for Girls Ed and educating a girl. We know this is a tough time to ask for money, but educated girls are the world’s next great resource!

Sincerely,
Heidi Wirtz
Co-founder Girls Education International
www.girlsed.org

Please mail tax deductible donations:
The Mountain Fund*
c/o GEI
39 Madison, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
*GEI operates under the umbrella of TMF, a 501(c)3 organization.

Emily Sherman-Davis' second report on Liberia

This is Emily Sherman Davis’ second report

I made my first trip to Kakata, Margibi County on August 6, 2008, and returned to Monrovia on the evening of that same day . I also traveled to Bong County on August 14, 2008, where I spent two days. The purpose of both trips was to pay the fees of beneficiaries of the GEI/CGS Girls’ Scholarship.

We received the amount of US$1500.00 from GEI to pay the fees for the students who are on the scholarship. The prevailing rate is 60 LD to 1 US$ bring the total amount to LD 90,000.00 after the exchange was done.

I was not able to take pictures because the students are yet to start school in September. The month of August is strictly for registration and admission. We intend to take individual pictures of the students at their schools and in their uniforms when we visit during our first assessment.

We want to thank the GEI for the contributions it is making towards ensuring that girls can get education in Liberia

Very important Observation

During our calculations I observed that we had earlier told the GEI that the beneficiaries were only 42. This information was posted on the GEI blog. However the report sent for the selection had 47 (that is if you count the number against the selected schools). Unfortunately, neither institutions made that observation.

I am pleased to inform you that the beneficiaries are 47 as stated in the financial reports for payment:

St. Martins (Bong County) 10 students
Methodist (Bong County) 11 students
Dekegar ( Margibi County) 11 students
E. J. Yancy (Margibi County) 10 students
St. Christopher (Margibi County) 5 students

Total Beneficiaries 47 students

I think it is very important to make this clarification.

Sincerely yours
Emily Sherman-Davi
Project Coordinator – GEI/CGS Scholarship Fund
Program Director - CGS

Heidi Wirtz an Inspiring Soles semifinalist

We recently discovered that Heidi was voted as one of Outside Mag and Croc's Inspiring Soles, which means she gets $5,000 that she can donate to her favorite charity. This will pay for our Liberia program through spring of 2010! This is fantastic news.

On another bright note, we have a really great potential partner to work with in Pakistan, so perhaps we will finally be able to get our Khane project going next year.

Finally, we are having a fundraiser in early October. It will be at the B-Side restaurant. I'll post some more news on that in a bit.
-Lizzy

New Fund Raising Page!

I've just created a fund raising page for my nonprofit, Girls Education International. I'm shamelessly asking for money from all who read my blog. We at GEI need to raise $2,500 by December in order to pay for our girls program in Liberia. We are currently providing educational scholarships to nearly 50 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia. We need money to pay for their winter/spring semester scholarships as well as to pay for the program director in Liberia (Emily Sherman-Davis) to travel to visit with the girls, get their photos, and ensure their progress. Please donate! We need $2,500 by December. Check out the widget on the right side of the page.
Thanks!

It's been awhile

It's been a while since I've written! The board has decided to focus 90% on raising enough funds to support the Liberia program. We have sent them $1500, and that will pay for the first semester for the 42 girls we are supporting (with education scholarships). I am still amazed that just $1500 can pay to educate 42 girls! This has got to be one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of. We are educating 42 girls in Liberia, giving them a chance to better their lives. It's just, well, really really cool.

A friend sent me this video. I encourage all who read this blog to check it out: http://www.girleffect.org/#/video/

In other news, we are continuing to attempt to find an NGO in Pakistan with whom we can work on our Khane project. We are still committed to those little girls, but we realized that we cannot do much unless we can ensure 100% that the money is going to go where we say it should go. We have a good lead with an organization over there, and we are in the beginning stages of developing a relationship.

We are also still interested in working with the Empowering Women of Nepal group, and helping the girls at the Child Labor Rescue program house (run by EWN), but we've had to put that on hold until we can get our Liberia project totally funded. We actually have enough money to pay for the project, which is why we committed to it. But we will drain the coffers entirely if we don't raise more money. Thus, we have a variety of fundraisers that we are beginning to plan. Some of them are really neat. I'm excited!

Pete Takeda Fundraiser raises $400 for Liberia scholarship program

Pete Takeda shows off a SkirtSport dress that was raffled off.
We made just about $400 at the fundraiser last night, which included about 25 or so people. Though it was less than we hoped because there was a breast cancer fundraiser that same night, the intimate setting provided our presenter, alpinist and author Pete Takeda, with the opportunity to really interact with the audience. He was engaging and funny, and people laughed for the duration of his one-hour show. It was interesting to both hear about the spy satellites the U.S. and Indian governments placed on Nanda Kot and Nanda Devi, and also the stories he recalled about his own journey up Nanda Kot. Also, all participants ended up with raffle prizes, which was pretty exciting. I wouldn't say this was my most successful fundraiser, but it was probably one of the more enjoyable ones (after I quit moping after finding out about the other fundraiser).
Lizzy raffles off items donated by generous local and outdoor industry businesses (see list below)

I'd like to thank the following folks for making this happen:
Lorraine and Buff at the Hangar Restaurant kindly hosted the event, donating their time and energy as well as beer and their very nice space. Pete Takeda for doing the show, Justin Faye for providing the wonderful music, and Dick Orleans for proving the sound system, the wonderful GEI board members Elizabeth O'Neill and Justin Voorhees, and volunteers Audra Ord and Douglas Snively.
I'd also like to thank: Redwood Creek Winery, Oskar Blues Brewery, SkirtSports, Glassworks of Estes Park, Marmot, the Stanley Hotel, the Meadow Mountain Cafe, Evolv Shoes, Clif Bar, Jet Boil, Black Diamond, Climbing Magazine, Wigwam Socks, Majka Burhardt, Keith the massage therapist in Boulder, artist Renan Ozturk, artist Emilie Lee, Kate Rutherford, and the Estes Park News and the Lyons Recorder for publicizing the event.

Lizzy Scully Slide Show to Help Fund GEI Liberia Project

I'm heading up to Seattle on March 30 and will be doing a slide show for Feathered Friends on April 3rd. The slide show will be about Heidi's & my 12-year climbing partnership and friendship, and how our foreign expeditions inspired us to start Girls Ed. There will be photos from our expeditions as well as video, plus photos of our projects in Liberia, Pakistan, and Nepal. This door money from this show will be donated directly to our project in Liberia. For more information, please contact the cool folks there at: (206) 292-2210. There address is: 119 Yale Avenue N., Seattle, Washington 98109.