I started this blog with the idea that I would record absolutely everything our nonprofit has done from day one to get going. I haven't completely succeeded in this effort primarily because of a lack of time. However, there is a pretty good record of what we've been up to. I'll try to fill in some of the blanks over the next month. For now I'll start with a complete update of what we've been up to this autumn.
Our board--which still consists of Elizabeth O'Neill, Justin Voorhees, Heidi Wirtz, and myself--decided that we needed to pay someone to do some of the work that we needed to get done, but haven't been able to get done for lack of time. At a meeting we had about six weeks ago we decided to pay me to write a grant--for a very low cost of $15 per hour (the low average is $40 per hour, but can upwards of a few hundred)--and to pay Heidi and myself to put together a donor database and send off year-end giving letters--for the same $15 per hour. We established that amount of money because we currently have (or will soon have) about $10,000 in the bank from our fundraising efforts and from the Inspiring Soles grant (which we don't actually have in hand yet...) We're working a total of 110 hours on these projects, which equals about $1650. We will have to pay an additional $350 or so to get quickbooks to manage our accounting and also to pay for supplies for the year-end giving letter. After speaking with numerous people and doing research, we reasoned that spending 20% on overhead at this point would be well worth it, especially if our giving letter campaign is successful. We will make every effort to never exceed paying 20% for overhead costs.
In regards to the grant: We understand that because we are such a new organization, it will be difficult to get substantial grants. However, we believe it is important to have a template of information that we can modify for any grant opportunities that come our way in the future as we make more contacts. We will also be applying for grants, despite the odds. We think that because we have some strong NGO partners in other countries that have been operating for years that we might have a reasonable chance at receiving some grants regardless of our newness. We are applying for a Ford Foundation grant in December, and last month we applied for a grant/fundraising relationship with BoldeReach, an organization out of Boulder, Colo.
Writing the grant has provided valuable information in regards to how Heidi and I need to plan the future of GEI. Basically, in researching and writing the grant I discovered that we have many gaps to fill before we can be fully operational and successful. We have put plans in place to have all these gaps filled by January 2009.
I'll break down the process of writing the grant and what I discovered in the following outline and narrative:
First, I read extensively on how to shape grants, who to approach, and the things GEI needs to have in place before any foundation will consider giving us money; I read "Grant Writing for Dummies," which proved to be incredibly valuable and was open next to me on the table the entire time I was writing the grant; and I spent 20 to 30 hours reading materials I found on GrantCraft, a comprehensive Web site of grant writing information created by the Ford Foundation. I also spoke with various people from the nonprofit Engineers Without Borders, including their founder, the director and assistant director of fundraising, and the grant writer (I will go ahead an include those notes at the end of this blog so that anyone interested in details on what I am about to expound on can read more). Because I had the opportunity to pick their brains, I also got a lot of great tips and advice for other important things we need to think about.
The most important things I discovered were that nonprofits have a difficult time getting grants unless:
1. They have actually been around for at least five years (and have shown they can start, implement, and follow through with projects, including managing the money;
2. They have their accounting practices accredited by an outside source;
3. They have some paid employees (which reassures grantors that there money won't disappear when volunteers inevitably burn out or end up with not enough time to see projects through)
4. They have complete transparency with finances;
5. They have some concrete, long-term fundraising plans in place;
6. And they are accredited by the various organizations that monitor nonprofit activities.
I also discovered:
1. Year-end giving letters that target people we know, previous donors, associates, etc, are what bring in the most money. All the EWB people stressed the need to establish personal ties with people that can be developed over the long term. Those relationships will sustain the organization, especially considering it is very difficult to get operational grants. Grantors typically designate grants to go to specific projects. However, in order to implement our projects, Heidi and I have finally realized that we have to be paid something. If we want to expand the programs we currently have and expand our operations to different countries, we have to be able to sustain ourselves as well as our programs. Thus, we decided to go ahead and implement a comprehensive year-end giving letter campaign that includes the mailing out of 500 letters with follow up emails, which we are mailing out Saturday, December 6th (after our letter-stuffing party, which is being sponsored by Oskar Blues--Thanks Dale and Chad!). We are currently using Filemaker Pro to organize the list of 400 or so donors that Heidi and I have so far put together, and The Mountain Fund is generously allowing us to use their license with Constant Contact to send out follow-up email newsletters later in December. We hope to bring in sufficient funds to pay for Heidi and I to get specific projects done, to manage our projects, and, of course, to pay for our projects.
2. Developing a donor database from the get-go is key. Basically we need to figure out a way to manage our donors including: keeping track of who has given us what in terms of money or in-kind donations; thanking people who have donated with personal calls and/or letters; knowing where the donors came from; finding out who is most likely to donate again; and the list goes on. Heidi and I have been developing this. We are still not sure which management system we are going to go with, but for now I'm using Filemaker Pro because it makes sense, and I have a free one-month trial period to use it.
3. We need a comprehensive fundraising plan that we will use in conjunction with a comprehensive marketing plan. We have a new marketing person on board--Jancy Quinn--who will be helping us develop this. We plan to have both outlined by the beginning of January. We have already made a good start. We feel that if we figure these two plans out, we can combine them with our already existing strategic plan to come up with a viable business plan.
OK, that's all for now. I've got a load of work to do, including putting together the rest of the donor database and writing the second draft of the year-end giving letter (which I will post when I am finished with it).
Notes with Founder of Engineers Without Borders:
Summary of meeting notes with Bruce Grant of Engineers Without Borders:
1. We need to create an auditable database from day one. All the “big charity watchdogs” (online sites) that evaluate nonprofits will only start evaluating us from the time we start auditing ourselves. We have to pay an accountant to do this. We have to be licensed or approved by these watchdog groups in order to get foundations to pay any attention to us at all. We also have to be recommended by these groups if we’re going to have any chance of getting a grant.
a. Also, foundations will find us if we are on these charity watchdog sites.
b. Charity groups: Charitynavigator.com, charity.org, etc
2. We need to plan out a five-year plan now. Question: what do we want to look like in five years.
3. There is nothing wrong with paying ourselves to get going, but we have to be careful to not spend more than 20% of our income on overhead. We never want overhead to go over 20% of our income.
4. We need to do extensive networking as soon as possible.
a. We need to hit every female business owner on the Front Range. I have a list of the top 100 female-owned firms on the FR.
b. We need to get out and start talking with people in person, including legislators & politicians, businesswomen and men, and anyone else who might be able to help us.
c. We need to find an Angel donor.
d. Boulder Reach. We need to speak to these women.
e. We need to find out how to access charity lists and rolls.
f. Schedule a meeting with Heidi, the main fundraiser for EWB.
g. We need to get on Linked in and link to as many people as possible.
h. We need to find Top Tier people who can influence our success and tie us into other people.
i. We need to get in contact with as many other nonprofits as possible and learn from them.
j. Avoid faith-based orgs and government grants. The moment we take US government money, our Muslim students are at risk.
5. We need a marketing plan:
a. We need to write a quarterly email newsletter that we send out via constant contact
b. We need to figure out how to better market our nonprofit with Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.
c. Annual Giving Challenge. Parade Magazine. 700 nonprofits registered last year. Through viral marketing they wanted to find out how many people could give how many people 10 dollars.
10. We need to start a “Year-End Giving” letter writing campaign now, so that we get letters out to 500 people before December. 80% of individual donors give money around holidays.
a. These letters should be from each of our board members and should be personalized.
b. These letters should include a powerful story about one of the girls we have helped.
c. These letters should also include the founders’ story
11. We should not focus on grants until we make more contacts because we will not likely get grants unless we know people in high places.
12. We must emphasize transparency on our Web site as much as possible. Everyone wants to know that we’re honest. We need to report every dime on our site or blog.
13. We need to find more board members, and we need to make sure that every board member brings at least two of these three things to the board: Time, Talent and Treasure (or Work, Wealth and Wisdom).
14. We need to have a “prudent reserve.” Which means we should always make sure to have a certain amount of money in the bank. In this case, since we have just $10K, we should make sure to keep $2K always in the bank. We can increase this number once we raise more money. Money has to come in all the time if it’s going out.
15. We need to build a donor list asap.
16. We should never write a grant unless we have a high expectation of winning that money. You have to know people in high places to even be considered.
17. We need to refine our Bylaws
Notes from meeting with Assistant Director and Director of Fundraising at EWB:
1. They said the most important thing that we need to do right now is: 1) compile a database of donors and; 2) get out a year-end giving letter.
a. There is free software online (Opensource and Sales Force are two)
b. Get lists of contacts from our board members
c. Contact stores, sponsors, etc, to see if we can get lists of potential donors from them.
d. Network more on Facebook and Web sites like that.
e. We need to recognize people who donate to us, especially people who donate a lot of money. Apparently 80% of nonprofits’ funds come from donors and a huge percentage (they said somewhere around 3/4s won’t donate unless they get some sort of recognition of that donation).
f. All board members should be involved in the year-end giving letter to some degree.
2. They reiterated that we should not focus on grant writing, especially now because we are much more likely to get money from people who have donated already and from our personal contacts.
3. They said writing a grant as a template is a good idea, but they warned that:
a. Really great grant writers have a 5-10% return
b. We’re not likely to get any big grants until we have been established for at least 5 years.
c. We have a chance to get smaller grants
4. They suggested networking as much as possible with:
a. Schools. Start a sister school program, have letter and photo exchanges, and encourage the kids at local schools to raise money for our scholarships and other programs. Bring some stuff back from Liberia or Nepal and give it to the kids at the sister schools to sell/auction
b. Find wealthy people and get them to serve on our board; find angel donor
5. They said we need to get people on the board who either have money or who can focus on making money, and that should be the main job of board members.
6. Fundraising events. They said the key element of fundraising events should be the collection of information. That until we get more efficient and effective at fundraising events, we aren’t going to make much money, but we do have the opportunity to really build up our donor database.
7. They said it’s not a bad idea to get someone who wants to work for free and tell them to earn their own salary, but they also said that most of the time the people who “stick” are people who are passionate about the cause already (i.e. me and Heidi).
I haven't summarized the meeting notes with the grant writer yet, and so I shall leave those out.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Response from Emily Sherman-Davis, Liberia
This note is from Common Ground Society's Program Director Emily Sherman-Davis in response to a note I sent her along with those terrible statistics I published on my blog yesterday. I wrote, "Those statistics make me feel sick." She responded:
Lizzy
I can understand how you feel, but it is also pathetic when you see the girls or the victims themselves. The personal tragedy is too terrible and I can tell you stories upon stories of what I saw during the war. When it comes to rape, especially up country, people are too scared to talk about it, women are seen as tools to be used by men, girls get ostracized because of rape and sometimes even blamed. Women live in a very harsh world here. It is only now that thngs are taking a different trend. We have a woman president and she is doing her best. But women need to stand up for themselves. How can they, when they can't get an education. This is the struggle and it is going to be a long and ardous journey. I am happy that your organization is helping our girls. Someday, it is my desire that you come and see this country and the children you are helping.
Rgds
Emily
Lizzy
I can understand how you feel, but it is also pathetic when you see the girls or the victims themselves. The personal tragedy is too terrible and I can tell you stories upon stories of what I saw during the war. When it comes to rape, especially up country, people are too scared to talk about it, women are seen as tools to be used by men, girls get ostracized because of rape and sometimes even blamed. Women live in a very harsh world here. It is only now that thngs are taking a different trend. We have a woman president and she is doing her best. But women need to stand up for themselves. How can they, when they can't get an education. This is the struggle and it is going to be a long and ardous journey. I am happy that your organization is helping our girls. Someday, it is my desire that you come and see this country and the children you are helping.
Rgds
Emily
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The situation for women in Liberia is dire
The situation for women in Liberia is dire, which is why we are committed to supporting our Liberia Scholarship Program for the long term and expanding it over the next few years. I found this entry on a woman's blog. It is powerful. Among other things that are really sticking in my head are the facts that the rape rate is upwards of 77% and the literacy rate for women is less than 30%. To read more, visit this powerful blog.
SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2007
Personalizing the reality of Liberia's gender statistics
Statistics about the situation of women in Liberia are few. After 14 years of civil conflict, the lack of data is a huge constraint for government and development partners alike. One of the ongoing priorities is to gather data to characterize the population and inform policy, especially as the country moves into the process of drafting its 5-year Poverty Reduction Strategy. Over the past week, I have been working with the Ministry of Gender to review and revise the nation's Gender Profile and Gender Needs Assessment, telling a story with what little information is available. I'm keeping my nerdy fingers crossed that the Demographic and Health Survey data will be out in July, as promised, so that I can do some data crunching to expand upon the data we have now (including violence prevalence rates, perceptions on HIV/AIDs, education attainment and women's health concerns). Below, I have attempted to pass along some of the harsh reality that the current reports contain.
Think of a room of 100 women/girls in your life.
I picture my mom, 2 grandmothers and 7 aunts. 17 girl cousins, my 2 high school best friends (aka sisters), my god-daughter. My 11 college roommates and 15 young women who participated in service trips, retreats and adventures with me at Boston College. My 32 female peers in the 2008 MPA/ID class at the Kennedy School and 4 faculty/staff who have influenced my studies throughout the years. 4 women who were my community in Laredo and 8 mentors from Casa de Misericordia Domestic Violence Shelter.
100 women. Who would be in your room?
Now, imagine that these 100 women live, not in the United States, but in Liberia. What would this mean?*
Women will average six children each and the entire room will mother 620 children. 97 of those babies will die before they reach the age of 5 years old. Pick 61 women who will watch at least one child die before it reached school age. About 25 women will experience this loss more than once. Luckily in my own randomized exercise, my mom was one of the 39 women who never had a child die. 4 of the 97 dead infants belonged to my friend Maggie.
Now select a group of 11 women and a group of 4. 11 women will deliver their children with the assistance of trained medical professionals; 4 women will die giving childbirth. My Granny Stanger, cousin Darci, roommate Regina and classmate Caroline died while giving birth (I’ll ignore the fact that my Granny’s death might have erased the existence of 10% of the room).
Separate nearly two-thirds of the room: 74 women in the room will be illiterate adults – unable to read newspapers, street signs, books or guides to proper health care. As a comparison, if the room were 100 men, half would be illiterate. In my simulation, 7 out of my 32 Kennedy School classmates are able to read and write their names. My Aunt Denise and my Grandma Dauenbaugh no longer share books with each other and my god-daughter will never be able to read her birthday cards.
Now add in a new assumption, the room of women are all from the urban area of Monrovia:
28 work as market vender/petty traders, 5 work in clerical positions, 3 are skilled laborers or work in manufacturing. Overall, 41 women are working and of these 33 are self-employed.
Now assume your network of women comes from rural areas:
65 women have access to land for farming, but only 7 women in the room own land that they farm. In fact, even though the law of inheritance changed in 2003 to grant wives the right to 1/3 of their husbands’ property (previously, they had no rights over his property), 28 women in the room believe that the law does not even allow them to own land. (32 have husbands who believe the same). This is all in spite of the fact that women in Liberia are collectively responsible for 60% of the total agricultural production of the country.
Final scenario, the 100 women in the room were forced to leave their homes or were directly affected by the 14-year civil conflict in Liberia:
Separate just over three-quarters of the room. These 77 women were raped. 13 women became pregnant as a result of rape. In my room it was my Mom, aunt Jodi, cousin Cassie, 4 friends from Boston College, 2 colleagues from Laredo, and 4 of my KSG classmates.
42 women were subjected to internal body cavity searches.
23 women suffer from permanent physical disfigurement
Pick out one woman in the room. My random sampling drew my college roommate Lizzie. She was forced to eat or sell pieces of a loved-one’s body. Imagine her telling you a story similar to one of these:
“The soldiers cut my husband’s head off after he witnessed powerlessly them raping me. After they cut him into pieces, they put the pieces in the pot and asked me to cook it. After cooking, they forced us to eat. I am not the way I was before.”
Or
“My son was killed by a group of rebels and the body was cut into pieces and put into a wheelbarrow. They (rebels) gave it to me for sale. I did it because I was afraid to be cut to death.”
Only six women are free from physical/health consequences from the abuse they were subjected to during the war.*
SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2007
Personalizing the reality of Liberia's gender statistics
Statistics about the situation of women in Liberia are few. After 14 years of civil conflict, the lack of data is a huge constraint for government and development partners alike. One of the ongoing priorities is to gather data to characterize the population and inform policy, especially as the country moves into the process of drafting its 5-year Poverty Reduction Strategy. Over the past week, I have been working with the Ministry of Gender to review and revise the nation's Gender Profile and Gender Needs Assessment, telling a story with what little information is available. I'm keeping my nerdy fingers crossed that the Demographic and Health Survey data will be out in July, as promised, so that I can do some data crunching to expand upon the data we have now (including violence prevalence rates, perceptions on HIV/AIDs, education attainment and women's health concerns). Below, I have attempted to pass along some of the harsh reality that the current reports contain.
Think of a room of 100 women/girls in your life.
I picture my mom, 2 grandmothers and 7 aunts. 17 girl cousins, my 2 high school best friends (aka sisters), my god-daughter. My 11 college roommates and 15 young women who participated in service trips, retreats and adventures with me at Boston College. My 32 female peers in the 2008 MPA/ID class at the Kennedy School and 4 faculty/staff who have influenced my studies throughout the years. 4 women who were my community in Laredo and 8 mentors from Casa de Misericordia Domestic Violence Shelter.
100 women. Who would be in your room?
Now, imagine that these 100 women live, not in the United States, but in Liberia. What would this mean?*
Women will average six children each and the entire room will mother 620 children. 97 of those babies will die before they reach the age of 5 years old. Pick 61 women who will watch at least one child die before it reached school age. About 25 women will experience this loss more than once. Luckily in my own randomized exercise, my mom was one of the 39 women who never had a child die. 4 of the 97 dead infants belonged to my friend Maggie.
Now select a group of 11 women and a group of 4. 11 women will deliver their children with the assistance of trained medical professionals; 4 women will die giving childbirth. My Granny Stanger, cousin Darci, roommate Regina and classmate Caroline died while giving birth (I’ll ignore the fact that my Granny’s death might have erased the existence of 10% of the room).
Separate nearly two-thirds of the room: 74 women in the room will be illiterate adults – unable to read newspapers, street signs, books or guides to proper health care. As a comparison, if the room were 100 men, half would be illiterate. In my simulation, 7 out of my 32 Kennedy School classmates are able to read and write their names. My Aunt Denise and my Grandma Dauenbaugh no longer share books with each other and my god-daughter will never be able to read her birthday cards.
Now add in a new assumption, the room of women are all from the urban area of Monrovia:
28 work as market vender/petty traders, 5 work in clerical positions, 3 are skilled laborers or work in manufacturing. Overall, 41 women are working and of these 33 are self-employed.
Now assume your network of women comes from rural areas:
65 women have access to land for farming, but only 7 women in the room own land that they farm. In fact, even though the law of inheritance changed in 2003 to grant wives the right to 1/3 of their husbands’ property (previously, they had no rights over his property), 28 women in the room believe that the law does not even allow them to own land. (32 have husbands who believe the same). This is all in spite of the fact that women in Liberia are collectively responsible for 60% of the total agricultural production of the country.
Final scenario, the 100 women in the room were forced to leave their homes or were directly affected by the 14-year civil conflict in Liberia:
Separate just over three-quarters of the room. These 77 women were raped. 13 women became pregnant as a result of rape. In my room it was my Mom, aunt Jodi, cousin Cassie, 4 friends from Boston College, 2 colleagues from Laredo, and 4 of my KSG classmates.
42 women were subjected to internal body cavity searches.
23 women suffer from permanent physical disfigurement
Pick out one woman in the room. My random sampling drew my college roommate Lizzie. She was forced to eat or sell pieces of a loved-one’s body. Imagine her telling you a story similar to one of these:
“The soldiers cut my husband’s head off after he witnessed powerlessly them raping me. After they cut him into pieces, they put the pieces in the pot and asked me to cook it. After cooking, they forced us to eat. I am not the way I was before.”
Or
“My son was killed by a group of rebels and the body was cut into pieces and put into a wheelbarrow. They (rebels) gave it to me for sale. I did it because I was afraid to be cut to death.”
Only six women are free from physical/health consequences from the abuse they were subjected to during the war.*
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Update on Liberia
Since we have the $5,000 Inspiring Soles grant, we are now focusing on expanding our Liberia program to include 100 girls; we also hope to offer them some sort of meal plan, a stipend for books and uniforms, and we want to offer them some after school programs dedicated to raising awareness of reproductive issues, STDs, and other issues. I'm researching grants right now. We hope to have some grants out by the end of the year.
Our next board meeting is next week. I'll include notes from our last board meeting below and below that notes from my meeting with Bruce Grant, one of the founders of Engineers Without Borders.
-Lizzy
MEETING 10/14/08
Topics:
Where are we going:
Do we want to grow? And how? Growing small and slow seems to be the consensus.
Executive director discussion
Grant writing discussion
Possibly having paid positions.
Fund raising:
Fund Raiser 10/9:
1. We made $700 roughly.
Finances:
We have roughly $10,000
Need to make a schedule of allotted money for the year.
Project Updates:
Update on Pakistan:
1. We are on hold at the moment, but things seem to moving ahead.
Update on Liberia:
1. Need to Clarify how much each student receives, where remainder goes, how many students we are sponsoring.
2. Need to start writing grants.
Update on Nepal:
1. Possibly look into finding a Nepali NGO to partner with. **If we find potential partners perhaps I can go meet with them in Jan/Feb 09.
2. Need to send money for Jamling.
Tasks:
Justin:
1. Looking into 501(c)(3)
2. put together report of current financial status
Lizzy:
1. Fix website so that people can donate and link to TMF
2. Grant proposal
3. Get specifics for money in Liberia
4. Get money from Justin and send to Jamling.
Heidi:
1. Look into Executive Director duties and salaries
2. Contact Boulder Reach
3. Check with Emily on GEI Video
4. Work with Tsoler on connecting with Jah Vintage
5. Contact Sarah (new graphic designer) about Logo
Elizabeth:
1. Continue working with PDCN to push forward on Pakistan project
Summary of meeting notes with Bruce Grant of Engineers Without Borders:
1. We need to create an auditable database from day one. All the “big charity watchdogs” (online sites) that evaluate nonprofits will only start evaluating us from the time we start auditing ourselves. We have to pay an accountant to do this. We have to be licensed or approved by these watchdog groups in order to get foundations to pay any attention to us at all. We also have to be recommended by these groups if we’re going to have any chance of getting a grant.
a. Also, foundations will find us if we are on these charity watchdog sites.
b. Charity groups: Charitynavigator.com, charity.org, etc
2. We need to plan out a five-year plan now. Question: what do we want to look like in five years.
3. There is nothing wrong with paying ourselves to get going, but we have to be careful to not spend more than 20% of our income on overhead. We never want overhead to go over 20% of our income.
4. We need to do extensive networking as soon as possible.
a. We need to hit every female business owner on the Front Range. I have a list of the top 100 female-owned firms on the FR.
b. We need to get out and start talking with people in person, including legislators & politicians, businesswomen and men, and anyone else who might be able to help us.
c. We need to find an Angel donor.
d. Boulder Reach. We need to speak to these women.
e. We need to find out how to access charity lists and rolls.
f. Schedule a meeting with Heidi, the main fundraiser for EWB.
g. We need to get on Linked in and link to as many people as possible.
h. We need to find Top Tier people who can influence our success and tie us into other people.
i. We need to get in contact with as many other nonprofits as possible and learn from them.
j. Avoid faith-based orgs and government grants. The moment we take US government money, our Muslim students are at risk.
5. We need a marketing plan:
a. We need to write a quarterly email newsletter that we send out via constant contact
b. We need to figure out how to better market our nonprofit with Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.
c. Annual Giving Challenge. Parade Magazine. 700 nonprofits registered last year. Through viral marketing they wanted to find out how many people could give how many people 10 dollars.
10. We need to start a “Year-End Giving” letter writing campaign now, so that we get letters out to 500 people before December. 80% of individual donors give money around holidays.
a. These letters should be from each of our board members and should be personalized.
b. These letters should include a powerful story about one of the girls we have helped.
c. These letters should also include the founders’ story
11. We should not focus on grants until we make more contacts because we will not likely get grants unless we know people in high places.
12. We must emphasize transparency on our Web site as much as possible. Everyone wants to know that we’re honest. We need to report every dime on our site or blog.
13. We need to find more board members, and we need to make sure that every board member brings at least two of these three things to the board: Time, Talent and Treasure (or Work, Wealth and Wisdom).
14. We need to have a “prudent reserve.” Which means we should always make sure to have a certain amount of money in the bank. In this case, since we have just $10K, we should make sure to keep $2K always in the bank. We can increase this number once we raise more money. Money has to come in all the time if it’s going out.
15. We need to build a donor list asap.
16. We should never write a grant unless we have a high expectation of winning that money. You have to know people in high places to even be considered.
17. We need to refine our Bylaws
Our next board meeting is next week. I'll include notes from our last board meeting below and below that notes from my meeting with Bruce Grant, one of the founders of Engineers Without Borders.
-Lizzy
MEETING 10/14/08
Topics:
Where are we going:
Do we want to grow? And how? Growing small and slow seems to be the consensus.
Executive director discussion
Grant writing discussion
Possibly having paid positions.
Fund raising:
Fund Raiser 10/9:
1. We made $700 roughly.
Finances:
We have roughly $10,000
Need to make a schedule of allotted money for the year.
Project Updates:
Update on Pakistan:
1. We are on hold at the moment, but things seem to moving ahead.
Update on Liberia:
1. Need to Clarify how much each student receives, where remainder goes, how many students we are sponsoring.
2. Need to start writing grants.
Update on Nepal:
1. Possibly look into finding a Nepali NGO to partner with. **If we find potential partners perhaps I can go meet with them in Jan/Feb 09.
2. Need to send money for Jamling.
Tasks:
Justin:
1. Looking into 501(c)(3)
2. put together report of current financial status
Lizzy:
1. Fix website so that people can donate and link to TMF
2. Grant proposal
3. Get specifics for money in Liberia
4. Get money from Justin and send to Jamling.
Heidi:
1. Look into Executive Director duties and salaries
2. Contact Boulder Reach
3. Check with Emily on GEI Video
4. Work with Tsoler on connecting with Jah Vintage
5. Contact Sarah (new graphic designer) about Logo
Elizabeth:
1. Continue working with PDCN to push forward on Pakistan project
Summary of meeting notes with Bruce Grant of Engineers Without Borders:
1. We need to create an auditable database from day one. All the “big charity watchdogs” (online sites) that evaluate nonprofits will only start evaluating us from the time we start auditing ourselves. We have to pay an accountant to do this. We have to be licensed or approved by these watchdog groups in order to get foundations to pay any attention to us at all. We also have to be recommended by these groups if we’re going to have any chance of getting a grant.
a. Also, foundations will find us if we are on these charity watchdog sites.
b. Charity groups: Charitynavigator.com, charity.org, etc
2. We need to plan out a five-year plan now. Question: what do we want to look like in five years.
3. There is nothing wrong with paying ourselves to get going, but we have to be careful to not spend more than 20% of our income on overhead. We never want overhead to go over 20% of our income.
4. We need to do extensive networking as soon as possible.
a. We need to hit every female business owner on the Front Range. I have a list of the top 100 female-owned firms on the FR.
b. We need to get out and start talking with people in person, including legislators & politicians, businesswomen and men, and anyone else who might be able to help us.
c. We need to find an Angel donor.
d. Boulder Reach. We need to speak to these women.
e. We need to find out how to access charity lists and rolls.
f. Schedule a meeting with Heidi, the main fundraiser for EWB.
g. We need to get on Linked in and link to as many people as possible.
h. We need to find Top Tier people who can influence our success and tie us into other people.
i. We need to get in contact with as many other nonprofits as possible and learn from them.
j. Avoid faith-based orgs and government grants. The moment we take US government money, our Muslim students are at risk.
5. We need a marketing plan:
a. We need to write a quarterly email newsletter that we send out via constant contact
b. We need to figure out how to better market our nonprofit with Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.
c. Annual Giving Challenge. Parade Magazine. 700 nonprofits registered last year. Through viral marketing they wanted to find out how many people could give how many people 10 dollars.
10. We need to start a “Year-End Giving” letter writing campaign now, so that we get letters out to 500 people before December. 80% of individual donors give money around holidays.
a. These letters should be from each of our board members and should be personalized.
b. These letters should include a powerful story about one of the girls we have helped.
c. These letters should also include the founders’ story
11. We should not focus on grants until we make more contacts because we will not likely get grants unless we know people in high places.
12. We must emphasize transparency on our Web site as much as possible. Everyone wants to know that we’re honest. We need to report every dime on our site or blog.
13. We need to find more board members, and we need to make sure that every board member brings at least two of these three things to the board: Time, Talent and Treasure (or Work, Wealth and Wisdom).
14. We need to have a “prudent reserve.” Which means we should always make sure to have a certain amount of money in the bank. In this case, since we have just $10K, we should make sure to keep $2K always in the bank. We can increase this number once we raise more money. Money has to come in all the time if it’s going out.
15. We need to build a donor list asap.
16. We should never write a grant unless we have a high expectation of winning that money. You have to know people in high places to even be considered.
17. We need to refine our Bylaws
Interesting information on education in Liberia
PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)
CONCEPT STAGE
Report No.: AB3636
Project Name Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women
in Liberia
Region AFRICA
Sector Vocational training (70%);Adult literacy/non-formal education
(30%)
Project ID P110571
Borrower(s) Project is a grant for GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA
Implementing Agency Will depend on final design of the program
Environment Category []A []B [X] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined)
Date PID Prepared January 30, 2008
Estimated Date of
Appraisal Authorization
Estimated Date of Board
Approval
December 31, 2008
1. Key development issues and rationale for Bank involvement
Liberia’s 14-year long war (1989-2003) debilitated the country’s human development capacity,
paralyzed markets, and left a generation of young people with little education and few skills.
Girls were particularly disadvantaged. In 2003, almost 60% of young girls and 40% of young
boys had no formal schooling (ILO/UNICEF 2005). Their disadvantage reflects long-standing
gender inequality in Liberian society. Preliminary findings from the DHS survey show that more
than 40% of women had no education, compared to less than 20% of men, while 23% of women
and 44% of men had some secondary schooling (DHS 2007).
While both adolescent girls and boys need to “catch up” quickly in terms of education and skills
training for productive employment in the short term – and broad-based economic growth in the
medium and long term – adolescent girls need additional policy and program efforts to achieve
better outcomes. As in many other post-conflict situations, emergency skills training and public
works programs in Liberia have targeted male youth ex-combatants, likely reinforcing rather
than reducing adolescent girls’ disadvantage. The few skills training programs for adolescent
girls, run largely by NGOs, have focused on traditional female skills (such as sewing, soap
production, tie-dying) for which there is little or no market demand. Unless there is an additional
effort specifically targeted to adolescent girls, Liberian policies developed within the PRS
exercise may overlook girls’ economic needs and potential economic contributions; with
subsequent costs for poverty reduction and economic growth.
The proposed project builds on the Bank’s comparative advantage in designing demand-driven
approaches to skills and entrepreneurship training and in conducting serious impact evaluations
of new initiatives. There have been few evaluations of youth-oriented training programs, and
none on programs targeted to young women and girls. The lessons that will be drawn from this
program can be used to change program design, scale up activities, or to replicate the program in
other settings.
2. Proposed objective(s)
The proposed development objective for the project is improved employability and incomes for
adolescent girls and young women in the Monrovia area, and development of a new model for
demand-driven training of youth in Liberia.
3. Preliminary description
The project proposes to provide skills training to adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24)
in such a way as to increase their employability and place them in jobs or self-employment. The
target population will comprise adolescent girls in urban and peri-urban Monrovia. The need for
investments outside Monrovia will be decided once the results of the initial pilot phase have been
analyzed. The target population may be more narrowly defined, for example, to concentrate on
adolescent girls who have recently completed or are completing the Accelerated Learning
Program, or with a certain educational profile. Further targeting details remain to be determined.
Four government agencies have been identified as key partners and potential government
counterparts: Gender and Development, Youth and Sports, Education, and Labor. All will be
involved in project design and implementation, whether directly or indirectly. The choice of
government counterpart will depend, in part, on the final design of the program and will be
determined in the pre-appraisal mission.
The project design envisions the following four components:
Component 1: Job skill training for wage employment –The focus of this component will be on
providing relevant skills training to girls and young women to enable them to obtain paid
employment. Examples of areas of employment might include high-quality urban services (such
as telecommunications, administrative and secretarial services, equipment repair and contract
management, and the hospitality industry.
Component 2: Entrepreneurship training with linkages to micro-finance – The focus of this
component will be to provide young female entrepreneurs access to training and micro-credit
that will boost their productivity, competitiveness and access to markets. A key element of this
package will be training in business development services, which typically include business
planning, consultancy and advisory services, marketing assistance, technology development and
transfer, and links to finance and financial services.
Component 3: Institutional strengthening of counterpart ministry – The war, under-investment in
human and institutional capacity, and the lack of engagement with the international community
have taken their toll on local capacity for project implementation and financial management in
key ministries. As soon as a government agency is selected to execute this project, the formation
of a Project Implementing Unit will also begin. Institutional strengthening will be focused on
three areas: (i) basic introduction to World Bank operations and fiduciary issues; (ii)
procurement and financial management of World Bank operations; and, (iii) results-oriented
monitoring and evaluation systems.
Component 4: Impact evaluation – The focus of this component will be designing and carrying
out a rigorous impact evaluation framework for the initiative.
Representatives of private sector groups in Liberia have noted the great difficulty in finding
young employees with appropriate job skills, including both technical knowledge as well as what
arereferred to as “non-cognitive” skills, including the ability to show up for work on time,
interact creatively and positively with colleagues, and take initiative to solve problems.1 Given
the relatively slow pace of private-sector jobs growth relative to the high rate of unemployment
currently existing in Liberia, however, providing training only for wage employment would not
be prudent. Thus, the project contains training options for both wage employment and self-
employment (entrepreneurship). Adolescent girls and young women will be able to self-select
into the training option that best suites their needs and preferences.
Ideally, training should be provided for skills and occupations for which demand will be
expanding in coming years. The Ministry of Commerce (2007) predicts that growth will come
from all sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, natural resource extraction, and services. Radelet
(2007) notes that in other African post-conflict countries, output growth was initially most rapid
in the service sector, with agricultural growth rebounding strongly 3-5 years after the end of the
conflict. Growth in manufacturing was the slowest to rebound but the most robust in the
medium term.
The a priori identification of future high-growth sectors in which to conduct training, however, is
prohibitively risky. Instead, mechanisms will be built into the project to ensure that training is
done—thus avoiding a pitfall that has plagued previous training programs in Liberia and
elsewhere. Two mechanisms will be put in place to promote linkages to the demand side of the
labor market and hence maximize the probabilities of employment for graduates of training.
First, a private sector advisory council will be formed to advise training providers on which
employees will be needed in the short-term.2 Second, the institutions offering training for wage
employment will be hired under performance-based contracts: providers that are more
successful in placing their graduates in jobs will be given performance bonuses and will have
their contract renewed and expanded; those that are less successful may have their contracts
cancelled.3
Training will be delivered by training providers (which may be quasi-governmental, NGO or
private sector agencies) who will be invited to submit bids to provide services under this project.
The government institution in charge of execution of the project will select, on a competitive
basis and subject to Bank contracting rules, the providers who will deliver the training. Key
criteria for selection will include quality of training curriculum, track record of delivering
training, and documented demand for the skills that the training will impart. Training will stress
development of marketable skills. In addition, training curricula should address some of the
1
Interviews conducted during the identification mission.
2
As collaboration increases between the advisory council and the training providers over time, it is possible to
envision training providers entering into direct relationships with businesses to train for particular vacancies or
needs.
3
The project will also consider performance-based contracts for institutions providing business development
services and microcredit to entrepreneurs; it must be recognized, however, that measuring performance in this
component may be more difficultSome potential measures include: beginning a business within six months of
graduation and business surviving one year after graduation.
crucial barriers to the development of adolescent girls in Liberia, including early pregnancy and
endemic sexual violence and transactional sex.
4. Safeguard policies that might apply
[Guideline: Refer to section 5 of the PCN. Which safeguard policies might apply to the project
and in what ways? What actions might be needed during project preparation to assess
safeguard issues and prepare to mitigate them?]
No Safeguard policies apply.
5. Tentative financing
Source: ($m.)
Borrower 0
Gender Trust Funds 2.96
Total 2.96
6. Contact point
Contact: Andrew R. Morrison
Title: Lead Economist, PRMGE
Tel: (202) 458-5062
Fax: (202) 522-3237
Email: amorrison1@worldbank.org
CONCEPT STAGE
Report No.: AB3636
Project Name Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women
in Liberia
Region AFRICA
Sector Vocational training (70%);Adult literacy/non-formal education
(30%)
Project ID P110571
Borrower(s) Project is a grant for GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA
Implementing Agency Will depend on final design of the program
Environment Category []A []B [X] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined)
Date PID Prepared January 30, 2008
Estimated Date of
Appraisal Authorization
Estimated Date of Board
Approval
December 31, 2008
1. Key development issues and rationale for Bank involvement
Liberia’s 14-year long war (1989-2003) debilitated the country’s human development capacity,
paralyzed markets, and left a generation of young people with little education and few skills.
Girls were particularly disadvantaged. In 2003, almost 60% of young girls and 40% of young
boys had no formal schooling (ILO/UNICEF 2005). Their disadvantage reflects long-standing
gender inequality in Liberian society. Preliminary findings from the DHS survey show that more
than 40% of women had no education, compared to less than 20% of men, while 23% of women
and 44% of men had some secondary schooling (DHS 2007).
While both adolescent girls and boys need to “catch up” quickly in terms of education and skills
training for productive employment in the short term – and broad-based economic growth in the
medium and long term – adolescent girls need additional policy and program efforts to achieve
better outcomes. As in many other post-conflict situations, emergency skills training and public
works programs in Liberia have targeted male youth ex-combatants, likely reinforcing rather
than reducing adolescent girls’ disadvantage. The few skills training programs for adolescent
girls, run largely by NGOs, have focused on traditional female skills (such as sewing, soap
production, tie-dying) for which there is little or no market demand. Unless there is an additional
effort specifically targeted to adolescent girls, Liberian policies developed within the PRS
exercise may overlook girls’ economic needs and potential economic contributions; with
subsequent costs for poverty reduction and economic growth.
The proposed project builds on the Bank’s comparative advantage in designing demand-driven
approaches to skills and entrepreneurship training and in conducting serious impact evaluations
of new initiatives. There have been few evaluations of youth-oriented training programs, and
none on programs targeted to young women and girls. The lessons that will be drawn from this
program can be used to change program design, scale up activities, or to replicate the program in
other settings.
2. Proposed objective(s)
The proposed development objective for the project is improved employability and incomes for
adolescent girls and young women in the Monrovia area, and development of a new model for
demand-driven training of youth in Liberia.
3. Preliminary description
The project proposes to provide skills training to adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24)
in such a way as to increase their employability and place them in jobs or self-employment. The
target population will comprise adolescent girls in urban and peri-urban Monrovia. The need for
investments outside Monrovia will be decided once the results of the initial pilot phase have been
analyzed. The target population may be more narrowly defined, for example, to concentrate on
adolescent girls who have recently completed or are completing the Accelerated Learning
Program, or with a certain educational profile. Further targeting details remain to be determined.
Four government agencies have been identified as key partners and potential government
counterparts: Gender and Development, Youth and Sports, Education, and Labor. All will be
involved in project design and implementation, whether directly or indirectly. The choice of
government counterpart will depend, in part, on the final design of the program and will be
determined in the pre-appraisal mission.
The project design envisions the following four components:
Component 1: Job skill training for wage employment –The focus of this component will be on
providing relevant skills training to girls and young women to enable them to obtain paid
employment. Examples of areas of employment might include high-quality urban services (such
as telecommunications, administrative and secretarial services, equipment repair and contract
management, and the hospitality industry.
Component 2: Entrepreneurship training with linkages to micro-finance – The focus of this
component will be to provide young female entrepreneurs access to training and micro-credit
that will boost their productivity, competitiveness and access to markets. A key element of this
package will be training in business development services, which typically include business
planning, consultancy and advisory services, marketing assistance, technology development and
transfer, and links to finance and financial services.
Component 3: Institutional strengthening of counterpart ministry – The war, under-investment in
human and institutional capacity, and the lack of engagement with the international community
have taken their toll on local capacity for project implementation and financial management in
key ministries. As soon as a government agency is selected to execute this project, the formation
of a Project Implementing Unit will also begin. Institutional strengthening will be focused on
three areas: (i) basic introduction to World Bank operations and fiduciary issues; (ii)
procurement and financial management of World Bank operations; and, (iii) results-oriented
monitoring and evaluation systems.
Component 4: Impact evaluation – The focus of this component will be designing and carrying
out a rigorous impact evaluation framework for the initiative.
Representatives of private sector groups in Liberia have noted the great difficulty in finding
young employees with appropriate job skills, including both technical knowledge as well as what
arereferred to as “non-cognitive” skills, including the ability to show up for work on time,
interact creatively and positively with colleagues, and take initiative to solve problems.1 Given
the relatively slow pace of private-sector jobs growth relative to the high rate of unemployment
currently existing in Liberia, however, providing training only for wage employment would not
be prudent. Thus, the project contains training options for both wage employment and self-
employment (entrepreneurship). Adolescent girls and young women will be able to self-select
into the training option that best suites their needs and preferences.
Ideally, training should be provided for skills and occupations for which demand will be
expanding in coming years. The Ministry of Commerce (2007) predicts that growth will come
from all sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, natural resource extraction, and services. Radelet
(2007) notes that in other African post-conflict countries, output growth was initially most rapid
in the service sector, with agricultural growth rebounding strongly 3-5 years after the end of the
conflict. Growth in manufacturing was the slowest to rebound but the most robust in the
medium term.
The a priori identification of future high-growth sectors in which to conduct training, however, is
prohibitively risky. Instead, mechanisms will be built into the project to ensure that training is
done—thus avoiding a pitfall that has plagued previous training programs in Liberia and
elsewhere. Two mechanisms will be put in place to promote linkages to the demand side of the
labor market and hence maximize the probabilities of employment for graduates of training.
First, a private sector advisory council will be formed to advise training providers on which
employees will be needed in the short-term.2 Second, the institutions offering training for wage
employment will be hired under performance-based contracts: providers that are more
successful in placing their graduates in jobs will be given performance bonuses and will have
their contract renewed and expanded; those that are less successful may have their contracts
cancelled.3
Training will be delivered by training providers (which may be quasi-governmental, NGO or
private sector agencies) who will be invited to submit bids to provide services under this project.
The government institution in charge of execution of the project will select, on a competitive
basis and subject to Bank contracting rules, the providers who will deliver the training. Key
criteria for selection will include quality of training curriculum, track record of delivering
training, and documented demand for the skills that the training will impart. Training will stress
development of marketable skills. In addition, training curricula should address some of the
1
Interviews conducted during the identification mission.
2
As collaboration increases between the advisory council and the training providers over time, it is possible to
envision training providers entering into direct relationships with businesses to train for particular vacancies or
needs.
3
The project will also consider performance-based contracts for institutions providing business development
services and microcredit to entrepreneurs; it must be recognized, however, that measuring performance in this
component may be more difficultSome potential measures include: beginning a business within six months of
graduation and business surviving one year after graduation.
crucial barriers to the development of adolescent girls in Liberia, including early pregnancy and
endemic sexual violence and transactional sex.
4. Safeguard policies that might apply
[Guideline: Refer to section 5 of the PCN. Which safeguard policies might apply to the project
and in what ways? What actions might be needed during project preparation to assess
safeguard issues and prepare to mitigate them?]
No Safeguard policies apply.
5. Tentative financing
Source: ($m.)
Borrower 0
Gender Trust Funds 2.96
Total 2.96
6. Contact point
Contact: Andrew R. Morrison
Title: Lead Economist, PRMGE
Tel: (202) 458-5062
Fax: (202) 522-3237
Email: amorrison1@worldbank.org
World Bank and Nike launch adolescent girls gender inititative
We are hoping to tap into this. I am currently doing research on the best grants to apply for. However, we are also planning on doing more networking and sending out end of the year Giving Letters to at least 500 people.
-Lizzy Scully
Why adolescent girls?
Today, 1.5 billion people are ages 12–24 worldwide, nine out of ten of these young people live in developing countries, the most ever in history. Of these, approximately 625 million are girls and young women, ages 10-24. This is the next generation of economic and social actors.
Adolescence is a critical time to intervene to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, by helping girls stay in school, build capital assets, resist early pregnancy and marriage and a future of low earnings. Furthermore, investing in adolescent girls’ economic opportunities can have a large development impact with long term benefits to economic growth.
Closing the gender gaps in school enrollment could increase per capita growth by as much as 3%.
An extra year of secondary school for girls can increase their future wages by 10% to 20%.
Progress in education by girls is not matched by higher labor force participation by young women where by age 24 young women lag far behind men in labor force participation.
Purpose
The Adolescent Girls Initiative aims at smoothing the transition from school to productive employment by, among other interventions, helping girls complete education, build skills that match market demand, find mentors and job placements, offer incentives to potential employers to retain, and train young women or to overcome some of the cultural barriers to young women's employment. These interventions will be tested and evaluated for impact.
Origins of the Initiative
This Adolescent Girls Initiative has its origins in President Zoellick’s six commitments announced on April 11, 2008 when he accepted the MDG3 torch and the challenge to “launch a work program with private and public sector leaders on ‘young women count for economic development’”. Since then the World Bank and the Nike Foundation have been at work designing the first pilot in Liberia, due to execute in January 2009, to help smooth girls’ transition from school to quality work.
Our Partners
Governments of Liberia, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the City of Milan, Goldman Sachs, The Nike Foundation, and Standard Chartered.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative is part of the World Bank Group’s Gender Action Plan--Gender Equality as Smart Economics, which is helping increase women’s economic opportunities by improving their access to the labor market, agricultural land and tools, credit, and infrastructure services.
-Lizzy Scully
Why adolescent girls?
Today, 1.5 billion people are ages 12–24 worldwide, nine out of ten of these young people live in developing countries, the most ever in history. Of these, approximately 625 million are girls and young women, ages 10-24. This is the next generation of economic and social actors.
Adolescence is a critical time to intervene to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, by helping girls stay in school, build capital assets, resist early pregnancy and marriage and a future of low earnings. Furthermore, investing in adolescent girls’ economic opportunities can have a large development impact with long term benefits to economic growth.
Closing the gender gaps in school enrollment could increase per capita growth by as much as 3%.
An extra year of secondary school for girls can increase their future wages by 10% to 20%.
Progress in education by girls is not matched by higher labor force participation by young women where by age 24 young women lag far behind men in labor force participation.
Purpose
The Adolescent Girls Initiative aims at smoothing the transition from school to productive employment by, among other interventions, helping girls complete education, build skills that match market demand, find mentors and job placements, offer incentives to potential employers to retain, and train young women or to overcome some of the cultural barriers to young women's employment. These interventions will be tested and evaluated for impact.
Origins of the Initiative
This Adolescent Girls Initiative has its origins in President Zoellick’s six commitments announced on April 11, 2008 when he accepted the MDG3 torch and the challenge to “launch a work program with private and public sector leaders on ‘young women count for economic development’”. Since then the World Bank and the Nike Foundation have been at work designing the first pilot in Liberia, due to execute in January 2009, to help smooth girls’ transition from school to quality work.
Our Partners
Governments of Liberia, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the City of Milan, Goldman Sachs, The Nike Foundation, and Standard Chartered.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative is part of the World Bank Group’s Gender Action Plan--Gender Equality as Smart Economics, which is helping increase women’s economic opportunities by improving their access to the labor market, agricultural land and tools, credit, and infrastructure services.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Heidi Wirtz an Inspiring Soles semifinalist press release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2008
Media Contact: Lizzy Scully, lizzy@lizzyscully.com
Background: www.girlsed.org
Photos available
October 1, 2008—Boulder-based climber and The North Face Athlete announced as semi-finalist for Inspiring Soles
The North Face athlete and Boulder resident Heidi Wirtz, co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Education International (GEI), was recently notified that she is one of five semifinalists for the Inspiring Soles Award. Created by Crocs. Inc and Outside Magazine, the Inspiring Soles Award celebrates athletes who have dedicated their lives to shattering boundaries and raising awareness for meaningful causes. Wirtz has worked tirelessly for the past two years on fundraising and implementing projects for GEI, and over the years she has regularly volunteered for HERA Climb4Life events and the Khumbu Climbing School, and she has raised money for the dZi Foundation.
As a semifinalist, Wirtz will receive $5,000 to donate to the charity of her choice plus $500 worth of Crocs merchandise.
“This is really exciting,” said Wirtz of the award. “The $5,000 will pay for Girls Education International’s Liberia program through spring of 2010.” Implemented as GEI’s first major project, the Liberia Scholarship Program provides $71 per year to 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia so they can pay their school fees.
“Now we can focus our fundraising efforts on expanding that program and raising funds for the other projects we are working on,” Wirtz added. Wirtz’s next major fundraiser will at the B Side Lounge in Boulder on October 9.
The overall winner of the Inspiring Soles award, to be announced later this year, will receive a $25,000 donation for a charity, a Crocs shopping spree, a trip to Santa Monica, a full-page profile in Outside Magazine and a PSA ad for their charity.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.
For more information, please contact Lizzy Scully at 303-903-2768 or girlsed@gmail.com. To contact Heidi Wirtz directly, please call 303-908-7795 or email heidiwirtz1@yahoo.com
October 1, 2008
Media Contact: Lizzy Scully, lizzy@lizzyscully.com
Background: www.girlsed.org
Photos available
October 1, 2008—Boulder-based climber and The North Face Athlete announced as semi-finalist for Inspiring Soles
The North Face athlete and Boulder resident Heidi Wirtz, co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Education International (GEI), was recently notified that she is one of five semifinalists for the Inspiring Soles Award. Created by Crocs. Inc and Outside Magazine, the Inspiring Soles Award celebrates athletes who have dedicated their lives to shattering boundaries and raising awareness for meaningful causes. Wirtz has worked tirelessly for the past two years on fundraising and implementing projects for GEI, and over the years she has regularly volunteered for HERA Climb4Life events and the Khumbu Climbing School, and she has raised money for the dZi Foundation.
As a semifinalist, Wirtz will receive $5,000 to donate to the charity of her choice plus $500 worth of Crocs merchandise.
“This is really exciting,” said Wirtz of the award. “The $5,000 will pay for Girls Education International’s Liberia program through spring of 2010.” Implemented as GEI’s first major project, the Liberia Scholarship Program provides $71 per year to 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia so they can pay their school fees.
“Now we can focus our fundraising efforts on expanding that program and raising funds for the other projects we are working on,” Wirtz added. Wirtz’s next major fundraiser will at the B Side Lounge in Boulder on October 9.
The overall winner of the Inspiring Soles award, to be announced later this year, will receive a $25,000 donation for a charity, a Crocs shopping spree, a trip to Santa Monica, a full-page profile in Outside Magazine and a PSA ad for their charity.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.
For more information, please contact Lizzy Scully at 303-903-2768 or girlsed@gmail.com. To contact Heidi Wirtz directly, please call 303-908-7795 or email heidiwirtz1@yahoo.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
BEATS FOR BOOKS
Last Thursday, Oct. 9th, GEI held a fund raising event at the B Side Lounge in Boulder, Colorado. We had a great turn out. The event raised close to $1,000, all of which will go directly towards our current project in Liberia, where we are providing 47 girls with scholarships for primary and secondary education (this is an area where they would not have this opportunity on their own).
Big Thanks to: Redstone Catering, Boulder Beer, Redwood Creek Wine, La Sportiva, The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment, Adventure Medical, Crocs, Clifbar, Wigwam, Alpinist, Oskar Blues, Primus, Jet Boil, Evolv, Pangea Organics, Third Street Chai, Prana, The Spot, The Boulder Rock Club, Ames Adventure Outfitters and Annette Yuan
Special Thanks also go out to; Dirt Monkey, Jayce and 1KONOKLO4ST for their awesome beats!
To to all who braved the cold: Thanks again for coming out and supporting GEI!
Big Thanks to: Redstone Catering, Boulder Beer, Redwood Creek Wine, La Sportiva, The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment, Adventure Medical, Crocs, Clifbar, Wigwam, Alpinist, Oskar Blues, Primus, Jet Boil, Evolv, Pangea Organics, Third Street Chai, Prana, The Spot, The Boulder Rock Club, Ames Adventure Outfitters and Annette Yuan
Special Thanks also go out to; Dirt Monkey, Jayce and 1KONOKLO4ST for their awesome beats!
To to all who braved the cold: Thanks again for coming out and supporting GEI!
BEATS FOR BOOKS
Last Thursday, Oct. 9th, GEI held a fund raising event at the B Side Lounge in Boulder, Colorado. We had a great turn out. The event raised close to $1,000, all of which will go directly towards our current project in Liberia, where we are providing 47 girls with scholarships for primary and secondary education (this is an area where they would not have this opportunity on their own).
Big Thanks to: Redstone Catering, Boulder Beer, Redwood Creek Wine, La Sportiva, The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment, Adventure Medical, Crocs, Clifbar, Oskar Blues, Primus, Jet Boil, Evolv, Pangea, Third Street Chai, Prana, The Spot, The Boulder Rock Club, Ames Adventure Outfitters and Annette Yuan
Special Thanks also go out to; Dirt Monkey, Jayce and 1KONOKLO4ST for their awesome beats!
To to all who braved the cold: Thanks again for coming out and supporting GEI!
Big Thanks to: Redstone Catering, Boulder Beer, Redwood Creek Wine, La Sportiva, The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment, Adventure Medical, Crocs, Clifbar, Oskar Blues, Primus, Jet Boil, Evolv, Pangea, Third Street Chai, Prana, The Spot, The Boulder Rock Club, Ames Adventure Outfitters and Annette Yuan
Special Thanks also go out to; Dirt Monkey, Jayce and 1KONOKLO4ST for their awesome beats!
To to all who braved the cold: Thanks again for coming out and supporting GEI!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Meaningful statistics
If the world's population was reduced to 100 people, there would be: 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 Americans and 8 Africans.
There would be: 52 women, 48 men, 30 caucasians and 70 non-caucasians, 30 Christians and 70 non-Christians, 89 heterosexuals and 11 homosexuals.
80 of the people would live in poverty;
70 would be illiterate;
50 would suffer from hunger or malnutrition
1 would be dying
1 would be being born
1 would own a computer
1 would have a university degree
500 million people suffer from war, prison or torture or are close to death because of starvation.
3 billion people cannot go to their place of worship without fear of being attacked or killed.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet or change anywhere at home, you are one of the 8 privileged few people in the group of 100.
There would be: 52 women, 48 men, 30 caucasians and 70 non-caucasians, 30 Christians and 70 non-Christians, 89 heterosexuals and 11 homosexuals.
80 of the people would live in poverty;
70 would be illiterate;
50 would suffer from hunger or malnutrition
1 would be dying
1 would be being born
1 would own a computer
1 would have a university degree
500 million people suffer from war, prison or torture or are close to death because of starvation.
3 billion people cannot go to their place of worship without fear of being attacked or killed.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet or change anywhere at home, you are one of the 8 privileged few people in the group of 100.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Climber-run nonprofit to hold benefit dance party at the b Side Lounge in Boulder, Colo.
Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by The North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice senior contributing editor Lizzy Scully, will be hosting a late-night dance party fundraiser at the hippest new club on the Front Range, the b Side Lounge Restaurant in Boulder, Colo., 13th street between Pearl and Spruce, on Thursday, October 9, from 9:30 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.
The fundraiser includes goodie bags for the first 25 people through the door, a wine tasting provided by Redwood Creek Winery, FREE beer and hors d’oeuvres until 10:15 p.m., $5 Grey Goose Cosmos all night, and a tiered raffle for everything from artwork to quality outdoor goods. Live VJs will keep the beat going until 1:45 a.m. Music by: Jayce, Dirt Monkey, 1KONOKL4ST, Super Tuesday, along with a performance by the Kaivalya Hoopers. All proceeds will benefit GEI’s projects in Nepal, Liberia and Pakistan.
Because GEI is staffed entirely by volunteers, it is able to give 90% of its funding directly to the girls and schools it supports. Money goes for school renovation assessments, scholarships, books and uniforms.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.
Lizzy Scully
303-903-2768
girlsed@gmail.com
The fundraiser includes goodie bags for the first 25 people through the door, a wine tasting provided by Redwood Creek Winery, FREE beer and hors d’oeuvres until 10:15 p.m., $5 Grey Goose Cosmos all night, and a tiered raffle for everything from artwork to quality outdoor goods. Live VJs will keep the beat going until 1:45 a.m. Music by: Jayce, Dirt Monkey, 1KONOKL4ST, Super Tuesday, along with a performance by the Kaivalya Hoopers. All proceeds will benefit GEI’s projects in Nepal, Liberia and Pakistan.
Because GEI is staffed entirely by volunteers, it is able to give 90% of its funding directly to the girls and schools it supports. Money goes for school renovation assessments, scholarships, books and uniforms.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.
Lizzy Scully
303-903-2768
girlsed@gmail.com
October 1, 2008—Boulder-based climber and The North Face Athlete announced as semi-finalist for Inspiring Soles
The North Face athlete and Boulder resident Heidi Wirtz, co-founder of the nonprofit Girls Education International (GEI), was recently notified that she is one of five semifinalists for the Inspiring Soles Award. Created by Crocs. Inc and Outside Magazine, the Inspiring Soles Award celebrates athletes who have dedicated their lives to shattering boundaries and raising awareness for meaningful causes. Wirtz has worked tirelessly for the past two years on fundraising and implementing projects for GEI, and over the years she has regularly volunteered for HERA Climb4Life events and the Khumbu Climbing School, and she has raised money for the dZi Foundation.
As a semifinalist, Wirtz will receive $5,000 to donate to the charity of her choice plus $500 worth of Crocs merchandise.
“This is really exciting,” said Wirtz of the award. “The $5,000 will pay for Girls Education International’s Liberia program through spring of 2010.” Implemented as GEI’s first major project, the Liberia Scholarship Program provides $71 per year to 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia so they can pay their school fees.
“Now we can focus our fundraising efforts on expanding that program and raising funds for the other projects we are working on,” Wirtz added. Wirtz’s next major fundraiser will at the b Side Lounge in Boulder on October 9.
The overall winner of the Inspiring Soles award, to be announced later this year, will receive a $25,000 donation for a charity, a Crocs shopping spree, a trip to Santa Monica, a full-page profile in Outside Magazine and a PSA ad for their charity.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.
For more information, please contact Lizzy Scully at 303-903-2768 or girlsed@gmail.com. To contact Heidi Wirtz directly, please call 303-908-7795 or email heidiwirtz1@yahoo.com
As a semifinalist, Wirtz will receive $5,000 to donate to the charity of her choice plus $500 worth of Crocs merchandise.
“This is really exciting,” said Wirtz of the award. “The $5,000 will pay for Girls Education International’s Liberia program through spring of 2010.” Implemented as GEI’s first major project, the Liberia Scholarship Program provides $71 per year to 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia so they can pay their school fees.
“Now we can focus our fundraising efforts on expanding that program and raising funds for the other projects we are working on,” Wirtz added. Wirtz’s next major fundraiser will at the b Side Lounge in Boulder on October 9.
The overall winner of the Inspiring Soles award, to be announced later this year, will receive a $25,000 donation for a charity, a Crocs shopping spree, a trip to Santa Monica, a full-page profile in Outside Magazine and a PSA ad for their charity.
Girls Education International seeks to raise awareness and funds to help educate women and girls in impoverished areas throughout the world, and will particularly support an ongoing girls scholarship program in Liberia and a new project in northern Pakistan. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org.
For more information, please contact Lizzy Scully at 303-903-2768 or girlsed@gmail.com. To contact Heidi Wirtz directly, please call 303-908-7795 or email heidiwirtz1@yahoo.com
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Updated Our Projects Page
We are finally updating the "Our Projects" page on our Girls Ed Web site. I'm not sure when the web guy will be able to get it up and running, and so I'm posting it here for all to see.
Our Projects:
Bong and Margibi counties, Liberia
We are providing 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia, in Bong and Margibi counties, with education scholarships for the 2008/2009 schoolyear. We are working with the Liberian NGO Common Ground Society and its program director Emily Sherman-Davis. The total cost of providing them with scholarships is $3,000. Plus, we are raising an additional $1,500 in order to pay Emily to regularly monitor the progress of the girls. The $1,500 includes transportation, lodging and food costs for Emily to travel twice per year and also for her to find and communicate with the awardees of the scholarship.
We plan on making this a long-term project, which means we will need to raise around $4,500 each year. We also hope to expand the program to eventually include 100 or more girls.
For more information or to see photos of the girls and the Liberian schools, visit the Girls Education International blog.
Kathmandu, Nepal
We are in our fourth year of providing two young girls, Nisa and Sonam, with $100 per girl education scholarships to attend school in Kathmandu. We are planning on sending them to a better school in 2009, where they can learn English. For more information or to see photos of the girls, visit the GEI blog.
Future projects
*These are projects that we continue to work on, but that we are unable to move forward on at this time because we lack funds and/or the infrastructure necessary for implementation.
Pakistan:
Since its inception, GEI has sought to support the education of girls in the northern Pakistan region of Baltistan. As demonstrated daily in the news, working in Pakistan poses complex and dynamic challenges, particularly for US-based organizations. As a result, GEI has been exploring partnership opportunities with Pakistani organizations that specialize in improving primary education, particularly in the northern region, and we have identified a couple of excellent candidates. Once selected, GEI will rely on our local partner to evaluate communities for education improvement projects, oversee the implementation of such projects--including ensuring that they meet local and federal education criteria and standards and cultural norms, and provide an accessible advisor for community leaders and teachers. Given our long-held hope of improving educational opportunities for girls in the village of Khane in Baltistan, GEI intends to begin work with its local partner organization with an assessment of the feasibility of a project in Khane, which we hope to complete by mid-2009. For updates on this, please regularly check for updates on our blog.
Mustang Region of Nepal
We would like to implement an education scholarship for the 20 girls who reside in the Child Labor Rescue Program house in Pokhara, in the Mustang Region of Nepal. The program is administered by Empowering Women of Nepal. The total cost of the program is US $4,700 ($235 per child).
We hope to start running Trek4Good programs through The Mountain Fund in order to raise funds for this scholarship program. Through this Trek4Good, aspiring trekkers will have the opportunity to travel to the Mustang Region of Nepal to trek around Annapurna and visit with the children at the Child Labor Rescue Program home. Funds raised from this trip will go directly to the education of these girls. For more information on the trek and this project, please visit TMF’s website or the GEI blog.
Our Projects:
Bong and Margibi counties, Liberia
We are providing 47 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia, in Bong and Margibi counties, with education scholarships for the 2008/2009 schoolyear. We are working with the Liberian NGO Common Ground Society and its program director Emily Sherman-Davis. The total cost of providing them with scholarships is $3,000. Plus, we are raising an additional $1,500 in order to pay Emily to regularly monitor the progress of the girls. The $1,500 includes transportation, lodging and food costs for Emily to travel twice per year and also for her to find and communicate with the awardees of the scholarship.
We plan on making this a long-term project, which means we will need to raise around $4,500 each year. We also hope to expand the program to eventually include 100 or more girls.
For more information or to see photos of the girls and the Liberian schools, visit the Girls Education International blog.
Kathmandu, Nepal
We are in our fourth year of providing two young girls, Nisa and Sonam, with $100 per girl education scholarships to attend school in Kathmandu. We are planning on sending them to a better school in 2009, where they can learn English. For more information or to see photos of the girls, visit the GEI blog.
Future projects
*These are projects that we continue to work on, but that we are unable to move forward on at this time because we lack funds and/or the infrastructure necessary for implementation.
Pakistan:
Since its inception, GEI has sought to support the education of girls in the northern Pakistan region of Baltistan. As demonstrated daily in the news, working in Pakistan poses complex and dynamic challenges, particularly for US-based organizations. As a result, GEI has been exploring partnership opportunities with Pakistani organizations that specialize in improving primary education, particularly in the northern region, and we have identified a couple of excellent candidates. Once selected, GEI will rely on our local partner to evaluate communities for education improvement projects, oversee the implementation of such projects--including ensuring that they meet local and federal education criteria and standards and cultural norms, and provide an accessible advisor for community leaders and teachers. Given our long-held hope of improving educational opportunities for girls in the village of Khane in Baltistan, GEI intends to begin work with its local partner organization with an assessment of the feasibility of a project in Khane, which we hope to complete by mid-2009. For updates on this, please regularly check for updates on our blog.
Mustang Region of Nepal
We would like to implement an education scholarship for the 20 girls who reside in the Child Labor Rescue Program house in Pokhara, in the Mustang Region of Nepal. The program is administered by Empowering Women of Nepal. The total cost of the program is US $4,700 ($235 per child).
We hope to start running Trek4Good programs through The Mountain Fund in order to raise funds for this scholarship program. Through this Trek4Good, aspiring trekkers will have the opportunity to travel to the Mustang Region of Nepal to trek around Annapurna and visit with the children at the Child Labor Rescue Program home. Funds raised from this trip will go directly to the education of these girls. For more information on the trek and this project, please visit TMF’s website or the GEI blog.
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
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
Sunday, September 21, 2008
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
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
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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!
Thanks!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, June 27, 2008
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.
Monday, June 16, 2008
GEI to feature Pete Takeda at June 26th Estes Park fundraiser
Photo by Jonny Copp. Nanda Devi
On Thursday, June 26, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Hangar Restaurant in Estes Park is hosting a benefit for Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice Senior Contributing Editor Lizzy Scully. The fundraiser will feature tunes by local musician Justin Faye and a slide show by author and mountaineer Pete Takeda. The $35 ticket includes a BBQ, unlimited New Belgium Brewery beer, and raffle tickets for dozens of items. There will also be a silent auction.
Takeda recently published a book entitled, “An Eye at the Top of the World: The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War’s Most Daring CIA Operation.” In the early 1980s, the CIA decided to put a nuclear-powered spy device on the top of Nanda Devi—one of the Himalayas’ most remote and forbidding peaks. The goal was to gather information on Chinese troop movements. Some time later, the apparatus stopped sending signals; it was as though it had completely disappeared. The device was never recovered, and now, nearly four pounds of plutonium, locked in the glacier beneath the mountain are moving ever closer to the source of the Ganges River.
“That’s enough manmade poison to kill every human on earth, or to produce a bomb capable of flattening a city,” explained Takeda.
For this book, Takeda not only interviewed surviving members of the original expedition—during which the climbers huddled around the spy device for warmth given off by the decay of radioactive elements—he retraced their steps to the peak itself. While en route, Takeda has his own harrowing experience with the violent forces of the mountain, and was almost swept away in an avalanche. To learn more, come to the Hangar Restaurant and check out Takeda’s exciting show. (For more information, please visit www.petetakeda.com).
Girls Education International (GEI) is a 501(c)3 operating under the umbrella of The Mountain Fund. GEI currently has two operational programs and two additional programs that they hope to launch by 2009. The profits from this fundraiser will go toward their Liberia Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to 42 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia, and also to one of their Nepal scholarship programs, which provides scholarships to two girls in Kathmandu. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org, or call Lizzy Scully at 303-903-2768.
All donations, including the $35 dinner ticket, are tax deductible. Raffle and silent auction items provided by: Redwood Winery, Glassworks of Estes, The Meadow Mountain Café, Evolv shoes, The North Face, SkirtSports, La Sportiva shoes, jewelry by Suspended Stone Design, photography by Topher Donahue, Majka Burhardt’s book, “Vertical Ethiopia,” signed copies of Takeda’s book, and many other items.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Girls Ed to Host Fundraiser June 26 featuring author/alpinist Pete Takeda
Press Release
Contact:
Lizzy Scully
303-903-2768
On Thursday, June 26, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Hangar Restaurant in Estes Park is hosting a benefit for Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice Senior Contributing Editor Lizzy Scully. The fundraiser will feature tunes by local musician Justin Faye and a slide show by author and mountaineer Pete Takeda. The $35 ticket includes a BBQ, unlimited New Belgium Brewery beer, and raffle tickets for dozens of items. There will also be a silent auction.
Takeda recently published a book entitled, “An Eye at the Top of the World: The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War’s Most Daring CIA Operation.” In the early 1980s, the CIA decided to put a nuclear-powered spy device on the top of Nanda Devi—one of the Himalayas’ most remote and forbidding peaks. The goal was to gather information on Chinese troop movements. Some time later, the apparatus stopped sending signals; it was as though it had completely disappeared. The device was never recovered, and now, nearly four pounds of plutonium, locked in the glacier beneath the mountain are moving ever closer to the source of the Ganges River.
“That’s enough manmade poison to kill every human on earth, or to produce a bomb capable of flattening a city,” explained Takeda.
For this book, Takeda not only interviewed surviving members of the original expedition—during which the climbers huddled around the spy device for warmth given off by the decay of radioactive elements—he retraced their steps to the peak itself. While en route, Takeda has his own harrowing experience with the violent forces of the mountain, and was almost swept away in an avalanche. To learn more, come to the Hangar Restaurant and check out Takeda’s exciting show.
Girls Education International (GEI) is a 501(c)3 operating under the umbrella of The Mountain Fund. GEI currently has two operational programs and two additional programs that they hope to launch by 2009. The profits from this fundraiser will go toward their Liberia Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to 42 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia, and also to one of their Nepal scholarship programs, which provides scholarships to two girls in Kathmandu. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org, or call 303-903-2768.
All donations, including the $35 dinner ticket, are tax deductible. Raffle and silent auction items provided by: Glassworks of Estes, The Meadow Mountain Café, Evolv shoes, The North Face, SkirtSports, La Sportiva shoes, jewelry by Suspended Stone Design, photography by Topher Donahue, Majka Burhardt’s book, “Vertical Ethiopia,” signed copies of Takeda’s book, and many other items.
Contact:
Lizzy Scully
303-903-2768
On Thursday, June 26, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Hangar Restaurant in Estes Park is hosting a benefit for Girls Education International, a nonprofit organization founded by North Face athlete Heidi Wirtz and Rock & Ice Senior Contributing Editor Lizzy Scully. The fundraiser will feature tunes by local musician Justin Faye and a slide show by author and mountaineer Pete Takeda. The $35 ticket includes a BBQ, unlimited New Belgium Brewery beer, and raffle tickets for dozens of items. There will also be a silent auction.
Takeda recently published a book entitled, “An Eye at the Top of the World: The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War’s Most Daring CIA Operation.” In the early 1980s, the CIA decided to put a nuclear-powered spy device on the top of Nanda Devi—one of the Himalayas’ most remote and forbidding peaks. The goal was to gather information on Chinese troop movements. Some time later, the apparatus stopped sending signals; it was as though it had completely disappeared. The device was never recovered, and now, nearly four pounds of plutonium, locked in the glacier beneath the mountain are moving ever closer to the source of the Ganges River.
“That’s enough manmade poison to kill every human on earth, or to produce a bomb capable of flattening a city,” explained Takeda.
For this book, Takeda not only interviewed surviving members of the original expedition—during which the climbers huddled around the spy device for warmth given off by the decay of radioactive elements—he retraced their steps to the peak itself. While en route, Takeda has his own harrowing experience with the violent forces of the mountain, and was almost swept away in an avalanche. To learn more, come to the Hangar Restaurant and check out Takeda’s exciting show.
Girls Education International (GEI) is a 501(c)3 operating under the umbrella of The Mountain Fund. GEI currently has two operational programs and two additional programs that they hope to launch by 2009. The profits from this fundraiser will go toward their Liberia Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to 42 girls in the mountainous regions of Liberia, and also to one of their Nepal scholarship programs, which provides scholarships to two girls in Kathmandu. For more information, please visit: www.girlsed.org, or call 303-903-2768.
All donations, including the $35 dinner ticket, are tax deductible. Raffle and silent auction items provided by: Glassworks of Estes, The Meadow Mountain Café, Evolv shoes, The North Face, SkirtSports, La Sportiva shoes, jewelry by Suspended Stone Design, photography by Topher Donahue, Majka Burhardt’s book, “Vertical Ethiopia,” signed copies of Takeda’s book, and many other items.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Fundraiser with Pete Takeda June 26
I'm currently working on nailing down the details for the big fundraiser that we are doing in Estes Park on June 26th. Pete Takeda, author and mountaineer, will be doing a slide show, we will have music and a BBQ. It will be held at the Hangar Restaurant in Estes. I'll have more details and a flyer in a few days.
We are trying to raise $3,000. We will use this money to fund our project in Liberia. Any additional funds that we raise will be put toward getting our other projects going in Pakistan and Nepal.
We are trying to raise $3,000. We will use this money to fund our project in Liberia. Any additional funds that we raise will be put toward getting our other projects going in Pakistan and Nepal.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Why we do this.
There is good information in this document:
In the second week of June, UNGEI will hold its first regionally focused Global Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal. The theme of the meeting will be "Equity, Gender and Quality in Education in Asia-Pacific". This eDiscussion is a way of bringing the voices of all UNGEI partners to the global meeting.
In 2005, there were about 27 million of children out-of-school in Asia and the Pacific, 61% of them girls. About two-thirds of these children live in South and West Asia. Much progress has been made in primary education, in part because more girls are going to school. Yet the number of out-of-school girls remains staggering. I t is now established that girls' education is the main factor which will facilitate or hinder the realization of EFA goals.
We have already missed the 2005 goal on gender parity. Performance levels have been low among children who finish school. Only a small percentage of girls completes primary school and continues to secondary and tertiary levels - not to mention the graduate level. Many other pertinent issues in girls' education have remained almost stagnant over the past few decades.
While we seem to know about factors preventing girls (and boys) from going to school, there are details that need to come to light in each country and locality. What has research told us about these unreached children, especially girls? Is poverty the main cause of non-enrolment and drop out? What about societal attitudes towards girls' education and towards the perceived roles of girls as future women? How do violence in school, armed conflicts and natural disasters influence schooling, especially of girls? And what measures have been put in place to ensure facilitation of the learning of girls with disability or girls who become pregnant while at school? What role could the community play in bringing about an education of their young? And what about the age old, million-dollar question regarding governments' funding to girls' education as a way of demonstrating its commitment to gender parity.
What could we learn from the experience of Asia and the Pacific? Why, despite no dearth of 'good practices' and 'success stories', and especially of clear government policies favouring girls' education in the Region, does education of all girls continue to be elusive? What are the factors facilitating or hindering girls' access to and staying in school until they acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to function in their future roles as contributing citizens? What could be done to attract more or all girls to school and through various levels and eventual entry into areas of leadership and financial reward?
And what about the nature of schooling both in terms of school environment and curriculum and materials and especially teaching and learning? What have been done to ensure that school is safe and attractive for girls? A recent study sheds light on the fact that children drop out if they or their parents view educational content as unresponsive to their needs. How have people tackled curricula and materials laden with sex stereotypes which are detrimental to girls' self confidence, eventual life choices and opportunities? And what about school management? What types of role models are available for children of both sexes?
The President of the World Bank and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund have predicted that among the Millennium Development goals that are likely to be missed are those on health and education. The question is: will the world community let this happen? How can we, as UNGEI partners, guarantee that this prediction does not come true?
Please do write and share your experience on these and any other issues you believe are affecting girls' education in your region. Remember to reveal some of the good practices and lessons learned that need highlighting and dissemination.
Since our discussion will directly feed in to the first regionally focused Global Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting, it would be great if you could speak to the issues that are relevant to Asia and the Pacific.
Please note that this e-discussion will only run until 30 May right before the start of the GAC meeting in Kathmandu. We will circulate the consolidated submissions prior to the meeting. To make sure that your inputs contribute directly to the GAC meeting, please have your say on this issue - NOW.
We look forward to a rich discussion that will be made possible by YOU.
Namtip Aksornkool Senior Programme Specialist, Section for Inclusion and Quality Learning Enhancement, UNESCO Moderator for this eDiscussion
In the second week of June, UNGEI will hold its first regionally focused Global Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal. The theme of the meeting will be "Equity, Gender and Quality in Education in Asia-Pacific". This eDiscussion is a way of bringing the voices of all UNGEI partners to the global meeting.
In 2005, there were about 27 million of children out-of-school in Asia and the Pacific, 61% of them girls. About two-thirds of these children live in South and West Asia. Much progress has been made in primary education, in part because more girls are going to school. Yet the number of out-of-school girls remains staggering. I t is now established that girls' education is the main factor which will facilitate or hinder the realization of EFA goals.
We have already missed the 2005 goal on gender parity. Performance levels have been low among children who finish school. Only a small percentage of girls completes primary school and continues to secondary and tertiary levels - not to mention the graduate level. Many other pertinent issues in girls' education have remained almost stagnant over the past few decades.
While we seem to know about factors preventing girls (and boys) from going to school, there are details that need to come to light in each country and locality. What has research told us about these unreached children, especially girls? Is poverty the main cause of non-enrolment and drop out? What about societal attitudes towards girls' education and towards the perceived roles of girls as future women? How do violence in school, armed conflicts and natural disasters influence schooling, especially of girls? And what measures have been put in place to ensure facilitation of the learning of girls with disability or girls who become pregnant while at school? What role could the community play in bringing about an education of their young? And what about the age old, million-dollar question regarding governments' funding to girls' education as a way of demonstrating its commitment to gender parity.
What could we learn from the experience of Asia and the Pacific? Why, despite no dearth of 'good practices' and 'success stories', and especially of clear government policies favouring girls' education in the Region, does education of all girls continue to be elusive? What are the factors facilitating or hindering girls' access to and staying in school until they acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to function in their future roles as contributing citizens? What could be done to attract more or all girls to school and through various levels and eventual entry into areas of leadership and financial reward?
And what about the nature of schooling both in terms of school environment and curriculum and materials and especially teaching and learning? What have been done to ensure that school is safe and attractive for girls? A recent study sheds light on the fact that children drop out if they or their parents view educational content as unresponsive to their needs. How have people tackled curricula and materials laden with sex stereotypes which are detrimental to girls' self confidence, eventual life choices and opportunities? And what about school management? What types of role models are available for children of both sexes?
The President of the World Bank and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund have predicted that among the Millennium Development goals that are likely to be missed are those on health and education. The question is: will the world community let this happen? How can we, as UNGEI partners, guarantee that this prediction does not come true?
Please do write and share your experience on these and any other issues you believe are affecting girls' education in your region. Remember to reveal some of the good practices and lessons learned that need highlighting and dissemination.
Since our discussion will directly feed in to the first regionally focused Global Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting, it would be great if you could speak to the issues that are relevant to Asia and the Pacific.
Please note that this e-discussion will only run until 30 May right before the start of the GAC meeting in Kathmandu. We will circulate the consolidated submissions prior to the meeting. To make sure that your inputs contribute directly to the GAC meeting, please have your say on this issue - NOW.
We look forward to a rich discussion that will be made possible by YOU.
Namtip Aksornkool Senior Programme Specialist, Section for Inclusion and Quality Learning Enhancement, UNESCO Moderator for this eDiscussion
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Report from Casey Middle School, Boulder
Casey Middle School
In the months of February and March, Casey Middle School put on a Penny War for Peace. We raised $583.58 that will go toward a girls’ school renovation project in Khane, Pakistan (or a new school project in the Hushe Valley). We were initially inspired by Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea” book and by the way he has helped to build schools for girls in Pakistan. We were moved by his efforts as just a normal person and decided that we could help, too. We were so happy to find a local Boulder group who could help us. We asked Lizzy Scully (the executive director of Girls Education International) to come to our school. She presented at our assembly and showed her pictures of Khane. We thought it would be great to help other people get what they deserve. She was cool and funny. Her motivation helped us raise the money. We decided a Penny War would be fun. 6th, 7th and 8th graders competed to raise the most money, but only pennies counted as a positive point. All other coins and bills were counted as negative. It was fun to put the negatives in the other grades’ jars. The 6th graders were the best at raising money and the whole school could hear the 6th graders roar when the winners were announced. We’re now planning a party and other ways to have fun raising money.
In the months of February and March, Casey Middle School put on a Penny War for Peace. We raised $583.58 that will go toward a girls’ school renovation project in Khane, Pakistan (or a new school project in the Hushe Valley). We were initially inspired by Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea” book and by the way he has helped to build schools for girls in Pakistan. We were moved by his efforts as just a normal person and decided that we could help, too. We were so happy to find a local Boulder group who could help us. We asked Lizzy Scully (the executive director of Girls Education International) to come to our school. She presented at our assembly and showed her pictures of Khane. We thought it would be great to help other people get what they deserve. She was cool and funny. Her motivation helped us raise the money. We decided a Penny War would be fun. 6th, 7th and 8th graders competed to raise the most money, but only pennies counted as a positive point. All other coins and bills were counted as negative. It was fun to put the negatives in the other grades’ jars. The 6th graders were the best at raising money and the whole school could hear the 6th graders roar when the winners were announced. We’re now planning a party and other ways to have fun raising money.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Emily Sherman-Davis has returned from assessment
I just received the report from Emily Sherman-Davis on her assessment of schools and girls in two mountainous regions of Liberia. We can provide scholarships to 42 girls for less than $3000. I am hoping at our June 26th fundraiser with Pete Takeda in Estes Park that we will be able to raise the full amount of money to provide scholarships to these girls for the 2008/2009 school year. I'm including some photos of Emily and the schools and girls she visited. I'll include the complete report at the end of this blog entry.
(The girls in green are from St. Martin's School. Emily is on the far right in the photos with the school children).
My Trip to Gbarnga, Bong County
William V. S. Tubman Gray United Methodist High School
In Gbarnga, Bong County, I visited two schools. My first visit was at the William V. S. Tubman Gray United Methodist High School. I met the principal Mr. P. Harvey Willie, who whole heartedly took me around the campus, and was happy for the scholarship program. He took me to the 9th grade class to talk to the girls of that class. Then the girls asked questions.
We distributed the forms to all the students of the Grade 9 class and explained that there was a selection process and it was not possible to give scholarships to all the girls. Hence the selection process so as to ensure that the girls who had the greatest need based on the criteria set by Common Ground received the scholarship. We asked the girls to write a hand written application and attach a photo to their applications and send them to the Principal’s office. We held an interview with the applicants the following day along with the principal and one lady teacher. I informed the applicatants that they will know if they are selected through a letter which would be sent to the principal of the school.
St Martin Catholic High School
My second visit was at the St. Martin’s High School. This is a Catholic school System. I met with the principal Mr. Darwin who took me around the campus to see the girls. I visited the 6th grade class. I was informed by the principal that the school has more girls than boys. Many according to the principal found it difficult to pay their fees.
I met with the students of Grade Six and explain to them the purpose of the scholarship. We distributed the application forms and told the girls to attach a handwritten application with a passport photo to the applications. The following day we conducted the interviews with the students in the office of the principal.
During our stay in Gbarnga, we visited the Methodist High School agricultural farm where rice and other crops are planted. We also paid surprise visits at the home of some of the girls who applied for the scholarship and met with the Chief Education Officer who was very happy about the scholarship program. He noted that most of the scholarship programs in the country benefits only students in the urban area and expressed the hope that the scholarship will help to retain and increase enrolment of girls in the county. We also visited some parts of the city as well as the general market.
I finally had a meeting with the Principals of the both schools before my departure from Gbarnga. In our meeting we discussed how we will work with them directly in collecting academic records of the beneficiaries.
Kakata, Margibi County
Dekegar Community School
In Kakata, Margibi, I visited three schools. The first was the Dekegar Community School. I had no intention of visiting this school prior to my coming to Kakata. But seeing the school from afar, I felt impelled to reach the campus. This is a community junior high school. The school is housed in an unfinished building; some of the classes are held practically outside, majority of the young pupils I saw were only wearing slippers. Some were in color clothes because they can’t afford the cost of uniforms and the school authority had to be patient until the parents could buy the uniforms.
Many of the girls with told me that they sell palm nuts, fish and other food stuff to pay their fees and even still found it difficult to get the fees on time. Most of the students in the school walk long distances to come to school. The learning condition is deplorable especially when it comes to classrooms and chairs.
Based on my observation and the need of girls in this school I decided to distribute some forms to the students in Grade 9.
At St. Christopher Catholic High school, I met the Vice principal Mr.Massiquoi. I arrived at the school when students were sitting to their fourth period tests so I did not have the opportunity to speak to the students directly as I wanted. I managed to talk with a few of them who finished their tests when I was still on campus. We however explained the purpose of the scholarships and gave the forms to the Principal.
Upon second thought I decided to include one public school into scholarship scheme so it would not look like we had some indifference with public schools. Thus I visited the Allen Yancy Junior High School. In this school the education is free for the elementary section but the junior high section pay fees. I met the principal Mr. Milton A.F. Coleman who discussed the need for a girls’ scholarship program. He stated that inspite of the fact the fees are relatively low, many girls could not afford to pay even their registration fees.
I later had a meeting with the girls in Grade 9.
The following day I conducted the interviews at all the schools and informed the applicants that those selected for the scholarship will shortly know. We also held discussions with the principals.
THE SELECTION
The final selection was done at Common Ground Society with the inputs of the staff. It was difficult process, but based on my personal observation and interview notes we managed to make the following selections:
St . Martins - Bong County (10 Students selected)
Patience Corrans
Madusu K. Aromah
Winder V. Kollie
Karkue S. Dunbar
Neomie Y. Mulbah
Youku Y Johnson
Lorpu B. Kpangbah
Roseline D. Tonkoille
Korbawulu T. Barpeen
Michaeline T. Biddle
Methodist High - Bong County (11 Students selected)
Linda Mulbah
Rose Diggs
Neyeah Sumo
Helena Paulono
Aminata Donzo
Lovette Goodridge
Gifty Youhn
Mary Korsee
Leemu Kennedy
Tete Dologbuman
Jennis Flomo 4th grade *
(on the day of my departure, this little girl walked up to me and asked if she could get a scholarship from me. I was really touched since it is not a normal thing for young people to just walk up to an adult (especially strangers) and ask for favors. I walked back with her to the principal’s office and asked to see her grades while she waited outside. She is doing remarkably well, however, the principal told me she was one of the students that could not afford her fees. I did not promise anything but I told her I will see what I could do. I explained this to our staff and everyone thought it would be good to include on the program. That is how we selected her.
St. Christopher - Margibi County (5 students selected)
Dorothy George
Matu Kollie
Josephine Fallah
Hawa Kiawu
Deborah Teeman
Dekegar Elementary and Jr. High - Margibi County (11 Students selected)
Alice Whikolo
Comfort Naimah
Olivia Massaquoi
Henritta Tambah
Love Vah
Rebecca Kollie
Annie Naimah
Annie Jouah
Gracial Holder
Famata Harris
Atura Garway
E. J. Yancy Elementary and Junior High – (10 students selected)
Teta Y. Dolo
Lovina Thomas
Ophelia Bayoh
Nancy Cooper
Malusu Kanneh
Joanna Nazen
Meme Neagar
Christina Tokpah
Moneh Kappeh
Mailee Seingbah
(The girls in green are from St. Martin's School. Emily is on the far right in the photos with the school children).
My Trip to Gbarnga, Bong County
William V. S. Tubman Gray United Methodist High School
In Gbarnga, Bong County, I visited two schools. My first visit was at the William V. S. Tubman Gray United Methodist High School. I met the principal Mr. P. Harvey Willie, who whole heartedly took me around the campus, and was happy for the scholarship program. He took me to the 9th grade class to talk to the girls of that class. Then the girls asked questions.
We distributed the forms to all the students of the Grade 9 class and explained that there was a selection process and it was not possible to give scholarships to all the girls. Hence the selection process so as to ensure that the girls who had the greatest need based on the criteria set by Common Ground received the scholarship. We asked the girls to write a hand written application and attach a photo to their applications and send them to the Principal’s office. We held an interview with the applicants the following day along with the principal and one lady teacher. I informed the applicatants that they will know if they are selected through a letter which would be sent to the principal of the school.
St Martin Catholic High School
My second visit was at the St. Martin’s High School. This is a Catholic school System. I met with the principal Mr. Darwin who took me around the campus to see the girls. I visited the 6th grade class. I was informed by the principal that the school has more girls than boys. Many according to the principal found it difficult to pay their fees.
I met with the students of Grade Six and explain to them the purpose of the scholarship. We distributed the application forms and told the girls to attach a handwritten application with a passport photo to the applications. The following day we conducted the interviews with the students in the office of the principal.
During our stay in Gbarnga, we visited the Methodist High School agricultural farm where rice and other crops are planted. We also paid surprise visits at the home of some of the girls who applied for the scholarship and met with the Chief Education Officer who was very happy about the scholarship program. He noted that most of the scholarship programs in the country benefits only students in the urban area and expressed the hope that the scholarship will help to retain and increase enrolment of girls in the county. We also visited some parts of the city as well as the general market.
I finally had a meeting with the Principals of the both schools before my departure from Gbarnga. In our meeting we discussed how we will work with them directly in collecting academic records of the beneficiaries.
Kakata, Margibi County
Dekegar Community School
In Kakata, Margibi, I visited three schools. The first was the Dekegar Community School. I had no intention of visiting this school prior to my coming to Kakata. But seeing the school from afar, I felt impelled to reach the campus. This is a community junior high school. The school is housed in an unfinished building; some of the classes are held practically outside, majority of the young pupils I saw were only wearing slippers. Some were in color clothes because they can’t afford the cost of uniforms and the school authority had to be patient until the parents could buy the uniforms.
Many of the girls with told me that they sell palm nuts, fish and other food stuff to pay their fees and even still found it difficult to get the fees on time. Most of the students in the school walk long distances to come to school. The learning condition is deplorable especially when it comes to classrooms and chairs.
Based on my observation and the need of girls in this school I decided to distribute some forms to the students in Grade 9.
At St. Christopher Catholic High school, I met the Vice principal Mr.Massiquoi. I arrived at the school when students were sitting to their fourth period tests so I did not have the opportunity to speak to the students directly as I wanted. I managed to talk with a few of them who finished their tests when I was still on campus. We however explained the purpose of the scholarships and gave the forms to the Principal.
Upon second thought I decided to include one public school into scholarship scheme so it would not look like we had some indifference with public schools. Thus I visited the Allen Yancy Junior High School. In this school the education is free for the elementary section but the junior high section pay fees. I met the principal Mr. Milton A.F. Coleman who discussed the need for a girls’ scholarship program. He stated that inspite of the fact the fees are relatively low, many girls could not afford to pay even their registration fees.
I later had a meeting with the girls in Grade 9.
The following day I conducted the interviews at all the schools and informed the applicants that those selected for the scholarship will shortly know. We also held discussions with the principals.
THE SELECTION
The final selection was done at Common Ground Society with the inputs of the staff. It was difficult process, but based on my personal observation and interview notes we managed to make the following selections:
St . Martins - Bong County (10 Students selected)
Patience Corrans
Madusu K. Aromah
Winder V. Kollie
Karkue S. Dunbar
Neomie Y. Mulbah
Youku Y Johnson
Lorpu B. Kpangbah
Roseline D. Tonkoille
Korbawulu T. Barpeen
Michaeline T. Biddle
Methodist High - Bong County (11 Students selected)
Linda Mulbah
Rose Diggs
Neyeah Sumo
Helena Paulono
Aminata Donzo
Lovette Goodridge
Gifty Youhn
Mary Korsee
Leemu Kennedy
Tete Dologbuman
Jennis Flomo 4th grade *
(on the day of my departure, this little girl walked up to me and asked if she could get a scholarship from me. I was really touched since it is not a normal thing for young people to just walk up to an adult (especially strangers) and ask for favors. I walked back with her to the principal’s office and asked to see her grades while she waited outside. She is doing remarkably well, however, the principal told me she was one of the students that could not afford her fees. I did not promise anything but I told her I will see what I could do. I explained this to our staff and everyone thought it would be good to include on the program. That is how we selected her.
St. Christopher - Margibi County (5 students selected)
Dorothy George
Matu Kollie
Josephine Fallah
Hawa Kiawu
Deborah Teeman
Dekegar Elementary and Jr. High - Margibi County (11 Students selected)
Alice Whikolo
Comfort Naimah
Olivia Massaquoi
Henritta Tambah
Love Vah
Rebecca Kollie
Annie Naimah
Annie Jouah
Gracial Holder
Famata Harris
Atura Garway
E. J. Yancy Elementary and Junior High – (10 students selected)
Teta Y. Dolo
Lovina Thomas
Ophelia Bayoh
Nancy Cooper
Malusu Kanneh
Joanna Nazen
Meme Neagar
Christina Tokpah
Moneh Kappeh
Mailee Seingbah
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Reports and other news
THe fundraiser at Cafe Babu was a huge success as far as raising awareness and getting people out. Unfortunately we didn't make as much money as we hoped because we had to split the take a the door 40/60 with the owners of the cafe. We realized that next time we really need to get our venues for free or for a discounted rate. However, Heidi did a fantastic job organizing the entire event with some help from Roxanna Brock, Russell Holcolm and the ever-energetic Patrick (sorry I don't know his last name!)
In other news, Emily Sherman-Davis, the program director for Common Ground Society, Liberia, returned from her assessment trip to the mountainous regions of Liberia. In a few days I will have her report up on the blog. We're very excited that we've actually got a program up and running. Hopefully at our June 26th fundraiser at the Hangar Restaurant in Estes Park--featuring book writer and alpinist Pete Takeda (www.petetakeda.com)--we'll raise the $3000 we need to fund the scholarship for Liberian girls.
The 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Casey Middle School continue to raise funds for our project in Khane. Unfortunately, we are still having problems getting that program up and running. We are working with the CARE Foundation in Pakistan, but we haven't been able to settle on a plan to get things going. It's getting to be really frustrating--not because CARE isn't helpful, but rather because they have limited funds and employees to do the assessment, and they are so far away from the Northern Areas. I wish I could find an organization in the Northern Areas, but after doing a bunch of research and talking with many folks, it just seems that there's a dearth of agencies operating in that region. I'm still communicating with CARE on a regular basis and am hoping to fund a trip for one of their employees.
I've just received all the information from the people who administer the Child Labor Rescue program in Nepal. I am going to put together a grant proposal to raise money for the program, which is currently administered jointly by The Mountain Fund and the Nepali NGO, Empowering Women of Nepal. Scott MacLennan and I are working on putting together a Trek4Good that will bring a group of women to the Mustang region of Nepal to check out the Child Labor Rescue program, meet the girls, and then trek around Annapurna. We are hoping the trip happens in October or November (for more information, visit www.mountainfund.org). I'll post more specific information as we get the program going.
Things we are in great need of right now include: someone to help research grants that would be appropriate for our three programs. We can't actually apply for grants for the Khane project until we get the assessment worked out. However, we can apply for grants for the Liberia and Nepal programs. I desperately need someone to help me find donors, sponsors and or grants that apply. This is Girls Education International's greatest need right now.
In other news, Emily Sherman-Davis, the program director for Common Ground Society, Liberia, returned from her assessment trip to the mountainous regions of Liberia. In a few days I will have her report up on the blog. We're very excited that we've actually got a program up and running. Hopefully at our June 26th fundraiser at the Hangar Restaurant in Estes Park--featuring book writer and alpinist Pete Takeda (www.petetakeda.com)--we'll raise the $3000 we need to fund the scholarship for Liberian girls.
The 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Casey Middle School continue to raise funds for our project in Khane. Unfortunately, we are still having problems getting that program up and running. We are working with the CARE Foundation in Pakistan, but we haven't been able to settle on a plan to get things going. It's getting to be really frustrating--not because CARE isn't helpful, but rather because they have limited funds and employees to do the assessment, and they are so far away from the Northern Areas. I wish I could find an organization in the Northern Areas, but after doing a bunch of research and talking with many folks, it just seems that there's a dearth of agencies operating in that region. I'm still communicating with CARE on a regular basis and am hoping to fund a trip for one of their employees.
I've just received all the information from the people who administer the Child Labor Rescue program in Nepal. I am going to put together a grant proposal to raise money for the program, which is currently administered jointly by The Mountain Fund and the Nepali NGO, Empowering Women of Nepal. Scott MacLennan and I are working on putting together a Trek4Good that will bring a group of women to the Mustang region of Nepal to check out the Child Labor Rescue program, meet the girls, and then trek around Annapurna. We are hoping the trip happens in October or November (for more information, visit www.mountainfund.org). I'll post more specific information as we get the program going.
Things we are in great need of right now include: someone to help research grants that would be appropriate for our three programs. We can't actually apply for grants for the Khane project until we get the assessment worked out. However, we can apply for grants for the Liberia and Nepal programs. I desperately need someone to help me find donors, sponsors and or grants that apply. This is Girls Education International's greatest need right now.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Slide Show in Seattle and Other Stuff
I just did a slide show the other night at Feathered Friends. I told the story of Heidi's & my climbing relationship and how that led us to create Girls Education International. Despite some technical difficulties, the show went well. It was fun, and people were laughing. I look forward to doing my next show at the New River Rendezvous this May. Now I just have to figure out how to get people to donate more money!
Our next big fund raiser is just one week away. Heid's organized a fantastic masquerave. It'll be an all-niter (maybe not for me). I hope to see hundreds of people there! I'm going to go ahead and post the ad again.
In other news. We've just sent our first batch of money over to Liberia. $780 to be exact. The $60 it cost to send it via Western Union was an unpleasant surprise. However, because Liberia has no infrastructure due to the destruction of their ten-year civil war, we can't send the money any other way. The banking systems are unreliable. Western Union, it seems, is the only consistent, trustworthy business around the world. I am impressed. So, anyway, that $720 (minus the $60) will be used for the assessment process.
Emily Sherman-Davis, the program director for Common Ground Society, is traveling to two different mountainous regions of Liberia. She will visit with a variety of schools and during assemblies will announce the details of the scholarship program to the students. Students will then spend a few days writing up their application forms while Emily works out the scholarship program details with the principals of the school. She will have to make a quick decision about the recipients this year because each trip she takes will cost hundreds of dollars. Rather than spend those hundreds paying for her to travel around Liberia, she and GEI decided it was most imporant to get some girls educated. She will visit the schools again two times each year to check on the progress of the girls, and she will communicate with principals throughout the year as well.
Our Pakistan project is moving forward, but maddeningly slowly. I am in regularly communication with Areej from the CARE Foundation, Pakistan. We are trying to figure out via sporadic emails when Heidi can go over there to do the assessment with CARE. CARE must assess the village Khane before the renovations can take place. We are still not 100% sure that the project will happen, but I have high hopes for CARE's ability to build and/or renovate schools. I'll keep you posted.
Spring Masquerave Dance Party!!!
April 12th @ Cafe Babu
1335 Broadway in BOULDER
on the corner of University and Broadway, next to the Boulder Mountaineering shop!
10pm-6am! Yep all night! So bring your comfy dancing shoes!
Suggested donation $20
Music by:
Jantsen= myspace.com/jantsenmusic
Spindler
Future Simple Project= myspace.com/futuresimpleproject
Alala One= myspace.com/alalaone
Jayce
and special guests!!!!
Our next big fund raiser is just one week away. Heid's organized a fantastic masquerave. It'll be an all-niter (maybe not for me). I hope to see hundreds of people there! I'm going to go ahead and post the ad again.
In other news. We've just sent our first batch of money over to Liberia. $780 to be exact. The $60 it cost to send it via Western Union was an unpleasant surprise. However, because Liberia has no infrastructure due to the destruction of their ten-year civil war, we can't send the money any other way. The banking systems are unreliable. Western Union, it seems, is the only consistent, trustworthy business around the world. I am impressed. So, anyway, that $720 (minus the $60) will be used for the assessment process.
Emily Sherman-Davis, the program director for Common Ground Society, is traveling to two different mountainous regions of Liberia. She will visit with a variety of schools and during assemblies will announce the details of the scholarship program to the students. Students will then spend a few days writing up their application forms while Emily works out the scholarship program details with the principals of the school. She will have to make a quick decision about the recipients this year because each trip she takes will cost hundreds of dollars. Rather than spend those hundreds paying for her to travel around Liberia, she and GEI decided it was most imporant to get some girls educated. She will visit the schools again two times each year to check on the progress of the girls, and she will communicate with principals throughout the year as well.
Our Pakistan project is moving forward, but maddeningly slowly. I am in regularly communication with Areej from the CARE Foundation, Pakistan. We are trying to figure out via sporadic emails when Heidi can go over there to do the assessment with CARE. CARE must assess the village Khane before the renovations can take place. We are still not 100% sure that the project will happen, but I have high hopes for CARE's ability to build and/or renovate schools. I'll keep you posted.
Spring Masquerave Dance Party!!!
April 12th @ Cafe Babu
1335 Broadway in BOULDER
on the corner of University and Broadway, next to the Boulder Mountaineering shop!
10pm-6am! Yep all night! So bring your comfy dancing shoes!
Suggested donation $20
Music by:
Jantsen= myspace.com/jantsenmusic
Spindler
Future Simple Project= myspace.com/futuresimpleproject
Alala One= myspace.com/alalaone
Jayce
and special guests!!!!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Join us for a Girls Ed. Dance Party Fund Raiser
Spring Masquerave Dance Party!!!
April 12th @ Cafe Babu
1335 Broadway in BOULDER
on the corner of University and Broadway, next to the Boulder Mountaineering shop!
10pm-6am! Yep all night! So bring your comfy dancing shoes!
Suggested donation $20
Music by:
Jantsen= myspace.com/jantsenmusic
Spindler
Future Simple Project= myspace.com/futuresimpleproject
Alala One= myspace.com/alalaone
Jayce
and special guests!!!!
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.
Thanks Casey Middle School (Boulder, CO)
The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at Casey Middle School in Boulder are raising money for Girls Education International! I just did a 20-minute slide show there this past Wednesday, March 19th. The kids were really wonderful, well behaved, and enthusiastic. Plus, the presentations they did before my slide show and after were awesome. I'm so impressed by these 350 youngsters. Right now they are doing a penny war (i.e. racing to see which class fills up a five-gallon jug with money first). The day I left the 6th graders were ahead with the 8th graders in second place. The money they raise will go directly to our Pakistan projects.
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