This information was compiled by GEI volunteer, Danielle Hoffman.
• Women account for roughly half the world’s population, perform 66% of the hours worked, receive 10% the world’s income and own less that 1% of the world’s property. In accordance to the teachings of Islam, seeking knowledge is obligatory to men AND women. Recent studies show that social benefits (i.e. conflicts, war) are far greater from educating women than from education men in Pakistan.
• Many parents however, avoid enrolling their girls in school because to them it seems pointless to be educated to spend a lifetime doing domestic housework.
• Greater education of women improves the health of their children due to the importance of hygiene and simple remedies. A woman’s child is also more likely to attend school if the mother is educated. A woman’s education also contributes to productivity and economic growth, not only in their generation, but in the next.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Education In Pakistan
This information was compiled by GEI volunteer, Danielle Hoffman.
• Pakistan gained its independence in 1949 from British rule.
• Its population in 1951 was 34 million. In 2005 it was 154 million.
• Prior to British rule, education was free, highly valued and diverse while embracing Islamic teachings. Teachers were free to teach what they felt relevant, and a great deal of trust was placed in these institutions. Education included, among other things, fine arts, drawing, the arts of defense and tactical training, architecture, calligraphy, sculpture medicine, pharmacy and surgery.
• Under British rule, education was reformed and it became restricted to class. Acquaintance with the English language was synonymous with knowledge; the lack of it was considered ignorance.
• With independence, Hindus and Muslims were divided, the latter occupied India, the former, Pakistan. This left Pakistan’s economy, commerce, and educational system in ruins. Many teachers were Indian Hindus. The population surge did nothing but exacerbate the already overwhelmed education sector. At the end of British rule, two types of schools existed: government run and madrassas. The government spends 1.8% of its GDP on schools today. There is a continuous need to increase the defense budget due relations with India, the Kashmir issue, three wars, and East Pakistan’s transformation to Bangladesh. This has been devastating to Pakistan's education funds.
• A 2005 study done by politician Imran Khan found that 15% of government schools are without proper buildings. This means they may be unsafe, partial or non-existing. 52% are without boundary walls. 40% are without running water. 70% of schools are without electricity. 20% of schools reported do not exist structurally, only on paper. In many cases, these nonexistent schools and teachers are still receiving funds from the government, which are already exhausted.
• Of those schools that do exist structurally, 25% of them are without teachers, 70% of them exist but are closed, and no schools have more than half the teachers they’re suppose to have.
• Only half of the children in Pakistan will ever have access to any formal education. Of those who do have access, half of them will drop out before finishing primary school. Many times, this is due to financial constraints on the family.
• The other types of schools that exist in Pakistan are two types of madrassas (or madrasahas):
1. Maktab: devoted entirely to reading, recitation and learning of the Koran. These schools enable the common man to perform daily religious duties. They are similar to Christian Sunday schools.
2. Madaris: teach strict Islam following as well as Islamic sciences. Once primary school in completed, students learn math and science in secondary school. There is much conflicted information about the threat of madrassas throughout the Islamic world. Claims have been made that madrassas are harboring terrorists and that in some cases, they are terrorists training grounds. There have been valid arguments for both sides.
• The fear is that since Saudi Arabia has invested millions of dollars in madrassas throughout Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other Islamic countries, that they must be teaching fundamentalist Islam. Madrassas currently provide free education, room and board, and in some cases, a stipend for families who are losing money due to lost labor of their children. For many parents, madrassas are the only way their children will see an education.
• Parents who cannot afford to send their children to private school or government run schools must send their children to madrassas, where they are guaranteed an extremely conservative education that is grossly inadequate in terms of being applicable to modern day needs, but an education nonetheless. Figures vary greatly, but there are an estimated 800,000 to 1 million students in madrassas across Pakistan.
• Pakistan gained its independence in 1949 from British rule.
• Its population in 1951 was 34 million. In 2005 it was 154 million.
• Prior to British rule, education was free, highly valued and diverse while embracing Islamic teachings. Teachers were free to teach what they felt relevant, and a great deal of trust was placed in these institutions. Education included, among other things, fine arts, drawing, the arts of defense and tactical training, architecture, calligraphy, sculpture medicine, pharmacy and surgery.
• Under British rule, education was reformed and it became restricted to class. Acquaintance with the English language was synonymous with knowledge; the lack of it was considered ignorance.
• With independence, Hindus and Muslims were divided, the latter occupied India, the former, Pakistan. This left Pakistan’s economy, commerce, and educational system in ruins. Many teachers were Indian Hindus. The population surge did nothing but exacerbate the already overwhelmed education sector. At the end of British rule, two types of schools existed: government run and madrassas. The government spends 1.8% of its GDP on schools today. There is a continuous need to increase the defense budget due relations with India, the Kashmir issue, three wars, and East Pakistan’s transformation to Bangladesh. This has been devastating to Pakistan's education funds.
• A 2005 study done by politician Imran Khan found that 15% of government schools are without proper buildings. This means they may be unsafe, partial or non-existing. 52% are without boundary walls. 40% are without running water. 70% of schools are without electricity. 20% of schools reported do not exist structurally, only on paper. In many cases, these nonexistent schools and teachers are still receiving funds from the government, which are already exhausted.
• Of those schools that do exist structurally, 25% of them are without teachers, 70% of them exist but are closed, and no schools have more than half the teachers they’re suppose to have.
• Only half of the children in Pakistan will ever have access to any formal education. Of those who do have access, half of them will drop out before finishing primary school. Many times, this is due to financial constraints on the family.
• The other types of schools that exist in Pakistan are two types of madrassas (or madrasahas):
1. Maktab: devoted entirely to reading, recitation and learning of the Koran. These schools enable the common man to perform daily religious duties. They are similar to Christian Sunday schools.
2. Madaris: teach strict Islam following as well as Islamic sciences. Once primary school in completed, students learn math and science in secondary school. There is much conflicted information about the threat of madrassas throughout the Islamic world. Claims have been made that madrassas are harboring terrorists and that in some cases, they are terrorists training grounds. There have been valid arguments for both sides.
• The fear is that since Saudi Arabia has invested millions of dollars in madrassas throughout Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other Islamic countries, that they must be teaching fundamentalist Islam. Madrassas currently provide free education, room and board, and in some cases, a stipend for families who are losing money due to lost labor of their children. For many parents, madrassas are the only way their children will see an education.
• Parents who cannot afford to send their children to private school or government run schools must send their children to madrassas, where they are guaranteed an extremely conservative education that is grossly inadequate in terms of being applicable to modern day needs, but an education nonetheless. Figures vary greatly, but there are an estimated 800,000 to 1 million students in madrassas across Pakistan.
Friday, August 17, 2007
New Photos of Nisa and Sonam
I just heard from Jamling. He says his girls are doing well in school. They look healthy and happy! Here are a couple photos of them, along with their father.
The latest from Pakistan
This letter was sent to all the GEI volunteers from Heidi in regards to Fabrizio, his trip to K2, and the Zach Martin Breaking Barriers Grant that he won and is using to help lay the groundwork for renovating the Khane school:
Hello everyone,
So, one of the team members from Fabrizio's team just
got back. He said that he went with Fabrizio to one of
Greg M's schools. The info he gave was not as good as
in greg's book. Sounds like there is a problem in the
trickle of money. I guess that the people working at
the school have not been getting there full salary's.
Not sure exactly what is going on, but just goes to
show that no matter how good of a ground structure you
have, things can still get off track over there. Just
something that we should keep in mind. Would be nice
to avoid this type of problem if we can. He did say
that everyone had good things to say about Greg, they
just wanted help. So, I am going to try and contact
Greg and see if there is anything that he can do.
Info on Fabrizio: He just got down from a push style
attempt at the summit of k2. After about 36 hrs they
were turned back due to bad conditions. Sounds like
most people have left base camp. So, hopefully he will
be in Khane soon.
Also, I recieved a check from Jim Donnini at the OR
show. He says he whole heartedly agrees with what we
are doing and wants to contribute $100 every year.
(THANKS JIM!)
That's it for now.
Cheers,
Heidi
Hello everyone,
So, one of the team members from Fabrizio's team just
got back. He said that he went with Fabrizio to one of
Greg M's schools. The info he gave was not as good as
in greg's book. Sounds like there is a problem in the
trickle of money. I guess that the people working at
the school have not been getting there full salary's.
Not sure exactly what is going on, but just goes to
show that no matter how good of a ground structure you
have, things can still get off track over there. Just
something that we should keep in mind. Would be nice
to avoid this type of problem if we can. He did say
that everyone had good things to say about Greg, they
just wanted help. So, I am going to try and contact
Greg and see if there is anything that he can do.
Info on Fabrizio: He just got down from a push style
attempt at the summit of k2. After about 36 hrs they
were turned back due to bad conditions. Sounds like
most people have left base camp. So, hopefully he will
be in Khane soon.
Also, I recieved a check from Jim Donnini at the OR
show. He says he whole heartedly agrees with what we
are doing and wants to contribute $100 every year.
(THANKS JIM!)
That's it for now.
Cheers,
Heidi
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Tweaked Mission
We've changed our mission. It now reads: The mission of Girls Education International is to expand and promote educational opportunities for women and girls around the world. We do this by working in close collaboration with local communities to promote ownership that will ensure that the education programs respect local culture and values and will be sustained over the long term.
Heidi Wirtz Slide Show Tour Benefit for Girls Education International
Western States, Fall/07
Heidi Wirtz Fundraising Slide Show Tour Fall/07
Big Wall First Ascents in the Islamic World
Join, The North Face athlete, Heidi Wirtz as she takes you on a journey of exploration and adventure into the Islamic World of North Africa, Southern Asia and the Middle East. Wirtz will be presenting a fundraising slide show tour at several Western US universities and climbing shops this fall/07. The show includes a collage of beautiful pictures, video, music and stories that
will bring you from the ruins of Petra to the sheer cliffs of some the world's most remote and scenic areas. The North Face, La Sportiva, Black Diamond, Adventure Medical, Julbo, Clif bar and more will sponsor the shows. There will be a live auction as well as raffle at each event, with all proceeds going to Girls Education International (www.girlsed.org), a non-profit that Wirtz recently co-founded with journalist Lizzy Scully. The aim of GEI is to bring education to young women in underserved areas of the world, specifically Asia.
Slide show tour 07 Dates:
Sept 6th: Kick off at Neptune/Boulder, Colorado
Sept 12th or 17th (not confirmed): The Front/SLC, Utah
Sept 25th: Fort Lewis College/Durango, CO
Oct 2nd: Western State/Gunnison, CO
October 9th: Colorado Mountain College/Glenwood, CO
November 8th: Idaho State/Pocatello, ID
Heidi Wirtz
Professional Climber
The North Face, Black Diamond, La Sportiva
heidiwirtz1@yahoo.com
2850 Darley
Ave Boulder, CO 80305
mobile# 303-908-7795
For more information on Girls Education International or to donate, please visit www.girlsed.org and also Heidi's Mountain Fund fundraising site: http://www.firstgiving.com/girlsed
Heidi Wirtz Fundraising Slide Show Tour Fall/07
Big Wall First Ascents in the Islamic World
Join, The North Face athlete, Heidi Wirtz as she takes you on a journey of exploration and adventure into the Islamic World of North Africa, Southern Asia and the Middle East. Wirtz will be presenting a fundraising slide show tour at several Western US universities and climbing shops this fall/07. The show includes a collage of beautiful pictures, video, music and stories that
will bring you from the ruins of Petra to the sheer cliffs of some the world's most remote and scenic areas. The North Face, La Sportiva, Black Diamond, Adventure Medical, Julbo, Clif bar and more will sponsor the shows. There will be a live auction as well as raffle at each event, with all proceeds going to Girls Education International (www.girlsed.org), a non-profit that Wirtz recently co-founded with journalist Lizzy Scully. The aim of GEI is to bring education to young women in underserved areas of the world, specifically Asia.
Slide show tour 07 Dates:
Sept 6th: Kick off at Neptune/Boulder, Colorado
Sept 12th or 17th (not confirmed): The Front/SLC, Utah
Sept 25th: Fort Lewis College/Durango, CO
Oct 2nd: Western State/Gunnison, CO
October 9th: Colorado Mountain College/Glenwood, CO
November 8th: Idaho State/Pocatello, ID
Heidi Wirtz
Professional Climber
The North Face, Black Diamond, La Sportiva
heidiwirtz1@yahoo.com
2850 Darley
Ave Boulder, CO 80305
mobile# 303-908-7795
For more information on Girls Education International or to donate, please visit www.girlsed.org and also Heidi's Mountain Fund fundraising site: http://www.firstgiving.com/girlsed
Saturday, July 21, 2007
More summarizing of meeting
We're also rewording a variety of things, including our mission. We had a long discussion about how some of our text was contradictory regarding the idea that GEI does not want to impart Western values on others as we do our work.
We also feel like we need to define our target groups more clearly. I think we've settled on mountainous regions of the world, and we want to serve both girls and women, with the idea that educating women is often necessary in order to educate the children.
We also feel like we need to define our target groups more clearly. I think we've settled on mountainous regions of the world, and we want to serve both girls and women, with the idea that educating women is often necessary in order to educate the children.
GEI's First Major Meeting, July 5, 2007
GEI just had its first major meeting last week at The Spot Gym. Volunteers Meca Delgado, Elizabeth O'Neill, Danielle Hoffman, Justin Vorhees, and Sierra Postle (phone conferenced in) met to discuss the tasks that need to be done and to discuss the future of GEI. This is a summary of our meeting as written up by Elizabeth O'Neill.
As promised (albeit awfully late), below is the list of 'action items' and responsibilities resulting from our meeting. Please feel free to review and provide comments if there are omissions or changes. We didn't define specific deadlines for these tasks, but my general sense was that we wanted to make significant progress on all of the items below by our next meeting in mid-September.
Build a donor database:
--Meca to send Justin example database
--Justin to create template and circulate to group (Elizabeth is looking also for examples, but no luck yet)
--Danielle to research foundations
--Elizabeth to research bilateral/multilateral agencies
--Heidi to research commercial/for profit/industry
--Everyone with info to plug it into donor database template
Get GEI signed up with Global Giving: Sierra(?)
Develop an online space (e.g., a "portal") where we can store info, work on draft documents, etc.: Lizzy
Consolidate research information and post syntheses, original articles, book titles, cool powerpoint on education in Pakistan, etc. to portal: Danielle
--Assist Heidi with research on: 1) key ingredients of successful education projects; 2) government issues of importance to Khane project; Greg Mortensen's work: NEED VOLUNTEERS???
Prepare for OR in August (for general meetings with potential donors) and February (for "launch" of GEI and to make serious pitches to potential donors?):
--Heidi to take lead of 'working group'
--Roxanna hopefully to assist with business cards (for August) and brochure (for February)
--Sierra (?) and Danielle to support at OR
Continue to refine strategy document and business plan: Meca, Lizzy, Elizabeth to consult
--draft to group two weeks from meeting date, so toward end of this week or early next week
--including making edits to mission, vision, and goals suggested by group; defining targets of work more clearly (e.g., girls vs. women? which countries? which geographies?)
Review Khane project plan and send comments to Heidi: Elizabeth, WHO ELSE??
Next meeting to be scheduled between September 4th and September 12th: Elizabeth to assist Lizzy/Heidi with agenda development and facilitation
Read "Three Cups of Tea" (if you haven't already): Everyone :)
As promised (albeit awfully late), below is the list of 'action items' and responsibilities resulting from our meeting. Please feel free to review and provide comments if there are omissions or changes. We didn't define specific deadlines for these tasks, but my general sense was that we wanted to make significant progress on all of the items below by our next meeting in mid-September.
Build a donor database:
--Meca to send Justin example database
--Justin to create template and circulate to group (Elizabeth is looking also for examples, but no luck yet)
--Danielle to research foundations
--Elizabeth to research bilateral/multilateral agencies
--Heidi to research commercial/for profit/industry
--Everyone with info to plug it into donor database template
Get GEI signed up with Global Giving: Sierra(?)
Develop an online space (e.g., a "portal") where we can store info, work on draft documents, etc.: Lizzy
Consolidate research information and post syntheses, original articles, book titles, cool powerpoint on education in Pakistan, etc. to portal: Danielle
--Assist Heidi with research on: 1) key ingredients of successful education projects; 2) government issues of importance to Khane project; Greg Mortensen's work: NEED VOLUNTEERS???
Prepare for OR in August (for general meetings with potential donors) and February (for "launch" of GEI and to make serious pitches to potential donors?):
--Heidi to take lead of 'working group'
--Roxanna hopefully to assist with business cards (for August) and brochure (for February)
--Sierra (?) and Danielle to support at OR
Continue to refine strategy document and business plan: Meca, Lizzy, Elizabeth to consult
--draft to group two weeks from meeting date, so toward end of this week or early next week
--including making edits to mission, vision, and goals suggested by group; defining targets of work more clearly (e.g., girls vs. women? which countries? which geographies?)
Review Khane project plan and send comments to Heidi: Elizabeth, WHO ELSE??
Next meeting to be scheduled between September 4th and September 12th: Elizabeth to assist Lizzy/Heidi with agenda development and facilitation
Read "Three Cups of Tea" (if you haven't already): Everyone :)
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Jeffrey Rush of Mesa, AZ, wins Montbell Sleeping bag
Congrats to Jeffrey Rush of Mesa, AZ, for winning the Montbell Sleeping bag!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Offer of Help from Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director
On another positive note, we received correspondence from Muhammad Hassan, the Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, notifying us that he is interested in working with GEI in a variety of ways, including providing some funding for the girls' school as well as offering guidance. This is invaluable for GEI, as we still do not know exactly how much all the supplies will cost, etc.
To read more about their nonprofit, please visit their website: http://www.taaleem-e-niswan.org
To read more about their nonprofit, please visit their website: http://www.taaleem-e-niswan.org
Andrew's on his way
Andrew Council, guide for the Colorado Mountain School, will be leaving for Pakistan tomorrow morning on a personal trip to teach mountaineering skills to Baltistani. On his way he will be stopping over at the village Khane to talk with our contact over there. The plan is that he will get as much information as possible from Abbas. He is basically gathering the information that GEI needs to know to implement the girls' school renovation plan. Some of the things we need to find out include: how many students at the girls' school, what they need exactly, and the cost and type of repairs that need to be done for the school to function better.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Update on the progress of GEI
It's been a long time since I posted. I've been really busy doing the PR/marketing for the HERA Climb For Life event in Boulder, Colorado, this summer (to read more, go to the HERA Foundation website: http://www.herafoundation.org/events.cfm).
Anyway, here's the scoop on GEI. I've been working with this fellow named Andrew Council, a climbing guide for the Colorado Mountain School. He's heading over to Pakistan in the next few weeks. Plus, I've talked with our main contact over there, Abbas, this morning in fact. He's been snowed in most of the winter, and so we haven't had a chance to touch base. Basically, Andrew will be heading over to Khane for a day to talk with Abbas on his way to Khande, where he will train mountain guides. Andrew will be bringing a list of questions over (how many girls in the school, what exactly needs to be renovated, how long it might take Abbas to find a teacher, etc). Abbas will put together a document that answers all these questions and also details the most pressing needs for the school. He will then send this information back to me either via Andrew or via email.
The GEI team will put together a long term plan of attack to completely renovate the girls' school. We will use this plan to apply for grants from the American Alpine Club and other places. At the same time, we will be planning a slide show tour for Heidi, during which she will travel around the country raising fund and awareness for Girls Education International.
Additionally, Fabrizio Zangrelli will be going to Pakistan summer 2007 to climb K2. On his way out, he and maybe Heidi (if we can afford to send her to Pakistan) will work with Abbas in Khane to implement the first phases of the Khane plan. This year it might just be repairing and white washing the school and hiring a new teacher. We currently have about $1600 in the bank account, which should cover basic repairs and a teacher for 6 months. After Heidi's fundraiser tour, we should have enough money to pay for the teacher for another few years.
We believe that the most pressing need at this time for the school is to hire a qualified teacher. We hope to get new desks, school supplies, a privacy/protection fence around the perimeter, a larger garden, and scholarships in place over the next five years.
In regards to the raffle for the Montbell Sleeping bag. We have about 125 people who have donated and entered the raffle. We hope to get at least 75 more people to donate. Please donate at http://www.girlsed.org/Donate.htm. Thanks!
One more thing: Heidi has decided to be the head of the Board of Directors. We have another few people who have expressed interest in being on the board. We are looking for motivated people who are interested in raising money and awareness for educating girls abroad.
Anyway, here's the scoop on GEI. I've been working with this fellow named Andrew Council, a climbing guide for the Colorado Mountain School. He's heading over to Pakistan in the next few weeks. Plus, I've talked with our main contact over there, Abbas, this morning in fact. He's been snowed in most of the winter, and so we haven't had a chance to touch base. Basically, Andrew will be heading over to Khane for a day to talk with Abbas on his way to Khande, where he will train mountain guides. Andrew will be bringing a list of questions over (how many girls in the school, what exactly needs to be renovated, how long it might take Abbas to find a teacher, etc). Abbas will put together a document that answers all these questions and also details the most pressing needs for the school. He will then send this information back to me either via Andrew or via email.
The GEI team will put together a long term plan of attack to completely renovate the girls' school. We will use this plan to apply for grants from the American Alpine Club and other places. At the same time, we will be planning a slide show tour for Heidi, during which she will travel around the country raising fund and awareness for Girls Education International.
Additionally, Fabrizio Zangrelli will be going to Pakistan summer 2007 to climb K2. On his way out, he and maybe Heidi (if we can afford to send her to Pakistan) will work with Abbas in Khane to implement the first phases of the Khane plan. This year it might just be repairing and white washing the school and hiring a new teacher. We currently have about $1600 in the bank account, which should cover basic repairs and a teacher for 6 months. After Heidi's fundraiser tour, we should have enough money to pay for the teacher for another few years.
We believe that the most pressing need at this time for the school is to hire a qualified teacher. We hope to get new desks, school supplies, a privacy/protection fence around the perimeter, a larger garden, and scholarships in place over the next five years.
In regards to the raffle for the Montbell Sleeping bag. We have about 125 people who have donated and entered the raffle. We hope to get at least 75 more people to donate. Please donate at http://www.girlsed.org/Donate.htm. Thanks!
One more thing: Heidi has decided to be the head of the Board of Directors. We have another few people who have expressed interest in being on the board. We are looking for motivated people who are interested in raising money and awareness for educating girls abroad.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
We're Making Progress
Well, we've made more progress lately now that Heidi is back from her many trips. Unfortunately she leaves in a few days for Jordon, and will be gone for five weeks. However, we nailed down some plans, including:
1. Heidi will likely be the head/chief of the board of directors, and I will be the executive director for the organization and will not serve on the board.
2. For the timebeing (or possibly for the longterm) we will be working with The Mountain Fund. We now have nonprofit status through them.
3. Elizabeth O'Neill will be assisting with grant writing and may also be on the board of directors.
4. Justin Voorhees continues to be a great asset and is opening our nonprofit bank account sometime in the next few days. He's also taking care of all fiscal/budget stuff and has been working with The Mountain Fund to make our relationship official.
We are currently looking for more board members. If you are interested, please contact me at lizzy@girlsed.org.
Also, the donations are coming in. We've just put a press release on rockclimbing.com, and since then have received 5 additional donations. Thanks!
1. Heidi will likely be the head/chief of the board of directors, and I will be the executive director for the organization and will not serve on the board.
2. For the timebeing (or possibly for the longterm) we will be working with The Mountain Fund. We now have nonprofit status through them.
3. Elizabeth O'Neill will be assisting with grant writing and may also be on the board of directors.
4. Justin Voorhees continues to be a great asset and is opening our nonprofit bank account sometime in the next few days. He's also taking care of all fiscal/budget stuff and has been working with The Mountain Fund to make our relationship official.
We are currently looking for more board members. If you are interested, please contact me at lizzy@girlsed.org.
Also, the donations are coming in. We've just put a press release on rockclimbing.com, and since then have received 5 additional donations. Thanks!
Another Thank You
Wow, as the days progress, I find myself thanking more and more people for helping out in various ways. This thank you slipped through the cracks. Three of the photos we used on the official website were donated by David Lacure. The photos were taken in Mexico, October 2004, as part of a week-long mission trip.
Friday, February 23, 2007
www.girlsed.org
Oops, I was just notified that I haven't put a link to www.girlsed.org on the site yet. I'll work on that today. In the meantime, just click on www.girlsed.org anywhere that it appears on the blog. :)
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Thank You Montbell, Trango, Petzl, CAMP, Statik, etc...
Thank you to all the wonderful folks who made this event and this nonprofit possible!!! Without the longterm support of a number of businesses in the industry, I would not have been able to go on expeditions around the world. Without the experiences I had on these expeditions, I would not have founded Girls Education International.
First I want to thank my longterm friends and sponsors:
Scott Guenther and all the great folks at Montbell America, for providing me both with all the equipment I needed for my recent trip to Pakistan, and also for donating the fantastic Super Stretch Down Hugger Sleeping bag for the raffle (click here for more details on how to win the bag!).
Thanks also to Malcolm Daly and Great Trango Holdings for supplying me with the cams, light biners, harness, and all the other soft and hard goods I needed to climb big walls in Pakistan and around the Front Range. Mal, you rock!
Thanks very much to the Petzl, especially John and Chuck (the hottest grandpa I've ever met). These fellows are incredibly supportive of women in climbing, and regularly purchased ads for She Sends when I ran that magazine, and they also gave me some key items that I needed for my trip to Pakistan this past summer.
Thanks very much also to Jesse at CAMP for doing the Lumpy link-up with me before I left and for providing me with ice axes and plenty of super rad, light biners.
Thanks also to Statik Mountain Products for getting me some cool clothes to kick back in.
Thanks to Heidi's sponsors as well:
The North Face
The folks at Black Diamond (who have been great supporters of women climbers through their efforts with the HERA Foundation and also with She Sends).
Clif Bar
Wigwam Socks
Jetboil Stoves
First I want to thank my longterm friends and sponsors:
Scott Guenther and all the great folks at Montbell America, for providing me both with all the equipment I needed for my recent trip to Pakistan, and also for donating the fantastic Super Stretch Down Hugger Sleeping bag for the raffle (click here for more details on how to win the bag!).
Thanks also to Malcolm Daly and Great Trango Holdings for supplying me with the cams, light biners, harness, and all the other soft and hard goods I needed to climb big walls in Pakistan and around the Front Range. Mal, you rock!
Thanks very much to the Petzl, especially John and Chuck (the hottest grandpa I've ever met). These fellows are incredibly supportive of women in climbing, and regularly purchased ads for She Sends when I ran that magazine, and they also gave me some key items that I needed for my trip to Pakistan this past summer.
Thanks very much also to Jesse at CAMP for doing the Lumpy link-up with me before I left and for providing me with ice axes and plenty of super rad, light biners.
Thanks also to Statik Mountain Products for getting me some cool clothes to kick back in.
Thanks to Heidi's sponsors as well:
The North Face
The folks at Black Diamond (who have been great supporters of women climbers through their efforts with the HERA Foundation and also with She Sends).
Clif Bar
Wigwam Socks
Jetboil Stoves
Thanks, Kelly Cordes, for packing the house.
This is Kelly Cordes on the summit of Denali. Thanks very much, Mr. Disaster Style, for doing the slide show for GEI. You were the primary reason we had a packed house! You rock.
Coming Soon and things we still need...
Heidi and I are now beginning to organize the actual distribution of the funds that we earned at the first GEI fundraiser. Fabrizio Zangrelli, a longtime climber and all-around awesome human being, is going to implement some of the GEI plans in Pakistan this next summer. We are applying for the Zach Martin Breaking Barriers grant with the idea that Fabrizio will be able to stay in the Village Khane for a few weeks to buy and transport supplies to the village, with our local contact over there, Ghulam Abbas, and also to document anything that gets done over there.
We are also working on creating a newsletter and a series of press releases about GEI. We now have a few more volunteers on board helping out. Elizabeth O'Neill will be helping out with grant writing and the structuring of the nonprofit; Nicole Gordon will be doing some media work, including writing the newsletter and some press releases; Justin Voorhees is spearheading the fiscal/budget part of the whole nonprofit (thank gawd, since that is not my forte); Roxann Brock will be maintaining the website; and Heidi's considering being the head of the board of directors.
We are still in need of some additional board members, and we are looking for some other people to help out with the nitty gritty work of GEI as well, including another media person to help promote GEI, another grant writer, and some folks to help out with organizing fundraisers and other events. As things progress we will probably need additional volunteers. I'll post our needs as they arise.
We are also working on creating a newsletter and a series of press releases about GEI. We now have a few more volunteers on board helping out. Elizabeth O'Neill will be helping out with grant writing and the structuring of the nonprofit; Nicole Gordon will be doing some media work, including writing the newsletter and some press releases; Justin Voorhees is spearheading the fiscal/budget part of the whole nonprofit (thank gawd, since that is not my forte); Roxann Brock will be maintaining the website; and Heidi's considering being the head of the board of directors.
We are still in need of some additional board members, and we are looking for some other people to help out with the nitty gritty work of GEI as well, including another media person to help promote GEI, another grant writer, and some folks to help out with organizing fundraisers and other events. As things progress we will probably need additional volunteers. I'll post our needs as they arise.
Thanks also to all the people/businesses who donated products for the event:
The Estes Park Mountain Shop, Rob the owner, & all the EPMS employees for providing the venue for the event and the $25 gift certificate to the shop, and the three-month membership to the gym. Thanks also to Zach for organizing a good part of the event.
The Estes Park Brewery for providing us with the keg and a half of beer that was consumed!
GlassWorks, Estes, for the handblown pitcher (that I was just dying to have!)
The Wild Basin Lodge, Allenspark, for the $200 gift certificate
Statik Mountain Products for the two $50 gift certificates
The Spot Gym, Boulder, for the five-card punch pass
Chris Wall, Boulder, for the two training sessions
Seth Watson, Boulder, for the massage
Rambo’s Liquor Store, Estes, for the nice bottle of wine
The Stone Cup Coffee Shop, Lyons, for the three gift certificates
Tom at Longs Peak Coffee and Paper Shop, Estes, for the posters of Longs Peak and other things
Jane & Polartec, Estes, for all the great fleece jackets and vests
Komito Boots, Estes, for the Longs Peak poster
Rock & Ice magazine for the two subscriptions
Prana for the wonderful items of clothing
Patagonia for the cool fleece
Katy’s Hand Jam for the numerous containers of awsome hand salve
Pangea Organics for the wonderful, organic soap products
The Estes Park Brewery for providing us with the keg and a half of beer that was consumed!
GlassWorks, Estes, for the handblown pitcher (that I was just dying to have!)
The Wild Basin Lodge, Allenspark, for the $200 gift certificate
Statik Mountain Products for the two $50 gift certificates
The Spot Gym, Boulder, for the five-card punch pass
Chris Wall, Boulder, for the two training sessions
Seth Watson, Boulder, for the massage
Rambo’s Liquor Store, Estes, for the nice bottle of wine
The Stone Cup Coffee Shop, Lyons, for the three gift certificates
Tom at Longs Peak Coffee and Paper Shop, Estes, for the posters of Longs Peak and other things
Jane & Polartec, Estes, for all the great fleece jackets and vests
Komito Boots, Estes, for the Longs Peak poster
Rock & Ice magazine for the two subscriptions
Prana for the wonderful items of clothing
Patagonia for the cool fleece
Katy’s Hand Jam for the numerous containers of awsome hand salve
Pangea Organics for the wonderful, organic soap products
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