FIFA’s World Cup Legacy
Good Reasons to Give
From Garbage to Gold
A river in Himachal Pradesh, India
Social Entrepreneurship and Garbage
How can you safely handle waste, produce fertile compost, provide employment to the poor, prevent crime, and even make some money, all at the same time? Zero Waste Management, a not-for-profit organization created by Vellore Srinivasan, has answered this question with its waste collection program, which runs in rural villages and urban cities across India.
We Are All The Future of Philanthropy
Girls Education in Sierra Leone Africa
In Sierra Leone over 2.7 million children, or 48 percent of the country’s entire population, live in poverty and few have the opportunity to obtain an education. Many families cannot afford to send more than one child to school, because of this families often opt to send their sons to school and not their daughters. Door of Hope works in Freetown, Sierra Leone providing top notch girls education in Africa.
Girls Education in India
About a month ago we discussed The Importance of Girls Education and highlighted two of our partners doing work with girls education in India as well as Africa. The post discussed the merits of Girls Education highlighting why it’s so essential to progress and lifting families out of poverty. The results really speak for themselves, lowered HIV/AIDS infection rates, lower child mortality rates, the list goes on and on. What I missed out on in that post are the barriers that prevent girls from receiving the education they so need and deserve. So what’s preventing girls from attending schools?
1. Inadequate Facilities – Sometimes it’s things that we don’t even think of, like toilets that prevent girls from attending school. It’s easier to stay home then face the embarrassment of not having a dedicated girls bathroom. Not having adequate sanitation facilities for girls can increase rates of absenteeism by 10-20%. Additionally, lack of proper facilities can leader to #2.
2. Absenteeism due to sickness – As UNICEF so aptly puts it “Safe water and adequate sanitation are as important to quality education as pencils, books and teachers.” Without basic needs such as clean water, proper food and sanitation girls are unable to avoid illness and disease. Missing a day of school here or there is one thing but when disease removes you for a months at a time it’s difficult to ever catch up.
3. Lack of Qualified Teachers – Learning can be difficult when teachers are absent (this can be helped by government inspection and the para-teacher concept). But for girls it’s important to have teachers they can relate to and work with and studies have shown that girls perform better when learning from female teachers.
4. Fear of Sexual Harassment - Laws have been enacted in India to prevent “obscene gestures, remarks, songs or recitations” towards women. Despite having laws in place it does not mean that sexual harassment has stopped. Parents sometimes fear sending their children to school because of fear of sexual harassment on the walk there and back.
These four problems are ones that can be solved. SeeYourImpact partner Pardada Pardadi is doing it already with their incredible program. Consider providing a student with a uniform or empowering a girl through education.
What are our barriers to girls education that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
Country Profile – Vietnam
Vietnam Country Profile
Over the past 20 years Vietnam has risen from poverty to a success story of Southeast Asia. After being ravaged by war for decades the country has seen a huge rise in exports and tourism. Today Vietnam boasts a 5.3% real GDP growth rate.
Interesting Facts About Vietnam
Vietnam is the largest exporter of cashews and black pepper in the world (1/3 of the world’s black pepper comes from Vietnam)
Verbal responses to compliments are considered impolite, the appropriate response is to smile or blush.
Nguyen is the most common surname in Vietnam.
Scooters/Motobikes are a preferred method of travel, over 20 million are owned throughout the country.
Áo Dài
The Áo Dài is a traditional Vietnamese garment worn primarily by women. While unpopular during the late 1970′s the Áo Dài regained popularity in the 90′s and is now standard for weddings. A tight fitting tunic worn over pantaloons it is considered a national dress in Vietnam. The dress is so well known that the words “Áo Dài” appears in the English language dictionary, one of only a handful of Vietnamese words listed.
French Colonization
After nearly 1000 years of an independent Vietnam, the French assisted by Catholic collaborators seized control over the country. Roman Catholicism was promoted and the economy became entirely export. Calls from the Vietnamese for civil rights and self-government were largely ignored by the French. The seeds of an independence movement were sown in 1941 by Ho Chi Minh. After World War II, Ho Chi Minh’s liberation movement succeeded in defeating the French at Dien Bien Phu. The French military withdrew and were slowly replaced by American forces.
Vietnam War (the American War)
The conflict between Vietnam is known as the Vietnam War in the United States and The American War to the Vietnamese. What began as a few advisors sent to South Vietnam in the 1950′s would end up costing both sides an incredible lose of life. Finally ending in 1975 the Vietnam War left Vietnam destroyed with millions of civilians and military members killed and wounded.
Our partner in Vietnam
We are proud to support our partner in Vietnam, Medrix. By providing textbooks and training to nurses Medrix is able to train future health care providers to make sure that everyone has access to quality healthcare. Please visit Medrix and welcome them as our a new partner at SeeYourImpact!
No More Missed School for Zainab
Zainab with net
Zainab is a brilliant young girl from Sierra Leone who loves to go to and excels at school. Her schooling has been affected negatively by insufficient sleep due to the buzzing, mosquitoes’ bites and also bouts of the killer malaria disease.
Her parents are both school teachers and sometimes their salaries are not paid promptly by the government. This has introduced an extra economic strain on the family and as a result Zainab has had to, unfortunately, cope and sleep without a mosquito net. This has resulted in periodic bouts of malaria that have made her miss school for 1 – 2 weeks a few times a year.
Zainab Resting Under Her Net
Zainab was delighted to receive a net as this helps guarantee sleep and freedom from malaria. Now she will no longer have to miss school from malaria.
Find out more about providing mosquito nets to children in Sierra Leone! Click Here
Top 11 Free Tools for your Non-Profit
A Bike: Radical Solution to Poverty?
Can a bicycle change a life?
An incredible transformation takes place when you ride a bike. The moment you start hurtling down the street you feel like a kid again. There’s something about bicycling that’s so freeing that it somehow removes our attachments and make us feel immediately younger. If you can’t tell already, I love riding bikes. This means that I’m super excited to announce our first bicycle charity at SeeYourImpact. Named the Village Bicycle Project what they do is simple yet makes a huge impact on lives.
The Difference a Bicycle can make
For millions in Africa taking a bus or a car is not an option. To get from place to place it is necessary to travel by foot for miles. Take the story of Abel a boy in Zimbabwe who travels nine miles on foot everyday just for the opportunity to attend high school. The head of his household, Abel is responsible for caring for his younger siblings. Abel’s one wish in the world? A bicycle to get him home faster to help take care of his family. The Village Bicycle Project looks to make stories like that of Abel’s history by providing bicycles, tools to repair them, and training for how to use the tools. Currently operating in Ghana, the Village Bicycle Project is furthered by the generous help of Peace Corps Volunteers who help distribute the bicycles to isolated rural villages. Owning a bicycle for recipients of the Village Bicycle Project is not simply a luxury like it is for many of us, including myself. It’s a vital method of transportation that can save precious time and energy.
Impact that lasts
One of my favorite parts of SeeYourImpact partners’ are that they provide an immediate impact you can see in the short term but are always thinking long term. The Village Bicycle Project is great example of this kind of sustainability. Bicycles are not just dropped off. Instead, recipients are trained and provided with the tools and the know how to keep their new rides running smooth. It’s a great way of knowing that the gift of a bicycle you provide is a solid investment in someone’s future. Another part of the gift that lasts forever is learning how to ride the bike. It’s a skill and a memory that will last longer than any bike ever will.
Can you remember who taught you how to ride a bike? Share your bicycling memories in the comments below!