By Mauricio Vivero

Trust matters, and when it breaks down, bad things happen. This plays out on many levels. We trust that police will protect, not harm, citizens. We trust our elected officials will act in our best interests. We trust that a coach will make the right call to lead our team to victory.

Trust is also critical in the world of philanthropy, especially when giving to causes and communities that are half a world away. Donors often cannot see the results of these investments firsthand, and the work happens in places that can be rife with corruption and political instability, where poverty is entrenched and its causes are complicated.

The world of global do-gooders is littered with high-profile flops, which further strains trust. Just last year, both Invisible Children, which created the wildly popular viral Kony 2012 video, and the Somaly Mam Foundation, named after the much-lauded campaigner against international sex trafficking, announced the end or radical downscaling of operations. These announcements followed very public criticisms of their claims and impact, and dramatic funding backlashes. Continue Reading

By Akhtar Badshah, PhD

Akhtar Badshah was presented the 2014 Global Hero Award by Global Washington founder Bill Clapp at GlobalWA’s 6^th Annual Conference on December 3, 2014. Below is a full transcript of Akhtar’s acceptance speech.

Thank you very much for this recognition. I am very grateful for being called the Global Washington Hero – but I am no hero. I want to thank both Paula and Bill Clapp for their lifetime work in creating institutions that have had both direct impact and have also become centers of innovation that are being emulated by others.

I have been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work in the space of global development for the last 30 years – whether it has been in the early part of my career looking at cities, informal settlements, housing for the poor, and urban revitalization, which I reflected upon in my book Our Urban Future – New Paradigms for Equity and Sustainability; or when I started a social enterprise, and later heading Microsoft’s philanthropic programs. Continue Reading

By Lorainne Lopez, Huffington Post

To this day, an estimated 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity. That is over a billion people who struggle to refrigerate their food and medicine, study at night to further their education, or charge their mobile phones. Electricity is crucial to human well-being and development, and lack of access to it is a huge barrier to overcoming poverty in the developing world.

Read the full article.

Seattle native and funnyman, actor Rainn Wilson, recently sat down with Margaret Larson on KING 5 New Day Northwest. They talked new projects, Seattle Seahawks, and Rainn’s passion for the work he does to promote universal education as part of GlobalWA member Mona Foundation’s Board of Directors.

By New Day NW Producers, KING 5

Read the article and watch the video clip.

By Kaitlin Marshall

January 12 marked five years since a magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti. NGOs that work in Haiti used the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the disaster. While various organizations issued statements vowing to continue helping the Haitian people, many news outlets released grim reports regarding the island-nation’s recovery efforts.

In the media, Haiti has become a country defined by numbers. The earthquake killed an estimated 230,000-316,000 people, displaced an additional 1.5 million, and caused economic damage equivalent to 120% of the country’s GDP. Even more bleak figures were published on the five-year anniversary, including the reminder that an estimated 85,000 people still live in displacement camps. Continue Reading

By Darrell Johnson

Darrell Johnson working with Village Health Works’ Budget Manager.

Darrell Johnson, a member of GlobalWA member Pangea, spent 8 weeks in Burundi last summer working with Village Health Works, another GlobalWA member. Darrell was invited by Deogratias “Deo” Niyizonkiza, VHW founder and 2013 GlobalWA Conference keynote speaker, to help with operational and financial planning for the building of a new Women’s Health Pavilion in Kigutu. Darrell recently shared his experiences with Pangea’s Africa pod, as they continue to explore grantmaking opportunities in Burundi. Here is some of what he shared.

Burundi is a small country in Central East Africa with about 10 million inhabitants and a complex and dynamic history. Until the end of World War I, it was a German colony known as Urundi. The end of the war resulted in Germany losing the colony and Belgium being the beneficiary. In 1959, Urundi was divided into two separate countries, Rwanda and Burundi. Three years later, Burundi gained its independence but independence did not lead to peace and prosperity. Tribal antagonisms emerged leading to two periods of genocide, first in the early 1970′s and again in the 1990′s, resulting in approximately 500,000 deaths. The last civil war that ended in 2005 left Burundi’s population traumatized and living in extreme poverty.

Deogratias “Deo” Niyizonkiza was a third-year medical student in the early 1990’s and a member of the tribe that was the primary victim of this genocide. With the help of friends, he was evacuated to New York and arrived with very little money and speaking only French and Kirundi (Burundi’s local language). In spite of this, after a few years, Deo had acquired two Bachelor’s degrees from Columbia University, a Master’s in Public Health from Harvard University, and was a student at Dartmouth University Medical School. Rather than working as a physician in the U.S., he elected to return to his home, Kigutu in southern Burundi. Village Health Works was formed and, with the help of villagers, Deo built a clinic, followed by an agricultural program addressing malnutrition, and finally a school.

Today, villagers meet every Friday to level by hand the land where the Women’s Health Pavilion will be built to address a high maternal mortality rate. Darrell was struck by the perseverance and drive of Burundi’s people. He enjoyed hearing them sing as they worked on the land while Darrell did financial planning and worked to improve accounting systems.

Community members leveling the land where the new Women’s Health Center will be built.

Darrell introduced Days for Girls sanitary pads, which are being considered for widespread distribution to help local girls stay in school. He also helped introduce a model chicken coop to expand the consumption of eggs and to further address malnutrition.

Village Health Works Seattle Partners and Friends welcome the Global Washington community to a benefit dinner on March 5, 2015. Tickets for the Strength in What Remains Dinner featuring keynote speaker Deogratias “Deo” Niyizonkiza are available here.

Welcome to the January 2015 issue of the Global Washington newsletter.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Letter from our Executive Director
• Question of the Month
• GlobalWA on the Ground: Spreeha Foundation
• Featured Organization: Marine Stewardship Council
• Changemaker: Katie Hultquist, Northwest Regional Director, NPH USA
• Member Recognition
• Welcome New Members
• GlobalWA Member Events
• Careers
• GlobalWA Events

Letter from our Executive Director

I hope you enjoyed a break during the holiday season to re-energize for your work in the new year. The Global Washington board and staff are excited for what’s to come as we continue to build on the energy and momentum gained from our annual conference this past December. The insightful conversations and thought leadership will form the content of our 2015 activities, including a series of events, workshops and publicity campaigns around topics such as new funding models, cultural competency in program design, effective NGO and business partnerships, storytelling, advocacy and more. We’ll also have our 2^nd annual Spring Member Celebration (date TBA), and save the date for our 7^th Annual Conference on December 10, 2015!

Dan O’Neill, Akhtar Badshah, Melissa Merritt

I’m also thrilled to announce that we have three new board members: Dan O’Neill, Founder of Mercy Corps; Akhtar Badshah, formerly of Microsoft; and Melissa Merritt, Vice President at Waldron. All bring unique expertise and deep commitment to promote and support the global development community in Washington state.

We’ll kick off our 2015 event series on February 5 spotlighting Women Leaders in Philanthropy, including Sandra Archibald of the UW Evans School of Public Affairs, Renee Kaplan from the Skoll Foundation, and Rosario Perez from Pro Mujer. This event is co-hosted by Waldron and will be moderated by Global Washington’s new board member, Melissa Merritt. I hope you can join us in February.

All my best to you as you begin the new year!

Sincerely,

Kristen Dailey
Executive Director

Back to Top

Question of the Month

GlobalWA will ask you a question every month and synthesize the responses and make available to our member organizations. Please take a moment to respond to the question for this month:

Did you notice globalwa.org’s new look? Tell us what you think of the new web design. All feedback is appreciated.

Please click here to leave feedback.

Back to Top

GlobalWA on the Ground

Spreeha Foundation

By Holly Koch

This is the third in a series of articles written by the Adventure in Focus duo. While traveling throughout Southeast Asia, AIF is documenting the projects of several GlobalWA member organizations that are working on the ground in the region. Holly submitted this article from Bangladesh, while working with the Spreeha team.

For those who have never visited Bangladesh, what they know of the country is likely limited to the sparse media coverage of a devastating string of garment factory disasters. For travelers who have had the opportunity to ride in one of the 400,000 rickshaws that weave chaotic paths through Dhaka, the capital and largest city in Bangladesh, they may know of the country’s extreme human suffering.

For those who have had the opportunity to see the work of Spreeha Foundation, however, what they know is that these things are only a portion of the true Bangladesh.

To walk through the slums of the world’s most densely populated city is to wade through suffocating air pollution, to breathe the smoke of burning trash, to dodge vehicles powered by both man and machine, and to tiptoe around human sewage.

Amongst this in Mohammadpur, however, are countless laughing children running through crowds like streaks of light, many of whom are on their way to Spreeha.

The children run up steps and pass the Spreeha clinic on the first floor. During the majority of business hours, this clinic is packed with patients — women receiving maternal care, children receiving vaccinations, and treatment for malnutrition prevention. While the clinic and its labs are simple, it has become a well-oiled machine in order to accommodate approximately 500 patients weekly. Many of the services are free, and the pharmacy offers half-price medications.

“Healthcare alone is not enough,” said Spreeha Founder Tazin Shadid, which is why in recent years the organization has expanded its services. The second floor is home to the education department that coordinates classes for three-to-five year-olds in four preschools throughout the community.

“Our primary goal is to make students love school,” said Saifuzzaman Rana, Spreeha’s Head of Education. “We want to get them laughing and having fun while learning to read and write.”

Spreeha also offers afterschool classes to enrolled students. Many of these classes are taught by older students who are moving into their Higher Secondary Certificate curriculum (the equivalent of eleventh and twelfth grade).

In addition to providing children with the opportunity to enter and complete mainstream education, Spreeha is also dedicated to empowering community members through skills training, including sewing classes, computer instruction, and an adolescent girls club which gets girls talking about their physical changes, their rights, early marriage, and their hopes for the future. Of Spreeha’s emphasis on the empowerment of girls, Shadid said, “We want them to be the changemakers in their communities.”

Spreeha has worked hard to integrate itself into the community. Part of its approach has been to model itself after the Lean Startup Method that emphasizes flexibility and adaptability, which are essential to development work of this nature. After witnessing children race each other up Spreeha’s front steps each day, it is obvious that the organization has cultivated a safe and positive environment for community members.

To spend time with the students of Spreeha is, to put simply, inspiring. Despite the fact that most of them have only known extreme poverty, their dreams go far beyond those of their circumstances. When asking a group of girls about their career goals, we heard: doctor, teacher, engineer, photojournalist, police officer and politician.

Of this, program officer Riyadul Haque said with a smile, “This is the success of Spreeha.”

Back to Top

Featured Organization

Marine Stewardship Council

By Charlotte Dawkins

When you consider that twenty-nine percent of the world’s oceans are being overfished, consuming sustainably fished seafood is becoming increasingly important. Commitments being made by seafood producers, retailers and consumers alike to source or purchase sustainable seafood are resulting in improvements to fishing practices which protect the health of fish stocks and the marine environment, as well as the livelihoods of fishing communities.

Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an international nonprofit organization and Global Washington member, operates a program that uses robust standards and advanced scientific knowledge to help consumers and buyers make informed decisions when purchasing seafood. Wild-capture fisheries that meet its sustainable fishing standard are rewarded with the ability to use MSC’s widely accepted ecolabel. Its fisheries standard is based on three principles: sustainable fish stocks, minimizing environmental impact, and effective management. The MSC also has a Chain of Custody (CoC) standard for companies in the supply chain which ensures commercial buyers and consumer seafood sold with the MSC ecolabel can be traced through the supply chain back to a certified sustainable fishery.

Because MSC certification is recognized as global best practice, an increasing number of fisheries worldwide are seeking to become certified. Over ten percent of global wild-caught seafood now comes from fisheries working with the MSC in their efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine ecosystems.

Geoff Bolan, MSC’s U.S. Program Director, says the global adoption of the program is evolving. “Where we are today in terms of success, awareness and adoption, for example, in Sweden, Norway or the UK is not where we were five years ago. The program has seen tremendous growth. And that’s the same in North America and around the world,” says Bolan.

Globally, more than 330 fisheries are engaged in the MSC program with 246 certified and 89 in full assessment. Together, the fisheries already certified or in full assessment record annual catches of around 10 million metric tons of seafood, showing the success of the program is on the rise.

MSC

Global seafood buyers are increasingly committed to sourcing MSC certified fish which has provided new market access and benefits. “I think what makes MSC unique is its global reach and domino effect. What happens here with a fishery getting certified in the Americas region may very well impact what happens in South Africa or Japan in terms of markets, and vice versa.”

One example of this domino effect is portrayed in Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish fisheries. Approximately, sixty-nine percent of the world catch of toothfish of both species is either certified or under MSC assessment. The South Georgia Patagonian toothfish fishery was the first to be certified in 2004. The success of this certification and the resulting benefits acted as a catalyst for all the major toothfish fisheries (minus the Chilean fishery) to enter the MSC program.

“That’s just one example of leverage in the system,” says Bolan. “Someone stepped forward, and then other fisheries take note and say, ‘Wow they got certified, I wonder if that’s valuable.’ And then they see that fisheries are buying and selling contracts with supermarkets and restaurants around the globe because of MSC certification and they say, ‘We want some of that’ and it feeds off itself.”

Market leaders are also recognizing the benefits that sourcing sustainable seafood can bring to their bottom line. Over 60% of the top 25 U.S. retailers have commitments to MSC sourcing. Examples of businesses partnering with MSC include McDonald’s, Whole Foods Market, Costco and Target. And, in July, Seattle-based Virginia Mason recently became the first MSC certified hospital in the United States.

Richard Davies

As demand for sustainability grows, and more fisheries become interested in achieving MSC certification because of the environmental and economic benefits of the program, there has also been an increase in the number of fisheries that are entering Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). FIPs help fisheries that would not meet the MSC fisheries standard currently to make improvements before they enter into the transparent MSC full assessment process.

The MSC’s Developing World Program is helping to safeguard fisheries in developing countries and promoting reliable, long-term food security by ensuring that they have access to the environmental and economic benefits of MSC certification. More than 40 developing world fisheries have had a pre-assessment and are currently engaging in a Fishery Improvement Plan with partners. “There’s a little bit of give and take about what’s possible, but we’re absolutely seeing great adoption in developing countries. We know that success breeds success.”

At the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, MSC certified seafood will be promoted. In addition, McDonald’s customers in Brazil have joined those in Canada, Europe and the U.S. who enjoy seafood sourced from fisheries which have been independently certified as environmentally sustainable and well-managed.

A global, sustainable approach to fishing can and is being achieved by many fisheries through the implementation of good management practices. “We work with fishery and commercial partners anywhere and everywhere if they want to join us on this journey.” says Bolan. “If that means working with and promoting their MSC certification to their buyers, or their suppliers, or to their consumers — whatever it takes. We aim to support our partners in helping them accomplish their sustainability and business goals.”

To learn more about MSC and their vision for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life – today, tomorrow and for generations to come – visit their website.

Back to Top

Changemaker

Katie Hultquist, Northwest Regional Director, NPH USA

By Liv Froehlich

From an early age, Katie Hultquist understood the importance of justice. A desire for fairness as a child transformed into a professional career tackling issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights and youth leadership. A commitment to challenging systemic injustice quickly became Hultquist’s life work.

Today, Hultquist is the Northwest Regional Director for Global Washington member NPH USA, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and violence for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean.

By the time she was in college, Hultquist knew she wanted to help people, but didn’t yet know how. Her path was illuminated while working at a substance abuse recovery center for teenagers. “I thought I was going to be a doctor; that experience changed my life,” she muses. From that point on, Hultquist both participated in and formed a number of organizations that had direct impact on young people, particularly women, who were at risk and in need.

Also in college, Hultquist discovered a love for Latin American culture. She spent time studying in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay before graduating as a Morehead Scholar with a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of North Carolina. After college, she knew she wanted to continue pursuing her interest in Latin America, while working on programs that provide direct service to individuals. At the same time, Hultquist wanted to ensure that her work would affect social change.

She dove into a multitude of roles. She worked at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Ashoka’s Youth Venture, and for nine years was the Executive Director of Passages Northwest, a Seattle non-profit that develops courage and leadership in girls through the outdoors and the arts. Hultquist also received a master’s degree in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Seattle University.

In 2010, Hultquist was itching for a new opportunity. It’s easy to see what was appealing about NPH USA. Hultquist was looking for an organization with a global focus, where she could utilize her Spanish, continue working on issues of social justice and build stronger relationships with people. NPH USA fit the bill. NPH has been around for 60 years and is working in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. There they have built permanent homes for upwards of 3,500 orphaned children and established a holistic network of educational and health resources to serve these children and others in the surrounding communities.

Though NPH USA had a chapter in Washington state for over twenty years when Hultquist began working there, it remained under the radar. Hultquist understood the benefits of being a part of Seattle’s global community and focused on promoting the organization locally through partnerships. Over the course of five years, Hultquist and her team increased the Northwest region’s revenue by 75% which has allowed NPH to increase their capacity in Latin America. With events such as the Haiti earthquake and the closure of many state-run homes in Honduras and other countries, there remains a strong need for NPH’s schools and facilities. NPH USA has also increased its visibility in the Northwest through stories in The Seattle Times and other media outlets, by sponsoring events with Global Washington, and launching a Seattle-based Leadership Institute for NPH’s top university students from Central America and Haiti.

Not only is Hultquist invested in promoting NPH, she is also an active participant in many of their programs. She travels internationally a few times each year and has had the pleasure of visiting four of the nine homes. Additionally, she enjoys mentoring the young leaders in the NPH International Leadership Institute, and loves being a sponsor to one Honduran student. “The best thing I can do is be an ambassador for NPH and our kids here,” says Hultquist.

It seems NPH USA could not have chosen anyone better for the job. Hultquist’s passion for her position is apparent when she describes youth leadership initiatives, and the opportunity to create lasting social change through NPH programs.

Hultquist wants to eventually visit all nine NPH homes, and continue broadening partnerships within the Seattle region. “I’ve thought a lot about how I can be most effective at making a difference on the issues that I care about,” she says. That careful thought is why Katie Hultquist is exceptional at what she does, and it will no doubt lead her to success tackling some of today’s most critical global issues.

Back to Top

Member Recognition

Literacy Bridge

In 2012, two Talking Book users won Best Farmer Awards. In 2013, three Talking Book users won awards. It was recently announced that six out of eight farming awards for 2014 went to Talking Book users. Congratulations to GlobalWA member Literacy Bridge! Learn more.

Cascade Designs

Credit: MSR

Cascade Designs (owners of the Mountain Safety Research brand) graced the pages of Sports Illustrated this month. The MSR Water Lab in Seattle is advancing water filtration and improving health around the world. Read more.

Back to Top

Welcome New Members

Please welcome our newest Global Washington members. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with their work and consider opportunities for support and collaboration!

Atlas Level

Medical Teams International: Providing medical and dental care, humanitarian aid and holistic development programs to people in need regardless of religion, nationality, sex or race. MTI responds to disasters around the world—and here at home—by sending volunteer medical professionals and supplies, mobilizing long-term health promotion initiatives, and collaborating with established partners within communities. www.medicalteams.org

Cascades Level

501 Commons: Boosting the capacity of nonprofit organizations to thrive over the long term and effectively serve their communities, 501 Commons’ programs and services support organizations so they have what they need to make a world of difference. www.501commons.org

Awamaki: Awamaki helps women’s associations in rural Peru start and run their own businesses creating high-quality artisan products and cultural experiences. awamaki.org

Greater Seattle Business Association: Combining business development, leadership and social action to expand economic opportunities for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and those who support equality for all, GSBA envisions a vibrant global economy strengthened through the full participation of diverse local communities. www.thegsba.org

IE3 Global: IE₃ Global provides high-quality study abroad, internship, research, exchange, and faculty-led programs to students of partner campuses throughout the Northwest and beyond. Combining the former Oregon Abroad and IE₃ Global Internships under one banner, IE₃ Global administers programs in over 50 nations across the world. www.ie3global.org

Tasveer: Tasveer’s mission is to curate thought-provoking artistic work of South Asians through films, forums, visual art, and performances that engage and empower the community. tasveer.org

Trinity Parish Episcopal Church: Trinity Parish is Seattle’s Downtown Episcopal Church. www.trinityseattle.org

Back to Top

Member Events

January 16: University of Washington Jackson School – Center for Global Studies // Gender and Political Violence

January 20: FSG // Webinar: Why Community Engagement and Process Matter in Collective Impact

January 22: WGHA // Discovery Series Lecture: Plague, SARS and Influenza: What have we learned?

February 12: World Trade Center Seattle // From the CEO’s Perspective Series: Leading Millennials

February 20 – 23: Community Colleges for International Development // CCID 39^th Annual Conference

Back to Top

Careers

Highlighted Paid Positions

Director, Individual Philanthropy – Major Gifts – Grameen Foundation

Vice President, International Development – PATH

Chief Global Officer – SightLife

Highlighted Volunteer Positions

Volunteer – Adara Group

Intern – Awamaki

Intern – Knowledge for People

For more jobs and resources, visit https://globalwa.org/resources/careers-in-development/

Back to Top

GlobalWA Events

January 22: Networking Happy Hour with Friends of GlobalWA and Humanosphere

February 5: Women Leaders in Philanthropy

February 18: New Member Orientation

February 19: Executive Director Roundtable

Back to Top

By Nelson Alvarez Hernandez, a student at the NPH Leadership Institute in Seattle, after meeting Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sonia Nazario at an event co-sponsored by NPH USA and Global Washington.

What can I say? This experience started in one of our leadership meetings.  I said something about an article that I read on Univision, and it talks about a social issue, migration.  I was surprised by this article because this media shows quite relevant numbers about migration especially highlighting the children that every year cross the borders to find their mother that left them when they were 5 years old or less.  So when Kara asked me if I wanted introduce a writer, the main question that I had in my mind was “who is Sonia Nazario?”  And immediately I said yes.
Continue Reading

By Ángel González, Seattle Times business reporter

The Gates Foundation, Mercy Corps and others hoped ‘mobile wallets’ — cash disbursed via cellphones — would propel Haitians to new level of economic and financial security. Initial success gave way to failure, but now locals are reviving this effort to leapfrog into the future.

Read the full article.

by Fidelis Da-uri, Field Coordinator for Literacy Bridge, a Global Washington member

Six Out of Eight Farmer’s Day Awards Go to Talking Book Users

In 2012, we had two Talking Book users win Best Farmer Awards. In 2013 there were three Talking Book users who won awards. And now we are very pleased to announce we had six Talking Book users win farming awards in 2014! Continue Reading