Global Washington Executive Director Bookda Gheisar was a guest on Billions Rising radio show. The subject was self reliance on a global scale and how that starts at home. Continue Reading

By Zahra Emrani

The third Global Washington’s 2013 capacity-building workshop was held on April 24 with a session on “Developing your case and messaging.” The lunchtime presentation was lead corporately by Sean Dimond director of External Relations at Pilgrim Africa and Joy Portella president of Minerva Strategies. Sean took participants through the general concepts and frame work of case and messaging and Joy presented case studies of her past works. At the end Sean took participants through taking a case and applying the conceptual theme that been discussed earlier to create a clear and powerful message.

Participants included representatives from the Days for Girls, Prosthetics Outreach Foundation and other GlobalWA members based in the greater Seattle area.

“Not only the presentations are wonderful, these workshops give us the opportunity to get to know and network with other communication coordinators in this sector.” said Jenna Swalin, Communications Coordinator at Initiative for Global Development. She added “Although participants are from diverse background and different starting points, presenters did a great job in addressing participants’ need!” Alison Dvaladze, Assistant Director for Outreach & Independent Consultant at Jackson school of international studies, University of Washington pointed out that “using the case studies and practical examples was super useful to understand the concept and learn how to implement it in practice!”

The “Dr. Is In” series on Fundraising will start on May. The first two sessions are “Building a Fundraising Plan & Case for Support” on May 10 and “Motivating Individual Donors: Building a Loyal Base of Donors” on May 14. Visit Global Washington’s website for the full list and to register for a session.

Welcome to the April 2013 issue of the Global Washington newsletter. If you would like to contact us directly, please email us.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Note from our executive director
• Empowered by chocolate
• Take a moment to support education
• Featured organization: Literacy Bridge brings talking books to rural Ghana
• Changemaker: Paula Clapp: From giving globally to acting locally
• Welcome new members
• GlobalWA announcements
• Announcements
• Career Center
• GlobalWA events
• Upcoming member events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings!

Hope you are enjoying these beautiful spring days.   I am looking out of my window at the lovely cherry blossoms, tulips, and daffodils, and I’m feeling so happy that longer days and more sunlight are finally back.

We at GlobalWA have been quite busy in the last month.  The collective impact groups are deep in the process of identifying shared goals and metrics and starting to work on these goals.  Please take a moment to learn about these groups and consider joining one.

We are also very busy with plenty of great events—do check out our new members only series that supports the capacity building needs of your organizations.  We hope you are able to attend and contribute to these conversations with experts in the field of fundraising, communications and social media this month.

In a bid to improve how we describe our members and your impact on the lives of millions worldwide, GlobalWA is working with University of Washington’s Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs to conduct a survey of our members. We want to create a positive narrative around the work our members do and really show your impact. In this spirit, we have appealed to all of our members to share the information you might have to craft this narrative.  With your input, we hope to have a report to share with civic, business and political leaders by the end of summer.

Thanks so much for supporting GlobalWA.   I hope to see you soon at one of our events.

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

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Empowered by chocolate

Oikocredit Northwest invites you to join us for an evening with Kuapa Kokoo, a farmer’s cooperative in Ghana.

While sampling chocolates paired with wine and other beverages, attendees will learn about Kuapa Kokoo, Oikocredit, Divine, and PCC, four partners in the Fair Trade value chain that supplies the cocoa for the Divine chocolate on our supermarket shelves. The program will feature specific stories of Ghanaian farmers in control of their own destiny through innovative ownership structures, and how grassroots-based sustainable economic development is supported by responsible financing from the “global north.”

When: May 9th 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm (Program runs ~ 7:00-7:45pm)
Where: World VIP Lounge, 400 NE 45th Street, Seattle, WA 98105

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Take a moment to support education

April 22^nd is Global Action Week. Global Action week highlights activities and encourages action throughout the year across the US to address the urgent need of universal quality education.

Global Campaign for Education is asking people around the country to visit the Global Action Week website (http://globalactionweekusa.org) and register to indicate how they are supporting education this year (not just during that week)–a dot will pop up for every action registered (signing a petition, calling member of congress, hosting a film, etc.). Actions can either be by an individual or a group. Please take a moment and  show your support for education by registering on the site.

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Featured Organization

Literacy Bridge brings Talking Books to rural Ghana

By Sara Veltkamp

Cliff Schmidt at a Talking Book demonstration in Ghana.

Suglo is a traditional birth attendant and farmer in Ving-Ving, Ghana. Until 2009, she and the others in her rural village farmed the same way their parents and grandparents had taught them, unaware of more productive techniques. They didn’t know to plant their corn, beans and peanuts in neat rows, or even to use manure from their livestock as fertilizer. With nearly 80 percent of adults lacking formal education, Ving-Ving’s farmers were sidelined by illiteracy and unable to get information on improved farming and health practices – until Literacy Bridge helped farmers gain access to knowledge from agriculture experts.

Literacy Bridge, a global nonprofit organization founded in 2007 and based in Seattle, strives to bring crucial knowledge to the poorest villagers in rural Ghana, with limited access to electricity, education and mobile phone networks. Cliff Schmidt, its founder and executive director, believes “education in the broadest sense is the best investment that you can make in people or that people can make in themselves.” His definition recognizes not just the importance of schooling, but also in technology that can provide “the education a farmer can have about increasing his crop yield or a mother can have about keeping her children healthy.”

In looking at other programs working to alleviate African poverty, Schmidt began to question projects where “the math just didn’t make sense,” with relatively high costs per client. His initial research in Ghana also convinced him that programs should be designed from the ground up, at the lowest cost possible. Furthermore, he discovered that while his original focus area of improving literacy was important, the immediate demand was for something even more specific: affordable and easy-to-use technology for accessing knowledge.

A Ghanaian family with their Talking Book.

“Over and over, I kept hearing these health and agriculture experts say, ‘why can’t we just record our advice and knowledge on a device and leave it in these villages?’” he recalled.

In 2009, Literacy Bridge launched the pilot project for its Talking Book, a cheap, durable and easy-to-use audio computer. This hand-held mobile device, which costs just $25, equips illiterate people in remote, rural areas with the information needed to improve their health and welfare through recorded audio messages. The pilot study, including farmers like Suglo in Ving-Ving, was a huge success, and the program has grown to 10 villages.

Expanding Goals

After its initial success with the Talking Book, Literacy Bridge has entered a period of transition. The organization would like to extend its reach beyond Ghana, to other parts of the developing world. However, Literacy Bridge has learned that it’s not effective to simply distribute new technology if the recipient organizations don’t have the capacity – time, language, content development, community advisors – to effectively use it. Instead, through further development of their work in Ghana, Schmidt and his staff want to create a replicable system of support necessary to continually update the Talking Book’s content with information relevant to different communities.

Ghanaian farmers get information from the Talking Book to improve their crop yield.

“The Talking Book device is an important component to our work [but] there are many other aspects that need to be done well for the program to be effective,” said Bridgette Greenhaw, Literacy Bridge’s program director. “For example, we have found that it is critical to hire a part-time Community Agent in each of the rural communities in which we work. This helps to better facilitate the program, as well as provide community-level expertise in what works and what doesn’t in individual communities.”

For 2013, the organization is focusing on providing an end-to-end service for the world’s poorest, while continuing to use the Talking Book as its primary tool. By sharing knowledge on the key issues of agriculture and health, the organization plans in the coming years to scale up its programming and staff in Ghana and the United States, currently at around 20 employees, along with a support network of graduate level interns, research assistants and professional volunteers.

In the meantime, villages like Suglo’s have been transformed. Talking Book users have won awards for their peanut and bean yields from Ghana’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture. With the information now available to pregnant women and their families on the device, more Talking Book users are leaving behind their traditional but dangerous birthing practices in favor of safer health-care facilities where trained medical professionals can manage complications and care for mothers and babies during and after labor.

By bringing new technology and community experts together, Literacy Bridge is making a lasting difference in the lives of Ghana’s rural poor, with promising possibilities for the poorest of the poor worldwide. For more information or ways to contribute, visit http://www.literacybridge.org.

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Changemaker

Paula Clapp: From giving globally to acting locally

By Megan Boucher

“One person of integrity can make a difference, a difference of life and death. As long as one dissident is in prison, our freedom will not be true. As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with anguish and shame. What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are stifled we shall lend them ours, while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.” ~Elie Wiesel (Night)

Paula Clapp’s favorite quote, by Holocaust survivor and celebrated author Wiesel, sums up what she has always considered her life’s purpose: “Giving a voice to those who do not have a voice and helping people who are unseen to be seen.” This mission permeates her prolific career of philanthropy, service and volunteerism – starting with her candy striper days at Children’s Hospital and continuing to her latest project, StolenYouth, which focuses on creating awareness and providing support for sexually exploited youth.

Paula has a master’s degree in counseling and earlier in her career, worked as a middle school counselor for Zion Preparatory Academy. Over the years, she and her husband Bill have become integral to Seattle’s international philanthropic and development community, including founding the nonprofit impact investor Global Partnerships in 1994. “The borrowers are my heroes and heroines,” Paula said, of the small business owners who receive loans or other financial services through Global Partnerships in order to improve their lives.

In 2006, the Clapps co-founded the Seattle International Foundation, which focuses on global poverty alleviation through grantmaking and supporting the greater Seattle area’s international philanthropic community. In addition to her role on the board for Global Partnerships and SIF, Paula has also served on the boards for the Make A Wish Foundation, OneWorld Now!, and the Medina Foundation, and was a founding member of the Washington Women’s Foundation.

“It is an honor to serve,” Paula said, of her longtime devotion to causes that benefit the world’s most vulnerable people.

Almost two years ago, she was given yet another opportunity to serve when she was approached by friends to invest in “Sold,” a film about a young Indian girl sold into prostitution, based on the novel by Patricia McCormick and produced by Emma Thompson. Moved by the film’s subject, Paula and her nine co-investors began learning more about underage prostitution “in our own backyard.” They decided to found StolenYouth, a nonprofit that supports existing programs within organizations working to fight child sex trafficking. For their first project, they have partnered with YouthCare’s Bridge Program, a residential housing program serving sexually exploited girls aged 13 to 17. StolenYouth hosted its first annual “Not

On Our Watch” luncheon on April 17, convening more than 700 people at the Seattle Sheraton to raise money for the Bridge Program’s housing, counseling, job training and high school completion efforts.

Fundraising is important, but raising awareness is also a crucial part of this work – particularly among Americans who think that trafficking is only an international issue, Paula said. YouthCare estimates that in Seattle there are 300 to 500 child prostitutes. “If a child runs away and goes to Westlake Mall or the bus depot, he or she will be approached by a pimp within an hour,” Paula said, citing a YouthCare statistic.

Paula also emphasizes the importance of changing local attitudes towards prostitution, beyond the focus on arresting prostitutes, who are often themselves victims. An important shift is happening that moves away from addressing this issue through the criminal justice system and instead seeks to provide needed services for the child’s rescue and recovery.

StolenYouth’s board hopes for their work and film to be used as educational tools, from middle school classrooms to college campuses.

“And we want to get more men involved!” Paula exclaimed. “Because this is really a systemic issue that affects us all. It starts with our home life, our attitude about women and girls, and how girls are portrayed in the media.”

Both men and women need to be more aware of the subtle and explicit ways women are objectified in our culture, she added – attitudes that contribute to the problem of trafficking.

“It’s a consciousness shift,” Paula explained, adding that she is encouraged by what she has seen so far. As she talks to people about StolenYouth, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“What I see is the kindness of people,” she concluded. “People wanting to help, wanting to volunteer. That is really a beautiful thing.”

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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!

Construction for Change: We partner with rural communities to build schools, medical facilities and other critical infrastructure where it is needed most.  By providing infrastructure, we empower local non-profit organizations to create opportunity and break the cycle of poverty in their communities. http://constructionforchange.org/

Ecofiltro: One: We deliver filters to rural communities in a sustained manner that creates clean water for life. http://www.ecofiltro.org/en

MED25 International:  Med25 International is a nonprofit organization that provides individuals in rural African communities with quality, culturally appropriate, and affordable health care. http://www.med25.org/

Partners Asia: At Partners Asia, we build relationships with innovative organizers in these communities and with international donors, bridging the gap between local leaders and global resources. http://partnersasia.org/

Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest: Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest (PPGNW) is a not-for-profit family planning agency that provides high-quality, affordable reproductive health care for women, men and teens. Many of our patients have no other health care available to them. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ppgnw/

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Global Washington Announcements

Video production workshop for nonprofits this June

A special opportunity for GlobalWA members – limited space available so act fast!

This course at 4Culture in Pioneer Square will guide you through every step of planning, filming, editing and distributing digital video for advocacy and fundraising. Registration is $200, and includes three 4-hour classes, materials, one-on-one tutoring and a public screening of the video you’ll create with our assistance.

The workshop is presented by ChangeStream Media, a Global Washington member that helps nonprofits get their message out through compelling digital content. Last fall, all 12 workshop participants – including the World Affairs Council and Washington Trails Association – completed videos and screened them at the Northwest Film Forum. This is a great opportunity for professional development, gaining exposure for your cause and networking with other activists.

Space is limited to 14 attendees so everyone receives individual assistance using the software and hardware you already own. For details visit changestreammedia.org/workshops.

Global Washington partners with new Seattle Ambassador initiative

Global WA is pleased to be a partner of the Seattle Ambassador program, a new initiative of the City of Seattle and the Seattle International Foundation (SIF) to inspire and mobilize local residents to join Seattle’s fight against global poverty. This city-wide campaign will raise awareness about local institutions working to alleviate poverty around the world and ask individuals to lend their support to our community’s vibrant global development sector. View a message from Mayor Mike McGinn about this initiative.

Residents can text SEATTLE to 80088 or visit seattleambassador.com to join Seattle Ambassador, receive updates about the work of these organizations and learn about events and opportunities to get involved. All eligible participants will be entered for a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to see firsthand how our community is improving lives in Africa, Asia or Latin America.

Please share this opportunity with your networks. For more information, visit www.seattleambassador.com

GlobalWA is looking to interview civic, political & business leaders whose lives have been impacted by Global Education

In conjunction with our efforts to raise awareness about the importance of global education in Washington State, GlobalWA is seeking to interview civic and business leaders whose lives have been impacted by global education. How has a global education shaped you as a person, prepared you to inhabit the world as a knowledgeable global citizen, a competent global leader, and as a supporter of positive corporate, community, and social innovation around the globe? We invite leaders in Washington State to share global education’s influence on their life and career. Contact us at info@globalwa.org.

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Announcements

Seattle International Foundation Announces Call for Applications Under it’s 2013 Global Program

The Seattle International Foundation (SIF) is now accepting applications under its 2013 Global Program until May 5th, 2013. The Global Program (small grants for local organziations) supports and fosters local organizations working internationally. SIF is interest in development projects in all regions of the world.

The Global Program is open to 501(c)3 organizations, or those with fiscal sponsorship, with an annual organziational or project budget of less thatn $2 million (USD). Preference will be given to organziations baded in the greater Puget Sound region; organizations based outside of Washington State are not eligible. The Program seeks to support organziations launching new projects, or working to establish or expand an international project or program.

For more information on how to apply, pelase visit: www.seaif.org, or contact Michele Frix, Director of Programs at mfrix@seaif.org.

CityClub Launches Youth Civic Education Initiative and Awards Program

CityClub is shining a spotlight on great youth civic education programs in Washington State through its Youth Civic Education Awards program. Nominations open April 1 and close June 24. Online applications are available at http://www.seattlecityclub.org/youthawards.

Who can apply?

Any project or program for middle and/or high school-aged students that:

• Teaches civic knowledge like democratic decision-making
• Helps youth learn civic skills like listening, collaborating or public speaking, or civic values like support for the common good and the importance of participating in the political process
• Provides youth with hands-on civic experience to practice participation and
  community-building

Eligible programs or projects could be student debate teams, service learning opportunities, media literacy projects, mock courts, or other programs that mentor youth to understand how to use their voices, hearts and hands to better themselves and their communities.

The five winners from Washington State will be selected as the Colleen Willoughby Youth Civic Education Award winners, and will be:

• Honored among peers and community leaders;
• Celebrated at an awards ceremony in early fall aired on TVW;
• Highlighted on CityClub’s website;
• Receive a cash prize of $500 for their program.

To learn more about the Youth Civic Education Initiative and Awards program, and see the 2012 winners, visit http://www.seattlecityclub.org/youthawards.

GDC13: Navigating New Choices

Join us for the 4th annual Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference on Friday, May 17, 2013. This half-day conference will explore new models of social enterprise and new methods of engagement and action. We will feature timely and provacative idea summaries, and provide ample time for participants to talk with each other about the ideas and issues most relavant and resonant to their philanthropic activities. View the agenda!

Date
Friday, May 17
11am – 6pm
Reception to follow

Location
NW African American Museum
2300 S. Massachusetts St.
Seattle, WA 98144

For more information, visit our website at: www.globaldonorsconference.org

New technologies for sustainable development

NBIS introduces some of the Northwest’s Clean Tech and Bio Tech companies, projects, and inventors whose products are designed to address global sustainability challenges and opportunities. The program combines a showcase of companies with a symposium that will address the gaps between early stage investment and the business strategies, market intelligence, and funding necessary for mid to long-term execution, including scaling and effectively bringing products to targeted international markets. Symposium participants include: Tim Elliott, Senior Business Officer at PATH, and Zachary Rozga, an international development strategy expert.

Date
May 20th;  5:00 – 8:00 PM

Location
Bertha Knight Landes Room
Seattle City Hall – 600 Fourth Avenue

Register
http://newtechshowcase.eventbrite.com
NBIS members: $15 
Non-Members: $25

17th Annual Seattle Sister Cities Reception

Sponsored by The Boeing Company

Please join Mayor Mike McGinn, City Council President Sally Clark, and other members of the Seattle City Council.Enjoy international entertainment and cuisine highlighting the cities of: Chongqing (China), Limbe (Cameroon), Perugia (Italy), and Tashkent (Uzbekistan)!

Date
Thursday, May 9, 2013
6:00 – 8:30 pm

Location
Bertha Knight Landes Room, Seattle City Hall
(600 4th Avenue, Seattle)

$25.00 for members of any Sister City Association – $30.00 for non-members
Tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets either online or by phone.
Online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/313102
24/7 Ticket Hotline: 1-800-838-3006
www.seattlesistercities.org

ED Forum

501 Commons – Leadership Speaker Series

Take a quick break to connect with your fellow executive directors, discuss relevant issues, and gather some knowledge you can put into practice right away. Here are this month’s discussion topics:

• “If only I had known….Lessons for new EDs from Experienced Leaders”
  – Rosemary Aragon,Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority Executive Director
•  “Broad shoulders: Building and supporting a leadership team”
  – Kirk Adams,Lighthouse for the Blind President and CEO
• “The ED’s role in training board members to solicit donations”
  – George Frasier, Executive Director of Development, Green River Community College Foundation
• “Up in the cloud: Advantages to cloud computing”
  – Nancy Long, 501 Commons Executive Director

Date
501 Commons ED Forum
April 24, 8:30-10:30am

Location
2100 Building, Seattle
Members $18; Non-Members $25

Register

The ED Forum is presented by 501 Commons and co-sponsored by Global Washington. Members of 501 Commons/NPower, Global WA, and Washington Nonprofits are eligible for the member discount price.

World Malaria Day 2013 at PATH

Please join us on Thursday, April 25, to commemorate World Malaria Day 2013 at PATH Headquarters in Seattle, WA. The global theme this year is “Invest in the Future: Defeat Malaria.” Malaria experts based in the Seattle area will participate in a panel discussion addressing the opportunities and threats on the horizon for malaria.

Moderator

• Amie Batson, Chief Strategy Officer, PATH

Discussants

• David Brandling-Bennett, Malaria Program Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Kent Campbell, Malaria Control Program Director, PATH
• Stefan Kappe, Malaria Program Director, Seattle BioMed
• Carol Sibley, Scientific Director, Worldwide Artemisinin Resistance Network

The event will include a community marketplace, where the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, PATH, Pilgrim Africa, RESULTS, Rotary Malaria Partners, Seattle BioMed, the UW Department of Global Health, the Washington Global Health Alliance, World Vision, Global Washington, Health Alliance International, and the Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network will present their latest work in fighting malaria. 

Food and beverages will be served.

Date
Thursday, April 25, 2013, 4:30–7:00 p.m.

Register

Directions to PATH and parking instructions are available for download here.

For questions regarding this event please contact Angela Hartley at ahartley@path.org or 206.302.4580.

Songea Soirée: Safari to Success

2013 Dinner & Silent Auction

Benefits orphan care and education for children in Songea, Tanzania.
Keynote: Nashon Kikalao, (By Skype from Tanzania) Songea’s Kids special envoy

$100 per person includes drinks, appetizers, dinner, dessert, museum admission

Date
Thursday, June 6, 2013
7:00-9:00pm

Location
NW African American Museum, Seattle

www.songeaskids.org

Bo M. Karlsson Foundation’s 2013 Mahilaa Social

An auction, dinner, and celebration to help educate and empower women in Nepal

BMFK’s 2013 Mahilaa Social will include a silent auction and wine bar, Nepali dance and music, dinner catered by New India Express, a live auction, and a dessert dash with sweets dreamed up by local chefs. Professional auctioneer Laura Michalek will keep the fundraising moving forward, with help from guest emcee Amanda Westbrooke, co-host of TV Tacoma’s Cityline talk show, and volunteers from the Ingraham High School’s Human Rights Club.

The Mahilaa Social live auction will feature handmade jewelry, art, and objects from Nepal; photography, paintings, and sculpture from Northwest artists; gift certificates for Seattle-area restaurants and activities; and a whole lot more! Pining for an exotic getaway? Be prepared to bid on travel packages to India, Italy, Mexico, Argentina — and a South Africa photo safari.

All funds raised by the event will go directly to scholarships for Nepali women.

Date
Sunday, May 19, from 2:00-5:00 pm

Location
Mount Baker Clubhouse in Southeast Seattle

Mahilaa Social tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite.com at http://bmkf.eventbrite.com/.

For more information about the Mahilaa Social or the Bo M. Karlsson Foundation, email info@bomkarlsson.org or visit www.bomkarlsson.org.

Construction for Change 5th Annual Spring Banquet

Construction for Change will host our 5th Annual Spring Banquet in downtown Seattle on Thursday, May 2nd, 2013. Join us for an evening of great food, local wines and a chance to mingle with other professionals in the construction, finance and development industries.

Construction for Change (CfC) organizes the banquet every spring in an effort to raise awareness about our organization, inspire hope, and gain the support needed to continue our work. CfC is a non-profit construction company that partners with communities worldwide to build schools, medical facilities and other critical infrastructure where it is needed most. This year, we have committed to six projects in the Solomon Islands, Kenya (2), Cambodia, Dominican Republic and Spokane, WA. For more information about CfC, please visit our website.

In addition to dinner and drinks, we have an exciting program lined up – videos from the field, inspiring speakers and a West African drum and dance performance by the Gasango group. We will also unveil our 2013 community gallery with photos from the Solomon Islands by J.Koe Photography. For a donation of $750, you can host a table for you and seven of your friends and colleagues while you enjoy endless food, wine and a memorable experience.

Date
May 2, 2013
Doors open at 6pm, program starts at 7pm

Location
Sodo Park by Herban Feast

To reserve your table, please contact Shelby Port, CfC Executive Director, at Shelby@constructionforchange.org or (206) 953-9699.

The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift

In honor of Mother’s Day, Days for Girls is launching the Mother May I Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to empower the next generation of mothers in the world through health and hygiene, while giving participants the chance to share stories of amazing and inspirational women in their own lives. You can make a donation or launch your own fundraising page. Check out our website and video for more information. Thanks for participating, and Happy Mother’s Day! http://www.stayclassy.org/events/mother-may-i-campaign/e24340

The Fiesta de Global Visionaries Auction: Igniting Leadership Through Community

YOU are our community and we want to see you there, celebrating 15 years of developing powerful leadership in our young people.

Whether you are a parent of a participant, an alum, or a friend who loves seeing young people ignited by their roles as global citizens, please come share your support for these amazing youth!

Preview some astonishing live items and buy your tickets today!

Date
Saturday, May 11 at 5:30pm

Location
The Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College
6000 16th Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98106-1499
Tickets

If you cannot join us this year, and want to show your support for low-income youth and solidarity with GV, May 15 is your chance to GiveBIG!

GiveBIG is a one day, community-wide giving challenge that will boost the impact of all donations through matching funds made possible by The Seattle Foundation, individual donors and other sponsors. Between midnight and midnight on Wednesday, May 15, make an online donation via our page on The Seattle Foundation’s website and amplify your gift!

Host an international Earthcorps Corps member in your home

EarthCorps is now seeking host families or individuals for our international corps members from June – December 2013. Hosts must commit to a minimum of three months.

International corps members are emerging young professionals (ages 22-26) seeking to expand their conservation/environmental skills with practical hands on experience. Corps members are from over 80 countries around the world and are proficient in English. They will be training full-time at EarthCorps.

EarthCorps pays host family a stipend up to $350 monthly to offset food and living expenses. In exchange, host families provide the corps member with their own furnished bedroom and food, as well as help navigating Seattle and understanding customsin the Pacific Northwest. Corps members must be able to reach Magnuson Park by bus within 45 minutes.

Download and complete an application online, or email Su Thieda for more information.

Learn About Educational and Development Projects in Nicaragua and Seattle

Join us on Saturday morning, May 11, when faculty and staff leaders from Jesuit universities in Seattle, WA and Managua, Nicaragua share best practices in their teaching, research and community engagement in relation to poverty.

This free, half-day conference is a joint offering by Seattle University and the Universidad Centroamericana, and is designed for a broad audience from the wider community as well as those on campus. Come learn about how these two Jesuit universities are seeking to make a difference in their respective settings, in partnership with other community organizations, through a range of creative initiatives.

To learn more and to register please visit:
“Jesuit Universities Engaging Poverty: Perspectives from Seattle and Managua”

Women’s Enterprises International Walk for Water 2013

We hope that you will join us in our efforts to raise $30,000 to purchase water tanks for 20 homesteads in rural Kenya. Each of these 20 tanks will be matched with 20 more, funded by the village women’s groups. That’s 40 families that will directly benefit through the Walk for Water!

Please take a few minutes right now to join the cause. The sooner you register, the more time you will have to encourage friends and family to join us in being part of the solution!

This is a family event that is both kid-friendly and dog-friendly! Your journey will lead you through our Celebration Village where you can enjoy the sounds of African music, taste Kenyan snacks, and participate in crafts and activities as you learn more about the mission of WEI and the people impacted by our efforts.

Date
Sunday, May 5th
1:30 pm

Location
Seward Park
$25 per walker ($15 for students)

Announcing the winner of the Roderick B. Mathews Opportunity Fund Competition!

The World Justice Project (WJP) is pleased to announce the twelve winners of the Roderick B. Mathews Opportunity Fund® competition. The competition is designed to identify and incubate practical programs that strengthen the rule of law, and provide seed-grants to individuals, organizations, or networks with the best actionable ideas.

Meet the winning programs.

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Career Center

Highlighted Paid Position

Director of Programs, Partnerships, and Research – Committee for Children
Reporting to the executive director, the director of programs, partnerships, and research (PPR) is a member of the three-member Senior Leadership Team. He or she is responsible for providing leadership, direction, and management of the ten-member PPR team, including planning and budgeting, and will oversee the development, revision, and adaptation of quality education and prevention programs for domestic and international use. The person in this position plays a special role in leading the organization’s grant development efforts to support special projects, as well CFC’s advocacy initiatives. More

Highlighted Volunteer Opportunity

International Volunteer Program – Friends of the Orphans
The Friends International Volunteer Program sends qualified individuals, couples and families to support the staff and children living in the homes of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. More

Highlighted Internship Opportunity

Resident Internship Opportunities – Esperanza International Foundation
Interns have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in microfinance and development by contributing to a variety of projects. More

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

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GlobalWA Events

April 24
Dr Is In // Developing Your Case & Message (Members Only)

April 25
Dr Is In // Everything you Wanted to Know About Social Media (Members Only)

May 8
Global Social – Latin America

May 10
Dr Is In // Building a Fundraising Plan & Case for Support (Members Only)

May 14
Dr Is In // Motivating Individual Donors: Building a Loyal Base of Supporters (Member Only)

May 22
Dr Is In // Everything you Want to Know About Events & Fundraising (Member Only)

May 29
Dr Is In // Legal Matters Every International Nonprofit Should Be Aware Of (Member Only)

June 12
Global Social – Kenya and East Africa

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Upcoming Member Events

April 24
Third anniversary of the Confucius Institute

May 5
Women’s Enterprises International 5^th Annual Walk for Water

May 9
Oikocredit Presents ‘Empowered by Chocolate

May 15
Roundtable with Upaya Social Ventures

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How do you build in a place where termites are eating away existing public infrastructure?  This is the challenge for James Lloyd, a carpenter from the UK, who was sent to the Solomon Islands in February to build a two-story school building for the children of Tulagi Island.  James is a volunteer project manager for Construction for Change (CfC), a Seattle-based non-profit organization that provides professional construction services to organizations working to end poverty worldwide.  He will stay in the Solomon Islands as long as it takes to complete the project.

Tulagi residents and the U.S. Marine Raiders Foundation (USMRF) spearheaded the construction of the school.  The USFRF is an organization dedicated to sharing the legacy of the Marine Raiders, the first special operations unit in the U.S. Military.  The new school is a way for the USMRF to honor the citizens of Tulagi, who fought bravely alongside the Marines Raiders in WWII and ultimately helped to defeat the Japanese in the Pacific Islands.  The USMRF is fully funding the project, but has contracted out all construction management services to Construction for Change and its fearless project manager, James Lloyd.

James arrived to the islands about a month ago and it quickly became clear that the wood and concrete structure that USMRF and CfC were planning to build would not last more than 15 years due to termite damage.  As evidence, James relayed the story of the Tulagi hospital that was built by AusAID, the Australian government’s overseas aid program.  While it is beautiful and functional facility, the hospital has been so ravaged by termites that AusAID now has to rehabilitate it, just over a decade after its construction.

As a way to get around the termite problem, James started exploring advanced building technologies and other materials available on the island.  He soon learned about the Tongs Corporation located in Honiara, the capital city. About a two-hour boat ride from Tulagi, Tongs is a Chinese-owned building supply store that started manufacturing pre-fabricated steel structures a few years ago. Tongs’ innovative structures are ideal in places with chronic termite problems and are slowly gaining popularity in the capital city.  There is nothing like it on Tulagi island however…until now at least.

Pre-fabricated steel means that the new school building will now be substantially stronger and last three times longer than any existing structure on the island.  It is also much more eco-friendly than the original wood and cement design and will therefore generate less waste.  Moreover, steel is easier to keep level and plumb relative to bowed timbers; and it is much faster to build with less need for power tools, which are not readily available on Tulagi.

Back in Seattle, James has a team of engineering and construction experts who are guiding him through the process.  Among them is Dan Wachtler and Andy Marshall, former CfC Project Managers who together founded Wachtler Marshall Inc., a custom-home construction company.

For more information on Construction for Change’s work: http://constructionforchange.org/

By Nicole Neroulias Gupte

Dozens of representatives of Seattle-area nonprofits, businesses and academic/research institutions working in global development have mixed and mingled at Global Washington’s first two Global Socials of 2013. The March 20 gathering focused on India and China, featuring speakers from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Unitus Seed Fund, and the Mona Foundation. The April 10 social focused on Vietnam and Southeast Asia, with speakers from PeaceTrees Vietnam and Partners Asia.

This series provides valuable opportunities for Global Washington members and stakeholders working in the same region to discuss their work, share ideas and inspire further collaboration. Common themes include the balance between technological advances, which increasingly help reach and mobilize the world’s poorest, and grassroots knowledge, which can predict challenges and help tailor an international program more effectively to a specific region or community.

“Telecommunication and mobile banking services is what enables growth in the developing world,” said Pwint Htun, a Partners Asia board member working in Burma. “Technology is fantastic… but the social engineering, the community organizing is the enabler that is really necessary,”

The Global Socials are held at HUB Seattle, a historic Pioneer Square building that offers meeting and workspace to socially conscious projects. The next two socials will be on May 8, focused on Latin America, and June 12, focused on Kenya, Uganda and East Africa. For more information or to register, visit https://globalwa.org/convene/global-washington-events.

By Nicole Neroulias Gupte

Global Washington’s 2013 capacity-building workshops kicked off on April 3 with a session on “Developing a Communications Plan.” The lunchtime presentation, lead by My Le Thi Goel, vice president of marketing and communications for Global Partnerships, included practical examples and worksheets to help organizations get started on effective outreach campaigns. Participants included representatives from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Maasai Children’s Initiative and other GlobalWA members based in the greater Seattle area.

“The training was exceptional. I walked away with strategies, skills, and templates I could use right away,” said Daniel Schafer, communications and marketing coordinator for Facing the Future, a nonprofit focused on improving global education. “It was the best professional development event I’ve attended yet.”

The next two “Dr. Is In” sessions will be “Top 7 Tips to Improve Your Media Relation Skills” on April 15 and “Developing Your Case and Message” on April 24. Upcoming sessions will focus on fundraising, legal matters and other capacity-building topics. Visit Global Washington’s website for the full list and to register for a session.

The number of US college students studying abroad has doubled over the last decade rising to almost 300,000 students each year.

But you don’t have to wait until college to get global! More and more high school students are taking advantage of international exchange and study abroad opportunities as well. In Seattle alone, almost every public high school either has their own school sponsored study abroad or allows other programs to present opportunities to their classes.

Wading through these opportunities can be a challenge, so I put together this guide to get you started.

The Globalist guide to high school study abroad programs
http://www.seattleglobalist.com |  Reagan Jackson | April 2, 2013

Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas where land is a key asset. Of those people, more than a billion lack legal rights over the land they use to survive, causing entrenched poverty cycles to persist over generations.

Efforts to help one landless family at a time are important. But Landesa works to advance durable land rights to bring transformational changes on a large scale. Secure land rights help create stable foundation for other important development work – like literacy, clean water, and nutrition – to take hold for generations.

In December, Seattle Times reporter Melissa Allison and Erika Schultz traveled to the Indian state of West Bengal to learn about Landesa’s “Security for Girls Through Land” project, which focuses on the advancement of the girls living in the lowest depths of poverty.

Landesa’s work was recently featured in the Seattle Times. We highly recommend that you check out this article which features stunning photos from the field! 

Welcome to the March 2013 issue of the Global Washington newsletter. If you would like to contact us directly, please email us.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Note from our Executive Director
• Celebrate World Water Day – March 22nd, 2013
• Featured Organization: Hope and Hygiene with Days for Girls International
• Changemaker: Heidi Breeze-Harris, co-founder and Executive Director of One By One
• Welcome New Members
• GlobalWA Announcements
• Announcements
• Career Center
• GlobalWA Events
• Upcoming Events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings and happy Spring!

On Wednesday March 20th,  we will celebrate first day of spring. Hope you can take some time this week to check out the beautiful blossoms all around Seattle.

We have some new and exciting programs this month. We are restarting our Global Socials which brings together organizations working in the same region. The first event is this Wednesday March 20^th, bringing together organizations working on India and East Asia. We will also advertise this week our capacity building series for member organizations.

Many of you have been contacted and asked to fill out our member survey. In a bid to improve how we describe our members  and your impact on the lives of millions worldwide, GlobalWA is seeking solid data. Basically, we want to create a positive narrative around the work our members do and really show your impact. So in that spirit, we have reached out to our members to get their support to create this narrative. The data we want to gather is both in terms of economic impact in WA state as well as impact in the developing world – for example, how many kids have benefited from your organization’s school feeding programs over the past 20 years; how many homes have you helped build post Haiti earthquake; what have you done over the past decade in girls’ education? We hope to have a final report on this survey by June.

I hope to see you at some of our upcoming events.

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

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Celebrate World Water Day – March 22nd, 2013

Each year, on March 22, we join together to highlight the global water crisis and celebrate the progress made to date. GlobalWA is honored to feature two of our members who work globally to provide access to clean, safe drinking water. Join us as we celebrate the amazing work these organizations do!

• Since 2005, Water1st has completed 736 projects benefiting 82,000 people in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Honduras, and India. Check out Water1st Imagine video to see the amazing work they do!
• The idea behind Splash, formerly A Child’s Right, was not to create new institutions with their work- but to help existing ones get even better. They work with children’s organizations, serving those with the greatest water needs, and help them build capacity with reliably clean water.

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Featured Organization

Hope and Hygiene with Days for Girls International

By Megan Boucher

Can a small bag of hand-crafted supplies create a more dignified, humane and sustainable world for girls and women? The answer is proving to be yes.  Half of the world’s population faces a challenge often left unaddressed- lack of reliable access to feminine hygiene. During their period, many girls and women around the world might be forced to stay in their rooms or use whatever materials are on hand—corn husks, rags, or trash to try to continue their daily lives. For many girls, their period interrupts their daily life, forces them to lose months of education, causes serious health concerns, and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation. Quality washable solutions are proving to change that with Days for Girls International.

Almost universally across cultures, menstruation is a taboo subject, and yet, for half of the world’s population, it’s a frequent occurence. Days for Girls International seeks to remove the stigma and the shame that a girl experiences with her period and empowers her to understand and protect her body and to take care of her health and hygiene. The organization also helps remove the disruption that girls experience when they have their periods by providing feminine hygiene kits. The mission of Days for Girls is to empower girls everywhere through access to feminine hygiene and, by extension, dignity, health, and education.

Days for Girls was founded four years ago by Celeste Mergens, who was then the director of the Clay Foundation. She traveled to Kenya regularly for sustainable community and secondary education initiatives and was working with one particular orphanage that had swelled from 400 children to 1400 children after the 2008 riots. Three weeks before one of her trips, she woke up in the middle of the night with a random question in her head about what the girls at the orphanage were doing for feminine hygiene. “I gasped,” Mergens recalled, “because I had never even thought about it. I asked about latrines, books, uniforms, and what kind of stove they were using, but it had never even dawned on me to ask this question.”

She immediately got out of bed and emailed one of the directors. They emailed right back a response: “Nothing. They wait in their rooms.” Celeste was “just dumbstruck.” During their periods, 50 to 70 girls were sitting in their rooms on a piece of cardboard, hoping someone would bring them food or water. Determined to do something about this monumental but unspoken problem, she found an NGO that supplied disposable products at a reduced cost for 500 girls. However, she realized that if she sent money for pads and the orphanage needed food, then the money would be spent on food. They needed a more sustainable solution.

The Days for Girls model was born out of this need. A few dozen volunteers began making washable hygiene kits. The kits have since evolved based on extensive feedback from thousands of girls and women worldwide, and the basic kit now consists of a drawstring bag, a plastic Ziploc bag, eight absorbent tri-fold liners, a washcloth, a visual instruction sheet, one pair of panties, two moisture barrier shields, and soap. The idea is that a girl can successfully use and launder her hygiene items with minimal water and inconvenience. She is no longer forced to sit in her room or stay home from school when she is menstruating.

The first volunteers made 500 kits within a few weeks for the orphanage before Mergens’ return to Kenya. After distributing them, the girls shocked Celeste with their feedback. “Thank you so much,” they said. “Before you came, the director would use us.” It turns out that this, too, is what Celeste calls “a worldwide truth:” girls are frequently sexually exploited in exchange for feminine hygiene supplies.

By providing a basic need that many of us take for granted, Celeste and the Days for Girls team have opened up a new world for many girls that goes far beyond health and hygiene. “If a girl doesn’t have this basic need cared for and doesn’t know what’s happening with her body, she can easily consider herself unclean or cursed,” Celeste explained. However, if she has the supplies she needs and gets the information early that her period is a powerful and positive occurrence—that “without periods there would be no people,”—then she sees more clearly the value of women and does not need to feel shame. . ”That changes everything,” emphasizes Celeste. “And I mean everything.”  Women and girls who understand this begin to see that they are not lesser human beings and do not need to be marginalized. They begin standing up to exploitation, early marriage, child trafficking, and other prevailing problems.

Days for Girls works with women to discover their own solutions—their own way of addressing a problem, standing up to injustice, or even of designing the kits. “We are keenly aware that our role as a nonprofit is not just to provide, but to partner in a way that will empower,” Celeste explains.

This attitude was put to the test when the organization was invited to talk to a group of women in Kenya about female genital mutilation (FGM). “We were a little skeptical,” Celeste admits, about being perceived as “ girls from the west coming in and trying to change a thousand-year-old tradition!” They thought carefully about how to open up the conversation, and expressed how much they loved the opportunity this tradition provided for women to come together and talk about what it means to be a woman. Celeste didn’t know the outcome right away but later found out that FGM participation in that community dropped from 92% to 62%.

Days for Girls discovered that talking about periods—what has so often been a taboo subject—opens doors to talk about other taboo subjects. After discussing menstruation, they might say something like, “Okay, now let’s talk about rape.” With these issues out in the open, the women are supporting each other to effect positive change. Celeste has seen women collectively come together and say, “We are not going to stand for this. Next time someone is raped, we will stand by her.” This kind of community building and collective action is a powerful force against longstanding problems.

Today, Days for Girls works in 31 nations on five continents, typically partnering with NGOs that already work in those communities to deliver the kits. They also work with numerous volunteer groups who create the kits. The organization’s goal is “Every girl. Everywhere. Period” by 2022.  Days for Girls was one of 12 organizations worldwide to be selected as a 2013 Nike Girl Effect champion, and as such will receive publicity and funding for their work. There are numerous ways to support this organization. Days for Girls loves partnering with other organizations that can serve as distribution points for their kits. There are also opportunities for people to offer skills like sewing kits, data gathering, research, graphic design and many others.

Celeste was recently in New Orleans, a trip which highlighted the fact that the need for sustainable feminine hygiene is universal. “There are more than 3,200 girls in New Orleans that need kits,” Celeste explained. “We need to develop a whole program there.” She talked excitedly about how this issue brings women together across borders, from all corners of the world. The need for health and hygiene is shared by women everywhere and opens the door for women to come together, celebrate their value and power as women, and address crucial needs in their communities—from New Orleans to Kenya.

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Changemaker

Heidi Breeze-Harris, co-founder and Executive Director of One By One

By Angelina Kalinovich

Heidi Breeze-Harris, co-founder and Executive Director of One By One, a Seattle-based non-profit dedicated to eliminating fistula worldwide, is seemingly fated to lead the fight against fistula. Her journey began in her childhood: coming from an internationally focused family, by the age of seven Heidi had been on four continents. Her passion for global work and awareness only further directed her life. She gained expertise in East and South Asia, and has lived in India, Thailand and Japan, focusing on Women’s Studies in those regions. Once she came back to Seattle, Heidi pursued her artistic ambition and worked with Dale Chihuly.

In 2004, pregnant and sick in bed, Heidi stumbled upon an episode of The Oprah Show that discussed dowry burning in India, along with the issue of fistula and its effects on women’s lives. It took Heidi by surprise that she knew so little about this struggle, given her overall interest and previous background in global development. That same week she heard about fistula two more times; Heidi doesn’t take such coincidences lightly.  After learning about fistula, she dedicated two months to intense research of fistula up until the time she gave birth. Heidi herself had a complicated and life-threatening labor experience, which both transformed her life and made this fight for women’s health also a personal one. She realized that her labor and delivery ended well simply because of the access to she had to medical care, which she was privileged enough to have here, in the US.

After that, everything moved very quickly, as Breeze-Harris alongside with her friend Katya Matanovic launched One By One in March of 2005 and raised significant funds in just 9 months as two volunteers. With encouragement from various institutional partners that had become interested in the organization’s approach, Heidi and Katya registered One By One as a non-profit in 2006. This same year, One By One also gave its first grant to Bugando Medical Center, a hospital in Tanzania working to repair women with fistula.

Since 2005 One By One has gone from a volunteer initiative to a staffed grantmaking agency in 2006 and then transforming in 2010 into a direct service agency designing and implementing its own programs to treat and prevent fistula.  Currently, about two-thirds of the donations to One By One come from individuals, who have always been seen as having a major collective impact on this work – as Heidi says, “small is not insignificant.”  One of her favorite donor stories is about a woman named Joanne, who lives in Tennessee. They have never met in person, but Joanne donates $2 every month, and takes her time to write letters and create handmade books about the organization. “This proves that you don’t need to give a lot to focus on what you care about, and do something about it at the right level for you”, comments Heidi. One By One loves its donors, both big and small.  It is proud of its relationships with individual donors worldwide like Joanne, as well as those with foundations and corporations, such as Philips, Johnson & Johnson, Expedia and others. Most of the donors are consistent givers; Heidi confesses that their loyalty is one of the things that keeps her going on days where the challenges seem insurmountable.

Amongst other sources of personal motivation, Breeze-Harris names her family, the professional staff of One By One, and her favorite book, which Heidi always carries with her- “It’s Not How Good You Are, It Is How Good You Want to Be” by Paul Arden and Roger Kennedy.

A true optimist at heart, Heidi admits that the challenges of this work can still be daunting. Like many non-profit founders and executive directors, she struggles with finding a balance between working for social change and time for her own family and friends.  Yet Heidi’s impatience with the pace of change for the women she serves is what drives her to push even harder in hopes of arriving at a better world faster.  She believes that both patience and impatience have their virtues in her line of work.

Being located in Washington State has made a difference in One By One’s work.  Heidi agreed that there is a particular climate in this state that allowed her idea to be turned into something real and become successful. “There is an incredible international emphasis in Seattle. Corporations and people here are sophisticated, aware and driven,” concluded Heidi. There is a mature development sector, which empowers partnerships and has helped One By One expand certain projects and increase its impact.

In five years, Heidi hopes that One By One will have successfully tested their newest model project in Kenya and proven that fistula can end in a region of a developing country. The final goal is to empower local leaders in any country or region in need to have as much information and data and proof in their efforts to bring their own change in fistula treatment and prevention, “One By One.”

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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!

Unitus Seed Fund
is a new investment fund based in Bangalore and Seattle that provides opportunities for economic self-reliance, education, and obtaining basic necessities to millions of people living at the base of the economic pyramid. We create opportunities by accelerating the growth of early-stage “BoP startups” that serve low-income populations. http://usf.vc/

The Bo M. Karlsson Foundation
The Bo M. Karlsson Foundation started off as a non-sectarian fund to honor the legacy of the late Bo M. Karlsson, a compassionate man deeply dedicated to his family, the natural world, and education. http://bomkarlsson.com/index.html

University of Puget Sound:
The Office of International Programs focuses on providing opportunities for international education and fostering an appreciation for cultural diversity at the University of Puget Sound. Our office plays an important role in the university’s study abroad and international communities by bringing international students and scholars to campus and by providing study abroad opportunities around the globe. www.pugetsound.edu

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Global Washington Announcements

New member benefits available in 2013

Global Washington is excited to announce that we have new benefits available for our members in 2013! We have partnered with local Law, Accounting, PR and Communication firms  to offer discounted services for current members. At GlobalWA, we believe this will lead to a mutually beneficial relationship that will help members get access to much needed services and will give local businesses the opportunity to connect to Washington’s vibrant global development community. Sample benefits include 1 hour free consultation and 20% off of ClarkNuber’s services. Stay tuned for more details as we will be communicating with our members soon with a detailed list of businesses involved and discounts available.

GlobalWA welcomes David Wu and Katie Young to our Board of Directors

In other exciting news, we are happy to welcome David Wu, Chief Development Officer at PATH,  and Katie Young, Director of Retail Transformation, Starbucks Coffee Company, to Global Washington’s Board of Directors! In September 2012, Mr. Wu took on a new leadership role at PATH with responsibility for driving the direction of PATH’s philanthropic fund development strategy and operations, expanding its philanthropic support system, and accelerating funding for new innovations. Mr. Wu has a more than 25-year track record improving organizational effectiveness and results through delivery of leading-edge fundraising programs and executive leadership.

Ms. Young joined Starbucks from McKinsey & Company, where she worked in several major sectors including social sector, consumer packaged goods, and agribusiness. Her work primarily focused on agricultural development and food security. Please join us as we welcome David Wu and Katie Young  to the Global Washington team!

The Dr. Is In- Upcoming Member Only Events

From advocacy to communications, our “doctors” are experts in their fields. They have the cure for your most pressing nonprofit complains! This Spring, GlobalWA members have the opportunity to meet with other member organizations who have expertise in areas of fundraising, communications, planning and evaluation.  These small workshops will allow for a more intimate setting where participants can get their questions answered. Experts will provide targeted advice and mentoring on specific issues and in some cases, moderators will facilitate group activities towards targeted goals. Session leaders include representatives from Global Partnerships, PATH, Pilgrim Africa, Splash, RJZ Connections, UC-Berkeley, and Imago, LLC. For more information check out www.globalwa.org.

Collective Impact Work

In February, GlobalWA hosted 7 initial Collective Impact focus group with 100+ individual participants. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from our members and community partners, GlobalWA will continue to help support and facilitate these working groups. During these initial meetings, participants identified goals and next steps for getting this work off the ground. If you are interested in joining one or more of these groups please contact Amanda Bidwell at Amanda@globalwa.org for more information and to sign up for upcoming meetings. For a list of active collective impact groups & group facilitators see below:

• Increasing general Public Awareness: Vijay Talwar (SPLASH), John Jensen (World Vision), David Owens (World Vision)
• Creating a member clearinghouse: Cliff Schmidt (Literacy Bridge), Ryan Richards ( Lasting Change, LLC)
• Higher Education & NGO Partnerships: Kathleen Hasselblad (Highline Community College), Tom Rasmussen (Institute for Self-Reliant Agriculture)
  • Business & NGO Partnerships– 3 sub groups have been identified:
  • Increase Awareness & Connections between Businesses & NGOs: Paul Kostek (IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology)
  • Engagement with Mid-Sized Businesses: Kat Schwegal (Starbucks), Cliff Schmidt (Literacy Bridge)
  • Clean Technology & Environmental Biz and NGO partnerships: Burt Hamner (Hydrovolts)
• Programs for WA Schools: Justine Miley (Facing the Future)
• Program Evaluation: Joelle Cook (Organizational Research), Nadia Khawaja (Jolkona)
• Policy & Advocacy: Jonathan Scanlon (Oxfam America), Jonathan Young (ONE Campaign)

GlobalWA Events // Global Socials

Wondering what other organizations are doing in China? Running a small non-profit in Tanzania and want some local business support? Operating a corporate office out of Vietnam and looking for ways to give back? GlobalWA  invites you to meet with people and organizations working in the same region as your organization. Join us every month for the opportunity to meet people working in your focus area, get ideas for your organization, build business and non-profit partnerships, and discuss ways in which, working together, we can make a greater impact. Each session will begin with an informational talk by an activist from the global region of focus and end with an opportunity for you to network with others. Oh and did we mention, happy hour drinks and appetizers will be provided! Cost: $10 GlobalWA members (use member code at checkout) $15 for non-members.

Upcoming Global Socials include:

• Wednesday, March 20, 2013: India & East Asia
• Wednesday, April 10, 2013: Vietnam & SE Asia
• Wednesday, May 8, 2013:  Latin America
• Wednesday, June 12, 2013: Kenya & East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi)
• Wednesday, September 11, 2013: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Wednesday, October 9, 2013: Middle East & North Africa
• Wednesday, November 13, 2013: Central & South Asia (Pakistan, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka)

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Announcements

Do you want to do something against corruption in India?

Here is a chance to meet Dr. Kiran Bedi (India’s first woman police officer) who will be in Seattle to inaugurate her sister Anu Peshawaria’s law offices in Seattle. Talk by Dr. Kiran Bedi and Anu Peshawaria on “Immigrant Rights in America”

Anu Peshawaria is an Internationally awarder Indian American immigration lawyer, served as the first legal advisor Government of India, Embassy of India, Washington DC.

Place: Kent Event Center
10120 SE 260th St,
Kent, WA 98030
Time: 7pm to 8pm
Date: Friday 29th March 2013

First come first serve.

Host An International Earthcorps Corps Member In Your Home

EarthCorps is now seeking host families or individuals for our international corps members from June – December 2013. Hosts must commit to a minimum of three months.

International corps members are emerging young professionals (ages 22-26) seeking to expand their conservation/environmental skills with practical hands on experience.  Corps members are from over 80 countries around the world and are proficient in English. They will be training full-time at EarthCorps.

EarthCorps pays host family a stipend up to $350 monthly to offset food and living expenses. In exchange, host families provide the corps member with their own furnished bedroom and food, as well as help navigating Seattle and understanding customsin the Pacific Northwest. Corps members must be able to reach Magnuson Park by bus within 45 minutes.

Download and complete an application online, or email Su Thieda for more information.

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Career Center

Highlighted Career

Name and Profile
Stephanie Bickler, Director of Engagement and Operations, Mona Foundation, Kirkland.
How would you describe your job?
My main role at Mona Foundation is cultivate, manage, strengthen, report, and track the engagement of the Foundation with its base of supporters to ensure continued loyalty and scaling of the Foundation’s community outreach. More

Highlighted Paid Positions

Office Manager- iLEAP
The iLEAP Office Manager (OM) is an individual with a versatile administrative
support skill set who thrives in collaborative environments, has a gift for organization and efficiency, a commitment to servant leadership, a refined understanding of the art of hosting, and a love for cross-cultural learning and community. A successful candidate has a minimum of 5 years of office administration work experience with a passion for system and process improvement and customer service. The OM will work under the direction of the iLEAP Executive Director and in close collaboration with other iLEAP staff, Board of Directors, and community members around the world. Online application is here: http://goo.gl/fp90u. More

Highlighted Volunteer Opportunity

Volunteer- BOSIA
The Sister Islands Association depends on volunteers! We have no paid staff on Bainbridge, which allows us to channel all of our revenues to Ometepe. Our volunteer opportunities on Bainbridge rane from tasks that take just an hour or two to ones that require ongoing commitment.

http://bainbridgeometepe.org/get-involved/volunteer-on-bainbridge

Highlighted Internship Opportunity

Program Evaluation Intern- OneWorld Now!
We are looking for a competent and self-motivated intern with excellent organizational and communication skills and strong interest in program evaluation to carry out a program evaluation for OneWorld Now!’s leadership program. The Program Evaluation Intern will utilize OWN’s evaluation tool to gather data on our and leadership program and report on findings. The Program Evaluation Intern will also make recommendations for improving the evaluation tool and write a manual for how the tool should be used for best results in the future. More

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

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GlobalWA Events

March 20
Global Socials // India and East Asia

April 10
Global Socials // Vietnam & Southeast Asia

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Upcoming Events

March 20
Money & Life

March 23
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Family Day

March 27
Habitat for Humanity: Stronger Together Breakfast

April 24
Third anniversary of the Confucius Institute

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In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, Global Washington—a Washington-state-based organization with over 140 members working worldwide—honors the struggles, strides, and strength of women across the globe. Many of Global Washington’s members are working to bring equality and equity for women at all socioeconomic levels, and this article will highlight the incredible work of one such organization: HEAL Africa.

The United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 women have experienced sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). For many of us here in the Pacific Northwest, the ongoing conflict in the DRC feels distant and removed from our daily lives. We read articles just like this one in the newspaper, shake our heads, and move along. Perhaps that’s partly the fault of news outlets; there’s no real way to grasp the magnitude of casualties with figures alone.

Read that number again. More than eleven times the population of Monroe. A third of Seattle’s population. It’s overwhelming. However, numbers are representative of individual people who all have their own stories to tell and experiences to share. Many organizations, including Monroe-based HEAL Africa, are focusing on the humanity of the victims of this conflict, and work to make sure they have the tools to lead resourceful and fulfilling lives even after experiencing trauma.

HEAL Africa: Empowerment in the Ashes of Conflict
http://www.monroemonitor.com/