By Katie Wollstein

The United States is the largest provider of food aid with approximately three billion people in 150 countries benefitting from USAID’s Food for Peace, the largest American food aid program.  However, since the program’s establishment in 1954, little has changed in policies dictating how aid is delivered.  The delivery system to countries in crisis is usually predicated by the Farm Bill:  currently, food aid commodities are shipped from the U.S. on American vessels, which can add to costs of food aid and delivery time.  This practice of shipping food purchased in the U.S. (as opposed to using vouchers or cash) can equate to losses as much as 30 cents on the dollar, according to a Bread for the World food aid fact sheet.  Additionally, buying local food instead of shipping from the U.S. could bring relief to people eleven to fourteen weeks sooner. Continue Reading

By Holly Koch

Nicholas Kristof recently “sat down” with a panel of experts in the field of modern-day slavery for a Google Hangout to discuss the future of the cause. Contributors to the conversation included: Nicholas Kristof (New York Times op-ed columnist, Co-Founder of Half the Sky Movement); Rachel Lloyd (Executive Director of GEMS, author of Girls Like Us); Susan Bissell (Head of Child Protection at UNICEF); Gary Haugen (Founder of International Justice Mission, author of The Locust Effect); and David Batstone (President & Co-Founder of Not for Sale, author of Not for Sale).

Continue Reading

Welcome to the January 2014 issue of the Global Washington newsletter. If you would like to contact us directly, please email us.

IN THIS ISSUE

• Introduction Letter
• Global Washington Member Recognized by Forbes
• Featured Organization: Cascade Designs: An Interview with Laura McLaughlin
• Changemaker: Kristin Hayden, Founder and Executive Director of OneWorld Now!
• Good Reads: In Search of Decency
• Welcome New Members
• Upcoming GlobalWA Member Events
• Announcements
• Career Center
• GlobalWA Events

Introduction Letter

Members and Friends,

2013 was an amazing year for Global Washington, thanks to all of you. Your engagement in our work – by being members, sponsoring our programs, attending our annual conference, participating in ongoing events, and adding your voice to the mix in efforts to make Washington State a global leader – has truly inspired us.

We’re ready to make 2014 an even more exciting year, and we look forward to deeper collaboration with all of you. Thank you for your continued hard work and passion for what you do. We look forward to continued success in the new year, and to seeing all of you very soon.

Sincerely,

The GlobalWA Team

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Member Recognition

Global Washington Member Recognized by Forbes

Forbes recently named Days for Girls to their list of “Top 7 Travel-Minded Charities for Holiday Gift Giving.” Congratulations to the wonderful DfG team, in Washington State and around the world.

From Forbes.com:

Days for Girls

Girls’ education has become the great equalizer – and the great economic driver – in many developing nations, yet in some countries girls routinely miss several school days each month due to their menstrual cycles. To level the playing field, Days for Girls provides feminine hygiene products heretofore unavailable and instructions on their use, in Uganda, Kenya, the Philippines and 25 other countries on five continents. Partners include the Nike Foundation’s Girl Effect program, Rotary International and YWCA.

Original link:

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fgmi45hdkh/days-for-girls/

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Featured Organization

Cascade Designs: An Interview with Laura McLaughlin

By Katherine Schroeder

If you’re a global health junkie and also embrace innovation, Washington State is the place to be. It’s no wonder Bloomberg News recently named our state the “Most Innovative” in the U.S. In particular, the Puget Sound region is known for its research and development in the global health realm, as well as an interest in collaboration between organizations in order to create a high degree of impact. While many Global Washington NGO members are known for their great work in developing countries, one of GlobalWA’s business members is positively impacting lives around the world. Cascade Designs, Inc. is headquartered right here in Seattle and, while they’ve been developing recreation equipment for outdoor enthusiasts and the U.S. military for over 40 years, they’re also using their talent and innovations to create change in the developing world.

Laura McLaughlin, a program manager at Cascade Designs, has been a leader in this movement. Throughout our interview, Laura expressed the value of partnership in making a lasting impact. Cascade Designs is working with several Northwest organizations and Global Washington members, as well as bringing together organizations that may not have worked together before, such as the Department of Homeland Security and high schools in California.

The Cascade Designs team is currently working on a device called the Smart Electrochlorinator 200 (SE200), which utilizes a technology originally developed for military use. Working with PATH, a Seattle-based Global Washington member, Cascade Designs received grant funding in 2008 from the Laird Norton Family Foundation, another GlobalWA member. Together, PATH and Cascade Designs transformed the technology and made it accessible to low resource communities and villages in remote areas of developing countries. This grant led to a device that is no larger than a cup of coffee, and creates a reaction that turns salt and water into chlorine, which can be used to purify water or clean surfaces for 50 to 200 people. The product is easy to use, produces a consistent amount of chlorine, and can be used to treat large amounts of water, making it appealing for water entrepreneurs and small community water systems. Soon, the device will be available to water entrepreneurs and NGOs seeking to improve water quality and water access across the globe.

Transitioning a technology that was originally developed for the military to one that can be used by a wide variety of people in the developing world has its challenges. For example, the SE200 will be used by people who don’t speak English and may not be able to read at all; resupply items may not be accessible; and maintenance must be minimized. Cascade Designs approached these difficult challenges through their successful partnership with PATH. When I asked McLaughlin what makes a productive partnership, she noted that “in the case of PATH, we had a strong cultural alignment, and shared goals for maximizing safe water impact.” With PATH’s history of success in transitioning technologies to low resource global health settings in countries all over the world, and Cascade Designs’ knowledge of water quality and purification, forming a partnership made a lot of sense.

Currently, Cascade Designs is expanding the scope of the SE200 to low resource settings in the United States – disaster settings. Adding the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) to their team of partners, Cascade Designs is now working in the world of education where the SE200 is being used as a teaching tool to prepare schools for disasters, an important interest of DHS S&T. The device can be used to teach engineering applications of basic chemistry, health, or earth science, as well as to prepare schools not only how, but why to treat water if a disaster were to occur. Currently, six schools in Ventura County, California are developing curricula and piloting the dual-purpose program as part of their mandate to align with the national Next Generation Science Standards. The program continues to expand.

Cascade Designs will continue to innovate and produce quality products as they’ve done for years. Their awareness about how these products can produce positive change in our world is unique. Their ability to see the possibilities of making an impact, and then collaborating with the right players to help them carry out their goals, is part of the culture at Cascade Designs and is a model that other businesses can look to when thinking about ways that they can make an impact on our world. Advances in global development are not going to come from just one sector. It’s going to take everyone – from businesses, to NGO’s, to foundation and universities – collaborating on projects to tackle our world’s most pressing issues.

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Changemaker

Kristin Hayden, Founder and Executive Director of OneWorld Now!

By Mark Olmstead

When Kristin Hayden was just fifteen years old, she was chosen as a Rotary exchange student and travelled to South Africa.  As she spent time in the country during apartheid, witnessing a great deal of injustice, a fire was ignited in Hayden.  She developed a deep passion for social justice and began to understand that certain things needed to be challenged.  Several years after her time in South Africa, Hayden lived in Moscow around the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union.  Witnessing the volatile nature of this culture during this time period served to strengthen her desire to make a difference.  She became passionate about cross-cultural understanding and travelling the world.  One thing she did notice was that those with the resources to study abroad were most often white, affluent students.  This didn’t seem fair to Hayden, and she decided to do something about it.

After moving back to the U.S. at the age of 30, Kristin Hayden tackled this issue head on, right here in Seattle.  OneWorld Now! was started in 2002 with the goal of providing opportunities to study abroad to all students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.  In addition, OneWorld Now! focuses on language training and leadership development in young people.  The goal is to create the next generation of leaders by empowering them with global knowledge, and giving them the opportunities they might not otherwise have, from overseas travel and leadership training to learning languages like Chinese and Arabic.  Hayden wants her students to be able to have the same opportunities that she had as a young person, and wants to show them that anything is possible and that there are no limitations to where they can go and what they can accomplish.

A “changemaker” is a person who looks for creative opportunities to change the framework that already exists.  Creating change is not always easy, but Kristin Hayden says that she still very much enjoys this challenge.  She was selected as an Ashoka Fellow for her innovative work to change the field of global education, and OneWorld Now! is quickly becoming a national model for this work.  The organization is thriving and has recently become involved in a key initiative developed by President Barack Obama called “100,000 Strong,” which expands study abroad opportunities in China in hopes of creating a better understanding of the country, and ultimately bridging the gap between U.S. and Chinese cultures.

With students working in China, the U.S. State Department, and embassies around the world, Kristin Hayden has much to be proud of, and plenty of inspiration to help her continue this work right here in Washington State.  She will keep encouraging future generations to think globally, and will empower her students with the education and opportunities that will allow them to create their own change in years to come.

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Good Reads

In Search of Decency

“Lying flat on the ambassador’s floor in Liberia, bullets shattered my understanding of life, compelling me to rethink the meaning of what I had seen over and over again, so many people suppressed across all cultures in which I had lived. People dominated by a few driven by greed and power, power enforced by those bullets now overhead that required answers from me, answers I did not have, bullets that demanded courage to search in the chaos for decency.”

Michael Heyn’s uncommon memoir—In Search of Decency:  The Unexpected Power of Rich and Poor—is a gripping and inspiring inside story of the struggle to eliminate poverty and growing inequality around the world.  It provides a one-of-a-kind comparative perspective and analysis of the ever-widening divide between rich and poor that cut across the 15 countries, including the U.S., in which he lived and worked mostly in service of the Peace Corps and the United Nations.   Heyn shares his experience and work over those 50 years, from two years in a Peruvian village, to the civil war in Liberia, to confronting  extreme deprivation in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, to the ousting of dictators from Malawi to Yemen, and not least, to the indifference to soaring inequality in America.

Heyn’s book is a very personal account, full of vignettes from a life lived on the front edge of the unexpected.  It is a lifelong tale from an unsettling yet inspiring childhood to facing the challenges and setbacks in joining an uncertain quest for equal opportunity and justice through international development.  It is a chronicle of learning from mistakes and building on experiences to find a clearer vision and realistic path to what would work.  It is an optimistic journey grounded in a belief in the basic decency and potential power of people to address and overcome their own divide and achieve a common good.  It proposes practical partnerships of rich and poor working from the bottom up, equally empowered and participating, to lead transformational social change and governance reform.

Michael Heyn holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees from Stanford University and returned for further post graduate studies in development administration at the London School of Economics.  He lived and worked in development management and UN representational capacities across Africa, Asia, the South Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States over the period 1964 – 2011.  He now resides in Portland, Oregon.

In Search of Decency is available at www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com, www.powells.com, and other book sales websites.  The book’s Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Search-of-Decency-by-Michael-Heyn/220668898114638

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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!

Advocate Member

Dwankhozi Hope: Its mission is to empower the children and families of Zambia through partnership in education and community development, recognizing our interconnectedness as we seek mutual transformation. Dwankhozi Hope provides financial support for programs including: education, community development, agriculture, and health/wellness related needs.  http://dwankhozi-hope.org/

Upcoming Member Events

Seattle Biomed // Harambee Luncheon

Join Seattle BioMed’s exclusive Harambee woman’s group to learn how new approaches in biomedical research can improve the lives of woman and children around the world. Program includes discussion groups, catered lunch, presentation by Seattle BioMed malaria scientist, Ashley Vaughn, Ph.D., and an ask for support.  RSVP here. Optional networking reception begins at 11:40 a.m.

Date:
January 23, 2014

Time:
12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location:
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute
307 Westlake Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109

Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington // Drugs and violence in Colombia

Dr. Ric Brown will present his research on drugs and violence in Colombia.  Dr. Ric Brown is Research Assistant Professor of the School of Social Work, University of Washington. Currently, Dr. Brown works with the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) on a variety of prevention studies, including the Supporting Early Transitions Study—a site-randomized trial of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, the Community Youth Development Study—a community-randomized trial of the Communities That Care prevention system, and the International Youth Development Study—an examination of differences between the U.S. and Australia in adolescent alcohol abuse and other problem behaviors.  For more information, contact lasuw@uw.edu / 206-685-3435.

Date:
January 23, 2014

Time:
12:00pm-1:00pm

Location:
Thomson 317
University of Washington, Seattle Campus

Trade Development Alliance // Schmooze 2014

Kick-off the business year at Greater Seattle’s international networking event! Bring yourself, your team, or your business friends. You and your colleagues are invited to come and SHAKE hands with Greater Seattle’s global business community, SIP and toast to our region’s trade opportunities, and SCHMOOZE at our evening reception with global cuisine, connections, and high spirits!  Mix, mingle and be merry as we highlight how TDA connects you with visiting delegations, promotes members on outbound trade missions, and educates the global marketplace about Greater Seattle.  For more information and ticket packages, please go here.

Date:
January 23, 2014

Time:
5:30pm – 7:30pm

Location:
Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce
1301 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1500
Seattle, WA 98101

Seattle Chamber of Commerce // Herman McKinney Economic Empowerment Forum

This luncheon Forum is designed to raise awareness of business clusters with the goal of helping you broaden your business opportunities. Each forum will feature two small businesses representing two different industry clusters.  Click here for more information and to register.

Date:
January 23, 2014

Time:
12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location:
Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Microsoft Events Center
1301 5th Avenue, Suite 1500
Seattle, WA 98101

World Trade Center Seattle // From the Baby-Boom to the She-Boom

It’s no secret that women have entered the “C” Suites! From CEO, CFO, CMO and more, women are moving into significant roles in our nation’s largest corporations. But what about running the finances and investments in their own households? Jaylene Howard, Consulting Director for Russell Investments, will present a dynamic program with the latest information and extensive research from Russell Investments and the best minds in the industry. This program will help you understand the psychology behind women’s investment strategies and purchasing decisions, understand why women are going to control significant assets in the investment world, gain insight on how you can tap into this growing phenomenon, and gain confidence if you are a woman taking charge of your own investments. Registration fee includes breakfast, networking, program, and Q&A session. Questions: Contact Michelle Kim at mkim@wtcseattle.com or go here.

Date:
January 24, 2014

Time:
7:30am – 10:00am

Location:
World Trade Center Seattle
2200 Alaskan Way #410
Seattle, WA 98121

Washington Women’s Foundation // Debunking Myths about Nonprofit “Overhead” Costs

Connect with fellow WWF members to discuss a hot topic in philanthropy: nonprofit overhead costs.  Too many nonprofits are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done.  A discussion will take place from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. After, there will be time to network and connect with other members present at the discussion. Please bring a brown bag lunch. Snacks will be available. WWF Members and Guests welcome! More information here.

Date:
January 24, 2014

Time:
12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location:
2100 24th Avenue S
Seattle, WA 98144

Society for International Development // Event on Social Enterprise – Hype and Promise

The Seattle Chapter of SID is partnering with the SID Washington, DC Chapter to produce a bi-coastal discussion on the lessons learned for global development from successful social enterprises.

For more information please contact Monika.aring@gmail.com, or Sumibhatkincaid@gmail.com.

Date:
January 22, 2014

Time:
12:30pm – 2:30pm

Location:
SightLife Headquarters, 221 Yale Ave N, Seattle 98109

Tickets:
$20 for nonmembers, $10 for members and students. Click here to purchase your ticket

World Affairs Council // Online Exchanges and Global Collaborations for Every Classroom

Are you interested in connecting your students with students in another country, but unsure about how to get started? Perhaps you are passionate about global education, but too busy to spend hours surfing the web to find just the right program for your class? Join the World Affairs Council and leading international education specialist Greg Tuke for this special evening as we explore the opportunities of inviting teachers and students from all over the world into your classroom (without them leaving home!). This course provides an opportunity for students in various countries to work directly with each other in finding – then implementing – solutions to social media challenges posed by selected NGO’s in each of these countries. We will draw on wisdom from educators who have successfully connected their classes with classes in other countries regarding how to get beyond the superficial and get students into substantial conversations or collaborations. Join us for this hands-on workshop.  Learn more and register here.

Date:
February 4, 2014

Time:
5:00pm – 8:00pm

Location:
Seattle University
901 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122

Partners Asia // Bike in Burma

10 days of Adventure and Beauty

Experience a journey of a lifetime on Partners Asia 3rd Annual Donor Bike Trip in Burma.
Take an unhurried cycling adventure through the countryside of Burma-Myanmar. Meet local people and experience rural culture while cycling through heritage sites.
For more information, click here.

Date:
Feb 4 – 14, 2014

Location:
Burma

Skagit Valley College // Global Service Fair

Skagit Valley College invites Global Washington members to participate in its annual Global Service! The Fair is an opportunity for NGOs to promote their development work and engage college students and community members in supporting or participating in that work. We have had a number of Global WA members participate in recent years and we invite all members who might be interested to join us in 2014! Opportunities to give seminar-style presentations are also available. The Global Service Fair is one of the college’s GlobalFest events featured during February. To participate, or for more information, contact Ted Maloney: ted.maloney@skagit.edu or 360-416-7774.

Date:
February 5, 2014

Time:
10:00am – 2:00pm

Location:
Skagit Valley College
2405 E College Way
Mt Vernon, WA

University of Washington: Entrepreneurship in all the Right Places

Entrepreneurship and cleantech are two of the hottest commodities at the UW. Join us to hear from Daniel Schwartz, Director of the new Clean Energy Institute (CEI), formed when Gov. Inslee and state legislators allocated $6 million to create a research center at the university that will advance solar energy and electrical energy storage capacities. Connie Bourassa-Shaw, Director of the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, will introduce us to the UW Environmental Innovation Challenge and the Center’s Jones + Foster Accelerator for student-led start-ups. Recent grads Ryan Vogel and Adam Greenberg, who won second place at the EIC and the $25,000 grand prize at the annual Business Plan Competition, will take you through their PureBlue Technology start-up adventure. And Chris DeVore, the chief troublemaker at Seattle’s TechStars, will explain how he’s working with the UW real estate office to turn the old law school building on Campus Parkway into a foothold for tech entrepreneurs. Register here.

Date:
February 12, 2014

Time:
7:30am – 9:00am

Location:
Perkins Coie
1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 4900
Seattle, WA 98101

Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington // “Abajo Los Chinos:” Race and the Public Sphere in Revolutionary Mexico

When the Mexican republic erupted in revolution in 1910 it’s competing leaders often used the language of mestizo nationalism to rally supporters. Historians have attributed the success of revolutionary Mexican nationalism to state ideologies of mestizaje and populist agrarian reforms. However, the history of Mexico’s anti-Chinese politics reveals that racism has played an unappreciated role in the creation of a public sphere in which the common good of mestizos became thinkable. Dr. Chang details the ways that racial violence, anti-Chinese organizations, and racist policies contributed to the expansion of mestizo nationalism. This revisionist history highlights the ways that race was an essential technology of state formation that undergirded the transformation of rule and consent after the revolution.

Date:
February 19, 2014

Time:
4:00pm – 5:00pm

Location:
Communications Building 120
University of Washington, Seattle Campus

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Announcements

Washington Nonprofits // Developing a Sound Financial Start

Do you need something more than just a checkbook to track your nonprofit’s finances, or have you potentially out-grown your current software? Get the ins and outs for how to get started, what to look for and what you need to consider when establishing or switching to a new accounting system. We will discuss various software options, recommend modules to begin, review your chart of accounts, and offer a few tips and tricks when working with QuickBooks™. This is the first in a 4-part series. Presenter: Josh Tyree. Click here for more information and to register.

Date:
January 22, 2014

Time:
9:30am – 10:30am

Location:
Online

Northwest Energy Angels // Cleantech Leadership Forum

You don’t want to miss this informative, inspiring and compelling annual gathering of the Pacific Northwest’s regional clean technology community. With the growing impact of our population on the planet, investing in cleantech is more important than ever before. Our community shares a passion to advance the technologies necessary to create a sustainable, low-carbon future, and enjoys the excitement of investing for financial returns, but to do so in people and companies aligned with our values, working to improve the health of the planet.  Register today for this must-attend event to join the conversation, learn what lies ahead, and connect with other regional leaders.

Date:
January 22, 2014

Time:
3:00pm – 7:00pm

Location:
Pacific Science Center | Paccar IMAX Theater
200 2^nd Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109

Washington Nonprofits // The Complete Nonprofit Website Toolkit

Can you remember when your organization’s website was designed? Can your supporters and constituents navigate and find the information they need? Can your staff members easily create or update content on your website? If you answered no to any of those questions, it might be time to bring that website into the 21st Century. Over ten Tuesdays, join Idealware as we walk you through Website 101, review best practices for accessibility, mobile-optimized sites, and reinforcing your organization’s online brand. We’ll also take a look at the content management systems (CMS) that can give even your least tech-savvy staff members the tools to update website content themselves. Finally, we’ll talk about how your website content works alongside your email, direct mail, and social media efforts to create your organization’s communications mix. Click here for more information and to register.

Date:
January 28, 2014

Time:
10:00 am – 11:00am

Location:
Online

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Career Center

Highlighted Paid Positions

President & CEO – World Affairs Council

Project Manager, Humanitarian Action for Children Program – U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Associate Director of Global Development Policy and Advocacy – Save the Children

Highlighted Volunteer Positions

Volunteer for a Global WA member organization

Volunteer with World Bicycle Relief

Highlighted Internship Positions

Winter & Spring Undergraduate Intern – Washington Global Health Alliance

Global Programs & Field Engagement Intern – U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Development and Expansion Intern – RESULTS

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

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GlobalWA Events

January 15
New Member Orientation

January 16
Networking Happy Hour

January 28
Experience Girl Rising 

February 6
Regional Global Social

February 13
Executive Director Roundtable

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Our members’ stories are compelling and help us see why the state of Washington is such an important key to making the world a healthier, safer, and more equitable place. For this reason, this report is focused on highlighting key trends and illustrating them with the innovative work of our members. We hope that this will give you a snapshot of the diversity and depth of impact of Washington’s development sector. Read our annual report.

By Katie Wollstein

Nine out of ten people living in rural regions of Africa do not have access to modern energy, according to the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.  Out of 1.3 billion people who do not have access to electricity, more than half live in a Least Developed Country (LDC) and 95 percent live in Sub-Saharan Africa or developing areas of Asia.  At the fourth UN Conference on LDCs held in 2011, the Istanbul Programme of Action for the decade 2011- 2020 recognized that access and efficient distribution of affordable, reliable, and renewable energy and related technologies are keys to accelerating growth, improving livelihoods, and advancing sustainable development in LDCs (view the full report here). Continue Reading

By Katie Wollstein

The 2013 Least Developed Countries Report was released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on November 20, an annual, comprehensive summary of socio-economic data and analysis on the world’s most impoverished countries. According to the Committee for Development Policy, a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are identified using criteria including gross national income per capita, human assets index, economic vulnerability index, and population size (i.e., countries with populations exceeding 75 million are not eligible). In 2011, the CDP defined LCDs as, “Low-income countries suffering from the most severe structural impediments to sustainable development.” For a detailed description of the CDP process for identifying LDCs, see the Handbook on the Least Developed Country Category. Continue Reading

By Katie Wollstein

At the 2013 UN Climate Change Conference in November in Warsaw, Poland, Africa was urged to move toward sustainable development to adapt to climate change by exploring green economy initiatives.  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines green economy initiatives (GEI) as initiatives that result in an economy that is low-carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive.  These initiatives include components to provide analysis and policy support for investing in green sectors and addressing environmentally unfriendly ones.  Of these sectors, agriculture was a hot topic for low-carbon development goals and food security in response to climate change.  According to Henry Neufeldt, head of Climate Change Research at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), food production is responsible for between 9.5 and 14.7 gigatonnes of carbon in the atmosphere every year, 19 to 29 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.  Merlyn Van Voore, an adaption specialist with UNEP, said that climate-smart agriculture could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 1 and 4 billion tonnes by 2020. Continue Reading

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

IN THIS ISSUE

• Special Feature: Public Health Challenges in the Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan
• Question of the Month
• Recap of Global Washington’s 5th Annual Conference
• Global Washington Announcement
• Sakena Yacoobi Wins 2013 Opus Award
• Featured Organization: Seattle BioMed: Putting Together Pieces of the Puzzle to Tackle Infectious Disease Worldwide
• Changemaker: Transforming Science into Global Heath Solutions: A look at IDRI with Erik Iverson
• Welcome New Members
• Upcoming GlobalWA Member Events
• Announcements
• Career Center
• GlobalWA Events

Special Feature

Public Health Challenges in the Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan

By Katie Wollstein

The Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical storms to ever make landfall, on November 8, 2013.  18 million people were estimated to have lived in the worst-affected regions which were left without water, power, and communications in the weeks following the typhoon.  In addition to severely damaged infrastructure and economic consequences likely to follow, disasters such as Typhoon Haiyan can create an environment ripe for outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Current Concerns

As of the end of November, 14.4 million people were reported to have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan and 3.62 million people were displaced (Government of the Philippines, Department for Social Welfare and Development).  According the World Health Organization (WHO), health needs in the Philippines have shifted from immediate trauma care to broader health issues.  For example, the WHO Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster reported that only 35 temporary shelter sites in Tacloban have latrines, 77 percent have no solid waste removal system, and there is on average only one latrine per 61 persons.  Because of overcrowding, poor shelter, exposure, lack of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and poor nutrition, health officials are anticipating the following developments:

• Increased communicable disease transmission and increased potential for outbreaks of diseases such as acute respiratory infections, measles, typhoid fever, and viral enteric diseases.
• Increased exposure to vector-borne diseases endemic to the Philippines such as dengue, cholera, leptospirosis, and chikungunya.

Additionally, in a recent report, WHO and the Philippines Department of Health listed the five main public health concerns in the wake of the storm:  acute respiratory infection; fever; diarrhea; hypertension; and skin disease.  Other public health concerns include the lack of health facilities (including those that can deliver obstetric care for pregnant women), chronic diseases including interruption of treatment for diseases needing long-term treatment (e.g., diabetes), disruption in cold chain and medical provisions (i.e., vaccines), and malnutrition, especially in infants and young children.

Current Efforts

In Tacloban, a mass vaccination campaign for measles and polio recently began for children less than five years of age.  The children will also be checked for malnutrition and given Vitamin A drops to support their immune systems.  The campaign is supported by the Department of Health, WHO, and UNICEF and will start at the main displacement centers before medical staff venture into more remote affected areas in the coming weeks.

UNICEF, a member of Global Washington, has already helped to restore access to over 30,000 water locations in Tacloban, benefiting an estimated 200,000 people or 80 percent of people in Tacloban and six surrounding districts.  Oxfam America , a Global Washington member, has four aid teams on the ground in Northern Cebu, Leyte, and Samar, providing household-level water purification, hygiene kits including soap, toothbrushes, underwear, and blankets, as well as 1,000 communal temporary latrines, cleaning kits, and hand-washing stations.  World Vision, also a Global Washington member, has distributed emergency food, water, and hygiene kits to an estimated 24,000 people.  More than 500 local staff members have been mobilized to help distribute food, blankets, mosquito nets, tarps, hygiene kits, and emergency shelters.  Another Global Washington member, Save the Children, has provided humanitarian relief for Filipino children and families including distributing 500 newborn kits which include diapers, lotions, and baby clothes.  With a high mortality risk among children ages six months to two years old, Save the Children is prioritizing procuring supplies for feeding infants and young children.  Other Global Washington members involved in the Philippines aid effort include Global Impact, Mercy Corps, Peace Winds America, Habitat for Humanity, and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation.

What’s next?

In response to Typhoon Haiyan, Scott Jackson, president and CEO of Global Impact, described how major disasters require both short-term disaster relief and long-term international support to fuel recovery efforts.   Next steps outlined by WHO and the Department of Health include estimating infrastructure damage and health service availability in detail, better defining affected populations and needs (including for pregnant and lactating women and patients with chronic diseases), evaluating resources currently available and what will be required in the short to midterm, and better understanding the needs for longer term relief and recovery in the next six to twelve months.  WHO also specified immediate priorities in their November 16^th Public Health Risk Assessment and Intervention Report.  These priorities included:

• Provision of food, safe drinking water, medicines and medical supplies, appropriate sanitation, shelter, and other essential non-food items including fuel for cooking
• Trauma care for the wounded with tetanus prevention
• Establishment of emergency primary and secondary care for medical, surgical, and obstetric emergencies
• Public health risk assessment and interventions, risk communication to the public
• Management of dead bodies with retrieval and identification of victims
• Measles vaccination, and polio vaccination in high risk areas
• Establishment of an early warning system for early detection and response to outbreaks
• Infection control in healthcare units including safe blood transfusion and medical waste management, as well as sufficient water supply and sanitation
• Management of acute malnutrition including medical complications
• Continuity of treatment for chronic diseases and chronic infections such as tuberculosis

Global Washington has put together a list of organizations in Washington State that are working in the Philippines and are asking for donations to aid their efforts.  These organizations can be found here.

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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:

Which session was your favorite at the Global WA conference last month?

Please click here to respond.

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Recap of Global Washington’s 5th Annual Conference

Last month, Global Washington hosted our 5th annual conference — Catalyzing Collective Impact. We convened over 450 members of the global development community in Washington (and beyond) for a day of high-caliber speakers and sessions, and numerous opportunities for networking and partnership-building.

We were inspired and challenged by our amazing keynote speakers:  Deogratias Niyizonkia, Village Health Works; Neal Keny-Guyer, Mercy Corps; Sam Daley-Harris, RESULTS; and Ken Berger, Charity Navigator.

We also hope you found the panels and breakout session informative and useful for your work going forward.

If you missed the conference or want to take a closer look at a particular session, we have included some resources below:

Want an overview of the day?  Download the full recap report here.

Want to see what everyone is talking about?  Check out some videos from the day here.

Want to check out those photos you took at the booth?  Click here and use the code “GW111313” to gain access.  We also posted photos from the day on flickr.

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Announcement

After two years of dedicated service, Amanda Bidwell’s tenure will come to a close as Global Washington’s Special Projects Assistant. Amanda began her work with GlobalWA as an intern, and was then hired to work on a wide variety of projects. She managed social media and event communications, coordinated marketing and advertising initiatives, and has been instrumental in the success of GlobalWA’s annual conferences. Amanda’s passion is soil ecology and she will be continuing her work as a Research Technologist for the School of Environmental & Forest Sciences at the University of Washington. Her last day with GlobalWA is December 20th. Please join us in wishing Amanda the best of luck in her future endeavors.

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Sakena Yacoobi wins 2013 Opus Award

By Sandy Lam

Sakena Yacoobi, founder and president of the Afghan Institute of Learning and keynote speaker at the 2012 Global Washington Annual Conference, was announced as the winner of the 2013 Opus Prize, an award that “honors unsung heroes of any faith tradition with a $1 million award for efforts to solve today’s most persistent and pressing global issues, including poverty, illiteracy, hunger, disease, and injustice.”

Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs presented Yacoobi with the award.  Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia stated, “Dr. Sakena Yacoobi has demonstrated an inspiring commitment to the promotion of education and health services for women and children in Afghanistan. She is an eminently deserving recipient of this faith-based humanitarian award—for her disproportionate contributions to the betterment of our global family.”

Last year, Yacoobi opened the 2012 GlobalWA Conference retelling her experience in Afghanistan and her mission to bring education to the women and children of the country. “As soon as I arrived, I saw how much the women and children suffered. What could I do? How could I help them? What about education? How could they improve?” said Yacoobi. She founded the Afghan Institute of Learning in 1995, which began by helping refugee camps. Now the institute aims to provide teacher training, support education for children, and to deliver health services and education to women and children with over 40 learning centers and schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Yacoobi said she is thankful and honored to receive the award and intends to use the prize money to increase the capacity of her organization. The award, specifically seeks out people of faith who are making changes in the world, and Yacoobi believes that the Quran guides the principles of the institute. In a country where war still ravages the land, Yacoobi believes the power of education can help change the future.

“Afghan people are kind. They are smart. They really need a chance to really be different,” said Yacoobi. “Our religion is constantly telling us that we are peaceful. The first word “shalom” is peace. We say peace upon you. That is the meaning of Islam.”

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Featured Organization

Seattle BioMed: Putting Together Pieces of the Puzzle to Tackle Infectious Disease Worldwide

By Sandy Lam

A pioneer in Seattle’s thriving global health sector, Seattle BioMed is a non-profit biomedical research institute dedicated to eliminating the threat of the world’s most devastating infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. The institute’s faculty works out of the Seattle headquarters in South Lake Union but collaborates with research teams worldwide at both public and private entities. I sat down with Seattle BioMed’s Chief Operating Officer, Randy Hassler, to discuss the organization’s 2013 accomplishments, and to inquire about what we can expect next from the Institute.

Hassler explains that what makes Seattle BioMed unique is the integration of scientists with areas of expertise that range from how different pathogens that cause disease behave to how the human immune system responds to infection all under one roof. Systems biology also plays a key role in Seattle BioMed’s work, enabling scientists to use data collected and analyzed at a massive scale in order to create models of how pathogens cause their devastation—and how best drugs and vaccines will work to counter them.

Seattle BioMed’s accomplishments span across the diseases that together kill more than 14 million people worldwide each year. This year, research teams shared critical breakthroughs in the fights against malaria, HIV and tuberculosis.

Malaria is the leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries, with 3.3 billion people living in areas at risk of malaria transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children under the age of 5 are among the most vulnerable to the disease, and as many as a million children die each year, mostly from a form of malaria known as cerebral malaria, characterized by small blood clots in the brain. “Despite the fact that malaria has been around for centuries, the mechanisms of the disease have been enormously challenging to untangle,” says Hassler. This year, an international team including Seattle BioMed’s Joe Smith, Ph.D., has helped to uncover a crucial piece of knowledge about how cerebral malaria kills. “Joe Smith and his team were able, for the first time, to pinpoint the lock and key mechanism for how red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite stick to the side of blood vessels, leading to the kinds of clots that kill victims of cerebral malaria.” Understanding the way in which malaria causes its damage is an essential part of creating a new drug or vaccine, Hassler explains. “If you know what the mechanism that allows disease progression actually looks like, you can begin work on how to prevent that mechanism.”

Another disease that is benefitting from breakthrough scientific discovery at Seattle BioMed is HIV. Because HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is so well-adapted to evade the human immune system, a vaccine for the disease remains elusive. In the United States alone, nearly 50,000 people become newly infected with HIV each year. Seattle BioMed’s Leo Stamatatos, Ph.D., is leading a team of collaborators who have already made great strides in 2013 by shedding light onto why previous attempts at HIV vaccines have all failed, and by designing HIV shells that can activate the robust immune response needed to keep the virus at bay. The next step, says Hassler, is to move this research into clinical trials, and Seattle BioMed has already applied for a grant from the National Institutes of Health to do just that.  “It’s still early, but we’re hopeful that this entirely novel approach will lead to a new, effective HIV vaccine.”

Seattle BioMed’s researchers are also making strides toward new treatments for tuberculosis (TB). With one-third of the world’s population carrying a dormant form of the TB bacterium, and new forms of drug-resistant TB emerging each year, TB is already a major a global health issue. Researchers led by David Sherman, Ph.D., from Seattle BioMed have created a “regulatory map” of TB’s genome: essentially a blueprint for how each of TB’s 4,000 genes is connected to the others. With this blueprint, researchers can now meaningfully investigate how to create the next generation of drugs to fight even strains of the bacteria that do not respond to any of our current drugs. “We want to know what triggers a gene to become active,” says Hassler. “The thread between all of these examples of our work is that they are fundamental discoveries that will help us create newer, smarter interventions for these diseases,” says Hassler. “Our vision is to take these ideas into the next phases of research and early clinical testing. We want to keep moving forward.”

By taking a collaborative and integrated approach to research and science, Seattle BioMed will continue to tackle complex problems in the biology of infectious diseases and be a leader in the field of global health, improving lives and communities all over the world.

Seattle BioMed offers lab tours throughout each month. If you are interested in attending a one-hour “Lab to Life” tour, please contact Brooke Longacre at brooke.longacre@seattlebiomed.org

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Changemaker

Transforming Science into Global Heath Solutions: A look at IDRI with Erik Iverson

By Mark Olmstead

When working in Brazil in his early years with the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), founder Steve Reed saw firsthand the agony children regularly went through to get a leishmaniasis diagnosis.  This involved a bone marrow or spleen biopsy, both procedures so painful that patients had to be forcefully held down.  Upon returning to the United States, Reed focused his research on finding new diagnostic techniques for infectious diseases likeleprosy, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.

Erik Iverson, IDRI’s Executive Vice-President of Business Development & External Affairs, shares Reed’s passion for wanting to make an impact in the global health sector.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Iverson, a life science attorney who gained insight into the world of global health as Associate General Counsel at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation before joining IDRI in 2011, as he shared with me both the broader mission and finer details of IDRI, and how his team is working hard to innovate.

As IDRI’s founder first developed a finger prick test for leishmaniasis, he then expanded into tuberculosis research after he was faced with a close family member’s death from the disease.  Additionally, one of IDRI’s Board members saw the tragic effects of leprosy from the Korean War and was able to expand the organization’s research into that field, as well.  IDRI now researches vaccines, develops drugs and creates adjuvants, which help make vaccines more effective.  They were recently featured in the New York Times for their development of a diagnostic tool which can detect leprosy infection up to one year before symptoms appear, and are moving into clinical trials with a promising tuberculosis vaccine candidate in South Africa.

The above are just some of the things that Iverson and everyone at IDRI are very proud of, particularly as the organization celebrates its 20^th anniversary in 2013.  Like many non-profit independent research organizations that focus on diseases of poverty, the biggest challenge facing the organization, however, is funding. There is still no market for the final product seeing that the consumers of these vaccines are living in some of the most impoverished regions of the world.  Iverson states that a challenge is to create a product that is both accessible to the right people and also affordable for them.  Is it possible to create an effective yet inexpensive vaccine?  As IDRI discovers the answers, they are highly dependent on grants, which are particularly tough to secure in bad economic conditions.  However, Iverson mentioned that one of the perks of being based in Washington State is the global health-friendly environment, promoting funding support from local organizations, individuals and businesses.

IDRI has only been around for 20 years and has already accomplished a great deal.  They plan to continue expanding into emerging markets and partnering with pharmaceutical companies to create effective and inexpensive vaccines and drugs to eradicate infectious diseases that occur worldwide.  IDRI continues to impact global health research and has become a leader in the targeted field of infectious disease research and product development.  Erik Iverson’s pride in this comes through loud and clear.  Here in Seattle, we are lucky to have IDRI in our own backyard.

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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!

Champion Members:

Amazon: Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Amazon has grown to be a Fortune 100 company and is the world’s largest online retailer.  With a mission “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices,” Amazon.com and its sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished, and used items. Amazon has separate retail sites for the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Japan, China, India and Mexico, with international shipping to other countries for some of its products. www.amazon.com

Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry: Combining the study of leadership theory and practice, peace building, ethics and spirituality, the Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership program offered at Seattle University helps students become leaders for positive change. https://www.seattleu.edu/stm/degrees/matl/

Leadership Members

Emirates Airlines: A fast-growing international airline with one of the youngest fleets in the sky and more than 400 awards for excellence worldwide. http://www.emirates.com/us/english/index.aspx

Supporting Members

Theo Chocolate: Theo Chocolate is dedicated to making our world a better place by bringing out the best of the cocoa bean. As the first organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, Theo Chocolate’s founding principle is that the finest artisan chocolate in the world can (and should) be produced in an entirely ethical, sustainable fashion. All of its ingredients are carefully screened and 3rd party verified to ensure they meet our standards for social and environmental responsibility. www.theochocolate.com

IMEC America: IMEC provides equipment solutions for health care, agriculture, and education projects in developing countries.  http://www.imecamerica.org

Advocate Members

3 Phase Energy Systems Inc.: Since 2007, 3 Phase Energy Systems, Inc. (3PESI), has engaged in the design, manufacture, sale, and service of renewable energy solutions to a rapidly growing global market. Its flagship product, Powersails™, and its delivery/deployment platform, are manufactured in Auburn WA, USA and offer the only sustainable advertising solution engineered for urban areas. http://www.3pesi.com

Evans School of Public Affairs – University of Washington: The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs is a graduate school of public policy and administration. Our programs prepare students for public service careers. Our graduates and faculty provide expertise and produce research that guides local, national, and global nonprofit organizations and government agencies. http://evans.uw.edu

MovingWorlds: A registered Social Purpose Corporation with global headquarters in Seattle, WA, USA, and Santiago, Chile whose focus is on accelerating social progress while connecting people to life-enriching experiences.  http://www.movingworlds.org

Partnering for Progress:  The mission of Partnering for Progress is to help provide access to health care, education, sanitation, and clean water to residents in developing countries. http://partneringforprogress.org

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Upcoming Member Events

World Affairs Council // Transnational Trivia Night

Interested in testing your knowledge of current events, history, geography, and world cultures? Our transnational trivia night is back! Join us for this fun and informal evening at Spitfire in Belltown. Assemble a team of six (or let us place you on a team), and compete in six rounds of international trivia. Topics range from pop culture to geopolitics, from current events to ancient history. This is a great opportunity to meet and socialize with Seattleites who share a passion for all things international!  Register here.

Date:
December 19, 2013

Time:
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Location:
Spitfire
2219 4^th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation // Family Day: The Give Effect

A full day of hands-on activities, live performances and speakers that celebrate ways we can give back to our communities.  Show support to local organizations that serve families and communities with creative hands-on activities that inspire others to give back.  For more information, see our event page on Facebook.

Date:
December 28, 2013

Time:
10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Location:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center
440 5th Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109

Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington // Human Rights and Disability Symposium

Paul Steven Miller Memorial Symposium: Exploring the Intersections of International Human Rights and Disability. Join the University of Washington School of Law for a day of discussions about national and international disability legislation and implementation. Topics focus on the use of human rights conventions to advocate for persons with disabilities, with an emphasis on women, children and youth. Speakers include national and international scholars, policy makers, practitioners and activists. Paul Steven Miller (1961- 2010) was the Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law at UW School of Law, a Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a special assistant to President Obama. He was a leader in the disability rights movement and an expert on anti-discrimination law. Registration information, including a working agenda can be found here.

Date:
January 10, 2014

Time:
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Location:
William H. Gates Hall – Room 138
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195

World Affairs Council // The First Globals with John Zogby

Join the World Affairs Council for an evening of discussion and conversation with acclaimed author and pollster, John Zogby, who will speak to his newly published book, The First Globals: Understanding, Managing, and Unleashing Our Millennial Generation. In his book, Mr. Zogby asserts that young professionals are naturally seeking ways to engage in global affairs by showing interest in speaking foreign languages, being globally aware and choosing careers that build a better world.  First Globals is a reflection of who First Globals are, what they have to offer, and how they are the best equipped of all to thrive and solve the problems of our shared world today and tomorrow.  It is a call to action, a handbook for those who lead and want to lead, and a more holistic depiction of an outstanding group with so much potential. Join us as we explore the importance of the “first globals” in shaping today’s world. Please go here for more information.

Date:
January 13, 2014

Time:
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Location:
City University of Seattle
521 Wall Street
Seattle, WA 98121

Jackson School of International Studies, UW // Putin & Resurgent Russia: implications for the US

Jill Dougherty is the foreign affairs correspondent for CNN. Dougherty previously served as U.S. affairs editor for CNN International, a role in which she covered political, cultural and business stories in the United States for CNN’s international network. Dougherty, who joined CNN in 1983, has also served as CNN’s Moscow bureau chief, named to that post in 1997. She has covered many significant news events in Russia and the former Soviet Union for CNN, including the presidencies of Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, Russia’s post-Soviet economic transition, the Beslan school massacre, the conflict in Chechnya, the arrest and trial of Yukos Oil company founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Georgia’s Rose Revolution and Ukraine’s Orange Revolution.  For more information about the presentation, email reecas@uw.edu.

Date:
January 14, 2014

Time:
7:00 pm

Location:
Kane Hall 210
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98191

Skagit Valley College – Global Fest

Skagit Valley College invites Global Washington members to participate in its annual Global Service Fair on February 5, 2014, at its Mount Vernon campus, 10am-2pm. The Fair is an opportunity for NGOs to promote their development work and engage college students and community members in supporting or participating in that work. We have had a number of Global WA members participate in recent years and we invite all members who might be interested to join us in 2014! Opportunities to give seminar-style presentations are also available. The Global Service Fair is one of the college’s GlobalFest events featured during February.

To participate, or for more information, contact Ted Maloney, ted.maloney@skagit.edu, 360-416-7774.

Date:
February 5, 2014

Time:
10am – 2pm

Location:
Skagit Valley College
2405 E College Way, Mt Vernon, WA
(360) 416-7600

World Justice Project // World Justice Challenge

The World Justice Project (WJP) is pleased to announce the launch of the World Justice Challenge—an open competition designed to strengthen the rule of law. The competition provides an opportunity for individuals to identify areas where the rule of law needs improvement in the country in which they live or work and test practical solutions on the ground. Initiatives are supported by:

• Modest seed grants—the typical size of a seed grant is $15,000 to $25,000
• Connections to others in the WJP’s global network
• Increased visibility through media and communications support

The World Justice Challenge is open to all individuals, organizations, and entities from any country. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2014. Grantees will be chosen by a Selection Panel using the criteria listed in the application.

Since its founding, the competition (formerly known as the Opportunity Fund) has provided over $1,000,000 in financial, communications, and network support to initiatives on five continents, from improving food security in Haiti to access to health care in Cameroon to tackling corruption in India. These initiatives—led by artists, engineers, athletes, business leaders, and more—show the diversity of approaches to advancing the rule of law. All initiatives are catalogued in the WJP’s online program library, where visitors can learn more about initiatives in their countries, or find inspiration to replicate or adapt an idea.

To apply, or to read profiles of previous grantees, please visit our World Justice Challenge web page.

Partners Asia // Bike in Burma

10 days of Adventure and Beauty

Experience a journey of a lifetime on Partners Asia 3rd Annual Donor Bike Trip in Burma.
Take an unhurried cycling adventure through the countryside of Burma-Myanmar. Meet local people and experience rural culture while cycling through heritage sites.
For more information, click here.

Date:
Feb 4 – 14, 2014

Location:
Burma

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Announcements

Hands On – One Note at a Time: Typhoon Haiyan Relief Concert

The Filipino community in Seattle has been moved by the images of the devastation in the homeland.  In response, by local performers and activists Aleksa Manila and Karl Marx Reyes are hosting a benefit concert consisting of Seattle classical musicians and theater performers.  Local and international performers are coming together to share their talents through song and theatre with all proceeds benefitting relief efforts in the Philippines.  Please see the Facebook page for the list of performers and click here to purchase tickets.  In addition to ticket sales, the Filipino Community Center will be providing concessions for a donation to raise additional relief funds.

Date:
December 15, 2013

Time:
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Location:
Filipino Community Center of Seattle
5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South
Seattle, WA 98118

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Career Center

Highlighted Paid Positions

Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods Officer, Oxfam

Trips Director, williamsworks

Grant Writer, Clear Path International

Highlighted Volunteer Positions

Various volunteer opportunities, West African Vocational Schools

Volunteer with Smiles Forever

Highlighted Internship Positions

Rule of Law Index Internship, World Justice Project

Volunteer and Community Partnerships – Campus Initiative Internship, U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Internship with World Affairs Council

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

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GlobalWA Events

January 15
New Member Orientation

January 16
Change-Up with Friends of Global WA & Humanosphere

January 28
Experience Girl Rising at First Free Methodist Church (Seattle Pacific University)

February 6
Global Social – Central America

February 13
Monthly Roundtable for Executive Directors

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By Katie Wollstein

It’s winter break and many college students are plotting their next move after graduation.  More school?  Look for a job?  Something to consider:   in April 2012, the AP analyzed government data and found that about 1.5 million, or 53.6%, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 were jobless or underemployed in 2011.  According to a 2011 US Bureau of Labor statistics study, 13.5% of recent grads with a bachelor’s degree and 8.6% with an advanced degree were unemployed.  (Note: “recent grads” refers to people ages 20 to 29 who completed degrees in the calendar year of the survey).  The report was the first from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to publish labor force data specifically for recent college graduates and appeared in the February 2013 Monthly Labor Review.  While the BLS report indicated that there is a general trend of lower unemployment rates with increasingly advanced college degrees, there is also evidence that recent college graduate unemployment rates vary by field (check out the stats in the Summer 2013 BLS report).  Additionally, chasing an advanced degree is expensive and time-consuming.  So, how do you decide if you should go for that advanced degree in global development?

The conundrum:  if you don’t have any work experience, you won’t be qualified to advance professionally.  On the other hand, if you have an advanced degree but not any work experience, you may hear that you’re overqualified for the entry-level job that could earn you precious experience.  Kate Warren, director of global recruiting services at Devex, summed this up in her blog. “The result is those who go straight from undergrad to graduate school often find themselves stuck in a rough spot of being overqualified for entry-level positions but under qualified for mid-level positions.”  To combat this, try a few years of work experience before graduate school. Continue Reading

By Katherine Schroeder

People are beginning to understand that women and girls hold the key to eradicating poverty. Countries that support women frequently show a better rate of economic and social development, as well as other measures of societal progress, than countries that lag behind when it comes to women and girls’ rights. Consequentially, there has been an increase in “investing” in women and girls all over the world. Because of the pivotal role that women play in development as well as the depth of resources now available, it is important to have accurate recommendations and research when it comes to funding.

“Watering the Leaves and Starving the Roots” was written by Angelika Arutyunova and Cindy Clark and sponsored by the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, and paints a picture of overall inequality for women across the world. Based on a survey of over 1,100 women’s organization, the survey results and subsequent article help decode a changing social landscape to promote more efficient use of resources. Continue Reading