SEATTLE: December, 18, 2012 – Seattle Children’s Research Institute today announced the appointment of David Beier, MD, PhD, as the new director of the Center for Tissue and Cell Sciences.  Dr. Beier returns to Seattle after almost 30 years, having received his medical degree and his doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Washington.  He completed an internship at Seattle Children’s in 1985.

Dr. Beier was previously at the Division of Genetics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.  He served most recently as associate chief of the division, which included 25 investigators whose work was supported by $25 million a year in research grants and awards.

Dr. Beier is a leader in the fields of developmental biology and genetics, having dedicated his career to understanding the process of organ formation and why things can go wrong as a fetus develops.  His research focuses on the genetics and biology of developmental diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease and birth defects.

“This is a challenging time scientifically—funding is tight, scientists are dismayed and the future is uncertain,” said Beier.  But I am very hopeful that Seattle Children’s Research Institute—with its excellent investigators and a supportive community—will continue to be successful.  And I aim to leverage those components and contribute to the ultimate goals of the Research Institute.”

By understanding the body’s response at the molecular, cellular, tissue and whole-organ levels, researchers at the Center for Tissue and Cell Sciences are developing innovative therapeutic interventions that will ultimately help the body repair itself. The knowledge gained from the center’s investigations is applied toward finding ways to heal damage caused by childhood developmental abnormalities and acquired illnesses, such as chronic kidney disease, heart disease, asthma and craniofacial malformations.

“Dr. Beier brings exceptional leadership skills, knowledge of developmental biology and genetics and true dedication to basic science research,” said James Hendricks, PhD, president of Seattle Children’s Research Institute.  “His knowledge and skills, along with similar attributes from center investigators, will help us attain the goal of finding therapies that help the body repair itself.”

Dr. Beier will also hold the title of professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, and he will report to Bruder Stapleton, MD, senior vice president and chief academic officer at Seattle Children’s.  The Center for Tissue and Cell Sciences is one of nine interdisciplinary centers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute that address areas central to pediatric health and use an open lab format to foster a rich collaborative environment.

About Seattle Children’s Research Institute

Located in downtown Seattle’s biotech corridor, Seattle Children’s Research Institute is pushing the boundaries of medical research to find cures for pediatric diseases and improve outcomes for children all over the world. Internationally recognized investigators and staff at the research institute are advancing new discoveries in cancer, genetics, immunology, pathology, infectious disease, injury prevention and bioethics, among others. As part of Seattle Children’s Hospital, the research institute brings together leading minds in pediatric research to provide patients with the best care possible. Seattle Children’s serves as the primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, which consistently ranks as one of the best pediatric departments in the country. For more information, visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org/research.

I’m an amateur choir geek and a professional international development wonk.

Those things might seem unrelated, but they do have one thing common: when talented and creative people come together, beautiful harmonies are made.

In a choir, it’s obvious how making great music works. But in the struggle to reduce poverty around the world, it’s a little harder to harmonize. We call it a “silo.”

Seattle is home to all kinds of development work:  an NGO that builds wells in rural Guatemala; an institute for Afghan women’s rights; a chocolate factory working with a famous actor to benefit Eastern Congo, to name just a few.

Last week, Global Washington brought many of these groups together at an annual conference, encouraging international organizations to move out of their silos and towards “collective impact.”

Seattle NGOs asked to do something incredible: work together
http://www.seattleglobalist.com/ |  Joy Portella | December 13, 2012

It’s International Human Rights Day and you may be surprised to learn that the modern notion of human rights is little more than half a century old. The universal declaration of human rights was made largely due to the Holocaust, the atrocities of WWII.

Locally, the focus of two leading humanitarian organizations is on advancing women’s rights and finding more effective ways to combine traditional aid and development strategies with a supposedly kinder, gentler and more socially responsive private sector.

It’s the Seattle approach – socially liberal and business friendly, if not economically conservative.

“We are compassionate, creative and outward looking,” Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said at Global Washington’s annual meeting last week. McGinn noted how at the World’s Fair in Seattle some 50 years ago, many predicted we would have flying cars and jet packs when, in fact, today we continue to have poverty, inequity and injustice — here and abroad.

“We care about that and are doing something about it,” he said. “And that’s what it really means to be a city of the future.”

Two meetings last week back up the mayor’s claims. (Sorry I’m a bit late, but I had a family emergency and this is a one-man news operation)

Global Washington, an organization dedicated to building up the region’s burgeoning humanitarian and social enterprise community, held its annual meeting with an opening keynote talk by Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, an activist and educator who is promoting women’s rights and childhood education in Afghanistan despite threats against her life.

Seattle pushes women’s rights & private sector to fight poverty
humanosphere.kplu.org | Tom Paulson | December 10, 2012

By Nina Carduner

Award winning Canadian activist for children’s rights, Craig Kielburger gave the closing keynote speech of this year’s Global Washington conference. He opened with his own favorite moment from today’s agenda: the fast-pitch session, in which eleven organizations gave a two-minute presentation of their priorities and activities.  “It was an extraordinary moment,” Kielburger said. He then went on to talk more about his work in advocating for the rights of children, in North America and across the world.

Kielburger’s first inspiration came when, as a 12 year-old boy, he read a newspaper article about a 12 year old laborer boy killed in Pakistan. He organized his friends in school; they started a small group called Free the Children, and worked to make a difference for children across the globe. They quickly ran into their first barrier: since they were all children, most non-profit organizations did not take them seriously. In fact, one group they called said that if they really want to help, they could go find their parents’ credit cards. This early experience has fueled his work to empower children all over the world to feel they can make a difference.

Empowering youth has been a consistent theme for Kielburger. The importance of his work was underscored when, as a teenager, he received an extraordinary call  from the Dalai Lama, who invited Kielburger to a conference and a diverse group of international voices to discuss and answer one question: “what is the single greatest challenge facing our world?”

Every answer from poverty to climate change was dismissed as simply a matter of will to solve. After days of discussion and deliberation, the group came up with the answer. They decided that the world’s single greatest challenge was a lack of political will. Kielburger challenged the attendees of today’s conference to ask themselves, “how do we raise a generation so that every single person in the world can recognize that they, too, have be part of this movement toward social change?”

One of Kielburger’s current projects to answer this question is a multi-location event called We Day, where 20,000 children and youth of all ages convene to be inspired by change makers, popular musical acts, celebrities, and world leaders. Each attendee earns a ticket for this special event through local and global service. Essentially, although tickets are free, the attendees must donate time, energy, and enthusiasm to a cause of their choice. To date, We Day has been a regular event in Canada and various parts of the world. Seattle will be the first stop on We Day’s US tour in March, 2013.

In closing, Kielburger told the story of a Quechua word “minga,” which is the coming together of people for the collective good. When he learned this word on a trip to Ecuador, he couldn’t answer a local woman who asked him for an equivalent word in English. To that effect, he emphasized the need for “mingas” in families, schools, and around to world, but we also need mingas in the non-profit world to move “from silos to impact.”

As a final theme to an inspiring day of dialogue, interaction, and connection, Kielburger encourage the audience to continue their work. “It’s time to raise a generation of global citizens.”

By Nina Carduner

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn presented the second annual Global Hero Award, which recognizes a Washington-based change agent who has made significant contributions to global issues. In light of Seattle’s Next 50 celebration, Mayor McGinn shared his appreciation for being the mayor of a city that is full of people dedicated to connecting locally in efforts to leverage global social change. He recalled that, 50 years ago, Seattle sowed the early seeds of innovation and outward facing compassion when the city hosted the ambitious 1962 World’s Fair. We may not have fully understood the challenges we would face, but thanks to those early innovators, Seattle is “known for caring,” leadership in creativity, innovation, and deep compassion for everyone in the world. As a city and a community, McGinn said, Seattle reflects a group of people who connect their values both locally and globally.

This year, the Global Hero Award went to Therese Caouette, Executive Director for Partners Asia, in recognition of three decades’ work with organizers and advocates in Southeast Asia. Caouette’s work has emphasized community engagement as a means to building leadership and skills to bring resources to the local levels where they are most needed. Using participatory models in research and development projects has been the cornerstone of her work with refugees, migrants, and displaced persons across Southeast Asia and most recently, on the Myanmar border. In a brief acceptance speech, Caouette spoke movingly of the progress made by refugee and displaced persons communities on the borders of Myanmar. She is currently a faculty member at the University of Washington, Seattle University, and Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand.

By Nina Carduner

Plenary Panel, Redefining Development: From Silos to Collective Impact

• Raymond C. Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America
• Joe Whinney, Founder & CEO, Theo Chocolate
• Amir Dossal, Founder and Chairman, Global Partnerships Forum
• Moderator: Bill Clapp, Founder, Global Washington & Seattle International Foundation

Moderated by Bill Clapp of the Seattle International Foundation and Global Washington, the panel addressed recent trends in public-private partnerships, as well as some of the changes both sectors have had to make in order to create lasting social impact. One major trend has been the increase in direct foreign investment from the private sector. Twenty years ago, the primary funding for foreign economic development came from multilateral government agencies. Over the last decade, aid funding has been decreasing as world governments face significant domestic economic challenges. Meanwhile, large corporations and small businesses alike are beginning to invest and trade in the world’s poorest countries, which has exposed them to challenges and risks they may not have faced domestically. Foreign governments are challenging these companies to prove they are doing good work for development in those countries; this has lead to deep discussions on supply chains and their environmental and social impacts. Now, companies are generating new compliance standards and some have even adopted the human rights charter into existing company policy. Coca Cola has been a prime example of this type of socially-oriented evolution in the private sector, working to increase social responsibility while keeping costs down. Ray Offenheiser of Oxfam observed, “we are moving toward globalization 2.0.”

Amir Dossal, founder and chairman of the Global Partnerships Forum, expanded on this notion by adding that companies are not just asking, “how can we make profits?” but also, “how can we do good at the same time?” He cited MTV’s working in conjunction with Coca Cola to address HIV/AIDS in Africa: to raise awareness, education, and supply basic resources to combat the spread of infection. To Dossal, the rhetoric of corporate social responsibility has gradually evolved into corporate leadership in terms of individual social responsibility. As individuals realize the need for social responsibility, corporations in turn take on a larger share of best practices in development and philanthropy.

Offenheiser articulated a few effective methods that Oxfam America has found in creating successful public-private partnerships. These methods include building core competencies in the public sector to approach and understand the perspective of private sector companies, as well as leveraging changes in company policy to increase beneficial outcomes. Most effective has been the use of “quiet dialogues” to engage progressive minded companies, eager to incorporate sustainable social practices into their supply change, but not ready to go public with their efforts. These dialogues often result in new norms for company behavior and involvement from trade associations.

Joe Whinney of Theo Chocolate brought a private sector perspective to the panel. Consumer engagement and transparency are the keys to creating social benefit in the supply chain; Theo Chocolate’s business model centers on paying cocoa farmers fair prices for their product, which they believe produces a higher quality chocolate. Thanks to customer engagement and unprecedented transparency on all company policies, handbooks, practices, and pricing (which is all available online), Theo Chocolate has been able to create an educated consumer base that is willing to pay a higher price for higher quality.  Whinney emphasized the importance of these practices in an unconventional recommendation for the current USAID budget: “take half of the USAID budget and put it into consumer education in the global north so you can build an educated market that is willing to pay for a better product. At the end of the day, it’s consumer education that pulls future investment.”

As Dossal exclaimed, “When you do this work in silos, you have less opportunity to have impact. It’s not just about me, it’s about us working together. Once you do that, you start seeing solutions and impact through a different prism.”

By Nina Carduner

Photo credit: Rodrigo Valenzuela

Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning, opened this year’s Global Washington conference with an impassioned retelling of her experiences working to bring education to the women and children of Afghanistan.

She described her own childhood in Afghanistan as happy and secure. They were poor, she said, but able to sufficiently provide for what they needed in their own country. She described a life where women and children could freely go from place to place, visiting neighbors and celebrating various holidays with other families. But now, the people of Afghanistan have been traumatized by forty years of war.

While completing her education in the US, she had supportive teachers, the ability to ask questions, and freedom of speech. But when the Shah invaded, she could not return home and her family became refugees. Still, she explained, her heart never left Afghanistan and she began a career in public health, remembering how few resources there were for maternal and child health was when she was growing up.

On a trip to an Afghan refugee camp, she was shocked by what she witnessed. She met women who had lost everything: their fathers, husbands, and brothers. They were left helpless and completely unable to do anything for themselves. “They were like animals. They felt less than human,” she explained. That’s when she realized that education was the solution to helping these women.

At that time, many Afghan refugee camps were in Pakistan, and she began going camp-to-camp to offer education. Many of the mullahs in the camps believed that education was not good for children, but over time, she convinced the mullahs to became teachers. In one year, the number of students she reached went from 300 to 27,000. Education in the camps was not just a critical need, but a clear desire for the refugees. But this presented a new problem, she went on. When children are traumatized by war, have never been educated before, and are mixed with other children of all ages, it can be very difficult to motivate them to come to school. She created a curriculum that would challenge these children and emphasize critical thinking skills.

When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, schools were closed and women could no longer go out freely by themselves. Dr. Yacoobi knew she had to do something to bring her curriculum to the children of Afghanistan, but understood the risk and danger she was bringing on herself and colleagues. Through various creative methods, they were able to secretly open 80 underground schools. They also risked their lives to set up a mobile library traveling from school to school, hiding the books in sacks of flour and rice with three men acting as male relatives. Every time they traveled with the mobile library, she didn’t fear death but feared getting caught by the Taliban would mean the end of the entire program. Each class was only supposed to support 35 students, but they attracted over 75 students to every class. It was clear that Afghans would risk certain danger to educate themselves and their children.

Today, her schools teach over 3,000 students in rural Afghanistan and have reached 10 million people with a variety of health services, in addition to education. Their teachers receive training, materials, and salaries. The children her organization has educated have now grown up and can be seen in all levels of Afghani society. When people ask Dr. Yacoobi how she has done this work for the last twenty years, she always responds, “I love my country. I love my people . . . the Prophet told us in the Qur’an that women and men can learn side by side and they can be anything they want to be.” The women who benefited from her programs are also more empowered today because they aren’t just seeking basic education; they are also pursuing higher education. She continued, “the women of Afghanistan are not the same women they were five years ago. They have been oppressed for forty years, and now with education, they will not accept the treatment they experienced in the past. When children have mothers who are no longer helpless, they will succeed.”

Dr. Yacoobi closed, “if the tank and the gun didn’t solve our problem, I am 100% sure that the women of Afghanistan will.”

At an event held alongside the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave praise and recognition to InterAction and its members for their continuing work to fight global hunger.  Clinton also announced that an alliance of 198 U.S.-based organizations have pledged more than $1 billion of private, non-governmental funds over the next three years to improve food security and nutrition worldwide.  “Global hunger is one of the most serious challenges facing our generation, but a strong commitment by organizations such as our members and the political will of governments can make a huge difference in tackling this problem,” said Sam Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction.

Through the support of thousands of smallholder famers and the sponsorship of more self-sufficient communities, InterAction’s members emphasize efforts that will provide better, more reliable nutrition for children. By providing the necessary skills and tools, farmers can produce healthier livestock and more nutritious crops, benefiting both the farmers and the local communities as a whole.

A strong commitment from both organizations and governments is needed to improve global health and fight under-nutrition.  As Worthington pointed out on Thursday, InterAction’s members compliment the efforts of U.S. Government programs, such as Feed the Future.  “NGOs’ private resources and strong local links complement the efforts of the U.S. government and others to meet development goals worldwide.”

The Obama administration is also looking to further their commitments and objectives in the field of global development.  On September 22, 2012 President Obama, without precedent from any prior U.S. administrator, signed a Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development.  The recognition of a global future, which focuses on American strength through development and diplomacy, is one important step towards a just and sustainable international order.  In this policy directive, President Obama pledges to focus U.S development efforts in a way that will maximize the impact of investments and policies, focusing on broad-based economic growth and democratic governance.  The United States will,

• Elevate broad-based economic growth as a top priority, ensuring that our investments and policies are guided by rigorous assessments of what the U.S. can do to help countries achieve sustainable growth.
• Increase the focus of resources, policy tools, and engagement in support of select countries and sub-regions where the conditions are right to sustain progress.
• Use U.S. leadership in the multilateral development banks, U.N. agencies, other international organizations, other donors, foundations, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders to deploy the full range of our development tools and policies at our disposal.

With the upcoming election fast approaching, the international community must take the initiative to know and understand the direction of U.S. foreign policy.  The recognition of global strength and prosperity must be fully realized no matter who represents the United States following this election season, and the relationship between the government and the non-profit sector must continue to flourish.  With increased cooperation and understanding between NGOs and the government, global development goals can be achieved more efficiently and effectively, a sentiment that was expressed by both Secretary Clinton and InterAction president and CEO, Sam Worthington.

For more information on InterAction and its members go to http://www.interaction.org/, and for the Fact Sheet: U.S. Global Development Policy in its entirety go to http://wh.gov/iLb.

Welcome to the October 2012 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
• Featured Organization: The Marine Stewardship Council: Harnessing market forces to preserve our oceans
• Changemaker: Dave Richter
• Welcome New Members
• Career Center
• Announcements
• Global Washington Events
• Other Events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings,

Our staff and planning committee are keeping busy putting together final details for our 2012 Annual Conference, Redefining Development: From Silos to Collective Impact. We are focusing in on the most important elements of the conference to make the time spent this year as valuable as possible—2012’s Conference has a lower price for one full day of sessions and networking. We hope this will make it easier for many more of you to participate than ever before!

We are excited about so many elements of the conference this year, but to name a few: 1) Our new Seattle location at Bell Harbor. 2) More opportunities to connect and network with your peers. 3) A “future leader’s scholarship” so more students can attend and 4) Mini breakout sessions with experts offering advice on specific topics like finances, fundraising, social media and more. We are also offering a special group discount for organizations that register five or more employees! Email admin@globalwa.org to learn more about these opportunities, or visit the conference page of our website.

If you can’t wait until December to connect with Global Washington and your global development friends and colleagues, we have two wonderful salons in our GlobalWA//Gather series coming up in November. The first event will take place on November 1^st, 2012 and features Deo Niyizonkiza, founder of Village Health Works and subject of the New York Times best seller Strength in What Remains.  The second will be on November 13^th and will feature Lama Tenzin, Buddhist Monk who founded an orphanage called the Children’s Educational Development Society.

We hope to see you at one or both of these great salon events, as well as our Annual Conference in December!

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

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The Marine Stewardship Council

Harnessing market forces to preserve our oceans

By Megan Boucher

Photo credit: ESA/NASA
Dutch astronaut André Kuipers onboard the International Space Station (ISS) posted this photo of a floating can of MSC certified Alaska salmon to Flickr.com with the message: “Lots of ocean, but there’s still overfishing and destruction of marine life. Sustainable fish is an alternative. Even in space we eat MSC-certified fish”.

The common ground between industry, environmental groups, government, and consumers is not ground at all, but rather water. The wellbeing of our oceans, particularly the preservation of ocean resources and seafood stocks, is a topic that diverse groups agree is crucially important. It is in this space—between environmental preservation and sustainable business—that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) exists.

In many sectors, big business and conservationists are at odds with each other, but through MSC they work harmoniously together. In fact, MSC was born out of a joint effort between the consumer goods giant Unilever and the World Wildlife Fund, two disparate entities that realized that the depletion of ocean resources was detrimental to both business and the planet.

MSC is harnessing market forces to transform the seafood market to a sustainable one. Its objectives are fourfold: protect ocean resources by transforming the market to a sustainable one; reverse declining fish stocks; preserve the livelihoods of the half a billion people globally who depend on seafood for survival; and contribute to food security by ensuring fish, which is a critical source of protein for much of the world, is a renewable food resource.  MSC accomplishes this through a rigorous certification program for fisheries. The MSC sustainability standard is the most trusted in the world, developed with the help of hundreds of scientists, industry members, and conservation organizations.  Additionally, MSC has created a traceability standard, which ensures that any product carrying the MSC label can be traced back to a certified, sustainable fishery. This high level of accountability increases consumer confidence in the food they purchase with the MSC label.

The process starts when a fishery decides to pursue MSC certification. In order to keep MSC, as the standard setter, neutral in the process, fisheries select from independent accredited assessors to ascertain who evaluates them against the MSC standard. The fishery works with a certifier and assessment team to evaluate three main areas: health of stock, impact on marine ecosystem, and management.

Catching Oregon Dungeness crab.

The process is thorough and transparent, taking an estimated 12-15 months. The assessor identifies stakeholders in a fishery, who are invited to participate and comment on the process. The initial report goes out for public comment and is reviewed by independent scientists.  Comments and feedback are incorporated into the final report, which is held for 15 working days in case anyone wants to file final objections. At the end of the process, if the fishery meets the MSC standard, it is certified and can put the MSC label on its seafood–a label that consumers increasingly know to look for and trust.

Although consumer assurance is important, the industry itself is really the driving force behind the sustainability effort. “When I first got engaged in the MSC program, I thought it would already be consumer driven,” said Kerry Coughlin, Regional Director for MSC Americas and Russian Far East.  “But it is really the industry that has been the start—they have really stepped up and felt the need to preserve the resource. They’ve embraced sustainability, even if their consumers weren’t as educated about it.”

MSC has seen huge successes in the number certified fisheries and those that are moving towards certification, with 288 fisheries worldwide engaged in the process. About 50% of the seafood harvested in the United States is MSC certified.  Large retailers like McDonald’s and Walmart are pushing the movement forward, making public commitments to sustainability that will require their suppliers to either get certified or lose business.  The momentum is contagious.

The first fully tribally managed fishery in the MSC program is the Annette Islands salmon fishery in SE Alaska managed by the Metlakatla.

However, MSC’s work goes beyond big business and the environment and closely impacts the lives and livelihoods of people in the developing world. Marine-based food is a crucial source of nutrition for many and fishing an important source of income. Without sustainable fish stocks, many would lose their jobs and many more would lose a key food source. For this reason, the MSC model is strongly embraced in the developing world and entire communities are impacted by preservation efforts.

The first fishery in the developing world that became MSC certified was subsequently studied by a Harvard graduate student who looked at MSC certification’s impact on that community. The study found surprising results that were not even directly related to fish.  The certification elevated the status of the fishery, making it a more viable player in the global marketplace. As a result, the government paid more attention to the community, which soon acquired more resources like health clinics, better sanitation, and paved roads. The MSC recognizes the developing world as an important market for sustainability certification and has already worked with many local industries, including a hand-gathered clam fishery in Vietnam, and fisheries in Africa and South America.

MSC’s Developing World Program is growing but is also a particular challenge. The MSC standard is harder to meet in the developing world, as these fisheries often lack the resources and level of organization or data  necessary to make improvements or even provide the data necessary for the certification process. Nevertheless, MSC recognizes that sustainability in these fisheries is an important component of global sustainability and global livelihoods. MSC is currently exploring how to tap into existing financing and investment strategies to help these interested fisheries complete the certification process.

The MSC ecolabel helps consumers recognize MSC certified seafood when they shop.

MSC’s work requires close collaboration with nonprofits, governments, and businesses to achieve its mission, and believes strongly in marketplace solutions to achieve results. One of Coughlin’s favorite examples of this model in action involves the Patagonian toothfish (also known as Chilean Seabass). Just a few years ago, due to excessive illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, the toothfish’s survival was in danger and there was extreme conservation pressure to pull the fish off of menus and retail shelves. One fishery came forward and decided to become MSC certified. Undaunted by the certifier’s initial assessment of their numerous problems, they set about to make the necessary improvement to become sustainable. They eventually achieved certification to the rigorous MSC standard and earned their way back into the tenuous marketplace. In order to compete, other fisheries followed their example. Now, just a few years later, 50% of the toothfish industry worldwide is certified or on the path to sustainability. “Those kinds of results,” said Coughlin, “Would be hard to accomplish through regulation and advocacy alone.”

A box of MSC certified seafood

With its headquarters for North and Latin America and the Russian Far East in Seattle, the Marine Stewardship Council recently joined Global Washington and is looking forward to connecting with members of Washington’s global development community. “Our work is all about the environment” said Coughlin, “But going along with that we are working to preserve economies and livelihoods, and increase food security. We’re very interested in our many partnerships and what together we are doing in those types of programs and learning from them.” They are particularly interested in how other organizations approach marketplace solutions– taking private or public capital and turning it into economic development. “We can’t support our base without it but there’s not enough philanthropy n the world to do what we’re all trying to do,” Coughlin insisted. “You have to have organizations harnessing these forces and working on these issues. But as far as actually making it happen, you have to get market forces and get the market place engaged to bring about sustainable change.” MSC is a wonderful example of using partnerships to achieve a shared goal—NGOs, businesses, governments, and consumers can all help preserve critical ocean resources.  Coughlin was adamant that this is a joint effort:  “We’re turning around the trend lines on world fisheries. And by we, I mean all of us together.”

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Changemaker

Dave Richter

By Anna Jensen-Clem

“As you look for solutions for one problem, you come up against the next challenge.” This is perhaps the most succinct way to explain Dave Richter’s varied, trans-continental professional career. As a child, Richter spent his days tracking his father’s travels across the globe. A Project Evaluator, and later Deputy Director in Kenya for the Peace Corps, Richter’s father traveled frequently, and his children were quickly instilled with a sense of a world outside their own front door. This awareness has guided Richter’s professional life ever since. From his elementary education in Kenya to his post-collegiate study of Chinese in China and Taiwan, Richter has sought solutions to puzzles, answers to difficult questions, and acknowledgement of a common human purpose for all of us.

As an undergraduate student at Swarthmore College, Richter immersed himself in the study of Chinese history and language, and in 1980, he traveled to China to study. On returning home, he received an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He then embarked to work in China for the next few years, shuttling back and forth with the US-China Business Council in Beijing and Washington, DC. In 1992, he began working for Asia Emergency Assistance in Beijing, managing medical evacuations and coordinating the logistics of transport, equipment, and people. Building a clinic in Beijing and making sure that foreign visitors and expatriates got the medical assistance they needed was, in Richter’s view, a way to do business and help people at the same time. This merger of ideas “resonated” with him and helped to set him on his current humanitarian path. In 2002, he founded Richter International Consulting, based in Issaquah, WA, and helps large companies coordinate the specifics of their insurance and medical and security assistance programs. Helping clients draft comprehensive insurance programs that provide the highest quality care is another in a long string of puzzles Richter has set out to solve.

When asked about the benefits of being based in Washington State, Richter listed the innumerable organizations working in global health, the broad client base, and the multiple sources of volunteers as only a few reasons why he chose to remain in the area when starting his own business. He joined Global Washington in 2011, and has since attended a number of events and discussions; the “confluence of speakers” at last year’s conference was one of the most impressive parts of the organization, he says.

Tabitha Foundation:

Richter first became involved with the Tabitha Foundation in 2004, and described his first experience building houses in Cambodia as “like coming home.”  The work, he says, is what he “was meant to do.” Richter has led building trips to Cambodia each year since then, and his children have traveled to Cambodia four times each. Tabitha has several different projects, and each has developed as an organic offshoot of an earlier project. Initially, the founders began Tabitha as a savings program; one of the most devastating outcomes of the Pol Pot regime was that ordinary Cambodians lost their sense of a future. Few people saved money or even held out hope that they would live to see the next day. This “lingering trauma of disbelief of the future” has prevented many Cambodians from rebuilding their lives even after the Khmer Rouge’s downfall. One of Tabitha’s initial goals was to reinstate that sense of hope and trust in the future through a microsavings program. Rather than save up to buy land or even a television, people in remote villages set aside a few cents per week to buy dishes, fishing nets, or cooking pots. Janne Ritskes, Tabitha’s founder, also set up a cottage industry for Cambodian women, reviving a traditional art in producing silk and giving them an outlet to sell their products.   Since many women have small children and cannot always afford to leave the house all day, and because employment opportunities for women in Cambodia are frequently limited, job training for women in remote villages is crucial to their survival. Women employed in the cottage industry support themselves and their families through their skills.

Perhaps one of Tabitha’s most long-term successes is that it has helped people in remote villages to learn that others outside of their country value the human connection, and that despite years of oppression under the Khmer Rouge, Cambodians are now learning that they are still deserving of kindness and compassion. “You can’t put a value on that,” Richter says.

Hamomi Children’s Centre:

Richter also serves on the Board of Directors of the Hamomi Children’s Centre in Kenya, an organization that provides comprehensive care for orphaned and vulnerable children living in the slums of Nairobi. Through their primary school and scholarship program, they provide education for those children who would otherwise not have access to it.  By providing food, medical care and job opportunities, they take into account outside influences which interfere with impoverished students’ education. This means their students receive immediate benefits from attending school, are better able to concentrate in class, have stronger immune systems and as a result score higher on tests.  Although the organization is still young, it is already proving invaluable to the more than 140 children it serves.

Of his work with Tabitha and Hamomi, Richter lists three goals; they move from specific to general, and this progression is perhaps a microcosm for his professional life so far. First, he wanted to build houses. Second, he wanted those living in other countries to meet “normal Americans and judge us for who we are,” and third, he wanted young Americans to have the opportunity to travel abroad and see, as he did as a child, that there exists a big, wide world outside their doorstep. “The ripple in their pond,” he says, will create many more ripples in the future, and the more chances young people have to travel and encounter new perspectives, the more we value our connections to each other.

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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!

Marine Stewardship Council
Our mission is to use our ecolabel and fishery certification programme to contribute to the health of the world’s oceans by recognising and rewarding sustainable fishing practices, influencing the choices people make when buying seafood, and working with our partners to transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. http://www.msc.org

University of Washington Bothell
Holds the student-faculty relationship to be paramount. We provide access to excellence in higher education through innovative and creative curricula, interdisciplinary teaching and research, and a dynamic community of multicultural learning.  www.uwb.edu

Sou Digna / I Am Worthy
Mission:  Sou Digna expands the rights of impoverished women and girls living in Salvador, Brazil, through job training, community development, and education. www.soudigna.org

Save the Children
Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives www.savethechildren.org

World Justice Project
The World Justice Project, an independent, non-profit organization, develops communities of opportunity and equity by advancing the rule of law worldwide. http://worldjusticeproject.org/

Massai Children’s Initiative
The Maasai Children’s Initiative (MCI) advocates for social empowerment and economic development for Maasai girls through education, leadership development and technology training. While we support the education of all Maasai children, our vision is that Maasai girls become empowered to determine their own futures, make wise life decisions and positively impact their communities. http://maasaichildrensinitiative.org/

Global Weeks: Vicki Weeks, Independent Consultant in Global Experiential Education.

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Career Center

Highlighted Paid Positions:

Development and Communications Coordinator – iLEAP
iLEAP seeks a creative, mission-driven individual to serve as its new full-time Development and Communications Coordinator. This person will work closely with iLEAP’s leadership team to expand iLEAP’s community of donors and partners and to strengthen the overall fundraising program. In addition, this person will play a key role in implementing iLEAP’s communication strategy to reach diverse audiences and build awareness of iLEAP’s mission and impact. More.

Vice President of Programs – World Affairs Council
The Vice President of Programs is a full-time position and plays a key leadership role within the World Affairs Council and our community as it relates to international affairs. This position oversees all program development and implementation for the World Affairs Council. It leads program staff across the three main programs of the Council — Community Programs, International Visitor Program, and Global Classroom — to develop events and implement an integrated program strategy that achieves the Council’s vision of a greater Seattle community that is connected, engaged, and inspired to create change in the world. More.

Community Health Promoter (Global to Local Initiative) – University of Washington Global Health Resource Center (GHRC)
The Community Health Promoter (CHP) will play a key role in educating community members on health promotion and disease prevention activities. This will be accomplished in part by conducting community outreach and working closely with community shareholders to identify and address community health barriers and priorities through the development of Community Action Plans. More.

Highlighted Internship Opportunities:

Marketing Internship – Prosthetics Outreach Foundation
POF is seeking Marketing Interns for the Fall 2012, Winter 2013 and Spring 2013 Quarters! Interns will assist in creating web pages that effectively promote and publicize POF’s services, activities, events, and fundraising; write press releases and public service announcements; and Generate articles for the website, promote articles via social media, and assist with the newsletter.More.

Highlighted Volunteer Opportunities:

International Environmental Organizations Volunteer – EarthCorps 
The international corpsmember position is a 6-month service learning experience with EarthCorps in Seattle, WA, USA. Young environmental leaders from countries outside the United States will join US AmeriCorps members to develop skills in environmental service, community building and leadership.  This is not a classroom or workshop. Corpsmembers spend 80% of their time in the field engaged in environmental restoration projects throughout the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Restoration is very physically demanding and takes place outdoors in all weather conditions.

Participants take part in environmental restoration projects, such as tree-planting, trail construction, stream restoration, and invasive plant removal. Projects are located throughout Washington State. More.

International Corpsmember Volunteer (June – December 2013) – EarthCorps
The international corpsmember position is a 6-month service learning experience with EarthCorps in Seattle, WA, USA. Young environmental leaders from countries outside the United States will join US AmeriCorps members to develop skills in environmental service, community building and leadership. International corpsmembers are sponsored by EarthCorps on a J-1 Trainee visa. This is not a classroom or workshop. Corpsmembers spend 80% of their time in the field engaged in environmental restoration projects throughout the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Restoration is physically demanding and takes place outdoors in all weather conditions. More.

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

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Announcements

HUB Seattle grand opening

HUB Seattle is celebrating its grand opening this Friday, October 26th from 6pm to midnight!  This is a great chance to see the new space and enjoy appetizers, live music, speakers, and more. HUB Seattle describes itself as “a coworking and events space for inspiring people. With a focus on supporting entrepreneurs bent on changing the world for good, the Hub is both network and nexus—equal parts office, clubhouse, and café combined in a comfortable community for making connections while progressing toward individual goals. Join us and enjoy blazing connectivity, inspiring meeting/work spaces, and a full-time hosting staff on hand to help you find the resources, partners, investors, and education that your venture needs.”

Schools for Salone 2nd annual Seattle anniversary dinner

Schools for Salone is gearing up for its second annual anniversary dinner on November 17th. Doors open at 5:30 at the Hall at Fauntleroy in West Seattle. Your $100 ticket includes dinner and complementary wine from IdleCellars.com and Chateau Ste Michelle.  Margaret Larson of KING 5 TV will be the Emcee again this year and Black Nature of the Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars will be sharing his story and beautiful music. Tickets are available at SchoolsforSalone.org. The organization is also excited to announce a $10,000 matching grant from the Shultz Family Foundation

Schools for Salone was started by Sierra Leone RPCV’s who make up the majority of the board and efforts on this side of the Atlantic. Their partners on the ground in Sierra Leone, who make the work possible, are long time friends and colleagues from the Peace Corps days. The organization continues to be connected with and work with Seattle area schools and groups to help them learn about Peace Corps and life in Sierra Leone. Schools for Salone work hard to live up to the third goal of Peace Corps. Find out more at SchoolsforSalone.org.

Washington State: Collaborating to end poverty

Global Washington’s guest blog on Interaction’s website highlights Washington’s collaborative global development community as a special innovation in the global fight against poverty. We are thrilled to be putting the state of Washington on the map a premier hub for effective global development work!

The World Affairs Council presents “Global Warming Gridlock”

On October 25, 2012, The World Affairs Council presents a conversation with David Victor, professor at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego and director of the School’s new Laboratory on International Law and Regulation.  Victor will discuss how to make international law on global warming more effective by encouraging bottom-up initiatives at national, regional and global levels, leveraging national self-interest rather than wishful thinking.

Global Warming Gridlock will take place from 5:30 to 7:20pm at Washington Hall (153 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) and the price is $10 for students and members and $15 for non-members.

Nominate your hero for our “Global Hero Award”

Global Washington’s 4^th Annual Conference will feature a special presentation of The Global Hero Award. This award honors an outstanding leader from the state of Washington who has contributed significantly to global issues and made a great impact in the world. Learn more or nominate your hero.

Foreign policy debate questions

Global Washington joined numerous national global development organizations in endorsing the following debate questions for our presidential candidates:

Previous presidents on both sides of the aisle have supported assistance programs to help stabilize countries, open markets and show compassion for those in need. Many people don’t realize that less than one percent of the federal budget goes to foreign assistance, which covers anything from life-saving vaccinations to girls’ education.

Governor, you’ve said before that the United States must exercise greater “soft power.” You described foreign assistance as humanitarian, in our strategic interests, and important for encouraging economic opportunity.  How important will this kind of “soft power” be in a Romney administration?

Your predecessor, President George W. Bush, championed programs to tackle AIDS and malaria, resulting in huge gains in both areas. If you are reelected, what will be the lasting legacy of the Obama administration to help those in extreme poverty around the world?

MFAN releases open letter to USAID Administrator

The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network has released an open letter to USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, demonstrating support for USAID’s Implementation and Procurement Reform Initiative, which is designed to strengthen local capacity in our partner countries and increase the sustainability of development by raising the amount of development assistance administered through country governments and local organizations and businesses. Dozens of premier global development organizations and leaders have endorsed the letter, including Global Washington and many of its members.

Please take a moment to read the letter MFAN’s accompanying statement and share with your networks.

Support Bahia Street Brasil through Party for a Passion

Join Sou Digna and Bahia Street Brasil on Saturday ,November 17 from  7 to 10pm at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center (3515 South Alaska Street, Seattle) at Party for a Passion! Bahia Street Brasil provides pathways from poverty to opportunity for girls and young women in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. 100% of funds raised at this event will be directed to Bahia Street Brasil. The party will feature music by Eduardo Mendonça of Show Brazil, homemade Brazilian desserts, drinks, and Guarana donated by Kitanda.  There is a $15 suggested donation at the door.  Bahia Street Brasil’s is supported by Sou Digna/ I Am Worthy.  Donations can be made outside of the event through Sou Digna’s website.

Pacific Northwest Africa Donors Forum

As part of its mission to strengthen American giving to Africa, the African Women’s Development Fund USA (AWDF USA) and its Pacific Northwest Organizing Committee are pleased to announce the first-ever Pacific Northwest Africa Donors Forum. The forum will take place on Thursday October 25, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the West 8th Building  (2001 8th Avenue, 4th Floor Conference Room, Seattle). Cost is $40.

On display now at SAM: Art by Burmese refugees

On display at the Seattle Art Museum until November 4^th, Forced to Flee: Visual Stories by Refugee Youth from Burma is a special art exhibition by Refugee Youth Empowered. Burmese refugees are the fastest growing refugee community in the country. These paintings tell the story of refugee youth from Burma who were forced to flee their home country.

Jet City Stoveworks seeking partners

Seattle based Jet City StoveWorks (JCS) has a new kind of cook stove.  This Jiko Safi (clean burning stove in Swahili) is fueled by the oil rich seeds of the Jatropha curcas, a common tropical hedge row shrub.  To learn more about the cook stove and what it could mean to village women and children, please read this introduction at http://www.jetcitystoveworks.com/announcement-for-jiko-safi.

JCS will fund one or two start-up programs to introduce the Jiko Safi.  We are inviting organizations that work in agriculture, women’s economic development, village finance and related areas to apply.   If your organization or one that you work with is interested, the application and the instructions are at http://www.jetcitystoveworks.com/initiative-2013. The completed application is due on January 31, 2013.

For additional information, contact David Otto at 206 325-6765 or jetcitystoveworks@gmail.com

Seattle Chapter, Society for International Development (SID) Monthly Meeting

The next meeting is on November 12 and will feature Caroline Clark, from the Inter-American Development Bank.

For Whom: Anyone with a background or interest in International Development
Where: 221 Yale Avenue North, Suite 450 (SightLife offices, across from REI)
When: Second Monday of each month, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Cost: First meeting is free; membership is $45

Growing Health Soils workshops

Global Washington member organization SeaChar is partnering with several other organizations for special 2-day workshops offered in both the fall and the spring. Growing Health Soils and Communities with Biochar will take place on November 17^th and 18^th or April 27^th and 28^th at Sammamish Valley Farm. Participants will learn about biochar, engage in harvesting biomass, and participate in hands on activites that help incorporate the biochar product into the soil at the farm.

PeaceTrees Vietnam announces new Executive Director

PeaceTrees Vietnam has recently hired Michael G. Auch as its new Executive Director. Auch has extensive NGO leadership experience and has previously worked with organizations like Communities in Schools and the Center for Independence. He has served as the PeaceTrees interim director since April and his position became permanent on October 1st. Congratulations to Michael G. Auch and PeaceTrees!

InterConnection announces new drop-of location in Tukwila

InterConnection is a computer reuse and recycling center that works to make information technology available to underserved communities around the world. InterConnection is partnering with Batteries Plus in Tukwila to begin accepting donations at a new location: 17065 Southcenter Parkway, Tukwila, WA 98188. Don’t forget to donate your old computers, cell phones, and monitors so that they can be put to good use!

Startup Red Lotus Technologies uses smartphones to detect landmines.

Landmines kill thousands of people each year, over half of whom are children.  Over one hundred million landmines scatter the globe, and it is estimated that it will take over 100 years to clear these landmines at the current rate of removal.

A Seattle-based start-up, Red Lotus Technologies, has a new solution to this problem that uses a widely-available and affordable technology: a smartphone.  By using smartphones to aid in the detection of landmines, the company’s research has shown that they will increase the speed of landmine removal and increase deminer safety.

Red Lotus Technologies is currently running a fundraising campaign to get its product to Cambodia – to support this project or spread the word, click here.

Exhibit at the NCSS Annual Conference

National Council for the Social Studies Annual Confernce will take place on November 16-18 and exhibit space is available!  Exhibiting at the 2012 NCSS Annual Conference will put you in touch with thousands of classroom teachers, leaders, and other decision makers in social studies education. They will come to learn, gather ideas, and shop. Many will cite the exhibit hall among the conference highlights—creating a prime opportunity for exhibitors to make strong impressions. The first NCSS conference in the Pacific Northwest in 45 years will draw educators from both sides of the border, including many attending their first conference, providing exhibiting organizations an important opportunity to develop lasting, personal relationships with potential new customers. http://www.socialstudies.org/conference/exhibitors

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Global Washington Events

Thursday, November 1
Strength in What Remains: Deo Niyizonkiza and Village Health Works

Tuesday, November 13
Lama Tenzin: Buddhist Monk and Children’s Advocate

December 6, 2012
GlobalWA Conference 2012

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Other Events

Wednesday, October 24
Immigration Policy and Presidential Politics, Professor Amy Kinsel, History Department, Shoreline Community College
Getting to the Heart of Global Development: Personal Dialogues with Grass-Roots Change Leaders from Around the World
US Trade Policy and the Presidential Election, Eric Schinfeld, President, Washington Council on International Trade

Thursday, October 25
Pacific Northwest Africa Donors Forum
Global Warming Gridlock

Saturday, October 27
14th Annual Africa Day Business Forum

Sunday, October 28
SAVE THE DATE: Smiles Forever 12th Annual Live-Auction Fundraiser

Wednesday, October 31
US Defense Policy and the Presidential Election, Speaker to be announced

Thursday, November 1
Obama vs. Romney: Who will be the better foreign-policy President? A debate led by members of the SCC WPDSS Student Club

Wednesday, November 7
WFA Film Series: The Invisible War

Saturday, November 10 – Monday, November 19
PartnerTrips

Monday, November 12
Seattle Chapter, Society for International Development (SID) Monthly Meeting
WFA Film Series: The Invisible War

Tuesday, November 13
Program Evaluations 201: Using evaluation data to set direction, expand impact and maintain accountability
Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon

Thursday, November 15
WFA Film Series: The Invisible War

Saturday, November 17
Schools For Salone 2nd Anniversary Dinner
Party for a Passion… In Support of Bahia Street Brasil

Saturday, November 17-18
BioChar Workshops

Sunday, December 2
Living Earth Institute Fundraiser: “Toilets Today for Health”

December 6, 2012
GlobalWA Conference 2012

Tuesday, December 11
Volunteer Management 201: Essential ingredients and successful recipes for volunteer engagement

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• Read an executive summary of the report and recommendations.
• Read the full report on the State of global education in Washington State.
• Framing Articles: background materials.
• Global Education Resources:  One of the recommendations coming from the Initiative is a common online resource hub for global education. The K-20 Global Education Initiative has been gathering favorite resources from individuals working in global education. This is a draft and we need your feedback to grow this list. Please review when you have the chance and send an email to info@globalwa.org if you have any suggested resources or comments about current resources. Thank you for contributing!
• Video: “Global Education Is”: a short video helping us define what “global education” means.

Other Resources

• Inventory of Global Learning Programs in Washington (June, 2010)
• Global Learning Goals for Students (April, 2008)
• List of Schools Endorsing Global Learning Goals (September, 2008)