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)

My next interview was with Global Washington, an umbrella organization for Seattle’s international development NGOs.  Bookda Gheisar, Global Washington’s Executive Director states, “We started Global Washington four years ago because there were many small nonprofits based out of Seattle who were working in the developing world, and we knew that if we could get them talking there would be greater collaboration, better partnerships and an elimination of redundancy.”  Amanda Bidwell from Global Washington reiterated this point, arguing that “we believe that lasting change comes from collective impact.  Our partners know that the problems we are each working on are interconnected and that we are more effective when working together.”  I personally find this ecosystem argument compelling.  I remember Dr. Paul Light, one of my professors at NYU-Wagner and a scholar of social entrepreneurship, arguing that it was often the swarm of NGOs working on different pieces of a common problem, rather than a single NGO going it alone, that led to deep and enduring change.  If Global Washington can help building the collective capacity of Seattle’s international development community to change the world then I’m all for it.

Interview with Global Washington: Convening the Sector for Collective Action
Lasting Change |  Ryan Richards | September 22, 2012

Welcome to the September 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
• Support Global Washington!
• Featured Organization: The Mona Foundation “What is your plan?” Supporting and Learning with Local Educational Initiatives
• Changemaker: Water 1st Partner, COCEPRADIL, and Board President Wilfredo Ramos Ventura Keep the Water Flowing
• Welcome New Members
• Career Center
• Announcements
• Global Washington Events
• Other Events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings,

It seems to be the month of the girl! Whether you have daughters who are heading back to school as I do, or you are simply interested in issues affecting girls worldwide—we are offering many ways to support work that benefits girls, engage with the relevant issues, and encourage your children to learn and engage as well.

We are so excited for our event, GlobalFest: Stand for Girls, coming up this Saturday! I really hope to see you all there—this free event will take place at the Seattle Center and we invite the whole community to come and learn about what our member organizations are doing to benefit women and girls around the world. Some highlights: world music by SuperSones and MBOrchestra, GlobalEDU lectures about topics relating to women, inspiring speakers, coupons for free bagels for the first 500 to show up, and the opportunity to meet 40 of our member organizations through interactive booths!

This month, much of our work surrounding this event has been to really highlight the issues affecting women and girls and the organizations that are working on addressing them. The Stand for Girls Campaign is an innovative venture that we launched in partnership with 10 of our member organizations. We are so proud to say that even during a time when many organizations are jealously guarding their funding, these 10 are instead working together to raise money and awareness, recognizing that collectively they can do much more than anyone can do alone! I highly recommend their work and hope that you will consider supporting them by giving our suggested $12 donation (or more!) and then encouraging 12 of your friends to do the same. Together we are more powerful, and we need to work together to make a difference!

Global Washington could also use your support this week! We have been nominated for Chase Community Giving Grant but we need your vote. Please login to Facebook, go to https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/, and search for Global Washington to support us in this way.

Thank you for your support and I hope to see you this Saturday!

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

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Support Global Washington!

Global Washington has been nominated for a Chase Community Giving Grant!  We need YOUR vote to get funded from Chase Community Giving. If you haven’t yet, please VOTE and SHARE with your friends. Voting ends TODAY. Follow the link and search for Global Washington to cast your vote. Thank you for your support—we could not do this without you!

Vote now: https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/ You will need to log into Facebook and accept the application in order to vote.

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The Mona Foundation

“What is your plan?” Supporting and Learning with Local Educational Initiatives

By Megan Boucher

Class at Digital Study Hall, India

Antari was a shy girl who could not even pronounce her own name properly. She dropped out of school three times before she finally enrolled at the Barli Institute for the Development of Rural Women, an educational program for girls that is based in India and supported by the Mona Foundation. After attending the Barli Institute, Antari came back to her village with renewed confidence and skills. She started a tailor shop and went on to receive her Masters of Philosophy in Education. She is now a post-graduate in Hindi literature and works as a teacher in Dahi Village.

The Mona Foundation focuses on two central issues: universal education and raising the status of women and girls. To accomplish this mission, the organization supports grassroots, locally-based programs like the Barli Institute, which has educated over 6,000 women from 500 villages. The Barli Institute provides educational opportunities to rural women, most of whom start the program with little or no reading and writing skills. Within six months, the girls learn to read and write, pass their national exams, and learn a vocation like tailoring. The basis of the project is gender equity. Most graduates return to their villages with the confidence to serve in their local communities. They may teach others to read, teach about healthcare and safe drinking water, or get involved with local governments.

Students from Barli Institute, India

The Mona Foundation was started in 1999 when a small group of friends attended a social economic development conference and become intrigued by the issues presented. During lunch, they met in a little café to brainstorm and doodle ideas for how to address some of the issues presented.  “Mona was the result of those doodles on napkins so long ago,” recounts Gaellen Quinn, Mona’s current Executive Director. “I found it inspiring because it would have been so easy for Mona’s founders to say ‘these are great ideas’ and then just go back to their busy lives. But they didn’t.”

The Mona Foundation was formed to support education and empower girls using a model that is highly collaborative and seeks to listen and learn from local communities. Supported programs are all locally operated with a proven record of sustained success. Mona comes alongside them with an attitude of support, providing funding and resources to make the initiatives succeed without imposing an outside agenda.

Quinn described a project in Panama as an example of this model. The Ngobe-Bugle tribes live in the mountains of Panama, isolated from services and the rest of Panamanian society. Their main work is farming and most who live there are extremely poor. However, many among them have a deep value for education. A group of men made a solemn pact with each other, saying “we cannot let our children go on another generation without education.” These men were more educated than many in the community so they started leaving their own farms for periods of time and travelling to remote villages to teach the children there.

The Mona Foundation come alongside the Ngobe-Bugle at this point in their development, and began by providing a stipend to these teachers to make up for the lost income while they were away from their farms. Mona then helped them get teaching credentials so they could be paid as teachers by the government. Finally, Mona provided support as these informal tutorial sessions were consolidated into actual schools.

Class at Digital Study Hall, India

Later the Ngobe-Bugle came back to the Mona Foundation saying that they wanted a university. The Foundation was surprised by the ambitious request, but instead of saying no or trying to control the project, they asked the question they always ask their partners: “what is your plan?” The Ngobe-Bugle responded a year later with a detailed plan for the university that they wanted to create. The curriculum would be based in math and science so that their youth would gain the skills needed to conceive and execute economic development projects in their homeland. The Foundation agreed to the project and gained help from Microsoft to build two solar-powered community technology and learning centers so that this remote university could connect with the University of Panama Library remotely.

“The sweetest thing was when they first came back to the Mona Foundation with this big plan for the University,” Quinn recounted of the process of working with the Ngobe-Bugle. “These very humble, very dignified people looked at our board president and said gently and with conviction ‘and this we will do, with or without you.’” Quinn was also impressed when the Ngobe-Bugle later came back to the Foundation and said that things in their villages were changing with education, new roads, and services that had not been available before. They wanted time to reflect on the changing conditions and asked Mona not to give them any more money until they could decide what should come next.

The Mona Foundation’s interactions with the Ngobe-Bugle illustrate how a project is supposed to work—self-directed by the local communities, with Mona coming alongside with an attitude of learning to support existing programs and local visions for the community. “We learn a lot from these folks,” said Quinn. “It’s easy to come in and say how they should do things—but we really don’t know.  We could have told them to sell their beautiful embroidery, but that’s not what they wanted. They wanted a university.”  And now they have one. Ngabe Bukle Universidad opened its doors in 2007 and is the first-ever indigenous university on native lands in Panama.

Learning is one of the Mona Foundation’s core principles, not only in the programs it supports but also in the organizational ethos. “The world has never achieved a state where poverty and war have been abolished,” explained Quinn. “We don’t know how to do it. Nobody knows how to do it—if we knew how, I think we would do it! But we are all learning and we are all learning together.” Mona seeks to look past what Quinn called the “false dichotomies” between global north and global south, developed nations and underdeveloped nations, and so forth. Such divisions create barriers and inhibit learning.

Women at Barli Institute, India

Instead, the Mona Foundation recognizes that we are all developing and we all have much to learn from each other. “This is one of the reasons we really love what you [Global Washington] do and are so happy to come and share,” said Quinn. “Because we know that we don’t know it all!”

The Mona Foundation has achieved much over the years through this attitude of listening and learning. They started with 3 small projects that served 450 children and have grown to support 15 projects in 9 countries that serve over 40,000 children and their families. They also support U.S. programs, especially with minorities or migrant children. One project called Teaching Kids Programming is especially aimed to narrow the technology gap for girls. Teaching Kids Programming will soon start a new project in Hawaii on the Island of Molokai.

Many of the projects that Mona supports have won awards, for instance the Digital Study Hall recently received a Peter F. Drucker award for nonprofit innovation. The Foundation’s Board President, Mahnaz A. Javid, has been nominated for the second time as a finalist for the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellows Award Program. But Quinn feels that the organization’s greatest accomplishment is the dedication and collaborative spirit of the organization’s leadership, who epitomize the Mona Foundation attitude of respectful learning. “That’s not something that everyone gets to see so you can’t get an award for it!” laughed Quinn. “But from the inside out it’s great.”

The Mona Foundation’s simple question: “What is your plan?” has sparked excitement, innovation, and vision that is transforming both communities abroad and the Mona Foundation itself. These projects are shining examples of how learning and collaboration can make a real difference for children and communities around the world.

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Changemaker

Water 1st Partner, COCEPRADIL, and Board President Wilfredo Ramos Ventura Keep the Water Flowing

By Carolyn Hubbard

Across rugged terrain in the mountainous region of Lempira, Honduras, men and women carry heavy pipes uphill to a water source, dig trenches for miles, and link and secure each section, forming a long silvery snake through which clean water will flow to kitchens in their homes. Elsewhere, another group replants the heavily deforested land to protect their watershed and this most vital and treasured of resources: water.

Honduras is considered the second poorest country in Central America. Unequal wealth distribution and high unemployment, caused from systemic government corruption and economic mismanagement, beset the country of eight million. Lempira Department is one of the most cut-off areas in the country. Bordering El Salvador, it’s mountainous, land-locked, and far away from the urban hub of Tegucigalpa or the touristy coast. Instead some 270,000 people eke out a living from the land. Deforestation is a problem, as is access to clean water.

COCEPRADIL, an acronym for Central Committee for Water and Comprehensive Development Projects in Lempira, has been working for some twenty years to help communities gain access to clean water and sanitation. The Seattle-based organization Water 1st, which offers financial support to community-based organizations focused on the collective development and maintenance of water and sanitation systems within their communities, has partnered with COCEPRADIL. This partnership enables the Honduran organization to continue, even prosper, during some difficult economic times. Wilfredo Ramos Ventura, who will visit Seattle in November to participate in Water 1st’s fundraising event, the Give Water Give Life Benefit, is the board president of the exclusively volunteer-run organization.

Communities that would like COCEPRADIL to help them gain access to clean water must provide the time and labor. (One recent project serving 300 people took 20,000 hours of hard work.)  Two adults from each household in the community must also commit to five weeks of full time training on sanitation and water management. Once the community agrees to these conditions, COCEPRADIL will approve the work. The community then becomes part of COCEPRADIL and participates in community meetings, serves on the board and pays a small water-access bill, the proceeds of which are used to train community members.

“Our families are interested in how they are made owners of the source and the micro-watershed to ensure the reforestation and forest conservation in these areas,” Ramos notes.  “Families know they have to be in the training workshops after working hours. They understand that this year, they’ll spend more hours a day and more days a week at their jobs, because in addition to the normal work of growing their corn, their beans, their rice, they have to work on the project, two or three days, and besides that, enroll in a training program together and make those changes in attitude.”  They know the demands that are going to be placed on them, and, Ramos notes, they love it. The workshops motivate them and the work provides families and communities a sense of cohesion and organization, which in turn provides them the foundation from which to advocate for themselves. “They have organized and gone to the mayor to ask about  providing a school, or to say they need a health center, or to show support for the teacher or nurse. They understand clearly that to achieve, you have to be together and speak, as we say here, the same language.”

Born and raised in Lempira, Ramos knows first hand the harsh life that many in the area endure. “I was born into a poor family. My first eight years I walked barefoot. I didn’t have three meals a day. It satisfies me greatly now that my daughters have new opportunities. Growing up, I longed to be able to go to school for longer, but our family situation wouldn’t allow it. What I couldn’t achieve for myself then, I now want others to achieve.  We are glad to see a child can laugh because of the improved living standard, that they have access to at least three meals a day, which is a human right. That makes us happy.”

Ramos points out that women benefit greatly from a community’s improved access to water. He recognizes that by not spending the day seeking water, they have more time to be actively involved in community development and are also more respected by their husbands. “The levels of domestic violence are reduced too, thanks to the organizing work we do and how men are becoming more understanding of their wives.”

Ramos has only one more year to serve as president, but he’s not going to stop working with COCEPRADIL.  He is committed to continuing the work, regardless of the hardship. “We are in this fight to continue improving. Our goal is to satisfy the needs in the Zona Sur South Zone, then the department of Lempira, to have water and sanitation in each house. We are achieving this little by little, but there is still a lot that needs to be done. Unfortunately, the systems are expensive now. Water sources are miles away from the communities, and that prevents us from being able to do things in less time.”

Funding from Water 1st and its private donors has allowed COCEPRADIL to complete projects and help more communities. Speaking on behalf of COCEPRADIL, Ramos notes, “Even though we don’t know these families, who are in our hearts, we are reallly very grateful for the donations that for us, as poor farming families with few economic resources, are invaluable. Without such help, our situation would be very different.”

You can learn more about COCEPRADIL’s work at Water 1st. Check back there for more information on November’s fundraiser and a chance to meet Wilfredo Ramos Ventura.  Also check out the Changemaker article about Water 1st’s inspiring executive director in our August 2009 newsletter.

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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!

Educational Empowerment
Educational Empowerment (EE) is dedicated to providing access to an educational environment in Southeast Asia that improves children’s future economic opportunities and affords them fundamental reading skills. http://www.educationalempowerment.org

Lift Up Africa
Lift Up Africa is a US nonprofit with an extensive network of partners and projects in East Africa. We support sustainable, community led projects that address poverty, malnutrition, lack of education and health care, and the impact of climate change on people, crops, animals and the environment.  http://liftupafrica.org/

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Career Center

Highlighted career

Name and Profile: Abby Stepaniak. Program Officer, International Visitor Program, World Affairs Council

I work with the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program which brings leaders from around the world to the States for professional development and exchange. I work to connect these leaders with their counterparts here in Seattle to foster collaboration, cross-cultural exchange, and open dialogue about the world. More.

Highlighted positions

Northwest Regional Manager, Special Events – Friends of the Orphans
The Director of IVP oversees all program operations and leads a staff of three to successfully execute high-quality, high impact programming for visitors from all corners of the world in a wide array of fields. More.

Northwest Regional Manager, Special Events – Friends of the Orphans
The Regional Manager, Special Events is a full-time exempt employee of Friends of the Orphans and reports to the Regional Director. The Manager will plan and execute successful fundraising events that benefit the work of Friends of the Orphans, including (but not limited to) cultivation events, house parties, gala auctions, one-hour ask events, and events with schools, businesses, and faith communities. The Manager participates fully in activities of the national organization and regional chapter to reach annual revenue goals and the overall strategic goals for the entire organization. More.

Senior Foundation and Corporate Development Specialist – Landesa
The Senior Foundation and Corporate Development Specialist (Senior Specialist) is responsible for performing the full array of activities related to securing revenue from private foundations and corporations. The Senior Specialist will also be asked to perform other appropriate tasks to support the Landesa revenue-seeking and program delivery function. More.

Research Assistant – Landesa
The Research Assistant conducts and documents research and supports the research efforts of others on a variety of topics relevant to Landesa’s work. More.

Highlighted Internships

US GCC Monitoring and Evaluation Internship- Mercy Corps (Portland)
Implement and extend strategy for the upcoming school year to monitor and evaluate education programming at the PDX Action Center and GCC US program. Research and update tools that educators use to monitor programs. Interview relevant staff to understand the needs of the monitoring program. More.

Intern/Volunteer Research Position–Mangrove Action Project
Mangrove Action Project is seeking volunteer or intern help for a project we are planning to conduct as part of our ongoing Question Your Shrimp Campaign. We want to assess the number of restaurants in Seattle that are serving shrimp, or have shrimp on their menus. More.

Highlighted Volunteering Opportunity:

Volunteer – One by One 
We currently have volunteer needs in the following areas:
• Office: stuff envelopes (normally we work with Seattle area people who can physically come in a help us)
• Interns with project-specific research, data entry, curriculum development projects
• Website/translating volunteers
• Short/long term projects
• Technical expertise—excited to work with people all over the country, long term (researchers, graphic designers, photographers, film makers, translators). More.

Technology Committee Volunteer- Literacy Bridge
For people who are professional software developers, testers, support staff, and technical writers.
Activities will include:
1) developing, debugging, testing, and documenting the Talking Book’s software
2) providing email technical to support Literacy Bridge’s partners. More.

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

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Announcements

Why should you attend GlobalFEST on September 22^nd?

You’ll meet over 40 organizations that are actively changing the lives of women and girls all over the world. You’ll listen to MBOrchestra’s Middle Eastern music and the Cuban melodies of the SuperSones. And you’ll be invited to a special screening of Half the Sky as well as a series of GlobalEDU lectures on Global Studies, Raising a Global Child, and Secrets to the Development Field’s Job Market. We hope to see as many of you as possible.

Learn more here: http://standforgirls2012.org/
When: Saturday, September 22^nd, 2012 11:00am – 4:00pm
Cost: No Charge
Where: The Center House @ Seattle Center
MAP

The Growing Movement of Half the Sky

Filmed in six countries, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide follows Nicholas Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn, and celebrity activists America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union, and Olivia Wilde on a journey to tell the stories of inspiring, courageous individuals. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a special presentation of Independent Lens broadcasting on PBS October 1st and 2nd, 2012.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/half-the-sky

This month there will be numerous screenings around Washington, including one at Global Washington’s GlobalFest event on September 22nd. Make sure not to miss this film!

Seattle
Saturday, September 22
The Center House at the Seattle Center
12:00pm
A part of Global Washington’s GlobalFest: Stand for Girls Event

Vashon
Tuesday, September 25
Vashon Theatre thanks to GreenTech
6-8 PM, doors at 5:30 PM

Bellingham
Tuesday, September 25
Pickford Film Center
5:30-7:30 PM, doors at 5:00 PM

Clarke Nuber P.S. presents Not-for-Profit Audit and Tax Update: Federal Taxes and Financial Reporting

Please join us on September 20th to hear an update on current trends and changes in federal taxes and financial reporting and accounting for not-for-profits, featuring Jane Searing, CPA and Andrew Prather, CPA. We will discuss: The Other Washington – A Federal Tax Update and Hot Topics in Not-for-Profit Financial Reporting

When: Thursday, September 20^th, 2012
8:00am – 10:00am
Cost: $50 (Includes 2 hours of CPE and continental breakfast)
Where: The Meydenbauer Center
11100 NE 6^th Street
Bellevue, WA

Register.

Who Stole the American Dream?

Looking for plans this Friday? Bill Clapp is recommending this event to all and encouraging you to attend!  Author Hedrick Smith is here to explain how the promise of the American Dream- a home of your own, a secure retirement, and a better future for your children- was chipped away through legislative, electoral, and corporate decisions.

When: Friday, September 21^st, 2012
Cost: $5
Where: Town Hall’s Lower Level (enter on Seneca Street)

Register:  http://townhallseattle.org/hedrick-smith-who-stole-the-american-dream/

Habitat for Humanity’s World House

Habitat for Humanity has built a demonstration home at the Seattle Center to illustrate that affordable housing can be sustainable. Next to the House of the Immediate Future, Habitat has built World House, representative of homes located in other parts of the world. People of different countries use their houses in different ways and Habitat’s house designs reflect these cultural considerations. At the Seattle Center, visitors have the opportunity to tour the World House which contains informational materials on housing locally and globally and can participate in brickmaking as used in homebuilding in parts of the world.

When: Tours available from 1-4 on Saturday, September 22^nd, 2012
Where: Seattle Center

Seattle Cultural Exchange Tours

The Pacific Northwest has an exceptional character of its own and these tours are designed to put that unique appeal on display. Travel through three of Seattle’s cultured neighborhoods and enjoy ethnic cuisine, a neighborhood folklore presentation, and a look at economic innovation from that community.

When: Chinatown Discovery- Saturday, September 22^nd, 2012
Ballard Cultural Tour- Saturday, September 22^nd, 2012
Martin Luther King Business Association Tour- Saturday, September 29^th, 2012

Cost: Chinatown Discovery- $40
Ballard Cultural Tour- $21
MLK Business Association Tour- No Charge

Where: Varies by Tour

Tickets for all three tours available on Ticketmaster at these URLs:

Chinatown:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F004918AC9E3711?artistid=1771868&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=106

Ballard Cultural Tour:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F004918B090384F?artistid=1771917&majorcatid=10005&minorcatid=106

MLK Business Association Tour: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F004918A61D34EC?artistid=1771852&majorcatid=10005&minor

Women’s Funding Alliance- Film Series

The Women’s Funding Alliance screened the film Miss Representation last fall to a sold out crowd. Because of unrelenting demand, they are once again screening the film, but this time in three cities across Washington! This three-city effort will kick off a larger film series that will include The Invisible War, and Wonder Women: The Untold Story of American Superheroines. Don’t be left out!

When: Thursday, September 27^th, 2012 TACOMA, Grand Cinema
Thursday, October 4^th, 2012 SEATTLE, Uptown Cinema
Thursday, October 11^th, 2012 KIRKLAND, Kirkland Performing Arts Center
Cost: $10

Get your tickets here today!
http://wfalliance.org/news/actioncinema.php

The Bali Fund honored at upcoming Give2Asia 10 ^th Anniversary Gala!

The Bill & Pat Bali Fund, a Global Washington member, will be one of the four honorees at the upcoming Give2Asia 10th Anniversary Gala Event. Join hundreds of other Give2Asia partners and community members at the Awards Gala, which will honor outstanding philanthropists who have made a unique impact in Asia with their innovative approaches.

When: Tuesday, October 2^nd, 2012 5:15
Cost: $300
Where: InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, San Francisco

Seats are limited for Give2Asia’s 10th Anniversary Awards Gala. The price per seat is $300 and tables of 10 are also available. RSVP here.

MercyCorps, Global Washington, Sounders FC, and Golzao present a film screening of The Beautiful Game

The Beautiful Game is an inspirational documentary about the power of soccer in modern Africa- a game that is helping to change the lives of individuals and communities across the continent. Unlike anything else soccer brings fifty-four diverse countries into a common and passionate dialogue. And the results are tangible: when an African country does well at a competition, its national GDP rises, its exports go up, crime decreases, and political divides narrow. As Reverend Tutu shares in “The Beautiful Game” “soccer isn’t like a religion in Africa. It is bigger than religion”.

This film premiered to a sold-out audience during the SIFF festival in June; and now it’s being brought back to you!

When: Monday, October 8^th, 2012 6:30pm
Cost: $5 for preorder and $10 at the door
Where: SIFF Uptown Cinema

Advance tickets available on Brown Paper Tickets!

SIFP: Make a difference, learn, and have fun on October 18th

Social Venture Partners’ second annual Social Innovation Fast Pitch is around the corner.  This fast-paced competition was a huge success last year, with more than 700 social innovation enthusiasts voting for their favorite pitch and awarding $5,000 to the winner.  This year, 14 groups will compete for more than $150,000 in grants and investments at the Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center, starting at 4:45pm.  Judges, investors, and the audience all participate, and everyone can meet the innovators in the “Poster Table” receptions before and after the event.  Global Washington members receive a 10% discount on any ticket by clicking here, until September 30th.  To learn more about SIFP, please go to http://sifp.net or visit the event on Facebook.  SIFP sold out last year, and is likely to do again, so reserve your ticket now!

When: Thursday, October 18^th, 2012 4:45pm
Where:Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center

ED Forum announces schedule for 2012-2013

The ED Forum is exclusively for Executive Directors and CEOs seeking professional development opportunities, emerging best practices, and information sharing on how to lead nonprofits. Meetings are an informal, fast-paced learning circle where executives rotate among three table discussions, each led by an experienced ED or topic expert. Each participant can share their challenges, experience, and expertise.

When: ED Forums are held on Wednesdays or Fridays from 8:30-10:30am
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013

Cost: Member Rate*- $18
Non-Member Rate- $25

*Includes Washington Nonprofits, 501 Commons, and Global Washington Members

Where: The 2100 Building

EarthCorps REVIVE – A new kind of party!

This fundraiser/cocktail party soiree is a celebration of EarthCorps’ work. All proceeds go to the EarthCorps leadership program. Guests will enjoy a live auction, international hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, and inspirational insight into the workings of EarthCorps.

When:Saturday, October 20^th, 2012
Cost: $65
Where: The Mountaineers at Sand Point – 7700 Sand Point Way NE – Seattle, WA 98115

MAP

RSVP Here: http://www.earthcorps.org/auction.php

MEDRIX Fall Festival Benefit

MEDRIX is hosting an evening benefit in which all donations will support ongoing projects to improve the lives of the people in Southeast Asia. Come hear stories of how projects in medical education and clean water development are having a profound influence on the health and safety of Vietnamese communities.

When: Saturday, November 3^rd, 2012 6:00
Cost: $25, or $45 for two
Where: Glendale Golf and Country Club
13440 Main Street, Bellevue, WA 98005

RSVP by October 13^th to office@medrix.org or by phone (425) 485-5423.

Video from Landesa- Nutrition and Land Rights

Three of the best minutes you can spend if you want to know how securing land rights helps families to feed themselves! Watch Landesa’s new video and learn more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie8jBEWdNLQ

Mercy Corps Toolkit for Private Sector Engagement

Engaging with the private sector is one of the most effective means towards the sustainable, market-based change that communities all over the world could benefit from. If you or your organization recognizes this, but aren’t sure how to begin such a partnership, then Mercy Corps could have the perfect tool for you. This comprehensive report details why Mercy Corps chooses its partners, some key programs, and resources utilized by Mercy Corps field teams to ensure that all arrangements with private entities meet their strategic goals.

http://www.mercycorps.org/resources/privatesectorengagement

Red Lotus Technologies

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 – support this project or spread the word.

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Global Washington Events

Saturday, September 22
GlobalFest: Stand for Girls 2012

Thursday, December 6
4th Annual Conference

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Other Events

Friday, September 21
Own It! Celebrating Youth in Global Leadership
Celebrate Ten Years of OWN’s Innovative Leadership!

Saturday, September 22
Women in Innovation Summit 2012

Thursday, September 27
Lumana’s 4th Annual Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction

Friday, September 28
An Intellectual Conversation with Guru Ji

Tuesday, October 2
Diverse Landscapes of Iceland: Photography by Bill Stafford

Thursday, October 4
Announcing the Center for Impact & Innovation!
Jolkona’s Corks and Forks
WFA Film Series: Miss Representation

Friday, October 5 – Sunday, October 7
#SocEnt Weekend: Next 50, October 5-7th!

Wednesday, October 8
Beautiful Game Film Screening

Thursday, October 11
WFA Film Series: Miss Representation

Tuesday, October 16
Financial Management: Best practices for managing your organization`s finances
Into the Devil’s Garden: Whatever Happened to Spanish Sahara? Public Lecture by Leah Farish
Tenth Annual Business of Hope Luncheon

Saturday, October 20
ANNOUNCING REVIVE: A Community Affair!

Sunday, October 21
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Monday, October 22
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Tuesday, October 23
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Wednesday, October 24
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Saturday, October 27
14th Annual Africa Day Business Forum

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

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Welcome to the August 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
• Feature: Stand for Girls 2012 – Sept 22nd 2012
• Feature: Washington organizations stand together for women and girls
• Global Washington Conference 2012
• Welcome New Members
• Career Center
• Announcements
• Global Washington Events
• Other Events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings,

The big news this month at Global Washington is the exciting launch of our 2012 Stand for Girls Campaign! You may remember our promotional campaign last fall about Washington’s importance as a “The Global State,” which highlighted the exciting global development work being done here and how this impacts both our local economy and our world.

This year’s campaign builds on last year’s success. In 2012, we have chosen to focus on development work that impacts women and girls and have selected 10 members to partner with us in raising awareness about and funds for women’s issues.  The highlight of the campaign is a public celebration called GlobalFest on September 22^nd, which will feature music and booths hosted by over 40 GlobalWA member organizations.

Stand for Girls is a special collaborative effort, in which organizations across issue areas are able to come together with a common goal. Adding to that spirit of partnership, we are also working with the Seattle Center’s Next Fifty campaign and the Office of the Mayor of Seattle to be a part of their September focus on “Commerce and the Innovation Economy.” We are thrilled that so many people in our state are beginning to recognize the important efforts of Washington’s global development sector! We invite you to partner with us in the month of September by joining us as we stand for girls!

Global Washington exists to be a catalyst for collaboration, and this is a special emphasis for us this year; the theme of our fourth annual conference is“Redefining Development: From Silos to Collective Impact.” We firmly believe that global development actors can make a significantly greater difference in the world by working together. Our conference will discuss this theme and offer members the opportunity to share their own partnership success stories. We hope you will join us at our conference on December 6^th for what is hopefully one of the highlights of the year for Washington’s global development sector!

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

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Stand for Girls 2012 – Sept 22nd 2012

HEAL Africa

Every year, Washington organizations find new ways to help women worldwide receive a quality education, better healthcare, and more economic opportunities. Next month, Global Washington will celebrate these organizations.

Global Washington recently announced its Stand for Girls campaign, which encourages Washingtonians to support women and girls around the world during the month of September. The campaign will benefit ten Global Washington member organizations that have a special focus on women’s issues.

Women and girls have some very pressing needs. According to the United Nations, women comprise compromise 70 percent of the world’s poorest people and own only 1 percent of the title land. Historically, girls have been less likely to receive an education than boys. They also face special risks related to pregnancy and reproductive health.  Yet despite the negative statistics, the news for girls worldwide is positive: more and more organizations are realizing how big a difference investing in girls can make. More and more people are speaking up in support of girls, making sure they are educated, healthy, and able to make a living.

Imaging The World

The Stand for Girls campaign is a collaboration between Global Washington, Ayni Education International, Imaging the World, the Mona Foundation, OneWorld Now!, Richard’s Rwanda IMPUHWE, Lumana, One by One, Women’s Enterprises International, Upaya Social Ventures, and HEAL Africa. Together, these organizations hope to celebrate the ways that the lives of women and girls are improving and gain support for work that will continue to make a difference.

This campaign has three parts:

• Starting September 1st, Washingtonians are encouraged to give $12 to support these 10 specially-selected organizations who are leading the way in women’s education, healthcare, and economic development. Donations can be made online and by mobile phone.
• Go to a community event called GlobalFest, featuring 40 member organizations at the Seattle Center on Sept. 22, 2012 as part of the Seattle Center’s Next 50 celebration of innovations in Seattle’s economy
• Global Washington will help people all over Washington gather their friends and neighbors to host community events and house parties that focus on global women’s issues on October 11th, the Day of the Girl.

Stand with us. Stand for girls.

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Feature

Washington organizations stand together for women and girls

Richards Rwanda

When resources are limited and donors’ budgets are stretched, nonprofits may think that they have to compete against other worthy causes for every dollar. However, some Washington nonprofits are rejecting this competitive mentality and are instead finding new ways to do their work effectively, even with limited resources. The key? Collaboration.

In September, Global Washington is sponsoring an innovative venture called Stand for Girls 2012 that invites ten member organizations to join their resources, time, and ideas in order to raise awareness and funds to benefit women and girls worldwide. Our staff was pleasantly surprised when we held a meeting with representatives from participating organizations to talk about how to make this happen. “We want all of the proceeds to go into one fund, which will then be split evenly,” the organizations decided unanimously. “We don’t want to be siloed individually or by issue area. We think everyone in this room is doing wonderful work. We need each other to make a real difference for women and girls.”

The organizations represent a variety of development projects in numerous countries, across the issue areas of economic empowerment, health, and education for women and girls. All have relatively small budgets, but are high on innovation, impact, and community ownership. “Young girls can’t learn effectively without being healthy,” someone pointed out. “And healthy, educated women are better able to provide for themselves and their families. All of these areas are needed to really make a difference.”

This type of collaboration is one of the main reasons for Global Washington’s existence. The state of Washington is home to numerous nonprofits, businesses, universities, and individuals dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Although they are doing quality work individually, we firmly believe that together they can be even more powerful. By sharing knowledge and resources, Washington organizations increase their effectiveness, make a greater impact in the communities where they work, and gain even more enthusiastic support for global development from Washington’s internationally-engaged citizenry.

Upaya Social Ventures

Global Washington has chosen women and girls as the theme of this year’s annual campaign because investing in women and girls is an investment in our shared future. Women who are healthy, productive, and educated become change-makers in their own families and communities.  Our member organizations recognize this fact and many have a special emphasis on supporting women. In the upcoming months, we hope you will visit our campaign website and find your opportunity to make a difference for women and girls globally–by giving our suggested $12 donation, by attending our GlobalFest community event on September 22^nd, or by mobilizing your own community on October 11^th to learn more about these issues and organizations. In doing so, you not only support ten effective organizations, but you also show your dedication to the collaborative spirit that is changing lives around the world.

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Global Washington Conference 2012

Redefining Development: From Silos to Collective Impact

This year’s conference will focus on a new way of looking at development work that is inherently collaborative and comprehensive. Organizations from across sectors and issue areas can work together to address global problems holistically. Our conference will explore this emerging paradigm and give attendees opportunities to see it firsthand as they network with others in the field to share ideas and generate opportunities for collaboration.

Speakers will include:

• Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, Executive Director and Founder of the Afghan Institute of Learning, which has served over 9 million Afghans by providing education and health services to women and children
• Amir  A. Dossal, Founder and Chairman of the Global Partnerships Forum, an international platform to address economic and social challenges through innovative partnerships.
• Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America.

Date:Thursday, December 6^th, 2012
Location:Port Facilities/Cruise Terminal
Bell Harbor Conference Center
Seattle, WA

Price:$100 for members. $125 for nonmembers.

Register now to reserve your spot at the early bird price

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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!

Vittana
We envision a world of opportunity, where educated minds and skillful hands work together to uplift the next generation, breaking the cycle of poverty. www.vittana.org

Individual Members

Monika Aring

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Career Center

Highlighted career

Name and Profile: Elise Ricci – Special Events Officer at Global Partnerships

How would you describe your job? Fun and dynamic! I have several different projects that I work on at one time, most of them focused on Global Partnerships’ events. My job involves a variety of projects– like meeting with corporate partners to talk about sponsorships, coordinating logistics for an event, working on communications and print pieces, and meeting with  my team to plan and set strategic direction for community engagement and fundraising. More.

Highlighted positions

Director of International Visitor Program – World Affairs Council

The Director of IVP oversees all program operations and leads a staff of three to successfully execute high-quality, high impact programming for visitors from all corners of the world in a wide array of fields. More.

Development Manager – Global Visionaries

Implement strategic annual fundraising plan in coordination with the Executive Director and Board Development Committee. Secure resources to support Global Visionaries’ general operating fund. Work with the ED to develop Global Visionaries’ fundraising strategy and the fund development program budget and implement successfully. More.

Youth Leadership Manager – One World Now

The Youth Leadership Manager (YLM) ensures the effective and efficient delivery of student support services, including recruitment and retention, while serving as main liaison between OWN, our students and their schools. The YLM will also co-facilitate leadership weekly leadership workshops using OWN’s unique leadership curriculum. More.

Highlighted Internships

Communications and Programs Intern  – Seattle International Foundation

Primary Responsibilities: Communications and Events
– Assist in implementing SIF’s social media and communication strategy by identifying opportunities for greater outreach and public support of partners in the philanthropic and development sectors. More.

Marketing Intern – InterConnection

InterConnection is looking for a motivated and talented intern to work with the Marketing Lead to carry out external marketing, PR and donor related activities. The primary focus of this internship position is to make businesses aware of InterConnection’s surplus computer recycling and asset disposition service and increase computer donations to InterConnection. More.

Highlighted Volunteering Opportunity:

Marketing / Graphics Arts Committee – Literacy Bridge

For people who enjoy graphics arts and have design skills and the software tools to create and edit design documents. Activities will include: 1) developing and overseeing branding standards for Literacy Bridge; 2) designing print-ready collateral materials (such brochures, case studies), and; 3) developing design changes for the Talking Book’s interface and form.  More.

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

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Announcements

Technology for the benefit of humanity: IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference

IEEE GHTC is proud to announce that they are having their 2nd annual premier conference. This conference will provide an opportunity for locals involved in humanitarian projects to share their work.  Come to meet other technologists;  humanitarians; funders; and representatives from NGOs, government, academia who are involved in humanitarian technology.

The conference will feature a number of sessions that will address a vast array of topics. It will also feature companies in the medical and biotech industry as well as many other software companies.

Preliminary Conference Program:  http://www.ieeeghtc.org/files/2012/01/Program-Table-072012.pdf

Keynote Speaker includes:  http://www.ieeeghtc.org/event/keynote-speakers

When: October 21-24 2012
Where: Renaissance Seattle Hotel
515 Madison Street
Seattle, WA 98401

Registration is now open! Early Registration Discount by September 7, 2012 at www.ieeeghtc.org

Opportunities in Vietnam: A trade and investment discussion panel

The World Trade Center Tacoma’s speaker series announces a joint event with the Seattle Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce discussing Vietnam, one of Asia’s most dynamic economies.  This event will feature an experienced panel of four diverse professionals as they discuss trade and investment opportunities in Vietnam. The panel will include former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam and consultant to international trade Michael W. Michalak; Associate Professor of Economics at Seattle University Dr. Quan Vu Le; founder of Healing the Children and Co-founder to Education Exchange Dr. Rob Gertler; and Son Michael Pham who is principal of U.S – Asia Gateways, director for the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (based in Viet Nam) and founding director of Kids Without Borders. Participants in the event will also enjoy an authentic Vietnamese meal at Thao’s Restaurant, free with admission.

When:  August 24, 2012 from 11:30am-1:30 pm.
Cost: Admissions (including lunch) $25.00.
Where: Thao’s Restaurant
96 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101
www.thoaseattle.com

To register for this event or find out more information regarding WTC Tacoma’s speaker series events please visit http://www.wtcta.org/connect/upcoming-events

Congressman Adam Smith hosts NGO roundtable meeting

Come join U.S. Representative Adam Smith at the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce in Tukwila, WA as hosts a NGO Roundtable Meeting discussing the current developments in Congress.

When:  Friday, August 31, 2012
11:00am-12:00 pm
Where: Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce Board Room
14220 Interurban Ave. South#134
Tukwila, WA 98168

For more information on this even or to RSVP, please contact Linh Thai:
Linh.Thai@mail.house.gov or (253)272-1488.

Upcoming workshops for small and medium-sized 501(c)(3) organizations

Come join the Internal Revenue Service(IRS) as they host a one-day workshop for small and medium- sized 501(c)(3) organizations. This workshop will feature an experienced panel of IRS Exempt Organization (EO) specialists that will explain the responsibilities of registered 501(c)(3) and what they must do in order to maintain their tax-exempt status and comply with tax obligations.

This workshop is perfect for administrators or volunteers who are responsible for tax compliance and represent 501(c)(3) organizations.

• Seattle, WA- September 12, 2012

Hosted by the University of Washington

The registration link is http://www.washingtonnonprofits.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Calendar.eventDetail&eventID=60

• Spokane, WA- September 14, 2012

Hosted by Gonzaga University

The registration link is http://www.washingtonnonprofits.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Calendar.eventDetail&eventID=58

Volunteer at Bumbershoot with Oxfam America

Oxfam America Action Corps Seattle is recruiting volunteers to staff a table at Bumbershoot over Labor Day weekend.  The shifts are about 7 hours each and the rest of the time volunteers will be able to experience Bumbershoot free for the day they volunteer. The Oxfam Action Corps lead organizers will plan a short training session before the weekend begins to support and provide all of the necessary tools to be a successful volunteer and represent Oxfam at this outreach opportunity. When you sign up, please provide your phone number and email address to ensure that you know of the training session date and time and to receive the vendor admissions pass to Bumbershoot. If you would like to volunteer with a friend and the times do not coordinate exactly, please indicate also what times you would like to partner at the outreach table. Sign up to volunteer HERE.

IDRI

The Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) and Medicago were recently authorized by the FDA to begin a clinical trial for an H5N1 Avian Influenza VLP vaccine candidate (“H5N1 vaccine”). This marks a significant milestone in developing flu vaccine that could be used rapidly should we experience a pandemic flu outbreak. The trial will test the safety and immunogenicity of the H5N1 vaccine, combined with IDRI’s Glucopyranosyl Lipid A (“GLA”) adjuvant. This is considered the first human test of an intradermal adjuvant, a technology that could have widespread vaccination benefits worldwide even beyond this particular trial.  The resulting vaccine could potentially be self-administered in case of a pandemic. Congratulations to IDRI for this achievement!

OneWorld Now! is turning ten!

Join OneWorld Now for a birthday celebration on September 21^st! This fun event will celebrate OneWorld Now’s 10 years of innovative global leadership programming for underserved youth and will take place at the Space Needle at 6:30pm. Tickets are $75 and will include, food, drinks, and a trip to the top of the Space Needle. Register or email events@oneworldnow.org for more information.

Security frameworks workshop

In the last several years we have seen an increase in insecurity in the field. Correspondingly, organizations have had to increasingly curtail their programs due to that insecurity. Many have responded by acknowledging the need to develop a risk management system to manage risk to staff and programs. This event, spearheaded by PATH, will bring InterAction and its members on the West Coast together to discuss a systematic approach to risk management,  Minimum Operating Security Standards (MOSS) and developing an agency wide Security Framework.   

This workshop will be held at PATH on September 25^th starting at 8:30am. Registration is by invitation, but if you are interested in someone from your organization attending, please contact Dan Bryant (dbryant@path.org, 206-285-3500) for further information.

Clark Nuber presents board governance workshop

Please join Clark Nuber for an annual governance conference which is organized into three tracks – Board Governance (Track A), Executive Leadership (Track B), and New Directors (Track C) – to specifically address the issues of interest to those groups. Following the Keynote Speech to open the conference, there will be concurrent breakout sessions throughout the day facilitated by Clark Nuber professionals along with experienced not-for-profit and business professionals from well respected organizations in our community, including:  Jurassic Parliament, Institute for Systems Biology, World Vision, Housing Hope, Pioneer Human Services, Davis Wright Tremaine, Cornerstone Advisors, and The Rainier Club.

Location: The Meydenbauer Center
11100 NE 6th Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
Time: 7:30 am to 3:30 pm
Date: October 16, 2012
Cost: $125

Register: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1130544

Support Lumana by attending fundraising dinner and auction

Lumana’s fall benefit dinner and silent auction will take place on September 27th! Lumana has been serving the poor in rural Ghana since 2007 and recently expanded its program to include a total of 700 clients. Support Lumana by attending this inspiring event, or giving a donation if you cannot attend. For more details, visit: http://www.lumana.org/get-involved/donate

Seattle International Foundation announces call for applications under 2012 Global Program

The Seattle International Foundation (SIF) is accepting applications under its Global Program beginning September 1^st. The Global Program (small grants for local organizations) supports and fosters local organizations working internationally. SIF is interested in development projects in all regions of the world.

This round of the Global Program will give preference to organizations based in the greater Puget Sound region working with women and girls in the developing world. Grant recipients will be announced at SIF’s third annual Women in the World breakfast event in mid-November. Please stay tuned for details about this event. Learn about the 2011 breakfast.

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

For more information on how to apply, please visit www.seaif.org, or contact Michele Frix (Program Officer) at mfrix@seaif.org.

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Global Washington Events

Saturday, September 22
GlobalFest 2012: Stand for Girls

December 6, 2012
GlobalWA Conference 2012

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Other Events

Wednesday, August 22
Next 50 Film Series & Discussion on Education Finding Joe followed by post-film discussion on education policy

Thursday, September 6
Dave Valle Charity Golf Classic

Tuesday, September 11
Everett Roundtable: Washington State International Competitiveness Strategy

Wednesday, September 19
Proposal Writing 201: Advanced tools for getting your project funded

Friday, September 21
Own It! Celebrating Youth in Global Leadership
Celebrate Ten Years of OWN’s Innovative Leadership!

Saturday, September 22
Women in Innovation Summit 2012

Thursday, September 27
Lumana’s 4th Annual Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction

Tuesday, October 2
Diverse Landscapes of Iceland: Photography by Bill Stafford

Thursday, October 4
Announcing the Center for Impact & Innovation!

Tuesday, October 16
Financial Management: Best practices for managing your organization`s finances
Global Partnerships: Business of Hope Luncheon

Sunday, October 21
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Monday, October 22
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Tuesday, October 23
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Wednesday, October 24
IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)

Saturday, October 27
14th Annual Africa Day Business Forum

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

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Phase I study in Lenexa, KS, of novel vaccine targeting TB virulence and latency

Seattle, WA | August 22, 2012

Aeras and the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) announce today the start of the first clinical trial of IDRI’s novel tuberculosis vaccine candidate, ID93 + GLA-SE. The Phase I clinical trial will assess the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in 60 healthy adult volunteers. The study will be conducted by Johnson County Clin-Trials in Lenexa, Kansas, in close collaboration with Aeras and IDRI.

Tuberculosis (TB), which kills more people than any other infectious disease except HIV, has orphaned 10 million children, and costs the global economy an estimated $1 billion every day. An increasing number of diagnosed multidrug-resistant TB cases are making the disease more difficult to control and multiplying the cost and time it takes to treat patients, which can take two years or longer for multidrug-resistant TB.

The vaccine candidate targets both active tuberculosis, which makes nearly 9 million people sick each year, and latent TB, which lies dormant in one-third of the world’s population and reactivates when their immune systems are compromised.

“An effective TB vaccine for adolescents and adults would be the single most cost-effective intervention against tuberculosis,” said Tom Evans, Aeras Chief Scientific Officer. “With cases of drug-resistant TB on the rise, it is urgent to deliver an effective TB vaccine regimen to those who need it as soon as possible.”

The vaccine candidate, ID93 + GLA-SE, is composed of a recombinant fusion-protein antigen designed by IDRI to recognize both active and latent TB, plus IDRI’s proprietary adjuvant, GLA-SE, which has been previously tested in humans. In pre-clinical studies, the vaccine candidate had an acceptable safety profile in animals and demonstrated substantial protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis – the bacterium that causes TB.

“With NIH support enabling our TB program, IDRI has designed and tested the safety and efficacy of this vaccine candidate in several pre-clinical models,” said Steven Reed, Ph.D., IDRI president, founder and Chief Scientific Officer. “The start of the first clinical trial is a significant milestone following nearly seven years of work on this vaccine candidate, which is designed to produce a robust immune response to prevent, and possibly to treat, TB.”

The currently available TB vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), developed 90 years ago, reduces the risk of severe forms of TB in early childhood but has been ineffective in controlling the global TB epidemic despite widespread use. Aeras and IDRI, two non-profit product development partnerships, are committed to making new TB vaccines available to those who need them most in TB endemic countries.

Contacts:

IDRI: Lee Schoentrup | 206.518.6290 | lee.schoentrup@idri.org