Blog

Couponing for a Cause

By Tracey Phetsada, Mission Africa

Fundraising can be a difficult task for any charitable organization, especially for the smaller ones with very limited resources. Friends Nelson Khov and Fareez Ismail understood this limitation when they created getKoupons, a consumer savings website with the sole purpose of giving back to charitable organizations. getKoupons offers an innovative method that makes charitable giving easy, and at no additional cost to donors. With over 300 partner retail stores on getKoupons.com, shoppers can find discounts, deals, coupons and promo codes for their favorite products or stores.

Whenever consumers begin shopping from getKoupons.com and purchase from a partner store, getKoupons receives a small referral fee from the stores. In turn, getKoupons donates 100% of its profits to charity. Throughout this month, they will donate 100% of profits to Global Washington member Mission Africa to help fund education, health care services and economic empowerment programs to assist underprivileged children and families in remote villages of Africa.

Founded ten years ago by husband and wife George-Ikoro and Ndudi Chuku, Mission Africa has now expanded its services to nine African countries including Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Gambia, Rwanda and Uganda. In 2014, Mission Africa helped 50 Nigerian students stay in school, providing all of their needs through the Mission Africa scholarship program. They provided free medical services to over 350 people, and gave free eye glasses through their medical outreach event in Amaokwe Item, Abia State, Nigeria. Mission Africa also acquired 25 plots of land in Obosima village, Imo State, Nigeria for their proposed Mission Africa health clinic.

International Women’s Day: March 8

By Kaitlin Marshall

International Women’s Day (IWD) began as a political movement in the United States and Europe. The first IWD was spearheaded by the Socialist Party of America and was celebrated in the U.S. on February 28, 1909. Over the years, the day evolved and gained global importance. Today, it is a national holiday in many countries and has been celebrated annually by the United Nations since 1975. This year, the theme of IWD is “Make it Happen,” which is meant to encourage effective action for recognizing and advancing women.

Photo Credit: Sahar

While much has changed in the 106 years since the first IWD, there is still an immense amount of work to be done. There are currently only ten women worldwide serving as heads of state and fifteen serving as heads of government. Women continue to participate in labor markets on an unequal basis with men. In 2013, the male employment-to-population ratio was 72.2 percent while the ratio for females was 47.1 percent. And, more than 700 million women alive today were married before their eighteenth birthday. Continue Reading

Engaging Youth in Global Issues

By Kirsten Rogers, OneWorld Now!

At the heart of international education is the goal of meaningfully engaging students in global issues, a daunting task when faced with the competing interests on high school students’ minds: SATs, college applications, after-school jobs and who to ask to homecoming. For well over a decade, Global Washington member OneWorld Now! has used world languages, experiential leadership workshops, and study abroad to bring the world to Seattle high-school students, draw their attention to global issues, and inspire them to take action for positive change. Below are a few tips and anecdotes to engage youth in global issues. Continue Reading