August 2011 Newsletter

Posted on August 18, 2011

Welcome to the August 2011 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 Story: Foreign Assistance: Past, Present, Future
Featured Organization: Shoreline Community College’s Global Affairs Center
Changemaker: Sandy Kemper, Founder of Smiles Forever
Welcome New Members
Announcements
Global Washington Events
Other Events

Note from our Executive Director

Greetings,

Our office has been so busy as we are getting ready for several large events.

The first of these events is Reforming Aid, Transforming the World on August 30th. This event will highlight a critical conversation about aid and aid effectiveness and update you about Presidential Policy Directive and the QDDR And the discussions in DC about the 2012 budget. We know that the budget cuts can have a dramatic impact on the international development community. Global Washington will continue to identify ways that we can advocate across key global development issues at the local, national, and global level. Register here now for this event.

The second event is the Summit on Global Education in Washington State. Throughout this year, Global Washington has been building a collaborative plan to create a shared strategy for global education in Washington State. Our vision is to prepare students to enter the professional world as knowledgeable global citizens and create competent global leaders in Washington State and internationally. We also added to the resources we offer to the international development community by developing our new Career Center. Our goal with this critical resource is to continue to provide the tools you need to build your capacity. Global Washington is also building up this sector by mentoring and training up to 20 interns during each quarter. We see a great deal of value in helping to support these future leaders of global development. Register here now for the summit. We are thrilled to announce Seattle University as our Presenting Sponsor for this event.

The last event is our upcoming third annual conference: Opportunities and Obstacles in Turbulent Times. Opportunities and Obstacles will build on the success of the previous years’ conferences. The first annual conference in 2009, A Blueprint for Action, convened over 300 people to build a strategy for collaborative work in the sector and discuss Global Washington’s role as a convening body. The 2010 Conference, Bridges To Breakthroughs: How Partnerships And Innovation Are Changing The World was attended by over 400 people and focused on new ideas and the role of cross-sector, cross-issue collaborative efforts in development work. We are happy to announce that Microsoft is once again our Presenting Sponsor and will host the event.

The annual conference is an important milestone in Global Washington’s work to convene, strengthen, and advocate on behalf of the global development sector in the state. Diverse players will find opportunities for collaboration and high-caliber speakers will provide valuable insight and the latest knowledge. All of this increases the impact of the work being done around the world, and enhances the reputation of Washington State as an international hub for innovative and effective development activity. Small and large organizations, businesses, government, academic institutions, and interested individuals are all encouraged to participate, joining our mission of working together to create a more equitable and prosperous world. I hope that you have seen the request for abstracts for our member organizations to present at the conference. Be sure to submit your presentations to us and use this opportunity to showcase your work.

We hope to see you at these three meetings and look forward to your participation in our many programs and our annual conference.

In unity,

Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director

Featured Story

Foreign Assistance: Past, Present, Future

By Sarah Horrigan

The year was 1961. In the United States, President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated and gave the first-ever live presidential news conference. U.S. Freedom Riders began interstate bus rides to test the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on integration. Alan Shepard became the first American in space. In other parts of the world, construction of the Berlin Wall began as Cold War tensions increased, the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed, and the first American helicopters arrived in Saigon, signaling the beginning of the Vietnam War. In Liverpool, England, the Beatles made their first appearance at the Cavern Club. In the U.S. Congress, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 was passed and signed into law.

In the following 50 years, the Foreign Assistance Act has been amended, and over 20 pieces of additional legislation have been passed, some of which establish authorities that lead to confusion within overall U.S. foreign policy. Many development experts view the current collection of legislation as being out-of date and not reflecting current international conditions; some also believe that the Foreign Assistance Act has to be rewritten for coherence and streamlining.

On August 30, Global Washington will convene a panel of policy experts who have been part of the discussion about foreign assistance reform for many years. “Reforming Aid, Transforming the World” will bring together U.S. Representative Adam Smith, National Security Council Senior Director Gayle Smith (invited), and World Vision Senior Vice President Kent Hill.

Adam Smith, now in his 8th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serves as the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee. Until recently, he also served on both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Given his committee assignments and extensive travel, Smith has unique insights into today’s foremost national security issues, including the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan as well as our larger efforts to stop the spread of extremist groups and their violent ideology around the globe. Smith has traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, countries throughout the Middle East as well as countries across Eastern, Central and Northern Africa where U.S. national security interests are most apparent. Harnessing his committee and travel experience, Smith has authored and passed legislation on national security issues such as strategic communication, irregular warfare, and international development.

Gayle Smith (invited) is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council, where she is responsible for global development, democracy, stabilization, and humanitarian assistance issues. She was instrumental in developing the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development, the first such presidential directive on the topic. She was previously a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Co-Chair of the ENOUGH Project, and Co-Founder of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. During the Clinton Administration, Smith served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the NSC, and as Senior Advisor to the Administrator and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development. She was based in Africa for over 20 years as a journalist, and has also consulted for a wide range of NGOs, foundations, and governmental organizations.

Kent R. Hill joined World Vision (a Global Washington member organization) in February 2011, after more than three decades serving in U.S. Government, academic, and non-profit leadership roles. As head of WVUS international programs, Kent collaborates with the international partnership of World Vision to help facilitate the overseas allocation of resources from government grants, corporate donated goods, and individual donors. Kent is based in the Washington, D.C., office. Kent served from 2001 to 2005 as U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator of Europe and Eurasia, and was responsible for U.S. foreign assistance to 26 countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Between 2005 and 2009, he was Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health. Kent has extensive experience with multiple US Government departments and agencies, international assistance agencies from other countries, and hundreds of U.S. and international NGOs, including faith-based organizations.

Featured Organization: Shoreline Community College’s Global Affairs Center

Promoting the Richness of Washington’s Global Work in the Shoreline Community & Beyond

By Bridgette Greenhaw

It isn’t just “famous people or folks living in major urban centers like Seattle who are globally affected and effective…”

Such appears to be the informal motto of Shoreline Community College’s Global Affairs Center (GAC) and its director, Dr. Lawrence (“Larry”) Fuell. When Larry speaks of the successes of Shoreline Community College’s Global Affairs Center, he tells them in stories. These stories highlight how Center programs drive students and community members to awareness and action regarding global issues.

Dr. Fuell describes Shoreline Community College students who, after attending the 2011 GAC Humanitarian Assistance Symposium, organized a community-wide computer drive for a local organization that provides computers to non-profit organizations abroad. He highlights students coming to him in the days following the 2010 Haiti earthquake asking that he coordinate a venue for the community to discuss relief efforts. The same thing happened this past April when students wanted to quickly arrange a discussion on the uprising in Libya. He details a student-created chapter of Amnesty International on campus – again spurred by a Global Affairs Center event.

Dr. Fuell seems excited but not surprised by the action that the Center’s programs stir. He chocks it up to the Center “finding and cultivating that sweet spot of student interest.”

From an outside perspective, what Shoreline Community College (SCC) is doing in terms of global engagement is extremely impressive. Dr. Fuell, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer who teaches political science, created and currently directs the SCC Global Affairs Center, a “non-partisan program which strives to encourage critical thinking and engagement on global issues affecting global peace, prosperity and equity.” Just completing its third year of programming, the Center aims to stimulate critical thinking; encourage involvement; and show students, faculty and Shoreline community members that they can engage in global issues locally.

Dr. Fuell believes that global education– and thus the Center –must focus on four key pillars: awareness, engagement, collaboration through effective partnerships, and ongoing sustainable engagement that does not try to “reinvent the wheel.”

In addition to SCC students and faculty, the Center aims to reach community members. Events are widely promoted beyond SCC’s student body and often take place in the evenings and on weekends to ensure that community members can attend.

The Center’s programming focuses on symposiums, speaker events, campus town halls and small-group evening discussions. The topics of these events run the gamut of global issues. Programming in 2010/2011 included a symposium centered on the debate around immigration policy in the U.S. and Europe. The Center’s second annual International Humanitarian Assistance Symposium focused on how NGOs bring relief, development and equity to people around the globe. A series of events in commemoration of Earth Week focused on national and international policies regarding water, food, health and other environmental issues.

In 2009/2010 programming included discussions on US-China relations; a student-requested campus discussion on the Haiti earthquake; and a series of “Great Discussions”– weekly small group dialogues with community members, faculty and students centered on current foreign policy issues. Topics often attempt to connect SCC’s learning focuses with global issues. For example, a recent speaker from Guatemala with ties to the SCC nursing program, was able to engage nursing students, who might otherwise not engage in SCC’s global dialogue.

SCC hosts a number of other globally focused programs with which the GAC collaborates. SCC has one of the only community college study abroad programs, some of which have a service learning component. SCC also features an international studies track, which prepares students for a four-year college degree. Global Pathways is an SCC umbrella program that prepares students in and out of the classroom for globally focused post-college lives. Student clubs, such as the Worldly Philosophers and Dismal Scientists Society (WPDSS) club, often focuses on international political and economic issues.

There are numerous opportunities to engage with SCC’s Global Affairs Center. For those interested in attending a 2011/2012 program, speaking at an upcoming event, providing materials on a local organization or program, connecting with Shoreline area students, or finding out how to support the Center, please visit www.shoreline.edu/gac or email gac@shoreline.edu.

The Center will host a symposium this fall that focuses on how life has changed since the tragic events of 9/11 (2001). According to Larry, the GAC will continue this next year to “reach beyond the choir” to students and community members who are not naturally interested in global issues or who do not automatically see their lives as globally relevant.

With the increasing importance of globally competent students and community members – particularly in Washington state – the efforts of SCC’s Global Affairs Center are critical. The GAC will continue striving to remind Shoreline community members and SCC students that, as Dr. Fuell puts it, “Washington is rich in global resources and NGOs…and you don’t have to go overseas to be globally involved.”

Changemaker: Sandy Kemper, Founder of Smiles Forever

By Carolyn Hubbard

The first time Sandy Kemper met Jobanna, she was a submissive young single mother getting her teeth cleaned at her resident shelter for indigenous women. Today, Jobanna is a confident dental hygienist, helping other women and advocating for the profession. Hers is just one of the many stories that illustrate Sandy’s success as founder and director of Smiles Forever, the Seattle-based non-profit organization that provides dental hygienist training and job placement for indigenous women in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Born in south Seattle, Sandy worked as a dental hygienist from the moment she finished her training program. She raised a son, traveled occasionally, and spent weekends waterskiing or alpine skiing. As her son approached his college years, and as she tired of cleaning people’s teeth day in and day out, Sandy decided it was time for a change.

In 1999, she signed up for a 10-day program in which dentists provide free dental care for indigenous women and children at the Madre de Dios shelter in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Sandy’s job was to pull teeth, rather than clean them, often without any anesthetic and with the patient lying over a couple of wooden desk chairs. After some 30 years as a dental hygienist, the lack of preventative care shocked her and she was struck by the abject poverty in which they lived. “I would go home and sob, wondering what was going to happen to them,” Sandy recalls.

She returned to Seattle, convinced that she needed to do something to help. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” she explains. Friends and family encouraged her to explore ways to help, and so she went back, this time alone, and the idea “just clicked:” She would train a couple of the women in the shelter to provide dental care to the others.

Developing a training program in a country you hardly know, let alone speak the language, might be considered a bit risky by some, but not Sandy. Tall and fit, she listens intently and speaks with a conviction present in those who forego the comforts of the everyday and plunge into humanitarian work. She’s determined and she’s tenacious. Sandy mentions that having learning challenges as a child taught her to not give up. “Once I get it, I get it,” she explains. “But I might need to find other ways to get there. I have no fear of failure.”

Her determination worked. She took a loan out on her house to buy a dental chair, traveled once again to Bolivia and recruited six teenagers from the shelter as her first students. The ball was rolling, but not the funding. Sandy continues to privately finance the program, but has had no regrets about the changes in her lifestyle. “It’s a thrill to help somebody. To be able to give somebody something is a wonderful feeling.”

With 11 years of activity and growth, Smiles Forever now has two training clinics in Cochabamba, open to women who cannot afford other schooling. Trainee hygienists provide services to the Madre de Dios shelter residents, then to the general public before finding positions at dental offices. They are then supported to continue their education or become trainers for the next class of hygienists. So far, thirty-two young women have completed the training program. The Bolivian government recognizes the school’s curriculum, which permits students to receive national titles. Sandy emphasizes that these women not only receive professional opportunities, they build confidence that empowers them to leave a cycle of poverty. “Once they get self esteem, they are like light bulbs,” she observes.

The program continues to flourish, and Sandy works three jobs and fundraises nonstop to finance the growth. “Sometimes it gets really hard, but every time, I turn the corner and it goes to another level.”

Indeed, Sandy continues to bring her organization to new levels. She has partnered with Shoreline Community College’s dental hygiene program to provide students and graduates an opportunity to work with Smiles Forever students and participate in a rural community service project outside of Cochabamba, earning credit towards their degree. The Smiles Forever program also enrolls Bolivian nursing students for one year to learn how to identify and treat periodontal diseases. Sandy has also partnered with a burn center in Cochabamba to provide dental care to burn victims. And she’s taking a personal interest in the complicated process of reconstructing cleft palettes, after adopting Andre, born with a cleft palette and now a giggling, playful three year old.

This past year, twenty previous students, including Jobanna, traveled from various corners of Cochabamba to honor Sandy at a graduation ceremony. Their speech brought tears to her eyes. It was a well-deserved moment, and a rare chance for Sandy to sit for a few moments and absorb their gratitude and admire their brilliant smiles.

Welcome New Members

Global Washington welcomes the following new member organizations! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these organizations and consider opportunities for collaboration and support. Together we are creating a unified voice for the development sector in the state and are working to build an equitable and prosperous world.

Engineers Without Borders – Puget Sound Professional Chapter

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit organization established in 2000 to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training responsible engineering professionals and students. http://ewb-pugetsound.org/

The Borgen Project

The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. We’re the innovative, national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy. http://www.borgenproject.org/

Community Empowerment Network

The Community Empowerment Network is a Whatcom County-based non-profit which empowers rural communities in developing countries by helping residents build basic life skills, habits and mindsets to become more self reliant. We then build on this strong foundation by collaborating closely with residents, their leaders, government and other partners to offer a range of business development services and break down structural barriers so residents can build sustainable livelihoods and improve their quality of life. These efforts break the cycle of poverty, and foster long-term, sustainable development. http://www.endruralpoverty.org/

Individual Members

Thomas DiDonna

Announcements

Innovative Collaboration Promotes Small-Scale Coffee Growers

Seattle-based nonprofit investor and Global Washington member, Global Partnerships, has launched a collaborative partnership with Sustainable Harvest, a Portland-based specialty coffee importer, to broaden their outreach to small-scale coffee farmers in Peru and Mexico. In March and July, 2011, Global Partnerships disbursed loans to two cooperatives that are secured by sales contracts. Sustainable Harvest agreed to purchase coffee from the cooperatives and repay Global Partnerships upon receipt of the coffee. This innovative approach reduces the risk of default for Global Partnerships while providing the cooperatives a streamlined method of continued disbursements, which in turn benefits the small-scale coffee farmer.

Seattle Storm Honors Jessica Markowitz and Jerilyn Brusseau

The founders of two Global Washington member organization were recently selected by WNBA championship basketball team Seattle Storm for their annual Women of Inspiration campaign, celebrating women for their outstanding accomplishments, courage, service, and dedication. Jessica Markowitz, founder of Richard’s Rwanda-IMPUHWE and Jerilyn Brusseau, co-founder of PeaceTrees Vietnam were two one of the four local women selected and honored during a pre-game reception and halftime ceremony on Aug. 5, 2011.

Jessica, a junior at Garfield High School in Seattle, stood out for her commitment to civic responsibility and community involvement, which came to force when she founded Richard’s Rwanda-IMPUHWE when only 11 years old.

Motivated to respond to the loss of her brother in the Vietnam War, Jerilyn founded PeaceTrees to create friendship and peace instead of hostility between the people of Vietnam and the United States. She has won numerous awards for her work.

The other women honored by the Seattle Storm were Grethe Cammermeyer, equal rights pioneer; and Barbara Trask, scientist and cancer researcher.

Bill Clapp and Seattle’s Global Development Sector Highlighted

KPLU radio host and global development blogger Tom Paulson recently wrote a three-part series about Seattle’s global development sector’s efforts to build a stronger, more collaborative community. The engaging, witty articles can be accessed on his website, Humanosphere (July 27 and 29, August 1, 2011). Paulson begins the series with the work that the Seattle International Foundation is doing to build opportunities for collaboration, such as a fundraising event launched recently among Jolkona, iLEAP, and SIF. Paulson then identifies Bill and Paula Clapp, Seattle International Foundation and Global Washington founders, as being some of Seattle’s first philanthropists and highlights their influence on the microfinance sector and on building awareness for the need for more cohesion across all global development sectors. The third of the series highlights the burgeoning field of young “do-gooders” and the organization, Hub Seattle, which hopes to provide such people a communal hosted work space. Paulson’s articles bring to the table the challenges and the strength of Global Washington’s mission to convene and strengthen the state’s global development sector.

Book Signing and Lecture by Acclaimed Journalist Alex Perry

World Affairs Council of Seattle presents Alex Perry, TIME’s Africa Bureau Chief and author of Lifeblood: How to Change the World One Dead Mosquito at a Time for a lecture on the impact malaria has had on international aid and development trends and what impact its eradication would have on the African continent and the rest of the world. The event takes place at the Seattle BioMed Auditorium, 307 Westlake Ave. N., Seattle, WA, 98109, on October 13, 2011. A networking reception with light appetizers and a wine bar starts at 6pm, followed by the lecture at 7pm. $10/ 15 for WAC members/nonmembers. Event co-presented by Eliott Bay Book Company, Washington Global Health Alliance, and Global Washington.

Unite for Sight: Conference Announcement

Registration for Unite for Sight’s, 9^th Annual Global Health & Innovation Conference, is now open. The conference will be held at Yale University April 21-22, 2012. Unite for Sight, a global health delivery organization, is also currently accepting abstract submissions for presentation. Deadlines for oral/poster abstracts are August 31, with an additional deadline on September 30. Social enterprise pitch abstracts are accepted on a rolling basis. For more details, go to http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference/.

Women of Vision Hosts Fundraising Event Featuring Sheryl WuDunn

Women of Vision, a World Vision affiliate, is hosting a fundraising event for global women’s issues called “make it right. From Oppression to Opportunity” on September 18^th, 2011. It will take place at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue from 5:00 to 7:30pm. The event will feature acclaimed author Sheryl WuDunn and writer and women’s advocate Renee Stearns. This fun and informational event will include a book signing, appetizers, and a string quartet. For more information or to register, visit http://www.wovwashington.org/

Seattle International Foundation Announces Call for Applications under its 2011 Global Program

The Seattle International Foundation (SIF) is now accepting applications under its Global Program. 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.

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). This round, preference will be given to organizations based in the greater Puget Sound region whose work directly impacts the lives of women and girls. 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.

Global Visionaries Hosts “Global Leadership Teacher Workshop”

On Monday, August 29th, Global Visionaries Executive Director Christopher Fontana is leading a teacher workshop focused on cultivating global leadership in the classroom. The global leadership approach “focuses on social and environmental justice through service learning and leadership skill building. It is an environment in which students are responsible for their own learning and accountable to their fellow classmates.” For more information or to register, email partnerships@global-visionaries.org

Workshop time: Monday, August 29th, 9am to 1pm
Location: Cleveland High School — Room 1201 | 5511 15th Avenue South | Seattle, WA 98108
RSVP: partnerships@global-visionaries.org

Landesa hosts discussion on women’s land rights in India.

On September 13th, join Landesa’s India Country Directory Gregory Rake, and Landesa attorney Deena Ledger for a special briefing on the situation for landless women in India and how ensuring their rights can have a broad positive impact including an increase in children’s education, improved health and nutrition, and less domestic violence. The discussion will focus on the current situation for land rights in India and Landesa’s current programs and future plans in the country. Space is limited. To RSVP, email events@landesa.org or call Hilary Anderson at (206) 257-6148.

Time: September 13th, 4:30pm to 6pm
Location: K&L Gates | 925 4th Ave, Ste 2900 | Seattle, WA 98104
RSVP: events@landesa.org

Have An Open Position? Wondering How To Recruit Volunteers? We Can Help!

Global Washington has recently launched a Careers in Global Development Center on our website—your resource for attracting quality talent to your organization! Global Washington members have full access to postings—from paid jobs, to internships, to board positions, to consultant opportunities. Non-members can also post paid global development positions by emailing their job descriptions to us at careercenter@globalwa.org. For more information or instructions for registering as an employer, email careercenter@globalwa.org.

We are also placing a special focus on volunteer recruitment by hosting a workshop on August 23rd called “Harnessing Volunteer Power.” The workshop will focus on volunteer utilization, recruitment, and retention, and will feature Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director, Global Washington; Rick McKenney, Executive Director, Water for Humans; Stacie Henrickson, Volunteer Coordinator, Friends of the Orphans; and a real-life volunteer!

Registration and more details here: https://app.etapestry.com/cart/GlobalWashington/default/item.php?ref=1910.0.165791815

Showcase Your Art At Global Washington’s Office!

We’re looking for globally-focused paintings or photography to fill up the lonely walls in our office. We host numerous meetings and events so your art will find a lot of admirers here! We are looking for artists who would like to showcase their art here for pre-determined periods of time—more exposure for you and a nicer office for us! If you or someone you know might be interested, please contact megan@globalwa.org.

Seattle Children’s Receives Grant For Life-Saving Infant Respiratory Device

Seattle Children’s Research Institute has just announced the receipt of a $2.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for development of the Seattle Children’s Positive Airway Pressure (Sea-PAP). Sea-PAP–a simple respirator with for premature infants—will be much cheaper than conventional ventilators, making it optimal for use in the developing world, where hundreds of thousands of infants die yearly due to respiratory distress.

For more information about Seattle Children’s Research Institute, visit: http://www.seattlechildrens.org/research.

Global Washington Advertising Campaign To Highlight Development Work In Washington State

In the last quarter of the year, Global Washington will be launching a broad-reaching advertising campaign to highlight the innovative and extensive global development work coming out of the state of Washington. Utilized media will include a variety of print, web, and other sources to reach the widest possible audience. We expect that this exposure will drive a significant amount of traffic to our website, including our development directory. If your organization is not already included, please take a moment to add yourself now! Some data from the directory will also be used in the media campaign.