July 2013 Newsletter
Welcome to the July 2013 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
- GlobalWA announcements
- Featured organization: SE Asia Children’s Foundation
- Changemaker: Kentaro Toyama : Valuing quality over quantity of impact
- Welcome new members
- Upcoming GlobalWA member events
- Announcements
- Career Center
- GlobalWA events
Note from our Executive Director
Greetings!
Hope you are taking time out to enjoy the lovely summer days. We, at GlobalWA, have been very busy with preparation for the 5th annual conference. We are excited to open registration this week and look forward to working with our membership on the details of the agenda. There are several opportunities for you to participate in our conference: you can participate in the fast pitch presentations by submitting a proposal here, you can propose panels by submitting a proposal here, you can nominate a global hero, or you can participate in the conference planning committee by writing to me at Bookda@globalwa.org.
This year’s conference theme will continue to highlight the work of GlobalWA and the collective impact framework we use to bring our members together. You can find a list of member working groups and their focus areas here. Let me know if you are interested in joining one of these groups.
Thanks for all of your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming fall events.
In unity,
Bookda Gheisar, Executive Director
Global Washington Announcements
Join us for an opportunity to meet Chief Land Tenure and Property Rights Division at USAID
Join us on Tuesday July 30 for a conversation between Dr. Gregory Myers and Tim Hanstad (President & CEO, Landesa). This event will explore the relationship between food security, local land tenure, and poverty. For those not familiar, the global farms race is the practice of wealthy countries or investors leasing or buying outright huge swaths of arable land in low-income countries, often displacing local populations without consultation or compensation.
Using real world examples of land right acquisition from Benin to Tajikistan, Dr. Myers will demonstrate the importance of inclusive land use policy in ensuring proper nutrition, mitigating conflict, gender equality, environmental conservation, and ending the cycle of poverty in many low-income countries. Dr. Myers will highlight how developing countries, investors, international organizations such as USAID and DFID, and non-profits like Landesa, are addressing the opportunities and challenges presented by the Global Farms Race. And will discuss how with strong land tenure policies and transparency, the Global Farms Race can benefit both investors and locals alike.”
RSVP: Click here!
Update from U.S. Global Leadership Coalition: The Heat is on for Foreign Aid
the House Appropriations Subcommittee responsible for foreign assistance slashed the International Affairs Budget this morning by 19 percent compared to current funding, even with sequestration. This represents a nearly 30 percent cut in funding just in the past three years. Our National Security Advisory Council co-chairs sent a strong statement of concern stating that this bill puts both our national and economic security at risk at a time when the challenges we face around the world only continue to grow.
The good news is that next Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up their version of the same bill, which is $10 billion higher than the House level for international programs. For a more detailed analysis, you can view USGLC’s budget center here.
Send us your success stories!
We at GlobalWA are on a mission to promote the global development sector in Washington State. As an organization, we know that you, our members and supporters, do amazing work on a daily basis that impacts thousands around the world. However, we want everyone else in Washington to know!
In an effort to raise awareness among the general public, policy makers, and businesses, we are collecting short member success stories so that we can better advocate for you among our networks.
Don’t miss the opportunity to get your story out there!
If you have a story that you want us to share, please email Sara Veltkamp at SaraV@globalwa.org to request the easy-to-fill-out form. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your story!
Featured Organization
SE Asia Children’s Foundation
By Emma McKay
Bill and Pat with girls at the orphanage in Bali.
For Bill and Pat Taylor, founders of the SE Asia Children’s Foundation, giving back doesn’t just mean pulling out the checkbook. What started as a pleasure vacation to Bali in 2005, quickly changed into an effort to sponsor the education of 140 Indonesian girls, and has now become a full fledged ambition to create sustainable change for children’s organizations throughout SE Asia. The couple, who are both mostly retired, fell in love with the girls they visited at an orphanage in Indonesia, but were heartbroken by how little the girls had. They wanted to do more than their original plan to sponsor two of them through high school. Eight years later, their work has changed the lives of hundreds of children in SE Asia and helps numerous organizations in the region function in a more efficient, impactful way.
Meeting with Theany, director of Future of Khmer Children.
Global Washington featured Bill Taylor as our “Changemaker” in the March, 2012 Newsletter, when the SE Asia Children’s Foundation was just getting off the ground. The couple had already created The Bill and Pat Bali Fund, which financially supports the seven orphanages in the Widhya Asih Foundation system, including the one they visited on their first trip to Bali. Through the SE Asia Children’s Foundation, they have expanded their work to organizations in Thailand, and now Cambodia and Myanmar. Their work has moved far beyond just financial assistance. Bill is now using his years of experience as a management consultant, focused specifically on organization development, human resources management, strategic planning and training to work directly with organizations in the region to help them better manage their resources. Bill is doing what we all aspire to do in this field, using his own resources to help the children in the best way he knows how.
“[The girls’ situation is] not something you can change by writing a check,” he said. “It’s about bringing some new skills and working patiently with the organizations to combine our efforts to make a bigger impact.”
Anjali House.
Bill now travels to SE Asia four times a year He just returned last Saturday the 13th from his most recent trip to Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Though the trip was a month long, he didn’t waste any time, taking only one day off, and staying at most, only four consecutive nights in one place.
He stayed the longest in Siem Reap Cambodia where he met with several organizations including Future of Khmer Children, which provides supplemental education in English, computer skills, sewing, and Khmer arts, music and culture.
“Kids come from local villages, go to government schools for half the day and go there for additional education,” said Bill. “So they’re really getting ahead.”
Along with Together We Can Change The World, a nonprofit also focused on helping children in Southeast Asia, the foundation is funding a technology center there that will provide the 322 children at the school with access to education enhancing technology such as DVDs, computers and satellite links to educational programs.
Bill with three monks.
In Siem Reap, he visited Anjali House as well, an organization that also provides supplemental education specifically in the arts, as well as healthcare, meals and safe drinking water for disadvantaged children in the area. He was more than impressed and is considering supporting the program in the future.
Another favorite visit was with a project with the monks of Dama Haywon in Myanmar, where over 70 monks live on a 70-acre property in the jungle along with 400 children who are provided shelter, food and education. In addition, these monks are also working in 20 nearby villages, providing 1,600 addition children with an education.
“Some monks are really dedicated to introspection and meditation,” said Bill. “Others are dedicated to community service. These monks are exceptionally dedicated to community service.”
Bill visited the monks along with his friend Treasure Shine who is the Thailand Project Manager for Partners Asia, a fellow Global Washington member. They were able to fund a small project to create a shelter to cover drying clothes outside so they don’t get wet in the rain. The two plan to return next January or February with a bigger group to show more people the phenomenal work the monks are doing.
Throughout the month, Bill visited many more new organizations, and spent a total of eight days coaching the organizations he and Pat already partner with. He was impressed with most of the organizations he visited, but some he found disappointing. The foundation is extremely careful in who it decides to support. It seeks out leaders to support who are committed, inspired, dedicated and ambitious, because that’s who can take their support the furthest in helping the children.Poor planning and potential corruption led Bill to lament, “there are so many kids in need, I can’t possibly help them all, The key for me is really looking for reputable confident leaders.”
Drying rack where a shelter will soon be built.
Bill is looking to expand to 6-8 people.He says that other consultants will have different skills to teach providing leaders the requisite skills and resources to implement big change.
When asked about success stories, Bill had plenty to list. He cited his Bali “daughter” Siska and several other girls with sponsorships who recently graduated from university with a four year degree, as well as the loads of text messages from thankful children he receives whenever he first arrives back in Asia. He constantly has organizations asking him to come back and do more work because they have had so much success.
The SE Asia Children’s Foundation welcomes any contact, conversation and support from the public and would love to hear from anyone interested further in their projects and how to get involved.
Changemaker
Kentaro Toyama : Valuing quality over quantity of impact
By Sara Veltkamp
Do you believe that nurturing people and communities is the best way to have an impact in international development? Do you think that technology is only “an amplifier of human intent and capacity” rather than a standalone solution?
Global Washington individual member, Kentaro Toyama, does too and he is writing a book about these topics.
With the tentative title Heart, Mind, and Will Toyama’s book, which he describes as being “ambitious and (possibly) foolhardy”, tackles the problematic emphasis on “packaged interventions”– easily replicable interventions that are meant to be widely scaled for use in many diverse areas, but which fail to include elements of human or institutional growth that are critical to meaningful development.
“The most important things for the international development community to focus on are the maturation of individuals and societies so that they can better achieve their own aspirations” and according to Toyama this focus is in opposition to programs that universally apply a cookie-cutter treatment to development challenges.
A PhD in computer science and a former Microsoft employee, Toyama began focusing on technology in development when he went to India to help build a new research lab in Bangalore. He dedicated the next six years to the use of technology in development programs such as computers in classrooms, mobile phones for communicating with sugarcane farmers, text-free user interfaces for non-literate users, etc.
After nearly six years of that work, Toyama quit the technology industry and became a researcher at UC Berkeley but is living in Washington. He believes that many development practitioners who work closely with poor communities would agree with his premise, but his book is also aimed at philanthropists and policy makers who tend to be removed from ground realities and overly focused on quantity of impact over quality.
In addition to writing, he volunteers at several different international non-profits. At Global Washington, he helped organize the 2012 Annual Conference, and is currently using his research expertise to gauge the total impact of Global Washington members.
Toyama is also a Global WA member. This year, Global Washington introduced individual memberships at $100 per year. Through this program, Toyama feels that he is able to connect with a community here that shares his interests in international development. Most recently he taught a ‘Dr Is In’ session on evaluation of program impact at Global Washington’s offices (follow the link to our blog for a recap).
If you’re interested in becoming an individual member so that you can interact with Toyama and our other amazing individual and organizational members; get access to our career center; and get discounted rates on our numerous workshops, educational, and networking events, email us at info@globalwa.org, or sign up at https://globalwa.org/get-involved/membership/.
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!
US Fund for UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education,emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States. www.unicefusa.org
Linksbridge
Provides experienced teams and individuals to support executives in businesses and non-profit organizations. http://www.linksbridge.com/
New Individual Members
Leslie Stroud-Romero
Lynly Beard
Jack Purdie
Kentaro Toyama
Member Events
Facing the Future and Global Visionaries in partnership with OSPI, the World Affairs Council, and Global Washington present: Exploring Global Issues and Building a Democratic Classroom
Join Facing the Future and Global Visionaries on August 30 for a FREE day long workshop to learn effective strategies to engage students in being active global citizens.
You will walk away with free resources, new approaches, and a community of support to begin integrating global issues and sustainable solutions into your classroom.
During a lunchtime keynote, Rick Steves will share with us his thoughts on using the classroom as a springboard for building global awareness and global citizens. Steves has authored over 50 European travel guidebooks, hosts a weekly national public radio show, writes a weekly column for the Chicago Tribune, and hosts a popular travel series on public television. He will give away free copies of his book “Travel As a Political Act” to workshop attendees.
Workshops are geared toward high school teachers, but all are welcome to join. Free clock hours provided! Click here for a workshop flyer.
Date
Friday, August 30, 2013
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Location
Seattle, WA (specific location TBD)
Please mark your calendar and click here to RSVP.
Questions? Please contact Noah Zeichner: nzeichner@gmail.com
Love Parks Day with EarthCorps and Seattle Parks Foundation
Looking for a way to start your weekend green? Love Parks Day is an opportunity to roll up your sleeves and spend a summer Friday working with other rock star volunteers at one of Seattle’s well loved parks. The event is being organized by Seattle Parks Foundation in partnership with REI, EarthCorps, the Green Seattle Partnership, and Seattle Parks and Recreation. An inspiring group lunch will be provided to all volunteers. We are grateful to REI, The Seneca Group,and Wells Fargo for their generous support of this event.
Date
Fri Jul 26, 2013 10am – 2pm Pacific Time
Facing the Future’s Sustainability Education Summer Institute
The 3-day experience, held on the beautiful and sustainably-bui lt IslandWood campus on Bainbridge Island, is the perfect setting for collaborative and reflective learning.
For more information, click here.
Date
Mon Jul 29 – Wed Jul 31, 2013
Location
IslandWood
4450 Blakely Ave NE,
Bainbridge Island, WA
Lift Up Africa Golf Tournament 2013
Sign up today to play in Lift Up Africa’s 2nd Annual Golf Tournament in Cle Elum, WA. We expect to host over 70 golfers and have at least 12 sponsors who are making this day possible.
For more information, click here.
Date
August 1, 2013
Location
Tumble Creek Golf Course,
3600 Suncadia Trail,
Cle Elum, WA 98922
Register: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/LiftUpAfrica/2013Golf.html
AEI Fall Event 2013: Afghanistan 2014: Sustaining Girls’ Education
The Topic: How will a diminished Western presence impact girls’ education in Afghanistan?
After twelve years of war in Afghanistan, the United States and its Western allies are withdrawing troops from the nation. During those twelve years, significant progress has been made on the education front for girls and women with school construction projects and literacy program development. The rates for girls entering school skyrocketed in some regions of the country. And while there is still significant work to be done, the foundation has been laid in many regions of Afghanistan to continue building a better future for girls and women.
However, donors are cautious now about giving their resources to causes in Afghanistan.Why give to a nation where headlines of top newspapers report increasingly volatile security conditions?
We’ve designed the breakfast so that you’ll hear from seasoned foreign affairs experts–a military veteran now devoted to humanitarian work in Afghanistan and a woman who served under 3 administrations representing the U.S. working for women’s rights in Afghanistan, Iraq and other nations. You’ll also hear from our own non profit organization’s leader about building and repairing over 20 schools during the past decade in Balkh Province, Northern Afghanistan.
Why should donors care now, more than ever, about sustaining programs that support and foster girls’ empowerment in Afghanistan? Join us for a conversation about the ways that philanthropists’ dollars have made a difference in opening the doors to education for millions of girls in Afghanistan. And help us celebrate the work of a Northwest donor who has pioneered innovative giving projects in Afghanistan in architecture, the environment,and girls’ empowerment.
Speakers
Charlotte M. Ponticelli
Lieutenant General John A. Bradley
Date
September 26, 2013
Registration & Coffee: 7:00 -7:30 am
Breakfast & Program: 7:30 – 8:45am
Location
Center for Urban Horticulture
3501 NE 41st St, Seattle
* Special Afghan pastries will be served
Reserve seats by e-mail or call 206-331-3786
Announcements
Empowering Women Exhibit
Artisan cooperatives that transform communities
June 12 – October 27
From Africa to Asia to the Americas, female artisans are creating grassroots cooperatives to reach new markets, raise living standards, and transform lives.
Empowering Women provides an intimate view of the work of ten artisan enterprises in ten countries. This exhibition illustrates the power of grassroots collaborations to transform women’s lives, through inspiring personal stories, stellar photographs and stunning examples of the cooperatives’ handmade traditional arts. Learn more: http://www.burkemuseum.org/empowering
The Burke is offering up five special opportunities to see Empowering Women with your favorite group of 5 to 20 people on select dates July through October. These are perfect opportunities for your board, a group of colleagues, your book club, or a special group of friends or neighbors to get together to see the show.
Learn more here: http://www.burkemuseum.org/empowering/hour
To reserve a date, email useburke@uw.edu
Date
June 12 – October 27
Location
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
WCIT Summer Trade Luncheon: The Trade Policy View from DC
An opportunity for high-level business leaders from across Washington state to gather for an update on Federal trade policy achievements in the first six months of the year, and to look ahead to the next six months. Close to 150 attendees gather to hear a keynote speech by high-level trade experts, followed by discussion and analysis.
For more information, click here.
Date
Thu Aug 8, 2013 12pm – 1:30pm Pacific Time
Location
Chamber’s office (in Microsoft Conference Center),
1301 5th Ave,
15th Floor, Seattle 98101
To register, follow the link below: http://www.seattlechamber.com/Events/EventDetails.aspx?articleID=2832
Members, pre-paid is $45, $55 after 8/6. Non-members is $65.
Fitz & The Tantrums
Oxfam supporters Fitz & The Tantrums will be touring this summer, and have invited Oxfam to reach out to their fans at concerts around the country. If you are headed to this show, please look for the Oxfam table and join us and the band in taking action against hunger and poverty!
Event contact person: Bob Ferguson
concerts@oxfamamerica.org
Date
Fri Aug 9, 2013 8pm – 11:45pm Pacific Time
Location
Showbox Sodo,
1700 1st Ave South,
Seattle, WA 98134
Update on Charity Navigator Results Reporting Dimension from InterAction
As most of you know, Charity Navigator has been making several changes to its rating system. In 2011, it launched CN 2.0, which consisted of the introduction of a new Accountability and Transparency dimension. Earlier this year, Charity Navigator introduced the third dimension of its rating system (CN 3.0), which is focused on results reporting. You can see their announcement on CN 3.0 here, and find an explanation of how they plan to evaluate results reporting here. Additional information is available in a Results Reporting Concept Note.
Charity Navigator is currently piloting the new methodology in one cause area at a time, and have stressed that, while organizations’ scores on this dimension will be posted online, star ratings will not be affected until they have had an opportunity to test this methodology in many, if not most, of their cause areas. We have been told that they will not get to the cause areas under the international category for at least six months.
First comprehensive regulatory map is a blueprint for how to defeat tuberculosis
Despite decades of research on the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), scientists have not had a comprehensive understanding of how the bacterium is wired to adapt to changing conditions in the host. Now, researchers at Stanford University, Seattle BioMed, Boston University and the Broad Institute, Max Planck Institute of Biology in Berlin, Germany, Caprion Proteomics Inc. in Montreal, Canada, Brigham and Woman’s Hospital (Harvard University), and Colorado State University have taken the first steps toward a complete representation of the regulatory network for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Read more In The News.
Career Center
Highlighted Paid Position
Senior Business Development Officer, Program Development; PATH
PATH seeks a Senior Business Development Officer to support PATH’s program development efforts with multiple donors, including the United States government (USAID, NIH, etc.), other governments, foundations and the private sector. This position will focus on developing new business intelligence, new business response strategy and proposal implementation, requiring both strategic and tactical levels of support. This position is pivotal in the development of sound, responsive and compelling bids. Partnering with program leaders and others across the organization, the successful candidate will be in the center of the work, able to affect the direction of key bids. S/he will work both internally across the organization as well as externally with donors and partners. Opportunities to lead both time and a flexible work schedule to permit for either early morning or late evening teleconference calls or assignments. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/senior-business-development-officer-program-development/
Office and Accounting Manager, Vittana
This position is critical to the core business functions of Vittana and touches a wide range of responsibilities with a primary focus on accounting. Successful candidates for this position will have a strong, mid-level accounting background and willingness to do what it takes to make a medium-sized office run. Tasks for this position could include everything from helping to set up accounting systems for the newly forming debt fund, ordering office supplies, project managing an audit, trouble-shooting tech problems and helping to plan staff events. Willingness to stretch both up and down are essential for this role. Given the growth stage Vittana is entering, this promises to be an exciting, interesting and challenging position for the right person. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/office-and-accounting-manager/
Development Director, buildOn
buildOn seeks a dynamic Development Director to strategically execute on a variety of fundraising initiatives, including: major gifts, corporate partnerships, foundation/grant research & individual giving. The Development Director must have marketing and communication experience which will translate to an increase in annual revenues through running local campaigns & event fundraising. In addition to developing and implementing strategies for prospecting and bringing in new donors, the Development Director will manage an existing pool of donors. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in fundraising and sales as well as be an exceptional writer. The director will also be an excellent communicator, with the ability to listen and create a tailored pitch, both in writing and verbally, and will be excited by the responsibility of being accountable for significantly increasing financial support for buildOn. Reporting to the Vice President of Development, West Coast, you will be an integral part in engaging strategic partnerships that will help achieve buildOn’s aggressive fundraising goals. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/development-director-3/
Highlighted Volunteer Opportunity
Citizen Ambassador; PeaceTrees Vietnam
PeaceTrees Vietname’s Citizen Diplomacy trips reach beyond simplistic views and provide an opportunity for travelers to volunteer and experience Vietnam from a unique and rewarding perspective. PeaceTrees’ ambassadors make personal connections with our Vietnamese sponsors by working alongside them, sharing meals, and planting trees. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/citizen-ambassador/
Bankers without Borders, Grameen Foundation
Bankers without Borders® is a program of the Grameen Foundation that engages individuals and companies to help break the cycle of global poverty. It is a global reserve of business professionals with experience in a variety of fields – from finance and technology to human resources and marketing. By contributing their time and knowledge, Bankers without Borders volunteers support social enterprise, microfinance, and technology-sector initiatives throughout the developing world. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/bankers-without-borders-volunteer/
Highlighted Internship Opportunity
Graduate-level Internship Rotavirus Vaccine Advocacy and Communications, PATH
This internship requires a 15-20 hour/week commitment and is expected to last for approximately three months. A stipend of 900 USD per month will be offered. In addition to a cover letter and CV, please submit a writing sample of approximately 300-400 words (e.g., newsletter article, blog post, webpage content, fact sheet) that demonstrates your ability to effectively translate scientific findings into a communications piece for a non-technical audience. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/graduate-level-internship-rotavirus-vaccine-advocacy-and-communications/
Osborn Youth Engagement Zone Intern, buildOn
buildOn is breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education. For the past two decades buildOn has mobilized urban youth to lift up their communities and change the world through volunteer service. https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/jobs/view/osborn-youth-engagement-zone-intern/
For more jobs and resources, visit https://globalwa.org/strengthen/careers-in-development/
GlobalWA Events
July 30
The Global Farms Race: Implications for Food Security, Poverty, and Foreign Investment
September 11
Global Social : Sub-Saharan Africa