The projects we support represent creative solutions to long-standing local challenges. And they contribute to a more functional global society. Some projects are the work of inspired individuals; others are the work of seasoned organizations. All promise big impact, sustainable growth and the potential for replication. Here are the projects we supported in 2009.
Aware Girls
Pakistan ~ $10,600
Aware Girls works to protect and promote the rights of young women and girls displaced from their homes in Pakistan’s northwest frontier. Through focus groups Aware Girls discovered that humanitarian aid was failing to address the unique difficulties faced by women. They immediately sprang into action and piloted a health kit and basic hygiene education program. StartFund monies will be used to expand to this program and to publicize outcomes in order to inspire gender-sensitive humanitarian aid. Learn more about Aware Girls.
Between Four Eyes
Rwanda ~ $16,750
Working in post-conflict areas worldwide, Between Four Eyes (B4E) offers teachers the tools they need to transform students and heal communities. Their curricula focus on healthy socio-emotional interactions and the mindful awareness techniques that can help manifest compassion and peace. B4E will use StartFund monies to offer intensive 6-day training workshops to 300 teachers in Rwanda and Nigeria in partnership with Teachers Without Borders. Find out more about B4E.
City Kids
USA ~ $10,000
In 2008 in a high school in New York City, City Kids started an informal girls-only discussion group around sensitive issues like domestic violence, peer rivalries and relationships. They discovered a tremendous need among at-risk female students to learn to trust, to manifest compassion and to explore the challenges and opportunities of being a woman today. StartFund monies will be used to create, test and roll out the Women’s Empowerment Group in a number of local area schools. Check out City Kids.
Dynamic Teen Company
Philippines ~ $9,840
Philippines-based Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) reaches children in slum areas who lack access to education, basic hygiene and love. DTC’s innovative strategies—push-cart mobile schools, “feedings,” first-aid interventions, values-formation activities—have succeeded in inspiring many of the 15,000 kids they’ve served to go on to more formal schooling, to “give back” by becoming DTC volunteers and to assume positions of leadership in the DTC effort. StartFund monies will be used to expand DTC’s Care for Poor Children program to Manila. Learn about DTC.
Empowering Women Nepal
Nepal ~ $8,000
In 1999 three Nepali sisters founded Empowering Women Nepal (EWN) to help women from poor remote regions participate in the booming adventure and eco tourism business. Since then, in cooperation with 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, EWN has helped hundreds of women learn to support themselves and their families and become leaders in community revenue generation and improvement. StartFund monies will help EWN expand its rock and ice climbing trainings in western Nepal. Have a closer look at EWN.
FeelGood World
USA ~ $8,000
FeelGood aims to transform U.S. students into successful social entrepreneurs . . . one grilled cheese at a time. The program supports students in the creation and operation of “Grilled Cheese Delis,” where every penny of profit goes to organizations dedicated to ending world hunger. Currently there are more than 21 campuses and 40,000 students participating. StartFund monies will help move FeelGood World one step closer to long-term financial self-sufficiency, as it seeks to scale its products and programs. Check out FeelGood world.
Humor y Vida
Ecuador ~ $13,770
Working in areas of civil unrest in the borderlands between Colombia and Ecuador, Humor y Vida invites local communities to generate a positive pluralistic cultural identity through music, dance, theater and clowning. Humor y Vida sees its efforts as countering xenophobia and racism and contributing to a culture of peace in the region . . . one child at a time. StartFund monies will be used to formalize a series of dramatic workshops and cultural exchanges for wider distribution.
Inspire Dreams
Palestine ~ $10,000
In 2008 Inspire Dreams brought its flagship “I Have a Dream” summer camp to Palestinian teens in the Al-Azzeh and Dheisheh refugee camps in Bethlehem and the Jalazone camp in Ramallah. Over 100 teens participated in the 5-day program of arts, athletics and academics, with a focus on non-violent self-expression. Inspire Dreams hopes to reach all 12 West Bank refugee camps by 2012 in order to create a generation of change agents, dedicated to peace. StartFund monies will be used to kick off this expansion with a winter camp in 2010. Find out about Inspire Dreams.
Jacaranda School
Malawi ~ $12,370
The Jacaranda School provides free secondary education, receives no government aid and boasts an exam pass rate of 87.5%. Malawi native Marie da Silva founded the school in 2002 as a primary facility and orphanage in her mother’s home. StartFund monies will be used to create a teaching garden and chicken farm. The garden and farm will provide community jobs, improve student health, attendance and performance, sustain the school with revenue from the sale of eggs and meat and serve as a model for sustainable farming practices and small businesses in the region. Find out about the Jacaranda School.
Project Why
India ~ $8,600
New Delhi-based Project Why helps underprivileged communities pool resources to provide a quality education to their own children. In only 7 years Project Why has managed to reach some 700 children via 7 educational centers. They also broadened efforts to provide life skill enhancement to adult family members. Their Women Center, for instance, offers sewing, tailoring, beauty and English lessons, taught by disadvantaged women whom Project Why previously empowered. StartFund monies will be used to expand programming at the Women Center . . . and reduce a lengthy waiting list! Learn more about Project Why.
Save the Children
USA ~ $15,000
Every year two million children under 5 die of pneumonia in developing countries. Save the Children designed the program “Knock Pneumonia Off the Map” in partnership with Scholastic to raise awareness and mobilize the world to take action. Curriculum and training materials will reach 210,000 teachers, 6 million students and 9 million parents. StartFund monies will be used in support of this effort. Learn more about Knock Pneumonia Off the Map.
Touch Foundation
Tanzania ~ $10,000
For every 30,000 people in Tanzania there is one doctor. The Touch Foundation seeks to address this shortage by helping build the country’s capacity to train healthcare professionals and also to strengthen its healthcare system. The Touch Foundation works in partnership with the Tanzanian government, local authorities and U.S. businesses and institutions. StartFund monies will be used to expand the number of nurses trained at Weill Bugando University College of Health Sciences in Mwanza. Learn more about the Touch Foundation.
We Are Family Foundation
USA ~ $15,000
The We Are Family Foundation conceived the Three-Dot-Dash Peace Summit to bring together 25 teen leaders with projects that support cross-cultural respect and bridge-building in 13 countries. Teen leaders will convene in New York City to develop action plans, budgets and speaking materials for their projects, in partnership with a mentor. StartFund monies will be used to provide teen leaders with project stipends to realize their plans. Learn more about the Summit. Further information on WAFF.
Women’s Earth Alliance
India ~ $15,000
The Women’s Earth Alliance connects women leaders on the front lines of environmental justice causes to training, resources and a global network of peers. StartFund monies will be used to expand significantly their Indian Women and Agriculture Initiative in Northern India, which aims to support Indian women farmers in the use of sustainable and land-based farming practices. Check out the Women’s Earth Alliance. Read up on Women’s Earth Alliance.
Yes!
USA ~ $10,000
Yes! aims to connect, inspire and empower young change-makers around the world to join forces through a wide range of programs. Its Global Leadership program is organized around “Jams,” week-long regional events bringing together 30 young visionaries to network, share skills and build community. In the 19 years since its foundation, Yes! has reached over 650,000 students at over 100 jams in more than 65 nations. Over 400 non-profit organizations have been founded by Yes! participants. StartFund monies will contribute to 2 Jams planned for 2010. Find out about Yes!
Your Place Youth Center
USA ~ $8,550
Your Place Youth Center (YPYC) offers New Haven youth positive after-school and summer alternatives to gang life and street violence. Youth can sharpen academic or entrepreneurial skills or practice drama, dance, writing, singing and sports. StartFund monies will be used to expand the Executives Peace Project. Based on the principles of Martin Luther King, Jr. and organized in association with the Connecticut Center for Non-violence, the project seeks to develop non-violent leadership and peer-mentoring skills, while offering teens a safe, educational means to earn money. Check out YPYC.
Recent Projects
The projects we support represent creative solutions to long-standing local challenges. And they contribute to a more functional global society. Some projects are the work of inspired individuals; others are the work of seasoned organizations. All promise big impact, sustainable growth and the potential for replication. Here are the projects we supported in 2009.
Aware Girls
Pakistan ~ $10,600
Aware Girls works to protect and promote the rights of young women and girls displaced from their homes in Pakistan’s northwest frontier. Through focus groups Aware Girls discovered that humanitarian aid was failing to address the unique difficulties faced by women. They immediately sprang into action and piloted a health kit and basic hygiene education program. StartFund monies will be used to expand to this program and to publicize outcomes in order to inspire gender-sensitive humanitarian aid. Learn more about Aware Girls.
Between Four Eyes
Rwanda ~ $16,750
Working in post-conflict areas worldwide, Between Four Eyes (B4E) offers teachers the tools they need to transform students and heal communities. Their curricula focus on healthy socio-emotional interactions and the mindful awareness techniques that can help manifest compassion and peace. B4E will use StartFund monies to offer intensive 6-day training workshops to 300 teachers in Rwanda and Nigeria in partnership with Teachers Without Borders. Find out more about B4E.
City Kids
USA ~ $10,000
In 2008 in a high school in New York City, City Kids started an informal girls-only discussion group around sensitive issues like domestic violence, peer rivalries and relationships. They discovered a tremendous need among at-risk female students to learn to trust, to manifest compassion and to explore the challenges and opportunities of being a woman today. StartFund monies will be used to create, test and roll out the Women’s Empowerment Group in a number of local area schools. Check out City Kids.
Dynamic Teen Company
Philippines ~ $9,840
Philippines-based Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) reaches children in slum areas who lack access to education, basic hygiene and love. DTC’s innovative strategies—push-cart mobile schools, “feedings,” first-aid interventions, values-formation activities—have succeeded in inspiring many of the 15,000 kids they’ve served to go on to more formal schooling, to “give back” by becoming DTC volunteers and to assume positions of leadership in the DTC effort. StartFund monies will be used to expand DTC’s Care for Poor Children program to Manila. Learn about DTC.
Empowering Women Nepal
Nepal ~ $8,000
In 1999 three Nepali sisters founded Empowering Women Nepal (EWN) to help women from poor remote regions participate in the booming adventure and eco tourism business. Since then, in cooperation with 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, EWN has helped hundreds of women learn to support themselves and their families and become leaders in community revenue generation and improvement. StartFund monies will help EWN expand its rock and ice climbing trainings in western Nepal. Have a closer look at EWN.
FeelGood World
USA ~ $8,000
FeelGood aims to transform U.S. students into successful social entrepreneurs . . . one grilled cheese at a time. The program supports students in the creation and operation of “Grilled Cheese Delis,” where every penny of profit goes to organizations dedicated to ending world hunger. Currently there are more than 21 campuses and 40,000 students participating. StartFund monies will help move FeelGood World one step closer to long-term financial self-sufficiency, as it seeks to scale its products and programs. Check out FeelGood world.
Humor y Vida
Ecuador ~ $13,770
Working in areas of civil unrest in the borderlands between Colombia and Ecuador, Humor y Vida invites local communities to generate a positive pluralistic cultural identity through music, dance, theater and clowning. Humor y Vida sees its efforts as countering xenophobia and racism and contributing to a culture of peace in the region . . . one child at a time. StartFund monies will be used to formalize a series of dramatic workshops and cultural exchanges for wider distribution.
Inspire Dreams
Palestine ~ $10,000
In 2008 Inspire Dreams brought its flagship “I Have a Dream” summer camp to Palestinian teens in the Al-Azzeh and Dheisheh refugee camps in Bethlehem and the Jalazone camp in Ramallah. Over 100 teens participated in the 5-day program of arts, athletics and academics, with a focus on non-violent self-expression. Inspire Dreams hopes to reach all 12 West Bank refugee camps by 2012 in order to create a generation of change agents, dedicated to peace. StartFund monies will be used to kick off this expansion with a winter camp in 2010. Find out about Inspire Dreams.
Jacaranda School
Malawi ~ $12,370
The Jacaranda School provides free secondary education, receives no government aid and boasts an exam pass rate of 87.5%. Malawi native Marie da Silva founded the school in 2002 as a primary facility and orphanage in her mother’s home. StartFund monies will be used to create a teaching garden and chicken farm. The garden and farm will provide community jobs, improve student health, attendance and performance, sustain the school with revenue from the sale of eggs and meat and serve as a model for sustainable farming practices and small businesses in the region. Find out about the Jacaranda School.
Project Why
India ~ $8,600
New Delhi-based Project Why helps underprivileged communities pool resources to provide a quality education to their own children. In only 7 years Project Why has managed to reach some 700 children via 7 educational centers. They also broadened efforts to provide life skill enhancement to adult family members. Their Women Center, for instance, offers sewing, tailoring, beauty and English lessons, taught by disadvantaged women whom Project Why previously empowered. StartFund monies will be used to expand programming at the Women Center . . . and reduce a lengthy waiting list! Learn more about Project Why.
Save the Children
USA ~ $15,000
Every year two million children under 5 die of pneumonia in developing countries. Save the Children designed the program “Knock Pneumonia Off the Map” in partnership with Scholastic to raise awareness and mobilize the world to take action. Curriculum and training materials will reach 210,000 teachers, 6 million students and 9 million parents. StartFund monies will be used in support of this effort. Learn more about Knock Pneumonia Off the Map.
Touch Foundation
Tanzania ~ $10,000
For every 30,000 people in Tanzania there is one doctor. The Touch Foundation seeks to address this shortage by helping build the country’s capacity to train healthcare professionals and also to strengthen its healthcare system. The Touch Foundation works in partnership with the Tanzanian government, local authorities and U.S. businesses and institutions. StartFund monies will be used to expand the number of nurses trained at Weill Bugando University College of Health Sciences in Mwanza. Learn more about the Touch Foundation.
We Are Family Foundation
USA ~ $15,000
The We Are Family Foundation conceived the Three-Dot-Dash Peace Summit to bring together 25 teen leaders with projects that support cross-cultural respect and bridge-building in 13 countries. Teen leaders will convene in New York City to develop action plans, budgets and speaking materials for their projects, in partnership with a mentor. StartFund monies will be used to provide teen leaders with project stipends to realize their plans. Learn more about the Summit. Further information on WAFF.
Women’s Earth Alliance
India ~ $15,000
The Women’s Earth Alliance connects women leaders on the front lines of environmental justice causes to training, resources and a global network of peers. StartFund monies will be used to expand significantly their Indian Women and Agriculture Initiative in Northern India, which aims to support Indian women farmers in the use of sustainable and land-based farming practices. Check out the Women’s Earth Alliance. Read up on Women’s Earth Alliance.
Yes!
USA ~ $10,000
Yes! aims to connect, inspire and empower young change-makers around the world to join forces through a wide range of programs. Its Global Leadership program is organized around “Jams,” week-long regional events bringing together 30 young visionaries to network, share skills and build community. In the 19 years since its foundation, Yes! has reached over 650,000 students at over 100 jams in more than 65 nations. Over 400 non-profit organizations have been founded by Yes! participants. StartFund monies will contribute to 2 Jams planned for 2010. Find out about Yes!
Your Place Youth Center
USA ~ $8,550
Your Place Youth Center (YPYC) offers New Haven youth positive after-school and summer alternatives to gang life and street violence. Youth can sharpen academic or entrepreneurial skills or practice drama, dance, writing, singing and sports. StartFund monies will be used to expand the Executives Peace Project. Based on the principles of Martin Luther King, Jr. and organized in association with the Connecticut Center for Non-violence, the project seeks to develop non-violent leadership and peer-mentoring skills, while offering teens a safe, educational means to earn money. Check out YPYC.