Our trip in Ghana is almost done! We’re so sad that we have to leave. All month we have been working on our fundraising plan for DIVOG. We focused on two different roads to funding – Immediate funding and Future funding.
DIVOG funds all of it’s projects through volunteers. So in order to secure some immediate funding, we looked at ways to increase the number of volunteers at DIVOG. We also made powerpoints that DIVOG can use when marketing to churches and schools. Finally, we made a fundraising brochure that DIVOG can send out to future and past volunteers and future donors.
For future funding, we looked at ways DIVOG can market themselves in order to secure large amounts of money in the future. We gave them a list of foundations and their requirements that they can write grants to. We gave them a number of proposal templates that they can use in future fundraising. We sent out six initial letter of inquiries to different foundations. We wrote out a “How To Write Grants” Worksheet so DIVOG will have instructions on how to write their own grants in the future. Finally, we researched information on gaining 501 (c) 3 status in the United States.

We hope these steps will help DIVOG’s future fundraising efforts. It was a pleasure working with DIVOG this month and we’re sad that we have to leave soon!

So we’ve been working in Ghana for about two weeks now! We’re working for an organization called Disaster Volunteers of Ghana (DIVOG). They focus on community development in rural villages around the Volta Region area. They mostly build schools and donate supplies/furniture for different communities but they also build water boreholes, toilet blocks and work in hospitals. Volunteers who come, usually choose between working in an orphanage, in a school, in a hospital or on construction.

Yesterday we went around and visited different DIVOG projects in different villages. It was very cool to see all the impact that DIVOG has made in such a short period of time. The organization only started in 2002 and has been able to help so many people!

We’ve lost 2 key people… Mariana and Katarina. But, with one week to go, we see what we’ve been able to do, and I think the 4 of us will be able tow rap everything up with time to spare… which we plan to use checking out some more live music venues and some more restaurants recommended by the PIBV trip in Cusco from May which should be good.

Justin is leaving us on Friday, but that will give us enough time to finish up the project, and deliver a folder of goodies to them which will include a Detailed Marketing Strategy with research of the industry that has a short and long term plan. We also were able to catalog all their CD’s that contained thousands of photos, redesign their assessment and survey instruments, and edit their website.

Our plans this weekend are to head to Lima and check out the nice neighborhood of Miraflores, and the bohemiam neighborhood of Barranco. Also, we’ve heard that parasailing over the beach is a must-do so we’ll be looking into that.

As of Sunday evening Chelsea and I will be the last ones left, so we’re thinking of heading 4 hours outside Lima to a small backpackers town called Huachachina to go sandboarding… which we hear is like snowboarding but easier and on sand.

So another successful PIBV trip is coming to a close. We’re excited to present our project when we get back to school. Bye from PIBV Peru’s Challenge Cusco!

We just got back from one of the most amazing weekends of our lives! In short: yesterday morning at 5:45am we arrived at the entrance to Machu Picchu and watched the sun rise over the mountains. On Friday, we biked through the Andes, on Saturday, we hiked the Inka Trail and bathed in hot springs, and on Sunday, we zip-lined across valleys and over the Urubamba River. And yesterday, Monday, we climbed 2,000 steps in the dark to Machu Picchu where we spent 7 hours exploring, taking pictures, and relaxing in the ancient village. It was awesome.

Now we’re back to work in our freezing cold flat in Larapa, Cusco. We’ve been able to design a short and long-term US Marketing Strategy for Peru’s Challenge. We’ve been finding grants that fit the mission of Peru’s Challenge, and putting together a set of documents that we can leave behind that hopefully will be a helpful toolbox from which the organization can put together the necessary pieces of future grant applications. We’ve also gotten in touch with websites that host volunteer organizations, larger volunteers businesses that partner with local organizations that host volunteers, university community service and volunteer resources, as well as donor agencies that accept donations from individuals and corporations and then decide where/to what organizatins to distribute that money. We’ve connected with these resources introducing the organization of Peru’s Challenge and trying to initiate a partnership in whatever capacity is possible!

Some of the things we’ve learned so far is that 1) desinging/re-designing a website is ambitious and though necessary for Peru’s Challenge, it’s not something that we can do; 2) that putting together a database tool such as FileMakerPro for Peru’s Challenge to manage their communication with ex-volunteers, corporate sponsors, etc. is also something that would require a professional, or extended time/effort and not something that we can do for them; 3) that 501(c)3 status would require that Peru’s Challenge USA be established, which is something that will only be attainable in the organization’s long term goals.

So it’s been a little discouraging at times, but also important for us to realize the scope of our impact. We’re losing Katarina and Mariana this weekend, which is going to be tough because they’ve a huge help in our project, and also we’ll miss dancing with them, eating with them, and hanging out with them.

But Armena, Chelsea, Justin, and I (Anabel) will hold down the fort, finish up the project, and probably have some more good times next week. Another update to come soon!

Jambo from Tanzania!

We don’t have very frequent access to Internet, so we’ve been logging our blogs and I am just posting them now. Here’s three posts from our trip so far:

Tuesday, August 4

Hi everyone!

We arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania tired but excited, on Saturday at around 3:00 in the afternoon. We were met by MaryGrace, the leader of Travel for Change, our NGO. MaryGrace started the project from the University of Iowa with the help of her Swahili professor who lives in Tanzania during the summer. Travel for Change’s focus is on sustainable ecotourism initiatives. MaryGrace only started the NGO last year, but they have already begun construction for their first initiative in Njombe, southwest Tanzania, which is called Lukelo Lodge. They plan to initiate several of these ecotourism lodges throughout East Africa and they also hope to eventually serve as an avenue for marketing similar ecotourism initiatives.

We were very excited to see the Lukelo site and begin helping out with the project, but we were first warmly welcomed by MaryGrace’s professor Blandina Kaduma, who lives just outside of Dar. Their whole family has been very kind and we are all trying to pick up a little bit of Swahili. On Sunday, we went to the beaches north of Dar. The white sand slopes were beautiful and the Indian Ocean was warm and clear. It was a great day. Yesterday we did a tour around Dar, we saw the local fish market, with everything from live crabs and lobsters to snake fish and eels. We also visited the National Museum and the Botanical Gardens. It’s been a great stay so far with Kaduma’s family, and this afternoon we will be taking the train out to Njombe to see the site and meet the local community. We are excited to begin focused work on our project.

Kwaheri

Friday, August 7

Kamwene! (local Njombe greeting)

Our train on Tuesday was supposed to leave at 2:30, but it ended up arriving at 3:00 and we didn’t roll out of the station until about 4:30. A little disappointing but as they say here “Such is Africa”. It was an overnight train, but our beds were pretty comfortable and we arrived fairly well rested Wednesday morning. We checked into our hotel here, which brought us unknown luxuries such as a hot-water shower and a flushable toilet. After a short breakfast, we walked into town and met up with Kaduma’s cousin who is a veterinarian in Njombe. He brought us out to the site, which is about a half hour walk from town.  It’s nested in the middle of a range of rolling hills covered with lush forests and farmlands. Along our walk out we passed a farmer herding his flock of cows and goats through a field of corn husks. We also passed several young children who seemed very excited to see “Mzungu”s, the Swahili word for white people. Everyone has been very kind and welcoming thus far. When we reached the site, we were amazed by the progress that has been made in such a short amount of time. Building materials have been slow in arriving at the site, but the workers move very quickly. The first hut or “banda” is almost finished and the first bathroom with two latrines and a shower is also nearing completion.

We sat down at the site and began to discuss MaryGrace’s goals for the organization and outlined what we will be doing to help her develop the project. Our two primary tasks which we have begun working on the past few days are to outline a management strategy for Lukelo and Travel for Change as a whole as well as to develop an operational strategy for Lukelo Lodge as it begins to accept volunteers and toursists. We will also be summarizing both of these components and the other information we garner from MaryGrace and her partners into a proper business plan to help the organization apply for grants and funding. We have spent the last few days talking with MaryGrace and the locals involved in the project about where they see the project going, so that our work can enhance their goals. In the next few days, we will begin outlining the basics of the management and operational strategies.

Badai

Wednesday, August 12

Hello again!

The three of us all got a little sick over the weekend, nothing too serious and we’ve all now recovered, but it definitely hampered the beginning of our efforts on the project. Despite our illnesses, we have been outlining the management strategy over the past few days and are just putting the finishing touches on it today. First, we outlined the overall structure of Travel for Change as an organization and how the overall TFC board will interact with the local Lukelo board and the local staff. Second, we outlined all the various groups’ responsibilities with respect to the project. Third, we did an in-depth study of employee co-operatives, as MaryGrace is founding the project with the goal of distributing all the profits between the employees. We researched co-operatives and outlined a specific strategy for Lukelo to divide up the profits between the employees while also retaining some profits for the maintenance of the lodge as well as for community development projects such as well-building and school construction. Finally, we made some suggestions for the board by-laws which will be used to govern the organization.

On Thursday, MaryGrace’s professor, Dr. Kaduma, arrived in Njombe. She left back to Dar on Sunday but for a few days while she was here, MaryGrace and her have gone around town making some serious progress on Lukelo. They have begun interviewing potential candidates to become the first employee for the lodge and are also looking into constructing the kitchen. It’s been great to see the project really develop in front of our eyes while we’ve been here. Also, yesterday, we went to visit two women who weave baskets from bamboo and grass in the town. They are the first cultural tourism partner that MaryGrace has identified and are willing to give classes to tourists from Lukelo once it starts accepting guests. The two ladies were very funny and also very skilled. Their work was so labor intensive and they produced some beautiful pieces. They had even made two full chairs of bamboo. It was a great activity and will definitely be a strong part of Lukelo in the future.

That’s it for now,

Kwaheri

Day 2

Despite the addition of Flora to Team Mosquito Defense, the group yet again found themselves at odds against the forces of nature. This time…perhaps it was the combination of nature and some human influence that caused our quagmire.

Lesson 2: When you need to go to the bathroom in some foreign country, never inhale as you relieve yourself. You can never assume that the toilet has flushing capabilities – nor can you possibly ignore the smell that immediately surrounds the stall as the liquid from your body stirs what is beneath.

Day 2 of the PIBV August Mongolian trip began at a snail’s pace as both Vicky and I spent most of the morning at the luxurious Lotus Guest House.  Our plans to interview Lotus’s “CEO” Didi were delayed by the manager’s ill fate: her car broke down yet again as she tried to ship herself across a river. It seems like in a land-locked country, cars can act as viable substitutes for boats!

As we said our goodbyes to the Lotus Guest House, we received good news that Flora had arrived at the Lotus Children’s Center. With a new sense of purpose, Vicky and I, along with our guide the Lotus Guesthouse manager Aki, began our trip to meet up with Flora at the Center. As we walked across the street with our luggage, it seemed like there were no taxis in sight. Nonetheless, Aki proceeded to stick out his hand and immediately, two cars stopped by the side of the street. We were hitchhiking! Indeed, as Aki later explained, random drivers often act as unofficial taxi drivers, a phenomenon resulting from the 50% unemployment rate in the country. As we journeyed towards our destination in a cramped Honda Civic, it seemed like the roads became dustier and dustier. The car rocked left and right, making it almost seem like we were floating in the middle of an ocean in a storm. Finally, by the time the dust seemed to have engulfed our tiny car and our vehicle seemed at the brink of collapse, we arrived at our destination. 

Welcome to the Lotus School! Two stories high with multiple classrooms and even a mini stage auditorium, the school was relatively large but seemed pretty worn down. The walls were decorated by numerous artworks which told stories of other visits to Lotus by volunteers all around the world. Hopefully by the end of our trip, the children will document their experience with us onto their school walls as well.

Next, Vicky and I went to pick up Flora at the Lotus Children’s Center. The Center was basically the home of the kids: inside were rooms where the children stayed, a kitchen, as well as a giant yard where the children played. The children were incredibly active – some were tending to the garden while others were gathering clothing that organizations around the world had donated. At the Center, we had our first meal, a vegetable soup, which they also used for dinner.

After another few hours of observing the children, our group made our way to the Mongolian Ger, which is where we would be staying for the next twenty days. The Ger is basically a circular tent with wooden structures covered with an inner layer of sheet skin and outer layer of white cloth. Much like a tent, the Ger was comfortable and did a great job insulating heat.

At night, as we tried to take our shower and brush our teeth, the school was incredibly creepy. There were hardly any lights, and it reminded Vicky of the scary stories that she heard in Japan about abandoned schools. It seemed like in this ‘haunted house’ only cobwebs were missing as the building was filled with creaky doors and multiple dark hallways that opened to pitch dark rooms.  Opting to guard each other as we showered and brushed our teeth in the building, we were glad that we got everything we needed to do in the building within half an hour.

Though today was a pretty slow day, hopefully things will pick up in the next few days!

Geoff

Sain bain uu!

In a country where Vodka is cheaper than water and the horse to human ratio is 13:1 , who would have thought the first challenge faced by the PIBV August Monglian team are tiny mosquitos that have an obsession for whizzing around your ears obsessively at night?

Indeed, we have suffered our first casualties: none by Vicky, but a host of bites on my arms and even my left eye, which is now puffed up and have swollen into a ball even larger than my fists.

So here’s lesson 1 of what would be a list of more to follow: Mosquito repellants and beanies that can shield your face from the relentless assault of our insect enemies can save your life in Mongolia.

Having only spent a day in this wonderful country, Vicky and I have been exploring what we can of the city of Ulaanbaatar. Meeting everyone from Hong Kong travellers to non-football loving Brits and of course, local Mongolians, we feel nothing but optimism about our adventure in the next couple of weeks. Though nothing like a New York or Beijing, Ulaanbaatar has good mix of an urban town and traditional rural feel. For example, Vicky was first to discover that cars do not stop for people as they cruise down the streets, and occasionally people exchange greetings by bumping into each other.

Food and other items are ridiculously inexpensive: imagine a dinner for less than $3 USD and a half an hour taxi ride for less than $8 (assuming they don’t rip you off because you are a foreigner)! In fact, according to Vicky’s calculations, the average Mongolian earns less than $100 USD a year. Even more surprisingly, according to official records, 50% of the country is unemployed. Forget complaining about not getting a summer internship because of a bad U.S. economy - for the first time in our lives, we college students actually feel well off!

Later today, Vicky and I will be joined by Flora, a rising Sophomore who we were able to recruit from Wharton to join our cause. Right now, as we sit comfortably in the Lotus guest house, she is probably biting her nails as she waits anxiously for an anonymous and probably shady-looking driver to bring her to us from the airport.  At least her driver didn’t come an hour late because of a car crash midway (which happened to me)!

Once we meet up with Flora, we will travel to the outskirts of the city, where the Lotus Children’s Center is located. There, we will situate ourselves in our new home, a Mongolian Ger (tent) where we will spend our next three weeks.

Hopefully this gives our delightful readers a glimpse of life in Genghis Khan’s homeland. Stay tooned daily for our next adventures!

Geoff

Team Peru’s Challenge has arrived and is working hard! We’ve been here since Monday when we adjusted to the alititude, explored our neighborhood, and went downtown to awesome, historical Cusco. Since then, we’ve been working hard, enjoying the culture, and planning our Machu Picchu trek for next weekend.

Our project is really interesting so far, as we’re applying for funding through a couple different avenues (grants, USAID Peru), updating their assessment tools, and also trying to figure out how to register Peru’s Challenge as an NGO in the US so that donations by American citizens and corporations can be tax deductible. Now, we’re beginning to formulate our attack in terms of analyzing and redesigning the Peru’s Challenge Marketing Strategy, with a focus on entering the US Market.

We’ll be sure to upload some photos pretty soon, so you can experience the views around our flat/office, the nightlife, and Cusco along with us. Our plan for our first weekend is to visit some of the Museums around the city, take a walk/hike to some nearby Inca ruins as practice for our more rigorous Inca Trail hike next weekend, and possibly splurge on some massages (which we’ve been able to bargain down to $8/hr… amazing, we know!)

If anyone reading this knows someone who feels like helping us out with 1) some legal advice, 2) FileMakerPro database/organizational development, and 3) WordPress website design…….. then email us! anabel.lippincott@gmail.com

Unfortunately I’ve been having issues uploading photos, but here’s a link to a blog post I wrote for CAI’s website about our visit to the Miao Miao School.

http://www.cai-china.org/site/index.php/en/cai-news

If you scroll down a bit, you can also see a CAI office photo taken during one of the other volunteer’s birthday celebration. As you can see, for such a small nonprofit, we are extremely international!

Having discovered that CAI’s Facebook cause page was very hard to find and less convenient to use, we created a new facebook group. If you are interested in volunteering in China or just want to show your support for migrant children, go here to join: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=83071654706. Invite any friends who may be interested in volunteering or donating, or who just care about children all over the world.

Hello from the Wokai group in Beijing! Apologies for not posting sooner. We, like the Cai group, had trouble accessing wordpress since the blogging site was blocked in China. Yayy for Proxies! Now we have access to WordPress, Youtube, Twitter, and everything that makes our life wonderful.

Wokai, a microfinance NGO that is based in Oakland, California, has active chapters in San Francisco, Seattle, and New York. Wokai enables Chinese people to lift themselves from poverty. Through the website, Wokai connect contributors worldwide with entrepreneurs in rural China to help them start small businesses. Wokai rely on fundraising events, grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donors for funding. Eventually, Wokai will cover costs associated with Field Partner evaluation, monitoring and training, website development, and public outreach, through the optional 10% donation that contributors can add when funding an entrepreneur’s loan.

We started working at the Beijing office around mid-May. Teresa, Lulu, and Christie started around May 19th and I (Sherry) started a week later. Since gotten here, we’ve worked quite a few projects around corporate sponsorship. Teresa and I have put together material for a case competition, which we hope to run at Penn in October. Christie has been drafting a program for employee matching gift programs, while Lulu has worked on contacting specific corporate sponsors, both those back in the States as well as those here in China.

Our office in Beijing is set in the heart of the city at one of the hutongs, or little alleyways, in the east side of the city. The Wokai office occupies two rooms within a little court yard. In addition to the four of us, there are four other volunteers working at Wokai right now. While we have been working on business development, the rest of them have been working on perfecting Wokai’s user interface as well as streamlining the back end systems.

In addition to working during the week, we’ve also had fun exploring Beijing along with the Cai team. We’ve zip-lined at the Great Wall, visited the Summer Palace, climbed a mountain, visited Tian’anmen Square during sunrise, and bargained at the Silk Market. With only one week left in Beijing, we are trying to wrap up everything we have been working on and perhaps start implementation for some of the programs we’ve been working on.

Okay phew, that’s all for now! I’ll try to post some pictures of us in Beijing sometime this week. Until then, best of luck to everyone!