The SOLD Project

Hi there,

We have an opportunity this week to make a serious dent in this project! Starting at Midnight ET on Wednesday, October 19th and continuing all day, GlobalGiving is matching all donations (up to $1,000 per person, per project) at 30%.

That means if you give $100 toward building a second classroom for our students in Thailand, we get $130. And if you give $1,000, GlobalGiving will donate $300 to this project.

This is GlobalGiving's LAST Bonus Day of the year and they only have a limited amount of matching funds available so when that's gone, it's gone. So, please don't wait to give!

You can also help jumpstart this project by spreading the word. If each of you tells three, five, or ten of your friends and they give, too, together we can make a huge difference.

Thank you all for your ongoing support of our work to prevent child exploitation in Thailand. You're the best.

Hi everyone!

All of us here at The SOLD Project are so grateful to those of you who have already opened your hearts (and wallets!) to support our new classroom building for the kids and community we serve in Thailand. Over the last couple months, we've finalized the blueprints for the new building; so, now all we need is the funds to build it! We're still hoping to begin and complete construction in 2012.

In the meantime, our programs continue to thrive at the current facility, with dozens of children coming every day after school and on the weekends to learn and play. However, our Thai staff recently brought two urgent needs to our attention:

1. The donated desk chairs that the students have used since we first opened the center have broken from constant use and need to be replaced. At the moment, we don't have enough seating during classes.
2. The water supply at the center has been drying up, leaving the students, staff, and residents without regular access to clean running water. The locals propose installing a water tank on site to help regulate water availability through dry spells.

We've started another GlobalGiving project (#8843) to help meet this new need. Combined, the desks and water tank installation will cost $4,500. You can give—or encourage your friends to give—by visiting the link below.

Thank you for your continued support! You're a vital part of our work.

Links:

• Provide New Desks, Running Water for Students in Thailand

Quick update from the field:

In honor of her 31st birthday, SOLD volunteer Jade Keller is asking people to donate $31 to The SOLD Project's computer lab, in lieu of birthday presents. Her goal is to raise $1,031 by June 14 and, if successful, that amount will finally complete the computer lab at the Resource Center!

As SOLD's Education Manager, Jade runs bi-weekly workshops geared towards providing important fundamental skills in communication, problem solving, and critical thinking to help the students as they progress in life.

"When we have a computer lab, my goal is to teach the kids how to use the internet safely and effectively," Jade explains. "I want to teach them the logic behind keyword searches and also how to evaluate source credibility so they can judge for themselves the validity of information they come across. The idea is that if they have these skills, then they will always have access to information and knowledge. I can teach them basic skills in MS Word and Excel. And, fingers crossed, hopefully set up an email-based mentor-ship program between the kids here and students in the U.S., where the kids in the U.S. can help expand these kids’ vision of the world and dream bigger about the opportunities available to them, while hopefully helping American kids become a little more globally aware and culturally sensitive."

We're so grateful for Jade, so grateful for you, and so excited to finish this project! Thank you for your support.

Links:

• SOLD Blog | No birthday wishlist this year. Just a great cause.
• SOLD Blog | Meet Jade, our Education Manager
• Jade's Blog | A Birthday Wish