Community Newsletter: 2.21.03

 

Contents 

Happy Birthday
 
DevelopmentSpace in 2003
HP employees reach out to people in need all over the world
 
Project Spotlight
Microcredit for Serbian at-risk women 
 

Ask Tim
Where are the photos?
Is this tax deductible? 
 

Quick Links

Find your perfect project. Browse DevelopmentSpace to find hundreds of other projects from more than 60 countries around the world. 
 
Global giving for global communities.  Get DevelopmentSpace for your workplace giving program. 
 
Have an idea for changing the world? Submit an idea of your own. 
 
Looking for other ways to help?  Help project leaders refine their projects ideas.  Contribute your expertise.   
 

Featured Projects:
South Africa 

Africa Leadership Initiative

Fostering Values-Based Leadership in South Africa

Africa > South Africa > Johannesburg

Mandaba Developmental Services

Empowering youth at risk, group therapy youth leadership training

Africa > South Africa > Umtata

K-CAP 

K-CAP to promote and develop integrated multimedia, video and graphics design empowerment project

Africa > South Africa > Durban

 

Featured Partner

The Calvert Social Investment Foundation (Calvert Foundation) was established with a simple goal: to help end poverty through investment. It does this by serving as a facility for individuals and institutions to channel investment capital into disadvantaged communities.  The Calvert Foundation currently acts as the fiscal sponsor for most transactions through DevelopmentSpace.  Most recently, Calvert announced �International Grantmaking Services� for their clients, using DevelopmentSpace as the facilitator.

Contact 

Tim Scheu

Communications Officer

Phone: 202-331-7710

Fax: 202-331-1635

 

 

Happy Birthday DevelopmentSpace!

 

When you were celebrating Valentines Day with your honey and a box of chocolates, DevelopmentSpace had something sweet of its own� its anniversary.  That�s right; February 14th made it a full year since DevelopmentSpace launched its service, as the premier site for direct international giving. 
 
To celebrate, we wanted to take a look back and see what we�ve accomplished, and � at the end � give you a glimpse of what�s on our plate for 2003.  We also wanted to thank you, as none of this would have been possible without your generosity, evangelism and support.
 
 
The numbers:
354 projects from more than 80 countries
1800 registered users
70 projects that received some amount of funding
Close to $80,000 in contributions.
Examples of fully-funded projects:
*  A toilet block for school children in Coimbatore, India
*  A sewage treatment facility in Bamako, Mali
*  Life saving surgeries for 30 Indian infants born with congenital
    heart failure
*  Four classrooms for school children in Karur, India
 
The funding:
As part of a strategic effort to promote social and economic growth in the developing world, several foundations have made financial contributions to DevelopmentSpace.  Included in this group of supporters are the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, The Sall Family Foundation, and the Pettus-Crowe Foundation.
 
The clients:
A successful workplace giving pilot at Hewlett-Packard.  It gave close to 70,000 HP employees in the US the opportunity to contribute to international development projects as easily as they could to a charity down the street.
An agreement with Calvert Giving in which DevelopmentSpace facilitates �International Grantmaking Services� for Calvert�s clients.
 
The partnerships:
The newly formed DevelopmentSpace Network (DSN) was created to leverage the power of technology and competitive markets to streamline and scale the effects of international aid.  Hewlett-Packard, State of the World Forum, and Center for Global Development have joined DevelopmentSpace to drive this initiative.  To see HP's press release, click here.
Debra Dunn, senior vice president, HP corporate affairs is leading an effort to spearhead DSN�s initiative through the United Nations Information and Communications Technology (ICT) task force.

 
Widespread media coverage
DevelopmentSpace was featured in 22 separate articles in 2002.  
To see the press, click here
The Washington Post called DS, �The foreign aid equivalent of the speed of light.�
Fortune said, �DevelopmentSpace is demonstrating just how much the Internet is changing the world.�
Red Herring: �DevelopmentSpace might just have a huge impact, becoming a crucial new mechanism for making aid available in a highly-distributed fashion.  The early signs are very positive.�
 

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This plaque can be found on a toilet block in Coimbatore, India.  It commemorates our first project, and illustrates the birth of an online market for development work.
 

Unique Gifts

       
DevelopmentSpace Gift Certificates for Valentines Day, birthdays and anniversaries.
 
Help your mom support AIDS education in Ghana, your colleague build solar panels in Nepal, or your grandchildren empower women in Afghanistan. 
 
Get your Certificate today!

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
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DevelopmentSpace in 2003

 
With the holidays behind us, DevelopmentSpace�s recent focus has been on corporate clients.  
 
�When DevelopmentSpace launched, we wanted to remove barriers that kept highly qualified groups from participating in international aid,� said Dennis Whittle, DevelopmentSpace CEO and Chairman.  �Corporations have been eager for an outlet that allows them to participate in a global philanthropic community.  DevelopmentSpace provides them with that opportunity.�      
 
Building on the platform it created for Hewlett-Packard�s 2002 holiday campaign, DevelopmentSpace is working to provide companies with sets of vetted projects that are strategically aligned with their mission, and particularly engaging to their employees.  
 
Projects are then displayed on special, co-branded websites that seamlessly integrate with companies' intranet or a third-party giving interface.  
 
For information on how to involve DevelopmentSpace in your own employee giving program, please contact Faye Yoshihara at fyoshihara@developmentspace.com

 
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Spotlight on women's Microcredit 


 


MikroFond gives at-risk women a way to support themselves in Serbia.

  

MikroFond Integra supports business activities of at-risk women to enable them to break the circle of unemployment, dependency and poverty. 
 
In 2003 this program will be launched in Belgrade, Serbia. Women at risk refer to single mothers, divorcees with young children, women victims of domestic violence, women with alcoholic or chronically unemployed partners, women unable to re-enter the work force after maternity leave, refugees, etc.
 
Distinct components of the MikroFond program:
1) Entrepreneurship training and business plan development
2) Microcredit access
3) On-going mentoring
4) Business development services to enable market access
5) Solidarity groups to support the women in the event of shocks.
 
The program starts with forty hours of training, during which a select group of women receive basic business skills and write a business plan (babysitting provided). Women who successfully complete the training qualify for a loan of up to $2500, which they use to launch a new business or strengthen an existing one. They also join a group who meet regularly for support. Group members guarantee each other s loans. Regular monitoring by Integra staff, networking and further seminars (eg in case of legislative change) help with business questions or other problems that might arise.
 
MikroFond differs from more traditional microcredit programs in 4 important aspects: 
1. A focus on women at risk 
2. Prioritization of start-ups, rather than only work with existing businesses 
3. Intensive training, consulting and mentoring by Integra staff and outside resources 
4. A holistic approach, which seeks to respond to the full range of needs the clients have, including family and personal needs.
 
MikroFond Integra is modeled after successful programs operated by Integra in Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. In 2003, 60 women are projected to graduate from the program, with numbers set to grow in 2004.

To support MikroFond, click here.
 
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Ask Tim: your frequently asked questions

 
Who is Edouard Valla?

Edouard is an Associate at DevelopmentSpace.  He joined the team in last June after spending two years in Senegal as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  He has two main roles: interacting with entrepreneurs, helping them with the business planning process; and coordinating the redesign and scaling of our web site.  He also has the privilege of sending out our user newsletter.  
 
How can I play a larger role on DevelopmentSpace?
Interact with social entrepreneurs.  As an entrepreneur, it is difficult to wait and hope that your project will get funded.   By asking entrepreneurs about their projects, you can share your enthusiasm for the type of work they are doing.  You can learn about their home, culture, and family.  You can bridge a 10,000-mile divide through a simple email.  And if you take a particular liking to the work they are doing, you can gather support on their behalf.  You can change the world. 
   
    

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