We are pleased to announce that GlobalGiving and GlobalGiving UK awarded 36 grants to organizations working to rebuild Nepal after the April and May 2015 earthquakes. GlobalGiving prioritizes local nonprofits and those that work hand-in-hand with local community members. Every organization that is supported through GlobalGiving’s Nepal Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund is fully vetted and nearly every project funded was visited by a GlobalGiving representative in 2015. Below is a list of the much needed efforts that your donations are supporting:
Thank you again for funding this important work. You are making a difference in the lives of so many in Nepal.
When the country of Nepal suffered not one, but two devastating earthquakes in April and May of 2015, the world responded. Immediately, relief efforts began and people across the world mobilized to support organizations on the ground. One group quick to respond was a handful of teens from Tohoku, Japan.
Following the tsunami that devastated Japan in March of 2011, these teens have been working to rebuild their communities in the Tohoku region. As a part of the Japan IsraAID Support Program (JISP), they have been participating in a youth leadership program focused on building their skills in community engagement and directing social projects as well as equipping them with the tools they will need to be successful community leaders. In understanding what recovering from disaster feels like, these youth leaders were motivated to share their skills with their peers in Nepal.
By the end of May 2015, just weeks after the earthquakes struck in Nepal, the group of JISP youth had begun collecting funds to be used for disaster relief. After raising just over $1,000 to be sent to a partner high school in Nepal, JISP's teens felt compelled to do more. Soon a Pen Pal program was started that enabled the Tohoku youth to correspond with their Nepali peers. But they didn’t stop there.
In the months since the Nepal Earthquakes, the Youth Leadership Project has developed and launched an exchange program with Nepali high school students. JISP’s Country Director, Mayumi Yoshida, pointed out that the idea of creating an exchange program originated from the teens themselves; “the concept of exchange program with the Nepalese students arose from one of our Tohoku youth, after joining our shelter building volunteer activities in Nepal and meeting one of the most inspirational female high school students.”
After arriving in Japan on December 23, 2015, the students from Nepal and Tohoku were able to learn, in-person, from each other’s experiences. With the support from JISP’s staff, the youth were able to connect through their shared experiences and discuss their plans to rebuild their respective communities.
“The 10 Tohoku/Nepalese youths spent time together whole through the 8 days program, and built such a strong bond that they now consider themselves, "a family.” They discussed potential projects to support the community in their respective situations, and confirmed the importance of education and training to cope with future disasters that repeatedly assaulted both countries over history.” - Mayumi Yoshida, Country Director JISP
Thanks to donors like you, GlobalGiving has been able to support programs working on long-term disaster recovery projects through the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. With your support, project’s like JISP’s Rebuilding 10000 lives in Japan - youth leadership can continue to develop initiatives that shape community leaders and recovery efforts, even years after a disaster.
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Dear Project of the Month Club,
It’s a new year, which means new traditions, beginnings, and best of all? A brand-new Project of the Month selection for January 2016!
Before we get to that though, I’d like to share with you our 2015 Year In Review, where we’ve compiled 15 of the best stories from the GlobalGiving community from the past year. I think you’ll be as inspired as we were after reading it.
Speaking of inspiring, let’s recap what you and your fellow Project of the Month Club members accomplished in December.
Last month, 279 of you gave a total of $8,739 to support Rainforest Rescue’s Adopt Vulnerable Rainforest in Australia project, which will go towards supporting the essential work at Rainforest Rescue’s native plant nursery in Daintree, Australia!
In January, your monthly donation will support MindLeaps’ Leap Ahead: Empowering Street Youth Through Dance project, which helps children living on the streets in Rwanda reintegrate into society through a three-phased approach: dance, vocational training, and youth advancement!
Rebecca Davis, the founder and executive director of MindLeaps, has this message for you:
“When I received this email from GlobalGiving, I was just looking at our budget for 2016 and wondering how we will manage to accept 25 new girls into our program in January. We have girls lining up in Kigali, Rwanda, asking to participate in our dance classes that help them build the self-esteem they need to make good decisions while living in difficult conditions. It was like a huge holiday gift to MindLeaps and all of these girls to know that they will have access to classes – and safety – in just a few more weeks.“
And she already has a pretty good idea of how to put your support to good use:
“If MindLeaps received a donation of approximately $8,000 today, the funds would be used to accept 28 new street children into our program in Kigali, Rwanda. Upon entrance into our program, these children take 6 hours of dance classes each week that focus on essential learning skills: memorization, language acquisition, self-esteem, and teamwork and collaboration. They also receive a rice meal and porridge to supplement their lack of access to food while living on the streets or in dangerous slums around the capital city. The cost of these services – along with medical insurance – is $280 per child per year. For every $280, we can take one more child off the street. For $8,000, we will be able to take 28 children into safety and begin their transition to a stable life.”
We’re so proud to partner with organizations like MindLeaps that are committed to developing innovative programs that help children create a brighter future for themselves. And we’re just as proud of you for continuing to support these brilliant projects each month.
Warmly,
Kevin Conroy + the GlobalGiving Team
