Projects & Grant Recipients
Community Partner Fund + Global Leadership Adventures International Foundation
On this page, we have curated a list of every community partner organization that the Global Leadership Adventures International Foundation helps to support, as well as their corresponding project.
When you make a donation on behalf of the Community Partner Fund through the GLA International Foundation, you are directly supporting these organizations and the exceptional work they do around the world, whether that be in at-risk habitats, communities-in need or beyond.
We encourage you to read these stories below as you consider making a donation to our Community Partner Fund. The work these partner organizations commit to, and work to make sustainable month after month, year after year, is nothing short of astounding.
The Global Leadership Adventures International Foundation conducts a rigorous review process of our partner orgs prior to adding them to this list, in order to make sure the funds they receive can go toward support of their organization and the projects they run.
When you make a donation to this fund, you can donate to the general fund, or make a separate note for us about which partner org you’d like your donation funds to be allocated to.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
PROJECT
Building Sustainable, Healthy Communities in the Dominican Republic
DETAILS
In communities where residents spend 90% of their income on food, aquaponic food production systems provide a means for producing large amounts of organic food, at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact of traditional farming.
Local bateys also suffer from a severe lack of clean drinking water, so providing access to clean water filters through community distribution can dramatically improve public health and sanitation. In addition to this, 7E works to provide essential vitamins and access to health care to these marginalized communities.
MORE INFORMATION
With the help of our local partner, Dr. Dave Addison of 7 Elements, GLA students contributed side-by-side with local Dominican and Haitian communities—doing everything from working on water filtration projects to constructing sustainably-built community and health centers. Dr. Addison puts it perfectly when he says, “The students have the opportunity to live among the communities…they cook for the students and give the students the opportunity to discuss the local way of life with the family.”
Due to a wide range of economic and political challenges, many Haitians have been forced across the border into the Dominican Republic; there, many find themselves living in rundown bateys. In many bateys in the Dominican Republic, people do not have political representation and have very little economic participation. A small number of families work in the local landfill separating trash and looking for food.
Opportunities for change include increasing food sources and improving nutrition; reducing diabetes, hypertension, and waterborne diseases; creating accessible water sources; and addressing racial discrimination within the community.
Community projects directed by 7 Elements and supported by the GLA International Foundation in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti have contributed to improved community sanitation and introduced sustainable practices, as well as focused on malnutrition outreach and health care access. Their impacts will improve the community’s health and will lead the way to future projects in the region.
GRANT RECIPIENT
7 Elements
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
In communities where residents spend 90% of their income on food, aquaponic food production systems provide a means for producing large amounts of organic food, at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact of traditional farming. Local bateys also suffer from a severe lack of clean drinking water, so providing access to clean water filters through community distribution can dramatically improve public health and sanitation.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Supported projects may include medical brigades, alternative food production, eco-friendly bottle schools and residences, and vitamin distribution
2. Children often have to carry water from distant sources, 2-4 hours every day; providing clean water filters offers a chance to lift that burden from young people
3. Opportunities for change include increasing employment, reducing health issues resulting from poor nutrition, and increasing educational opportunities
RELATED PROJECT
Building Sustainable, Healthy Communities in the Dominican Republic
PROJECT
Supporting Health Through Nutrition & Sanitation in Haiti
DETAILS
Haiti’s vibrant culture and warm Caribbean waters are second to none; however, the country remains best known as one of the most economically impoverished places in the West. Government services such as education and health care are simply not accessible to many Haitians.
7 Elements is working to improve conditions in these communities through the implementation of sanitation infrastructure, including clean water delivery and latrines; vitamin distribution and malnutrition outreach programs are also in place, as volunteers supply children and expectant mothers with nutritional supplements crucial to a healthy life.
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7 Elements partners with community leaders in Haiti, who have identified the endemic lack of healthcare and education access as the primary obstacles in the communities in which they work.
Based just outside of Cap-Haïtien, a large tourist port on the North Coast of Haiti, projects are in Blue Hill, Limonade, and Louis. 7E is currently working to support the local infrastructure by purchasing medicines and providing logistical support to local doctors participating in medical brigades. They have also begun work on a vocational school to further skill development, which will in turn lead to employment opportunities.
Volunteers work side by side with Haitians to achieve real change. Their impacts will improve the community’s health and will lead the way to future projects in the region.
GRANT RECIPIENT
7 Elements
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
7 Elements operates in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. As an organization, 7E helps to support communities struggling with severe poverty, as well as access to everyday needs. They do so with a sustainability mindset and through intentional and direct community engagement. 7 Elements is also the local partner organization for Global Leadership Adventures’ Dominican Republic: Global Health Initiative program.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Haiti is a country that struggles with severe poverty extreme poverty; nearly 60% of the population lives below the poverty line.
2. 7 Elements has worked within Haitian communities on a number of projects, including strengthening almost non-existent housing infrastructure, promoting clean water through water filter distribution, and constructing latrines.
3. Current projects focus on fighting malnutrition and increasing access to medical care; 1 in 5 Haitian children are malnourished, and 1 in 10 are severely malnourished.
RELATED PROJECT
Supporting Health Through Nutrition & Sanitation in Haiti
PROJECT
Improving Lives of Orphaned Children in India
DETAILS
Currently, Aashray houses 60 children between the ages of 5 and 18. This initiative is supported by dedicated staff members and several individual volunteers and organizations. Aashray provides counseling to both children and family members, healthy meals, supplemental education, life skills, and support and guidance toward responsible and independent adulthood.
MORE INFORMATION
Aashray Care Home was founded by Positive Women Network of Rajasthan Society in 2006 by women who were widowed as a result of or diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Initially, there were only few children and a lack of community support. Gradually, local support increased, and with it Aashray was able to expand to provide care and services to over 60 children. Presently, the organization is running two orphanages in Jaipur, India and also running two homes for HIV patients under Global Fund to fight TB, HIV and Malaria.
Aashray cares for children ages 3 – 18 who have been displaced due to HIV/AIDS status in two separate facilities, one for each gender. In addition to providing basic necessities and education, Aashray plans to expand to provide temporary housing to residents after their eighteenth birthday, to assist in the transition to independence.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Aashray Care Home
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
The Aashray Care Home was established in 2006 for children affected by HIV and AIDS. Their mission is to advocate for social inclusion of HIV infected and affected children and their participation in all major national flagship programs.
Currently, Aashray houses 60 children between the ages of 5 and 18. This initiative is supported by dedicated staff members and several individual volunteers and organizations. Aashray provides counseling to both children and family members, supplemental education, life skills, and support and guidance toward responsible and independent adulthood.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Aashray has provided care to 65 children over their 13 years of existence
2. HIV/AIDS is highly stigmatized in India, resulting in a low incidence of testing and treatment; as a result, it is not uncommon for children to be orphaned due to the death of both parents from the virus.
3. 35% of children of HIV-infected adults are denied basic amenities such as proper nutrition due to this stigma; many in India view HIV/AIDS as a death-sentence (Wikipedia)
RELATED PROJECT
Improving Lives of Orphaned Children in India
PROJECT
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders in South Africa
DETAILS
ALA seeks out youth with exceptional potential, closing the opportunity gap and developing their skills in a two-year residential program. ALA connects graduates to opportunities such as career and postgraduate opportunities that enable students to lead change in Africa’s public, private, and social sectors.
MORE INFORMATION
The African Leadership Academy and Global Leadership Adventures actually share a founder! As a way to develop the curriculum for ALA and bring together students from Africa and around the world, Fred Swaniker created the Summer Academy at Cape Town.
That’s when Fred joined forces with Andrew Motiwalla, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, to lead a new organization that provided summer leadership experiences to all interested teenagers. Building on the success of the Summer Academy at Cape Town, and believing in the potential of every young adult to be a global leader and make an impact, Global Leadership Adventures was born.
Fred Swaniker was named to the Time 100 list in 2019 for his work on the African Leadership Academy and beyond.
GRANT RECIPIENT
African Leadership Academy
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
African Leadership Academy (ALA) is a pan-African high school in Johannesburg, South Africa that seeks to transform Africa by developing a powerful network of leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges through ethical leadership.
Donations to ALA contribute to building the next generation of leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges and meet the needs of a changing continent and the demands of its citizens.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. ALA’s Ghanaian founder, Fred Swaniker, was recognized by President Obama for the positive community impact of ALA. Before attending Stanford Graduate School of business, Fred managed a top-performing school in Botswana.
2. Ninety percent of ALA graduates have actively engaged in work or transformative projects in Africa; 99% go on to attend college.
3. ALA provides partial and full scholarships to students who show enormous potential but have a financial need.
RELATED PROJECT
Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders in South Africa
PROJECT
Supporting Sacred Valley Indigenous Communities
DETAILS
Amistad Sagrada supports three schools, a weaving cooperative, and projects in mountain communities. Donations go toward projects that benefit children and youth of the indigenous mountain community of Pampallacta; specifically, to the completion the round adobe schoolhouse that was begun by two groups of GLA volunteers in the summer of 2019.
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From our partner:
“Our project is on a 500 square meter piece of land. A collaboration between the community and our organization, Amistad Sagrada. GLA was the key to reactivate this dormant project. Due to their fantastic work and initial funding, we have made amazing progress on the construction of a schoolhouse.
However, it is currently only half completed, and the rains are coming soon. This is of great concern to us and the community. Donations will all go toward the completion the round adobe schoolhouse that was begun by two groups of GLA volunteers in the summer of 2019. Once completed, any leftover funds will go toward art supplies, musical instruments, weaving supplies, building a solar shower and communal oven/
This will be a place where the children can vastly expand their learning, creativity, and opportunities. Where the elders can teach the children their ancestral wisdom. A place where their art, music, seeds, songs, traditions, medicines and more can be gathered in one place.
Our vision is to replicate this project throughout the 12 mountain communities of Pisaq, and in the process, train some of the youth in each community in the skill sets needed. Then later this group of trained youth will go out to further, poorer, rural mountain communities of the Sacred Valley.
This project, over the years ahead, could profoundly impact thousands of indigenous families in incredibly positive ways.”
GRANT RECIPIENT
Amistad Sagrada
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Amistad Sagrada is a small NGO that has served the village of Pisaq, Peru for the past decade. Their mission? To serve the indigenous communities in the Sacred Valley by providing support in the areas of cultural renovation, enhanced health, self esteem, opportunity, and positive living.
Amistad Sagrada helps to support several schools, as well as a weaving cooperative and other meaningful projects in mountain communities.
RELATED PROJECT
Supporting Sacred Valley Indigenous Communities
PROJECT
Protecting Sea Turtles in Costa Rica & Providing a Sustainable Income Alternative for the Local Community
DETAILS
Asociacion Salvemos las Tortugas de Parismina is a community run non profit based in Parismina, Costa Rica. ASTOP is a conservation organization dedicated to protecting sea turtles and their eggs from poaching.
Four different species of sea turtles (green, leatherback, hawksbill, loggerhead) nest on the beaches of Parismina, all are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
ASTOP was formed in April of 2001 by local residents in conjunction with the Costa Rica Coast Guard.
MORE INFORMATION
In addition to their principle projects, ASTOP organizes many cultural, environmental and education programs, such as beach cleanups, ecological agriculture programs, and art activities for children. They are also building a butterfly farm and a tropical garden.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Asociación Salvemos las Tortugas de Parismina (ASTOP)
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Asociacion Salvemos las Tortugas de Parismina (ASTOP) is a grassroots non profit located in Parisima, Costa Rica dedicated to protecting sea turtles and their eggs.
By employing former poachers and promoting ecotourism, ASTOP supports the sustainable development and local economy of Parismina, a village of about 400 people.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Before the formation of ASTOP 98% of green turtles were killed for their meat and 98% of all turtle nests on Parismina beach were poached. Poaching has since decreased by 60%, saving 10,000 hatchlings a year.
2. ASTOP also supports the village of Parismina economically and employees former poachers as “turtle guides” leading tourists on night hikes to view nesting turtles.
3. There is no road to Parismina; it is accessible only by boat or plane and the only paved surface in town is a runway. ASTOP helps both local and international volunteers arrange logistics in order to ensure they have enough volunteers to support their principle projects of night patrols of sea turtle nesting sites and maintaining the turtle nursery.
RELATED PROJECT
Protecting Sea Turtles in Costa Rica & Providing a Sustainable Income Alternative for the Local Community
PROJECT
Protecting Sea Turtles and Preserving the Ecosystems they Depend On
DETAILS
From 2005 to 2010, the World Wildlife Fund developed el Proyecto de Conservación de Baulas del Pacífico (CBP) the Project for Conservation of the Pacific Leatherback Turtles at Junquillal Beach in Costa Rica to save the critically endangered Pacific leatherback who use Junquillal Beach as its nesting ground.
In October of 2010 AVIVE was formed as a community-based organization to continue the work of the CBP and ensure optimal conditions for turtle nesting through active conservation with community support. The organization now protects all local species of sea turtles and works to conserve the local ecosystem and the welfare of the Junquillal community.
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Sea turtles face threats from a variety of sources in Costa Rica. Climate change threatens nesting areas, predators threaten eggs and young hatchlings, but humans are also a threat. Besides being packed with nutrition, Costa Rican folklore says that sea turtle eggs are an aphrodisiac, so it has been the cultural norm for people to steal eggs to eat or sell.
On average, sea turtles lay 110 eggs in a nest, and average between 2 to 8 nests a season. At $2-20 per egg, this can earn poachers a significant amount of money.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Asociación Vida Verdiazul (AVIVE)
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Asociación Vida Verdiazul (AVIVE) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit whose goal is to ensure the conservation of threatened ecosystems and contribute to the well-being of the communities that depend on them. Officially formed in 2010, this group of passionate environmentalists has been working independently since 2001 to conserve sea turtles and the Nandamojo River Basin.
AVIVE achieves its goals through simple, concrete actions such as, nightly beach patrols, operation of a turtle hatchery, replanting native tree species in coastal areas, and educating local youth on the importance of conservation.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Out of the 8 species of sea turtles in the world, 6 migrate to Costa Rica for egg laying. Junquillal beach was discovered by biologist Gabriel Francia, to be among the most important nesting sites of Pacific leatherbacks in the Costa Rica.
2. Temperature of the nest determines the gender of sea turtle hatchlings. Typically eggs at the bottom, or cooler part, of the nest hatch males while eggs toward the top, or warmer part, of the nest hatch females. With climate change and increased sand temperatures, more female sea turtles are being born than males, creating a threat to genetic diversity. To combat this AVIVE maintains a hatchery where they transplant eggs from nests on the beach to the sand of the protected hatchery. The moisture and temperature of the hatchery is controlled and it also provides protection from stray dogs and other predators.
3. In addition to working directly with turtles, AVIVE also implements educational programs for children in the surrounding communities. In fact, local primary and secondary students who were a part of this program, presented their research on sea turtle conservation and were finalists in la Feria Científica de Costa Rica (the National Science Fair of Costa Rica)!
RELATED PROJECT
Protecting Sea Turtles and Preserving the Ecosystems they Depend On
PROJECT
Reducing Domestic Violence in Andean Communities
DETAILS
Donations support materials for Chimpay’s school and community outreach programs, which aim to denormalize violence and break the cycle by providing education to elementary school students and through other community organizations. They will also go toward the construction of two women’s shelters, which they hope to construct in the near future.
MORE INFORMATION
Chimpay aims to reduce domestic violence in three ways:
1. Educate remote communities by integrating into local schools, women’s associations, and community groups, etc. With this, they intend to change the cycle of violence present in these communities.
2. Provide assistance in navigating the government systems that help women gain access to legal and psychological services, a process which can be slow and difficult.
3. Construct and maintain shelters for women and children who are victims of violence. These shelters will provide care, support and guidance as they reintegrate into the community as empowered and independent citizens.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Chimpay
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Chimpay is an organization that aims reduce the prevalence of domestic violence in the high Andean communities in the province of Urubamba, where indigenous communities are largely isolated from the rest of the world. domestic violence is so ingrained in cultural norms.
RELATED PROJECT
Reducing Domestic Violence in Andean Communities
PROJECT
Empowering Favela Communities in Brazil
DETAILS
Community in Action was founded in 2004 with the aim of exacting long-term change sustainably from the ground up in Rio de Jainero’s largest favela (shanty town) — today, they support several projects across seven favelas focusing on areas ranging from computer training to social outreach programs to urban gardening.
Donations support initiatives in education, youth development, environmental projects, women’s empowerment, youth programming and sports, and manual labor support.
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Community in Action empowers Rio’s communities in need through job training and education, striving to deliver the necessary skills and knowledge that allow community members in these low-income areas to compete in the job market, expand their economic horizons, and make wiser and healthier decisions for themselves and their families.
The organization hosts hundreds of international volunteers each year who travel to Rio to support community development programs in the favelas.
In 2018 alone, CIA provided over 500 hours of English instruction, transformed and upgraded two community gardens, painted more than 100 houses and murals in the favelas, provided hundreds of hours of support for daycare centers and youth development programs, transformed two abandoned football fields, raised funds to rebuild a community building, and supported construction on two classrooms in an underserved school.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Community in Action
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Community in Action was founded in 2004 with the aim of exacting long-term change sustainably from the ground up in Rio de Jainero’s largest favela (shanty town) — today, they support several projects across seven favelas focusing on areas ranging from computer training to social outreach programs to urban gardening.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Approximately six percent of Brazil’s population live in favelas. Today, there are about 1,000 favelas in Rio, which are home to about 25% of Rio de Jainero’s population.
2. Community in Action is an established Civil Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP), the highest non-profit title given by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice.
3. Roughly 30% of Rio’s population is not connected to a formal sanitation system, which includes many favelas but also some of the city’s more affluent neighborhoods.
RELATED PROJECT
Empowering Favela Communities in Brazil
PROJECT
Supporting Sanitation & Community Health in Ghana
DETAILS
Dream Big Ghana focuses on giving support in the three areas: sanitation, education and youth sports development. One of their major projects, building eco compost toilets, has benefited the health of hundreds of local people.
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Dougal, nicknamed “Tigo” by his Ghanaian neighbors, is originally from the U.K., but has been living and working in Ghana for over six years, gradually establishing the NGO Dream Big Ghana in partnership with local village communities.
Dougal fell in love with the Ghanaian way of life and people as a volunteer soccer coach in Dzita and Agbledomi, rural fishing and farming villages. However, shocked by the poverty that some of his friends lived in, Dougal sought the help of community leaders to identify needs and propose practical solutions.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Dream Big Ghana
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Building eco compost toilets for use in rural fishing communities is an effort whose benefit to local health is twofold: Beyond helping to improve sanitation, they also generate a high quality fertilizer that enhances crop yields.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. These villages, located in the Volta region of Ghana, are home to 10,000 residents
2. A majority of people here live below the UN poverty baseline (set at $1.25 a day)
3. Each facility built serves about 25 people, so with 50 toilets completed so far, 1,250 lives have been improved
RELATED PROJECT
Supporting Sanitation & Community Health in Ghana
PROJECT
Providing Housing & Hope for Ghanaian Children in Need
DETAILS
Father’s House Ghana was founded by Jeff Miller and Matt Garrett. The two friends were inspired to create Father’s House after an eye-opening visit to Ghana where they witnessed children as young as 4 being forced into modern day slavery, by coercion or under the false promise of “learning a trade.”
Miller and Garrett were determined to do something and created Father’s House Ghana, which now functions as a community outreach center and long-term holistic care facility for children rescued from slavery and exploitation.
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Miller and Garrett made it their life’s mission to create a safe and healthy environment where rescued children could learn and grow. Shortly after, seven acres of oceanfront land was donated to their cause, and they began construction. During construction, feeding and teaching gatherings garnered a weekly attendance of over 300. In 2009, construction was complete and Father’s House Ghana was born.
In 2011, eight young boys were rescued from slavery, and became the first full-time residents of Father’s House. The boys came to to be known fondly as the “Great Eight,” and they still reside at Father’s House today.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Father’s House Ghana
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Located on seven acres of oceanfront land in the Village of Tegbi, Father’s House functions as a community outreach center and long-term holistic care facility for Ghanaian children rescued from slavery and exploitation.
With 15 full-time residents, including eight boys who were rescued from slavery in 2009, Father’s House has become a pillar of the local community and a sanctuary for children in need.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Last March, the boys at Father’s House who are involved with cultural drumming and dancing, performed and the local Independence Day festival to celebrate Ghana’s 60 years of Independence.
2. This past May, Father’s House’s first student graduated from Senior High School! Emmanuel was a neighbor who started receiving educational support from Father’s House several years ago. and was invited to move into the home, so that he could study later into the night since his family did not have electricity. He is the first member of his extended family to ever attend high school and this September he began college as a Computer Science major.
3. Father’s House currently has 15 full-time residents, and supports an additional 20 local children in the neighborhood.
RELATED PROJECT
Providing Housing & Hope for Ghanaian Children in Need
PROJECT
Promoting Literacy and Student Success at Belize’s Primary Schools
DETAILS
Basic school supplies and required supplementary fees to send children to school are financially out of the reach of most Belizean families.
Global Service Partnerships Foundation (GSP) is an organization based in Belize that works directly with school principals, educators, families and village leaders to improve access to education. GSP strives to sustainably address challenges in learning and literacy, both inside and outside the classroom.
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Kelli Soll founded Global Service Partnerships (GSP) in 2012 after discovering her passion for the people of Belize and for lifelong learning. Along with running the organization year-round, she serves as the International Director of GLA’s summer service-learning program Belize: The Initiative for Children. Kelli connects volunteers like GLA students with schools that GSP supports, so that volunteers can help foster a love for education among youth in rural classrooms. Groups like GLA help GSP by staffing literacy-focused summer camps for Belize’s children, ensuring that they still have access to learning opportunities while school is no longer in session.
GSP stresses that sustainability is at the core of their efforts to expand educational opportunities for Belize’s children. The organization strives to address the roots of educational challenges, and cultivate relationships directly with school and village leaders.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Global Service Partnerships Foundation
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
The GSP Foundation underscores that sustainability is at the core of their efforts to provide greater access to educational opportunities for children in Belize.
GSP strives to address the roots of educational challenges, including learning and literacy both inside and outside the classroom, and cultivate relationships directly with school and village leaders.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Funds raised would be used to fund supplies, programs and educational tools for English language and literacy development in Belize.
2. Global Service Partners Foundation (GSP) works directly with the rural Belize community to address the roots of educational challenges, and design solutions that address direct student and teacher needs.
3. Unlike the rest of Central America, the official language of Belize is English. However, nearly seven languages are also widely spoken, including Spanish, Mayan, Kriol and Garifuna, making English the second or third language most children learn. This poses a real challenge for Belize’s educational system. GSP’s efforts aim to build English literacy and fluency at a young age, so students remain motivated to continue their schooling.
RELATED PROJECT
Promoting Literacy and Student Success at Belize’s Primary Schools
PROJECT
Shifting to Ecological Farming in the Costa Rican Cloud Forest
DETAILS
Green Communities, in partnership with the Global Leadership Adventures International Foundation, has the opportunity to change the landscape in central Costa Rica for generations to come. The organization saw its beginnings in 2003 with Jonathan Cerdas’s and Carlos Marin’s vision to put lesser known regions of Costa Rica on the map for rural eco-tourism.
Their home region, Los Santos, is known for its green cloud forested mountains, cool climate and coffee production.
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Inspired to share the beauty of this part of Costa Rica, they created Santos Tours, an eco-tour company that made the Los Santos region a significant destination for rural tourism. After several years of success they took their organization to the next level by implementing a new mission to bring sustainable development to the region. For thousands of local farmers, coffee is the main crop and source of income. Jonathan and Carlos realized that a sustainable development model is crucial to the future of the forest and the people. They developed one that could support the growing number of farmers economically, conserve the natural cloud forests and water systems, and educate and create an awareness of ecology in rural communities.
With a deep concern for the community, social issues, and environmental conservation, Santos Tours combined rural tourism with sustainable development with the foundation of Green Communities in 2009. Today Green Communities partners with educational institutions and volunteer organizations to offer student volunteers an opportunity to be part of this project vital to the sustainable development of Los Santos.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Green Communities
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Transitioning small coffee farms from conventional to organic production leads to mitigation of local health issues, protection of the environment and long-term economic benefits to growers and their communities.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Local families in the Los Santos region of Costa Rica traditionally own their own parcel of land and farm on it. People here depend on their land to provide for their families.
2. Farming is essential to the local economy, and Green communities works with committed farmers to move to provide sustainable agricultural solutions. Local products include coffee and avocados.
3. This region of Costa Rica features a vibrant ecosystem, where you’ll find everything from spider monkeys and quetzals to hawks and sloths.
RELATED PROJECT
Shifting to Ecological Farming in the Costa Rican Cloud Forest
PROJECT
Using Education to Improve the Lives of Underprivileged Communities in the Andean Highlands of Peru
DETAILS
Helping Hands Cusco was founded in 2005 by Mario Diaz and his wife Rosa Guitierrez. Mario, who is a grammar and literature teacher of both English and Spanish, grew up in an extremely poor family in Cusco, Peru. Despite the sad circumstances that shaped most of his childhood, Mario noticed a shift in his life when his father completed his advanced degree. Because his father had to work full time to support his large family, it took Mario’s dad 12 years to graduate from college.
However, he succeeded and became first professional in the Diaz family, thereby providing the means for Mario and his siblings to pursue an education. Mario saw first hand how education can provide opportunities and end the cycle of poverty, thus motivating him to start Helping Hands with the main goal of providing a healthy school climate, where underprivileged children can have qualitative education but also where they can learn about values, group work and individual development.
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Helping Hands also runs the Hope House. In small towns surrounding Cusco there are only primary schools, so in order to get a secondary school or high school education, students must travel closer to the city. If a family is going to send a child to school, typically they only send a boy.
However statistics show that in Peru, girls typically have better grades. So helping hands build a dorm called the Hope House where young girls can live while pursuing a high school education. The residents of Hope House receive food, lodging, educational materials, bus tickets, and clothing at no cost.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Helping Hands Cusco
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Helping Hands Cusco is a Peruvian nonprofit organization that works to improve the standard of living for underprivileged children, families and community members of poor areas in Cusco. The main focus on Helping Hands is education and the organization founded and runs the San Gabriel School serving 120 children at no cost to them or their families.
In addition, Helping Hands focuses on empowerment, community building and preserving Andean traditions. Helping Hands Cusco hopes that each child and each member of the community may feel supported, accepted and connected, by mutual helping hands.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. About 25% of the population of Peru lives below the poverty line, meaning they live on less than $2 a day. The rural poverty rate in Peru is even higher at nearly 46%. The Andean Highlands remain the poorest of Peru’s 3 geographic regions. In the region around San Sebastian, underprivileged children had to take a long bus ride (meaning an extra daily cost) to go to a distant public school or study in an expensive private school. Therefore, most children in the area were not able to get an education before Helping Hands stepped in.
2. The San Gabriel Charity School was officially opened in 2008 to provide quality education to underprivileged children in the developing districts of Cusco. It has grown to serve 120 children in 6 classes and also offers an after school program. Construction is set to begin on a second campus later this year, which will provide education to 280 students and employment opportunities for members of the community.
3. In addition to running the San Gabriel School, Helping Hands Cusco also provides training in Alpaca Wool production for young single mothers, teaching them to make quality textiles and decorations that can be sold at fair prices so these young women can support their families.
RELATED PROJECT
Using Education to Improve the Lives of Underprivileged Communities in the Andean Highlands of Peru
PROJECT
Providing Bali’s Children with Education and a Sustainable Home
DETAILS
An organization run solely on donations and tireless volunteer energy, Narayan Seva was founded in 2004 as a school for children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Today, Narayan Seva continues to operate, now as a combined education center and children’s home, housing and educating over 85 children and providing them with food, clothing, shelter and healthcare.
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At Narayan Seva there are endless costs associated with educating and feeding 85 growing children. Many development projects could be sustained with raised funds. The foundation has identified a few projects where funds are needed most and donations can directly affect the children’s growth:
+ School uniforms are a compulsory element to gaining a primary education in Bali, and constantly need replacing.
+ University is an unattainable goal for many Balinese children, particularly in rural areas such as Singaraja; however, Narayan Seva has managed to help 12 of their children attend university. With more whose time will soon come, covering semester fees for students is a great area of need.
+ The Children’s Home has also taken in newborns with preexisting conditions such as cleft palate. Narayan Seva has found ways to fund early reconstructive surgery for these babies, a life-changing operation that improves both functionality and appearance and gives the child a chance to live a normal life free of disability and discrimination. Similar healthcare costs are an important area of need.
+ The Children’s Home continues to develop its hydroponic fruit and vegetable garden, creating a sustainable food source and generating income through the sale of excess produce. Funds raised can help Narayan Seva continue to utilize its land efficiently.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Narayan Seva Children’s Home
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Many Balinese families survive on limited earnings of only $15 a month, which prevents them from being able to provide many basic necessities. Narayan Seva was founded in 2004 as a school for Balinese children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Today, Narayan Seva operates a combined education center and children’s home, housing and educating over 85 children and providing them with food, clothing, shelter and healthcare.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Narayan Seva Children’s Home is run by a group of volunteer women who manage the daily tasks of the Home and have also guided its expansion. The Children’s Home now houses over 85 children between the ages of six months to 21 years, twelve of whom are studying at university.
2. Operating solely on donations, Narayan Seva has been able to introduce several advancements to the Home in the last couple years: starting their own organic fruit and vegetable garden, replacing their water filter, introducing a biogas system that sustainably powers their gas cooktops, and building three new buildings as well as a new kitchen (which was previously a fire pit on a dirt floor!).
3. Keeping everyone at the Children’s Home in school, fed and healthy rings up approximately $3500 per month in operational costs.
RELATED PROJECT
Providing Bali’s Children with Education and a Sustainable Home
PROJECT
Restoring the Nandamojo River Basin Ecosystem in Costa Rica
DETAILS
Targeted reforestation and erosion control are efforts that work to enhance the watershed’s natural ecosystem, which in turn, leads to viable farmland and the opportunity for sustainable living.
MORE INFORMATION
In the mid-20th century, the once-vibrant land on the Guanacaste region was cleared by fire in order to make room for cattle grazing, which had detrimental effects on the local ecosystem. The local human communities, flora, and fauna have suffered due to the land’s inability to capture rainwater to replenish the aquifers.
With support from individuals, NGOs and other funding sources in the U.S. and Costa Rica, and in collaboration with the farmers in the watershed, ROW is strategically replanting the damaged land in an effort to restore and protect the watershed as a source of clean water and healthy soil.
ROW also strives to educate the public on their watershed restoration efforts. In 2016 alone, over 100 elementary school children participated in watershed education workshops. By educating the next generation on the vital role the watershed plays in the local community, the likelihood of future damage is greatly decreased.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Restoring Our Watershed
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Restoring Our Watershed (ROW) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and revitalize the Nandamojo Watershed, a 30,000-acre river basin on the western coast of Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province.
The primary objectives of ROW’s programs are ecosystem revitalization, and strengthening the local food system, which are achieved by providing local families with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand and adapt to the challenges of climate change.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. The Nandamojo basin’s geographical area extends from the town of 27 de Abril to Junquillal.
2. ROW’s “Bees for Trees” program helps families increase their income through beekeeping. In exchange, the families reforest 10% of their farm, which aids in the organization’s overall reforestation efforts.
3. ROW has planted over 8,000 saplings in its reforestation efforts, many of which are now 8-10 feet tall.
RELATED PROJECT
Restoring the Nandamojo River Basin Ecosystem in Costa Rica
PROJECT
Fostering Community and Health Education Through Sports in South Africa
DETAILS
Donations go to sporting equipment replacement and upkeep (such as soccer nets and balls, uniforms, and outreach) and to Sportstec’s after school program, helping to provide homework help, guest speakers, and life skills materials such as sanitary pads and HIV testing.
MORE INFORMATION
The core elements of Sportstec are threefold: The Early Childhood Development center (ECD) provides childcare and educational opportunities for preschool aged children to prepare them for their first form al year of school.
An after-school program enables access to homework help, tutoring, and life skills for school-aged children.
Finally, the sports extension program, available to children of all ages, supports physical education and community togetherness through sporting events at local schools.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Sportstec International Development Agency
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Sportstec operates with the mission of bringing about social change through sports. Founded in 2006, Sportstec has partnered with governmental and private organizations alike (including Nike and Unicef) to promote using sport as a vehicle to address positive youth development, physical education, sportsmanship, life skills, and coach/teacher education, as well as assist with the systemic growth of sport development structures around South Africa.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
1. Sportstec’s “Homeground Initiative” has partnered with the South African government and UNICEF to provide broad-based support to local primary & secondary schools to enable the educational and personal development of children and young people in isolated communities.
2. The organization funds programs throughout all of South Africa’s regions in communities that need extra support.
3. Sporting events bring the community together, give youth something to work toward, and teaches teamwork and life skills that carry over into other areas of life.
RELATED PROJECT
Fostering Community and Health Education Through Sports in South Africa
PROJECT
Contributing to Community Needs and Sustainability in Fiji
DETAILS
Projects vary from building water catchment systems to introducing drought-resistant crops and implementing local water management committees.
MORE INFORMATION
Here are three details you should know:
1. The 27 villages affected by this project live below global health and poverty standards.
2. The name ‘Vinaka Fiji’ means ‘Thank You Fiji” and represents both sides – the people who operate the project and the Yasawas it benefits.
3. One goal of this project matches WHO’s Millennium Development goal of providing access to 5 liters of clean drinking water per person daily.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Vinaka Fiji
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
Securing a fresh water supply for all 27 villages in this region is a goal achievable only through sustainable development and local education.
RELATED PROJECT
Contributing to Community Needs and Sustainability in Fiji
PROJECT
Empowering Women in Ghanaian Communities
DETAILS
This organization is in its early stages of development, having been founded in 2018 by a summer Global Leadership Adventures staff and our local partner when they saw a need in the community.
Mother’s Heritage International is entirely community based and serves to help rescue, educate and support girls and women in Ghana through community education and helping to rescue and provide refuge for trafficked girls. While the organization is just getting off the ground, they have successfully completed three medical missions, and hosted their volunteer who has helped us reach out and educate other young women. Currently, donations go toward the cost of buying land, materials, and the other needs to create a home for the girls we would like to rescue from Lake Volta.
MORE INFORMATION
Thousands of children are currently living underneath the control of fishermen “masters”, where they are slyly taken from their families and forced into cruel labor on Volta Lake. These children, during hours of extensive labor, are often exposed to sexual abuse, untreated diseases, malnourishment, harmful practices and sometimes even death.
By establishing well-maintained relationships on the lake through regular medical missions, Mother’s is able to receive information from community members and undertake rescues with a team of people. Once they identify and are able to relieve a girl from the fishing industry, they bring her to an on-site home where she will receive medical attention, mental and emotional care, and a home to grow up and go to school in a healthy, nurturing environment.
GRANT RECIPIENT
Mother’s Heritage International
ABOUT THIS PARTNER
This organization is in its early stages of development, having been co-founded in 2017 by a summer Global Leadership Adventures staff and our local partner when they saw a need in the community.
Mother’s Heritage International is entirely community based and serves to help rescue, educate and support girls and women in Ghana through community education and helping to rescue and provide refuge for trafficked girls. While the organization is just getting off the ground, they have successfully completed three medical missions, and hosted their volunteer who has helped us reach out and educate other young women.
Currently, donations go toward the cost of buying land, materials, and the other needs to create a home for the girls we would like to rescue from Lake Volta.
RELATED PROJECT
Empowering Women in Ghanaian Communities