Where Did the Money Flow?
Your search for Children/Teens found 175 result(s)
Arte em Itaporanga: Educacao Pela Arte (635)
http://arteemitaporanga.wordpress.com/
Brazil / $10,000
Flow Funder: Vera F. Alves Ceschin
Year Funded: 2010
Through Flow Funding that began in 2009, an Art Studio was created for the children of Itaporanga, in the south of the state of Bahia in Brazil. It did so well, that Flow Funds were shared with this project again in 2010 to improve and maintain the studio, including: construction of a new classroom, new painting materials to last the year, a new library with over 1,000 books, and the salaries of two art teachers. Currently 114 children are registered for classes and over 70 are on the waiting list. Children receive 2 hour art classes, 2 times a week.
Farm Fresh Choice (632)
http://www.ecologycenter.org/ffc/
United States - California / $400
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
Farm Fresh Choice is the Ecology Center's Food Justice Program that engages low-income residents of Berkeley, California USA in reclaiming their optimal health through youth empowerment, nutrition education and community outreach that reaffirms collective ancestral wisdom and the relationship to nourishing foods. The program makes fresh, organic, regionally grown, and culturally appropriate foods convenient for purchase at after school programs through partnerships with local farmers that reflect our communities of color. Adult mentors and teen leaders facilitate peer-education workshops that raise critical health awareness and teach holistic wellness that builds off of our sacred food cultures.
Alameda Point Collaborative (APC): Growing Youth Project (631)
http://www.apcollaborative.org/growingyouth.htm
United States - California / $400
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
Please click the image to view the video.
This youth-led food community provides valuable employment and promotes a dialogue around issues related to food, health, and nutrition in the local community. Through these dialogues, action strategies are crafted for addressing food justice issues in the community.
Rooted in Community (RIC) National Network (628)
http://www.rootedincommunity.org/
United States - California / $500
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
This national, grassroots network empowers young people to take leadership in their own communities. They are a diverse movement of youth and adults working together to foster healthy communities and food justice through urban and rural agriculture, community gardening, food security, and related environmental justice work.
Oakland Food Connection (OFC) (627)
http://www.foodcommunityculture.org/
United States - California / $500
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
This non-profit organization is focused on Oakland, California USA's heritage of food, community and culture. Programs are centered on helping Oakland's youth and adult residents engage with the sources and institutions that produce, distribute, and sell their food, such as corner stores, farmers markets, grocery stores, and more.
Intervale Center (626)
United States - Vermont / $500
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
The Intervale Center is a unique community model and resource built around locally-grown food, recycling organic waste, environmentally-sound agricultural economy. They manage 350 acres of farmland, trails, wildlife corridors, a native plant nursery and compost production along the Winooski River in Vermont USA. They grow viable farms, preserve productive agricultural land, increase access to local, organic food, compost and other soil amendments, and protect water quality through organic waste management and stream bank restoration.
Garden-Raised Bounty (GRuB) (624)
United States - Washington / $1,000
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
Garden-Raised Bounty (GRuB) is a grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to nourishing a strong community by empowering people and growing good food. They "grow" self-confident and community-minded youth through educational and employment opportunities and help low-income families and seniors to help themselves by building raised-bed gardens at their homes.
Added Value (622)
United States - New York / $3,500
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
This non-profit organization promotes the sustainable development of Red Hook, New York USA by nurturing a new generation of young leaders by creating opportunities for the youth of South Brooklyn to expand their knowledge base, develop new skills, and positively engage with their community through the operation of a socially-responsible urban farming enterprise. Added Value has provided long-term training to more than 150 neighborhood teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19, provided hundreds of local elementary school students with educational programs and worked thousands of volunteers to build a more just and sustainable future for all. Their work has helped revitalize local parks, transformed vacant lands into vibrant Urban Farms, improved access to healthy and affordable food, and grown an economy that supports the needs of community. Currently, Added Value has three main initiatives: Growing a Just Food System, Youth Empowerment, and Farm-Based Learning.
The Food Project (621)
United States - Massachusetts / $5,000
Flow Funder: Malaika Bishop
Year Funded: 2010
Since 1991, The Food Project has built a national model of engaging young people in personal and social change through sustainable agriculture. Each year, they work with over a hundred teens and thousands of volunteers to farm 37 acres in eastern Massachusetts in the towns and cities of Beverly, Boston, Ipswich, Lincoln and Lynn. Their work transforms a new generation of leaders by placing teens in unusually responsible roles, with deeply meaningful work. Food is distributed through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, Farmers' Markets, and hunger relief organizations. The young people receive valuable job experiences and a personal connection to food justice.
Teen Pregnancy Awareness & Education (619)
Brazil / $3,190
Flow Funder: Maria Amalia Souza
Year Funded: 2010
A gift was shared to create a program to work with teenagers be more aware about the risk of pregnancy in Jaguare, a poor area in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Group and individual counseling is provided, as well as, engaging the full community on activities such as a garden, an internet center, art making and more.
Aprendo Contigo (615)
http://www.aprendocontigo.com/
Peru / $1,209
Flow Funder: Charlie Barnett
Year Funded: 2010
Aprendo Contigo sends volunteers to teach underprivileged kids in various hospitals throughout the city. Over 200 volunteers teach reading, writing, arithmetic and other basic subjects to children who are undergoing long term treatment and are therefore unable to attend regular school. The kids come from all over Peru since these hospitals are the only places in the country where they can get effective treatment for free. A gift was shared to cover 3 months salary for Marta Chaves, the Coordinator for Teaching Volunteers.
Assistance to Peruvian Children in the Highlands (614)
Peru / $1,796
Flow Funder: Charlie Barnett
Year Funded: 2010
The people of the Patacancha Valley, thousands of feet above the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru, speak Quechua and live mainly off crops of corn and potatoes. Peru has been enjoying an amazing economic boom in recent years, due mainly to the rise in export prices for its minerals and agricultural commodities. This new prosperity however, is mostly confined to Lima, the coastal region, and other major cities. As is usually the case, the rural poor have seen virtually no benefit. At the same time, a boom in tourism around Machu Picchu and Cuzco has led to considerable development in the Sacred Valley. But little progress has reached the indigenous people of the highlands, and the government has largely ignored them. In fact, the main way these communities have benefited is by sending their men to be sherpas for hikers on the Inca Trail. We decided that the best use of the Flow Funds would be help the most vulnerable members of these communities - the children - who are viewed by their parents mostly as a source of labor. Thousands of highland children die each year from from exposure to the freezing temperatures of the Andes, so we decided to buy warm clothing for them. And since education provides one of the only paths to a better life, we also bought school supplies for the children and their teachers and several sewing machines so the children could make their own warm clothes.
Biblioteca Solidaria (613)
http://www.bibliotecasolidaria.com.br/
Brazil / $660
Flow Funder: Bettina Turner
Year Funded: 2010
Librarian Sidnei Pereira da Rosa created a community book library in Sao Francisco Xavier, Brazil, which now houses thousands of good books and has become a cultural landmark in the city. He also organizes workshops and art activities for children. We shared money to purchase 50 educational DVDs on various subjects, to form a community video library at the site.
Oakland-Based Urban Gardens (OBUGs) (607)
United States - California / $1,080
Year Funded: 2009
The vision of this collective is that "Children from disadvantaged families will be educated about nutrition, health and science from a young age." A gift was shared to support their after-school Organic Garden Program, where kids receive hands-on training in planting, harvesting and maintaining organic food gardens. They also learn to cook the food they harvest. In the process, the children learn about health, nutrition, cooperation and resiliency.
Bukit Lawang: Sustainable Disaster Recovery (604)
Indonesia / $3,800
Flow Funder: Chimene Hickey
Year Funded: 2008
A gift was shared with this land conservation project, restoring jungle damaged by a palm-oil plantation ($470). We planted an additional 285 trees around the village of Bukit Lawang, and the around local schools. We also planted 67 fruit trees in order to provide children with healthy snacks at break-time. At the elementary school, we initiated a school garden program where the students will have an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of organic gardening and permaculture ($1,312). At the middle school, we contributed a playground set, volleyball and kick-ball equipment ($532). A gift was also shared to plant a medicinal plant garden at the school to teach the children about traditional medicine ($305). A gift was also shared to purchase supplies for the artists' cooperative ($367), provide a salary for the two project coordinators ($584), and a micro-grant for the Indra Inn to develop its business ($230).
Lara Lepionka's Community & Backyard Gardening (593)
http://www.capeannfarmersmarket.org/
United States - Massachusetts / $600
Year Funded: 2010
Lara Lepionka is a community-based artist and Coordinator for the Cape Ann Farmer's Market (CAFM) Backyard Growers in Massachusetts USA. A gift was shared with Lara for her work with low- to moderate-income youth to build and maintain organic vegetable gardens, including training, ongoing support, seeds, seedlings and compost. Through Lara's work, these youth are also selling their organic vegetables at the Farmers' Market, as well as donating an equal amount to the Open Door Food Pantry Mobile Mart, where residents receive free vegetables to prepare and eat.
Youth Gig Rowing Program (592)
http://www.gloucestergigrowers.com
United States - Massachusetts / $300
Year Funded: 2010
Five low-income youth were sponsored by a Flow Fund gift to learn how to row on the Gloucester harbor in Massachusetts USA. The Gloucester Gig Rowers program teaches leadership, encourages exercise and gets participants excited about the history of the Gloucester harbor. Their community is about enthusiasm as well as skill, determination as much as strength, and team pursuit rather than individual.
David Brooks & Art Haven (589)
United States - Massachusetts / $500
Year Funded: 2010
Please click the image to view the video.
David Brooks is a young entrepreneur in Gloucester, Massachusetts USA, who developed Art Haven, a community space where artists of all ages and abilities are encouraged to develop creativity and confidence through hands-on learning and collaboration. I knew that despite all of David's hard work, he often did not pay himself. I had a dream in which I wrote him a check for $500 and I am happy to say that that dream became a reality with this Flow Funding gift.
Erika Hansen's Youth Entrepreneur Program at Chill Zone (588)
United States - Massachusetts / $1,500
Year Funded: 2010
A gift was shared with Erika Hansen to support her teaching Youth Entrepreneur classes in business at the Chill Zone. This gift enabled Erika to purchase laptops and a freezer to store food to feed the youth dinner, during their classes.
Unitarian Universalist Youth Program in Gloucester, MA (587)
United States - Massachusetts / $250
Year Funded: 2010
A gift was shared with this Unitarian Universalist Youth Program for new supplies, including a new rug, books, easels, and dry erase boards.
Circulos (577)
United States / $500
Flow Funder: Penny Kelly
Year Funded: 2010
A gift was shared with this American Indian organization, to buy Christmas gifts for Indian children.
Land for Growing Food (574)
Myanmar / $0
Flow Funder: D.J.
While I was living at and funding projects to help a monastery, I noticed that many of the children who lived there were undernourished. Many of these children were small for their age and it was obvious that this monastery needed help feeding their children. The next year, I returned with money donated by private individuals to buy five acres of land for this monastery to grow food on, and the following year I brought more private money to buy over one hundred fruit trees and to put in an irrigation system. This land continues to be a rich source of healthy vegetables and fruits for this monastery and the children who live there. Looking back, this was one of the most successful projects that I was involved in during the six years that I was a Flow Fund Circle member. Even though the money that bought this land and the fruit trees came from private individuals, purchasing this land would not have happened if I had not been in Myanmar as a Flow Fund Circle member.
Educate!: Educating & Empowering Africa's Future Leaders (569)
http://www.experienceeducate.org/
United States - Colorado, Uganda / $5,000
Flow Funder: Larry Yee
Year Funded: 2010
The mission of Educate! is to empower the next generation of socially responsible leaders in Uganda, Africa, where 50% of the population is under 18. Uganda's youth are faced with growing problems of poverty, violence, disease, and environmental degradation. Through Educate!, teachers are mentors and the classroom is the community itself where students start initiatives that contribute to the sustainable development of their society. Already 20,000+ seedling trees have been planted to begin to restore their devastated environment and to start a nascent environmental movement. Other new initiatives include: a business that turns waste paper into bulletin boards; raising money for a resource/training center for children in the slums; a flower selling and landscaping business; a mobile grocery store; and a jewelry business. This organization has a winning leadership development model for social change and economic development and a highly talented and committed staff.
Pen Pal Program (566)
Myanmar / $0
Flow Funder: D.J.
Year Funded: 2006
I wanted the students at my school to experience what I was doing in Myanmar, and a pen pal program seemed like a good place to start. I invited the 3rd/4th and 5th grade class to participate with me in this new program and they wrote letters that included drawings and photos of themselves. I brought these letters with me to Myanmar and my friends translated the letters into Burmese. A nunnery school was found with students the same age and they soon became pen pals with the school students back home. After this letter writing exchange, the 5th grade class organized a Read-a-Thon that brought in over $700. They decided to use the money to build a playground and a basketball court at their Myanmar nunnery pen pal school and matching funds more than doubled what the Read-a-Thon had generated. When I next returned to Myanmar, a beautiful new playground facility and basketball court were built at the pen pal nunnery school, which made the Myanmar children very happy.
Clothing Donations to Children (565)
Myanmar / $1,200
Flow Funder: D.J.
Year Funded: 2003
Myanmar monasteries and nunneries are dependent on the local community for support. Children novice monks and nuns who live in monasteries and nunneries go out into the community every morning barefoot, with alms bowls in their hands to collect the food that is shared with everyone who lives at their monastery or nunnery. Myanmar communities are often very poor and are not able to give much more than food, but sometimes there are wealthier members of the community or local businesses that make larger donations to help buy food, build a building or dig a well. The costs involved in supporting a hundred or more children can be expensive, and so additional donations that help the children are always appreciated and important. Each year during the six years that I was a Flow Fund Circle member, clothing donation ceremonies took place in a Myanmar monastery or nunnery where clothing, blankets, towels, sleeping mats, pillows, pillow cases, and mosquito nets were given directly to the children to use and to keep. Over 1,000 children received clothing and other donations during the six years that I was a Flow Fund Circle member.
Scabies & Ringworm Program (564)
Myanmar / $800
Flow Funder: D.J.
Year Funded: 2004
In nearly ever Myanmar monastery and nunnery, where large numbers of children live, scabies and scalp ringworm can be found. The scabies mite burrows under the skin and lays eggs that hatch six days later and creates an ongoing cycle of discomfort, loss of sleep, and possible secondary infections and weakened immune systems. Scalp ringworm is also contagious but is usually spread when children novice monks and nuns share razor blades, pillows and hats. I made my first effort to help educate and treat Myanmar children for scabies and ringworm in 2001, and continued to fund scabies and ringworm programs for the next three years. Since leaving the Flow Fund Circle in 2007 I have continued to fund annual scabies and ringworm programs in Myanmar.
Providing Toilet Facilities (563)
Myanmar / $1,200
Flow Funder: D.J.
Year Funded: 2004
Myanmar is 80% Buddhist so there are a vast number of Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Most of them are established to teach Buddhist moral lessons and the monks and nuns act as the clergy for the local community. But there are special monasteries and nunneries in Myanmar that are committed and devoted to helping poor, displaced and orphaned children. These monasteries and nunneries feed, clothe and educate the children they care for. During the six years that I was a member of the Flow Fund Circle, I dedicated myself to helping these special monasteries and nunneries that help Myanmar children. Health issues were always a primary concern of mine and so when I saw a dilapidated dirty outhouse being used by the children, I knew that I could fund the building of a new, clean toilet facility. Approximately 65 individual toilet stalls were built in these special monasteries and nunneries during the time that I was Flow Fund Circle member.
Children's Art Program and Exhibition (562)
Myanmar / $1,250
Flow Funder: D.J.
Year Funded: 2003
As an art teacher and artist, I know that children must be given the chance to creatively express themselves. But many children, schools and families cannot afford the cost of art materials, such as brushes, watercolors and paper. These things could be considered a luxury when having to choose between food and the other important necessities. For the six years that I was a Flow Fund Circle Member, children's art programs were funded, in which art teachers were hired and art materials were purchased. We also celebrated the young artists work by organizing two-day art exhibitions, where the paintings were put on display for members of the community to see.
MOVE (Making Our Voice Empowered) (540)
United States - California / $500
Flow Funder: Ocean Robbins
Year Funded: 2009
This gift was shared with The 418 Project, who supports MOVE (Making Our Voice Empowered), an innovative, cost-effective arts education organization serving at-risk youth in Santa Cruz County, California USA. MOVE provides tools to motivate and inspire youth in juvenile hall and schools for at-risk youth, by developing artistic expression and personal empowerment. Classes include: Art, Video Social Documentary, Drumming, Hip Hop Poetry, World Dance, Capoeira, Integrated Movement, Exploration of Holistic Health, Yoga, Pilates and Mural Design.
10th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World (538)
Egypt, India / $950
Flow Funder: Ocean Robbins
Year Funded: 2009
A gift was shared to support Yasser Mohamed Adel of Egypt in traveling to India for the 10th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World, which held a global symposium on "Awakening Planetary Consciousness." Yasser was selected as the only Egyptian delegate, and was asked to present a workshop on interfaith dialogue. Yasser is a Board Member of the International Council of Christians and Jews, co-founded as a cooperation circle for interfaith dialogue in Egypt, and has organized youth, intercultural exchange programs between Europe and the Middle East.
Kimmie Weeks (534)
http://www.kimmieweeks.com/index.php
Liberia, Sierra Leone, United States / $975
Flow Funder: Ocean Robbins
Year Funded: 2009
Please click the image to view the video.
This leadership award was shared to support the life and work of Kimmie Weeks. At age nine, Kimmie nearly died of hunger during Liberia's brutal civil war. At age twelve, he negotiated with rebel leaders and precipitated the release of 20,000 child soldiers who had been forced into the fighting, helping to bring about an end to the war. At age 17 he broke the story of then-president Charles Taylor's arming and training children to be used as soldiers in nearby Sierra Leone's civil war to the world press, and fled the country for his life, settling in the US for university. Today, Kimmie has returned to west Africa, where he works to rehabilitate child soldiers, and end of the use of children in war throughout Africa and the world.
M-LISADA (Music, Life Skills & Destitution Alleviation) (531)
Uganda / $1,000
Flow Funder: Ocean Robbins
Year Funded: 2009
Please click the image to view the video.
This gift was given to Seeds for Hope, to support the M-LISADA (Music, Life Skills & Destitution Alleviation) orphanage in Kampala, Uganda. Charles Terry, another Flow Funder, had this to say about M-LISADA: "The young people of M-LISADA survive by doing what they love - playing traditional African music, performing cultural dances and acrobatics, and by creating a brass band - and they've earned a reputation that brings them invitations to perform at local functions. But there are still times when they have too little food and must go hungry, and times when they become sick with malaria, cholera or typhoid fever and have to struggle to pay for medical care. Meanwhile, there is more that they dream about. They long first and foremost for education (their past income has allowed only some to go to school), and they believe that if they had better musical instruments and better dance costumes and a bus, they could use their well-practiced talents to generate greater income that would significantly enhance their quality of life. But even more than their own personal goals, they aspire to become a model for actualizing the potential of marginalized youth - a model that could provide inspiration and leadership to other orphanages and young people growing up in impoverished conditions."
Sustainable Development Project in the Fifth Ward (525)
United States - Texas / $16,000
Year Funded: 2009
The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program, founded by Ernest MacMillan, directly addresses the high mortality rates of young, black men by providing a safe, after-school environment and exposure to male role models who instill values and standards of conduct. I approached this program with the idea of incorporating environmental issues into their services. The Sustainable Development Project resulted from this conversation and now there are partnerships with many other organizations, collaborating on plans for community gardens, peer-sustainability training and green jobs training. The urban poor are often overlooked as part of the solution to climate change and environmental issues, yet these populations are often the first people to be adversely affected by the damage we are doing to our environment. By empowering poor communities to be part of the solution we create real, sustainable opportunities for community development and stabilization, job creation, and improving the quality of life. This program has already touched more than 800 boys, their families, senior citizens and neighbors.
Sixth Street Garden Events, New York (521)
United States, United States - New York / $2,000
Gifts were given to artists working with children to create art after school.
Youth Community Radio Project (518)
Thailand / $1,250
Contributions were shared for the creation of Youth Community Radio Center in Prae Province, where violence and discontent is growing among youth population. This center is run with a very small budget by a local activist named Prasart Pratetrat, whose vision is to create a learning opportunity for youth where they can enjoy spending free time learning among themselves and about social and environmental issues in the local area.
Healing Arts for Children Project (516)
Thailand / $250
In response to the need for care for children affected by HIV/AIDS in Chiengrai, the Wiangchai Hospital has developed a healing program for small children whose parent(s) died of AIDS, and/or have emotional challenges and needs. 30 children are enrolled in the project, ranging from 4- to 12-years-old. The arts therapy sessions are organized once a month and conducted by local art practitioners with good results. This project is locally-innovative, as most children affected by HIV/AIDS are helped only materially without adequate psychological or emotional support. It is possible that this can be a model from which other social workers and hospital staff in other areas can learn and create their own program.
Foundation for an Evolving Society (512)
Thailand / $2,500
Over several years, the Foundation for an Evolving Society, a non-profit organization based in Chiengrai, Thailand, received the funding from the Flow Fund to develop a holistic education program for their primary homeschool which benefit 4 children and families. While homeschool education is still new to Thai Society, it can serve as an alternative to education for parents who seek non-violent, liberal and spiritual education that can help children to grow a sense of service, generosity and compassion. This project is intended to create a model which can be replicated else where if parents are interested. The challenge though involved getting the Thai Euducation official to legally recognize the rights of parents to minister sound education for their children. While there are a wide spreading concern and frustration around the superficial educational reform in Thailand, a real practical success, even small, can inspire many who seek real education for the young generations.
Detroit Summer (509)
United States - Michigan / $1,000
Community organizing with young people.
Center for Protection of Women and Children (504)
Serbia and Montenegro / $2,000
Center for Protection of Women and Children Kosovo
Ellen Diederich's Peace Education (502)
Germany / $1,000
Flow Funder: Veronika Bennholdt-Thomsen
Ellen Diederich is a well known feminist peace activist. She has built up an Archive of Feminist Peace Education over several decades. A gift was shared to help her develop materials for school children, so she can teach them about making peace.
Stinson/Bolinas Community Fund (498)
United States - California / $60,000
Year Funded: 1997
$20,000 seed money was shared to start a new community fund for the towns of Stinson Beach and Bolinas, California USA with the hope of leveraging additional donations so the fund can be self-sustaining. An initial group of seven donors agreed on the philosophical underpinnings of this new fund and The Marin Community Foundation became the fiscal sponsor, creating grant guidelines, as well as an application form. Since then, the fund has made many grants for improving community and cultural life, and enhancing the well-being of local residents.
Healing Adolescent Girls in Darfur (496)
Sudan / $2,000
Almost 2 million people in the three states of Darfur are refugees or internally-displaced, due to the violent conflict that began in March 2003. More than 60% of them are children under 18 years of age. In South Darfur alone, hundreds of thousands of people are seeking refuge in camps, which lack basic services and security. In order to provide the local children and adolescent girls with structure and a sense of normality, the Sudanese Popular Committee for Relief (SPCR) established nine Children Centers in three locations in South Darfur, where internally-displaced people live. 40 people were trained to organize daily, social and recreational activities for the almost 10,000 children served. Many of the children are survivors of sexual abuse, and some of them are dealing with unwanted pregnancies. Several services help these young girls heal from their experiences. At present more than 500 girls meet and encourage each other to cope and accept their often unwanted baby. We shared a Flow Fund Gift to support these activities.
Quaker Play Center's Amari Refugee Camp (494)
Israel, Palestinian, Territory Occupied / $2,000
Flow Funder: Lilian Peters
Founded in 1975, the Quaker Play Center's Amari Refugee Camp is located on the grounds of the United Nations Welfare & Relief Association (UNRWA), in the village of EI-Bireh, next to Ramallah on the West Bank of Israel and Palestine. The Quaker Play Center provides pre-school education for 50 children. A gift was shared with the Quaker Play Center to purchase central heating and hot water for the cold winter months.
Soblan Oral University of Nature (492)
Thailand / $2,500
Year Funded: 2003
After the Solidarity Forest Walk of 2003, the Karen (or Pgakenyaw people) in Soblan Village, explored the possibility of creating their own school to teach and share traditional, educational wisdom (including forest guardian and stewardship) that is native to their land and culture. Through a collaboration with the Buddhist alternative school, Roong Arun, in Bangkok, the Karen have acquired the technical knowledge in how to establish official recognition by the government, and a Flow Fund Gift was used for purchasing equipment and providing teachers salaries.
Tibetan Children's Villages (490)
India / $20,000
A gift was shared to support the housing, health and education needs of 5 Tibetan refugee children for 10 years.
Non-Violent Education (485)
Lebanon / $2,000
Marie Nassif is active in social work and integrating non- violent culture in local schools, associations, and youth groups. Her curriculum includes: seminars for young adults (17 - 26 years old) on how to start nonviolent clubs in their cities; visits & discussions at the homes of motivated mothers who want to teach their children non-violence; training sessions with teachers; and non-violent film screenings and discussions at local schools.
Non-Violence & Non-Sectarian Training (484)
Lebanon / $2,850
Lebanon represents a mixture of religious beliefs, including Christian, Muslim and Druze people and they often do not mix with each other. Anita Bassil helped to found a youth group focusing on non-violence and non-sectarianism in the Kesrwan/Mount Lebanon region, whose population is 98% Christian. Some of the activities of this group include: building a clubhouse for youth from different areas of Kesrwan to gather together; introducing non-violence approaches to other organizations in the region; running a non-violent/non-sectarian summer camp; finding church activities for all youth to participate in, regardless of religious beliefs; non-violent/non-sectarian communication training for local youth groups, teachers and students; and a Peace Film Club for youth, which includes one non-violent film per week.
Hala Abou Ali & Non-Violent Activities (483)
Lebanon / $1,000
There has been tension between the Christian and Druze people of Lebanon, since the Lebanese Civil War (1975 - 1990). Hala Abou Ali is a young woman who has launched a set of non-violent activities in her village, bringing together these two seemingly disparate groups together. Her activities include: non-violent seminars for village representatives in the region; summer camps for Christian and Druze children; Peace Film Clubs for youth; nature exploration and how it can bring different groups of people together; and awareness meetings for young adults (19 to 28 years old). All these activities include conflict-resolution training, non-sectarian dialogue, and discussions of how different religions in a communal society can co-exist.
Josephine Tabchi & Non-Violence Education (482)
Lebanon / $1,500
Josephine Tabchi shares non-violent education activities with village children in the North of Lebanon. Her activities include: a weekly Peace Club for youth from different backgrounds (8 to 18 years old), with entertainment activities & trips which form a coherent group; trainings for teachers from the area schools, which include non-violent communication, and how to respect the "other"; and a Film Club (the first in the village) to discuss non-violent movies, documentaries, cartoons. All of these activities have a focus of non-sectarian gathering, healing racism, learning how to cooperate, ecology, self-trust, and trust in others.
T-Moo Theater for Youth Empowerment Project (481)
Thailand / $1,220
The goal of this project is to develop a replicable model for holistic youth development through socially-engaged artistic work in Thailand. The gift made it possible for 30 youths in Chiengrai, aged 15-20, to go through theater training and community research. The Thai Health Promotion Foundation has recognized the theater project as a good practice in youth development in encountering against widespread violence among teenage population in Thailand. The training was filmed and and subtitled in English.
Scholarship (473)
South Africa, United States - Colorado / $1,400
This gift provided a transportation and medical insurance scholarship for a youth from Cape Town, South Africa, to attend "Up With People" leadership program seminars in Broomfield, CO.
Youth Together (465)
United States - California / $5,000
Please click the image to view the video.
Youth Together is a multi-cultural, youth justice program developing young people to be "Rainbow Warriors" to prevent conflicts and violence in their schools by addressing the institutional factors that create or contribute to the conflicts. This school-based, social change and cross-cultural violence prevention project is developing the leadership of 75 youth from 5 high schools in Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond, California USA. The goal is to foster cross-cultural understanding and relationship skills among youth, to reduce the prejudice and intolerance that lead to violence and other harm. A gift was shared to help Youth Together obtain a match grant for the publication and dissemination of curriculum materials, including research findings and curriculum recommendations for other schools around the country.
Parihaka Marae Preschool (463)
New Zealand / $5,000
Flow Funder: Angeles Arrien
A gift was shared to support the formation of an education fund for the Parihaka Marae Preschool which provides scholarships for inter-cultural educational exchanges.
Scottish Environmental Research Project (457)
United States - California, United Kingdom / $1,500
This project was chosen to inspire young and dedicated Scottish Highlanders to research environmental problems and options for a sustainable Scotland. It includes an educational project that enables Scottish-American young adults to study the environmental challenges facing Scotland today.
Royal Flush Center for Arts & Music (456)
United States - California / $8,000
This project was chosen because of the young artists and musicians doing their work in San Francisco, who are highly dedicated, talented, and inspired to make arts and music available outside of traditional settings. In particular, I felt it was important to encourage this group of emerging artists to reach out and dedicate some of their time to be of service to the San Francisco youth that are at risk. Through the Royal Flush Center, art and music is made accessible to inspire young adults and teenagers who are looking for new directions. The center is trying to reach troubled homeless teenagers and young adults, offering them a gathering place for music and art as well as teaching on a one-to-one basis. "Lost" teens are especially being helped by being mentored by young adults that they admire due to their success as artists.
Mysteries Program's Council Training for Teachers (449)
United States - California / $10,000
The Mysteries Program is a groundbreaking curriculum which acknowledges and supports spiritual development in the adolescent. It provides an opportunity to explore meaning and purpose in life, to encounter the mysterious in human experience, and to make a deep connection to wholeness in oneself and in others. Participants gain tools to combat the root causes of self-destructive behavior, low self-esteem, stress, isolation, marginalization, and poor decision-making skills. Students learn ways to recognize and nurture their spiritual needs, recover and preserve their creativity and take responsibility for themselves, others and the planet. The council process is derived from Native American tradition and contemporary psychological approaches. Storytelling, dreamwork, witnessing, conflict-resolution, ceremony, ritual, and myth are interwoven in the curriculum to develop in each adolescent a respect for their own uniqueness and for the uniqueness of every other human being. The Mysteries Program has been successfully taught at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California USA for several years and has made a documented and significant impact on the lives of the participating children. A videotape project was funded, as a tool for sharing this program with the world. Our gift leveraged another $20,000 in matching funds to complete the film and create a training module for teachers who wish to implement the program within their own school systems.
Brother Pasqual (433)
http://www.deserthouseofprayer.org/
United States - Arizona / $1,000
This gift was shared with a Catholic priest, Brother Pasqual, who has dedicated his life to running the Desert House of Prayer, a small retreat center outside of Tuscon, Arizona USA, which offers rest and revitalization for burned-out or ill Catholics, activists, priests and nuns. He also does extensive work with Hispanic youth in the Tuscon area, and we shared a $1,000 gift with him for that work. When he heard the philosophy behind the Flow Fund gift-giving, he would only accept the gift if he could follow the same rule we follow and give it away. He ended up sharing the money with people "in their time of need," which included a young woman dying of AIDS.
Universal Foundation for Better Living/Panorama of Truth Youth Program (376)
United States - Florida / $100
A gift was shared to support the Panorama of Truth Youth Program in creating educational materials to be presented a conference in Miami Beach, Florida USA, based on the principles of Maria Nemeth and her "Energy of Money" workshops.
Mendocino County Releaf (375)
United States - California / $2,500
A gift was shared to support a "pocket park" in Ukiah, California USA, dedicated to the Russian River Watershed and the children of the Ukiah Valley. This park will have an actual recycling "running stream" and rock waterfall celebrating the life-giving nature of the Russian River and the diversity of its culture.
SPACE: Near and Arnolds' School of Performing Arts & Cultural Education (374)
http://www.spaceperformingarts.org
United States - California / $10,000
A gift was shared with this children's performing arts program committed to exploring social and cultural issues affecting children, youth and their families, and fostering cross-cultural interactions among Mendocino County's diverse communities. They create and stage professionally-directed theater and dance productions with youth and conduct experiential arts education programs that enhance self-confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline and social skills. Their programs engage the talents and contributions of local/regional theater, traditional/folk artists, teachers, dance/music artists, youth, parents, educators, and business people, encouraging diversity, cooperation and tolerance. SPACE is raising funds to retrofit and develop a new children's theater in downtown Ukiah, California.
Native American Heritage (367)
United States - California / $2,500
A gift was shared with David Lincoln, an indigenous Yokaia Porno, raised in the traditional ways of the Native Americans in the Mendocino County area. He is an artist who works in "quiet" ways throughout the county with small groups of young people, instilling self-esteem and respect for their heritage and rich culture through music, storytelling, dance, and drum making.
Can Do Fund, Uzbekistan (351)
Uzbekistan / $2,000
I was able to potentially affect twenty four schools where Peace Corps volunteers are teaching English. Based on the contest idea of another Flow Fund Circle member, I appointed the volunteers as philanthropists who could make up the rules,based on their first hand experience, as to how the money would be distributed, whether by contest or grants to help their local communities.
Youth Ecological Trainees (348)
Georgia / $500
Flow Funder: Enid Schreibman
A gift was shared with 50 Georgian youth to receive training and employment at various ecological organizations for one year.
Teen Ecological Center, Kiev (347)
Ukraine / $1,200
I funded a center for Anthill, a group of teenagers active in the environment. The physical legal space and address enables them to apply for additional grants. The space will also be used for networking meetings of NGO's in Kiev.
Council for Safe Energy Booklet (343)
United States - California / $2,000
A gift was shared with a group of Berkeley women who call themselves the Council for Safe Energy to support their creation of a 14-page, illustrated booklet geared towards the health and safety of children. The published booklet was shared at the Beijing Women's Forum in August 1995, and at the Alternative Energy Workshop in Moscow, Russia in November 1995.
Grassroots Clean Water Action (338)
Russian Federation, United States - California / $2,150
Porosino Ecological School in Tomsk, Russia, is unique in their focus on environmental issues. A gift was shared to help write a grant to link this school with Le-Conte, a farm school in Berkeley, California USA, where children do water testing, educate the community about the causes of water pollution, and learn to collect data.
Center For Handicapped Children The Institute of Child Health Trust (323)
India / $2,000
This will be the first center of its kind in India that is within the precinct of a fully-fledged children's hospital thereby having advantage of treatment facility in all branches of pediatric medicine
The House of Hope (321)
Israel / $2,000
Flow Funder: Vijali Hamilton
The House of Hope, in Shefar'Am, Northern Israel, was founded in 1978 by Elias Jabbour, a Palestinian Israeli with a vision for peacemaking. For 30 years Jabbour and the House of Hope have used traditional Arab methods of conflict resolution to promote peace between Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews. I asked its young students: "What is the solution that can bring us to harmony?" and they answered: "If we can see through the eyes of people from a different background and love them, we can find peace."
Whistle Home & Oasis Project (294)
Thailand / $2,500
Chansuda Suwanchandee was a single mother of three young children and she had HIV. She founded and ran the Oasis Project. It was her dream to provide shelter, food, and health care for homeless people with HIV in Bangkok, Thailand. The Whistle Hom provides child care for mothers with HIV. Children receive food, diapers, and nourishment. Since mothers with HIV cannot breast feed their children, the home also provides instant milk powder for free. Some children live permanently at Whistle Home because their mothers have passed away.
Children's nutrition project (284)
India / $750
Children's nutrition project Algae Protein Supplement - C.V.Seshadiri Feeding schoolchildren
Stichting TALLIQ: Justice for Palestinian Children (276)
http://www.talliq.nl/E_Index_Contact2.htm
Netherlands, Palestinian, Territory Occupied, Israel / $630
Flow Funder: Lilian Peters
Year Funded: 2004
A gift was shared with Marijke Kruyt to create this non-profit foundation in the Netherlands, dedicated to the rights of Palestinian children in detention in Israel.
Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem (275)
Israel, Palestinian, Territory Occupied / $4,500
Flow Funder: Lilian Peters
Founded in 2002 by Ms. Amoun Sleemhe, the Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem is the only organization in Palestine dedicated to the empowerment of the Domari (Gypsy) people. By providing literacy classes and after-school educational programs, the Domari Society aims to keep children in school as long as possible and improve their chances for the future. Ms. Sleemhe is running the center from her home, assisted by visiting volunteers. A gift was shared with the Domari Society for literacy classes and educational programs.
Al-Amal Hope Flowers School (268)
http://www.hopeflowersschool.org/
Palestinian, Territory Occupied / $10,000
This school offers a special education to over 250 children, aged 4 to 13 years old. It is located in Al Khader, a western suburb of the historic city of Bethlehem in the West Bank of Palestine. It was founded in 1984 by Hussein Issa, who had grown up in a refugee camp in Bethlehem after his family had lost everything in the 1948 war and the creation of the state of Israel. Hussein's dream was to give children what he himself had lacked and needed as he grew up. With his social work and education background, he understood the benefits that pre-school education could provide to young children. With no money whatsoever, he opened a kindergarten in 1984, which he called the Al-Amal Child Care Centre, teaching children how to contribute to creating a peaceful and democratic future. This new school teaches peace and democracy education, showing children how to handle confronting and difficult situations, how to stand up and make their contribution in public, how to find and develop creative solutions, how to work with others to resolve inter-personal and social issues and the communication skills necessary for build bridges between opposing points of view. Psychological counseling is also offered for the children and their families. Graduates emerge into adulthood with tools to make the best out of life and to do the best for all people.
Trees for Food & Future (267)
Burkina Faso / $2,000
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
This project was born to better preserve the water in the villages of Indini and Zinkone, Burkina Faso by digging wells. As well as the creation of these wells, a total of 1,600 native trees were planted and the villagers and school children are required to water and care for the trees. We hope this project will grow each year.
Susan Hough & The Mid-Atlantic Center for Healing (266)
http://www.healingintuition.com/
United States - Virginia / $1,500
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
Susan Hough is a mentor/counselor for young people in her city of Leesburg, Virgina USA. She holds meetings and guides young people toward their higher purpose. Through the Mid-Atlantic Center for Healing, she holds meetings for young people to discuss racial and other issues in their life. Susan not only gives the young people a place to go to, she also helps transform their lives.
Repair of School Benches (264)
Burkina Faso / $200
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
A gift was shared for the repair of benches in the village classrooms of Zinkone and Gnikpiere, Burkina Faso.
Association of University Students' Theater Education (263)
Burkina Faso / $200
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
A gift was shared with this drama project for students at the university, whose purpose is to take different social issues and illustrate them in a play to educate the public.
Kenya Jordana James (260)
United States - New York / $500
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
A gift was shared with Kenya Jordana James, who has been an innovator almost from the time of her birth in 1989. Growing up in New York City with her community-building mother and great grandfather, Kenya's entire life has been defined and enhanced by the village that has raised her. Tired of reading magazines that didn't speak directly to her peers, Kenya decided to create her own. Using the savings from both her jewelry business and her baking business, KenyaJordana Cakes, Kenya launched Blackgirl Magazine. She also hosts Sessions, a lively discussion between artists and the teen community, providing the opportunity for artists and community to come together to exchange ideas and information.
Consortium for Young Women (258)
United States - California / $4,000
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
A gift was shared with this organization that works with young girls to provide them with different ways of relating to the world and different way of better taking care of themselves.
Youth Camp for Democracy & Deep Ecology (257)
Nepal / $4,500
Flow Funder: Yoji Kamata
The purpose of this project is to foster the leaders of the future generations, believing that everybody has infinite possibilities and potentials. It is based in Pokhara, Nepal and involves youth aged 15 to 20 years old from various ethnic and economical backgrounds. Children-Nepal, a Nepalese non-governmental organization, will manage the project.
Mangyan Indigenous Education Program (253)
Philippines / $4,500
Flow Funder: Yoji Kamata
"Mangyan" is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found in Mindoro island, in the Philippines - each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 100,000, but no official statistics are available because of the difficulties of counting remote and reclusive tribal groups, many of which have no contact with the outside world. The Mangyan Indigenous Education Program is divided into three main components: Development of Indigenous Curriculum; Development/Production of Instructional Materials; and Actual Implementation of Learning Process. This project is a collaboration between The Mangyan Mission and the Mangyan Heritage Center. The Mangyan Mission, a non-government organization, has been assisting the Mangyans for over 50 years through its integrated programs, and they have started the implementation of a learning process in two pilot schools. The Mangyan Heritage Center is a library, research and education center, which has been gathering and compiling Mangyan stories and poems. It has also documented Mangyan rituals, beliefs and traditions. These materials are being developed to be part of the instructional materials. The educational system that will be developed will be advocated to the Department of Education for recognition and implementation in all Mangyan schools in the province. This project is also working on developing and publishing books and other forms of instructional materials containing Mangyan stories, poems, rituals, beliefs and traditions. All the materials documented will be validated in Mangyan communities to ensure accurateness. Mangyans from each tribe are collaborating on the project, so that they themselves will be involved in the production of instructional materials. Five selected Mangyans with artistic abilities in drawing will undergo a training to harness their skills.
Children/Teens, Cultural Preservation, Education, Spirituality
The Whispering Seed (251)
http://www.whisperingseed.org/
Thailand / $800
The Whispering Seed is a village-based community living & learning center and home for orphaned and abused children focusing on cross-cultural exchanges and sustainable living practices. They provide support, care and learning opportunities for refugee children, displaced people and other ethnic minorities groups living in the Thai/Burmese border region, including those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Through their work, they share new models for sustainable living and learning while also supporting traditional wisdom and local knowledge systems. Children's voices are honored and respected and diversity is celebrated. They respect, value and honor the inherent natural learning processes within every human being and strive to create a healthy, supportive, natural environment where that uniqueness can unfold in its own natural rhythm. The Community Living & Learning Center provides trainings, workshops, seminars and resources for villagers in the local area and to the larger international community in: holistic child-rearing, democratic models of learning, cross-cultural youth empowerment trainings, natural healing techniques, preserving traditional crafts (dance, music, spinning and weaving), documentary film making and sustainable models of living, including Permaculture, natural house building and organic farming.
Youth Network for a Sustainable Watershed (247)
Thailand / $2,400
Huai Kha Kang National Park is full of biological diversity with thousands of species of flora and fauna. The people who have settled around the forest and depend on forest products (the Sagagrang Watershed) are concerned about the danger of depletion of forest and are respectful of forest values. They have decided to organize a conservation project entitled "Youth Network for Sustainable Management of the Watershed." The main objectives of this project are to support and develop the youth network, community organizations, and other watershed networks by setting up a learning process that is open for every sector in the community. They will participate in analyzing and planning the process of resource conservation. They also wish to enhance community organization through a "Learning by Doing Strategy." Villagers will also be educated regarding sustainability and traditional methods to conserve their natural resources. The youth have been encouraged to participate in the entire conservation process as they are the new generation who are going to be affected by the natural condition later on.
Kembatta Women's Self-Help Center (KMG) (226)
Ethiopia / $3,000
Bogaletch Gebre embodies Ghandi's call for us to be the change we want to see in the world. She was the first girl in her village/district to be educated beyond the fourth grade. After studying microbiology, physiology, epidemiology and public health in Israel and the US, she taught health sciences in Ethiopia and the US before returning home to establish KMG. While lead by women, KMG works holistically, via three interrelated programs that help women and their families to help themselves improve community: Reproductive health education, including the elimination of female genital excision (FGE); HIV/AIDS prevention; Vocational training and advancement of women's entrepreneurial skills; and Restoring depleted watersheds and damaged ecosystems.
Advocacy, Children/Teens, Ecology/Sustainability, Economic Development, Women
Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity (SEED) Project (225)
United States - New Jersey, United States - Massachusetts / $2,000
Flow Funder: Rachel Bagby
A gift was shared with the Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity (SEED) project, which sustains an international community of educators devoted to developing more inclusive curriculum for the Kindergarten through High School population in New Jersey USA. Teams of educators attend a week-long training and return home to co-conduct ongoing study groups with teachers and administrators, complete with support materials. All participants work on two questions in their seminars: What would curriculum look like if the diverse lives of women and girls were seen as co-central with the diverse lives of men and boys? and How can curriculum and teaching methods provide, in the metaphors of Emily Style, both windows into others' experiences, and mirrors of each student's own reality and validity?
The People's Grocery (224)
http://www.peoplesgrocery.org/
United States - California / $1,000
This seed grant supports a budding cooperative and collectively-run, youth, grocery store and entrepreneurial training institute in West Oakland, providing affordable organic food, jobs, job training, economic development, urban gardens, and social/environmental justice education to the West Oakland community.
Sistership Grant for Alternatives for Girls (222)
http://www.alternativesforgirls.org/
United States - Michigan / $400
This Sistership Grant was by far my most creative and gratifying one. While preparing to be a presenter at the Woman & Power Conference, a still, small voice told me to have travelers checks in hand to demonstrate the power of generosity. I asked for girls age 18 and younger to come tell me their dreams for themselves, the world and the future. Seven girls came up as a collective, and I learned how their work with the organization Alternatives for Girls was helping them to change their lives around. They talked about their hopes for friends who were still struggling with drugs and difficult relationships and some shyly shared about contributions they hoped to make to the world. I gave them each $25-$50 to support their individual dreams and $100 to contribute to their community. Their assignment was to decide amongst themselves how to wisely distribute the funds and to let me know how they did it. They divvied the gift up equally to purchase lunch and toys because you need both fun and food in life.
Community Building Construction (218)
India / $6,677
Flow Funder: Richard Douthwaite
A gift was shared to help construct a multi-purpose community center used for meetings, and a regular out-patient clinic providing primary health care. The structure was planned by the community and youth volunteers helped in its construction. A well was also constructed.
La Escuelita (The Small School) (209)
Mexico / $5,000
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
La Escuelita (The Small School) is located in Las Canadas, a cloud forest reserve in the mountains of Huatusco, in the state of Vera Cruz in Mexico. The Small School was started to ensure cultural knowledge gained in Las Canadas is passed on to the coming generations, which the present school system does not offer. Generally, rural schools in Mexico teach children very little about their local environment and cultural context. In fact, schools in this area are simply preparing children to leave their communities and forget their culture. In the Small School, the opposite happens. The children here are taught about their own culture and environment, as well as values that encourage and help them to stay and work towards sustainable development and a better life in their own communities. This school is free of charge and teaches children aged 4 to 11 years old, many of whom come from poorer families. The Small School has a community teaching garden and they offer environmental workshops for children cannot attend the school for various reasons. A Flow Fund Gift was shared to help create a bigger teaching garden, including vegetables, corn, beans and fruit trees, where the children can experiment and learn about the natural process and cycle of life, and how to grow their own food organically. Equally important, the garden helps children learn about healthy food habits based on a local diet. The garden produce is used in cooking classes, so the children learn to prepare their own food, which adds a great deal to their existing and rather limited diet, which is based mainly on corn and beans. Environmental workshops are offered to children from other schools as well, where they learn about organic farming, the local ecosystem, conservation of natural resources, and the contamination of garbage. Our Flow Fund Gift purchased materials, tools, and fruit trees for the school garden, as well as providing a small salary for the teacher in charge of the garden and the cooking classes. Our gift also paid for the ingredients needed for the cooking classes that could not be produced in the school garden, as well as educational materials, transport, food and facilitation.
Soup Party Raffle for Scouts (203)
Brazil / $1,300
A gift was shared to help put on the annual Soup Party Raffle which parents throw for their children's Scout group. This particular Scout group is made up of mostly children of local maids and they rely a lot on this annual fundraiser.
Preservation of Cultural Traditions for Young Girls (202)
Brazil / $1,155
A gift was shared to support a women's dance program, in which women are taught, through dance, movement and story telling, the Afro-Brazilian traditions, so that they may become tradition-bearers in the future. Located on an island off the coast of Bahia, Brazil, this gift enabled the group to extend itself to include girls of all different ages.
Capoeira for Street Youth (201)
Brazil / $1,925
A gift was shared to support a program on an island off the coast of Bahia, Brazil that works with the male youth of the community. This program takes the boys off the street and rather than having a future of begging, they learn the Afro-Brazilian martial art Capoeira. This experience raises their self esteem and cultural-consciousness as native Afro-Brazilians.
Swimming Therapy (199)
Brazil / $700
Flow Funder: Edmundo Barbosa
A gift was shared for treatment for a poor child to improve his self-esteem, as well as his lungs, which are suffering from a respiratory disease. This treatment has helped with the child's improvement and has made it possible for his mother to go back to work full-time and support the family.
Entertaining Child Cancer Patients (197)
Brazil / $1,925
Flow Funder: Edmundo Barbosa
A gift was shared with a group of high school teenagers who create performances in the main Hospital for Pediatric Cancer in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. These costumed performances take place in the hospital corridors, waiting rooms and wards, bringing joy, hope and entertainment to alleviate the loneliness and pain of out-of-state, poor children patients.
Bread for the Journey, Santa Fe (194)
http://www.breadforthejourney.org/
United States - New Mexico / $4,000
This gift enabled the Sante Fe, New Mexico USA chapter of Bread for the Journey to start a Scholarship Fund for outstanding young people who are involved in community volunteer projects. The recipients of this fund are mostly high school students who invest their energy and talents filling a variety of community-based programs. Bread for the Journey of Santa Fe is working in collaboration with existing Santa Fe community service providers, such as the Santa Fe Community Foundation to find new young volunteers for their program.
Juan Ugarte Computer Project (193)
United States - California, Ghana / $2,000
Juan Ugarte is a computer specialist who felt there were many underprivileged kids in his community of Santa Rosa, California USA who could not afford computers, placing them way behind on the advantage curve. Juan collects donated computers, then teaches kids how to install the components that make them work. When a student demonstrates competency to Juan's satisfaction, he/she gets to take the computer home. They then reconstruct yet another computer to donate elsewhere, thereby completing the cycle of giving and receiving. In addition to serving the kids in his own community, Juan teamed up with Kwame Poku, a teacher and founder of Rehoboth Systems, a school in Tema, Ghana. Juan's students rebuilt 200 computers and shipped them to Ghana. A gift was shared to help Juan with expenses of this project. In addition to encouragement, Juan needed some community support to compensate him for the overwhelming amount of personal time and money he was investing in this project.
Two Cows for the Homeless (190)
Kazakhstan / $700
Flow Funder: Vladimir Korotenko
A gift was shared to buy two cows to support the kids who live in a rehabilitation center for homeless children.
Sewing Workshop (188)
Kazakhstan / $1,300
Flow Funder: Vladimir Korotenko
A gift was shared for the creation of a sewing workshop for physically and learning-disabled children. This gift helped purchase industrial flooring, a computer, a gas stove, a sewing-machine, sewing tools like dressmaking scissors, and fabric.
Youth Sewing Project (187)
Kazakhstan / $700
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
A gift was shared to purchase sewing supplies like fabric and lace, so youth could make traditional costumes for a local dance group.
Art for Orphans (186)
Kazakhstan / $252
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
A gift was shared for an artist to teach art lessons, including how to draw and make crafts at an orphanage.
Souvenir Workshop (185)
Kazakhstan / $1,053
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
A gift was shared to purchase equipment and supplies for a wood craft and art studio, where children learn to make traditional souvenirs to sell.
Youth Micro-Enterprises (184)
Kazakhstan / $183
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
A gift was shared to help young people renovate part of the former library to open a hair salon and shoe-repair business.
Canning for Youth (183)
Kazakhstan / $131
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
In this cooperative housing for former orphanage youth, the residents are provided with housing, but not with meals. So they often preserve fruit and vegetables for winter, to save money. A gift was shared to purchase equipment for making preserves.
Crafts for Deaf Youth (182)
Kazakhstan / $375
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
The only opportunity for deaf youth to make a life in Kazakhstan is selling things in the market or on trains. A gift was shared to purchase a computer, a sewing machine, and craft supplies, so the youth could learn to sew and make crafts to sell.
Teaching Crafts to Youth in Orphanage (181)
Kazakhstan / $527
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
The main problem with young adults that come out of the Kazakhstan orphanages is that they don't have a good enough education to go off to universities. A gift was shared to teach the students how to make crafts to sell and earn an income.
Steel Doors & Window Bars Business (180)
Kazakhstan / $99
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
The graduates of an orphanage decided to form an organization and work together building steel doors and window bars. A gift was shared to purchase metalworking equipment.
School Supplies (174)
Kazakhstan / $89
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
A gift was shared to provide school supplies (bags, pens and notepads) for nine school children.
Plowing & Planting of Seeds (173)
Kazakhstan / $188
Flow Funder: Tamara Sabitova
A gift was shared for the plowing and planting of seeds with a mother who is able to grow wheat on her land and use the income to buy food for her farm animals and have seed for next year. Her hope is to have enough money to give her children a good education.
Medical Check-Ups (167)
Kazakhstan / $550
Flow Funder: Sakan Aubakirova
A gift was shared to purchase medical equipment so that students from the Medical Academy can go to villages and give medical care.
Quilting for Children (166)
Kazakhstan / $550
Flow Funder: Sakan Aubakirova
A gift was shared to purchase fabric for children to sew quilts.
Ecological Organization in Ak-Bulak (158)
Kazakhstan / $1,200
Flow Funder: Nilzia Rakhisheva
A gift was shared with this environmental organization to purchase a computer and laser printer for disseminating environmental education among students in rural areas.
Little Fairies (156)
Kazakhstan / $200
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared with this organization that teaches orphan children to adapt and provide for themselves in real life situations. With this gift, they purchased a sewing machine, so the children could learn how to sew their own clothes. These machines and classes will ensure that these girls will have a skill to use outside the orphanage.
Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities (153)
Kazakhstan / $1,000
Flow Funder: Natalya Koloskova
A gift was shared to purchase supplies for art therapy and sports activities.
Educational Materials (151)
Kazakhstan / $999
Flow Funder: Natalya Koloskova
A gift was shared to create educational materials for youth out of school due to health problems. The gift included purchasing books and a copy machine for making copies of reading materials to create a library for sick students.
Rehabilitation for Children with Disabilities (148)
Kazakhstan / $700
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
This organization provides rehabilitation for children with mental disabilities. A gift was shared to purchase them a TV set and Karaoke machine, as well as re-modeling the room for art and music therapy.
Access to Television (147)
Kazakhstan / $300
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared to purchase an entertainment center, including a TV set, VCR, and access to cable television for children whose families do not have television at home.
Karaoke Machine (146)
Kazakhstan / $300
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared to purchase Karaoke equipment to develop talent and confidence through Karaoke singing for mentally-challenged kids.
Entertainment Center for Recreation Center (143)
Kazakhstan / $1,300
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
This recreation center provides prevention of childhood crime, drug abuse and alcoholism. A gift was shared to purchase a small entertainment center (TV and VCR), and a karaoke machine.
Camera for High School Activists (142)
Kazakhstan / $100
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared to help purchase a digital camera so teen activists from the local high school can publish a weekly newsletter with pictures showing their activities. A publication will also help them participate in contests for young journalists.
Preventing teenage violence (141)
Kazakhstan / $20
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared to purchase a camera for this youth club that prevents teenage violence. With this camera, the kids can show pictures of their work and make displays of pictures to attract interest in their activities.
Ultrasound Inhaler for Orphan School (139)
Kazakhstan / $450
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared to purchase an ultrasound inhaler, which will help a great deal in providing health care and prevention of respiratory diseases of the orphans with weak immune systems attending this school.
New Youth Activism Organization (138)
Kazakhstan / $15
Flow Funder: Natalya Levkina
A gift was shared to provide the registration fee for the creation of this new youth activism organization. Students and young teachers together worked on the documents needed for this new organization, which will promote youth social needs.
Table Games for the Local Library (136)
Kazakhstan / $120
Flow Funder: Mira Bocharnikova
This city has no after-school activities, so all the children gather in the warm environment of the local library. A gift was shared to purchase table games for the both adults and children to play during their free time.
Museum Tickets for Children (135)
Kazakhstan / $40
Flow Funder: Mira Bocharnikova
A gift was shared to purchase museum tickets for children from low-income families who have never been to a museum. This gift helps them be exposed to the roots of Kazakhstan historical heritage.
Support for Local Family (134)
Kazakhstan / $800
Flow Funder: Mira Bocharnikova
A single mother and her three children requested help in buying a piece of land, a used motorcycle, a chain-saw, and 2 goats. With the motorcycle and chain-saw the sons will be able to make money cutting firewood for villagers and delivering it using the motorcycle. They also plan to plant fruits and vegetables on their land to support their family's budget, by transporting and selling the vegetables and fruits at the market. The family is also willing to cut firewood at a discount for other single mothers in the area.
Sewing Machines (133)
Kazakhstan / $1,700
Flow Funder: Mira Bocharnikova
A gift was shared to purchase sewing machines so local students can learn a profession.
Fabric for Sewing Students (131)
Kazakhstan / $800
Flow Funder: Mira Bocharnikova
A gift was shared to purchase fabric for local sewing students, so they can complete their projects.
Sewing Machine (128)
Kazakhstan / $320
Flow Funder: Mira Bocharnikova
A gift was shared to purchase a sewing machine to help teach children how to sew and earn money by selling what they have produced.
Sports Youth Club (126)
Kazakhstan / $1,130
Flow Funder: Ludmila Kurtavtseva
Funds were shared to create a Sports Youth Club to provide activities for kids who live in neighborhood.
Sewing Machine for the Kazakh National Cultural Center (110)
Kazakhstan / $300
Flow Funder: Gulmira Beketova
Funds were shared with the Kazakh National Cultural Center to purchase a sewing machine in order to teach young adults Kazakh art. The hope is that others will donate so that more machines can be bought and a sewing business can be opened, where elderly women teach young girls how to make folk art items from fabric.
Supplies for Local Community Bakery (109)
Kazakhstan / $500
Flow Funder: Gulmira Beketova
Funds were shared to purchase an oven, flour and other ingredients for making meat Pirozhkis, which will then be sold. Half of the profit of these sales will go to families with more children than they can feed and the other half will be used to further develop the business. This bakery also solves the problem of a shortage of baked goods in the village, as well as providing additional needed work spaces.
Milking Goats for Local Children's Health (107)
Kazakhstan / $650
Flow Funder: Gulmira Beketova
This village is in very close proximity to atomic bomb testing grounds. As a result, the young children have very low immune systems. It has been scientifically proven that drinking goat's milk helps raise the immune system in children, so funds were shared to buy goats to provide milk for local children.
Support Group for Mothers (104)
Kazakhstan / $2,000
Flow Funder: Bayan Akhmetzhanova
Twenty women who lost their children in custody battles formed a support/community group to provide practical and psychological support for each other.
Equipment for Sewing Workshop (99)
Kazakhstan / $2,000
Flow Funder: Kalieva Balzhan
Funding was shared for two sewing and one knitting machine, for a sewing workshop teaching women sewing skills so they can earn money. Young people keep their national traditions alive by making national costumes and make an income by selling them.
School Supplies for Low-Income Families (98)
Kazakhstan / $2,000
Flow Funder: Kalieva Balzhan
A Flow Fund Gift was shared to purchase books and school uniforms for children in low-income families.
Goats for Low-Income Families (97)
Kazakhstan / $170
Flow Funder: Kalieva Balzhan
A Flow Fund Gift was used to purchase three goats and a kid for a local family who has promised to give the offspring to another local, low-income family.
Craft Equipment for Local Youth Center (95)
Kazakhstan / $243
Flow Funder: Kalieva Balzhan
This youth center teaches kids how to knit, sew and work with beads, which helps expand the working skills of the local youth. A Flow Fund Gift was shared to purchase them a knitting and sewing machine.
Goat for Low-Income Family (94)
Kazakhstan / $133
Flow Funder: Kalieva Balzhan
A goat was purchased, using our Flow Fund Gift, with a promise that the family will give the offspring to a different low-income family, who will then give an offspring to another low-income family and on and on.
Equipment & Supplies for Local Village (93)
Kazakhstan / $676
Flow Funder: Kalieva Balzhan
Through a Flow Fund Gift, six desks, eight chairs, and various sports equipment was purchased for improving the learning environment of local elementary school children. A boat was also purchased to provide a source of income for many local families.
Rukodelie (92)
Kazakhstan / $400
Flow Funder: Sonya Aubakirova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared to purchase needlework and sewing materials for this new organization, creating work and income for young people in the village.
Party for Low-Income Families with Disabilities (91)
Kazakhstan / $550
Flow Funder: Sonya Aubakirova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared to put on a party for the children of local low-income families with disabilities.
Uniforms & Transportation for Local Kids (87)
Kazakhstan / $500
Flow Funder: Sonya Aubakirova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared for the purchase of school uniforms as well as bus service to community gym facilities for local children.
Semyonovka Village School Daycare (85)
Kazakhstan / $2,000
Flow Funder: Sonya Aubakirova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared with the Semyonovka Village School Daycare, so parents can leave their children for longer hours, which gives them opportunity to find jobs, and/or work longer hours in their potato fields. Because of this opportunity, four women were able to find jobs and then formed a farming collective. They are now growing potatoes and contribute part of their new incomes towards the maintenance and growth of the daycare.
Computer Equipment for Akmolinskii (81)
Kazakhstan / $914
Flow Funder: Bayan Akhmetzhanova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared to purchase a computer printer and Internet connection, helping to expand the activities of this union of families with many children. With an Internet presence, this organization is more likely to attract sponsors and partners.
Equipment for Disability Organization (80)
Kazakhstan / $760
Flow Funder: Bayan Akhmetzhanova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared with an organization in Astana City, Kazakhstan that supports families with children with disabilities. The gift was used to purchase a photocopier and washing machine.
Creation of a Park on Youth Avenue (79)
Kazakhstan / $900
Flow Funder: Aigul Dyusenova
A gift was shared to purchase seeds and plants as well as appropriate transportation to create Youth Avenue in the main park of the capital city of Kazakhstan, Astana.
Children/Teens, Ecology/Sustainability, Economic Development
Job Training for Youth (77)
Kazakhstan / $1,500
Flow Funder: Aigul Dyusenova
This gift helped open a hairdressing room for youth, giving them an opportunity to gain important job training. With the leftover money, everyone participated in a tree-planing workshop, which helped improve the environment of this town.
Extracurricular Activities for Children (76)
Kazakhstan / $500
Flow Funder: Aigul Dyusenova
This gift helped fund some extracurricular activities for children who could not afford them on their own.
Computer Classes for Children (74)
Kazakhstan / $1,100
Flow Funder: Aigul Dyusenova
A Flow Fund Gift was shared with the Martyk Center of Youth to create computer classes for children who had no previous opportunity to study with computers. These kids went on to publish a bulletin explaining the basics of ecology and how kids can help create a better environment.
Acao Harmonia (72)
Brazil / $852
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
Acao Harmonia is a nongovernmental organization that works with the "Way of Aikido" in the education of children in areas of great social risks. A gift was shared to help them by uniforms, for their students.
Vento em Popa (71)
http://www.ventoempopa.org.br/
Brazil / $512
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
Vento em Popa, a nongovernmental organization, helps communities living in poor areas near water supply dams and rivers by strengthening their social base with educational and cultural projects. They work with young people (15 to 19 years old) teaching them to create channels of communication that integrate them with their local communities, which includes the creation of a library and a locally-printed newspaper. A gift was shared to help them buy a camera.
Associacao Cultural Canarinho (70)
Brazil / $2
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
This cultural association works with children and teens of different social backgrounds, including native peoples, in the state of Roraima, in the Amazon area of Brazil. It promotes musical education as an integral part of growth and integration in a balanced psycho/social/cultural environment.
Ile Axe Opo Afonja (67)
http://www.ciranda.net/spip/article385.html
Brazil / $2,382
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
This organization is dedicated to restoring the self-esteem of young people in poor areas of Salvador, the largest Afro-descendent population in Brazil. They do this in part, by restoring the history, mythology, music, dance and rituals of their African cultural and religious traditions.
Escola Infantil Parque das Flores (65)
Brazil / $2,200
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
This school is in a low-income area and is run and organized by the members of the community to educate their young children.
Associacao de Creches e Pre-Escolas (ACREDITE) (64)
Brazil / $265
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
An Association that assists nurseries and pre-schools, attending to the needs of feeding and day-care for very poor children.
Rede de Combate ao Cancer (63)
Brazil / $800
Flow Funder: Sonia Cafe
This group of volunteer women care for poor cancer patients in hospitals (mainly children and older people).
Bilingual Special Education Development Study (57)
United States - New Mexico / $5,000
A gift was shared to support a doctoral dissertation study that focuses on the needs of building strong partnerships between school principals and parents of Mexican-American special needs children identified with specific learning disabilities. The location for this study ranged from elementary through high school level in the Southwest border communities. This study demonstrated the need for more attention and effective programs targeting this under-served group.
Rayenari School (55)
Mexico / $10,000
Flow Funder: Margo Segura and Marine Dominguez
"Rayenari," is a school, whose name in the language of the Tarahumara indigenous peoples of Northern Mexico, means "the sun." Following the school's mission "Educare para Transformar" (Educate to Transform) the teachers use the Waldorf method of instruction, which prepares students in incorporating spirituality and positive human values into their educational development and provides teachers with the required training to help them become role-models for their students.
Yannick Lhotel (50)
France / $900
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
A gift was shared to support the work of Yannick Lhotel, a social worker who devotes his free time to helping homeless children.
The Quilt Project (47)
United States - California / $500
Flow Funder: Sobonfu Some
A gift was shared to support a project that seeks to reacquaint children with their heritage. In this project, children from various schools paint or draw something of their ethnic group and then all the images are then quilted together. The quilts are then given to homeless shelters.
ColorQ World: Interracial Interactions Between People of Color (38)
United States - California / $250
A gift was shared to support the creation of the ColorQ website, aimed at fostering tolerance of ethnic, religious, and political minorities around the world. The site includes articles, links and personal experiences.
Muslim Women in Action (36)
http://www.muslimwomeninaction.com/
United States - California / $250
A gift was shared to support social services, including a shelter, for Muslim women and children in San Diego.
Maiko: Women's Drum & Poetry Ensemble (32)
http://www.artsopolis.com/org/detail/174
United States - California / $3,000
A gift was shared to support a 16-week course for high-school students fostering self-esteem through percussion and vocal expression with Maiko, a women's drum and poetry ensemble.
Dia del Maestro (Day of the Teacher), Santa Clara County (31)
United States - California / $2,000
A gift was shared to support a non-profit group which recognizes Santa Clara County Educators in California for their teaching excellence and dedication to assisting Chicano/Latino students to succeed.
Model Mugging Scholarship for 25 Teen Girls (30)
United States - California / $850
A gift was shared to support 25 teen girls in taking a class for female youth, which addresses molestation/rape, how to set boundaries, how to be aware of and avoid danger, and practical, life-saving, defensive fighting.
Hispanic Education & Media (29)
United States - California / $1,200
A gift was shared to develop a Latino curriculum for the Foundry School.
Travel Scholarship for an Indian Youth (18)
http://www.bioneers.org/conference
India, United States - California / $525
A gift was shared to support travel and accommodations for an Indian youth to attend the annual Bioneers' Conference.
Digital Storytelling (15)
United States - California / $2,500
A gift was shared to support the training of teachers to instruct indigenous children in the creation of digital stories inspired from traditional stories.
Shoshone Elder Delivering Food (12)
Mexico, United States - Idaho, United States - Wyoming / $1,000
Flow Funder: Leslie Gray
A Flow Fund gift was shared to support an 80-year-old Shoshone elder to deliver food to native Kumeyaay children in northern Mexico.
Women's Bush Medicine (10)
Australia / $1,075
A gift was shared to support this program that transmits traditional medicine from older women to young girls in a remote aboriginal Australian setting.
Cherokee Traditional Weaving (8)
United States - California / $1,250
A gift was shared to support a program that teaches traditional weaving to urban Native-American students.
Bilingual Education: Berkeley Unified School District (7)
United States - California / $1,000
A gift was shared to purchase Spanish-bilingual fourth-grade support materials to enhance the classroom library and lesson plans.
Bilingual Education: Alhambra Unified School District (6)
United States - California / $1,000
A gift was shared to purchase Spanish-bilingual Kindergarten support materials to enhance the classroom library and lesson plans of the Alhambra Unified School District in Alhambra, California.
Bilingual Education in West Contra Costa School District (5)
United States - California / $1,200
Flow Funder: Margo Segura and Marine Dominguez
A gift was shared to purchase Spanish-bilingual first- through sixth-grade support materials to enhance classroom and resource libraries.
The Foundry (4)
United States - California / $2,800
A gift was shared to enhance The Foundry's work with youth-at-risk, including a culturally enriched Latino curriculum and training.