2014 Workplace Giving Success Stories for Campaign Use
Include story and photo credit provided when repurposing for campaign use
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS:
Delivering Babies in Desperate Situations
Dr. Deane Marchbein’s extensive
experience in the field adds unique depth
to her work as president of the U.S. Board
of Directors of Doctors Without Borders,
a Global Impact charity partner. Since
2006, Dr. Marchbein has gone on 11
assignments, everywhere from Ivory
Coast and South Sudan to Syria, Libya,
and Lebanon. Here she reports from her
most recent assignment in Khost
emergency maternity hospital,
Afghanistan:
“The hospital is bustling. Spartan, but squeaky clean. Inside, I find the all-female staff hard at work with
eight women delivering babies all at once. It’s not an unusual sight.
The first day I arrived, I was sitting outside having lunch with the team when bombs started exploding in
the distance outside our hospital walls. But the real shock came a moment later, when I realized no one
else had even put down their forks. They knew that the best security is vigilance and community
acceptance—and this community truly wants us here.
All told, we have just over 80 beds here, which allow the team to deliver more than 1,000 babies each
month. It’s quite the challenge, but when you serve a community where people live in big extended
families, it doesn’t take long before someone in your family or someone you know has been to our
hospital to deliver a baby. And that deep connection with the community is what keeps us safe.
Despite widespread suffering throughout this country, Doctors Without Borders is making a profound
difference in the lives of the people we treat every day—from the home-birth mothers we saved from
bleeding to death, to the babies that never would have been born without a cesarean section that only
our doctors can provide. There are so many people in urgent need of medical care in Afghanistan. Our
work may not be single-handedly changing the area’s dismal health care statistics. But, every day, we
touch people’s lives and we are proving that, even in these desperate circumstances, it is possible to
deliver the medical care people need.”
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner Doctors Without Borders
U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF: Community
Classrooms Help Children Create Their
Own Destinies
Yuleini lives in Barrio Petare, one of the
many slums perched perilously on the
hills around Caracas, Venezuela. The
thousands of houses that make up the
neighborhood are cobbled together out
of scraps of corrugated metal, slabs of
wood and a few bricks. The home that
Yuleini shares with her mother, her
stepfather and her four brothers and
sisters is among the most dilapidated,
even by Petare's standards.
During the day, when Yuleini's mother and stepfather are at work, it is up to the 13-year-old to keep the
house and care for the four younger children: cook their meals in an old stove, wash their clothes and
hang them on the metal sheets that double as walls and play with them amidst the rubble that
surrounds their home.
Since 2004, however, Yuleini has been able to do something she had never done before: go to school. A
joint project of UNICEF, the Light and Life Foundation and UNILEVER has enabled her to attend
community classrooms. This program, according to Global Impact charity partner the U.S. Fund for
UNICEF, is especially designed to provide an education to children deemed “excluded and invisible.”
“Going to school has changed my life, I’ve learnt many things and made friends,” Yuleini says.
The classroom has become a safe haven for Yuleini and the 5,000 boys and girls who are currently
benefiting from the project. So far, 60 percent of the children attending the community classrooms have
been integrated into the formal education system.
The many difficulties that Yuleini has faced in her short life have made her wise beyond her years. “I've
seen what happens to other kids in my neighborhood who don’t go to school,” she says. “They spend
their days sniffing glue, begging for money and getting into trouble. I feel sorry for them.”
She is especially mindful of what can happen to young girls who live in poverty and have little access to
education. “I don't want to get married and have children, at least not anytime soon,” she declares. “I
want to work and study.” Thanks to these community classrooms, Yuleini and thousands like her are
getting a chance to write their own destinies.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner U.S. Fund for UNICEF
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL: Resourceful
Family Does Well with Ducks, Cows and
Fish
Mrs. Pham Thi Nguyen lives with her
husband in Binh Hoa commune, Duc Tan
village, Long An province, Vietnam. She is
the mother of four children, three of
whom still live at home. The Pham family
owns a 2,000 m² paddy field, which only
produces two rice harvests per year. With
this level of production, the couple barely
makes ends meet. The couple was forced
to work as day laborers to earn enough
extra money to send their three young
children to school.
In 2008, in hopes of getting the family assistance and improving their ability to generate income, the
local authority invited the Phams to join a special project sponsored by Heifer International, a Global
Impact charity partner. The project aims to improve the quality of life of poor Farmers in two villages in
the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.
Thanks to a $100 revolving fund, the Phams began using the lowlands of their property to raise 100
ducks. Once the ducks started laying eggs, the family was able to collect 60 eggs per day, which they
sold for 40 cents an egg. The eggs bring a monthly profit of $225. Nguyen utilized duck manure and the
space of the pond for fish production, which produces extra income and ensure proper sanitation.
Motivated by their achievements, Nguyen and her husband are determined to work harder to support
their children’s education.
Well-known for their productive farm featuring ducks, cows and fish, as well as raising well-educated
children, the Phams were invited to the “Supporting the Farmers for Their Children’s Education”
program, initiated by Long An Farmers’ Association, in cooperation with Greenfeed company and
Hochiminh Youth newspaper. The couple decided to combine their savings with the two-year $500 nointerest loan that they received from the program to expand their farm’s production, adding more ducks
for egg harvesting as well as 200 additional ducks to sell for meat.
Thanks to her amazing achievements in the fight against poverty and hunger, Nguyen was
acknowledged by the local authority as a model farmer. Nguyen and her husband continue to work
diligently on their farm and their children are bringing home good grades from school.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner Heifer International
OXFAM: Vietnamese Rice Farmers Learn How to Increase Crop Yields and Decrease Greenhouse Gas
Emissions
The harvest season has just ended in Thai
Nguyen Province, and the vast terraces
are filled with rows of freshly harvested
rice stalks in countless small paddy fields.
It was a good harvest, says 41-year-old
Chu Thi Thanh Khuong, as she shows
visitors bags of rice stacked up to two
meters high.
Khuong farms on two small plots of rice
paddies, a total of 10 sao (nearly an acre)
in Dong Dat commune of Thai Nguyen’s
Phu Luong district. She attributes the
good harvest to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a package of good agricultural practices for
hand-planted rice that increases yields while using less seeds, water and fertilizers.
Oxfam America, a Global Impact charity partner, has been helping to promote SRI in Vietnam for nearly
six years, and has made it possible for farmers to receive ongoing training in these methods. Oxfam
works with local partner organizations, as well as Vietnam’s Ministry of Rural Development, to promote
SRI to small-scale farmers. Today more than 1.3 million farmers in Vietnam have embraced this
innovative farming method, a five-fold increase from 2009.
SRI practices involve five simple steps including soil preparation, plant and water management. Farmers
transplant seedlings earlier and space them individually and in square patterns farther apart to reduce
competition for light, water and nutrients.
Robust root systems and bigger and healthier plants grow more grains of rice. Khuong now produces 2.7
metric tons of rice from her two paddy fields, as compared to just 1.8 tons grown with conventional
methods, a 50 percent increase. On average, SRI farmers increase their yield by 500 kilograms (1,110
pounds), and earn extra income of $130 per hectare in just one cropping season (a hectare is just under
2.5 acres). This is a significant sum in a country where the average annual income is around $1,200.
According to a report by Africare, Oxfam and World Wildlife Fund, SRI practices have also contributed to
the reduction of greenhouse gases. By improving nutrient use efficiency, farmers reduce the use of
water, fertilizers, herbicide and pesticide, resulting in reduced emissions of methane, one of the most
prevalent and dangerous greenhouse gases.
Farmers also reported positive change in community relations as a result of using these techniques. SRI
farmers—most of whom are women—learn together and help each other in the fields. This practice has
created a culture of mutual support in rural communities.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner Oxfam
SALVATION ARMY WORLD SERVICE OFFICE (SAWSO): Protecting Vulnerable Children with Banana
Trees
Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest countries.
Statistics from the nation are bleak: life expectancy is
53.14 years, mostly due to HIV infections and a very high
degree of risk for other major infectious diseases; the
country has the sixth highest HIV/Aids occurrence rate in
the world at 3.2 percent of the population; nearly 17
percent of children under five years of age are
underweight; 6.6 percent of children die at birth; and 31
percent of the population can neither read nor write.
Despite these facts the Salvation Army World Service
Office (SAWSO) Health Technical Advisor says, “When I
travel to countries like Tanzania, I am always touched by
the spirit of giving shown to me by the people I meet.”
In Tanzania’s Siha District, the “Shalom” Worth Group is
made up of 25 high-energy women. SAWSO, a Global
Impact charity partner, and The Salvation Army Tanzania
engage this group under a current effort called the
Pamoja Tuwalee Project.
The women of this group are dynamic, energetic and
highly committed to their community. Thanks to a
previous SAWSO-supported project, all 25 women own individual businesses and together they have
created a group banana tree project that generates income used to support vulnerable children in their
community. Currently, the group supports seven extremely vulnerable children with school exercise
books, uniforms, medical services, blankets, clothes and shoes.
With training from The Salvation Army, the Shalom Group says they can now “do simple accounting,
read, and are not cheated when they go to the market with their goods.” With income from the banana
trees, the group was able to expand their income-generating sources by purchasing benches and chairs
that they rent out to the community for a small fee.
Recently, the women were proud to receive government registration confirming the Shalom Worth
Group as an official community organization authorized to work in that district. This news also enables
them to open a bank account for the organization. The group members can hardly contain their
excitement over what they have been able to accomplish in such a short time.
The Shalom Group embraces the true spirit of The Salvation Army’s mission to serve the poorest of the
poor, while also representing SAWSO’s commitment to creating sustainable change and empowering
women to make a difference within their communities.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner Salvation Army World Service Office
ANERA: Safe Public Park for West Bank Children
Children growing up in the West Bank village of Ras
Karkar had no safe place to play after they finished their
homework or chores at home. They ended up playing in
the streets or trash-filled fields.
In 2012, three adventurous boys, aged 4 – 6, decided to
play in an unused storeroom near their homes. When
they didn’t come home, their parents started searching
for them with help from the neighbors. Soon the entire
village joined the search. After several hours the little
boys were found inside an abandoned commercial
refrigerator.
The kids had crammed themselves inside. But the fridge
door had locked them in, its door refusing to budge.
They suffocated to death. The tragedy shook the entire
population of the district of Ramallah.
Global Impact charity partner ANERA is building the safe
parks for West Bank children, thanks to funding from
Muna and Basem Hishmeh and the Bank of Palestine.
The Hishmehs live in Florida but grew up in the West
Bank city of Ramallah. Today, their foundation
contributes to improving the lives of underprivileged children both in the U.S. and the Palestinian
territories. It was their vision for public parks in their homeland that helped turn a dream into a reality.
“Basem and I remembered the old days in the towns and villages when there was always a nice place to
sit and place for the children to play,” said Muna. With urban sprawl and overcrowding over the years,
the green spaces disappeared. “We wanted to bring them back.”
ANERA has built three Al Bayyara parks in the past year. The first opened in Ramallah in 2012. “This year
we have already built two parks, and are currently working on two more,” says ANERA Program
Manager Naser Qadous. “The opening of the parks in Ebeidiyeh and Ras Karkar were extra special
because Muna and Basem Hishmeh were there with us to celebrate the opening.”
For Basem and Muna, the sight of families once again gathering in a peaceful open space was rewarding.
“It is a labor of love for us and one smile from any of these children is all the thanks we need,” said
Basem Hishmeh.
The park in Ras Karkar was dedicated to the three young boys: Muhammad, Omar and Mohammad, and
their bereaved families. “It was an emotional and humbling experience for us all,” explained Naser.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner ANERA
FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN: Bringing a Child Back From Starvation
Marlita knew the four-hour journey
through the Filipino countryside was the
only thing that could save her daughter,
Shaimie. She also knew she’d have to do
the tiring walk five days a week for four
months, carrying her daughter. But it
would be worth it—three-year-old
Shaimie, unable to sit up or stand and
weighing just a little more than 11
pounds, desperately needed food.
Shaimie would find the help she needed
thanks to Feed My Starving Children
(FMSC), a Global Impact charity partner.
The walks led her to a new Malnourished Children’s Outreach (MCO) in a remote mountain village in
Southern Mindanao, a program run by FMSC partner International Care Ministries (ICM). There, Shaimie
began receiving regular MannaPack™ Rice meals. She was also diagnosed with tuberculosis and put on a
six-month treatment plan. Additionally, Marlita received lessons in health and livelihood designed
specifically for mothers.
The walks paid off. At the end of four months, Shaimie had gained weight and was sitting up and talking.
And Marlita had learned vital skills to better care for Shaimie, and her other seven children.
Shaimie’s story is common in the Philippines where 21 percent of children under five are moderately
malnourished and 6 percent are severely malnourished. Thousands of children like Shaimie still need
help. FMSC, along with ICM, hope to help the Shaimies and Marlitas of the world, to ensure a brighter
for future for all.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity Feed My Starving Children
WORLD VISION: From Street Vendor to School Girl
Once confined to a life of selling lentil
pakodas at a railway station, Global Impact
charity partner World Vision convinced
Kushboo of the importance of education and
going to school. Now, she’s busy with her
studies and wants to become a teacher.
After Kushboo’s father abandoned her
family, her mother could not afford to send
Kushboo to school. With a monthly income
of just US$25, Kushboo had to contribute to
keep the family afloat. “I had to give up my
dreams of studying,” says Kushboo. “If I had my father also working, then I could have studied.”
Kushboo went to work selling lentil pakodas at the railway station after spending her mornings helping
her grandmother prepare them. This continued for years, until volunteers with World Vision’s Patna
Child Restoration Project identified her as a high-risk child and approached her at her snack station
when she was 13.
At first she and her family reacted with suspicion. But after many visits, counseling and teaching them
about why Kushboo needed an education, the family began to trust the World Vision volunteers.
Kushboo’s grandmother finally pronounced her blessing.
“I am not educated, my daughter is not educated, which is why we are in poverty. All I want is a good
life for my granddaughter — a life better than what we have,” says Kushboo’s grandmother.
Finally, trading the frying wok for a pencil, Kushboo began her educational journey. With no basic
foundations, the transition wasn’t smooth.
“We coached her for one whole year. She didn’t know anything. After a year, we mainstreamed her into
government school. Now, after two years of coaching at our center, there is a lot of difference. She is
very strong in math,” says Sanjeev, a World Vision staff member.
Not only did Kushboo turn a new leaf in the world of education, her personality blossomed, too.
“She smiles now, she laughs. There is a great difference in Kushboo’s personality and mannerisms,” says
Seema, World Vision staff member.
Kushboo no longer views her living condition as a deterrent to fulfill her dreams. She has become the
first person in her family to go to school.
“I want to be a teacher just like Sanjeev and teach children like me,” Kushboo says.
“My study life started in the center. I feel safe and secure here rather than on the streets. If World
Vision was not here, this chance to study would be impossible. It has changed my behavior, my way of
thinking; I can do anything if I am provided with an opportunity.”
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner World Vision
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF: Reclaiming Our Names
Annu Devi, from India, remembers a time
when “signing” her name meant giving
her thumbprint because she did not know
how to read or write.
According to the United Nations
Development Program, women like Annu
make up two-thirds of the world’s 796
million people who are illiterate.
Illiteracy, in general, makes women more
vulnerable to having their rights violated
and makes it difficult to conduct business.
There are psychological implications as
well.
Annu recalls that when she went to provide her thumbprint to sign an official document, she often
encountered male workers who would grab her hand and force her thumb onto ink and paper. “I hated
that,” she says.
Things began to change for Annu when she joined a self-help group in her community supported by
Lutheran World Relief, a Global Impact partner charity. There, she found support from other women
also working to improve their lives. Through these groups, women are learning new, income-generating
skills, how to manage their money and can even access loans to start a business.
Through Annu’s group, she received literacy training. Now when she conducts official business, she’s
proud to say, “I can sign my name myself.”
In India, when a woman is married, she is often not called by her name anymore, but instead “wife of…”
or, if she has children, “mother of…” Literacy, Annu explains, has far deeper meaning for Indian women.
“Now that we can write our names, we have reclaimed our names.”
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner Lutheran World Relief
AFRICARE: Children Given Access to Clean Water and Education
In Mali more than 60 percent of the
population lives in rural areas with limited
access to clean water. The terrain there is
rocky, making the process of digging wells
very expensive. It is not uncommon for
women to travel very long distances in
search of water sources. Many children,
mostly aged 7 to 13, are forced to stay
home and assist their families in gathering
water; they are not able to attend school.
In these rural areas, schools often do not
have water points or toilets, and in many
villages like N’Golobougou, students face problems accessing safe drinking water and safe sanitation. To
drink water or use toilets, students must travel hours to neighboring communities, inhibiting their
opportunities to learn.
With funding from the Swavesey Village College in England, and in collaboration with the communal
authorities of Sirakorola and the Pedagogical Animation Center of Koulikoro, Africare, a Global Impact
charity partner, implemented a project in the Koulikoro Region to improve access to drinking water and
increase sanitation for students.
Africare installed one borehole for safe drinking water and built six toilets at N’Golobougou Primary
School where more than 530 students and faculty now have access to these facilities. School
administrators have seen an increase in class attendance and performance from the students.
Photo and story courtesy of Global Impact charity partner Lutheran World Relief