Help us win $1 million from Chase Community Giving. Send us your ideas and volunteer here.
CHASE AND FACEBOOK ANNOUNCE 100 SMALL AND LOCAL CHARITIES TO RECEIVE $25,000 EACH FROM CHASE COMMUNITY GIVING
More than 1 million fans turn out to support small charities as part of new method of corporate giving
New York and Palo Alto, Calif., December 16, 2009 – Chase and Facebookâ today announced the 100 small and local charities that each will receive a $25,000 grant from Chase and now have a chance to receive a Million Dollar Grant, following Facebook users’ voting in Round One of Chase Community Giving.
More than 1 million fans signed up for Chase Community Giving in Round One of the program. Eligible charities included 501(c)(3) charities with an operating budget of $10 million or less, serving the general public in designated areas. Round One ended at midnight on Dec. 12 and culminated with a surge of voting in the last week.
Dear Friends-
Today is the day we can win $25,000 for ThinkImpact (formerly Student Movement for Real Change).
Help us reach 30,000 more people through our Global Development Program with 3 easy clicks.
VOTE NOW AT http://tinyurl.com/chaseSMRC
The Facebook-Chase Community Giving contest ends tonight, December 12th at 11:59pm EST.
Some people have had trouble with the voting process (it’s 3 separate clicks) so if you have voted – please double check to make sure your vote was counted! First click the link http://tinyurl.com/chaseSMRC then “Become a Fan” and then “Vote for Charity”.
Recent estimates had us at 70th place with 1532 votes. We must finish TONIGHT within the top 100 to win $25,000 and we need your help to push us through this last stretch.
Voting is quick and easy (you may have to press refresh on your browser as the site traffic is so high!) but we are calling on everyone to vote today.
Vote now and SEND TO YOUR FRIENDS! http://tinyurl.com/chaseSMRC
If you have a minute, please support our partners too. They are recruiting voters for us, and we’d like to see them finish in the top 100 as well. They are:
Atlas Service Corps: http://bit.ly/atlasCHALLENGE
A-SPAN: http://bit.ly/aspanCHALLENGE
Manna Project Int’l: http://bit.ly/mannaCHALLENGE
NYRA: http://bit.ly/nyraCHALLENGE
Service For Peace: http://bit.ly/sfpCHALLENGE
Youth Venture: http://bit.ly/yvCHALLENGE
Thank you!
Saul and the ThinkImpact Team
Chase Community Giving on Facebook is giving away $5 million to deserving charities and ThinkImpact is working hard to win $25,000 of it! In Chase’s online competition, the top 100 out of over 500,000 charities and non-profits will be given $25,000 each. Thanks to its wonderful supporters, ThinkImpact (registered by its former name, Student Movement for Real Change on Facebook) has surged to be in the top 100 with the last tally coming in at 1530 votes!! The contest for $25,000 ends at 11:59pm on Friday December 11th—every last vote counts! With the money ThinkImpact would be able to expand its reach 30,000 more people in Sierra Leone. With just a few clicks and a couple of moments you can be part of a global impact.
Vote now: http://www.thinkimpact.org/chase
Watch a short video about the contest:
By Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Global Development Fellows
The depth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is at the same time palpable and hidden in the rural communities. People often die for unexplained reasons at too young of an age, and the signs and symptoms of the disease are visible even in friends and family members who refuse to acknowledge their presence. And yet those who conquer the stigma of the disease face long distances to even find a testing facility. The nearest treatment—after expensive transport and the unreliability of the country’s ARV supplies—seems unreachable. It is estimated that one in four people in Uta are HIV-positive, and there is not a single member of this community who is unaffected.
The South African government was not only slow to address the issue of HIV/AIDS, it led the way in perpetuating myths and feeding social stigma. Under political pressure in 2002, the government finally appointed a task team to address the epidemic and committed to improving the provision of antiretroviral treatment. While promise from the government is a sign of hope, it is difficult to recognize how this commitment translates into action in rural areas far out of sight from the minds of city officials. Much of the struggle against the epidemic in these areas, therefore, is committed to education and awareness. In a sad reality, testing, counseling, and treatment take a backseat.
With international recognition of the hold that HIV/AIDS has on this country, it seems now that only local commitment and action that will generate forward progress in the fight against the epidemic. As Think Impact Fellows, we have the opportunity to see this take root in rural communities. As we finalize the details of constructing a community hall, we are able to look to the future and see how this will be so much more than a physical structure. The members of the Project Steering Committee, directing the planning and development for the Uta Community Centre, see the affects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on their community, and are searching tirelessly for ways to reverse the damage and stop the spread. Excellent, Lucky, and Rames—local leaders all under the age of 25—have committed the past few months to attending community health worker courses in HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. They envision using the hall to share what they learn with their community. There is excitement surrounding conversations of future health workshops and testing opportunities. Furthermore, Angie and Forget—a single mother and a grade 12 student—share a vision of leading learners who will gather at the community hall to watch dramas and participate in after-school activities that will among their various benefits, serve to educate kids and teens about health issues vital to their growth and success.
We are completely inspired by the people we work with here in Uta. Everyday we see the goals of the struggle against HIV/AIDS in South Africa manifested in the visions of our committee members. Each conversation and every new idea are encouragement for the success of the Uta Centre and the immense of potential in the community for future.
Posted by Saul Garlick, Executive Director
Thanks to Natalie Sasser for her amazing work on our new Global Development Internship video!!! Watch it, enjoy it, pass it along!
Posted by Sarah Whitney and Claire Bristow, Fellows
A rainy week in South Africa provided a much needed break from the heat of summer and a comfortable atmosphere for Think Impact’s Global Development Ambassadors to visit the Uta community and learn more about ongoing Fellowship projects. Members of the Project Steering Committee, who are working tirelessly on the planning and development of the Uta Community Center, were excited to meet with the visiting Americans and tell them all about what has been going on for the past five months. Angie Mabuza, the PSC Chairperson, showed the group the building blueprints, gave them a tour of the location, and answered questions about the future of the community center in Uta. The GDAs were fortunate to hear Angie’s story and her vision for the project.
Angie is a vital part of her community—a natural born leader and a strong believer in the potential for growth in Uta. With two daughters herself, she is an advocate for youth in the community, and in an area where women aren’t always given a voice, she is heard.
Angie sees opportunity for students to form performance groups and use their time and talent to entertain their peers and share their ideas. She
envisions women with small businesses selling their goods at these events, generating profit that will both uplift their families and to feed back into the center. Angie is committed to this project because she knows it will help her community. For the first time, Uta is going to have a physical resource for community meetings, government services, a place to host social and cultural events and a facility for health education and business programs. She sees that this will change everything, that a new building can help spark ideas for new groups and community entrepreneurship.
Currently the community center project is in the final stages of planning. Contracts have been drawn up, the community is ready to get the building moving. While these things have been going on, we have been working to identify assets in the community so that once the building is up, there are already programs running to use the center. With all of the great ideas that Angie and the other committee members have for the potential of the center, there is a lot to look forward to!
Posted by Julia Rosenbaum
The Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Smart Global Health is seeking essay submissions that answer the following question in 500-800 words by midnight, November 20th 2009:
“What is the most important thing the U.S. can do to improve global health over the next 15 years?”
This is a great opportunity to get your voice heard on how to approach the issue of global health. Students and professionals alike are encouraged to submit, running in two separate contests. The author of the winning essay will receive a $1,000 scholarship with a chance to be published in the Commission’s final report.
The CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health Policy focuses on practical solutions that maximize efficiency, produce measurable results, and engage the American public. Help them expand the conversation to include the ideas and opinions of people who are passionate about global health issues, by submitting your own ideas to this essay contest.
Here are the details:
• Submissions will be accepted between October 12 and November 20, 2009.
• Entries must be at least 500 words and no longer than 800 words.
• The student who submits the winning response will receive a $1,000 scholarship. The student who submits the runner-up response will receive a $500 scholarship.
• The non-student who submits the winning response will receive a $1,000 prize. The non-student who submits the runner-up response will receive a $500 prize.
• The CSIS Commission on Smart Global Health will be the sole arbiter of determining the winning entries.
For more information and to submit your own entry, go to: http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/pages/essay-signup
Posted by Kaitlin Walter, Fellow
The Uta Bakery is in full swing as the season is changing from spring to summer in South Africa. We are baking 200-300 loaves of bread per day, and as the recent Think Impact Global Development Ambassadors can confirm, the bread is delicious! Everyday, the bakery staff, Cedrick, Thomas, Nature, and Solani, start the mixer at 4 a.m., and they bake until the smell of fresh bread fills the air. The focus of my project has shifted to the microfinance initiative that seeks to bring social entrepreneurship to the village of Uta.
I am currently working with a group of local volunteers, including bakery staff members, who have formed a committee to design and implement a microloan program. The committee will construct an application process for interested entrepreneurs, and based on the committee’s selection process, small loans will eventually be granted and then recipients will be supported by the committee as they pay back the loans to the microfinance group. The committee has a meeting today, after which I will post an update on our progress!
Hello from South Africa! Things with the Uta Community Center are picking up speed. The Community Development Forum and the Induna (local representative of the chief) have held a meeting on Monday to approve the location that our committee had recommended for the center. On Saturday, 5 September, the CDF and the Induna will introduce the official site to the community. Next, our committee will work with the CDF to apply for land rights from the Tribal Authority. This has been a learning process for us in terms of South African and community politics and legal matters.
Our committee has been working hard to compare local builders in order to decide what is the best route to take for the construction of the center. Right now, the group is in the process of comparing estimates from two local builders and gathering information about the cost versus quality of a variety of building materials. The next step will be to organize a plan for local labor.
While attending a local government meeting we were told that November’s community meeting is planned to be held inside of the community hall, so this is further inspiration for us to keep moving and further proof that the community is eagerly awaiting completion of this project. We are looking forward to beginning construction by the end of the month and continue working on programs that will be held inside of the community center.
Shangaan phrase of the day: U nga vileli, u tsaka – Don’t worry, be happy.
