Like many college students, Andrew Gordon participated in a study abroad program. The experience changed his life and led him to create Diversity Abroad. Diversity Abroad is a non-profit that is aimed at increasing minority, and low income, student participation in Study Abroad. Andrew believes that in a world that is becoming more global every day, it is imperative for students to have an understanding of different cultures. He works on a daily basis to bring Diversity Abroad programs to schools so that minority and low income students can learn more about going abroad as well as how to finance their trip. To learn more about Diversity Abroad please read on in this week’s Nonprofit Spotlight.
Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, Neema Mgana is a true humanitarian. She grew up in Tanzania and has since dedicated her life to helping the people of Africa. She has Founded or Co-Founded five different non-profit groups aimed at providing health and education in different regions of Africa. More recently she started the African Women of Distinction project, a peace and justice project that highlights the leadership role of women in Africa. The project also works with over 180 men and women in Africa to build and nurture their leadership skills. Neema’s inspiration came from reading about people such as Gandhi, Grace Machel and Martin Luther King Jr. They dedicated their lives to others and so has
she. To read more about the work Neema has done in Africa read on in this week’s Non-Profit spotlight.
“I have, therefore we have,” is the concept that drives 35-year-old Jacques Bahati. He is a Policy Analyst for the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN), which brings the concerns of the people of Africa, especially the impoverished majority, to policy makers. AFJN is a member of the Executive Committee of Congo Global Action Coalition, an organization that is especially important to Jacques because he grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His involvement in DR Congo goes beyond AFJN; he has also Co-Founded Healthy Congo, INC, an organization that
strives to bring HIV awareness in the rural Congo. In addition he works with his home parish in the DR Congo to improve education and health. Jacques involvement in all these organizations comes from his strong desire to help others. He guides his life by the principles of the Bible and holds a masters degree in theology. To learn more about Jacques and the many organizations he is involved in, read on in this week’s Non-Profit Spotlight.
Think of a few networking sites you have registered for – whether for dating, professional, or entertainment purposes. The accessibility to join any e-group is beyond comprehension, and for as popular as this trend has become just among your circle of friends alone, think about how many more people around the world are jumping at this phenomenon too. As millions of internet users prop themselves up in front of the screen at home and millions more pour into internet cafes, many people are choosing with great selectivity which networking site – specifically which social networking site – suits them best. For Daniel Kafie, Chief Executive Officer of Vostu.com, he made the selection process easy by designing Vostu specifically for Latin Americans both local and abroad. In 2006, this 24-year-old Harvard MBA found a market relatively untapped and leapt forward to create one of the strongest Latino-centered websites with mounting numbers of hits and registered users daily. Working to expand the user base, Daniel leads a 30 person team to keep up with his speed of light successes and continual opportunities to enhance client services. For more information on Daniel and Vostu.com, read more in this week’s The LatinConnect to learn about your newest social networking site.
For American high school students, gaining admission to the United States’ top colleges is a difficult process. It’s even more challenging though if you’re a high school student in Vietnam who isn’t familiar with American culture and the U.S. educational system. Khoa Pham, 23, noticed this unmet need for help in navigating the admissions process and formed VietAbroader. The organization provides information, guidance, and networking to make Vietnamese students competitive for admission and scholarships to top U.S. universities. The group also serves as a bridge linking local students in Vietnam with Vietnamese students studying overseas. Since its founding in 2004, VietAbroader has held two conferences attended by more than 1,000 Vietnamese students and parents. In the past two years, over 100 students attending those conferences have gotten admission and scholarships to U.S. colleges. To learn more about how Khoa and VietAbroader are making a U.S. college education attainable for Vietnamese students, check out this week’s Non-profit Spotlight.
Sade Sobande, 27, and her colleagues were in search of a place to develop as African entrepreneurs when they realized that place didn’t exist. Instead of giving up they took action and created The African Network, an organization whose purpose is to foster the growth of entrepreneurship and technology in Africa and the African diaspora. Their organization has managed to both develop individual entrepreneurs here in the Silicon Valley as well as to develop the future of Africa. Not only have they held a successful conference, in which they discussed the future of science and technology in Africa, they have also held networking events that enable members to interact and learn from speakers from the worlds of technology, business, government, and academia. One of their largest accomplishments has been the development of The TAN Empowerment Program, which in 2006 donated computers to needy schools in Sierra Leone. For more information on The African Network and how you can get involved, read on in this week’s Non-Profit Spotlight.
Brian Gee’s company, Aragon Consulting Group (ACG), is growing at a stratospheric rate. Started in January 2006 with just seven people, the IT consulting company had expanded to a team of 60 halfway through this year. It recently raised venture capital that is expected to take it to a team of 60 by the end of next year, and possibly as many as 1,000 in four years. ACG provides clients with onsite-offshore IT consulting services by combining onsite project management with cost-effective offshore software development from its China-based engineering team. As Chief Executive Officer, Brian, 32, manages the rapid growth of his company and works with clients to map out their IT and product-development strategies. To learn more about Brian and ACG, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile.
Some of the most eye-opening experiences in life come from immersing oneself in another culture and having long-held beliefs challenged. Such exposure to other cultures promotes cross-cultural understanding and increases cultural literacy. The nonprofit organization VIA (Volunteers in Asia) has facilitated such cultural experiences through its educational and service programs for Americans and Asians. Volunteers from the United States serve as English teachers and English resource staff in countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. Students from Asian countries participate in language and cultural programs at Stanford University. VIA has intentionally kept itself small so it can provide specialized and high-quality support to the participants in its programs. Since 1963, VIA has sent more than 1,600 Americans to 15 Asian countries and brought more than 4,000 Asians to the United States. As Executive Director of VIA, Scott Sugiura, 39, oversees these cultural-exchange programs. To learn more about him and VIA, check out this week’s Nonprofit Spotlight.
Ayesha Mattu once thought her hyphenated identity of straddling East and West, First World and Third World, and majority and minority was a weakness. She later discovered, however, that being both an insider and an outsider was a strength in her work in international grant-making and philanthropy, where being able to understand different cultures is an asset. She helped create the Muslim Women’s Fund for Social Justice, which brings together Muslim women leaders from around the world to develop strategies and share ideas. Today, Ayesha, 34, is a Philanthropy Consultant
, focusing on social change philanthropy. She helps organizations and individuals formulate goals, strategies, and practices to foster a social-change grant-making model. Since 9/11, she has also assisted American-Muslim organizations with strengthening their strategic communications and program initiatives. To learn more about how Ayesha is helping philanthropic organizations become even better at what they do, check out this week’s Young & Professional Profile
Did you know that women represent 70% of those living in absolute poverty? That 1 in 3 women will be raped, beaten or violated in the course of their lifetime? Or that maternal mortality is the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age? These are just a few of the unfortunate facts that surround the current state of International human rights concerning women. This week we put the spotlight on the Global Fund for Women, an organization aimed at funding and supporting important ideas, people and non-profit organizations dedicated to the betterment of womankind. To date, the Global Fund for Women has awarded over $58 million to 3,45 women’s organizations in 166 countries. You can only imagine how much this seed money has been able to alleviate injustices facing women. Read on as Zeina Zaatari, 34, Program Officer, shares with us info about the organization, important future goals and the people they are looking to connect with as we feature the Global Fund for Women in this week’s Non-Profit Spotlight.
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