When we discuss globalization, we usually talk about bodies that are massive in scale—multinational corporations, international governing bodies, states, transnational organizations. Globalization, however, works on another important level. Before we even used the term, individuals were driving the exchange of ideas and commodities among cultures and regions.
Worldview showcases individuals who are working to improve the world through small-scale efforts in our Global Activism series. Learn more about and listen to these stories below.
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Audio Library
Bringing Prosthetics to Guatemalans February 22, 2007
Eric Neufeld—President, Range of Motion Project
Elizabeth Mallon—Marketing Director, Range of Motion Project
In war-torn nations like Guatemala, prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces are desperately needed…but hard to come by. The Chicago-based Range of Motion Project brings prosthetic and orthotic devices to Guatemalans living with disabilities. They have set up a lab in Guatemala and have created an innovative process for re-using discarded prosthetic components.
Teaching Yesterday’s Technologies to International Farmers February 15, 2007 Dick Roosenberg—Founder, Tillers International
When you think of a modern farm, you might imagine big tractors and high tech irrigation systems. But in many places in the world, small farmers cannot afford to use such expensive equipment. Today, we talk with the founder of Tillers International. They’re a farming cooperative that’s teaching sustainable agricultural techniques to the world’s poor.
Education in Honduras February 8, 2007 Father Emil Cook—Founder, Mission Honduras International
Bringing Clean Water to Villages in Cambodia
February 1, 2007 Will Haynes-Morrow—Project Director, Human Translation
Almost 2 million tourists visited the Siem Reap province in Cambodia last year, creating a boom in jobs and permanent residents. But not all villagers are seeing the benefits of this tourism. Today, we talk with the project manager of Human Translation. They’re an organization that works with eight villages in Siem Reap on clean water initiatives, scabies eradication, and a water gate project.
Alleviating Child Hunger Around the World January 25, 2007 Bea Pedersen—Chicago Director of Development, Feed My Starving Children
Over 16,000 children die every day from starvation-related illnesses. Wetalk with an organization that is sending nutritional packets to starving children in over 40 countries. Last year alone, they sent over 30 million meals abroad.
Providing Sustainable Income to Women in Afghanistan
January 18, 2007 Connie Duckworth—Founder, Arzu
Rugs
Afghanistan women face a cycle of poverty that is difficult to break. Less than 22 percent of women living in Afghanistan can read and write, and the nation has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world. The Chicago-based organization Arzu Rugs offers Afghani women a sustainable income and basic education through their rug program. Arzu sources and sells rugs woven by Afghan women and in return asks that women attend literacy classes and enroll their children in school.
Bamyan Children Photos by: Thomas Lee of Stylo Creations
Kabul Weaver Family
Helping Children, Women, and the Disabled in Ecuador
January 11, 2007 Zully Alvarado—Founder, Causes for Change International
Ecuadorians welcome volunteers from Causes for Change International in August 2006. Photo by George Pfoertner.
Over 65 percent of the population in Ecuador lives below the poverty line, and nearly half of the children under five suffer from malnutrition. Today, we talk with the founder of “Causes for Change International.” The organization leads annual missions to Ecuador which help children, women, and those with disabilities. This year, her group provided medical services for 1,700 people over a five day period.
Peer-to-Peer Health Education
January 4, 2007 Kathleen Norr—Professor of Maternal Child Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago; Co-Project Director, Mzake ndi Mzake
Chrissie Kaponda—Co-Project Director, Mzake ndi Mzake; Head of Nursing Research Center, University of Malawi
Dr. Norr is the Malawi program coordinator for UIC’s AIDS International Training and Research Program, a collaboration between universities in Malawi to educate public health workers and build research and training infrastructure. Dr. Chrissie Kaponda is the Malawi Country Coordinator of Mzake ind Mzake–which means “Friend to Friend.” Mzake ndi Mzake Peer Group Intervention for HIV Prevention combines health care with research into gender inequality and social learning. Using the next-door district as a control, the group acts like an educational “chain letter.” First, it educates health care workers at a large, state-run hospital. Then, those workers use the same curriculum of human sexuality, IV transmission and condom use to teach workers at five rural clinics and leaders in nearby villages. In the next phase, nearly 2,000 adults in the community were trained.
Clowns without Borders
December 14, 2006 Jamie McLaren Lachman—Project Njabulo Director, Clowns Without Borders
Everybody’s heard of Doctors without Borders, but today we talk about the organization, Clowns Without Borders. Since 1993, they have been leading expeditions to improve the psychological well-being of people in crisis situations all over the world. They bring humor and laughter through artist performances and workshops with children and their caretakers. We talk with the Southern Africa director of Clowns Without Borders about his most recent journey through Lesotho.
Running to Rebuild a Tibetan School
December 7, 2006 Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche—Spiritual teacher who heads Shambala Buddhism; Author, Ruling Your Wolrd: Ancient Strategies for Modern Life
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is a reincarnate lama and spiritual teacher who heads Shambala Buddhism. But he’s also a marathon runner. He runs marathons to raise fund for the Konchok Foundation’s efforts to rebuild a school in a destroyed Tibetan monastery.
Ending Child Homelessness in Bolivia
November 15, 2006 Dr. Chi Huang—Founder, Bolivian Street Children Project; Author, When Invisible Children Sing
By 2010, between 200 and 300 million children will be living on the streets worldwide. Today, we look at one organization in Bolivia that is working to give street children a safe and loving home. The Bolivian Street Children Project was started in 1997 by Chi Huang, an American doctor. Since its founding, the project has reached out and helped over 500 children. We talk with Chi Huang about the Bolivian Street Children Project.
U.S. Science Teachers Go to Zambia
Feature Report by Maria Cecire November 9, 2006
Empowering Kenyan Women Living with HIV/AIDS November 2, 2006
Rose Ayuma Moon—Founder, Vumilia
Mary McVay—Small Business and Community Development Consultant
Rose Ayuma Moon (center) with the Vumilia women in western Kenya
Despite living in a very fertile area, western Kenyans face poverty and a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Women and children face extraordinary challenges as they find themselves widowed or orphaned and without food. Rose Ayuma Moon is the founder of Vumilia, a grass-roots women’s group that helps families affected by HIV and AIDS in western Kenya. Moon tells us why she founded Vumilia and the counseling and support work she does for women and orphans in her community.
Bringing the Internet to Schools in Africa
October 19, 2006
Cliff Missen—Director, WiderNet Project, University of Iowa
While teaching in Nigeria, Cliff Missen saw how expensive, slow and unreliable the internet could be in African universities. Combining his interest in education technology and international development, Cliff developed the “internet in a box.” The eGranary Digital Library is basically a hard drive that contains encyclopedias, educational videos and other information of interest to students in Africa. Cliff tells us how the eGranary works and what effect it is having on communities across Africa.
Running to Aid Women in Congo October 12, 2006
Lisa Shannon—Founder, Run for Congo Women, a group that organizes runs to benefit Women for Women International’s sponsorships in the Democratic Republic of Congo
More than 4 million people have died in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even after a peace accord was signed in 2003, a thousand people continue to die everyday. Lisa Shannon was at home sick when she saw a special on “Oprah” about women in Congo. She was so moved she decided she needed to do something personally. She took pledges from friends to do a 30-mile, solo run and used the funds to sponsor 80 women in Congo. She went on to set up Run for Congo Women to use the races as a way to support more Congolese women.
There’s a run in Chicago October 21.
Educating Girls in Africa
October 5, 2006
Amy Maglio—Executive Director, Women’s Global Education Project
In Africa, 80 percent of girls who make it to school drop out after the 6th grade. Amy Maglio was living in Senegal and decided she wanted to do her part to help more girls go to school. The Women’s Global Education Project now supports girls in Senegal and Kenya to help them get in school and stay in school.
South African Performer-Activist Performs for Women’s Rights and Health
Thuli Dumakude—South African Performer-Activist; President and Founder, Thembalethu Beaders
Donna Katzin—Executive Director, Shared Interest
Thuli Dumakude performs Buya Africa (“Come Back Africa”) in Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of South Africa’s Women’s Day tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Harris Theater in Chicago.
Empowering Paraguayan Artisans
September 28, 2006
Carol Pope—Founder and President, Paraguay Hecho a Mano, a non-profit group that helps Paraguayan artisans by developing fair-market trade for native crafts
Two-thirds of the population of Paraguay live below the poverty line. Paraguay is home to many artisans, but few have access to markets to sell their goods. Many have to leave their communities to look for work in cities. Milwaukee’s Carol Pope adopted a child from Paraguay and wanted to give back to the country. She started Paraguay Hecho a Mano, to find markets for fair trade of Paraguayan crafts.
Fighting Hunger in Kenya September 21, 2006
Andrew Youn—Founder of the One Acre Fund, a non-profit group helping subsistence farmers in Kenya improve their farming techniques and marketing
Andrew Youn went to Kenya to intern as a business student. There he met families who only had 8 months of food per year and had lost children to hunger. He started the One Acre Fund to help Kenyan farmers improve their farming techniques and crop output.
Teaching English in Ecuador
September 14, 2006
Kimberly Priebe—Volunteer English Teacher, WorldTeach in Vilcabamba, Ecuador; Chronicled her experiences in the Daily Herald
In parts of Ecuador, speaking English can mean a dramatic increase of income. But learning English costs more than many can afford. Kimberly Preibe volunteered to teach English in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. She was disturbed that some of her students had to drop out for financial reasons, so she set up a scholarship fund for WorldTeach students in Ecuador.
Teaching English in Bangladesh
Michael Kossivas—Co-founder of Elli, an Institute for English Language Education for Low and Middle Income Students in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh you can’t get a professional job or go to a university if you don’t speak English. But many low and middle income students can’t afford the plethora of new private English-medium schools. Michael Kossivas was visiting a friend from Bangladesh when he decided to start Elli, a new school with a different approach to language learning.
For more information about Elli, e-mail Michael Kossivas. Also, visit Elli which is currently under construction, but will be accessible soon after broadcast.
Sending Chemotherapy Drugs to Iraq September 7, 2006
Peter Kosel—Founder, Mosel Chemotherapy Project
Robert Braam—Organizer, Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice’s Potluck Democracy Program
Retired engineer Peter Kosel was surfing blogs from Iraq when he found one discussing a shortage of medical supplies at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq. Peter decided to personally send the hospital some of the necessary drugs for cancer treatment. He then started the Mosel Chemotherapy Project. Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice’s Potluck Democracy program is partnering with Peter Kosel to help bring more supplies to the hospitals. Peter blogs about the program at Mosel Chemotherapy Project—Waldschrat’s Mirror.
Ending Child Labor in India
August 31, 2006
Parul and Falgun Sheth—Child rights activists; Founders, Shaishav (“Childhood”), an organization that works to end child labor in Bhavnagar Gujarat, India
India has the highest number of child laborers in the world. Paul and Falgun Sheth wanted to change these children’s fate, so they founded the organization Shaishav. Shaishav means “childhood.” They hope to return childhood to child laborers by empowering them to access educational and other resources.
Aids Awareness on Wheels in Mauritania
August 24, 2006
Jonathan Shadid—Founder, Caravan of Hope
Mauritania has one of the lowest HIV infection rates in Africa. But lack of awareness of the virus may allow the crisis to spread. Former Chicagoan Jonathan Shadid has lived in Mauritania for nearly 20 years. He uses media and a converted truck to provide health education. The truck serves as a stage for a traveling show called “Caravan of Hope.” Thousands of Mauritanians gather at each stop to see music, plays and videos about HIV and other health concerns. To find out more information about Caravan of Hope e-mail Nedwa.
Striking Out Smoke in Peru
August 17, 2006
Robert Klaber—Founder, Strike Out Smoke (S.O.S.) Project; Peru
Goldman Sachs Global Leader; Recipient, Goldman Sachs Foundation’s Social Entrepreneurship Fund
In rural areas of Peru, traditional stoves trap smoke and cause bronchial diseases and premature death. Former Buffalo Grove resident Robert Klaber saw this and started the Strike Out Smoke program. They’ve now purchased more than 800 clean burning stoves for 13 Peruvian communities.
Robert Klaber is organizing the Strike Out Smoke program in partnership with The ProWorld Service Corps.
Volunteering in Chilean Orphanages August 10, 2006
Christine Mladic—Volunteer, Voluntarios de la Esperanza (V.E.) in Santiago, Chile
Voluntarios de la Esperanza connects international volunteers with orphanages in Santiago, Chile. Chicagoan Christine Mladic is volunteering to run a photography program with orphans.
Christine is hosting a benefit on Sunday, August 13, at 9 pm at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Live music will include the Chicago acts Shelley Short, Modern Temper, Big Buildings and Beardog. There will be a digital camera drive and print sale.
Fighting Poverty in Guatemala August 3, 2006
John Heubsch—Executive Director, Common Hope
In 1985 a group of Guatemalans asked the Heubsch family from Minnesota to help educate their children. The family responded by starting Common Hope. Since then, Common Hope has provided education, health care and housing to more than 8,000 children and adults in impoverished areas of Guatemala.
Java for Java: Rebuilding Homes in Indonesia July 27, 2006
Bryan Kersten—Founder, Java Friends Fund, collaborating with Indonesian NGO Nurani Dunia to rebuild homes destroyed in the May 2006 earthquake
The Indonesian island of Java has been hit by a laundry list of natural disasters in recent years. Just last week a tsunami killed more than 500 people. An earthquake in May left 20,000 without homes.
Chicago Bryan Kersten lives in Jakarta and is asking Chicagoans to help him rebuild some of those homes.
Bryan’s friends are hosting a musical benefit this evening called “Java for Java.” It’s at Mojoe’s Hothouse at 7 pm.
Empowering Communities in Senegal July 20, 2006
Molly Melching—Founder, Tostan
Molly Melching went to Senegal on a student exchange and basically
never came back. Thirty-one years later Molly is still working to help communities meet development goals. Her organization Tostan has worked to empower communities to solve their own problems. As a
result, more than one thousand villages have publicly declared an end to
harmful traditional practices including female genital cutting and
early, forced marriage.
Brian Leber and his wife Joanne took over the family jewelry business from his father. But they were not comfortable with the jewelry industry’s history of using sources with questionable human rights practices. They started a socially conscious jewelry store and founded the Jeweler’s Burma Relief Project to offer humanitarian aid to people of Burma.
Stateless Biharis in Bangladesh June 29, 2006
Syed Kamal—President, Stateless People of Bangladesh, an organization that assists stateless Biharis in Pakistan trying to get citizenship in Pakistan or Bangladesh
There are as many as 500,000 stateless Biharis. When Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan, the Bihari minority group wanted Pakistani citizenship. More than thirty years later, neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh will recognize them as citizens. This often means they can’t get jobs, travel, or access education. Syed Kamal is working to get citizenship and legal recognition for this community.
Renewable Energy and Eco-Tourism in the Dominican Republic
June 22, 2006
Kevin Adair—Founder and President, Force of the Sun and Tu Casa Bella
Kevin Adair is a former performer at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Kevin got a job juggling at resorts in the Dominican Republic. One day he heard about solar ovens from Paul Munsen of Sun Ovens International on Worldview. He decided to start the alternative energy company, Force of the Sun, and the eco-tourism project, Tu Casa Bella, in the Dominican Republic.
Both are part of the Chicago Power Network.
Kevin Adair and Sun Ovens International’s Paul Munsen speak at the Chicago Power Networks’ meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2006, at 6 pm at Jefferson Tap and Grill located at 325 North Jefferson in Chicago. All are welcome.
After meeting two street children in Nepal, Beverly Bronson set up a home for abandoned children—Ghar Sita Mutu (“House with a Heart”). Ghar Sita Mutu now provides programs for many children and skills training for impoverished women.
We first talked to Beverly Bronson as part of our Global Activism program on November 28, 2003.
After Wall Street banker Jim Luce came across an Indonesian orphanage while visiting a friend, he was so distressed by what he saw he decided to do something. Jim started Orphans International Worldwide which assists abandoned children in countries such as Indonesia, Haiti and Guyana.
Building an Educational Utopia in Kenya, Part One May 25, 2006
Ruth Njuguna—Co-Founder, Lavenda Education and Health Foundation
Ruth Njuguna and her Kenyan husband gave a handful of local children money for school fees when they moved from Kenya to Australia. Soon they realized they wanted to do more. They now run a several acre settlement in rural Kenya called Lavenda Education and Health Foundation. It contains a primary school, secondary school, and health center.
Building an Educational Utopia in Kenya, Part Two Katherine Tate-Bradish—Volunteer, Lavenda Education and Health Foundation
Worldview listener Trisha Hammer heard her friend Kathy Tate-Bradish was going to Kenya to volunteer at Lavenda. She told her about a story she heard on solar ovens on Worldview. Kathy Tate-Bradish and her daughter took the idea to Lavenda and they now make their own solar cookers to reduce deforestation and save women’s time.
Aids Orphans Adoption May 11, 2006
Margaret Fleming—Founder, Chances by Choice
Sixty-nine-year-old Margaret Fleming is a single mom in Oak Park with eight adopted children—four of whom are HIV-positive. Margaret is the founder of Chances by Choice, an organization that finds homes for HIV-positive children born overseas who have been orphaned by AIDS.
Chances by Choice is hosting a benefit, “Reality of Hope” on Thursday, May 11, 2006, from 6-9 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Building Schools in Pakistan May 4, 2006 Greg Mortenson—Co-Founder and Executive Director, Central Asia Institute;
Co-author, Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations…One School at a Time
In 1993, in honor of his late sister, Mortensen went to climb the K-2 Mountain in Pakistan. As a result of the poverty he witnessed, he started the Central Asia Institute. It helps build and support schools in the remote mountainous areas of northern Pakistan. They support 55 schools and 22,000 students in a region other NGO’s and even the Pakistani government rarely reach.
Extreme School Make-Over in Thailand April 27, 2006
Vachirapa Chankajorn—Rong Rein Khong Noo, “My School” Television show, Thailand
Vachirapa Chankajorn's brother was serving in the Thai army when he saw the poor state of schools in remote areas of rural Thailand. When he returned he wanted to do something about it so he recruited his family and television crews to help him make a documentary television program called “My School.” Each program takes viewers to a school that needs help and then volunteers come and renovate the school.
Youth benefitting from Mputu Mbundzu's efforts to help his home village in Congo
Congolese Torture Survivor Aids His Village April 20, 2006 Mputa Mbundzu (Assumed Name)—Torture Survivor from the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville); Organizer, Association for the Memory of the Innocents of Massembo-Loubaki
Interpreted by Marie-Jo Proulx—Volunteer, Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture; Senior Writer, Windy City Times
Mputa Mbundzu was living in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) when a massacre occurred in his home village. Mbundzu fell into political disfavor after starting an organization to support families of massacre victims. He was arrested multiple times, beaten, and tortured until he escaped to the United States. Mbundzu now has asylum in the U.S. and is holding fundraisers to support victims of human rights abuses in his village.
Proulx is author of an article about Mbundzu in the April issue of Z Magazine.
Event Fundraiser with Congolese Food and Music
Thursday, April 27, 2006, from 6-9 pm
Mercury Cafe, 1505 West Chicago Avenue Chicago
RSVP to congoevent@sbcglobal.net
Walking in Solidarity with Uganda’s “Night Commuters” April 13, 2006 Adrian Bradbury—Co-Founder, Guluwalk; Founder of Athletes for Africa
Civil war has plagued Northern Uganda for 20 years. Children pay the heaviest price. More than 25,000 have been abducted by the rebel-led Lords Resistance Army. To avoid becoming child soldiers, sexual slaves, or porters, as many as 40,000 children have walked up to 20 km every night to sleep somewhere safe—in schools, hospitals, or NGO compounds. Last year two Canadians wanted to better understand and raise awareness of the plight of these night commuters. For a month they walked 12 km every night and slept outside in front of city hall in Toronto. Since then night commute simulations have taken place in many cities around the world and have been raising money to improve the situation in Northern Uganda.
Chicago Sleep-out to Support “Night Commuters”
Mary Petrosko—Co-Organizer, Dominican University’s chapter of “Invisible Children.”
The “Invisible Children’s Nationwide Night Commute in Solidarity with the Ugandan Night Commuters” takes place at Grant Park in Chicago on April 29, 2006.
A member of Chicago’s South Shore Drill Team meeting Moroccan youth on a Sister Cities cultural exchange.
Chicago to Casablanca April 6, 2006 Marilyn Diamond and Janet Murphy—Co-Chairs, Chicago's Sister Cities International Program's Casablanca Committee
Chicago's Sister Cities International Program connects civil societies in Chicago and cities in 25 other countries. Their program with Casablanca, Morocco, has led numerous medical missions and cultural exchanges—from free eye care to basketball training to performances of Chicago's South Shore Drill Team.
Global Activism Updates—March 27-March 31, 2006
Chicagoans help build the Buchifi Community Center in Kenya.
HIV Positive Americans Fighting AIDS in Africa
March 31, 2006 Brad Ogilvie—Founder, Mosaic Initiative; Former Director, Canticle Ministries
Brad Ogilvie has been living with HIV for more than 20 years. Brad was working to empower HIV-positive individuals in the U.S. through the faith-based group Canticle Ministries. Canticle decided to bring delegations of Americans living with HIV to help with prevention efforts in Kenya. Brad has now formed a separate organization called The Mosaic Initiative which will continue these delegation trips and focus on getting local religious leaders involved in HIV prevention and education programs.
Paul Munsen, Director of Sun Ovens International, and former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Two billion households worldwide cook over open flames on a daily basis. Smoke inhalation puts their own and their children’s health at risk. Many risk assault or stepping on a landmine when searching for firewood. And in many countries, deforestation has made finding wood more and more difficult. Paul Munsen hopes to provide an alternative through solar cooking. His company Sun Ovens International has brought solar ovens to 126 countries.
Person-to-Person Aid March 29, 2006
Marc Gold—Founder of the “100 Friends Project”
Marc Gold with a landmine victim in Afghanistan.
In 1990 Marc Gold was in India when he encountered a woman with a terrible ear infection. Marc changed this woman’s life by giving her a very small amount of money to seek medical care. This experience led Marc to found the “100 Friends Project.” Every year Marc collects donations from about 100 people and personally distributes the money to the neediest people he can find. So far he’s distributed more than $100,000.
Fighting for Women's Reproductive Health March 28, 2006
Jane Roberts—Co-Founder, 34 Million Friends of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)
In 2002 the Bush administration announced it would withhold $34 million dollars that Congress allocated to the UNFPA—the United Nations Population Fund. Jane Roberts got the idea to ask 34 million Americans to donate at least $1 to show that Americans support UNFPA’s efforts to support vulnerable women plan families, have safe births, and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Jane was so inspired by support they’ve received that she wrote a poem and a book called 34 Million Friends of the Women of the World.
Using Economic Development to Fight HIV in Africa March 27, 2006
Tom Derdak—Founder and Executive Director, Global Alliance for Africa
More than a decade ago, Tom Derdak and a group of health care professionals with concerned citizens came together to do something about HIV and other health problems in Africa. Since then they’ve learned a great deal about fighting HIV in Africa. Through economic empowerment, the Global Alliance for Africa focuses on helping children and families affected by HIV. By partnering with African organizations they reach more than 4000 children.
Event Global Alliance for Africa Annual Gala
“Be a Light in the Life of a Child” Saturday April 29, 2006 @ 6:30 pm Grand Ballroom
6351 South Cottage Grove Avenue
The evening includes dinner, music by the Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra, and WTTW's John Callaway as the guest speaker. For more information call 312.382.0607.
Performance Art for Bolivian Street Youth March 23, 2006
John Connell—Founder of “Performing Life” in Cochabamba, Bolivia
The UN estimates that 30-170 million children live on the streets globally. This number is expected to grow to 200-300 million by 2010. Bolivia is Latin America's poorest country. Nineteen year-old American John Connell works with Bolivian street youth and teaches them performance art skills to support their living and educational expenses.
For more information about “Performing Life” email John Connell at jconnell536@yahoo.com.
Builiding With Books March 16, 2006
Jim Ziolkowski—President, CEO and founder of Building with Books
Jim Ziolkowski was trekking in Nepal when he came accross the opening of a school in a remote village.
After seeing how much villagers appreciated the opportunity to access education, Jim started the group
Building with Books. Building with Books works with American students to build schools in developing countries.
So far they've built more than 150 schools in nine countries.
Sex, Honor, and
Shame: Recovering From Trauma—From
Chicago to Rwanda March 9, 2006
Mary Fabri—Senior Director of Torture Treatment Services
and International Training at The
Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of
Torture, a program of the Heartland Alliance
Mary Fabri traveled to Rwanda with the group WE-ACTx to
administer trauma testing to HIV-positive Rwandan rape survivors.
Building Schools in a Mexican Garbage
Dump March 2, 2006
David Lynch—Founder of Responsibility,
an organization that builds schools, medical clinics and homes
near Tijuana, Mexico's municipal dump.
25 years ago New York special education teacher David Lynch
volunteered to teach children near the municipal dump in Tijuana,
Mexico. He's been hooked to the community ever since. Lynch's
organization Responsibility has
worked with more than 3,500 children and built medical clinics
and more than 40 homes for a community that makes their living
salvaging garbage from the dump.
International Youth Volunteer Summit February 23, 2006
Nathaniel Whittemore—Student, Northwestern University; Organizer, International Youth Volunteer Summit; Member, Just Naïve Enough; Participant, Open Shutter Project
Miriam Young—Student, University of Illinois; Delegate, International Youth Volunteer Summit
Students at Northwestern University are hosting a summit to encourage future global activists. They are hosting 100 delegates from around the U.S. and the world. Delegates propose projects to make the world better—from Young's project of building a playground to keep children from becoming landmine victims in Senegal, to making crafts from former weapons casings in the Balkans. Students participate in workshops and compete to get their projects funded. International Youth Volunteer Summit organizers Just Naive Enough will present an exhibit from their Open Shutter Project in conjunction with the IYVS. The exhibit will include photos, videos and drawings collected in Uganda. The display will be up February 24-26, 2006 at Northwestern University’s Norris Student Center on the Second Floor. There will be an opening reception from 7-9 pm on Friday, February 24, 2006.
Freeing Bonded Laborers in India February 16, 2006
E. Siddamma—Founder of the Bharathi Trust Asha for Education Fellow
Siddamma has been working with indigenous communities in India to free bonded laborers and help with their education and development needs.
Water for People February 9, 2006
Steve Werner—Executive Director, Water for People
Every 15 seconds, a child under five dies from a water-related illness. Forty percent of the world lacks basic sanitation. And more than a billion people drink unsafe water. So the group Water for People has its work cut out for it. Water for People helps communities in more than six countries solve their own water problems—through hygiene education and by building latrines, arsenic filter pumps, and hand-washing and laundry stations.
Playing to Confront Racism in Guatemala February 2, 2006
Andres Armas—Play for Peace Representative, Guatemala
Sarah Gough—Play for Peace Representative, Guatemala and interpreter
Play for Peace representatives explain their efforts to bring together youth from indigenous and Latino communities that have been driven apart by the country’s history of civil war.
Workers at Digital Divide Data.
Digital Divide Data January 26, 2006
Jaeson Rosenfeld—Chief Operations Officer, Digital Divide Data
We usually don't think of outsourcing as global activism. Most businesses turn to cheap labor in developing countries simply to help their bottom line. But today we hear about a group that's found a way to make outsourcing serve the interests of workers in Southeast Asia. Digital Divide Data is a non-profit data processing company based in Cambodia. It provides career training, education, and health care to its employees. The company also recruits employees from disadvantaged groups such as people with disabilities, former sex workers, and youth. And its COO, Jaeson Rosenfeld, lives right here in Chicago.
Trees for Life January 21, 2006
Balbir Mathur—Founder and President of Trees for Life
In 1984 Kansas, resident Balbir Mathur emerged from a two year illness with a vision of working to end world hunger. Balbir went on to start Trees for Life, a grassroots community development movement. Since then, Trees for Life has helped more than 3 million people plant tens of millions of trees, and implement other environmental, educational, and health projects. Trees for Life works in countries such as Guatemala, Haiti, Brazil, and Balbir’s native country, India.
Global Activism: Helping children in Honduras January 5, 2006
Zulena Pescatore—Founder, Farm of the Child, Honduras
Cynthia Espinal—Interpreter
Erika and John Myette—Farm of the Child Volunteers
In rural Honduras getting a quality education can be a challenge for any child, let alone for an orphan. Farm of the Child was set up to give children and their community the support they need to learn and stay healthy.
Engineers Without Borders December 15, 2005
Gary Jones—Founder and President of the Chicago Chapter of Engineers Without Borders
You’ve probably heard of the group Doctors Without Borders. Today we’re going to hear about Engineers Without Borders. Engineers Without Borders partners with disadvantaged communities around the world to implement engineering projects and train engineers. Jerome McDonnell talks with Gary Jones, the founder and President of Chicago’s Chapter of Engineers Without Borders
Hungarian Priest Caring for Romanian Children December 8, 2005
Csaba Bötje—Franciscan Monk and Director of the Hungarian Schools of Csango Region in Transylvania
Csaba Bötje is a priest in Romania. One day, he came across an abandoned child and decided he was too busy and couldn’t afford to take in an orphan. Then he realized what he was thinking. Now, Father Bötje runs homes for 700 children.
U.S. Women Host House Parties for Iraqi Women December 1, 2005
Yifat Susskind—Associate Director, MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization
Making the Global Fight against HIV Local November 17, 2005
Cathy Christeller—Executive Director, Chicago Women’s AIDS Project
The global AIDS crisis plays out every day in Chicago neighborhoods. The Chicago Women’s AIDS Project merges a global and local response to the pandemic. Chicago Women’s AIDS Project has long been serving HIV positive women and families predominantly in communities of color. They now work with refugee and immigrant women, many of whom are from Africa, to support the needs of those living with HIV.
Upendo Village November 10, 2005 Sister Francis Muia—Assumption Sisters of Nairobi; Founder and President, Upendo Village
Drinking with Worldview—Sustainable Water Use
November 3, 2005
Pam Elardo—President, Living Earth Institute
More than a billion people drink unsafe water. Pam Elardo is an engineer and former Chicagoan working with communities in Nepal and around the world creating systems to access potable water and sanitation.
Teaching the Deaf in a West African Refugee Camp October 27, 2005
Steve Phillips—Director, Budumburam School for the Deaf; Lay Missionary, Society of African Missions
Steve Phillips discusses the challenges of running a school for the deaf in a refugee camp in Ghana.
For more information about the Budumburam School for the Deaf, e-mail Steve Phillips.
Educating Girls in Africa October 20, 2005
Amy Maglio—Executive Director, Women’s Global Education Project
After a trip to Jamaica 25 years ago, Dr. James Carney from far west suburban Lombard wanted to offer free dental services to the island's residents. A board member of the Christian Dental Society, he now runs six free clinics in Jamaica.
Connecting Ghanaian and American Youth September 22, 2005
High schoolers in Chicago and in Accra, Ghana, have been exchanging videos—and building cultural understanding—over the Internet. It was facilitated by the Ananse Project.
Some of the students and Ananse Project director Joan Clarke share their experiences with Worldview's Andrea Wenzel.
Members of the Young & Wise center's drama troupe at a rehearsal
Global Activism Story: Young and Wise in Ghana August 25, 2005
University of Chicago student Harish Amirthalingam spent his summer helping Planned Parenthood in Ghana start a drama troupe to educate youth about gender issues and HIV prevention. He brings us this audio postcard.
Aid to Niger August 18, 2005
Halil Demir—President, The Zakat Foundation of America
The World Food Programme says it only has half the funds it needs to tackle the severe food shortage in Niger. So the suburban Chicago-based Zakat Foundation of America has decided to help.
Related Audio
Hear about the Zakat Foundation's efforts to send backpacks to needy children around the world. Broadcast July 29, 2004
SHAREcircle Update August 18, 2005
Chicagoan Guerra Freitas founded SHAREcircle to help rebuild his native Angola after a decades-long civil war. Since we first talked with him, the group has taken on new projects and expanded its reach.
Rebuilding Lives after Indian Floods August 11, 2005
Pushpika Freitas—Cofounder, President, and Executive Director, MarketPlace Handiwork of India
A Chicago-based organization is helping women in Mumbai who lost their livelihoods to severe floods. MarketPlace Handiworks of India works with artisans to get a living wage for their textiles.
Health Clinic for Tanzanian Village July 28, 2005
Bernard Mirkin—Founder, Nyansha Child Healthcare and HIV/AIDS Project
A research scholar at Children's Memorial Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Dr. Bernard Mirkin journeyed to Tanzania on vacation and was inspired to start a medical clinic.
For more information on the Nyansha Child Healthcare and HIV/AIDS Project, e-mail Dr. Mirkin, or contact:
Florence Green
Children's Memorial Foundation
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 4
Chicago, IL 60614
Creating Opportunities for Children with Disabilities in India July 21, 2005
Jo McGowan Chopra—Cofounder, The Latika Roy Memorial Foundation
The Latika Roy Memorial Foundation located in Northern India provides eduction and support to children with disabilities. After a decade of work, Jo McGowan Chopra has shaped the foundation to offer a wide variety of services.
Creative Bike-building July 14, 2005
Johnny Payphone—Member, Rat Patrol
Famous for their tall bikes comprised of two or three frames welded together, members of Chicago's Rat Patrol have traveled to Ghana, Tanzania, and Guatemala to teach bike design and welding.
Zak Paster with other members of Community in Action.
Addressing Literacy in the Favelas of Brazil June 30, 2005
Zak Paster—Founder, Community in Action
After seeing the social disparity in Rio de Janeiro, Zak Paster founded Community in Action, an NGO that works in the favelas (Rio's slums) to promote literacy and empower residents as both students and teachers.
Education and Hope in Guatemala June 23, 2005
Julie Coyne—Founder and Project Coordinator, Education and Hope
More than fifty percent of Guatemalans are illiterate, and most children cannot afford to go to school. So activist Julie Coyne founded the organization, Education and Hope.
Prosecuting Sex Traffickers in Cambodia June 16, 2005
Joseph Lin—Student, John Marshall Law School
An estimated 40 to 60% of Cambodia's sex workers are victims of trafficking, a significant number of whom are children. Law student Joseph Lin talks about the six months he spent in Cambodia prosecuting perpetrators of sex trafficking.
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