2012 Annual Report Letter from the Executive Director Dear Fellow Villagers, There is tremendous need in our world for grassroots leaders both locally and globally, as effective change takes great leadership. Every day, leaders are identifying challenges and developing innovative solutions to problems – quietly, with great humility and in the spirit of service. It is these very leaders that Our Global Village (OGV) supports. We invest in leadership at the local level by providing resources critical to the missions of grassroots leaders, which has enabled them to address homelessness, prevent child trafficking, empower refugee women artisans, educate and inform rural villagers to have a voice in the civic process, and more! To our friends who have supported the work in our inaugural year, we, and the grassroots leaders we serve, thank you deeply. To our new friends, we hope you can join us to increase our reach to continue to find, qualify, support and grow our network of leaders. Sincerely, Roxanne Paiva Founder & Executive Director Empowering Grassroots Leadership Our Mission Our Global Village empowers grassroots leaders around the world to improve their communities by providing knowledge, resources and support. Our Process OGV marshals the goodwill and resources of everyday people in the U.S. to enable global grassroots leaders to facilitate change in their own communities – connecting local to global. Our leaders are currently working in Houston, Detroit, Thailand, Burma and Mozambique. We identify and work with leaders by providing small grants and other supports to carry our projects they have deemed critical to meeting the needs of their neighbors. These leaders work tirelessly, without compensation or recognition, often outside of any formalized nonprofit organization. Each leader undergoes a vetting process, which includes an on-the-ground site visit, and then is provided the funds and support to implement their ideas. "Determine that the thing can and shall be done and then we shall find the way." — Abraham Lincoln Our Model Why focus on grassroots leadership? Traditional charity often meets immediate needs but too often fails to enable people to solve their own problems over the long term. Because our grassroots leaders and their communities are a part of the solution, our approach has the potential to have long-term benefits, long after charitable dollars run out. We support leaders who have found solutions to a range of issues in their communities. Which regions do you work in? OGV staff travels to regions and works with populations that typically have been under-supported by the traditional, mainstream NGO (non-governmental organization) networks. Talking to people, on the ground, in the far-flung villages of Burma, Thailand and Mozambique, for example, we’ve been able to uncover special needs, but also special people amongst many working hard to address those needs. This is the environment in which OGV works. How do you select the grassroots leaders? OGV carefully seeks out, vets and selects grassroots leaders based on our grantmaking policies and procedures. We select changemakers that promote economic independence, self-sufficiency, gender equality, education and who tackle a host of other social issues. Our 2012 Projects Detroit, MI, USA Leader: Reverend Audrey George Project: Detroit Holiday Project serving vulnerable populations Mae Dok Daeng, Thailand Leader: Yuwadee Khamchareon Project :Great New Life supporting at-risk girls Houston, TX, USA Leader: Community of refugee women artisans Project: The Community Cloth microenterprise Maputo, Mozambique Leader: Palmeria Velasco Project: Association of Women in the Media Project to promote gender equality Palmeria Velasco Associação das Mulheres na Comunicação Social – AMCS (Association of Women in the Media) Maputo, Mozambique Palmeria Velasco and four other female journalists created AMCS in 1998 with the purpose of promoting and strengthening the role of women through the use of media, information and communication technologies. The Program is committed to giving a voice to the voiceless in rural communities. Rádio N’thiyana is the first community radio made by women for women in Mozambique. The radio broadcasts various programming related to human rights, HIV / AIDS, women's health, development programs, children's programming, civic debates, and others issues. The station is translated into four languages and has a range of 100 kilometers, which can be heard in all of Maputo Province, which has a total population of over 1 million people. Statistics indicate that more than half of the Mozambican population is illiterate; many thousands of women cannot read and write in Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique, in which most official information is disseminated . This deprives women of access to information about what is happening around them and throughout the world. AMCS addresses these inequalities, increasing access to information for rural Mozambican women, and engaging them in the community process. In 2012, Our Global Village granted $3,000 to AMCS to support the radio station’s reach to 100 kilometers and over 1 million people. AMCS’s impact has resulted increasing the number of listening circles from 6 to 36, and in some villages, the listening circles have begun to advocate to their village council for their rights and for the opportunity to contribute to the local economy. Yuwadee Khamchareon Great New Life Mae Dok Daeng, Thailand Yuwadee Khamchareon started the Great New Life project outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand when she began rescuing under aged girls who were abandoned and living on the streets. These girls were at risk of child trafficking or were already victims of many forms of abuse common among street children. Great New Life provides girls a safe haven and the opportunity to attend schools to create a better life and future for themselves. This is a unique, small scale project that provides long-term support to the girls through an array of educational and vocational training opportunities while also providing safe housing, access to healthcare and more, in a caring and loving home environment. Yuwadee’s vision is to continue growing and expanding their ability to invest in girls’ future. Her and her husband serve as guides, counselors and foster parents. In 2012, Our Global Village granted $4,000 to Great New Life to empower 8 young girls to continue their education and to support the costs of housing, food, drinking water, utilities, toiletries and gasoline. The girls, who previously did not have a safe living environment, have aspirations to be nurses, teachers, programmers and are working diligently every day to fulfill these aspirations. Audrey George Detroit Holiday Project Detroit, MI, USA Audrey George has been vigorously helping the poor and homeless within the Southeast Michigan and greater Detroit areas over the past forty years. She assists the neediest of Detroit and the surrounding communities by feeding, providing housing, clothing, supplies and other various forms of services to the homeless and elderly, and especially focusing on the Veterans homeless community. During the holiday season, Audrey also packs hundreds of food boxes for the elderly and lowincome families in Addison, MI whose lives have been impacted by the economic downturn in Greater Michigan. Audrey has been and remains a beacon of hope for thousands throughout one of the U.S.’s more financially impacted regions. Her tireless resolve and devotion to serving the impoverished has justly earned her the nickname, “Mother Teresa of Detroit.’ In 2012, Our Global Village granted $1,800 to Detroit Holiday Project to provide food boxes for 300 seniors and low-income families. These boxes included nearly a month’s worth of nutritional food and reduced food insecurity for seniors and families during the holiday season, their greatest time of need. The program also collected hundreds of items of gently used winter clothing, furniture and household items from local residents and distributed to recently returned veterans at the Detroit Veteran Center, a vital necessity as the city’s average winter temperature is below freezing. Circle of Refugee Women Artisans The Community Cloth Houston, TX USA The Community Cloth is a microenterprise initiative empowering refugee women in Houston. It targets economic, educational and social goals through the provision of seed grants, training, and peer support, and by expanding market opportunities for refugee women artisans. All of the women involved to date are mothers; some are widows or are the only working member of their families. The Cloth supports them in creating and selling handmade, indigenous arts and crafts such as woven bags, knitted scarves, household items and more. Through producing and selling their wares, the women have an opportunity to express their culture and heritage, learn new skills that will assist them in transitioning to life in the US, and obtain much-needed supplemental income. 100% of the profits go directly to the artisans. Our Global Village manages the Community Cloth program, investing $40,124 to support to 32 refugee women in the microenterprise to date; the women have sold nearly $100,000 in products with the supplemental income going toward rent, utilities and other basic needs. The artisans have participated in public and private sales events and attended training in sales and product development. Some have completed ESL classes and found full-time employment. 2012 Community Cloth Accomplishments 2012 was marked by some innovative community partnerships, program growth and media features. •$98,000 sales since inception, more than $35,000 in 2012 • The Cloth partnered with Houston Arts Alliance to feature our Karenni Burmese weavers in Weaving Home: Textile Traditions from Houston’s Karenni Community. •32 artisans (8 new) from Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, Sudan, and the Congo • Project Runway winner and Houston’s own Chloe Dao invited us into her store for a shopping event in honor of one of our biggest supporters Mandy Kao’s birthday. • The Cloth was featured in the Houston Chronicle Sunday business section front page in July. • The Cloth partnered with Vox Culture for an incredible trimester that included a field trip to Francesca’s, local boutique with the artisans; an interactive design workshop where volunteers and artisans learned how to make wrap bracelets; and a culminating mixer celebrating the cultures of our artisans. • OGV and The Cloth participated in the Women’s Economic Empowerment forum with our friends at Maya Nut and Indego Africa. • The record-breaking sales season concluded with our Second Annual Refugee Artisan Holiday Celebration, made possible by Neighborhood Center’s Seeds for Change grant. •4 retail partners: Houston Museum of Natural Science, Kuhl-Linscomb, One Green Street, Methodist Hospital •12 trainings with the artisans & 30 sales events OUR Global Village’s mission is only as powerful as the individuals who become involved by sharing knowledge, resources and support with these leaders. Inherent in our model is the act of connecting local citizens with global causes. Act now, get involved today. www.ogvillage.org [email protected] Phone: 832-474-6350 PO Box 70443 Houston, TX 77270 OGVillage Thank you. We would like to express our upmost gratitude to the following individuals, nonprofits, faith communities, civic organizations and businesses that have partnered with Our Global Village through providing direct support or in‐kind services, hosting events, performing outreach/connection functions and more. INDIVIDUAL DONORS Firdews Abbas Sarah Barnes Mike Barras Brooke Chadeayne Charlotte & Dale Cloteaux Amanda Cloud Mike Collins Chloe Dao Diane Deily Julianne Deily Nicole Ellis Bernard M. Fields Marti Fleming Kathy Huebner Rebecca Shea Irvine Karen Kirkland Sally Kolenda Deena & Eric McCauley Janet & Dan McCauley Monica McCauley Quynh-Anh & Jay McMahan Emily Newsome Linwood Olsen Andrew Pettke Heather Reardan Josh Reynolds Linda Schimmelman Imrana & Omar Sharief Celina Shariff Louis Skidmore, Jr. Aaron Tate Liz & Dave Unger Joe Webb Allison & Cason White PARTNERS All People Be Happy Foundation Alliance for Multicultural Community Services Amaanah Refugee Services ANP DESIGN STUDIO! Bhutanese Nepali Community of Houston Braeswood Place Mothers of Young Children Contemporary Handweavers of Houston CultureMap Houston Dining for Women The Downtown Club The Frees Foundation Houston Arts Alliance Houston Museum of Natural Science Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston Jane Foster Photography Jayson Carpenter Photography Joseph West Photography The Journey Charitable Foundation Karenni Community Association Kuhl-Linscomb Mandy Kao Foundation One Green Street The Methodist Hospital Neighborhood Centers, Inc. PAIR Simmons Foundation Ten Thousand Villages Wearsox Zonta Club CORPORATE SUPPORT IKEA JP Morgan Chase Foundation Locke Lord LLP Shell Foundation OGV Board of Directors Amanda Cloud Grant Officer, The Simmons Foundation President Quynh-Anh T. McMahan, MSW Research & Planning Officer, Rockwell Fund Treasurer Joe Webb, AIA Principal, Webb Architects Vice President Joshua Reynolds, MSW, MBA Director of Program Planning & Grant Development, Neighborhood Centers Secretary Heather Simpson Community Volunteer Board Member Brooke Chadeayne, JD Locke Lord, LLP General Counsel If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. -African Proverb 27% $40,000 2012 Total Income $146,745 45% $65,745 Grants Individual In-Kind 28% $41,000 2012 Total Expenses $140,804 18% $24,742 6% $8,674 Management & General Fundraising Programs 76% $107,388
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