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