By Barbara Lessnau
A group of women gather for the first time in the Women's Learning Centers of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) to share written stories of the last quarter century of war. Concealed from women throughout the regime of the Taliban, the stories bring the women closer together and enhance their determination to further their reading and writing skills.

Creating Hope International's (CHI) Afghan Project with the Afghan Institute of Learning produces health and education services for over 300,000 Afghan women each year through their Women's Learning Centers.

Zarghona, a 20-year-old Afghan woman and student of AIL, described how she had always been interested in educating herself but had been forced to marry.

"The wars and conflicts in Afghanistan, particularly during the period of the Taliban's regime, badly affected the Afghan people. Fortunately, AIL paved a way for war weary Afghan people and helped them get educated."

"Presently I am student in AIL's Literacy Course. Now that I have become literate, I feel so happy."

The Afghan Project was spearheaded by Toc Dunlap and Sakena Yacoobi, two women who have spent decades working with Afghans in refugee camps, underground home schools, clinics, and classrooms. Last year, in partnership with Global Fund for Children, GlobalGiving enabled CHI to use the World Wide Web to raise funds and support their efforts to empower Afghans.

This year, AIL is supporting schools for 9,000 Afghan children and Women's Learning Center classes for over 4,000 women in Herat, Mir Bacha Kot, and Kabul. Building on the support it received during the 2002 employee giving campaign at Hewlett-Packard, CHI will use the funds raised this to increase services, such as course enrollment and medical care.

"I am often asked why I do the kind of work I do with the Afghan Institute of Learning, and I am reminded of the children in Peshawar when they first come to school," said Sakena Yacoobi, Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning. "In their eyes, I see fear, sadness, and hopelessness. But in just a few weeks, the same children are standing taller, laughing, and playing with smiles on their faces."

"When you make education available to Afghan women and children, it is like giving them new life and hope for the future."

• Learn more about Women's Learning Center in Herat, Afghanistan
• Learn more about Women's Learning Center in Mir Bacha Kot
• Learn more about Women's Learning Centers in Kabul, Afghanistan

2. Nine-year-old sees future for GlobalGiving

By Michelle Galdos
Amidst a packed schedule of soccer practice, homework, and mint chocolate chip ice cream, Tristan Kindig has found time for GlobalGiving. A 9-year-old goalie for his community soccer team, Tristan is the youngest donor in GlobalGiving history.

"I knew that there were a lot of seriously bad diseases in lots of countries, and I thought that I would help out," he said.

Of the health projects available on GlobalGiving, Tristan chose to support Improving the Health of Children in Cambodia. The project focuses on orphaned children suffering from HIV/AIDS and other diseases, as well as children with mental health problems.

Led by David Griffiths, the project establishes Nutrition and Mental Health Centers at several locations around the country.

"I've been to Cambodia and I've seen how children suffer in that war-torn society," Griffiths said. "As a Vietnam veteran, I want to help counter the effects of American involvement in Southeast Asia."

Tristan affirms his dedication to the project and hopes that other kids will follow his lead.

When asked of his plans for the future, Tristan responded, "I want to be an artist and a professional soccer player. I also want to keep giving to the Cambodia project."

Resources

• Support Improving the Health of Children in Cambodia
• Contact David Griffiths for more information about his project.
  (Click "Email Project Contact" link at the bottom of the project page.)

3. Announcing our latest non-profit sponsors

In order to comply with new, more stringent government regulations on overseas grant-making, GlobalGiving has changed the way it finds and identifies projects for the Web site. This year, GlobalGiving is partnering with respected, international non-profits, who provide high-quality, innovative development projects from around the world.

Our three newest project sponsors include: Ashoka, the Women's Funding Network, and HelpAge International.

Ashoka is a global organization that invests in social entrepreneurs through stipends and professional services to allow "Ashoka Fellows" to focus full time on their ideas for leading social change.

The Women's Funding Network is a partnership of over 90 women and girls' funds and philanthropic organizations including African Women's Development Fund, Global Fund for Women, and the Open Society Institute. WFN works to improve the status of women and girls by strengthening its member funds.

HelpAge International is a global network of not-for-profit organizations with a mission to work with and for disadvantaged older people worldwide to achieve a lasting improvement in the quality of their lives.

4. FAQs

How do I donate?

GlobalGiving accepts checks as a form of payment. To support a project on GlobalGiving, please make checks payable to "The Calvert Foundation" with the Project ID in the memo.

Send checks to:
Calvert Social Investment Fund
GlobalGiving
PO Box 64828
Baltimore, MD 21264-4828

How do I get GlobalGiving for my workplace?

GlobalGiving Corporate is a program designed to seamlessly integrate with your corporation's existing employee giving campaign. Our customized international giving program means you can:

• Engage your diverse workforce with international projects. Employees can support specific projects that match their interests or national heritage; they can even support projects located in the places where they have traveled.
• Enhance your company's brand through engaging employees in socially responsible behavior and by helping build communities where you already do business.
• Protect shareholder value by engaging your human capital in good corporate citizenship and creating a favorable position in emerging markets.

For more information please contact .
For sales information, please email .

How do I learn about the progress of the projects?

For every project listed on GlobalGiving, the project leader has provided his or her contact information for donors. This includes mailing address, phone number, and email address. This information allows donors to establish a relationship with those running the project and follow up on its progress. In some cases project leaders have also provided additional resources that complement the information found on our site. Examples of these materials include films, newsgroups, and photo galleries. For a great example of a project film please see Digital Divide Data.

For more questions please see globalgiving.com/help.html