The African Experiment: NO RAW MATERIALS

lunes, 6 de agosto de 2007

NO RAW MATERIALS

My first focus is to get my English Language Center project off the ground.

MSU is my academic backer. They will be providing all the brains for the operation. If all goes as planned, MSU will be sending 2 professors to EG to begin the first English Language Center in the country...oooh gooth pimpleth!

So..Today I went back to the National University of Equatorial Guinea to take note (one more once) of the inventory that I will need to include in my final proposal to Marathon, my No. 1 possible backer at the moment. Well, what I really need is Hermione Granger's pretty wand to get this ball rolling. The University has very little equipment for the ELC. No computers, no textbooks, no committed classroom space, no internet, no closets for storage, no xerox machine....zzerooo! I tried the Expeliamus curse but that did not work. So tonight I will sit down and make a detailed list of all of the materials that I will need (resources and infrastructure) then crunch some numbers and see if it really it comes close to my original guestimate.

Why do I get the warm tinglees whenever I enter a classroom? occupational hazzard?...man, I thought I was over that.

No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario

HOW YOU CAN HELP (The Children's Kitchen)

EMPTY BELLIES HAVE NO EARS

Most children in Equatorial Guinea eat everyday. There hasn't been terrible food famines here. However a daily diet, for these kids, consists of a plate of rice or fried plantains a day. The majority of adults (let alone children) in Malabo do not eat fresh vegetables.

Not only does this excuse for a daily diet not offer the appropriate variety but it also lacks nutritional value for their growth. Malnutrition affects the children's physical growth and tragically it affects their brain development and thinking abilities. How are these children ever to fairly compete with our children in the growing world market? Might there be a lost Einstein among them?

The parents often have to walk 2-3 hours into the forest to harvest plantains and/or other wild crops. Women often carry as much as 60-100 lbs baskets on their heads and walk for hours to take this tiny loot into the city market. Then, they must sell it at all cost. The left over plantains are then traded among others for handfuls of rice, okra,... By the time a parent arrives back to the village and to the home, it is often 10pm and the children have yet to eat their first real meal of the day.

For $2.40 US dollars a day, WE CAN FEED A CHILD 3 nutritious meals a day.

3 square meals a week will take the edge off poverty and allow these children to be able to concentrate on the fine books we will send and take full advantage of the new education opportunities.

Please visit the iGA website for more information and to find out how you can get involved.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are many things that the ELC (English Language Center) project will need. Although, I have made and proposed a budget for basic resources, I am not currently sure if everything will be covered or available.

I will need are English language books (spanish and french also welcome) for the ELC reading library. Email me for a Book Donating Guide

There are no functional English language reading libraries in Equatorial Guinea so this would be a wonderful miracle.

Please email me if you are interested in helping (matingaragatz@gmail.com)

WALK THE TALK!!

Help GLHS Students Feed a Child Today

Grand Ledge High School's Global Studies class is planning to change the lives of many children this year. They will be running a real non-profit organization as part of the class which will not only help them learn about current global issues and the state of the world but also their roles in participating in the eradication of poverty in one small rural village in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa.

In the rural West African village of Ekuku, children are needlessly suffering from malnutrition. Our first and immediate goal of our non-profit organization is to help the children.

How You Can Help

For as little as $2.50 we can feed one child 3 nutritious meals per week. This simple change in a child's life will help with physical and brain development. Also, it will raise the energy level and creative thinking this child will need to become a productive member of the community.

Visit our website for more information, then help us WALK THE TALK and help us spread the word. Don't forget to sign our guest book!

http://interface-global.org