Join - Eat So They Can

The Grand Prize Draw Results!

2012-01-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

On January 12, the GVN team gathered around our local policeman for our annual Grand Prize Draw! All our 2011 hosts who had raised more than $500 were entered into the Draw and the winner was to win an expense-paid trip to Kenya or Peru. It was an exciting moment when our policeman pulled out the name and announced the 2011 Grand Prize winner...

Adrienne Matheson! A huge congratulations from all the ESTC team to Adrienne!

Adrienne is from New Zealand and hosted her third ESTC event in 2011. She has chosen to join our Distribution Trip to Kenya this May and is hoping to stay on to volunteer after the trip.

Adrienne does a lot of volunteer work in her community and also works as a Nanny. Her interests include making cards and other crafts, as well as photography. We're already looking forward to seeing the photos that Adrienne will be taking in Kenya!

Here are a few words from Adrienne:

About three years ago I volunteered for six weeks in Kenya with GVN and every year since I have been involved with ESTC. I am beyond excited to return to Kenya on the distribution trip.

Every day is a good day to live life to the fullest and help others do the same.

Thank you GVN. Kenya here I come!" ~ Adrienne.

Congratulations once again Adrienne!

~ Eliza and the ESTC team

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

This is our last ESTC blog for the year as we wind down for the Christmas and New Year period. This has been an amazing year for ESTC and we hope an amazing one for you to! The ESTC team want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

As we look forward to 2012 we want to share an opportunity with you to really make 2012 a year to remember - the chance to join an Eat So They Can Distribution Trip!

Our funds distribution trips to Kenya and Peru offer participants the once in a lifetime opportunity to directly help with distributing funds raised through our Eat So They Can campaign. By joining this program you will be assisting on the ground and delivering supplies to the schools, orphanages and camps we support. You will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops and see some of Kenya's most famous wildlife or several historical sites in Peru.

In Kenya the funds raised from Eat So They Can will be distributed to schools, orphanages and IDP (Internationally Displaced Persons) camps throughout the Nairobi and Nakuru areas.

And in Peru the funds will be distributed to schools, orphanages and community centers in Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

This is an unbelievable chance to see directly where the money you raised ends up and the amazing difference it is making to children and communities throughout Kenya and Peru.

To find out more visit: http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/distribution_trip/ or check out our Facebook page for photos from last years trips https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eat-So-They-Can/

See you in the New Year,

Eliza and the ESTC Team

Proud to Support the Losinoni Lunch Program!

2011-12-08T15:04:00.001-08:00

Hello again!

I hope you enjoyed last week's update on the new Uganda projects. This week, we would like to take you on a trip to the village of Losinoni in Tanzania.

We recently sent out a grant of $1,159 to help fund AfricAid's lunch program at Losinoni Primary School. AfricAid is a nonprofit organization that supports girls’ education in Tanzania in order to provide young women with the opportunity to transform their own lives and the futures of their communities.

The Losinoni community has demonstrated anextraordinary commitment to the education of their children. They havepartnered with AfricAid to build new classrooms, renovate existing classroomsand install solar electrical power in order to provide the students withimproved learning environments.

In addition, the community has pooled its meager resources to hire a cook for the school, so that the lunch program can be provided during the entire school year. The community has also set aside land for growing maize to be used for the lunch program, in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. As such, the community has made the school lunch program a priority, both for the education and for the sustenance of its children, a community commitment that is critical for the long-term sustainability of the program. However, resources continue to be critically scarce in this rural, impoverished community.

With the ESTC grant, AfricaAid will be able to feed the 750 students at Losinoni Primary School for over 9 weeks. That's more than 34,000 lunches!

Thank you to our hosts for making this grant possible and thank you to AfricAid and the Losinoni community for their amazing work!

~ Michelle and the ESTC Team

New Uganda projects funded by ESTC!

2011-11-29T15:46:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

The ESTC team is excited to tell you that we’ve just sent out some new grants to our partners! In this blog post, we’ll focus on a $5,000 grant from our women’s empowerment cause which has just been sent to The Real Uganda. This grant will be used to support two projects:

YOFAFO’s micro-credit program

Source: YOFAFO

This program currently provides loans to local women in the village of Bulumagi to diversify their businesses and buy equipment which they previously rented. It has been very successful with 96% of all loans having been paid back in full.

The ESTC grant will allow YOFAFO to now give out larger loans to past clients who have paid back their loans, and give out small starter loans to new clients. With increased loans given out, the local population will expand their own businesses/investments, leading to higher household incomes in the immediate area.

In addition, the grant will fund a one-day workshop to educate all beneficiaries and employees about the importance of saving and investing, account security and privacy, and appropriate record keeping.

YOFAFO’s animal project

Source: pictoe.com

YOFAFO started a similar program in the village of Kitoola, but gave out animals instead of cash. The project has so far circulated 34 pigs, 5 goats, over 120 chickens and 1 cow. The project has been so successful that YOFAFO asked the women what they wanted to do next. YOFAFO was asked to bring cows because they have higher value, are easier to keep alive, and easier for project officers to keep track of.

The ESTC grant will allow YOFAFO to give out 4 improved breed cows to local Kitoola women. Women will qualify for the program by building a cow shelter, growing elephant grass for feed, and showing the $7 fee they’ll need to mate the cow. The first cow born will be returned to YOFAFO to be given out to the next member in line. Improved breed cows give 25 litres of milk per day, which is far beyond the 3 litres of milk a regular local cow gives. This will be a slow growth project as a cow is pregnant for 9 months but improved breed cows can conceive again 4 months after giving birth.

Women have increased self-esteem and independence by keeping their own animals. Culturally, women keeping animals is normal in Uganda and the women will use the income created to feed and educate their children.

The ESTC team is really proud to be supporting such great projects! A big thank you to The Real Uganda and YOFAFO for their amazing work.

- Eliza

Welcome to our new intern!

2011-11-24T19:21:00.001-08:00

A warm welcome to Michelle Mitchell - we're so happy to have you join the Eat So They Can team!

Michelle is a business analyst by profession and performs all kinds of tasks ranging from project management to IT training. She also has experience in web design and development - yay!

When Michelle is not working, she is running a Christian lifegroup with her husband in their home. On topof that, she is also pursuing a graduate diploma in Theology in Laidlawcollege.

So why is such a busy lady volunteering her time to support ESTC?

"I love what you all do. The lives you have touched. Ihave a passion for helping the poorer nations. My philosophy is to empower themthrough training, mentoring and provide them with practical assistance so theyin turn can stand up on their own and eventually help others as well. I wouldhope to be able to go out and do something like the many volunteers you haveone day, but meanwhile, I am very glad that I am able to come in and offerwhatever limited help I can give to this organisation." ~ Michelle.

Thank you so much Michelle! This is always a busy time of year for us, and we're so grateful to have your support!

- Eliza

Why I love my job

2011-10-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons why a love my job, but this time of the year is definitely one of them! Over the past week I've been receiving emails, facebook messages, skype messages and letters from ESTC hosts in every corner of the world. Although this is my third year working on this campaign, our hosts' creativity and generosity never cease to amaze and inspire me!

Musicians at Suraj's event in Nepal

One of my favourite things about this year's campaign is that we've had several events take place within the countries we support. For example in Nepal, Suraj teamed up with Antardristi (one of our partners) and Diwen (former GVN employee on her travels) to organize an evening of music and dancing. In Diwen's words "It was an EVENT. Two of the best bands from Nepal, as well as musicians from Egypt, Turkey, etc jamming with the bands. The music is SUPER. And these musicians were all playing for free for ESTC. The people who organised this ESTC were AMAZING. Capital letters AMAZING. Friends, business people, restaurant owners, musicians, those who care enough to organise ESTC at their own time and resource."

These delicious cupcakes didn't last long!

Our own event here in Wellington was so much fun! We decided to do our event at a beautiful little cinema in Petone. We watched Oranges and Sunshine and had some delicious nibbles and drinks. A big highlight of the evening was our annual raffle which had some amazing prizes thanks to our generous sponsors. It was such a fun evening and it was great to have people of all ages and nationalities there! A huge thank you to Lydia, Fiona and Luke for organizing the event.

Eliza, Lydia, Luke and Fiona at GVN's ESTC event in Wellington

I really recommend that you check out our past events gallery to read about other events from around the world and keep an eye on our facebook page as well for regular updates.

And don't forget - if you haven't yet hosted your event, it's not too late! Please take lots of photos and send them our way so we can add you to our gallery!

A HUGE thank you to everyone,
Eliza

Eat So They Can 2010 - One Year On

2011-10-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

With Eat So They Can 2011 right around the corner, hopefully you're all very busy planning your events! Here at the Eat So They Can office, we are flat out planning for the weekend ahead.

But we thought that amidst all the chaos, you might like to hear about how one of our projects has come along in the past 12 months. The Real Uganda has been one of our key partner organisations over the last few years, and 2010 ESTC funds went towards building a goat farm, a sustainable initiative to support the children of Johnson Nkosi Memorial School and the surrounding community.

Here are a few words from Leslie Wieghill of The Real Uganda:

"This project created a sustainable environment for a goat farm to grow beyond pre-existing capacity. The farm will now generate income for the school. In its former (small) size it only created interest in goats and a bit of milk.

We built a 100’x70’ fenced goat grazing yard, constructed a raised permanent house for the goats, and purchased 7 pregnant goats (as they each gave birth to twins – we actually bought 21 goats!).

In 2010, when Johnson Nkosi Memorial School started keeping goats, they had 6 goats in a small enclosure made of tree branches. There was no house for the goats to sleep in or get out of the rain. There was no grazing area, food had to be brought to them everyday.

Today the goat farm has expanded to 34 goats. They are healthier now with their private grazing area – eating fresh (growing) greens and getting some exercise. The raised house keeps them warm and clean at night and safe from thieves as well.

A goat keeper has been hired to keep their house clean and move them to and from the grazing yard.

In terms of the future, we hope the project will become a learning aid for both Johnson Nkosi students and community members. Goats are in demand in Uganda right now. They are cheap and easy to keep and they multiply quickly. We want to show our process increases income as the goats are kept healthier than the traditional way.

324 children have benefited or will benefit from this program."

On behalf of everyone at ESTC, we just want to say a huge thank you to The Real Uganda for all the hard work they put in. To develop a project that will benefit over 300 children is an amazing result. We would also like to thank all the hosts who supported the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children cause in 2010, as this project would not have been able to go ahead without your support.

This is just an example of the kind of project that your ESTC 2011 funds will go towards. Hopefully, in one year from now, we can again tell you about all the amazing things that have been achieved with the funds that our hosts raise this year.

Finally, good luck with the weekend ahead! It feels like we have been building towards this weekend for quite some time, and now that it's finally here, we are so excited! As always, the ESTC team is here to answer any last minute questions you may have. Other than that, I guess all we can do is wish you all the best for this weekend! We are really looking forward to hearing about how everyone's events went!

Good luck everyone!

- Luke and the ESTC Team.

Just a week to go, folks!

2011-10-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

With just over a week to go, we’re getting really excited to kick off the Eat So They Can weekend for 2011. If you’d still like to host, it’s not too late! Here’s some event ideas that go down a treat. If you’ve already signed up to host, have a read anyway. It might inspire you to spontaneously theme your event. (Skip to the bottom to read about the GVN event for this year!)

Show off your culinary skills by cooking an impressive dinner for your guests! In the past, hosts have chosen to hold a formal sit-down dinner for friends and family. Or if you’re not a budding Jamie Oliver or Martha Stewart in the kitchen, challenge your guests to bring a dish to share each.

Don’t let the name fool you... Eat So They Can events do not have to be solely food related! We’ve had Eat So They Can art exhibitions, cocktail parties, movie screenings, cigar lounge events and tea parties, and all of them were a great success!

Get competitive. If you have a competitive streak in you, plan an event based around a competition or sport. A cooking or baking competition, trivia night or friendly sports game (or a game of garden bowls if you’d prefer to laze in the sun) are all great ways to get people involved and having fun.

Or, if you are struggling to come up with an idea or theme, combine your event with an existing holiday. Halloween is coming up... Trick or Treat So They Can, anyone?

If an event isn’t your thing, recruit some friends to get busy in the kitchen and produce some baked goods to sell. A bake sale at a community fair, school or workplace is an easy way to spread the word about Eat So They Can and raise some money.

We hope these ideas helped... but please don’t limit yourself! The more creative, the better – we want you to enjoy your event.

So... what are we up to this Eat So They Can weekend? GVN and the Eat So They Can team will be attending a fundraiser movie screening of Oranges and Sunshine in Petone, Wellington on October 17th. Alongside this, our generous sponsors have donated some awesome prizes for our raffle this year. We're aiming to raise $800 at this event, and we plan on attending other ESTC events in the region over the 15-16th. If you're in Wellington and would like to attend, send us an email to hear the details - we'd love to have you come along.

If you have any questions, or would like to share an idea,drop us a line! We’d

love to hear from you.

- Fiona and the Eat So They Can team

A A huge thank-you to our event sponsors: Paramount Theatre, InterContinental Hotels, Bluebridge Ferries, Lazule Jewellery, Southern Cross Bar, The Body Shop, SuperLiquor, Hardy's, Health2000, King of Knives, Villa Costa and Brendan Grant Artwork.

Guest Post from Simon Hart of VICDA, Kenya

2011-09-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks you've heard a lot about the recent ESTC distribution trip to Peru. The trip was a great success, but this week we thought we'd update you on the ongoing impact of our other distribution trip earlier in the year, to Kenya. So this week's blog is a guest post from one of our partners in Kenya, ESTC distribution trip host and former staffer, Simon Hart.

"It has been a few months now since the Distribution Trip in Kenya, and the staff at VICDA have been busy visiting the projects that benefitted from your kind donations to assess how the money was spent and to begin planning for next year.

The feedback from the projects was very encouraging, and the Directors at each project were very grateful for the support they have received. Your donations enabled the GVN Foundation and VICDA to provide the food needed to support an incredible 168 children in one placement alone, at Shelter Children’s Home- just in time as the school holidays were starting, which means more mouths to feed! Kenya is currently experiencing some of the highest food price rises in history, enhancing food insecurity and making it more difficult for families to survive. As you can imagine, even a slight rise particularly hits orphanages and children’s homes hard, and ensuring food security became a priority across several of our projects.

Where possible, VICDA ensured your donations were spent with sustainability in mind, and a great example of this came at Nairobi Children’s Home. Whilst also meeting the direct needs of supplying food to the orphanage, most of the funds were spent on purchasing a new fridge for the home. This has helped immensely in reducing food prices, as now food can be purchased in bulk and stops any food from going to waste.

Additionally, at Thika Rescue Centre your funds helped to develop a sustainable agricultural project, assisting in the purchase of equipment, water piper and seeds to get the project started. When visiting the placement a few weeks later, it was great to see the crops thriving and the teachers informed us that the various classes tended to their own patch proudly, seeing it as a competition! Not only does this initiative enable the home to produce some of their own vegetables, but it also gives the children a chance to train in a very practical Kenyan trade, assisting them for the future. Finally, it was great to see the long term aim of Thika Rescue Centre is to construct a Green House, and they are already planning how to spend any future funds productively.

There were inevitably, several challenges and some alterations with the planned distribution of funds. At Happy Life Children’s Home, VICDA had put aside a significant amount of money to pay for an operation one of the young boys needed. Fortunately during the course of the planning, he was adopted and can now receive the care he needs from his new family. With considerable funds set aside for this operation, it was decided to donate these towards the Home’s considerable medical expenses at the hospital, which will enable the continued treatment of other sick children.

VICDA also used some of the funds to construct 6 new houses at one of the IDP camps they support. This was particularly successful, as it benefitted widowed and vulnerable women as well as their young children, reflecting 2 of the core objectives of the ESTC campaign. In addition, whilst the houses are very simple and assembled within 3 days, they are amazingly transferable incase the IDP camp is moved in the future.

At another IDP camp, the VICDA staff have become very involved and integral to the lives of the residents there. With the construction of the new school complete, your funds helped to assist 21 children in partially paying for their school fees. 2 children in particular were so happy to get back to school, they spent the same evening with their new classmates to catch up on the work they had so far missed!

So overall the distribution of funds was a huge success, and so many people benefitted from your kind contributions. Despite the rise in food prices which forced our attention towards meeting the immediate food security needs of many of our projects, we were able to implement a number of long term and sustainable projects which we hope to continue supporting in the future.

On behalf of VICDA and everyone at the projects, Asante sana!"

From everyone at ESTC, a huge thanks to Simon and everyone at VICDA, and to our all hosts who helped raise those funds in 2010. ESTC 2011 is just around the corner, and if you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late! You can sign up at www.eatsotheycan.org to help make this year's event as successful as last year's was!

- Luke and the ESTC team.

The countdown is on... tips and tricks for your ESTC event!

2011-09-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

With under a month to go, the countdown is on for the Eat So They Can 2011 weekend, 15-16 October. We're starting to hear about the events people have planned for this year and they sound awesome! We're hoping 2011 is going to be even bigger and better than last year.

Hopefully, you have signed up and started planning your Eat So They Can event. If you're stuck, check out our past events gallery for inspiration. There are plenty of ideas and photos to help you get creative and come up with the perfect Eat So They Can fundraiser.

This week, we would like to share with you a few tips and tricks that we've picked up along the way to help your event run smoothly and make sure it is a success!

Here's a sneak peak at the 2011 Party Packs.

Use your party pack. If you registered your address to receive a party pack, this is now on it's way to you! In it, you will find some information, stickers, business cards and our 2011 DVD. We recommend making the most of all these resources - but our number 1 tip is to watch the DVD! Our stars, Lydia and Eliza, along with Rachel Dickinson (the mastermind behind the DVD creation), did an awesome job at putting together some short clips about Eat So They Can. Before your event, watch the DVD and decide which sections you may like to show your guests, so that they come away from your event a little bit more informed about the work that we do and where their funds are going. If you would like to receive a party pack but haven't been in contact, please send us an email and we will get one on its way to you.
Volunteers. Running an event by yourself can seem like hard work - even if it is incredibly worthwhile! Our second tip is to find some friends and family who support what you are doing and ask them if they'd like to spare a couple of hours to help you. It could be painting signs, cooking food, or even cleaning up afterwards. Having some keen volunteers around definitely makes the whole process more fun.
Set a goal. Decide how much you would like raise for Eat So They Can this year so yuo have something to work towards. Your online host profile has a great feature to help you keep track of how you progressing towards your goal. Don't forget that everyone who raises over $500 automatically goes in our draw to win an all-expenses paid spot on one of our distributions trips to Kenya or Peru in 2012. You can read more about this amazing prize here.
Social media. Let everyone know about your event, and about Eat So They Can, by sending out emails to people who may be interested in attending, or mentioning it on facebook or twitter.
Businesses. If you are after some additional donations to top up your total raised, try contacting local businesses who may be willing to make a donation, match the amount you have raised or donate goods or services for a raffle - all in exchange for a little positive publicity!
Contact us. Our team is here to help you with your event, so if you need resources or a little positive encouragement, let us know. You can send us an email and we will get in contact.

They're our top six tips for hosting an Eat So They Can event this year. We're really looking forward to the Eat So They Can weekend and seeing all the different events around the world come to life.

- Fiona and the Eat So They Can team

Days 4-7 of the Peru Distribution Trip Diary

2011-09-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is the second installment of my time in Peru. Enjoy!

Day 4 – On the fourth day of the trip we headed along the twisty roads to the Sacred Valley of Peru with our amazing driver, Gustavo! We went to the Lamay Nutrition for Change program for lunch to help distribute food to the kids from the local school. This program is designed to provide the children from Lamay village and the surrounding hills with a daily breakfast and lunch, as well as a multi-vitamin. The children who participate in the program often walk for 2 hours or more, to and from school each day. The program has improved the children’s health, school attendance and is also helping them to focus and work hard in their classes. Through funds raised from Eat So They Can 2010, we were able to grant $2,500 towards this program. In the afternoon, we visited a girls orphanage and had heaps of fun playing volleyball, soccer, and a Peruvian version of duck, duck, goose - guinea pig, guinea pig, llama!

Girls enjoying their lunch at the Lamay Nutrition for Change Program

Day 5 – We decided to include one day of tourism during the distribution trip for two reasons. First, I wanted our team to be able to see some of the incredible sights in the Sacred Valley, and second, because Geovanna from the orphanage we support had recently graduated as a tour guide! Geovanna grew up at the orphanage where we launched the Peruvian Promise Program and is the first of the girls to leave the orphanage and graduate as a professional! We are so proud of her!

Geovanna came to our hotel in the morning and took us to Pisac, a small town in the Sacred Valley. On the way she told us her story of how she had ended up in the orphanage and shared her hopes for the other girls there. We visited the local market and then Geovanna took us on a tour of the Pisac ruins. We were all so impressed with how professional, confident and knowledgeable she was!

Geovanna, our Tour Guide

Day 6 – We had a VERY early start on Friday as they are doing work on the road to the community of Pampallacta where we were headed and we had to get there before the road closed at 6am! The road to Pampallacta is full of hairpin bends and big drop offs, and I have to admit that I had a few doubts along the way as to whether this was such a good idea! It was therefore a big relief when we got to the top of the mountain – until we saw that a big trench had been dug in the road and there was no way across. We started trying to fill the ditch with dirt and then someone from the community lent us some planks of wood, and after lots of pointing, shouting, and manoeuvring, we managed to get our van over the ditch!

As soon as we arrived at Pampallacta we all knew it was worth it! Watching the children running down the mountains to come and see us, and seeing their smiles when they saw the balloons and hot chocolate, was such a great feeling! Peruvian Hearts also run their Nutrition for Change program at Pampallacta school, and we hope to be able to support them with funds raised from future ESTC events.

Pampallacta Party!

Day 7 – On our last day we returned to Cusco for a cooking workshop! By this point, all our team were starting to think about their ESTC 2011 events so this was a great way for us to get some recipes and ideas! We cooked nachos and guacamole for starters, and ají de gallina for the main course. We’ll be uploading our ají de gallina recipe onto our recipe guide soon so keep an eye out for it – and don’t forget to send us your recipes too! http://www.eatsotheycan.org/resources/recipes

Gigi in the Kitchen!

A huge thank you to our distribution team for being such a fun, compassionate and hard-working group! And of course a special thank you to all our hosts for making our work possible. I’ve returned from this trip with even more motivation and energy for ESTC this year!

Together we are changing lives – one meal at a time!

- Eliza

Peru Distribution Trip Diary

2011-09-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

So I’ve been back in New Zealand for more than a week now but my mind is still far away in Peru! The Distribution Trip was such a special and inspiring trip, that I am sure I will be thinking about it for a long time. I wish that you could have all been on the trip with us, but I will try to share a little bit of what we experienced through this blog...

The 2011 Peru Distribution Team!

Day 1 – On the first day we had a welcome dinner at Yanapay Social Restaurant. This is a really unique restaurant because it directly supports a children’s project in Cusco and because many of the staff who work there used to attend the children’s project. It is also a really beautiful and magical place, because of the way it is decorated. If you ever go to Cusco, I really recommend that you go there for dinner or a delicious cocktail, and of course try on their hats! You can read more about the restaurant here.

Modeling the hats at Yanapay Social Restaurant

Day 2 – We started off the day with orientation. Daniela, our Peruvian ESTC Ambassador, gave a great talk about Peruvian history, culture and gastronomy. We also watched some interesting videos as an introduction to what we would see over the next few days. The Girl Effect video was a great introduction to our afternoon, when we took part in the launch of the Peruvian Promise Program! Thanks to ESTC 2010 funds, we have granted over $9,000 to this program. The idea is that 16 girls are being given the opportunity to become leaders in their communities through educational scholarships, inspirational retreats, mentoring, and workshops. During the launch of the program, these 16 girls each spoke of their dreams for the future and what really struck me was how much thought had obviously gone into their choices – one girl dreamed of becoming tour guide so she could travel the world, another girl spoke of wanting to become a policewoman, others of going to university. It was such an inspiring day, and I have no doubt that these girls will go on to do great things for themselves and their families.

The Peruvian Promise Program Scholars

It was also really beautiful to spend time with the Dodson family and hear Ana Dodson speak. Ana is the Founder of our partner organization, Peruvian Hearts. She was born in Peru and was adopted by an American family when she was a baby. Her family took her on a trip back to Peru when she was 11 years old because they wanted her to embrace her heritage. Ana was so moved by the extreme poverty that she saw during her trip that on her return to the USA she founded Peruvian Hearts. Ana has since been a CNN hero and won numerous awards for her work to improve the lives of children in Peru.

Danny Dodson, Eliza Raymond, Judi Dodson and Ana Dodson

Day 3 - Next, we went to Huchuy Yachaq which is a community center located on the outskirts of the city of Cusco. The community suffers from a number of challenges relating to accessibility issues, lack of basic facilities, unstable housing, and social problems such as unemployment, informal employment, alcoholism and domestic violence. Through funds raised from Eat So They Can’s women’s empowerment cause, we are providing a $5,000 grant to set up a jewellery workshop for the mothers in the community.

Learning to weave at Huchuy Yachaq

In the morning, we met some of the mothers from the community and had the opportunity to buy some of the products they had made. A few people from our team also learnt the basics of weaving and jewellery-making from the mothers! This was a really great moment for me as it was obviously fun and also empowering for the mothers to be able to share their skills and knowledge with us. In the afternoon, we organized a small party for the whole community. A highlight was the raffle and also sharing hot chocolate and cake with the kids!

Showing off her new hat she won at the Huchuy Yachaq raffle!

Watch this space! Days 4-7 will be featured in next week's blog!

- Eliza

Win a trip to Africa or South America!

2011-08-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Distribution Team has recently returned from their time in Peru. From the stories I’ve heard and the photos I’ve seen, it is safe to say the group had an amazing time! As well as enjoy the sights and sounds of Peru, the team was fortunate enough to witness the impact that Eat So They Can funds are having in Peru, particularly at Peruvian Hearts and Huchuy Yachaq community centre.

Win a trip to Africa or South America!

One of the team members was Amanda Golden, our 2010 grand prize draw winner! Every host who raises over $500USD automatically goes in the draw to win an all-expenses paid trip to either Peru or Kenya on one of our distribution trips in 2012. If you would like to enter this draw, sign-up as a host and start planning your event!

While in Peru, Amanda wrote a few words about her experience of a lifetime:

"Hi from Urubamba! Today is day 3 of our Distribution Trip. I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to explore this beautiful country with a group of such dedicated and lively women! Our days have been filled with lots of laughs and love as we have already visited three of the projects. It has been such a unique opportunity to be able to really see where the money that people around the world have raised is going.

The Peruvian Hearts crew that we have met have been so warm and welcoming and they are truly inspiring. To be able to witness firsthand the work that is being done here-especially with the children and women- has been a gift. The money that the ESTC hosts have raised is being used to change lives and most importantly to invest in the children's futures. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the trip and spending time with my fellow volunteers and our new Peruvian friends!"

Amanda, wearing her ESTC t-shirt, on the Peru Distribution Trip 2011.

Thanks to Amanda for sharing her experience with us. And thank you to all the people – every single host - who made the distribution trip possible.

Tune in next week for more information on the distribution trip from Eliza.

- Fiona and the ESTC Team

The Millennium Development Goals and Greatest Need

2011-08-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the final installation of our blog post series on our Eat So They Can causes and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. If you’d like to read more about how the MDGs link in with Eat So They Can and our Orphaned and Vulnerable Children’s cause, please read Fiona’s blog post from last week.

Funds raised for the Greatest Need cause go where they are needed most and are used to financially support partners and projects which are lacking in resources and funds to operate. By supporting this cause you are effectively also supporting our Women’s Empowerment and Orphaned and Vulnerable Children causes as all of our work focuses on helping these two groups. Funds are used to support both immediate needs and sustainability projects at schools, orphanages, community centres and camps in Asia, Africa, and South America. You will also be providing long-term support through supporting GVN Foundation research projects.

A reserve fund is also created from these funds which allows GVN Foundation to respond immediately should there be any emergencies in the near future.

An example of how the Greatest Need funds have been used

In Kenya, our partner works with 3 IDP camps and 50 schools and orphanages in and around Nairobi. Happy Life Children’s Home is a baby orphanage that takes care of babies given up by parents who are unable or unwilling to care for them. Happy life offers temporary shelter, at the moment there are 37 babies and they are all up for adoption. Many of the babies arrive malnourished and sick so Eat So They Can funding provides desperately needed baby cots, formula, and medical care.

Greatest Need and the Millennium Development Goals

The exact use of your funds is determined by GVN Foundation based on which projects have the greatest need at the time of funds distribution. As this cause supports so many different needs, it effectively carries out at least four of the eight Millennium Development Goals.

1. End Poverty and Hunger

Aims: To halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day. Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

To complement this aim, ESTC funds from 2010 provided a $5,000 grant to Huchuy Yachaq community center in Peru. The funds will be used to fund a jewellery workshop to empower women in the community and give them a new source of income for their families

2. Universal Education

Aim: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling

ESTC funds from 2010 provided a $5,000 grant to Grassroots Development Trust, which will fund teacher salaries at Springs of Hope High School in Uganda.

3. Gender Equality

Aim: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education, no later than 2015

A grant of $14,359.50 from ESTC funds was sent to Peruvian Hearts to fund the first year of the Peruvian Promise Program. The grant will be used to fund scholarships, school uniforms, textbooks, school supplies and experiential retreats for 16 girls. In addition this ESTC grant will fund a breakfast programme at Lamay school for 360 students for one year

4. Child Health

Aim: Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the mortality rate of children under five

A $2,000 grant to Antardristi, our partner in Nepal, will go towards operating the residential centres they run for vulnerable children in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Hetauda. Antardristi works in the field of mental health, and aims to empower youth and children to overcome various psychological problems and lead healthy lives

What can you do?

If you would like to donate to the Greatest Need cause, click here or to learn more about the eight MDGs click here

Eat So They Can are excited to announce the launch of the Peruvian Promise Program!

2011-08-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce the opening the Peruvian Promise program, an initiative of one of Peruvian Hearts, an Eat So They Can partner.

In Peru, the lack of family support for girls in all areas of growth, including education, create a difficult and adverse environment for these girls to develop as humans and become esteemed, outgoing, and well-respected members of their communities. Adolescent girls in Peru are often undervalued and not given the same opportunities as men, specifically in post-secondary schooling. Many girls are taken out of school to help with work around the house or to earn money for the family. These girls never receive the education and support they need and deserve in order to break the cycle of poverty for their families, communities, and themselves.

The El Hogar Mercedes de Jesus
orphanage in Anta, Peru, an existing
initiative of the Peruvian Hearts program

Peruvian Hearts’ new female leadership program, Peruvian Promise, will strive to change the way girls are underappreciated in Peru and also unlock the potential for these girls to become leaders. Peruvian Promise will work with 16 adolescent girls using a research-based curriculum, mentorship, and service work to teach them about self-empowerment, self-esteem, physical health and hygiene, mental health, and leadership.

Through funds raised from Eat So They Can’s children’s cause, the GVN Foundation is helping to fund the Promise Program. The goals of this program are to:

Increase educational opportunities for girls in rural Peru
Increase the potential for leadership in girls in rural Peru
Increase girls sense of personal empowerment
Guide girls to set personal short-term and long-term goals
Develop and increase family support

The Promise Program will achieve these goals through providing scholarships that include matriculation fees, uniform fees and school supplies. In addition, mentor meetings will be provided as well as academic tutoring when necessary. The girls will also be supported through a big sister/little sister program.

If you would like to support the Peruvian Promise program, you can choose to support Peruvian Hearts when creating your event. For more info, contact us at info@eatsotheycan.org.

- Luke and the Eat So They Can Team

The Millennium Development Goals and Orphaned and Vulnerable Children

2011-08-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Part Two of our blog post series on our Eat So They Can causes and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. If you’d like to read more about why the MDGs matter to Eat So They Can, please read Lydia’s blog post from last week.

This week, we’re looking at Orphaned and Vulnerable Children. This cause ties in with the following MDGs:

Universal Education – this goals aims to ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger – aims to half the proportion of people whose income is less than a dollar a day and halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger and achieve full and productive employment for all, including women and young people.

Reduce Child Mortality – aims to reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

So why is this cause important? UNICEF says:

“Because reducing poverty starts with children. Helping children reach their full potential is also investing in the very progress of humanity. For it is in the crucial first years that interventions make the biggest difference in a child’s physical, intellectual and emotional development. And investing in children means achieving development goals faster, as children constitute a large percentage of the world’s poor.”

Our Orphaned and Vulnerable Children cause was established as important part of helping to break the cycle of poverty. By assisting such a vulnerable sector of society, we aim to give children the opportunities to allow them to create a brighter future for themselves and their family. This is integral to the Millennium Development Goals as six of the eight goals directly link to improving the wellbeing of the world’s most vulnerable children.

How does Eat So They Can help?

Eat So They Can believes in good education, health and nutrition for children. We support a number of projects around the world such as schools, orphanages and an IDP camp where our assistance directly benefits children.

Every year, we are able to provide orphanages with funds to go towards the general running costs of the centre. Orphanages are not always happy and supportive places for children to be, but we strive to make sure our partner orphanages are able to provide the best environment for the children who live there.

In addition to this, we support a few breakfast and lunch programs in Africa and South America. In Kenya, a porridge program was established in 2010 in an internally displaced persons camp. Every morning, the children of the camp are supplied with a meal of porridge to ensure every child is fed at least one nutritious meal a day. For some, this may be the only meal they receive for the day.

In Peru, the Lamay School in Sacred Heart Valley are able to provide breakfast to all 360 primary school students every day. This is something Eat So They Can is very proud to support as it ensures the children are happily fed and able to enjoy and participate in their education.

We’re also interested in sustainable change for children. In 2010, a goat farm was established at a school in Uganda. This means the school have a new source of income to support themselves from. A higher income means more benefits for the children enrolled there. We hope this will improve the school experience for the kids who attend this school.

How can you help?

If you would like to donate to the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children cause, click here or to learn more about the eight MDGs check this out.

Breakfast time at Lamay School!

- Fiona and ESTC Team

The Millennium Development Goals and Women’s Empowerment

2011-07-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

GVN Foundation has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, so we thought we would do a blog post on each of our Eat So They Can causes and explain how they link up with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that all 192 United Nations member states and 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. It is the most widely accepted guideline we have for measuring impact and monitoring progress.

By aligning our vision and the goals of our partners with the MDGs we can provide context for the work Eat So They Can and our partners are doing and integrate this into the wider goal of finding solutions to some of the problems facing many people worldwide.

This week I am focusing on Women’s Empowerment. This cause ties in with the following MDGs:

Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger- this goal aims to half the proportion of people whose income is less than a dollar a day and halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger and achieve full and productive employment for all, including women and young people

Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women- aims to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and in all levels of education

The basis of this cause is to enable women to have a brighter future for themselves and their families by providing assistance in practical ways. This is something we feel really passionate about because according to UNICEF, women perform 66 percent of the world’s work but only earn 10 percent of the income. Furthermore the UN Capital Development Fund has found that women are more likely than men to spend their profits on household and family needs. Assisting women therefore generates a multiplier effect that has a positive impact on their whole family and community. The funds raised for this cause go towards supporting grassroots community projects that are empowering women through training and education.

An example of one of the projects we are supporting is Huchuy Yachaq in Peru. Huchuy Yachaq is a community center located in the Andes region of Peru, near Cusco. According to the World Health Organisation, 69 percent of women in Cusco have suffered violence; this is a region where poverty continues to undermine health, education and development. The community center aims to improve the lives of everyone living in the community through a library and tutoring service for the kids, and through projects aimed to empower women and reduce domestic violence.

Furthermore, with the funds raised from ESTC in 2010 we funded a jewellery workshop. This workshop will provide training to mothers in the community so that they are then able to produce and sell jewellery. By giving these mothers a new way to earn income, this project will improve their status in their families and it will also allow them to work in a safe environment with their children close by. Providing training for these women will help them assert themselves as community leaders which can be transferred to the rest of the community.

If you would like to donate to the Women’s Empowerment cause click here or to learn more about the eight MDGs check this out.

-Lydia and the ESTC Team

Grant Distribution!

2011-07-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

This week is an exciting one here in the Eat So They Can office, because this week we are sending out grants to many of our partners. This is from the money raised from the 2010 Eat So They Can campaign, and it is great to see it being put to good use! Some of you may have read about some of these grants in our latest newsletter, but we thought we’d give you a full update. Some of the grants include,

A $5,000 grant to Huchuy Yachaq community center in Peru. The funds will be used to fund a jewellery workshop to empower women in the community and give them a new source of income for their families.

A grant of $14,359.50 to Peruvian Hearts to fund the first year of the Peruvian Promise Program. The grant will be used fund scholarships, school uniforms, textbooks, school supplies and experiential retreats for 16 girls. In addition this ESTC grant will fund a breakfast program at Lamay school for 360 students for one year.

A grant of $2,476.56 to Maximo Nivel in Costa Rica. These funds will be used to support a soup kitchen in La Carpio shanty town in San Jose, Costa Rica.

A $2,000 grant to Antardristi, our partner in Nepal, which will go towards operating the residential centres they run for vulnerable children in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Hetauda.

A $2,000 grant to Sunshine House, our partner in Thailand, which will go towards vocational training for women in the area.

A $4,884 grant to FVA, our partner in Rwanda, which will be used to support a chicken project in Mpore Pefa Orphanage.

A $5,000 grant to Grassroots Development Trust, which will fund teacher salaries at Springs of Hope High School in Uganda.

A $5,000 grant to The Real Uganda, to complete a goat project at Johnson Nkosi Memorial School which will support the community, and to set up a piggery at PACE, an orphanage and education centre in the Mukono District.

Once again, we would like to say a huge thank you to anyone who raised funds in 2010. It is only through your fundraising efforts that these grants have been made possible. Thank you so much, and keep up the great work!

- Luke and the ESTC team.

You've signed up to be a host... now what?

2011-07-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

Whether you’re a repeat eater joining us from last year, or a new host for 2011, here’s some tips on how to get started and hold a successful event!

The video below outlines the first few steps you need to take as an ESTC host but read on if you’d like to hear our tried and true tips for holding a fun and successful event.

Sign-up as a host! Done it already? Congratulations! If not, you can do so here.
Spread the word! Blogs, websites, facebook, twitter, email – these are all great ways to spread the word about Eat So They Can. Use your networks and let your friends, family and colleagues know about the great work you are doing in support of Eat So They Can.
Find your inspiration! Visit our past events gallery and get inspired by the previous events hosts have held for Eat So They Can. We’ve even got two events up already for 2011 – thanks to Emma Thompson and Anita Zayghami, two of our ESTC Ambassadors.
Create an event page on our website with all the info about your event. Include a snazzy picture, the important details like date and time and a way for potential guests to get in contact with you. Don’t forget to post this link anywhere and everywhere to max out your guest list.
Get organised. Check out our online resources for organising your event or to spread the word. Our resources include a power point presentation, flyers, invites, posters... the list goes on! Something missing from our resource selection? Let us know by sending us an email!
Keep your eyes on your email inbox – we’ll be emailing you to request a postal address to send your ESTC Party Pack. Your Party Pack will contain some essentials to help you run a fantastic event for 2011 – but it’s only for registered hosts, so make sure you sign-up.
Still stuck? Send us an email – we can help with anything from ideas to sponsors to letter templates.

Stay tuned - we'll be posting more tips and tricks, including ways to top up your donated funds to $500 to enter yourself in the grand prize draw!

- Fiona and the ESTC Team

The Last Installment of Intern Introductions

2011-07-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

This week we are introducing our last intern, Luke Fitzmaurice.

Luke is originally from Taupo which is about 5 hours from Wellington but after moving to Wellington in 2008 for university, he now considers himself a Wellingtonian through and through. In 2010, Luke completed a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at Victoria University and is now working towards his Law degree. Luke is also an avid sports fan and always makes sure he gets caught up in the action. One example includes when he was hit in the leg with a javelin which went right through his leg and came out about 6 inches on the other side, right in front of his shin bone. He is also a man of luck; this all started when he won a bike in a supermarket competition before he could speak. Since then he has had good luck with winning things, although he claims this is never through his own skill. Not only is Luke a fan of action on the sports field, he also follows action around the world- or does it follow him? Every time his family travels overseas there seems to be some minor natural disaster or civil unrest occur nearby. So far the list includes riots in East Timor, a coup in Thailand, a small meteor falling in Peru, and two volcanic eruptions in Iceland and Chile.

How did you end up working here at GVN Foundation?
I volunteered in Ghana for twelve weeks over summer, and wanted to do something more after I got back. I saw the internship advertised a few weeks after I got home and jumped at the chance to be involved.

What drew you to Eat So They Can?
I love the idea that anyone can make a difference, and I think that Eat So They Can encapsulates this really well. I think it’s great that hosts not only make a difference themselves, but get to spread the word by getting their friends and families involved. I also think it’s an innovative way to raise money, especially for those of us who cannot necessarily make large donations themselves, e.g. students.

What do you actually do here at Eat So They Can and what’s your favourite part of the job?
I am campaign development co-ordinator, so I do things like write the newsletter and keep the website up to date. I am also the co-ordinator for all of our African partners. In between doing that I seem to spend my time searching the internet for fun facts and sweet deals on flights. My favourite part of the job would have to be the regular foosball battles with Graham. They are intense. (Luke just came back to the office victorious after beating Graham twice)

What is your ideal way to spend a day?
It would start with a sleep-in and finish with a Wellington Phoenix (football) match at the stadium. In between I probably wouldn’t do much at all. Lazy days are the best.

If you could go anywhere in the world right now where would it be and what would you do?
Probably India, I’m planning to go there over the summer. But if I won the lotto I would probably never stop travelling. Other places on my travel wish-list are Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Ireland, England, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and Argentina.

If you could be any kind of animal what kind would you be?
Probably a penguin, because then I could pretend that Morgan Freeman was narrating my life, just like in March of the Penguins. Actually, any animal whose life Morgan Freeman narrates would be pretty alright.

And lastly what kind of pie would you be... and why?
Steak and Cheese. It’s everything a pie should be – no frills, meaty, and delicious, which are three qualities I admire in both pies and people.

Luke is our Campaign Development Co-ordinator and Africa contact person. If you have any questions relating to these areas, you can contact him here.

-Lydia and the Eat So They Can team

Get To Know The Interns, Part Two - Introducing Fiona

2011-06-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

This week we hoped you could get to know the second of our three interns, Fiona Millar.

Fiona is originally from Sunderland, in the North of England, but moved to New Zealand when she was two years old. She doesn't remember much about Sunderland, but still supports their football team! She grew up in Christchurch, but moved to Wellington for university. Outside of her work with Eat So They Can, Fiona is completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Development Studies at Victoria University.

Fiona as a Sunderland Football Player?

What led you to working at GVNF and ESTC?

I really wanted to gain some experience in a development organisation to see what it was like behind the scenes. I heard about this position through my University and Eliza liked me enough to spend two days a week with me in the office!

What is your favourite part about your job, and what is your favourite part about ESTC itself?

My favourite part of my job is hearing about all the people who are keen to support Eat So They Can and the enormous effort they put into raising funds. It’s really awesome to hear about someone on the other side of the world who has never met you, volunteered or even heard of GVN before, but wants to do something to support Eat So They Can.

The thing that I love most about Eat So They Can is that it is based on making change in a positive and fun way. I love the idea that you can host a meal with friends and family while doing something to help others. It’s really different from anything I’ve ever come across before.

Tell us one hilarious anecdote about yourself.

I once got stuck in some bus doors while it was moving. It doesn’t sound too funny, but it was hilarious to watch (or so I’ve been told).

Fiona stuck in the door of a bus?

Are you as excited about the new transformers movie as I am? If not, why not, and what kind of movies would you prefer?
Yes, I am! Thinking of going tonight actually...

Fiona as a transformer?

And last but not least, if you were a pie what flavour would you be?

My favourite pie to eat is just plain mince... but if I were a pie, I’d rather be something exotic and delicious like Chicken, Mushroom and Leek. Mmm... I think it’s lunch time...

Fiona is our Ambassador Co-ordinator and Asia contact person. If you have any questions relating to these areas, you can contact her here.

- Luke and the Eat So They Can team

Getting to know the ESTC Team - Introducing Lydia

2011-06-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

We thought it's about time you guys got to know our new host mentors in the ESTC office. This week, we're interviewing Lydia Berlad. Lydia was born in the Ukraine, and moved to Wellington when she was five. She speaks Ukrainian, German, French, Russian and English and loves to learn new languages and using those languages when travelling around the world. After spending 3 semesters studying in Germany, Lydia is back in NZ and currently completing a Bachelor of Arts Honours in International Relations. She is also an avid vege gardener!

Lydia hard at work at ESTC.

How did you end up at your desk here in the ESTC office?

Through my studies I became interested in development work and I wanted to see how a non-profit development organization worked. I saw the position advertised on the university website and thought I'd apply. I came in to the office and had a chat to Eliza and Lauren for about an hour, and here I am!

So... what do you actually DO here?

Facebook. Just kidding. As the Media and Communications Coordinator I spend some of my time emailing and connecting people, writing letters and updating social networks. I have also written a few scripts for our Eat So They Can DVD and help make up other resources, like videos and presentations.

Lydia is also our ESTC contact person for our partner organisation in South America.

What drew you to Eat So They Can?
I checked out the website and thought it was really cool. I also thought the name sounded fun and catchy. The name also mentioned my favourite hobby of eating so I thought this was the place for me.

(You can often find Lydia snacking while she works...)

What's the best thing about working for ESTC?

Working with friendly people that take the time to chat in the morning. The Foozball table also provides some fun!

If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?

Mexico. I would love to see my Mexican friends, eat some burritos and drink some tequila while enjoying the rich culture and learning a Spanish word here and there.

If you were a pie, what flavour would you be and why?

A potato-top mince and cheese pie. Because it's everything you could want in a pie... pastry, potato, cheese and mince! So satisfying.

Lydia is our Media and Communications Co-ordinator and our South American contact person. If you have a question relating to these areas, you contact her here.

- Fiona and the ESTC team.

Multiply your impact - Spread the word!

2011-06-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

This year we are aiming to raise $200,000 to support thousands of women and children around the world! So far we have 380 hosts signed up to host an event and our goal is to reach 1,500 sign-ups. As avid blog followers we are calling on you to help us spread the word! Here are some fun ideas for how you can help:

Talk about Eat So They Can wherever you go!

Help us get the word out there by talking to your friends about the campaign, how it works and the causes we raise funds for.

Help us get to 3,000 facebook fans!

Whether we admit it or not, we're probably all just a little bit addicted to facebook. So let's use our addiction for a good cause! Please 'like' our facebook fanpage and then share it with your friends. Last year, facebook referred the most people to our website so it really is worth your time!

Pull out those public speaking skills!

Why not get some public speaking practice before your event and organize a presentation at your local school, community group, church or university club. I recommend that you make use of our great and easy to follow powerpoint and 'cheat sheet'. You can click here to view the powerpoint and our other online resources.

The great thing about the ESTC campaign is that it's all about collective support where people catch onto our passion and get involved, wherever they may be in the world. Every individual counts and we need your help to spread the word and to spread the passion :)

Thank you and have a great weekend,

- Lydia and the ESTC team

A Special Appeal from CERV in The Philippines

2011-06-10T04:55:00.000-07:00

Raymund from
CERV Philippines

The Centre for Volunteerism (CERV) is Eat So They Can's partner organisation in the Philippines. CERV have been working for many years with vulnerable Filipino youth, but are currently facing severe financial difficulties.

Based in Quezon City, CERV works primarily in two areas; Metro Manila, and Romblon, one of the Philippines' poorest provinces. The organisation was founded and is run by Raymund Villanueva, his wife Pom, and his sister-in-law Eden. Over the years they have completed several successful community development projects, using a combination of free labour from volunteers, and funding from overseas.

CERV's most recent project is the building of a community library for children from San Agustin. A community of 50,000, San Agustin currently does not have a library, which significantly restricts the literacy level of children in the area. CERV hope that the library project will change this, and begin to address a crucial issue in the area.

CERV estimates that they will be able to complete the project once $10,000 is raised, which is where you may be able to help.

By donating to the CERV library development project, you will be helping to build a learning facility for Filipino children who are in desperate need of one. You can find out more about CERV and the project by clicking here. You can donate directly, or host an Eat So They Can event for CERV so that your friends and family can contribute as well.

- Luke

Thanks for an Incredible Year!

2011-05-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

My last post for the Eat So They Can blog-where has the time gone? The last year and a half working in New Zealand has been exciting, challenging, and full of incredible memories. I can still recall one of my first tasks; attempting to print out labels to mail to all our ESTC hosts and failing miserably (huge blow to my ego-failing LABELS) to being the star of the bloopers section in the 2010 video and everything in between, I have loved being a part of the campaign and getting to know so many of our hosts and especially the Ambassadors! I feel very fortunate that my job included coming to work every day and learning about all the creative and fun dinner parties, brunches, date nights and more that people decided would support our partners through the ESTC campaign.

With family at my first ESTC event in Michigan before moving to New Zealand

At our Wellington ESTC event as host-mentors

I also feel so grateful that as a host-mentor, I had the privilege to represent and advocate for our amazing partners around the world. GVN Foundation supports partners in South America, Asia, and Africa and I truly believe in what we are working towards; providing sustainable solutions where possible and addressing immediate needs when necessary. It was so gratifying to watch the campaign grow and our hosts, with it! I still can't believe we've had events on all 7 continents, our first official "Eat So They Can" concert, our first year of International Ambassadors and so much more. Personally, I was so proud of my parents who, without me even being around, had their own party in Michigan, USA and raised over $4,000!

While I will still be involved with GVN and GVN Foundation, mainly through the Be The Change program, I will not be based in our wonderful New Zealand office and with that, saying goodbye to coworkers and friends I will never forget and a little less important, the beautiful opportunities and lifestyle New Zealand gave me. Beaches and mountains, cities and remote areas all within a 10 minute car ride? Paradise!

Team ESTC 2010: Lauren, Caitie, Eliza and Courtney!

Thank you for being a part of my amazing experience and your generous support whether it be by hosting or attending an event, donating, or just staying informed through our newsletter or blog, I appreciate it! :)

Caitie Goddard
Former Eat So They Can Host-Mentor
Forever ESTC Supporter :)

One of my favorite memories was making this video and Eliza's dramatic yet very true response to, "have you heard about Eat So They Can?" Watch it here

ESTC Distribution Team heads to Deepest, Darkest Peru!

2011-05-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

It's just a few months to go until our distribution team, including ESTC Grants Coordinator, Eliza Raymond, heads to deepest, darkest Peru! OK, maybe not deepest, darkest Peru - that's where Paddington Bear is from! (For those wondering, Paddington's Peruvian name is Pastuso). The team are actually heading to Cusco and the surrounding areas to distribute funds from last year's Eat So They Can campaign.

In between workshops and visits to the sights of Cusco, the distribution team will be visiting orphanages and schools in the Sacred Valley. At these projects, Eat So They Can helps support a program to reduce malnutrition amongst the students.

Also on the itinerary is a visit to a community center near Cusco. Here, funds raised from the Women's Empowerment cause are used to provide training workshops for women in textiles and jewellery-making. This program is just one example of the types of projects the distribution team will be implementing on their August trip. The goal of this program is to help improve the social status of women, breaking the cycle of poverty and exclusion of women.
The program is open to women of the Hermanos Ayar community who are unable to get employment and who are mothers of children under 12 who attend the childcare programs at Huchuy Yachaq. There are three main aspects to the workshops the community center runs. These are focused around:

1. Practical workshops
- Silver jewellery making
- Creativity and design
- Social skills for life e.g. self-esteem, leadership, decision-making, prevention of violence.

2. Commercial workshops
- How to sell your products
- Fair trade
- How to access information about prices and fashions

3. Financial workshops
- How to work in a team or ‘association’
- How to save money

The program hopes to empower women by creating opportunities for income-generation, self-sufficiency and prevention of violence. Such a great project, and we're all looking forward to hearing the feedback after the trip!

If you would like to donate to the Huchuy Yachaq community center near Cusco, you can do so here. If you're interested in going on one of distribution trips, have a look at the ESTC Distribution Trip website.

- Fiona and the ESTC Team

Goats in Uganda!

2011-05-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hi ESTC supporters!

We've been busy distributing the funds raised through ESTC last year. Just thought I'd take a minute to write about one really exciting way the funds are being distributed in Uganda through our partner The Real Uganda.

The Real Uganda was established in 2004 by a former GVN volunteer, Leslie Weighill. The Real Uganda is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation which has partnered with GVN to provide ongoing skills and funding for local NGOs and schools.

The Real Uganda has received funding from Eat So They Can since 2008. With the funds raised last year, The Real Uganda provided funds to its partner project in Mpoma to start a goat project and help the Johnson Nkosi Memorial School become self sustainable.

The project already had the land, did the research and just needed initial funds to build a corral, purchase and vaccinate 400 goats and hire a goat keeper. The project will directly support 150 children orphaned by AIDS who attend the school.

Goats are a great resource as they are easy to take care of, they reproduce twice a year and their meat is in high demand in the area so gets a good price.

In the coming years this project will grow and provide increasing funds for the school, helping them become self sustainable. Once the project is up and running the school can also provide training to others wanting to start a similar project.

We're so pleased to be able to support The Real Uganda and Johnson Nkosi Memorial School through Eat So They Can! Thank you to all our supporters for making this possible!

- Lydia Berlad and the ESTC Team

Distribution Trip!

2011-05-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hello ESTC Team,

The first Eat So They Can distribution trip for 2011 returned from Kenya last month. Here are some reflections from the leader of the trip, Simon Hart.

Reflections on the Distribution Trip 2011

What an amazing week it was! Working and bonding with a group of global strangers, with a shared passion for ‘giving’ was a great experience, and I have had plenty of chance to sort through the photos, talk to our project directors and generally reflect on what we experienced and enjoyed in Kenya.

One of the highlights was undoubtedly the visit to the Happy Life Orphanage, where we were able to distribute the baby milk formula to keep those little mouths satisfied for a few months! Alongside this, the funds went towards an operation for one of the orphans, and the participants formed such a bond with the children that it crossed my mind to check Zoe’s bag when leaving, just in case she decided she wasn’t ready to say goodbye!

Visiting the IDP camps was particularly rewarding for the participants, providing a real eye-opener into how much impact the Eat So They Can funds have on communities. The construction of 6 houses for those displaced by the election violence provided a wonderful opportunity for the participants to show their friends and families back home, who so kindly donated, exactly what their money could do – seeing the end product is always more rewarding!

During the trip, the participants saw the full range of children homes, from the relatively comfortable, privately run orphanages to the most under-funded government shelters. Significantly, the underling need behind each placement this year was food security, with government relief being redirected away from Nairobi to assist with the droughts. For me, this really highlighted the vulnerability of the Kenyan people and the children in the placements, how valuable campaigns like Eat So They Can are, and how we very much need your continued support in the future.

Whilst seeing lions at Lake Nakuru and adopting the baby rhino at the animal orphanage were fantastic experiences, I am confident distributing the porridge at the IDP camps, seeing how grateful the orphanage staff were when receiving their new fridge, bed sheets or food, and generally playing with the children at Shelter orphanage will live longer in the memories of the participants

Thanks for a great experience everyone!

Thanks Simon, and thanks again to everyone who went on the trip!

Don't forget that you can join our next distribution trip as well! Our next distribution trip is to Peru in August, and you can find more details here.

- Luke and the ESTC Team

New Additions to the ESTC Team

2011-05-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

This week is the first week for the new ESTC interns in the GVN office. Luke, Lydia and myself (Fiona) are very excited to be helping the ESTC team for 2011.

Luke Fitzmaurice

After volunteering in Ghana, Luke developed an interest in Africa and so Luke will be looking after our African partners for 2011. Luke will also be the man behind the online resources on the ESTC website and our newsletter. Contact Luke if you have something you would like to be included in our newsletter.

Lydia Berlad

Lydia has the exciting and creative job of producing our ESTC DVD for this year with Ray (our resident expert) – which we are all looking forward to seeing! She will also be organising the annual GVN event and promoting the ESTC cause online. Lydia will be coordinating with our South American partners for 2011.

Fiona Millar

Asia is a region I have always found interesting and I am now studying at university – so it makes sense for me to be the contact person for our Asian partner organisations. I am the contact person if you are interested in becoming an ESTC Ambassador this year, so please email me for more details if this sounds like you.

You can read more about each of us here.
If you have any questions or anything you would like to share from your 2010 ESTC events, please drop us a line! We would all love to hear from you.

Watch this space!! Keep your eyes on our website, blog, twitter and facebook for updates from the new ESTC interns about the Eat So They Can campaign for 2011.

- Fiona Millar

Au Revoir Julie!

2011-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been with us over the years, we have gone through quite a process modernizing our campaign and certainly our website to make it easier and more interesting to find out more about what we do. Last year "updating" was replaced with creating a completely new website to provide more functionality. Hosts could create their own page and see how much they raised by checking out their personal thermometer! This year Julie has helped us add the ability to keep an ESTC account and host multiple parties (for you ambitious ones out there!) or see how much you've raised over the years. I don't think I fully appreciated the effort of this endeavor until I saw Julie get to work. With enough coding that I swore I was looking at someone who fell asleep with their head on the keyboard, Julie maneuvered around the (unknown to me) secrets of web design and made our site the work of art it is today.

Julie with the ESTC host mentors on her last day

This was a BIG job and she did amazing! As a web designer you don't get the public credit other positions may receive and it's usually a good thing when their work goes unnoticed! Julie is also someone very involved in current events and passionate about making a difference. It was great to have her opinions and a different viewpoint while working on our campaign. I will speak for myself and say she certainly made me think and challenged the way we do things, which is great! Julie is heading off to Australia and then perhaps back to her home country of France and we wanted to say THANK YOU Julie for all your work! We will miss you!

Julie's friend made this for her goodbye-you can tell she's loved!

Caitie Goddard and ESTC Team :)

Distribution Trip pre-arrangements!

2011-04-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

Well it is almost here... several months of planning and we are almost ready for the Distribution Trip 2011. I have spent the last week helping our partner organisation VICDA purchase everything for the trip, which has included stops to timber yards in Nakuru, grain warehouses in Nairobi, and grilling my Father on fridge manufacturers... You know, the usual things you expect to do when in Kenya!

We went to Nakuru for 2 days, visiting the IDP camps to ensure we get the right materials for the new homes we are building there, and today the team are off to down-town Nairobi to collect the remaining bits and pieces.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the participants when they arrive this weekend, and putting it all together!

Karibu Kenya!

Simon Hart

Pre-Kenya DistributionTrip Preparations, by Tina Houchin!

2011-04-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well, the time is almost here. In a few short months, I have made my travel arrangements AND hosted (with the help of my wonderful friend and cook, Kristy), a Kenyan Safari party with a few friends and family members who amazed me with their generosity of over $600. Now, the procrastinator in me wonders what I forgot to do, purchase, pack... or pay (?) as reality sets in.

I will set off in less than 3 days to Kenya, Africa with Global Volunteer Network on the 2011 Eat So They Can Distribution Trip. On behalf of the beautiful children and families I will meet, a huge "Thank you" goes out to everyone who hosted, attended or donated to the many ESTC dinner parties held around the world and made this all possible.

I will do my best, when the opportunity arises, to update everyone on our progress.

Thanks again and keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers!

-Tina

Image: ESTC Hostess, Tina Houchin, and Kristy McClain, Event Planner, are "drumming up" donations at their Kenyan Safari Night Out.

April Already? ESTC goes to Kenya!

2011-03-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

It is really April? 2011 is FLYING by and we have been pretty busy in the office sending the love to all of our hosts around the world who made 2010 such a success! On April 10th, our favorite Africa coordinator Simon Hart will lead 8 others on the 4th annual Kenya Distribution Trip where trip members will be able to see first-hand the impact ESTC funds can make. This year also marks our first distribution trip to Peru and ESTC host-mentor Eliza Raymond will lead the team in and around Cusco and Urubamba where participants will be able to meet the kids and women supported by ESTC funds. Joining the team in Peru is 2010 Grand Prize winner Amanda Golden and the co-host for her event, Gaby Marden!

This is an opportunity for hosts who want to get involved first-hand and also includes the chance to find out more about the challenges faced/lessons learned from our own organization throughout distribution efforts.

The 2010 Eat So They Can Distribution Team!

To date, Eat So They Can has raised nearly $450,000 to disadvantaged women and children around the world and we hope with your help, we can continue to make a measurable difference to provide resources and hope in areas who lack both!

Happy New Year (Chinese Style!)

2011-02-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

So you celebrated the New Year over a month ago and think I'm a bit late for the "Happy New Year" greeting? I'm talking about the Chinese New Year which began February 3rd! 2011 is the year of the rabbit and falls between the year of the Tiger (2010) and the year of the Dragon (2012). According to the Chinese beliefs surrounding the year, the rabbit marks tranquility and calm and those born under the year of the rabbit are said to be kind, gentle, wise, considerate and fashionable. I have a feeling these traits sound much more desirable than what I might find should I look up my sign, the pig (sigh).

Vincie and friends sharing a delicious ESTC meal

One of our fantastic Eat So They Can hosts decided to center her event around the Chinese New Year while celebrating in Hong Kong! Here is what Vincie had to say about her event:

"As we stuff ourselves with chinese delicacies during this festive season, spare a thought for those who die of hunger in many parts of the world. There'll be a big family feast kindly prepared by my mother, on February 4th, the Second Day of the year, at my parents' domicile, to which all our close family friends are invited. A little donation to support meaningful social causes does not only show your compassion to those who are in need, but also gratitude to the countless mothers like my mom who, night and day throughout the years, sweat their brows to cook for us and never complain.

Hong Kong treats!

I know many of you will be celebrating the new year with your own families, I wish you a wonderful time and lots of laughters to kick the year off with. Those who are married can consider giving a red packet to feed the children in Africa or Haiti, as you would give to your own kids. Those who are single, why not contribute a fraction of the red packet money that you get to help send kids to school in impoverished countries. Think about it - if it wasn't the tradition of the chinese new year, we wouldn't receive this extra pocket money anyway! So let's be generous and forget about your next ipad or your next resort trip for the moment! Let us EAT and enjoy our chinese feast, SO that THEY CAN eat as well!"

Vincie thank you so much for sharing your story and hosting an event!

Caitie Goddard and the Eat So They Can Team

Cocktails for a Cause in Shanghai, China

2011-02-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

There were so many amazing Eat So They Can events around the world and it would have been wonderfully devastating to a waistline to be at all of them but if I personally HAD to choose one to go to (no offense to our own ESTC event!) I would probably have chosen this one by Eat So They Can Ambassador Shelley Bragg.

Shelley is South African but currently lives in Shanghai, China. To describe her as motivated would be like describing Bill Gates as "having some money," a massive understatement. Shelley works with an incredible group of young South African gumboot dancers in Soweto from the Kliptown Youth Program. These boys can make a symphony out of rubber soles and a few claps thrown in for good measure.

Gumboot dancing, it's the next Zumba!

Shelley made it her priority to get these talented kids all the way from South Africa to Shanghai to perform at her dinner. Receiving sponsorship for their flights from major corporations including Coca-Cola, they were the stars of her Cocktails for a Cause dinner! It was an incredible night of live music, live auctions, "dinner date" auctions, raffle draws, lucky draws, and guest speakers. The highlight for everyone was of course the Gumboot dancing performance from the Kliptown Youth Program. They definitely made an impression as Shelley was able to raise over $9,000(USD)!

Kliptown Youth is a South African partner of Eat So They Can and funds raised from this amazing event will be used to provide scholarships and books for 4 students from Kliptown in Soweto township, South Africa to attend University. It's such a wonderful feeling to know that these ambitious, smart and wonderful children can look forward towards a future filled with opportunity. Thank you Shelley and supporters for your wonderful efforts and donations!

To find out more about "The Gumboot Movement" or to just tell Shelley how awesome she is, please visit/follow http://thegumbootmovement.tumblr.com/.

Caitie Goddard
GVN Foundation
Programs Development Coordinator

Dinner and a Movie in Texas, Eat So They Can Style!

2011-01-31T15:07:00.000-08:00

Eat So They Can host Melinda Wulf decided to join the campaign and chose Emergency Relief as her cause. After reading about Melissa's event, I am inspired to do something like this myself!

Dinner and a Movie with friends? Perfect!

"I held a dinner and a movie at the Lion & Rose which is a British Pub and restaurant in San Antonio. We had a private room and they printed menus just for the event. The ticket price covered dinner, a drink, and mini desserts as well as the movie, 'Sleepless in Seattle.' It was a girls night out and although small was successful. I even had a friend in DC email me asking for info on the organization from the pictures I put up on Facebook.

I wanted to say thank you for providing an opportunity like this. This was my first fundraiser. I love to volunteer and think it's important to give back but I have always been hesitant about fundraising because I don't like asking people for money. This was a wonderful chance to not only get my feet wet but also put together an event where I was providing something in return for the money people were donating." - Melinda.

Thank you Melissa for sharing about your event!

Caitie Goddard and the Eat So They Can Team

A Cocktail Party for Peruvian Hearts!

2011-01-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Pisco Sour mix, a Peruvian favorite!

We have had so many amazing and creative events for the 2010 ESTC campaign that I feel it's only fitting to share some on the blog. Daniela Cabrerizo from Lima, Peru wanted to raise funds for our partner in her country, Peruvian Hearts. They decided instead of a traditional dinner, they would have a cocktail party-so cool! She managed to raise an incredible $870.00 while having a blast and making some of the famous pisco sours for all guests to enjoy! Here is what Daniela says about her event:

"The event went great!! We did a kind of a cocktail party instead of a dinner. We got a lot of support from two of my friends. One that does catering (Capuli Gourmet), so she provided the snacks and the other that has a new product that is a mix for pisco sours (Wasska), so he provided some of the drinks and I put some wine. We also got a good location (one of my friend's parents house) and everybody was excited about participating. I put the introduction of the video, so everybody understands the reason for the event. I think everybody had a great time because the party lasted until 3am... it was fun. It has been great doing it and I am sure more people will jump into the challenge next year."

Daniela and friends enjoying some cocktails

Thank you Daniela and I think the pisco sours idea might make it's way to our own Eat So They Can staff event next year, yum!

Caitie Goddard and the Eat So They Can Team

Congratulations Amanda- Our ESTC 2010 Grand Prize Winner!

2011-01-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Amanda!

We are excited to announce that Amanda Golden from New York City, New York is our 2010 Eat So They Can Grand Prize Winner. Amanda will attend the distribution trip in Peru this year and have the opportunity to learn more about how GVN Foundation works and where the funds from Eat So They Can go! We called Amanda to tell her the good news and recorded her reaction; check out our website to hear the call!

We asked Amanda to tell us a little bit more about her event and experience with Eat So They Can and here is what she had to say:

"We found out about ESTC from two people who were on our (Kenya) trip. A lovely couple, Peter and Meryl Gamgee, who lived in the same house as we did until they left to go to work in Pipeline in Kenya. It sounded like such a great idea and made so much sense.

This was the second ESTC event that I held. Gaby Marden and I hosted the event together. We both traveled to Kenya in the summer of 2009 and had an unbelievable experience there. Planning the dinner party was so much fun. We had a great time shopping and cooking for the 40 people who came to our event. We are very fortunate to have wonderful family and friends who contributed to our event.

I couldn't believe when I got your phone call. I have never won anything and am so excited to be able to distribute the supplies and see the process come full circle. I can't wait to learn more about the details of the trip. And wish that Gaby can come with me on another GVN adventure!"


2010 Distribution Team and local children

GVN and Eat So They Can have currently announced two distribution trips; the Kenya distribution trip will take place April 10-17 and the Peruvian distribution trip will be August 7-14. These trips are designed to be educational and as Amanda states, "participate in the process full circle."

If you think you might be interested in participating, please visit the GVN website to find out the details and sign-up!

Caitie Goddard and the whole Eat So They Can team

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

The Eat So They Can team wants to wish everyone happy holidays! We hope you have some time to relax, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy the season. See you in 2011!

Full Stomachs = A 'Full'filling Education!

2010-12-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

While in full campaign mode in the office and tossing around large statistics and facts, we don't always share with you the personal and very real results donations can make to communities around the world. AfricAid, our partner in Tanzania, has taken on the challenge of feeding and educating primary students in Losinoni, a rural Maasai village. Until recently, AfricAid was able to provide lunch for all the students 5 days a week. This meal consisted of a simple porridge and ground nut (peanut) lunch. For most, this may not sound like the burgers, pizza and soup in a breadbowl days you remember but for these students, it was all they might receive for the entire day. Many of these children walked miles to school and hadn't eaten a breakfast. Imagine as a child, walking to school not having eaten and then spending the rest of your day feeling hungry. How much do you think you would accomplish? I'm a grown adult and as we speak, I'm munching on some dry cereal to help me make it to lunchtime!

However, with funds from the GVN Foundation and Eat So They Can, AfricAid is now able to provide makande (corn and beans) twice weekly which is much more nutritional than the porridge and ground nut meal. I'd love to share with you what's happening at the Losinoni Primary School and how YOU, as a supportor of Eat So They Can, have made a world of difference!

Better food = better students!

The following is an excerpt from a recent letter written by Mr. Ezekiel, Head of School, about the overall achievements of the school lunch program, as well as the much needed change in providing students with a makande lunch:

"The financial support from AfricAid has really made a difference to the lives of children in this primary school as mentioned:

-Increased attendance in school. Most of the pupils including truants are attracted by school lunch. The food is now more nutritious after starting to provide cooked maize mixed with beans. (It is known as makande.) The pupils are very active and participate fully in classroom sessions because they are well fed. These achievements have resulted to successful standard seven examination results. The number of pupils selected for Secondary school increased from 13 in 2004 to 64 in 2009. Only one pupil was not selected in
a class of 65 pupils.

-Children benefitted: The Losinoni Primary School serves over 750 children who attend school 195 days (or 39 weeks) per year. Therefore, the school lunch program supported by AfricAid serves over 146,250 lunches each year. This grant provided AfricAid the opportunity to expand the school lunch program to include a more nutritious meal two days of each week which resulted in 58,500 makande lunches being served in 2010."

Losinoni School lunch line

When the program began in Losinoni, only 13 of the 65 students passed their examinations and went on to secondary school. Since that time, school attendance has increased by 30% and just last year 64 out of 65 of the school's seventh-year students passed their national examinations and went on to secondary school. This type of success rate is unheard of in most primary schools in Tanzania, especially those in poor, rural areas like Losinoni.

Your contributions have supported AfricAid and their goal to help every child achieve a secondary education. Education is not always just about books and pencils just like nourishment is not always about food; it encompasses many factors including the nutrition to enable concentration and energy to get through the long school days.

Have a wonderful holiday season :)

Caitie Goddard and the ESTC Team

Guest Blogger - Lynette Cochrane

2010-11-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

Hi there,

My name is Lynette and I just wanted to share my experience of being a host of an Eat So They Can event. I heard about this campaign of raising awareness and funds via Eliza and Caitie who came to Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand and gave us a great presentation on GVN Foundation and their current fund raising drive.

I really liked the idea of hosting a dinner that was to raise funds for projects and this initiative felt like it had a very positive feeling to it. It is not about highlighting the ‘lack of’ but to celebrate the potential and the possibility of change, empowering people and making a difference. We can all do something to help our fellow men and women and we can do it with others e.g. by getting together and discussing issues that affect many people over dinner or a morning tea. It can be difficult for people to get involved if they think they have to make a sacrifice (even a meal) but with the emphasis of sharing a meal with others, you are encouraging communication and closer connections between people.

I became the unofficial organiser and then official host of my development class dinner and it was decided with assignments due we would hold our dinner the evening of the 23rd October. It was wonderful to be able to combine ESTC with a get together of my class mates, as for us it was end of classes and nearly the end of our course work. We had ten people attend our pot luck dinner and I must say for some hard up students, we had a banquet. Home made dishes, vegetarian and meat main courses and wonderful tasty and fantastic looking desserts. I had some ESTC resources on the table and they were a great talking point and made a change from discussing our university assignments!

We all gave what cash donations we could afford and with donations from my Mum and Dad in Nelson and my Osteopath in Wellington, we raised a grand total of $119.40. I am so grateful to everyone who attended the wonderful evening and of course to those who donated funds to ESTC. It is a testament to the generous nature of people, that even those living on small incomes and with little disposable cash can raise funds and help make a difference. Every donation large or small is appreciated and will assist in the continuation of these important projects. Our donation will be going towards Women’s Empowerment projects and I am sure the money will be well used.

It was great to be a host of ESTC and now to be interning at GVN Foundation with part of my job to process the donations that have come in from the events. It has been great to be part of the bigger picture and to be involved in the positive global movement of ESTC.

Cheers from Lynette

Eat So They Can Grows Up!

2010-11-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

We asked and you overwhelmingly responded! With events occurring on all 7 continents, Eat So They Can is growing up! It's just the 4th year of our biggest fundraiser and we are amazed at the committment and passion of our hosts to leave the world a better place than when they came into it. I feel so lucky to have a job where I walk into work every single day and hear stories from all around the world of others making a difference in their families, schools, and communities. In fact, it's a bit unfair; you do the hard work and we get to smile and feel good about the world!

With that in mind, we are trying to do our best to help you remain inspired, encouraged and dedicated. We have created an online event gallery to showcase everything from a bloody mary brunch in Antarctica to a paella competition in the U.S!

We brag about our hosts all the time and because (as Eliza so emphatically mentions in this short video) Eat So They Can "Is.Our.Life," we are so amazed that people who have school, career, families, coffee dates, soccer games (or football), etc. have been so willing to go above and beyond to spread awareness, raise funds, and support Eat So They Can! Below is an email we received from one of our Australian ambassadors, Zoe Zapparoli. It's pretty easy to tell why we love our jobs when you read this!

Zoe and Alicia Auctioning off
gorgeous Kenyan art!

"Yesterday went so so well - loved every moment of it. We had a great crowd there - 62 by the end of it. We had a local band (a guy I use to go to school with and his sister) playing live music for the afternoon which created a great atmosphere.

Lunch was YUMMMMY:
Insalata capprese with chilled prawns, foccacia shards and olive tapenade
Crispy skin salmon with waldorf salad & verjuice aioli.
Vanilla pannacotta with a strawberry sorbet
Wine was paired to each of the courses and donated by a company called Red + White (all 48 bottles of it.... :) !!).

We had a small Auction and made something like 2500!! We had 3 sets of paintings that the from the kids at the pipe line community [Kenya IDP camp] painted, a musical package from Silam Craft Link, a jar of biltong that my partner made, a dinner for two at the restaurant that hosted the event (A touch of Salt), Jewellery made by local women in Kenya and $2000 worth of radio advertising (this was a last minute item - the sales manager from the radio was there, loved the day and threw it in right at the end). We made $700 off just that alone.

Zoe, Alicia and a friend Eat So
They Can!

We've been on the radio promoting the event and have just recorded a post event speel that will play over the coming days. We had some first year journalists from James Cook University there too - they are doing up a big write up and distributing that through the uni and they've written an article to be published in the Townsville Bulletin tomorrow. We raised $6948 for the afternoon after costs which was pretty cool considering I didn't think I was going to be able to pull it together at the start of the week :).

More importantly this year than just raising money we are creating heaps of awareness in the community. Through the initial connections I had I have been able to build relationships with organisations that will back us in a campaign that will be bigger and better again next year.

Feedback is that they love the cause. They love how simple it is and how easy it is to get involved. They love Alicia's story and together we are a great team! Alicia's been super busy organising host dinners. A friend of hers in Cairns had a dinner and raised $800 the other weekend, her mum raised $500 and her partners sister raised another $300.... COOL HEY!! Between these host dinners, the sunday lunch and the money we raised in the lead up to the event I can proudly say that we have cracked the $10,000 mark.Can't wait to be apart of the distribution trip next year.

Your team is an inspiration to us. You've created this global movement and I think I can speak for Alicia as well on this one when I say that I am so incredibly happy to be apart of it. I think Eat So They Can will be a part of me for many years to come. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to give to a greater cause :)"
-Zoe Zapparoli, ESTC Ambassador

Caitie Goddard and the Eat So They Can Team

Eat So They Can In the Bush?!

2010-10-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

It's almost here! The official Eat So They Can weekend is just around the corner and we have been doing our best to make sure you feel as excited as we do about your events! As you may have seen in our Eat So They Street Team video, Eat So They Can is our life! However, our (almost 1,200!) hosts have jobs, families, school, bookclubs, gym workouts, wine tastings, you get the idea...LIVES to live and so we are so grateful that you have taken time out of your busy schedules to join the movement and 'Eat So They Can.' In fact, some of our hosts have even extended an invitation to Eliza and I to join their event! Trust us, if we could, we would be all over the world joining events in Singapore, Antarctica, South Korea, Melbourne, Paris, Michigan (hi mom!) and many more. Since we can't do that, I thought it'd be great to share some stories from around the world and if YOU are in the area, don't miss out!

Rattlesnake Arches Canyon

Rob Jacobs is a host from the lovely state of Colorado, USA and he has put a twist on his event; in order to 'eat so they can,' guests will first put in some work. Before enjoying a delicious potluck meal that Rob believes, "offers you a golden opportunity to try out that new recipe on a bunch of unsuspecting guinea pigs," everyone is invited on a four-hour hike through Rattlesnake Arches Canyon.

Rob's invitation states the purpose of Eat So They Can perfectly: "We are all blessed with good health, great jobs, and opportunities to which so few around the world have access. Please join us on October 30, have lots of fun, and share your good fortune."

ESTC Host Elena Paschinger

Elena Paschinger, a host from Austria has decided to incorporate her Eat So They Can event with her housewarming party and birthday to really celebrate! "There'll be paella from Spain, quiches from France, scones from New Zealand, and of course lots and lots of good wine from our own country here in Austria! (plus the odd box of chocolate to calm down the neighbours nextdoor.)" This is Elena's 2nd year hosting and event and we love how not only does she hope to raise funds to support women's empowerment, the cause she's selected, she wants to educate herself and her guests. As Elena states, "despite giving us a real treat, we certainly hope to raise awareness among our friends and family to become inspired and informed about your goals, and perhaps organise their own dinner parties next year, too. We will continue to support you again. Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing you all one day."

Thank you so much Elena and Rob for sharing your events with us and we hope you have a great time! Your efforts will truly make a difference in the lives of the people we support!

Caitie Goddard

Eat So They Can Host Mentor

Ambassador Kayla Clausen; "You CAN make a difference!"

2010-10-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Kayla Clausen is one of our ambassadors from the United States working extremely hard to spread the word and make a difference. We are so grateful to have her represent us this year! Kayla has done an outstanding job getting her community involved and we asked her to blog about some of her events and talk a bit about what she is doing. If you feel a bit sluggish after reading about Kayla don't worry, we did too!

In July, 2008 I traveled to Vietnam with GVN and had the experience of my life. While having an amazing experience with the children, volunteers, and staff I learned first-hand that people can make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small. When I returned to the U.S. I wanted to continue having that impact. Eat So They Can gives me that opportunity- and all from the comfort of my home!

This will be my third year as an Eat So They Can host and my first year as an ambassador. In August I will begin my master’s degree in Global Leadership and I just accepted a job with my local chapter of The American Red Cross. I have to admit, the toughest part of being an ambassador is finding the time to get everything done, but for anyone who feels that they are ‘too busy’ to host an event- you’re selling yourself short! I have found that if you are willing to put in even just a little bit of time it really goes a LONG way! There are so many people you will encounter who support not only the cause but also your dedication. You will be amazed to see how much support you get if you are willing to get involved. And really, that’s what this event is all about- inspiring others to play a part in a global movement.

I currently live in Kentucky but I am originally from California. You may think that it is impossible to set up events in other parts of the world, but let me tell you it CAN be done. Utilize your connections- no matter where they are! Many of you might think that this is something that is too big to take on alone- it is! You need support. I am not going at this alone and neither should you. I am working to get family members, friends, businesses, restaurants, students and more involved. The more involvement the better. Just remember that no one expects you to do it all. So just how do I plan to raise $20,000? With the help of countless others!

For those of you who are needing a little inspiration, here are some events that I have set up:

I am working with a student organization I was a member of in college, Omega Phi Alpha. Every member of the group will be helping with the cause. Together we are hosting meals in the community with other groups on campus, inviting other student groups and Omega Phi Alpha chapters to host their own events, utilizing fundraising sales by selling see’s candy bars and candles, setting up proceed nights at local restaurants, and working with the residence halls on campus. I am also working closely with family and friends back home in CA. One family member is creating and selling a benefit calendar. Another is hosting a poker tournament. Another is hosting a pancake breakfast.

As you can see- the possibilities are endless! All it takes is a little creativity and a lot of dedication and your efforts can turn into something amazing! I’m not saying it’s going to be easy- there are times when I am overwhelmed and frustrated- but what I AM saying is that in the end it will be WELL worth your time! So when nothing seems to be going right, just think of all those women and children that you are going to have a direct impact on and remind yourself to “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

United Nations General Assembly

2010-09-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Obama Addressing the General Assembly

Whatever your politics are you have to give President Obama credit for being a charismatic and engaging speaker. I was fortunate to see him speak yesterday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

Walking to the UN yesterday morning was eerie. I’m now used to the honking, screaming, bustling, frenetic, yet somehow organized, streets of New York- it was peculiar to see only media vans and police cruisers on the street, and everywhere else UN dignitaries, staffers, and secret service.

The UN General Assembly Hall was packed and after navigating a mob scene to get into the actual General Assembly hall (people were frantic to get a glimpse of President Obama) I took my seat, put on my translator and sat back to take it all in. I’ve been in the UN before, but this time there was a kind of breathless electricity in the air- everyone was waiting for Obama to speak. First we heard from the President of Peru Alan Garcia who did a good job, I thought, of giving us concrete results of Peru’s work towards the Millennium Development Goal’s. Since 2001 over 3.5 million people in his country have moved out of poverty, by 2021 Peru hopes that less than 10% of their population will still live in poverty. Based on President Garcia's statistics, it certainly seems that Peru will meet their MDG goals.

The Chairman of Bosnia, the Prime Minister of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar and the Prime Minister of Micronesia Manny Mori were less compelling and, based on my interpretation of their speeches, unconvinced that the MDG’s were achievable for their countries. The Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Rasmussen focused on women’s rights as the key to the achievement of the MDG’s while the Deputy Prime Minister of the UK Nick Clegg sternly reprimanded those developed countries who have not kept their promise to financially support the MDG’s- a reprimand that was no doubt aimed at an American audience.

Directly after the UK Deputy Prime Minister's speech, Obama strode onto the stage, amid raucous applause, shook the UN Secretariat General Ban Ki Moon’s Hand and began a 30 minute speech entirely from memory. Obama’s speech was filled with ‘classic American rhetoric’ (as one critic I just read put it) but this American was eating it up. He talked about the need to stop creating dependency through development and to start actually creating development through the promotion of entrepreneurship, economic prosperity and reducing corruption. Although these are the typical American lines when it comes to dealing with poverty, what heartened me, and made Obama’s words take on a new vibrancy, was the fact his administration is now launching a new US Global Development Policy. This is the first of its kind! With this policy it is my sincere hope that Obama has started walking the walk- instead of talking the talk like many of his predecessors.

Now am I sceptical about exactly what this means? Yes. Do I think that broad political statements get lost in the bureaucracy and the political power games of Washington? Sure do.

So why am I so darn excited?

The more the world’s leaders take active steps towards ending poverty:

The UN at Dusk After the General Assembly

1. The more the people of the nations around the world hold their leaders accountable for their promises.

2. The more people around the world become educated about development.

3. And, the more people around the world organize themselves to create change.

While there is a place for governments and their leaders to create change I believe that the responsibility for change ultimately rests with us- the people.

That is why Eat So They Can is so important. When you have an ESTC dinner you are joining a movement of people who believe poverty is wrong, and that poverty can be defeated. You are joining the Millennium Development Goal Movement and all of those leaders at the UN that are honestly working to create meaningful paths out of poverty for their people.

Thank you for joining us and the tens of thousands of others this October who are joining the fight.

What, Where, When?!

2010-09-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

The official Eat So They Can weekend is approaching fast and I know that it can feel a bit overwhelming as you start to figure out the details of what you're actually going to do! I'm hoping that this post will help give you some ideas and inspiration. Please also remember that you are always welcome to call us any time if you'd like to have a chat about your event.

What?!

So you've signed up to host an ESTC event but you have no idea what kind of event you should actually host. Don't panic! Remember that your event can be anything you want it to be and that no event is too small. Here are some ideas:

- Eat So They Can cocktail night: A cocktail night is relatively easy to organize and is always popular! One host is even creating a special 'ESTC' cocktail.

- Themed evenings: A lot of hosts are organizing a themed event and having people dress up. We even had one host painting her horses like zebras for an African event last year!
- Date auction: One of our hosts is having local restaurants donate dinner vouchers and then auctioning dinner dates.
- Live music/dancing: Why not talk to some local groups and see if you can get them to perform some live music/dancing at your event? Or if you have a talented bunch of friends, you might want to organize a Talent Show!
- Auction/raffle: A great way to spice up the evening and raise some extra dollars is to ask local companies to donate items which you can auction or raffle at your event.
- International dinner party: We're soon going to be putting up our recipe guide onto our online resources which will include all kinds of delicious recipes from around the world.

Where?!
Deciding on a venue for your event is often the first step you should take and can be quite a challenge. Here are some ideas:
- Your home: Easy and free!
- A community hall: Great for public events and you can often get a discount or even free hire if you explain what you're fundraising for.
- A school hall: This can be a fun way to get a whole school involved.
- A park: For those of you who live in reliable climates this can be a great option for a public event.
- A church hall: Church halls can provide a great space and often have kitchens attached.
- A restaurant: Some restaurants are willing to give you a discounted set menu and you can then sell dinner tickets.
- A cinema: If you have a local independent cinema in your town they may be willing to let you hire the cinema to do a screening of the ESTC DVD.

When?!
The official weekend is October 16-17 and the majority of Eat So They Can events will take place over this weekend to coincide with World Food Day. However, we also have lots of people hosting events later on in the year so if you need an extra couple of weeks to plan or you want to link in your ESTC event with another special day (e.g. thanksgiving, halloween or your birthday) you are welcome to host your event on a different date. Please just remember that all donations need to be submitted by December 31st if you want to be entered into our Grand Prize Draw.

Good luck and thank you!
Eliza

ESTC Everest!

2010-08-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Eat So They Can and Treks are two of GVN Foundations biggest fundraisers. I love them because they both support our amazing partners who are working on the ground, and they both provide the opportunity for people to get hands on and involved.

The next trek is in Nepal and in just three weeks time I will be boarding a plane heading to Kathmandu! I will be joined by two other GVN Reps, Erin Courtenay and Paul Fletcher, and together we will be leading the Everest Base Camp Fundraising Trek! All funds raised will go towards supporting the work of our wonderful partner, Volunteer Service in Nepal (VSN). VSN run Brighr Future Children’s Home which supports 5 girls and 9 boys, aged from 7 to 17 years who live in the home. Funds raised through the Everest Base Camp Trek will help ensure the children’s health, nutritional and educational needs are met.

We have a fantastic team of 27 trekkers from around the globe and I am excited to tell you that one of our trekkers is also an Eat So They Can ambassador! Introducing the gorgeous Frieda Loh from Singapore!

Frieda Loh, co-founder of Living Experience is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about spreading positivity and about causes such as human trafficking, gender equality, abject poverty, religious and racial harmony. You can visit Frieda's Eat So They Can host page by visiting: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/host/friederike-loh

Frieda and I will be trekking over the Eat So They Can weekend in October so we have already started cooking up ideas about having a dinner party with the team on the mountain! Hmmm.... anyone for yak? Ew. I think it is going to be the highest Eat So They Can dinner ever! Anyone have any party ideas?

It is sure to be an amazing experience and I promise to take lots of photos and video. I am so happy that Eat So They Can has grown over the last three years and we have been able to extend the campaign to reach communities in Asia and South America. But to hit our $500,000 target we need all the help we can get!
If you have not signed up already, please do so now! http://www.eatsotheycan.org/

Namaste,

Lauren
p.s – my favourite new quote - “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama

Phase 2 - Asante Sana

2010-08-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

I’m an advocator of one of Mother Teresa’s sayings, “Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway”. This saying epitomizes all the ESTC hosts and donors, without you many communities would not have benefited. As we say in Kenya, Asante Sana (thank you very much).

Phase 2 of the distribution was completed at the end of July which supported 9 projects. It took 2 weeks for logistics of the distribution, as the needs for each project varied. The basic need across all projects is food; this is an ongoing battle for many project directors. They usually source food from well wishers, friends and donors. ESTC 2009 focus has been meeting basic needs as well as encouraging sustainability projects. By being sustainable, projects are able to provide for the children or vulnerable. This is an ideal situation however it takes time before they gain any revenue.

One of the projects trains youth in dressmaking and carpentry. Through these projects they are able to sell school uniforms to local schools and furniture to churches. One of their needs was for proper tools for carpentry which ESTC provided. The words that resonate from these projects are “This has come at the right time”. This means that this is a right time when their resources are about to be depleted. They would have to try and source resources from somewhere or go without.

Besides the continuous need for food many children’s home are faced with increased number of children yet limited resources. One of the children’s home that was supported requested beds for both male and female dormitories. They had 6 bunks beds which slept about 18 children; ideally it should sleep 6 children. Something as little as a new bed can put smiles on these children’s faces maybe even give a hope.

On a lighter note, being involved with distributions may involve a few challenges or in my case a few drama’s. We headed north of Kenya to a place called Naromoro to source goats for a boys rehabilitation centre. This is part of a sustainability project for the centre. However en-route our van broke down and the only option was taking a matatu. Now for those who do not know what a matatu is, it is a 9 seat van however in some cases it can seat a minimum of 15 people. With a dash of blaring doof doof music it can make for an enjoyable ride.

Two matatu’s later; we source a car to take us into the different farms. Naromoro is located near Mount Kenya; it has amazing views and cooler temperatures. In pelting rain we bargain with a group of goat farmers for a fair price. About 3 hours later, all 9 of us are crammed into a pickup with about 5 goats visiting other farmers to purchase 5 more goats. Happy with our purchase we set off in another matatu to the project. Steering goats in the dark to a shed on stilts is just as funny as taking out photos of the goats in the shed in pitch black darkness and finding a goat rammed next to you trying to get out.

All in all the boys and supervisor was thankful for the donation. The goats will provide milk as well as breeding to support this project. It took 18 hours of the day to achieve this goal and it was worth it. For those who have not been involved in Eat so they Can, I urge you today to make a difference by being involved. Please view the website: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/

Food for thought: Asante Yesu kwa Matatus! (Thank you God for Matatus)

Baraka (blessings) Tracy Pillay, Kenya

Guest Blogger Melissa Papanayotou; "It's Important to Keep Spreading the Word"

2010-08-09T16:22:00.001-07:00

Melissa Papanayotou is one of this year's Eat So They Can Ambassadors. We asked Melissa to share a bit about how she plans to raise her target of $20,000 and were blown away by her initiatives. We wanted to inspire our hosts who may be looking to do something creative or find a fun way to support Eat So They Can; we think Melissa provides some GREAT suggestions! We were especially amazed at the generosity of the Macquarie Group Foundation matching all donations. Below Melissa discusses some of her ongoing initiatives. She is one busy lady!

"In terms of what I've raised so far, I've really just spoken to lots of people about the cause, and discussed my time in Kenya at the orphanages, and people have started donating already. I'm also trying to start getting donations now, so that I have time for my company to match them before the deadline. Also, I got a yoga studio on board - they have added one extra class a week to their schedule, for which the proceeds go to ESTC. The students know that it is a 'Community Class' and that their donation goes to ESTC. I am planning on doing one dinner on October 16th in Montreal, and another on October 17th in Toronto. I've sent out letters to about 200-300 organizations in both Toronto and Montreal (restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, clothing stores, salons, yoga studios...) asking for Gift certificates, Gift baskets or products to auction off and/or use for a raffle. I have received a handfull and I will start using these soon - giving out a couple gifts at the end of each week/month to the top donors. At the dinners I will do silent auctions, and in a month or so I plan on selling raffle tickets.

While I've sent hundreds of letters asking for auction or raffle prizes - it is inevitable that many (realistically, the vast majority) will be unable to help out. But at the end of the day even if 10% of the 300 companies I ask come through with a Gift Certificate or Prize, then that's 30 more sources of donations that I would otherwise not have. So for me it's important to not get discouraged with all the 'Sorry we can't help this time' and just keep asking people and spreading the word.

Given that Canadians don't get a tax receipt for their donations, it is challenging (and often just intimidating) to fundraise...Not everyone cares but it typically prevents the larger donations. So I've been trying to focus on asking for smaller donations - and that's why I'm trying to get raffle prizes...so that donors feel like they are getting something in return too."

Melissa thank you for your efforts and a special thanks to Macquarie Group Foundation for their support of Eat So They Can. Melissa states it best; "If they are willing to match what I am able to raise, then so much more gets to go to this amazing initiative and my efforts can help that many more people!"

Caitie Goddard
Eat So They Can Host Mentor

Guest Blogger; Ambassador Lori Taylor

2010-08-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I have the privilege of introducing one of our amazing ambassadors, Lori Taylor. Lori has already made an incredible impact on children's lives. After spending time in Kenya, Lori remains involved by raising money to support various efforts and speaking about her experience. I am so impressed by Lori and her commitment to making the world a better place. Below Lori shares her personal story on why she chose to get involved with Eat So They Can-thank you Lori for your continued support!
-Caitie Goddard

This January, I decided to start 2010 in a good way, by doing the GVN fundraising Mt. Kilimanjaro Trek. I knew it would be a life-altering experience; and, I was right!

For most of my adult life, I have been no stranger to life’s struggles. My 4 children and I live below the poverty line, I had a 3 month premature baby that had no chance of survival, that miraculously lived, I have an Autistic son, I have experienced sudden and tragic deaths of close family members, I have worried that my own children would become orphans; if something happened to me.

So, one can imagine how I felt when our GVN group visited some of the slums and orphanages of Kenya. The lump in my throat and the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes were constant. I was alarmed at how people, children and babies were struggling, how little they had; but, how they continued to wave and smile. I was struck with a feeling of ‘oneness’ that we are all trying to do the best that we can, with what we have.

On my last day in Kenya, our group went to our final orphanage, called Shelter Children’s home. There are 200 precious orphans and vulnerable children there. I lost my heart to one of them. We had brought balloons, balls and bubbles for the children to play with. I was standing there holding a pink ball, when a little boy came running over to me; and, threw his tiny arms around me. He had no interest in toys. He was interested in hugging instead. So, we hugged for a long, long time. Since he only spoke Swahili; and, I only speak English, I sang him Christmas carols. His favorite one was ‘Silent Night’; and, he was humming it to me, when it was time for me to go.

That same night, I got on my many planes home; and, I cried all the way. I couldn’t stop crying for days and days. Every time I thought of this little boy’s arms wrapped around me, my heart felt broken. Finally, I took action; and, became the little boy’s sponsor. I now help with his medical, food, education and living costs. This is my ‘drop in the ocean’ because I could not live with knowing what I now know; and, do nothing.

I have also become an Ambassador for Eat so the Can. My focus is on raising funds and awareness for orphans and vulnerable children. I am asking you to help me via my fundraising page; or, by becoming a host for your own Eat so the Can event. Thank-you!

Explore 22 joins Eat So They Can!

2010-08-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Introducing Jordan Freda from Explore 22, the brand new educational travel series co-founded by Jordan from the Base Studio and Global Volunteer Network.

In the first episode, Jordan (the 22 year old explorer!) from San Francisco ventures to GVN's volunteer project in Haiti and takes a look at the devastating damage of the earthquake with his own eyes while gaining insight into the realities of volunteering in the country among its people. Through Explore22, Jordan and GVN aim to produce a travel show that takes viewers on a journey and makes a difference in the lives of the people they meet along the way by raising awareness, recruiting volunteers, and fundraising.

Enter EAT SO THEY CAN!

Jordan has joined the global campaign and is hoping to recruit hosts who care about Haiti to help him raise funds through the Emergency Relief cause. Checkout his video appeal:

videoblog #2 (eat so they can) from Explore22 on Vimeo.

If you have not signed up to EAT SO THEY CAN yet, please do it now! http://www.eatsotheycan.org/

And don't forget to visit the Explore 22 website, check out the first episode, and sign up as an Explore22 fan today! http://www.explore22.com/

Hugs,

Lauren

ESTC Team

Guest Blogger - Shelley Bragg

2010-08-05T21:24:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

For this blog, I would like to introduce one of our amazing ambassadors - Shelley Bragg. Shelley is originally from South Africa but has volunteered, worked, travelled and lived all over the world. Shelley's blog post is about her first ever ESTC event which she held in 2007. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

I held my first Eat so they Can event in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2007. I was so unsure…unsure if it would be a success, unsure if people would come, unsure if people would want to pay and contribute, and unsure if I would actually make a difference.

I was then so surprised. Almost everyone I invited came, and brought friends. They opened up their hearts and wallets to the cause and supported me, and the campaign, to a degree I could not have imagined. The evening was so much fun and I think everyone left with a feeling of having touched the lives of others through simply having dinner.

It was this response that led me to believe I could make a success of a bigger event the next time, which was when I was in Shanghai, China. I thought bigger and I got bigger. Yes, the planning can be daunting. You need to think of so many things: the venue; the meals and beverages; the entertainment; the layout; the invitations, who to invite, what capacity can the venue hold; how to invite, what to say to entice and encourage; budgets, what to charge to cover costs and raise funds, and you need to then throw all this together and create a successful event.

But, every time, it all falls into place. And every time I am touched by the amazing response I get from people. The people are what make it a success – you just need to invite them, and give them the opportunity to support you. Trust me, they want to, and they will. - By Shelley Bragg

Thank you Shelley for everything you do.
Eliza

Feature Cause: Greatest Need

2010-08-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

By supporting the Greatest Need cause through ‘Eat So They Can’ you will be providing urgent assistance to children, women, and communities around the world who need it most. This year funds will go towards supporting victims of emergency situations, orphaned and vulnerable children, women’s empowerment, and Anti-Trafficking.

In IDP camps across Kenya two of the most critical needs are food and shelter. Since the post election violence in January 2008, thousands of families have been living in cramped tents with barely enough food to survive. This year, your funds will go towards building homes for the IDP’s and setting up porridge programs for hundreds of children living in 3 of the IDP camps.
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, a massive international response has been providing short-term needs such as food, water, shelter, and medical supplies to the people. GVN has set up a volunteer program to assist Haitians rebuild their community and funds raised will go towards supporting a Haitian orphanage, a school, and a community center. The Centre provides after-school classes for children and training courses for teenagers and adults, and most importantly, it provides a safe environment with supportive staff to aid the healing process.

We are so proud of the success of Eat So They Can and with the continued growth and support of our amazing donors and hosts, we are now able to show support to all of our partners across Africa, Asia, and South America to meet the basic needs of children - education, nutrition, medical care and housing.

Our partner in Vietnam works with orphans, street children, and mentally/physically disabled youth in Da Nang, Tam Ky and Tuy Hoa. Many of these children are parentless or have been abandoned as their parents cannot afford to provide for them. These kids need love, attention, education and life skills to ensure they have a future free from poverty.

In Kenya, our partner works with 3 IDP camps and 50 schools and orphanages in and around Nairobi. One of the projects Eat So They Can supports is Happy Life Children’s Home, a baby orphanage currently caring for 37 babies given up by parents unable or unwilling to care for them. Many of the babies arrive malnourished and sick. Eat So They Can funding provides baby cots, formula and medical care.

By hosting an Eat So They Can dinner or event, your contribution will make an immediate and direct impact on the children of Vietnam, Kenya plus thousands of children we serve in other projects around the world.

In the outskirts of Cusco,Peru, we are working with an impoverished community where families have little in the way of guaranteed income. Many of the parents are poorly paid and work long hours which means that their children are either left home alone during the day or working on the street selling postcards to tourists or cleaning shoes. Income generating projects are urgently needed to help women improve their earnings and become a greater presence in the lives of their children.

When you support Eat So They Can, your funds will be strengthening the productive capacity of mothers by training them in handcrafts such leather work to produce bags, silver work making jewellery, and textiles, so that they can support their families and themselves by generating income.

UNICEF reports that worldwide, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade. This year Eat So They Can is also standing up for the voiceless victims of sex-trafficking and supporting a social movement, which aims at increasing understanding of the issue and getting women and children off the street. Our belief is that with understanding, comes awareness. Action follows awareness. Not until we all take action and stand up for this injustice, will we be able to conquer the growing epidemic of sex trafficking in our lifetime.
The organisation we support through the Anti Trafficking Fund is a Safe House in Chang Mai, Thailand. The safe house shelters, feeds, and educates women who have been sexually exploited, being sexually exploited or at risk.

By supporting Eat So They Can you will be providing women in crisis with a second chance and having a personal impact in the movement against trafficking.

Thank you for supporting the Greatest Need Cause through Eat So They Can, your donations will change lives, one meal at a time!

With Gratitude,

Courtney Montague, Lauren McMahon, Eliza Raymond and Caitie Goddard
Eat So They Can Team 2010

Feature Cause: Anti-Trafficking

2010-07-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

Video Introduction

In 2005 I went to Nepal to climb to Everest Base Camp to raise money for our partner organization. The trip to Base Camp was exhilarating and one of my most memorable experiences of my life; especially since that was the first time I had ever really been in the wilderness (I was always more of indoor girl who enjoyed a warm blanket and a good book).

After we hiked I had the good fortune of spending a week with our partner organization in Kathmandu. While I was there one of their staff, Kate Ale, took me to meet Simon and Vinita, two women who had started a sexual assault safe house for women and children. I spent about an hour with these two women and was dumbstruck by their passion, drive and determination to make their vision of assisting sexually exploited women and children a reality. Like any good social entrepreneur they had identified a societal problem, (the lack of care available for sexually exploited minors) and had devised a solution, (a safe house where assaulted youth could live, be looked after and go through counseling).

I left their safe house knowing that the GVN Foundation team would work hard to support this fantastic organization. Through the years GVN Foundation has been able to provide this amazing organization with support and we have had the good fortune of hearing the stories of women and children they have helped through counseling, awareness training they have done for teachers in schools and children they have saved from further sexual exploitation.

We are proud to announce this year that Antardristi will be one of the partners who will benefit from the funds raised from our Anti-Trafficking Cause within Eat So They Can. We are excited to raise as much money as we can for this very worthy cause and organization and I would encourage you to sign up right now to support Antardristi by becoming an Eat So They Can Host and choosing to support the Anti-Trafficking Fund.

Thank you so much for your support!

Best,

Courtney Montague
Executive Director GVN Foundation

Feature Cause: Orphaned and Vulnerable Children

2010-07-13T16:52:00.001-07:00

By supporting the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children cause through ‘Eat So They Can’, you will be giving children an opportunity to have a brighter future. Your funds will be used to support both immediate needs and sustainability projects at schools and orphanages in Asia, Africa, and South America.

Vietnam

This May I had the opportunity to spend some time in Vietnam and visit several of the orphanages supported by our partner, GVN Vietnam. The first thing that stood out was the inadequate resources available to care for so many small children. Immediately following that insight came the remarkable realization of how well cared for these children were despite the lack of resources.

During my time in Da Nang, I had the privilege of spending several days at Social Support, a large center that includes a baby orphanage and a home for children with mental and physical disabilities that have been abandoned by their families. It's impossible not to fall in love with the children and their caretakers within minutes of meeting them! With the support of GVN Vietnam and their donors, the heartbreaking story that could have been has turned into one filled with hope. GVN Vietnam provides a supplemental food program in all 3 of the cities they work including Da Nang that provides the nutritional needs for all the children at the orphanage. For the orphan babies, donations have helped provide 24 hour caretakers to make sure the children are never left alone and are properly cared for.

The most touching and motivating experience for me came from seeing the children who are severely disabled being given physical therapy to help ease their muscle spasms, stretch their tight or twisted limbs and strengthen their muscles to help them live more independantly. For some of the children that may be to walk or to simply feed themselves or hold their heads up. A lot of the treatment options we might take for granted are not always available or considered necessary in Vietnam; GVN Vietnam has tried to change that and afford every child a chance to grow to their potential.

I would love the 2010 Eat So They Can Campaign to provide enough funding to continue assisting the ongoing efforts of GVN Vietnam to find sustainable, innovative and local solutions to support their programs including;

-vocational training for older children
-a medical relief fund in order to have funds for emergency care
-art classes for children to allow them to sell their artwork and fund their schooling costs.

Please join me in supporting the efforts of GVN Vietnam and all of our partners and consider signing up to host an Eat So They Can event for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children.

Caitie Goddard

Feature Cause: Emergency Relief

2010-07-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

By supporting the Emergency Relief cause through ‘Eat So They Can’ you will be providing assistance to the victims of disasters and emergency situations. This year your funds will go towards meeting the short term and long term needs of communities around the world, particularly in Kenya and Haiti.

Kenya
In 2009, I visited Pipeline IDP Camp which is situated in the Great Rift Valley and is home to 6500 people (1200 families) who were forced to flee their homes during the post election violence in January 2008.

Haiti
Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince in January this year. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. The Haitian Government estimated over 230,000 people died, 300,000 injured and 1,000,000 made homeless.
The earthquake destroyed much of the already fragile and overburdened infrastructure in the most densely populated part of the country. A massive and immediate international response provided short-term needs such as food, water, shelter, and medical supplies to the people.
Global Volunteer Network has set up a volunteer program to assist the Haitians rebuild their community and funds raised will go towards supporting a Haitian orphanage as well as a community center that has already been established in Jacmel. The community center has been a great success to date and allows the continuation of programs such as after-school classes for children and training course for teenagers and adults. Most importantly, the center provides a safe environment with supportive staff for community members to feel a sense of security and a chance to heal.

If you haven't yet signed up for ESTC please do so here:
http://www.eatsotheycan.org/ If you would like to support Pipeline IDP Camp and the Haitian community, please select the emergency relief cause.

With gratitude,
Lauren

Feature Cause - Women's Empowerment

2010-07-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Video Intro

Hey everyone,

I want to use the next few blog posts to tell you a little more about our different causes. As you may know, new for 2010, when you sign up as a host you'll be given the option to select from one of our four causes - women's empowerment, orphaned and vulnerable children, emergency relief and anti-trafficking. This post I'm going to tell you about one cause which I'm personally really passionate about - women's empowerment.

I recently visited one of the projects which will benefit from the funds raised for this cause and I am so excited by what we can achieve there. The project I visited is located in the mountains near Cusco, Peru and is called Kusi Qoyllor which means Happy Star in Quechua. It is a community center which offers a variety of activities for children as well as capacity-building workshops for their mothers. By training the mothers in areas such as textile production, Kusi Qoyllor is giving these women an opportunity to provide for their children and gain status in their families. They are also providing an alternative for women from this community who typically are forced to spend long days selling on the streets at the expense of spending time with their children.

The project is run by an incredible lady called Marlene and she has so many ideas and plans for the future but is very limited by resources. We hope to support Kusi Qoyllor through ESTC funding and help them expand to support more mothers and provide a greater variety of workshops.

If you haven't yet signed up for ESTC please do so here: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/ If you would like to support Kusi Qoyllor and other similar projects around the world, please select the women's empowerment cause.

Thank you,

Eliza

NEW AMBASSADORS!

2010-06-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce 14 fantastic Ambassadors for this year's Eat So They Can Campaign! Located in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Germany, these 14 ambassadors will serve as representatives for Eat So They Can 2010! From blogging about their experiences and mentoring hosts, to working directly with our Eat So They Can team, our ambassadors will play a pivotal role in the development of the campaign. Thank you and congratulations to:

· Leanna Simmons
· Shelley Bragg
· Kimberly Jones
· Lori Taylor
· Emily Hamsher
· Miki Isaac
· Rachael Otieno
· Lori Fryman
· Melissa Papanayotou
· KellyLouise Warner
· Chrystal Desmond
· Jordan Kennedy
· Frieda Loh
· Alicia Hill and Zoe Zapparoli

It's not too late for you to apply and be a part of the team!
If you have any questions, please contact Caitie Goddard, Host Mentor at info@eatsotheycan.org

New School for Pipeline IDP Camp thanks to ESTC!

2010-05-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Cass Treadwell, ESTC Co-Founder and GVNF Australia Director, and her team in Oz on the launch of Aberdare Ranges Primary School! Go Eat So They Can!

Check out these two awesome news items!

1- NTV Kenya News

2: SBS News Australia
http://player.sbs.com.au/naca/#/naca/wna/Extra/playlist/Sydney-woman-helps-Kenyans/

Join the Team!

2010-05-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Our Eat So They Can goal this year is to raise $500, 000 so we can help even more women and children around the world, and with your help I know we can do it!

If you have not already sign up, please visit the ESTC website and do it now! http://www.eatsotheycan.org/sign-up

Plus if you are passionate for social change and eager to make an even bigger impact through Eat So They Can this year then we would love you to apply to our Ambassador Program. We are inviting ESTC Hosts, GVN volunteers, Be The Change participants, and trekkers to join the team and help mentor other hosts from around the world.

If your application is successful you will essentially become a member of the ESTC family and have a direct impact on the lives of hundreds of women and children in need. We will profile you on the ESTC website and provide you with all kinds of support ranging from business cards to conference calls to help you fulfil your role. Plus, you will be given the opportunity to join one of our distribution trips! What a great reward!

For further information about the Ambassador Program and to apply, visit: http://www.eatsotheycan.org/meet-the-team/ambassadors (Please note that all applications need to be submitted before 1st June.)

With gratitude,

Colin, Courtney, Eliza, Caitie, and Lauren
Eat So They Can Team

Alicia Hill - Kenya Trip Reflections

2010-05-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

I knew that the money raised through the Eat So They Can program was going towards beating child poverty in Africa, but until I became part of the distribution team I didn’t really have my head around what that involved, and just how hard the GVN staff and volunteers work with its partner organisations to make sure the money goes to the right resources and the right projects. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t touched by the passion of the GVN staff and volunteers, and their selfless dedication to provide opportunity for underprivileged children.

Throughout the trip we visited a number of children’s homes and schools. Some of the stories we were told about how the kids came to be there were heart wrenching. One little girl was found abandoned in a latrine. Another orphaned when his parents lost the battle with HIV/AIDS. Another found wandering the slum alone at 9 months old. Each child has her/his own story, and each story is about struggle and survival. The absolute opposite to the story I am fortunate enough to tell.

We also visited several IDP camps, including Pipeline, in the Great Rift Valley. It’s hard to believe that a place of such vast beauty can harbour the shadows of the political violence that displaced over 6000 people from their homes. The IDP camps touched me the most. The people living there had something. They had homes, farms, and businesses that were forcibly taken from them. And now they live in tents with little more than the memories of this violence. Yet they remain so focused and optimistic and I am awed and inspired by their attitude. People would cry ‘poor me’ in my community, and most simply wouldn’t cope. I don’t think I would.

GVNF and the GVN volunteers are doing amazing things in these camps, children’s homes and schools. Each project is so different in terms of their needs, and much thought is given to where funding and resources can best be used. I was most impressed with how closely GVN works with its local partner organisation to find out what these needs are, and to make sure that all funds and resources are provided and being used in the right way. I was also impressed to see funds and resources being filtered into education and income generating projects designed to sustain economic and social welfare and empower the people.

The whole experience was quite humbling, and every day I think about how I can make Eat So They Can 2010 even more successful than the previous year, both on a personal level and for the GVN Foundation. It truly was an amazing experience and I feel privileged to be part of the distribution team. So if you know someone who is hosting a dinner, please give a donation, however large or small because it all adds up and can really go a long way. I’ve seen it first hand! Or better still, host your own dinner! It’s a great excuse to get your family and friends together and you can be assured that any funds you raise will be used to help put smiles on the faces of children somewhere in the lesser developed world! Priceless!

Saludos desde Cusco!

2010-05-04T16:30:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Cusco, Peru!

Yesterday I visited Pampallacta, a small community in the mountains of the Sacred Valley. This village is everything you dream of if you think of Peru - llamas, towering mountains, and happy, energetic children running around in traditional Peruvian clothing. The teachers at the school soon explained to me that the children from this village haven´t always been so cheerful and loud. There used to be a serious problem of malnutrition with many children surviving on little more than a few potatoes each day. Although they were always keen to learn they were often so tired due to lack of food that they would fall asleep during class.

Thanks to Peruvian Hearts (GVN Foundation´s partner in Peru) each of the 130 children at the school now receives a vitamin and a nutritious meal each day - and the difference that this has made to the children´s energy levels and success in their school work is incredible. With the support of ESTC funds from 2009 we are also building a new kitchen so that these meals can be more easily prepared. The teachers at the school are so excited and asked me to pass on their thanks to you.

I look forward to sharing photos with you as soon as I´m back in NZ and also telling you about the big plans we have for our Peru projects for ESTC 2010!

Un abrazo,

Eliza

Hillary Sullivan's ESTC 2009 Winner Final Words

2010-04-19T02:28:00.000-07:00

Little did I know what my decision to be an Eat So They Can host would lead to! The GVN ESTC 2010 Kenya trip has been a week like no other, packed from beginning to end with unforgettable experiences. And now the 10 of us from all corners of the globe, US, UK, NZ, Australia, S. Africa and kenya are all going our separate ways with so much to think about and images which will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

The week started with a visit to Kibera, Nairobi's slum area, and reputedly the largest slum in the world, home to maybe 3/4 million people. Five orphanages and 3 IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps later, we had distributed checks for school exam fees, electricity bills, medical expenses, delivered baby formula, sacks of flour (?), and even a cow to supplement the milk supply for an orphanage of 160+ children. At the IDP camps where the needs are even greater, ESTC donations are funding a porridge program which feeds hundreds of children on a daily basis, plus gradually building permanent housing for families who have been living in tents for 3 years.

As the incredibly lucky winner of the ESTC 2009 campaign, I have had the privilege of seeing first hand precisely how the donations from the ESTC hosts are allocated and distributed, directly into the hands of those who need it most. As they say in Swahili, asante sana, thank you very much to GVN, to Colin Salisbury, GVN founder, and especially to Lauren McMahon, and Tracy Pillay for going to such lengths to make this a life changing experience for all the participants. Let's hope that the ESTC 2010 campaign will reach a new record in donations.

Asante Sana

Hillary

What a Week - What a Team!

2010-04-16T23:55:00.001-07:00

Let me fill you in on the first couple of days!

On Monday we headed straight into Kibera slum. Peter, otherwise known as “Mr Kibera” hosted our visit and showed us some of the projects in the area. It was fascinating learning about the history and how people survive in such cramped and challenging conditions. Around every corner we were greeted by “How are you? How are you? How are you?” from the small children all wanting to talk to the Mzungus (white people).

We visited Siloam Academy, an orphanage and school benefiting from funds raised through ESTC. Last year we delivered urgently needed food, this year we paid exam fees to enable ten of the kids at the orphanage to sit their school exams.

In the afternoon we visited Happy Life, a home for abandoned babies. There are currently 37 babies at the home and wow, do volunteers have their work cut out for them here! Rooms were filled with cribs and little bundles of joy! We arrived at the perfect time too, when they had just woken up from their afternoon nap. Oh how adorable. We all dived of them and goo goo and gaad for hours. Even the boys on the team, Colin, Peter and Tim, were absolute mush! Last year we delivered baby cots and formula through ESTC, this year we delivered formula again and plus towards medicine and future health care for the sick babies. They are often in very weak condition when they arrive at the centre and need lots of love and attention.

On Tuesday we visited Pipeline IDP Camp, a 2.5 hour drive through the Rift Valley from Nairobi. I was particularly excited because I had not seen the community since I left last June and I was eager to see everyone again and see how the projects were coming along.

It was a beautiful reunion yet I felt a hint of sadness. So many people still in tents, so many people still suffering. Yet hope remains strong and everyone is as positive as I remember, quite remarkable given the conditions. We headed straight to the Nursery Class where the children were eagerly waiting for their porridge. Last year funds raised through ESTC went towards setting up the porridge program and we supported it again this year. It is such an important project. For many of the children who come to class and receive a cup of porridge it could be their only meal for the day if their parents don’t have enough food. Alicia and Hilary assisted Susan who runs the projects distribute the “uji” which was a lot tougher than it sounds. Facing hundreds of hungry kids is not easy!

We spent the rest of the day touring the camp, meeting people, and visiting projects. The school which GVNF Australia is building through ESTC is nearly finished and looks amazing. It’s so wonderful to know that soon 120 little 5-6 year olds will be attending class! We are also supporting the housing project through ESTC. Once they are finished five families will have a new home!

More to come soon…….

Hugs,

Lauren

Meet ESTC host Leanna Simmons!

2010-04-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

Leanna Simmons from New York, U.S.A is another one of our fantastic and inspiring Eat So They Can hosts. She is currently in Kenya participating in the ESTC distribution trip and seeing first-hand where the funds she raised at not one but THREE separate ESTC events will go!

When Leanna is not busy planning fantastic parties for a great cause, she works for the Boys & Girls Harbor as Director of the Grant OST (Out of School Time) Program. In her spare time she enjoys travelling, roller skating, completing rebuilding projects, photography and laughing. For anyone who has yet to be impressed by such an active lifestyle, she is also currently working on her Thesis for a MS in Organizational Leadership, no big deal.

Perhaps her background as a self-described "military brat" living and traveling to places including Stuttgart Germany ("good grief the food alone was worth the trip"), Columbus Georgia, Korea and Hawaii have motivated her to pursue one of her lifetime goals: helping children around the world.

When asked, "what are you looking forward to most on this trip," Leanna responded, "I am looking forward to being whatever is needed to put a smile on someones face and to lighten the load and worries of the adults who compassionately take care of all the amazing children in the homes. I'm just looking forward to being in service." With her enthusiasm and passionate pursuit to enrich the lives of others, specifically children around the world, I don't think it will take her long to generate some huge smiles!

Caitie Goddard

ESTC Host Mentor

Meet the Distribution Team!

2010-04-07T16:23:00.001-07:00

It's finally here! Colin Salisbury and his daughter Emily, GVN/GVN Foundation's Lauren McMahon, grand prize winner Hilary Sullivan and 4 other 2009 hosts who decided to join the experience are headed to Kenya! Starting April 12th, the entire group will spend a week visiting some of the projects and orphanges, checking out a safari on Lake Nakuru, and learning more about our exciting research Eliza has completed on our orphanage development program.

Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to get to know a few of the team through email and over the phone. There are two obvious things I noticed right away; 1. it is a very diverse group with lots of different personalities and 2. they are amazing! With their huge hearts and enthusiasm to be change-agents in the world, we will hear more from these people over the years!

Within the next two weeks we will feature some of the participants in our blog so you can learn more about these amazing individuals and how they came to be a part of the Eat So They Can family.

Today I'd like to introduce the amazing Alicia Hill.

Alicia Hill is from Australia and works as a Conservation Officer with the Marine Parks section of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Before this visit to Kenya, Alicia has been all over the world including Thailand, Malaysia, and Fiji. "I also travelled to Nepal in 2005 on the GVN Everest Base Camp fundraising trek. My boyfriend and I also spent three months in the USA skydiving and living out of a van. It was fantastic…" According to Alicia, "I’m just an average person who goes about her life but likes to do something every now and then that can make a difference, however small. I’ve been given some amazing opportunities in this life and I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t share the privileges."

What is your dream or goal? "Just to be happy really. To be a good person. To always be growing and learning through new opportunities and experiences." ~Alicia Hill

GVN first had the privilege of getting to know a little bit about Alicia when she participated in a GVN fundraising trek to Everest Base Camp 5 years ago. "I met some fantastic people, saw some breathtaking scenery, and got to see first hand the difference that GVN and its donors are making in this world." When asked about what she is most looking forward to during her time on the distribution trip, Alicia's answer is right in line with her heart; " The smiles on the faces of the children that will benefit from the campaign." We asked Alicia what she liked most about the Eat So They Can campaign: "It really shows people that a little bit of effort can really go long a way. Something as simple as holding a dinner party can contribute to something so big! It’s got a lot to say for people power!"

"What am I passionate about? I find this one hard to answer. I asked my boyfriend what he thought I was passionate about and his response was 'everything'. I was thinking the same - I guess I’m passionate about everything I believe in but it’s difficult to single anything out." Alicia's difficulty to perfectly sum up her passion seems to fall in line with her favorite quote- "Live the life you love, love the life you live." It sounds like Alicia finds a way to seek out the things and people that will create and foster her passions! Thank you Alicia for sharing a bit about yourself and we are looking forward to hearing about your newest adventures around Nairobi, Kenya!

Caitie Goddard

Eat So They Can team

Guest Blogger - Hilary Sullivan, ESTC Winner!

2010-03-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

Three weeks from now I’ll be in Kenya! When I received the call from Courtney in January, the trip seemed way in the future, now I have to believe it is about to happen.
I like to think of myself as pretty well informed, but I realized that I did not know as much about Kenya as I’d like to think, other that the political violence 2 years ago and of course, the fact that Obama’s father was from Kenya. So I’ve been looking for articles on current affairs, jogging my memory on recent Kenyan history and reading my Lonely Planet. I also watched the ESTC DVD again with a very different perspective from the first time, and it did give me lots of clues as to what the week will be like.
But now I have to get serious about what to take. I’ve had my yellow fever shot and I have my malaria pills and antibiotics, but I have to whittle away at the pile of ‘stuff’ I have created, and take only what I really need. I have to maintain my reputation as an amazingly light packer! I have done a lot of traveling in my life and I have got packing down to a fine art, although that does not mean to say that the decisions are easy. I have also been watching the weather forecasts for Nairobi. The temperatures seem very pleasant – upper 70’s, low 80’s during the day and 60’s at night, but lots of heavy showers. Must not forget to pack my rain gear and make sure my footwear is up to the task.
Roll on April 11th when I land in Nairobi and get together with Colin, Lauren and the rest of the group that will be helping to distribute the ESTC 2009 funds! I saw how important the funds raised in 2008 were to the recipients so I am excited about the fact that a great deal more was raised in 2009 and GVN will be able to have an even greater impact.

-Hilary

Happy partners around the world!

2010-03-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

We have finally finished processing all the ESTC donations and are excited to announce that we raised $193,000! I’ve had the rewarding job over the last few weeks of contacting our partners to let them know the funds that are available for them to apply for. Their responses have been heart-warming and I wanted to share just one with you which I received from Ashley in Tanzania:

“Thanks so much for this update and for the great news! I just visited Losinoni again 2 days ago, and saw students eating makande (corn and bean mash) for the first time (instead of just porridge) -- it was so exciting, and the students were absolutely thrilled! Knowing we were a part of ESTC this year was the impetus for the decision to move to makande, so I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate.” – AfricAid, Tanzania

Our partners will be submitting proposals over the next few weeks to apply for the funding so I will keep you updated on how the funds are distributed.

Have a great week,
Eliza

Back in NZ

2010-02-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

After 5 amazing weeks in Tanzania and Kenya, I am now back in New Zealand. It's been a bit hard to readjust to my 'normal' life here but the good news is that I'm full of renewed motivation to raise even more money this year to support the amazing projects I visited.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, my goal in Kenya was to identify good practices in orphanages and put together an orphanage development framework. This framework will be used to help shape our future funds distribution as well as provide a way to evaluate the success of our grants.

The key to the framework is that it's flexible. We want to build on the creativity and appropriateness of local responses rather than impose our own beliefs or bureaucratic requirements. . The framework therefore focuses on the children’s needs as the central goal of our work and highlights the importance of a strong foundation of sustainability and management/staff. It is hoped that the framework will highlight the variety of issues that orphanages face, but will allow each orphanage to tackle issues using their own creativity, knowledge and skills.

I am still finalizing the framework and report but plan to put it up on our website once it's been reviewed by the projects involved in the research. I will let you know as soon as it's up and ready! Meanwhile if you have any questions or comments, please let me know.

A huge thank you to GVN Foundation for involving me in such an interesting project and also to Irene from VICDA for making it possible.

Eliza

ESTC Hosts Making News!

2010-02-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to tell you about some of the remarkable achievements of two of our fantastic ESTC hosts who continue to make a difference in the world.

Firstly, congratulations to ESTC Host Cat Ross who was awarded the 2009 Peace Medal by the YMCA this week for her efforts in helping others. Cat has volunteered with Nine Circles Community Health Centre, Global Volunteer Network in Kenya, with Children International, and as a UNICEF Global Parent.
(Source: Winnipeg Free Press)

Cat has also taken part in Eat So They Can every year since the campaign began and says she plans to continue to be an ESTC host for years to come.

"My commitment to those in need will continue to remain endless. I believe that you have to make every moment count and that when you have the dedication to creating change, you will! Not only will you feel the personal reward that comes from within, but your passion in what you do will create ripples and these ripples will spread to other individuals who will open their minds to creating change as well. When we work together, the possibilities are endless!"

Well done Cat! You are an inspiration!

Congratulations also go out to ESTC Host Shelley Bragg who recently made it to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro as part of GVN’s fundraising trek. What an amazing effort! All funds raised through this trek go towards helping children in schools, orphanages and IDP’s camps in and around Nairobi.

Shelley hosted an ESTC event for 70 guests at the Grand Mercure Hotel in Hongqiao, Shanghai and raised over $1800!

You can read all about Shelleys ESTC experience in GVN’s brand new book - Ripples of Difference, visit: http://www.ripplesofdifference.org/

If you are an ESTC host and have a story to tell us, please drop us a line at info@eatsotheycan.org

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jambo from Kenya!

2010-01-25T00:56:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

I'm very excited to be able to write to you all the way from Nairobi, Kenya! As you may know, we decided that in order to put ESTC funding to the best possible use, it was necessary to do some research into good practices in orphanages in Kenya. I started the field work for this research project just a couple of days ago and have learnt so much already.

I spent the weekend at Shelter Children's Home and was fortunate to be able to interview and spend time with the Director, Administrator, Board and, of course, the amazing children. Mary, the Director of Shelter, is trully inspirational and I was able to learn so much from her about the realities and challenges of running a home.

I have started to put together a list of good practices and factors to consider. Shelter particularly highlighted two key points for me:
1. The importance of dedicated, loving, qualifed and well-managed staff
2. The potential for creating sustainability through both self-sufficiency projects (e.g. chickens, cows, farms, fish ponds, bore holes, bio fuel) and income-generation projects (e.g. printing for local businesses, guest houses, jewellery-making)

I'm off to another project today called Cheryls Children's Home now but I will keep you updated!

Kwaheri,
Eliza

Eat So They - We Have a Winner!

2010-01-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

Hilary Sullivan, English by birth but living in New York, USA is our 2009 ESTC Grand Prize winner! The GVN and GVN Foundation office invited "Policeman Dave" to draw the winning name this week to determine who would be accompanying members of the GVN staff to Kenya to help distribute food, medicine, and other supplies to our partner organizations.

And the winner is...

Hilary's reaction was not surprising; "I'm in a state of disbelief, overwhelmed but very excited. Essentially this will be my first trip to Africa and I thank you for giving me this priceless opportunity to find out how to make a difference. I have a lot to learn."

Hilary is no stranger to travel and in fact, states, "it is my great love." Prior to raising 3 children and settling into married life in New York, Hilary was quite the traveler visiting countries including Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Ecuador and Columbia...whew! Her interest likely stems from her childhood when her father, a trainer for foreign police officers, invited new recruits to their home for tea. She recalls guests entering her home in national costume and bringing gifts like "an enormous brass tray from Nigeria, silk fabric from Hong Kong, a small stuffed alligator from I don't know where, which resided under the television!"

When I spoke with her to confirm that this in fact, was not a joke, I was touched by her gratitude and inspired by her goal to "make the next 20 years the best and most productive of my life. I do like to challenge myself and travel independently as I really want to experience life as it is lived and understand why things are the way they are. I would love to speak Arabic fluently. I studied it for awhile years back and took it up again a short time ago." Wow! I suddenly feel the urge to go practice my spanish, run 10 miles, and teach 10 children to read...

Congratulation Hilary! We are so excited to get to learn more about you and help you put your goals into action!

Caitie Goddard, ESTC Team

Our 2009 ESTC Grand Prize Winner: Hilary Sullivan!

Emergency Relief for Haiti

2010-01-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

GVN and GVN Foundation have just launched the Haiti Emergency Appeal on our new fundraising site: http://www.gvnfundraising.org/cause/Haitidisasterrelief to aid the millions affected by the recent earthquake.

Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince this week. Thousands of lives have been lost, many are still missing, and hundreds of thousands of people have been affected. Haiti's Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive says he believes more than 100,000 people may have been killed.

The earthquake has destroyed much of the already fragile and overburdened infrastructure in the most densely populated part of the country. A massive and immediate international response is needed to provide food, water, shelter, and medical supplies to the people.

The GVN Team has launched into action and set up the Haiti Emergency Appeal to assist in the relief efforts and rehabilitation of the country. Colin plans on travelling to Haiti to head the distribution team once the UN has stabilised the area and we have made contacts on the ground. Plans are already underway for GVN to set up a volunteer program to assist the victims and the rebuilding of their communities.

Eliza Climbs Kili, I Learn English?!

2010-01-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

The office just got a whole lot quieter! My bubbly, always friendly co-worker, Eliza, left today for Kenya to complete the incredible feat of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro! Eliza was accompanied by another member of GVN/GVNFoundation Graham Fyfe, to lead a group of 10 trekkers up the highest peak in Africa!

All of the trekkers should be congratulated for not only taking on this physically demanding task, but of putting in all the effort prior to the climb to raise funds for VICDA, our partner in Kenya. What a great way to start off the New Year doing something so incredible not only for yourself, but for others!

The trekkers can take this "to-do" off their bucket list! Gorgeous Mt. Kilimanjaro!!

Since Eliza will spend some time after the trek researching model sustainable orphanages throughout Kenya, I am going to stay busy trying to push ahead and get ready for Eat So They Can 2010! This year I hope to get a lot more youth involved whether it is through their schools or community groups. I can't wait until we finalize our plans so I can share them with all of our future hosts! We have some really exciting things planned!

I'm also still trying to adjust to life as a "kiwi" and I have found hilarity in the fact that my biggest challenge seems to be...understanding the language?! The accent has given me several slightly embarrassing moments including my latest this morning. It was my first time taking a bus into work and after getting on, I thought the driver told me I was sitting in the '12 and under' seat. That was apparently NOT what he said so I can't imagine what he thought when I picked up all my stuff and changed seats on a nearly empty bus while he was driving! Isn't work supposed to be where you find your challenges not during the commute?

Caitie Goddard

ESTC Model Orphanage Research

2009-12-28T14:58:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

I'm very excited to let you know that I will soon be heading to Kenya! I'll be spending the first 10 days doing a fundraising trek up Mt Kilimanjaro (ahhhhhh!) and I'll then be carrying out some research with the projects we work with. The goal of my research is to seek local definitions of a ‘model orphanage’ from a staff perspective, a volunteer perspective and from the perspective of the children themselves.

I will then create an orphanage development framework which will help provide:

- A foundation from which to shape future ESTC funding
- A means to evaluate the success of ESTC grants
- Clear short- and long-term goals for both orphanage staff and ESTC staff
- A basis from which to develop sustainable orphanages

I'll be keeping you posted on how it goes but if you'd like to find out more or you have any suggestions, please feel free to send me an email or comment on this post.

Happy Holidays!

Eliza

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

We would like to begin by wishing you a safe and happy holiday season.

Nearing the end of our 3rd Eat So They Can campaign, we continue to be amazed at the generosity and true giving spirit of donors from all over the world. From Sydney to Shanghai, Denmark to Dubai, it is clearly evident that one of ESTC's greatest strengths is its amazing hosts.

Thanks to our fantastic hosts, the 2008 campaign raised over $60,000 and 5000 disadvantaged children from schools and orphanages in Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Uganda benefited. Our 2009 campaign has already raised over $170,000 and donations are still coming in!

Again, we offer our thanks and deepest sentiments of gratitude for all your support over the last year. It is our hope that your holiday season will be filled with peace and the upcoming year will be filled with success, adventure and joy.

We also look forward to meeting the lucky winner of our grand prize draw who will participating in the ESTC 2010 Distribution. Winner announced January 15 - good luck!

Best,

Courtney, Colin, Eliza, and Caitie

GVNF Team

Peruvian Hearts Making Ripples

2009-12-10T18:34:00.001-08:00

This year, we were so thrilled to be able to extend the ESTC campaign and partner with Peruvian Hearts so we may assist disadvantaged children in Peru. Peruvian Hearts is a fantastic non-profit that was started by a remarkable woman by the name of Ana Dodson when she was just 11 years old. Ana was born in Peru and adopted from there as a baby. Her amazing story features in our new book – Ripples of Difference, and I encourage everyone to download a copy and read this inspiring tale.

Story excerpt:“Peruvian Hearts has taught me that even when we see a situation that appears to be helpless, there is still hope. I know I can’t change the world in a day and I know I can’t do it by myself, but I believe that people working together really can make a difference. One of my goals is to inspire other kids to reach out and help others less fortunate than themselves. I believe that each person can change the world a little bit at a time.” And Dodson

Congratulations to Ana and the Peruvian Hearts Team for your fundraising successs this year. We look forward to having a great year with you in 2010!

To read the rest of Anas story and download your FREE copy of the Ripples of Difference e-book please visit http://www.ripplesofdifference.org/

My Own Eat So They Can Experience!

2009-12-03T15:49:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone!

The Eat So They Can guru, Eliza Raymond suggested I take use this week's update to introduce myself. My name is Caitie Goddard and I just arrived in New Zealand two weeks ago to start my job in the GVN Foundation office. I am really excited to be here and feel so lucky to work with such amazing people-they have made me feel so welcome! There is quite a lot going on around here with the book Ripples of Difference launching today (it's going to be a must-read!) and receiving the last incoming donations for this year's ESTC events!

(Photo: Some of my wonderful family who helped to plan the event! My lebanese grandmother is in the center-she made fattoush and we had some amazing meat pies to represent the Middle East!)

I was lucky enough to be one of the people who participated and wanted to share a little bit about my experience. My family is from the great state of Michigan in the U.S.A and that is where I decided to host an event. Unfortunately, planning was quite difficult; I was volunteering for 9 weeks in Uganda and could not do much of the difficult planning. I got a committee together of amazing people including my parents Kirk and Catherine, my aunt and uncle, Mary Therese and Joe and a good friend Brian Sopata to help! We decided with Brian's help to have the event in an auditorium at the local middle school (we got lucky-Brian is a teacher there!) From there we had to decide how many people we might have and how we would feed everyone along with the donations! It's amazing how generous my community is! We had several local businesses commit to donating food for the event and some even offerred raffle prizes!

(Photo: My cousins Natasha and Mary-Catherine ready to welcome the guests!)

The event was quite successful; I had set a personal goal to raise $3000 and I ended up with $4000! It ended up being a difficult week for me to organize people with a few vacations or previous plans but my friends and family didn't disappoint. Those who couldn't make it still donated and showed their support. I think I learned a few things planning an event for ESTC: Number 1-when it comes to giving to a good cause, ASK! People will never cease to amaze you with their generosity. Number 2-rely on others for support! Planning an event is a lot of work. Involving others not only makes it a lot more fun, it can save your sanity in the process! Number 3- Enjoy it! It shouldn't be all hard work or stress. I loved getting the opportunity to speak with people I rarely get to see and talk about things I really care about. Number 4-Eat the food! I was so busy I didn't eat until after my event. We had so much food that I got some of the leftovers but there were certainly things that went so fast, I never got to try a bite!

(Photo: One of the amazing plates donated by a local restaurant. These delicious wraps went so fast, the only time I saw them was before the event!)

2009-11-26T15:23:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

Eat So They Can has now raised over $155,000! Despite the recession, we have raised more than double the amount raised last year. Amazing!

Here is some food for thought to celebrate all our incredible hosts around the world...

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something." - Helen Keller

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." - Brian Littrell

"The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have." - Leonard Nimoy

"The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others." - Ghandi

And last but not least, here is a quote from one of our amazing ESTC hosts, Cat Ross:

"I believe that you have to make every moment count and that when you have the dedication to creating change, you will!"

Have a lovely weekend everyone,

Eliza

Ripples of Difference

2009-11-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

In recognition of International Volunteer Day (December 5th) and everything you have done to support ESTC, I would like to offer you the chance to receive your free copy of our new e-book, Ripples of Difference!

The Ripples of Difference book is a collection of unique and powerful stories written by volunteers from around the world, whose lives have been significantly affected through their experience volunteering.

I'm excited to announce that one of our ESTC hosts will be featuring in the book! Shelley Bragg hosted an event for 70 guests at the Grand Mercure Hotel in Hongqiao, Shanghai and raised $1800!

Story excerpt:“Weeks flowed into days and email reminders started coming in regularly from GVN’s Eat So They Can team. The pressing need for me to plan my event started penetrating my daily thoughts. It’s easy to sign up to do something. I think we all have good intentions to do things, but it is much harder to actually take action. I tried to ignore the questions threatening to drown my intentions, “Can I do it? Would people come? I haven’t been in Shanghai that long. Do I know enough people? Can I organize everything? Where will I find a venue? Who would help me?” I tried to find answers. Then, everything started to fall into place.” Shelley Bragg

To read the rest of Shelleys story and be among the first to receive a free copy of the e-book please visit http://www.ripplesofdifference.org/

Have a great weekend,

Eliza