Dysgraphia, a rare form of dyslexia, makes it difficult, painful in fact, to write by hand. When someone with dysgraphia does attempt to write, the result is usually illegible. Imagine the difficulties for a young child with that problem going to school. Michael Guggenheim has dysgraphia, and couldn’t even hold a pencil. His family got him a computer, and he was able to write perfectly well using the keyboard; only manual writing is a problem. After years of agony struggling in school and the associated emotional traumas of being different, Michael had learned a few things about needing help and giving help. The computer had drastically changed his life.
In 2007, Michael, age twelve at the time, decided he wanted to help others. He created SPLAT. He writes on the SPLAT Blog:
I have formed the non-profit 501 (c) corporation named S.P.L.A.T. – Showing People Learning and Technology.My Articles of Incorporation have been stamped by the Secretary of State and can be provided to all potential donors as proof of SPLAT’s status and intent.I have also a federal Trademark registration for SPLAT.I have also been approved by the I.R.S. as an exempt corporation under Section 501 c 3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and SPLAT’s Federal Tax Identification No. is 26-0642173, and my donors can receive a charitable tax credit on their tax reports. I have also established an wordpress website for SPLAT: http://splatcharity.wordpress.com/
After reading the above, it might be a good time to point out that Michael is currently thirteen years old. He adds:
Mission:My mission is to provide computers and learning software to children in shelters, low income residential projects and community centers because they might not otherwise have enough opportunities to learn how to use these tools.My other mission is to be able to give every child I tutor a laptop when his/her family leaves a transitional living center to a home of their own.
He’s teaching children in homeless shelters basic computer skills; skills their own parents don’t have. Computers and modern technology have changed the lives of so many people with what would have otherwise been disabling diseases and conditions, Michael realizes he can brig this empowerment to many others. Michael has been written up in the Los Angeles times and on ABC News (link below), and those stories explain exactly what he has done and what he continues to do. He is currently teaching children in homeless shelters.
Michael seeks donations of computers and software to help his work in a shelter in Los Angeles. If you have a laptop computer that you can spare, contact him or check out the Splat site for information on hos to donate it.
Last week, we introduced the idea of micro-loans rather than more traditional charities. This is an interesting concept because it allows a single donation to help others over and over again. Today, we have another group that does micro-loans, only in this case, it’s a bit larger project; building a school in Africa.
Epic Change believes that people’s stories are assets that can be used as resources to improve their lives. We help people in need share their “epic” true stories in innovative, creative and profitable ways to help them acquire the financial resources they need to create positive “change” in their communities.
Epic Change’s first project is to rebuild and expand Shepherds Junior, a small pre- and primary school located in Arusha, Tanzania. Mama Lucy Kamptoni, a savvy and passionate local woman, founded the school in 2003 on land she rented land next door to her home using the income from her poultry business. Since then, the school has grown from 6 students to 200+ children, ages 2-13.
The school is entirely English medium, but includes courses in Swahili, the country’s primary language, and has clubs that celebrate the vibrant culture and history of Tanzania. The primary goal of the school is to ensure that all children in the Kimandolu area are provided access to a high quality education at an affordable price. The school charges nominal tuition to most students, and uses its income to subsidize the costs of orphans and lower income children who attend the school.
In July of 2007, Mama Lucy was informed that the site which she was renting for the school was sold to a developer who would begin construction on the site in early 2008. Epic Change is working with Mama Lucy to rebuild and expand Shepherds Junior in a new location. Expansion plans for the school include the school’s first library, cafeteria, flushable toilets, solar power and computer labs, as well as classrooms to accommodate grades 1 through 7. It’s estimated that the new school will cost $250,000 to build, and will take 3-5 years for construction and loan payback.
To date, Epic Change has provided loans totaling $35,000 to the school. These funds helped the school to purchase an acre of land and complete construction of four new classrooms in less than 100 days. Students started classes at the new location on March 3, 2008.
Already, the school has managed to repay nearly 10% of that initial loan through local performances, auctions and sales of postcards designed by the students. As an additional means of repayment, Epic Change collaborated with the school transform stories of its students into an inaugural line of Epic Change cards and gifts that was launched in November 2008. Products include candles by West Hollywood designer Timothy Jay as well as stationery and holiday greeting cards that feature artwork by the children at the school and photos by award-winning photographer Tim Llewellyn, who volunteered with Epic Change on our last visit to Tanzania.
Annie Clawson is the Director of Awareness and Education for Wine to Water, an international aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world. Over 1 Billion people in the world today lack access to adequate water and sanitation. Wine to Water is devoted to fighting this epidemic.
“It’s hard to explain to someone who is used to drinking dirty water their whole life that clean water is better for them,” Clawson said.
“Educating them on why they should drink clean water is just as important as digging the well, because they aren’t going to drink it if they like the taste of dirty water.”
From the Wine To Water website:
Wine to Water was an idea or dream that became a reality in the beginning of 2004. We held our first fundraiser in Raleigh, North Carolina in February of 2004 to see if in fact it was an idea that people would respond or adhere to. The concept originally was to put on wine events, such as tastings, then use all of the money raised to support water projects around the world.
Wine to Water also offers a selection of wines for sale on location. Doc Hendley, Wine to Water executive director, said, “All the money made selling wine will go to water projects globally,” he said.
Wine to Water’s recent efforts have included installing multiple wells in southern Ethiopia, Darfur and Cambodia. The organization has funded sanitation system for an orphanage in India and began construction on a training facility in Uganda. The training facility will help local people learn to meet their own water needs. Also in Uganda, the group has started a bio-sand filter project, with the goal of funding 250 filters by the end of the year.
Stop by their website to read more about projects in Sudan, Uganda, Cambodia, and India.
Autism is a brain development disorder that impairs social interaction and communication, and also produces restricted and repetitive behavior. These symptoms all start before a child is three years old. Many of the causes of autism are unclear, but many believe that most, if not all, autism symptoms have a biomedical root. Treat the issue in the body, and the symptoms go away or lessen.
It’s no news that the economy is in shambles and health care is suffering even more than normal; many people are going without. This is an especially serious problem when it comes to children and medicine. Tori Tuncan decided to do something about it. She founded Lend4Health.org
Lend4Health facilitates community-based, interest-free “micro-loans” as a funding option for individuals. Lend4Health links people who want to make small loans for the biomedical treatment of autism with children and adults who need the assistance. Families who cannot afford the treatments contact Tori, who sets them up to receive small loans from people on the Internet.
Mother of two, Tuncan lives in the Washington D.C. area, became interested in autism when her son showed symptoms. Inspired by the Kiva.org website, she started her own site toward the end of June, 2008, and things took off from there. She recently started working on the idea full-time, and has begun thinking of expanding Lend4Health beyond autism treatments.
Contact Information:
Http://www.lend4health.org
To Donate, use the website above and scroll down to the “Donate” button.
Information on how the loans work can be found there as well.
Contact Tori at Lend4health@gmail.com
Matt Langdon, an Australian living in Michigan, is the founder of The Hero Workshop, enabling children to find the hero within themselves. The hero Workshop, begun in 2006, teaches children that in small ways, every day, they can all be heroes. The Hero Workshop visits classrooms across the country, displaying real heroes from history, and using these past heroes to help the children examine their own lives. They learn how they too, can be heroes in the way they live their life; the choices and ways of living that they choose. The resulting boost in self-confidence builds the likelihood that these children will make responsible choices in their own lives and perhaps take leadership roles within their own communities. When the workshop ends, teachers are left with supplementary materials to continue the program indefinitely.
Langdon left Australia to spend a summer in Michigan working at a YMCA camp fourteen years ago. He developed the Hero Workshop in 2006 with the goal of using the skills he had developed while living the camp life of “learn everything, just in case.” At cam, Langdon worked with people aged from five to “don’t ask” in sometimes wildly different circumstances and environments. They helped him to realise what a real hero is.
The aim of the program is to show young people that by doing the little things every day they can become heroes. Far from having to perform miraculous deeds, they are provided with an attainable goal.
Langdon works with with Dr. Philip Zimbardo, Zeno Franco, and Kathy Blau on their study of heroism in reference to the psychology world. Zimbardo has recently retired as Professor Emeritus at Stanford University and is keen to spread the word of heroism around the world.
Contact Information: Matt Langdon
810-869-3743 matt@thejanuscenter.com http://heroworkshop.wordpress.com/
The school is entirely English medium, but includes courses in Swahili, the country’s primary language, and has clubs that celebrate the vibrant culture and history of Tanzania. The primary goal of the school is to ensure that all children in the Kimandolu area are provided access to a high quality education at an affordable price. The school charges nominal tuition to most students, and uses its income to subsidize the costs of orphans and lower income children who attend the school.
Already, the school has managed to repay nearly 10% of that initial loan through local performances, auctions and sales of postcards designed by the students. As an additional means of repayment, Epic Change collaborated with the school transform stories of its students into an inaugural line of Epic Change cards and gifts that was launched in November 2008. Products include candles by West Hollywood designer Timothy Jay as well as stationery and holiday greeting cards that feature artwork by the children at the school and photos by award-winning photographer Tim Llewellyn, who volunteered with Epic Change on our last visit to Tanzania.
