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Goal: To establish locally-run tourist services in Fanskii Park and assist a community in establishing an NGO. Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $2750 Comment: Helping the local community in the Fanskii Mountains establish sustainable tourist services for visitors to the park will benefit the area both ecologically and economically. Donors: Ron Blum, Massachusetts (January 2001) |
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Result: To produce a video clip for Lithuanian television that promotes environmental action and cleaning up the Baltic Sea. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2227 Comment: Complex problems call for creative solutions - this project addresses the issue of environmental awareness in Lithuania in a way that will appeal to a wide spectrum of the population. See the Progress Report for more information. Donors: Lithuanian Regional TV - Kaunas TV; with matching funds from the Virtual Foundation [September 1999] |
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Result: To sustain the Varketili library project in Tbilisi, Georgia, and to keep the facility open to the public until additional funds are obtained. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $550 Comment: The Varketili Community Based Organization started this library in 1998. The library is meeting a public demand for information and a place to exchange ideas in this low-income neighborhood. Donors: Marion Butler, Pennsylvania, and Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [March 1999] |
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Result: In order to continue their voluntary work and make it more efficient, the Friends of Vilnius University Botanical Garden would like to acquaint themselves with the activities of volunteers in the botanical gardens and heritage parks in Finland. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2200 Comment: The group will spend seven days in Finland touring arboretums and botanical gardens. Donors: Funds collected by the Friends of the University of Vilnius Botanical Garden, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [June 1999] |
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Goal: To create a memorial for the three Chinese journalists killed during the accidental NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in May 1999. This project has no set budget. Your donation will add trees, one by one, to the forest. To date, a total of $2430 has been collected. Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $0 Comment: People from the United States found a way to build bridges to the Chinese people in the aftermath of the NATO bombing. This on-going project supports citizen-to-citizen international cooperation; see the Progress Report. Donors: [1999 - 2001] Anonymous (3) Andrea Crescente Allan and Carolyn Harris Lory Harris, on behalf of Colin and Jessica; Josephine Hay Willis Hay Joe and Kim Ksyniak Bonnie Mac Donald David and Andy Nowakowski Linda Oot Joe Pierpont Esther Mathews Schmidt Charles Scott Diane Schnaars Lori Shemanski Matthew, Sarah, and Bradley Sopinski; Lydia Thompson, in memory of Nate Krueger; Barbara Tinker Thomas Walski Clara Wolf Kimberly Wolf Richard Wolf James Woodworth. |
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Result: This financial support allowed members of an environmental NGO to travel to Moscow and testify in proceedings to halt the construction of a nuclear power plant Region: Russia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $220 Comment: Up against a complex Russian bureaucracy, the participants did not succeed in their goals. However, they deeply appreciated the support which made their efforts possible. Donors: Anonymous Donor [May 1999] |
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Goal: To help conserve resources and improve the environment in Karakalpakstan through the construction of rice straw houses. Region: Central Asia, Uzbekistan Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3960 Collected: $300 Needs: $3660 Comment: More than 200,000 tons of rice are grown annually in the Karakalpakstan region - this project would use a rice production waste product to build clean, environmentally beneficial houses.
Donors: Timothy Douglas, Washington DC [April 2001; May 2001]; Susan Macias, California [May 2002]; Timothy and Yulia Douglas, Washington DC [June 2002; September 2002]; Middlebury Model United Nations Conference [May 2003]; Anonymous, Washington State [July 2003; December 2003]; A Christmas Donation for Shane Clyburn [December 2004] |
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Result: To allow two specialists from Lithuania to travel to the US to gain valuable knowledge about wetland restoration. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $3517 Comment: Currently there are few resources available in Lithuania to aid groups restoring wetlands. Training in the US will enable two specialists to return to Lithuania with needed information and strategies. Donors: Lithuanian wetland experts, with matching funds from the Trust for Mutual Understanding [May 1999] |
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Result: To provide a Russian intern with training in a community-based approach towards environmental management systems, so that this model may be replicated in the Russian Federation. Region: Russia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $5285 Comment: Investing in the education and technical expertise of Russian citizens will have long term benefits for both Russia and the US. Donors: St. Joseph County (Michigan) Community Environmental Management Council, and Virtual Foundation matching funds [April 1999] |
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Result: To restore a beach in the town of Atbasar so that the public may use it again and attract public attention to water pollution and its sources in the area.
Region: Central Asia, Kazakstan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1658 Comment: Cleaning up the riverside beach has united youth groups, benefited public health and strengthened this community in Kazakstan. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations at Hamilton College, Colgate, New York, October 1999; with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Result: To clean three parks in Vilnius and to make an educational film for the public depicting the beauty of these recreational areas. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $830 Comment: This project was only partially completed. Please see the Progress Report . Donors: Anonymous [August 1999] |
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Result: To empower local residents by showing them that they can improve their environment and beautify their surroundings. Region: Belarus, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1661 Comment: This project not only addressed an environmental issue in a Belarusian city, it also encouraged citizens there to organize and participate in civic activities. Progress Report Donors: Chenango Forks Model United Nations Conference at Broome Community College, Binghamton New York [April 1999] with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Result: To clean up the water supply of the region and to involve the local inhabitants in environmental education and activism. The August 2001 Progress Report documents the first steps. Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2178 Comment: By increasing public awareness of a local health hazard & encouraging citizens to participate in actions for a cleaner environment, this project is benefitting civic consciousness as well as public health.
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Result: The Buddha Darshan Club is providing the local community with painting skills to be used for job development. Region: Nepal, South and Southeast Asia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $3482 Comment: This project will bring greater independence through development of skills (teaching the ancient art of Thanka painting, and also basic literacy). Provision of a sustainable source of electricity (a solar photovoltaic system)enables classes to be held at night. Donors: Yutaka Okamoto; Yoshiko Okamoto; Virtual Foundation Japan - Kyoto Branch; Ryukoku University Students; Individual Japanese citizens; Virtual Foundation Matching Funds; Kim Wolf; Shannon Simrell [May - July 2000] |
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Goal: The main focus of the project is to set up and operate a natural history museum and educational trail in the Preveza region of Northern Greece.
Region: Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1353 Collected: $0 Needs: $1353 Comment: This Czech - Greek cooperative effort could be a model of east-west cooperation in the post-Cold War era. |
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Result: Children learn to respect the natural environment through caring for their own small trees, from germinating in their classrooms, to planting outdoors. Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1100 Comment: This year's expansion of "Trees for Life" enabled children from 10 elementary schools in Xinjiang Autonomous Province to participate. Donors: "Friends of the Fragile Earth", Church of the Epiphany, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania [December 1999] with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Goal: Children from different elementary schools throughout China participate in this project, which consists of germinating and planting their own trees. They will also write short papers on their experiences. Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $500 Comment: The American donor, "Friends of the Fragile Earth", has ensured that this project was replicated and expanded to involve more schools and children in the coming year.
View the Progress Report, July 2001. |
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Goal: The goal of the project is to conserve five species of rare and endangered herbaceous plants of the Red Data Book of Georgia, and to develop a strategy for their protection. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2640 Collected: $6 Needs: $2634 Comment: Without efforts to preserve endangered plants, part of the unique genetic heritage of species growing in the Caucasus may disappear. Donor: Timothy Douglas, Washington DC [May 2001] |
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Result: Program participants from four continents gathered for two weeks of
intensive training, workshops and networking on issues of board development. Region: Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, Romania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1540 Comment: The two representatives from Romania needed funding for their travel and visa costs, iin order to participate. The National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington DC, covered all of their expenses inside the U.S. Donors: The National Center for Nonprofit Boards (Washington, DC), with matching funding from the Trust for Mutual Understanding [November 1998] |
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Result: Two activists working in the Czech Republic traveled to an international conference and to the United States in order to exchange information concerning uses of the Internet in NGO work. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $5500 Comment: This travel grant increased the level of cooperation between NGOs in Latin America and Central Europe. NGOs in these regions have much in common. These commonalities have been explored very little as both regions have primarily focused upon contacts with the US and western Europe. Donors: The Association for Progressive Communicators with matching funds from the Trust For Mutual Understanding [August 1998] |
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Result: This program educated Georgian diabetics in foot care, lifestyle management, and blood sugar monitoring; one of the goals is to reduce lower-extremity amputations among this population. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $3872 Comment: Such preventive medical programs raise the quality of human life and health. Individuals are empowered to take control of this aspect of their lives; health professionals are able to see improvement in the population they care for. Donors: Stanley Music, Natia Gvatua Music, with funds matched by the Tri-State United Way Fund, via Merck Pharmaceutical Employee Contributions plan [November 1999] |
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Result: This grant provided solar lighting to monasteries in Nepal. Farmer-monks who tended to the education of village children by kerosene or wood fire light, often at great risk to their eyes, lungs, and health, now perform their duties by solar-powered electric light. Region: Nepal, South and Southeast Asia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1496 Comment: International aid often misses remote villages in Nepal. Although they have very little, villagers matched Mr. Tamura's VF donation by providing shelter and food for technicians while they installed the equipment. Donors: Nanei Tamura, Japan [June 1998] |
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Goal: To replant trees around the Tbilisi Hippodrome, restoring the site to its prominence as a green recreation area within the city. Also, to show local citizens that environmental damage can be repaired by grassroots action. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1067 Collected: $500 Needs: $567 Comment: Residents of Tbilisi had been cutting down trees in the winter for heat and cooking fuel, during Georgia's economic and energy crisis. Replanting trees is a positive ecological action, and an equally important social affirmation. Donors: Manlius Pebble Hill Model United Nations Program, DeWitt, New York: September 2002 Conference |
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Result: To open a public library in the Varketili district of Tbilisi, Georgia; to support residents of the district with information and access to news media so that they may become familiar with and involved in the changes in their society. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1091 Comment: Varketili is one of the poorest suburbs of Tbilisi, Georgia. Most residents cannot afford a newspaper. Opening a public library is vitally important for the local community. It will fill the information deficit that was created by the financial and political crises. Donors: Marion Butler and friends, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [July 1998] |
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Goal: By publishing booklets for tourists the Society for Cultural Heritage will promote ecotourism and greater appreciation of the unique culture surrounding Mt. Mkinvartsveri. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2822 Collected: $0 Needs: $2822 Comment: Currently no such information exists for tourists. The ecosystem in the area is suffering from visitors who simply have not been alerted to the harm that they can inflict. |
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Result: This grant encouraged the start of landscape revitalization in the Czech Republic. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1375 Donors: Chenango Forks Model United Nations Club, Binghamton, New York [April 1998], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Goal: To establish a Forest Educational Center to promote forest conservation, challenge destructive forestry practices, and to build strong network of forestry activists. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1650 Collected: $1000 Needs: $650 Comment: Eighty percent of Czech forests have been damaged by industrial pollution and mismanagement. Donor: Zach, New York State [September 2005] |
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Result: The Solar Electric Lighting was installed in the Buddhist monastery in November, 1998. It provides a clean source of indoor light, and improves human health (vision and lungs) by eliminating the indoor burning of wood and kerosene. Region: Nepal, South and Southeast Asia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2500 Comment: This was truly an international cooperative venture between local communities and a motivated Nepalese enterprise with funded by Japanese donors. Donors: Professor Nobuo Ota & students at the Chiba University of Commerce, Japan; assisted by Dr. Takemi Ichimura of Tokyo Life Science Laboratory [October 1998] |
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Result: To initiate an international summer camp of youth volunteers who will restore natural and historical sites, thereby catalyzing local preservation efforts. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $374 Comment: The American high school students who chose to fund this project liked the idea of a teenage summer camp devoted to natural and historic preservation efforts. One expressed the wish to attend the camp himself. Donors: Chenango Forks Model UN Club Members, Chenango Forks High School, Binghamton, New York [March 1999], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Goal: To raise the level of environmental education in Albania by providing training for teachers, and increased public access to information on environmental issues. Region: Albania, Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1837 Collected: $0 Needs: $1837 Comment: An Albanian biologists' organization plans public outreach efforts, to raise environmental knowledge and awareness. |
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Goal: Twenty students and 2 teachers will sample and test air in industrial and residential sites of Beijing. Students will use their project to raise awareness of air quality issues among other students and encourage environmental protection activities. Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1100 Donors: Derek Chung Fund, San Francisco Foundation, California; Anonymous, California; and matching funds from the Trace Foundation [June 2002] |
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Result: To supply bird watching materials to young students in China and to develop international linkages between young bird watchers in the U.S. and China. Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $550 Donors: Kirk Davis [August 1997] |
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Goal: To model organic farming, sustainable forest management, housing alternatives, and ecotourism. Civil servants “on loan” can provide full time staff to supplement volunteer efforts, if living costs are funded. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $385 Comment: This project represents a creative partnership between a citizens’ group and local government. It also provides a creative and challenging alternative to growing consumerism in the region. Donors: EurasiaGroupa (student NGO at Central European University in Budapest); Scott Link & Shannon Simrell; Mike & Alene Case [June 1999] |
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Result: As a result of this grant, one hundred and twenty students in Central Asia’s Kazakstan developed a pen pal program with three ecological clubs in the U.S. and exchanged information about local environmental conditions and life in their regions. Region: Central Asia, Kazakstan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $154 Comment: The world views of hundreds of youths were changed for the cost of envelopes, pencils, stamps, and photographs. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations Conference at Hamilton College [December 1997], and the UNA-USA of Upper Mohawk Valley, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Result: To prevent desertification of 30 hectares of farmland and renew this land for families in Kyrgyzstan by returning water taken from them by other regional farms after the break up of the USSR. Region: Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2310 Comment: The livelihood of two hundred families has been significantly improved, by providing them with a low-cost sustainable irrigation system. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations Conference at Hamilton College, New York [October 1998], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Result: Local citizens were able to monitor and prevent mercury and phenol seepage into the Samarkand Reservoir and River Nur. Region: Central Asia, Kazakstan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $346 Comment: Supporting citizen monitoring efforts promotes public participation and democratization at the local level where real reforms first take root. Donors: Anonymous Donor with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [November 1997] |
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Result: To organize 20-30 Beijing students and their parents to plant trees during their summer vacation and create a "Green Wall" barrier against desertification. Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1040 Comment: Desertification at the edges of the En Ge Bei Desert, located in China's Northwest, is causing sandstorms and altering the weather of China's interior. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations Conference at Hamilton College [December 1997], and the Upper Mohawk Valley chapter of the UNA-USA, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Goal: To provide youth with an experience of alternative lifestyles de-emphasizing consumerism and providing access to practical environmental activities such as tree planting, recycling, bird house and frog pond construction, and litter reduction. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Slovakia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1760 Collected: $0 Needs: $1760 Comment: The workshops take place at the group’s farm which produces its own food and demonstrates Slovakia’s traditional handicrafts. |
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Result: This project provided funding for 140 elementary school students to grow saplings in their schoolyard, which were later planted in the countryside. Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $825 Comment: This project was so successful that it has inspired the original funders to support its continuation and expansion in future years. See "Trees for Life - Grow a Tree" second and third year funded projects. Donors: "Friends of the Fragile Earth", Church of the Epiphany, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania [December 1997], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Result: The thousands of saplings that the government planted in a national park near Beijing, China were cultivated. Volunteers paid for the travel to care for the trees. Funding paid for tools. Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $792 Donors: Esther Schmidt, New York City [December 1996] |
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Goal: To develop a museum exhibit about Lake Baikal for public education of schoolchildren and adults in and around Usolye. Region: Russia, Russian Far East, Siberia Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1430 Comment: Progress Report Donors: Mike Shor, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [September 1997] |
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Goal: The goal is to further restore a peat bog for the creation of wildlife habitat, with provisions for making the bog accessible to birdwatchers schoolgroups. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1100 Donors: Shannon Simrell, Keystone College, the US Baltic Foundation, and the Moriah Fund [February 1997] |
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Result: To support the development of environmental policy and precedent for the Amursky Region of the Russian Far East. Region: Russia, Russian Far East, Siberia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1386 Comment: This project encourages decentralization of policy making in the field of resource management. Environmental NGOs are providing their expertise to regional environmental officials, in order to protect the forests and the water of this ecologically sensitive region. Donors: Nathan Cummings Foundation Staff Grant (December 1998); with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Goal: To develop and demonstrate a biogas apparatus that will process organic waste materials and provide rural residents energy, thereby reducing deforestation. Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1760 Comment: The Youth Creative Coalition of the Tajikistan Academy of Sciences are responding to conditions of disrupted gas and electricity caused by a civil war. Donors: Gift of John Deever and Lisa Swaim, to their Bridal Party on the occasion of their wedding, October 2001, Washington DC. Bridal Party: Amy Deever Mark Dilley Darcy Galane Frank Gordish Hans Gorsuch Mara Matteson Miriam Matteson Helen Rowe Jeff Scott Hector Garcia Santana Paul Swaim Ewan Todd David Tracy, and Jeanne Work.
David and Sara Deever, Ohio [March 2002] |
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Goal: A water resource assessment of the Karanku-Gyunduvarski Reservoir will examine changes in water levels related to recent rapid development of hotels in Ashgabat (the capital of Turkmenistan). Scientists and social activists in this Turkmen NGO will prepare a report, conduct a public information campaign, and work with local and national governmental agencies to develop a realistic plan for sustainable drinking water use. Region: Central Asia, Turkmenistan Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $2904 Comment: This project could be a model for NGOs and policy makers in many other arid world regions which are also experiencing population and economic growth, and depletion of fresh water supplies. Donors: ISAR Central Asia [May 1998] |
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Goal: This group is requesting a complete E-mail station for communications, including publication and distribution of their own newsletter/journal, "Tourism, Ecology, Nature, and Us." Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1078 Donors: Stuart Carroll, Massachusetts, April 2001 |
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Result: Field studies and practical outdoor activities develop young people's feelings of responsibility toward their natural environment. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1087 Comment: Organizers and teachers worked in cooperation with a local museum, developing programs to combine ecological and traditional Lithuanian culture studies. Donors: ECOLOGIA's Baltic Mini-Grant Program, supported by The Moriah Fund of Washington D.C. [May 1997] |
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Result: This project provided a complete e-mail station so that the Health Center can obtain outside information and consultation on the link between environmental conditions and health in Armenia. Region: Armenia, Caucasus Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1078 Comment: A Virtual Foundation Consortium partner, the Sacred Earth Network, provided valuable technical support to the Health Center, allowing it to develop its first direct and continual link to much needed foreign expertise. Donors: Sacred Earth Network and Social Ecological Union [March 1999] |
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Goal: Andrei Kozlovich is a legal advocate on behalf of Russian children who are ill from exposure to toxic wastes. His work requires e-mail access. Region: Russia Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $440 Comment: Andrei Kozlovich continues to gather momentum and support for his work. Read Andrei Kozlovich's Progress Report written February 2001. Donors: Chenango Forks High School Model U.N, Binghamton, New York [December 1999] with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds; Ron Blum, Massachusetts [January 2001]; Dorothy McPherson, Pennsylvania [October 2002]; Anonymous, Virginia [August 2003] |
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Result: To fund monthly e-mail costs for Yuri Skochilov. He distributes a bulletin on environmental issues in Tajikistan, and provides e-mail service to environmental groups who are otherwise isolated. Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $138 Comment: We have seen the extraordinary impact of e-mail access, which connects groups to outside information and moral suppport. Donors: Shannon Simrell, Pennsylvania, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [January 1998] |
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Result: Thanks to this donation, town residents and the local government in the city of Siauliai were informed about the pollution levels of their well water. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1090 Comment: Public education leads to constructive political involvement. See theProgress Report, as well as the Final Report. Donors: Chenango Forks High School Model United Nations Conference, Binghamton New York [April 1997], and Ron Blum in memory of Yosef Goldring; with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Goal: The Stavropol Ornithological Group is requesting a complete E-mail station to distribute information on endangered species and efforts to create nature preserves. Region: Russia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1078 Collected: $0 Needs: $1078 Comment: Stavropol, southern Russia, is in a ecologically sensitive area between the Black and Caspian Seas. The computer also be shared with other local environmental groups. The information will go to local newspapers, colleges, and schools. |
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Goal: To provide Valentina Dmitrieva and her Public Education Center of Sakha with e-mail costs so that this remote region’s only e-mail connection for activists continues. Region: Russia, Russian Far East, Siberia Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $495 Comment: The Center also provides information to the media, campaigns against polluting industries, lobbies for legislation, and operates environmental education programs for school children. The Final Report for an earlier grant shows all the work that they do. Donors: Middlebury Union High School Model United Nations [May 2001]; Middlebury Model UN Conference [November 2002]; Dr. Robert DiGiulio, Vermont [March 2004]; for the Bar Mitzvah of Edward William Colow-Russell [December 2004] |
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Result: To educate the public about Soviet style reactors, this project translated, printed and distributed copies of Worldwatch Paper 75: Reassessing the Nuclear Power: The Fallout from Chernobyl, by Christopher Flavin. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Slovakia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $935 Donors: Anonymous Donors [February 1997] |
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Goal: ECOLOGIA's base of operations in China is Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Our project site is in the mountains west of Chengdu, where the earthquake damage was greatest. We are using our existing on-the-ground capacity to deliver post- emergency relief aid to earthquake survivors. This includes support for rebuilding and repairing damaged homes and village infrastructure. The Progress Report, May-December 2008 explains what we have achieved so far. It also lays out plans to continue and expand the work as part of ECOLOGIA's long-term commitment to poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Region: China Status: Needs Funding Budget: $90000 Collected: $52338 Needs: $37662 Comment: Our goal is to encourage villagers to engage in reconstruction that will be more earthquake resistant and also more environmentally friendly. We are avoiding some of the problems of post-Katrina and post-tsunami construction where people rebuilt the same kinds of inappropriate dwellings. In addition, we are using this opportunity to seed the creation of community funds. Reconstruction and repair loans will be repaid to the community trust fund (over a period of one to five years). The community fund will then be used to promote environmentally and socially sustainable development, in response to the perceived needs of the villagers. Individual Donors: Anonymous [Colorado, Massachusetts, California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Mexico, Kentucky, Vermont, Kansas, Virginia]; John Allen, Kentucky; Matthew Amoss, Louisiana; Diana Bain, Vermont; Sarah Bender, Colorado; Richard Bennett, Utah; Chris Bohjalian, Vermont; Jordan Brener, Vermont; Kate Brittain, California; Chris Carlson and Marty Wolf, Colorado; May Chan, Paris FRANCE; David and Jane Chaplin, Alabama; Zachary Chen, Illinois; John and Julie Conroy, Maryland; Ellie Coriell, Colorado; Jane Detwiler, Massachusetts, Catherine Donnell, Colorado ; Elizabeth Engelman, California; Jennifer Finn, Colorado; Jamie Kyra Fuchs, Connecticut; for Kim Gormley, from Tina Holland, Massachusetts; Sara Grantstrom, Vermont; Michelle and Chris Hair, Colorado; Janet Hale, Connecticut; Ann L. Hanson, Ohio; Joe and JoAnne Henjum, Colorado; Nancy Henjum, Colorado; Jamie Henn, California; Gen A Izutsu, New Hampshire; Gayle R Jordan, Colorado; Beth Kemp, Colorado; Daniel Knowlton, New Hampshire; Deborah Knowlton, New Hampshire; Nora Lamm, New Mexico; Hugo Lara, Connecticut; Liza Levy, Kentucky; Patty and Andy Leyland; Mike and Nancy Maday, Colorado; Caitlin Matthews, Oregon; Sandra McCalmon, Colorado; Vernon and Shirley Mollan, Minnesota; Judith A. Nolan and Elizabeth Wiernasz, Connecticut; Maria Myra Palmero, New York; Alexander Paraschos, Massachusetts; Ardith Pierce, Kansas; MacKenzie Roebuck-Walsh, Japan; Guy Scarborough, Colorado; Brian Siegele, Colorado; Vu Tran, Maryland; Lilian Vince, New York; Christina Winker, Massachusetts; Benjamin Young, Colorado; Robin Young, Pennsylvania; For Jodie Zhang - Sue Ma. Massachusetts; Zachary Zimmerman, New Hampshire Organization Donors: Church Communities Foundation, New York; Westwood Hills Church Social Action and Outreach Board, California; Springs Mountain Sangha,a Zen Buddhist Community, Colorado; Middlebury College 5K Fun Run (for Burma/Myanmar and China disaster relief) May 22, Vermont; Summer Solstice Celebration of First Congregational Church in Colorado Springs; Church Communities - UK; St. Paul Central High School Roots and Shoots, Minnesota; Green Across the Pacific, Vermont; Chengdu International Women's Club with support from the local and expatriate Chengdu community
Volunteers for ECOLOGIA's Earthquake Relief Efforts (on the ground in Chengdu): Meg Young, Colorado; Kate Leyland, Connecticut; Xuefeng Liao ("Quincy"), Vermont; Daniel Knowlton, New Hampshire; Dr. Robbie Ali, Pennsylvania; Huang He, HUNGARY; Stephanie Ellis, Ohio; Miko Heller, California. |
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Goal: To heal infants and children suffering from atopic dermatitis ("topi"), a painful skin disease prevalent in South Korea Region: Central Asia Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $3619 Comment: The clinic, "Hwan-Hee's Home", treats infants and children by switching the entire family to organic foods (to avoid pesticide and herbicide residues, which are higher in South Korea than in any other nation), and providing a calm low-stress environment for daily visits.
Donor: Katherine Gould-Martin, and all donors to "Fruits and Vegetables for Pregnant Uzbekistani Women". We were unable to get the funds to the Uzbek women's group, due to the inhospitable climate for NGOs in Uzbekistan in recent years. Katherine Gould-Martin supported the allocation of the funding originally designated for the Uzbek project, to the Hwan-Hee Home in South Korea instead. |
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Goal: Each donation of $330 will enable a farming family in rural Sichuan Province to participate in a micro-loan program developed by successful rabbit farmers, in partnership with ECOLOGIA. Our goal for 2008 is to raise enough additional money to involve 10 additional farming families. Region: China Status: Needs Funding Budget: $53300 Collected: $50000 Needs: $3300 Comment: Chinese farmers are currently facing vast environmental and social upheaval; micro-finance support for rabbit raising provides an opportunity for family members to earn money while staying together on their land.
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund has supported this micro-finance project since 2007, with the original seed money and overhead costs. The additional funding requested here will enable us to reach more families. |
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Goal: To provide continuing support for an elementary school organized and run by the residents of Matopeni, a low-income area on the outskirts of Nairobi. The goal is to provide educational opportunities for orphans and children of destitute families. Region: Africa Status: Needs Funding Budget: $12000 Collected: $9530 Needs: $2470 Comment: The school receives support from various neighborhood organizations. Their goal with this project is to raise money to cover school supplies (books, pens, paper, uniforms), daily lunch, etc. Roughly $200 USD covers the expenses for one child, for an entire year. NOTE: This district has a mixed ethnic/tribal composition, and its people did not become involved in the violence after the 2008 Kenyan Presidential election.
Donors: Middlebury Model United Nations Conference, May 2008; Melissa Elliott, Colorado, July 2008; Lisa Darling, Colorado, September 2008 - for tuition for Adrian and Pollet Adhiambo; Cullen Hughes, Colorado, September 2008 - for tuition; Meghan Hughes, Colorado, September 2008 - for books; December 2008: Judy Arffman, Colorado - for schooling and extra food for Jeremiah Silar; Todd Merendino, Colorado - for David Asamka and Jane Kanini; Meghan Hughes, Colorado - Sponsorship fees for Elizabeth Njeri and Evelyne Nyanchera;
January 2010: Maria Hughes, Jane Saul, Meghan Hughes, Todd Merendino, Cullen Hughes (2010 total so far: $ 3230) |
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Goal: Building on the health data base developed in previous years, to deliver key preventative medical supplies and information; to propose and deliver appropriate treatment for pervasive chronic diseases such as hypertension and anemia among the Dukha population
Region: Central Asia, Mongolia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $26250 Collected: $750 Needs: $25500 Comment: For information on the previous years' work with this population, see the "funded projects- Mongolia" section of this website.
Thank you to The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation for their faith in, and continuing support for, this program. |
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Goal: To provide critical direct aid, capacity training and native rights support to people of the mountain, taiga forest and steppe grassland cultures; to maintain and enhance their traditional nomadic lifestyles of reindeer, yak and camel breeding, hunting and gathering in their native homelands.
Donors: James McFarland, Washington DC; [December 2007]; Dinah Bear, Washington DC [January 2008]; Ruth Nelson; Barakat Foundation, Massachusetts [January 2008]; Ashley Walker, New York State; Cultural Survival, Massachusetts [February 2008]; Barbara Felitti and Wayne Curley, Washington DC; Gerald Perry, Tennessee; Nils Larsen, Washington State [March 2008]; John Scheib, New York State [May 2008]; The Kelly Scheib Fund through Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Ohio [May 2008]; The New York Community Trust Worth Fund [July 2008]; Oracle Corporation Matching Gifts Program [October 2008]; December 2008: Merrill Family Foundation, Inc.; Joseph/Cameron Walkuski, Montana; Joyce Hundley, Washington DC; Victor Himbaugh, Kentucky; Raymond Curran, New York State; Arthur Albrecht, California; Ruth Nelson, Massachusetts; New York State: William Burdsall; Michael Reynolds; Louis Curth; Marguerite Pitts; Timothy Scherbatskoy; Lincoln Stoller; St. Lawrence University Outdoor Center; Matthew Foley; Samuel Fisk; James McFarland, Washington DC; Dinah Bear, Washington DC; Louise Gregg, New York
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Goal: To provide educational opportunities for motivated Chinese girls from rural families who are unable or unwilling to pay the girls' school fees to continue their education into middle school
Region: China Status: Needs Funding Budget: $4924 Collected: $3384 Needs: $1540 Comment: Many girls who show strong interest and ability are not supported by their families in their quest for education. The Rabbit King Poverty Alleviation Center (set up by successful Chinese entrepreneurs) identifies motivated girls from impoverished families, and provides them with scholarships and work-study opportunities. Starting in the Chengdu region, this program is working through schools which serve rural youth.
Donors: Anonymous Family [January 2006]; Middlebury Union High School Model UN Vermont [March 2006]; ECOLOGIA [January 2007]; MUHS Model UN [May 2007]; Jan and Nick Vasilius, Arizona [December 2007] |
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Goal: To provide the Zugdidi (Georgia) Farmers and Landowners with internet access, so that they can locate sources of international funding for their environmental protection and agricultural support work. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2200 Collected: $0 Needs: $2200 Comment: This attempt to bridge the 'digital divide' indicates the increasing sophistication of regional groups in developing countries. It points up the complexity of globalization, and the opportunities opened up by the internet. |
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Goal: Biologists and botanists will work with local residents to develop eco-tourism in the region, as a path to sustainable development. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2186 Collected: $0 Needs: $2186 |
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Goal: To organize the school and community around renovation of "Revival Park"; to create nature trails, recreational open space, and an environmental education center
Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3280 Collected: $0 Needs: $3280 Comment: This project identifies an existing valued public space, and finds ways to make it an integral part of healthy community life for people of all ages. |
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Goal: To provide direct assistance - volunteer labor and building materials - to Sri Lankan communities damaged by the December 2004 Tsunami.
Donor: The Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Foundation, Texas [June 2005]
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Goal: An educational film about Dukha Reindeer Herders' struggle to maintain their spirituality and way of life; these are now being changed by the forces of global warming. To continue traveling with and filming the Dukhas, because indigenous people take time to share their stories. Region: Central Asia, Mongolia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $39585 Collected: $5000 Needs: $34585 Comment: In summer 2007 and 2008, extensive footage was filmed, including five shaman ceremonies, and interviews. The goal for 2009 is to transcribe the conversations, log the footage and prepare the rough edit. This film will be made available to Mongolians, to colleges and universities and to others who need to know about the sustainable life of one of the earth’s most remarkable people. (Note: this budget reflects only what is needed to complete this multi-year project. More than $70,000 has already been invested.)
Donors: Anonymous; Jouni Koljonen, Finland (June 2008); Anonymous, Vermont (January 2009) |
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Goal: To fight the growing spread of HIV/AIDS in Poti, and the stigma and myths associated with the disease, through an education campaign in the six universities and technical colleges in the city. Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2090 Collected: $0 Needs: $2090 Comment: Since over 90% of youth attend some college or technical school in Poti, the most effective way to reach youth is through the universities. Through a combination of trainings and informational booklet distribution on campuses we will inform the Poti youth population about the dangers of IV drug use and HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. NOTE: Poti is a port city (see photo). |
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Goal: To create 10 wooden sculptures commemorating characters in the ancient legends of Lake Rekyva. Our school is the keeper of our local historical heritage. We think that the well-known past of Rekyva could be immortalized in the wooden sculptures. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2173 Collected: $0 Needs: $2173 Comment: Cultural heritage and environment are interconnected: if people respect their history, know their roots, they treasure and protect their local natural environment because it links to their past.
One of the legends is "The Giant Crayfish who Lived in Rekyva Lake". It starts,
"Once upon a time in a little hut without a chimney to its fire-place, on the bank of Rekyva Lake, an honest and hard working man named Bubulis was living. He worked from dawn to twilight, rooting out stumps, scrounging for wood in the field, serving in serfdom.... |
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Goal: To identify and support grassroots Chinese activities and projects to combat the spread of desertification. WE HAVE THE START-UP FUNDING; WE ARE LOOKING FOR PROJECTS. Region: China Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3000 Collected: $0 Needs: $3000 Comment: An anonymous Chinese donor, with match funds from the Trace Foundation, has established a Donor-Advised Fund to support Anti-Desertification projects in China. |
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Goal: Six business leaders from the Russian-speaking community of Visaginas, in Lithuania, will travel to Vermont to observe and discuss examples of sustainable development by local businesses. Region: Baltics, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $14300 Collected: $0 Needs: $14300 |
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Goal: To organize community programs around the school, which has a central place in the town social life, as well as an important location. Recycling, composting, and outdoor work will benefit the whole town. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2200 Collected: $0 Needs: $2200 |
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Goal: To create a "Faerie Forest" and programs for use by children, school groups and neighborhood families, in a neighborhood in Budapest Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Needs Funding Budget: $5622 Collected: $0 Needs: $5622 |
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Goal: To provide direct assistance - volunteer labor and building materials - to Sri Lankan communities damaged by the December 2004 Tsunami.
Donor:The Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Foundation, Texas [June 2005] |
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Goal: To provide direct assistance - volunteer labor and building materials - to Sri Lankan communities damaged by the December 2004 Tsunami.
Donor:The Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Foundation, Texas [June 2005] |
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Goal: To provide direct assistance - volunteer labor and building materials - to Sri Lankan communities damaged by the December 2004 Tsunami.
Donor:The Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Foundation, Texas [June 2005] |
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Goal: High school students from Guangdong (southern China) and Vermont work cooperatively to explore natural resource management and develop environmental policies Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $18000 Comment: Green Across the Pacific's summer exchange programs alternate between southern China and Vermont. Teenagers experience the cultural enrichment of an immersion program, with an environmental policy and leadership focus. Donors: Various individuals and foundations |
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Goal: To produce a quarterly popular magazine and related website, to focus on the environmental benefits of wiser transportation decisions in Budapest - supporting bicycling, walking and public transportation. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3465 Collected: $0 Needs: $3465 Comment: Volunteer contributors include bicycle couriers, pollution and transportation experts, teachers, journalists and environmental activists. |
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Result: To enable Wang Yongchen, a dynamic environmental leader, to travel to the United States to participate in an international peace conference in June 2005, and to inform American audiences about her work. Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1877 Comment: Wang Yongchen is an award-winning journalist and public speaker. For over a decade she has traveled around China documenting environmental damage and remediation efforts. She has won numerous cash awards, which she donates to Chinese environmental organizations. This is a wonderful opportunity for her to bring her message of hope and conviction to the United States. Donors: The Olive Branch Fund through the Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving [California], May 2005 |
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Goal: To encourage young people in Hungary to use and support public transportation instead of the 'car culture', through the use of humor Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Needs Funding Budget: $5500 Collected: $0 Needs: $5500 Comment: Individual choices, added up, define a country's development. The Clean Air Action Group hopes that young people will choose environmentally friendly transportation, to improve air quality and maintain urban neighborhoods. |
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Result: To create a strategic plan for Dukha health care to be shared with local and national health workers in Mongolia, continue to create a Dukha Health Data Base, provide vitamins and research natural sustainable sources of vitamins. Region: Central Asia, Mongolia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $16147 Comment: In 2006, the project interviewed 75% of the Dukha families about their health needs. In 2007, the project finished the data base and has begun to advocate with the local and national health workers for a plan for adequate care. The project also supplied a solar panel, storage battery and solar lamp to the local elementary school, in addition to medical supplies to the Dukhas.
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Goal: Through an annual student-run grant competition, to support projects initiated by Chinese university student groups throughout southwest China Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $3300 Comment: The Green SOS organization has worked for four years to encourage student environmental groups throughout their region of China. This project gives students - the future leaders of China - valuable experience in working with communities and local government agencies, and carrying out their ideas from start to finish.
Donors:: Katherine Gould-Martin, New York State [February, April,June 2005]; The Olive Branch Fund at the Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving, California [July 2005]; For the wedding of Chris Langer and Pearl Liao Hong, New York State [September 2005]; Katherine Gould-Martin [October 2005; April 2006] |
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Goal: To reduce air pollution and decrease traffic problems, by organizing neighborhoods to build bicycle paths and plant trees Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1485 Collected: $0 Needs: $1485 |
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Goal: To preserve the existing side-lines railways system; to maintain and upgrade the railway and station services for rural and village residents Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Needs Funding Budget: $5380 Collected: $0 Needs: $5380 Comment: The regional branch railways are also an important part of developing travel and tourism potential. This project will unite local communities, railway companies, and a strong advocacy network as they work together to achieve this goal. |
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Goal: By studying bird habitats and then creating suitable conditions for birds in their neighborhoods, young people will protect many native bird species whose survival is threatened by deforestation Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1300 Collected: $0 Needs: $1300 Comment: This project is an opportunity for children to contribute to their community, while learning important principles of biology and ecology |
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Result: An educational film about nomadic women's health and lifestyle is documenting a way of life that is disappearing as modern life impinges
and provides nomads with an alternative to their traditional dependence on the environment. Region: Central Asia, Mongolia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $59257 Comment: This 73 minute film is being made available to Mongolians and to others who need to know about the sustainable life of one of the earth’s most remarkable people. Screenings can be arranged by contacting Sas Carey of Nomadicare. Donors: Anonymous, Vermont [2005 & 2006]; Vermont Arts Council [February 2005]; Anonymous, New York State [May 2005]; National Endowment for the Arts; Mongolian American Cultural Association; Sustainable Future Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation [March 2006] |
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Goal: To involve students in clean-up and path-clearing in the forest, and to encourage responsible public use of this forest Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $829 Collected: $0 Needs: $829 Comment: The local Forestry Department and Municipal Government will contribute their services to this project |
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Goal: To enable doctors from rural regions of Mongolia to learn traditional Mongolian medicine practices
Donor: Anonymous, Louisiana [August 2007] |
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Result: To provide Dukha (Reindeer Herders) in Northern Mongolia with basic vitamins which they do not find in their environment, to promote better health and thus ability to sustain their threatened lifestyle. Region: Central Asia, Mongolia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $8667 Comment: Damage to gums, loss of teeth, and impaired vision are some of the signs of vitamin deficiency experienced by the Dukha; vitamins A and C will be of great help to them.
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Goal: This is an important step toward improving public health care for rural people. Region: Central Asia, Mongolia Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $5395 Comment: Supplies and training are as important as the original lab equipment, in order to maintain services. Donors: Anonymous (various) [June & July, 2004] |
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Goal: To increase the environmental awareness of children raised in orphanages, by introducing them to the beauties of nature and to the environmental problems of their homeland Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Estonia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1174 Collected: $0 Needs: $1174 Comment: In addition to excursions and discussions, children will plant trees in a former industrial area along with local Russian-speaking children and Tartu Volunteer Center volunteers. |
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Goal: To provide migrant workers suffering from work-related accidents with assistance to receive adequate medical care and legal treatment. Region: Middle East Status: Needs Funding Budget: $5500 Collected: $0 Needs: $5500 Comment: Migrant workers in Israel work primarily in agriculture, construction, and home nursing. Many come from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, and face serious barriers when they need health care. |
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Goal: To transport leaking hazardous residues (fungicides, insecticides, herbicides) to an approved storage place. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Estonia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1650 Collected: $0 Needs: $1650 Comment: The agricultural chemicals are left over from collective farms in Soviet times. Leaking barrels in an inadequate storage area threaten to contaminate local water supplies. |
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Goal: Through a "hands on" workshop on the island of Hiiumaa, young people from 6 nations will learn about and contribute to sustainable development and nature protection Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Estonia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2054 Collected: $0 Needs: $2054 Comment: This project and its follow-up will be done in cooperation with local officials, businesspeople and nature park employees. |
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Goal: to decrease the level of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use among the young adults (15-25 year olds) of Sergheitabat region by organizing an educational campaign, involving them through sports, and teaching them healthy lifestyles.
Region: Central Asia, Turkmenistan Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2200 Collected: $0 Needs: $2200 |
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Goal: to provide community members with complete information about the variety of local non-governmental organizations which serve the region Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2640 Collected: $0 Needs: $2640 Comment: By coordinating their public outreach activities, the local NGOs of Panevezys will also become more active in implementing local and regional projects. This step in the evolution of a viable non-governmental sector would be a significant development in the growth of democracy in this region of Lithuania. |
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Goal: to provide care for 20 mentally ill children, in a home which respects their rights and dignity Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1100 Collected: $0 Needs: $1100 Comment: This opportunity will not only provide the young people with compassionate care, it will focus on their inclusion, rather than exclusion, from the normal life of their society |
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Goal: to provide care for 20 mentally ill children, in a home which respects their rights and dignity Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1100 Collected: $0 Needs: $1100 Comment: This opportunity will not only provide the young people with compassionate care, it will focus on their inclusion, rather than exclusion, from the normal life of their society |
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Result: To provide opportunities to student environmental groups in the western interior provinces of China, by enabling them to administer and to apply for grants for their projects Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $3300 Comment: Green SOS has built a dynamic network of student university groups by providing grant opportunities and by creating a transparent, decentralized and accessible process. See their Progress Report for 2003 for examples.
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Goal: to gather support for community-based projects in the Islamic world, that promote sustainable development and link Muslims and non-Muslims in constructive dialogue and international cooperation. Region: Middle East Status: Needs Funding Budget: $5000 Collected: $50 Needs: $4950 Comment: support for their own local improvement projects will demonstrate to the recipients that other members of the global community wish to cooperate with them in building a better future Donor: The Fleury Family, Vermont [May 2003, July 2003] |
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Goal: to organize neighborhood residents and local officials to turn a neglected landscape into a community natural recreation area Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Latvia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1686 Collected: $0 Needs: $1686 |
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Result: to involve young people and community members in local environmental activities, during a two-day camp Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $688 Comment: This group was able to carry out a much more ambitious project schedule than they had originally planned, thanks to Virtual Foundation support and the local volunteer efforts that it further encouraged. See the Final Report for information. Donors: The Olive Branch Fund at the Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving, California [April 2005] |
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Goal: To reduce the environmental impact of coffee production by promoting an alternative use of waste products using earthworms. Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1485 Collected: $0 Needs: $1485 Comment: An innovative and inexpensive project with a great potential for reducing pollution resulting from agricultural activities, and for providing "green manure" at very low cost |
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Goal: to improve community health services for children in this region of Uganda Region: Africa Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1650 Comment: Construction of a children's ward will benefit the entire community. Children will receive a wider range of health services. The time and money that families currently spent to find hospital space for children at far away Health Units will be used for activities such as farming and taking children to school. Donors: The James R. Greenbaum, Jr. Family Foundation, Utah [January 2005] |
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Goal: to improve access to medical treatment for expectant and child-bearing mothers; to increase community public health services Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model UN Conference at Hamilton College [December 2003 and 2004]; Theresa McGallicher, Virginia [November 2004]; Christmas Gift to the Staff at Bard Hall, New York, from Apartment 82 [December 2004] Region: Africa Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1850 Comment: The donation of $1074 was wire-transferred to the Mmanze Center in early 2004, so that they could start on the project, combining these funds and their local resources. December 2004: Thanks to several generous donors who selected this project, we received enough additional support for this project in late 2004 to enable it to be fully funded, including finishing the roof (the last step). |
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Goal: to improve health and medical services provided by Busaaawa-Mmanze Health Centre Region: Africa Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1650 Comment: With a Staff House, the medical staff could be available 24 hours a day; this would greatly improve public access to health and emergency services Donors: The James R. Greenbaum, Jr. Family Foundation, Utah [January 2005] |
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Goal: To establish a long-term solution to problems of flooding and erosion in rural Nicaragua, through a community-based reforestation project Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2640 Collected: $0 Needs: $2640 Comment: The project will use indigenous species of trees. It will protect the riverside and mountains from flooding and soil erosion, and enhance biodiversity. |
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Goal: To support the creation of a newspaper on ecological issues Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $500 Comment: Students at South West Forestry School in Kunming, Yunnan Province have recently formed an environmental group. The creation and distribution of a newspaper on local ecological issues was their own idea. Donors: Virtual Foundation Regional Grantmaking Program - Ford Foundation funding through ECOLOGIA [October 2001] |
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Result: to support Chinese university student environmental activities in the less developed western interior provinces, as a student group organizes and carry out a small grant competition for environmental projects Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $3300 Comment: The Green SOS Council posts project proposals on their Green SOS website. Their decision-making process is visible to the public, as is the Virtual Foundation's. In their start-up year (see Green SOS Small Grant Fund 2002), they modeled openness and fairness in their own decision-making, and attracted participants from a variety of universities in different provinces. Donors: Rona Florio, Alaska [September 2002]; Rachel Golden, Illinois [October 2002]; Shannon Simrell, Vermont [October 2002]; Ellanore McKenna, Arizona [October 2002]; Tom Walski, Pennsylvania [October 2002]; Jean and David Rosenberg, Vermont [October 2002]; Barbara and John Chaffee, New York State [December 2002]; Trace Foundation |
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Goal: To support the participation of emerging Chinese leaders in global dialogues sponsored by the Salzburg Seminar (in Austria) Region: China Status: Needs Funding Budget: $5500 Collected: $3050 Needs: $2450 Comment: Salzburg Seminars provide a forum for rigorous intellectual exchange among emerging leaders from diverse geographic, cultural, and professional sectors on topics of global concern. The Seminar's goals are to "expand viewpoints, facilitate the establishment of worldwide professional networks, and effect enlightened change in the future." Increased Chinese participation will enhance the quality of the Salzburg experience for all participants. Donors: The C. E. and S. Foundation, Kentucky [December 2002]; Katherine Gould-Martin, New York State [December 2003] |
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Goal: To support locally-run annual environmental activities for children of different ages, nationalities and social status
Region: Russia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1738 Collected: $0 Needs: $1738 Comment: Environmental camps and outdoor expeditions promote respect for traditional cultures, human diversity, and nature protection |
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Goal: to use innovative artistic techniques to focus public attention on damage to the environment Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1100 Collected: $0 Needs: $1100 Comment: With changes in public attitudes, pollution of the Vilnele River could be greatly decreased. |
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Goal: to provide information to the general public about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of thyroid gland diseases Region: Ukraine Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1595 Collected: $0 Needs: $1595 Comment: thyroid diseases are common in Ukraine, and basic preventive techniques (such as use of iodized salt) are not widely practiced or understood |
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Goal: Yuri Skochilov has worked since 1995 to provide environmental groups in Tajikistan with information and e-mail access. His organization needs support for its monthly e-mail charges. Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $330 Comment: The Report for an earlier communications grant details the changing situation and continued relevance of the Youth EcoCenter's work. Donors: Shannon Simrell, with Virtual Foundation matching funds [January 1998]; Theresa McGallicher, Virginia [October 2004] |
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Goal: To clean up the riverside, and to build paths which connect the river bank with areas of the town of Jurbarkas Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2200 Collected: $0 Needs: $2200 |
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Result: To encourage Chinese student initiatives by developing young people's capacity to run a small grants program Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1760 Donors: Ford Foundation, through Virtual Foundation's Regional Grant-Making Program [July 2002] |
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Goal: To support Chinese university student organizations as they develop and carry out environmental improvement projects on their campuses or in their communities. The "Mid-Term Reports" [July 8, 2002; April 19, 2002] show the evolution of this project. Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $3000 Donors: Ford Foundation [March 2002], through the Virtual Foundation's Regional Grantmaking Program. |
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Result: to develop nature tourism, through such community activities as restoring meadows and building a camp by the sea Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Estonia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $528 Donors: Ecologia Eesti, Tallinn Estonia [July 2002] |
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Goal: To organize a series of workshops where the students can learn about the environment by doing practical work and scientific research in natural surroundings.
Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3160 Collected: $0 Needs: $3160 Comment: There are many methods of learning. One of them is described in this project. |
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Result: To create better conditions for injured waterfowl which live in captivity, designing a captive living environment that is closer to the natural environment that waterfowl are accustomed to.
Region: Balkans, Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $500 Comment: This project was designed by a 16-year old volunteer at the nature center. Donors: Anonymous [September 2004] |
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Result: To increase the level of knowledge about osteoporosis among nurses, to reduce the harm of the disease among potential patients
Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $550 Comment: This outreach project has provided specific information to an important group of care-givers, who in turn are imparting it to their patients. In response to the needs that emerged, the project successfully expanded beyond its original goals. Donors: The Family of Dr. Anthony R. Kritkausky, in his memory [March 2002] |
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Result: To apply musical therapy for people with mental illnesses, in order to help them overcome their problems.
Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $660 Donors: ECOLOGIA's Baltic Mini-Grant Program [January 2003] |
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Result: To share and discuss the policy implications of the recent United Nations report, The Human Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident . Hundreds of communities and millions of people in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are involved. Region: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2755 Comment: Professor Cherp participated as the UN's ecological expert in the fact-finding commission which traveled through the affected areas in Summer 2001, and released its controversial report in February 2002. Donors: Middlebury College and ECOLOGIA - Co-Sponsors; matching funds provided by Trust for Mutual Understanding [March 2002] |
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Result: To build stork nesting platforms in Taurage region in order to save the population of White Storks in Lithuania.
Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $440 Donors: ECOLOGIA's Baltic Mini-Grant Program [January 2003] |
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Result: To support the start-up costs of the Virtual Foundation Japan Region: Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2000 Comment: This $2000 grant led to the creation of the Virtual Foundation Japan organization and website, including web translation into Japanese. The VF Japan funded several projects in Nepal, and was affiliated with Virtual Foundation until 2002. View its current incarnation at: http://www.sbpark.com/ Donors: ECOLOGIA Board of Directors, Board Meeting August 27, 1997 |
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Goal: To continue protecting White Storks in Czech Republic. Funding is needed to build new platforms, repair nests and implement bird monitoring this year.
Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $550 Comment: This group has a strong record of combining professional expertise with community support to protect this beloved species. Donors: Dot and Bill McPherson, Pennsylvania [February 2002]; In Memory of the mother of Helena Gibbs [December 2003], A Gift for Dylan and Keila Davis-Bloom, Washington State [March 2005]; A Gift for Johanna Westeson, Sweden [April 2005]; A Gift for Jane Andromache Brien, Bard College [May 2005]; A Gift for Marka Gustavsson, Colorado String Quartet, Bard College [May 2005]; H. Juergen Hess, Illinois [July 2005] |
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Goal: to organize community volunteers to create an "Eco-Museum"
Region: Latin America Status: Needs Funding Budget: $4840 Collected: $40 Needs: $4800 Comment: The museum will present the interactions of people and the natural environment in the region over time. Through public awareness, it will promote conservation of the fragile biological diversity of the Patagonian native temperate forests. Donors: Anonymous, Illinois [July 2002]; Michael Vondra, Wisconsin [October 2002] |
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Goal: To help the mountain communities of remote Khorog to establish a sustainable food source. They are under stress from poverty and regional political conflict.
Region: Central Asia, Tajikistan Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2750 Collected: $400 Needs: $2350 Comment: Through recovering existing fruit gardens and planting new ones, Khorog communities will be further protected from natural disasters and regional political conflict. They will benefit both ecologically and economically. Donor: Kellie Cremer, Colorado [October 2003]; Katherine Gould-Martin, New York State [December 2003]; Gail Cremer, Colorado [January 2004]; Carol Hunt, England [January 2005]; Kellie Cremer, Colorado [February 2005 & 2006] |
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Goal: To conserve the value and ornithological richness of Pomorie Lake; To raise the local community's awareness of the value of the lake and its biodiversity. Region: Balkans, Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1969 Collected: $0 Needs: $1969 Comment: The student organizers are using the organizational capacity of Green Balkans Bulgaria to ensure that this project succeeds in its dual goals. |
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Goal: to reduce exposure to radiation, by training the local population to monitor their exposure and to act on this information Region: Belarus, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1089 Comment: A United Nations report, "The Human Consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident - A Strategy for Recovery" calls for international attention and action to empower people living in the affected communities. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations Conference at Hamilton College, New York State [February 2003, December 2005] |
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Goal: to improve nutrition and to encourage sustainable agriculture. This project coordinates members of different sectors of Honduran village societies, to develop long-term solutions to local problems. Region: Central America, Honduras, Latin America Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $2598 Comment: This replaces two previous proposals: "Seeds of Hope: Gardens for Single Mothers" and "Community Nursery to Heal Hurricane Scars". The Progress Report [July 2002] summarizes initial achievements. Donors: First Parish Church of Lincoln, Massachusetts [September 2001], with Virtual Foundation matching funds. |
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Goal: To increase public knowledge of preventive and early -detection measures for intestinal cancers; to train medical professionals in ultrasound screening techniques Region: Belarus, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2189 Collected: $0 Needs: $2189 Comment: The rising rate of intestinal cancers in Belarus is one of the legacies of radioactive contamination (of land and of food supplies) from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. This is a practical attempt by doctors in the region to improve the situation. |
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Goal: To enable four Nicaraguan communities to stabilize river banks and hill sides in their watershed Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3040 Collected: $0 Needs: $3040 Comment: Your donation will enable these communities to plant 20 000 indigenous trees that will reduce erosion and the risk of flooding downstream. A similar project was successfully carried out in that region in year 2000. |
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Goal: To continue this education and reforestation project, in response to increasing interest from new schools in the Beijing and Xinjiang areas. Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1430 Comment: Previous activities of "Trees for Life" involved hundreds of schoolchildren in planting and caring for their own trees. See the "Funded Projects" section for reports and photographs. Donors: Ron Blum, Massachusetts [September 2002]; Lydia Thompson and the 6th floor MADEP, Massachusetts [October 2002]; Rachael Sharon for the Fifth Anniversary (wood) of Andrew and Ria Sharon, Missouri [October 2002];Esther Schmidt, New Jersey [October 2002]; Trace Foundation |
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Goal: To promote volunteering culture among community members in Kaunas, Lithuania; to increase professionalism of volunteer coordinators Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2200 Collected: $1070 Needs: $1130 Comment: By supporting this project, you will confirm the need and necessity of voluntarism which is just developing in Lithuania Donors: Tracy Erman, Yukon Territory, Canada [October 2002]; Jan and Nick Vasilius, Arizona [December 2007] |
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Goal: To support the efforts of The Volunteers' Association for Black-Necked Cranes Protection in Zhaotong Prefecture of China to preserve this endangered species and its habitat Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1200 Comment: In October 2001, Virtual Foundation staff members traveled with Sun De-hui to the cranes' migratory habitat in Da Shan Bao, Yunnan Province. We met personally with local officials, farmers and village residents in this beautiful but impoverished region. Sun De-hui has made impressive progress in gathering local support for these birds; now international action and support would greatly help. Donors: Rachel Golden, Illinois [October 2002], Alene Case, Pennsylvania, in memory of her parents, Phil and Lola Nordstrom [October 2002]; Diane and Dave Schnaars, Pennsylvania [October 2002]; Trace Foundation; Sam Evans, Washington State [November 2002] |
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Result: To build strength, endurance and self-confidence, and reduce motion disorders among people newly disabled with spinal injuries Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $605 Comment: Basketball is a very popular and respected sport in Lithuania. The opportunity to participate in wheelchair basketball gives hope and social contacts to the participants, as well as valuable exercise. Donors: Anonymous, September 2001 |
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Result: To document the concerns and activities of university groups concerned about environmental issues, and to encourage environmental education in Chinese universities Region: China Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $990 Comment: See the Progress Report, July 2001. Donors: Ford Foundation, April 2001 |
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Goal: To organize and train volunteers to participate in bird-banding activities in different regions of China; to raise public awareness of the value of ecosystems used by migrating birds
Region: China Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1139 Comment: This would be the first-ever volunteer group to participate in the Chinese national bird-banding activities. Support for their costs for equipment and reference materials will enable them to educate themselves and contribute to this program. Donors: Peter Lynch, Vermont [October 2002]; Tom Moran, Vermont [October 2002]; Trace Foundation; Shelley and David Hamel, Aleutian Islands, Alaska [December 2002]; For wedding of Tsu-Yu Tsao and Lisa Yuen [January 2005]; For Liu Feng and Chris Winham; For Yoko Matsuda in memory of the life of Tomo Matsuda [Japan]; For Stellah red Trestle Marienthal-LeGendre; For Owen Christopher Stier; For Rafael Sylvan Kunreuther Karpowitz - Bard College, New York State [September 2005]; With Thanks to Jianjun Fang, Bard College [March 2006]; For Rosalind Seneca, New Jersey [August 2006]; In Memory of Paul and Josephine Lee [October 2006]; In Memory of Eleanor Winograd Judd; In Memory of Eunice Smith Whittlesey [February 2007] |
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Goal: To teach young people and local residents to take care of their environment by involving them in revitalization processes of the City Park. Region: Balkans, Bulgaria, Central and Eastern Europe Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1947 Collected: $37 Needs: $1910 Comment: Your donation would help to make the park of 212 acres that is rich in flowers, architecture and bird life into a place of joy and relaxation for local residents and for the town guests. Donor: Timothy Douglas, Washington DC [April 2001; May 2001] |
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Goal: To reduce the environmental impact of rice and livestock production by promoting an alternative use of waste products using earthworms.
Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Needs Funding Budget: $1485 Collected: $0 Needs: $1485 Comment: An innovative and inexpensive project with a great potential for reducing pollution resulting from agricultural activities, and for providing "green manure" at very low cost |
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Goal: To provide five monasteries in Georgia with electricity by means of ecologically clean solar energy.
Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3740 Collected: $760 Needs: $2980 Comment: Monasteries in Georgia also serve as historical and cultural sites, and educational centers. Donors: Anonymous (New Jersey) [April 2001; July 2001]; Timothy Douglas, Washington DC [April 2001; May 2001]; Anonymous, New Jersey [June 2002] |
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Goal: To restore 46 acres of historic medicinal plant gardens in the city of Kutaisi Region: Caucasus, Georgia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $4287 Collected: $17 Needs: $4270 Comment: This Garden should increase public interest in traditional uses of medicinal plants. Specialists in different aspects of plant cultivation and use will share their knowledge, and encourage its application to present-day needs. Donor: Timothy Douglas, Washington DC [April 2001; May 2001] |
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Goal: To provide employment opportunities for youth in Sao Tome e Principe. Region: Africa, Sao Tome e Principe Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3190 Collected: $0 Needs: $3190 Comment: Concerned citizens created this project to provide meaningful opportunities for youths on their island. Your donation will provide hope for young people in a society where employment and access to higher education is limited. |
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Result: 40 members of the ecoclub, and 2000 schoolchildren of the Bishkek school "N77" will participate in ecological education activities such as nature studies and planting trees around their school. A public-access library on environmental issues will be established at the school. In addition, 4 regional libraries will be given $100 support grants for new books. Region: Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $990 Comment: These projects will increase access to knowledge and will strengthen environmental activities at several sites in Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. Donors: Manlius Pebble Hill Model United Nations Conference, DeWitt, New York [October 1999] with Virtual Foundation Matching Fundds |
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Result: To create and disseminate quality informational materials for Lithuanian women regarding domestic violence, alcoholism, depression, breast cancer and the Women's Center services. Region: Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1650 Comment: Your donation will enable women to receive quality health care and social services information. Donors: Jan and Nick Vasilius, Arizona [December 2002] |
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Result: To build 3 new platforms, repair 2 nests, and monitor/aid around 200 nests in South Bohemia, North Bohemia (Czech Republic) and part of Slovakia in the year 2000. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $330 Comment: Storks are severely threatened as a result of human activities within their habitat. By protecting their nests, this project contributed to their long-term survival. Donors: Family Gift made by Dorothy and Bill McPherson, Nicholson, Pennsylvania (see photo), [October 2000] on behalf of: Margaret & Arthur Liolin, East Milton, Massachusetts; Jackie & Ted Lawrence, Montclair, New Jersey; Lory & Bill Wolf, Butler, New Jersey; Glenn & Debi DeSantis, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey; Craig & Linda DeSantis, Flanders, New Jersey; Tracie & Lee DeSantis, Butler, New Jersey; Bruce & Joyce McPherson, Ringwood, New Jersey. |
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Result: To protect Elbe River beaver populations by halting the construction of a dam. Region: Central and Eastern Europe, Czech Republic Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $880 Comment: Public participation in the siting and planning of development projects helps to balance the interests of humans, animals, and the ecosystem. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations at Hamilton College, New York State [February 2003] |
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Goal: The ToWana are seeking a sustainable source of income which will enable them to maintain their unique culture and traditional lifestyle in the Morowali Nature Reserve. Region: Indonesia, South and Southeast Asia Status: Needs Funding Budget: $3080 Collected: $300 Needs: $2780 Comment: Located north of Java, Sulawesi is an island rich in traditions. Your donation will support a handicraft project to benefit this remote indigenous community. Thanks to the Donor: Katherine Randolph, California [January 2001] |
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Result:
Vladimir M. Protasov, of Taimyr (northern Siberia), seeks a travel grant to enable him to work with Americans on issues related to the North Siberian ecology, economy and indigenous peoples.
Region: Russia, Russian Far East, Siberia Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $2239 Comment: M. Protasov lives in a very isolated region. Your donation will allow him to communicate face-to-face with American colleagues interested in his conservation projects. Donors: American Association for the Support of Ecological Initiatives (AASEI), Middletown, Connecticut,and private donors; with matching funds from the Trust for Mutual Understanding. [January - February 2001] |
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Goal: To provide juvenile delinquents in custody with work skills (maintaining hydroponic gardens; growing and marketing produce) Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1100 Comment: Your donation will help troubled youths to gain experience and work habits that will prepare them to start a new life Donors: Middlebury Model UN Conference [April 6, 2002]; Dudley Foundation, Washington State |
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Result: To provide female heads of households with technical skills in dressmaking to facilitate their integration into the workforce and to improve their standard of living. Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $5742 Comment: Fundacion Nicaragua Nuestra has successfully gathered the equipment to carry out the sewing courses. Your donation will cover the cost of hiring teachers and of lighting the workrooms. . Progress Report, February 2002 Donors: First Parish Church of Lincoln (Massachusetts), and The Dudley Foundation (Washington State) [August 2001] |
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Goal: To increase the quality of the crafts and the organizational skills of 60 artisans, generating a higher income for their families. Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $1100 Comment: The pine needles collected by artisans for their crafts are not harmful to the local forests. They come from trees already on the ground and from the branches of trees cut for a local wood mill. See the Progress Report [July 2002] for more information. Donors: First Parish Church of Lincoln (Massachusetts); The Dudley Foundation (Washington State) [September 2001] |
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Goal: To improve the health of pregnant women by building a greenhouse to grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Region: Central Asia, Uzbekistan Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $3619 Comment: This project will improve the health of pregnant women and their babies in Uzbekistan, by growing fresh fruits and vegetables and distributing them to the most needy pregnant women during the cold season. Donors: Andrew Yim, Connecticut [January 2002]; Martin - Lee Thanksgiving [November 2002]; Gift Certificate [December 2002]; Katherine Gould-Martin, New York State [March 2004]; In remembrance of Lorna Trowbridge [April 2004]; In celebration of the birthday of Luis Shein [April 2004]; For the marriage of Cecilia Helen Maple and Dwane Decker [May 2004]; Nicholas and Luise Stauss-Blechman, New York State [June 2004]; Katherine Gould-Martin [July 2004]; In honor of the marriage of Danielle Dignan and Dan Zuiches [August 2004]; Happy Birthday to Eunice Whittelsey [September 2004]; Katherine Gould-Martin [October 2004]; Vivienne Grace Airhart; Angelique Ahmad [October 2004];For Katherine Gould-Martin, Happy Birthday [December 2004]; A Christmas donation for Sasha Clyburn, from Michael Clyburn, Washington State [December 2004]; For Ian Skye Ciancanelli, Happy Arrival in Good Health, from Katherine and Bob Martin [December 2004]; Merry Christmas to Betsy Barlow Rogers and Ted Rogers from Katherine and Bob Martin [December 2004]; Happy Birthday to Katherine Gould-Martin from Jeremy Martin and Doris Lee[December 2004] |
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Result: To assist Uzbek women to organize small food processing micro-businesses. Region: Central Asia, Uzbekistan Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1089 Comment: A group of 60 women is learning how to organize and run their own small businesses, preparing and selling traditional food products. This donation is making a real difference in a region where women lack access to training and credit. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations at Hamilton College, New York State, [December 2000], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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Result: To build 100 Lorena wood-burning stoves in the community of Champigny. Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1710 Comment: Lorena stoves have various advantages over traditional stoves. They allow the smoke from burning wood to get out of the house, and therefore reduce the risks of lung diseases. Their design also makes them more fuel-efficient; they use half as much wood as traditional cookstoves. Donors: Sam Johnson, Massachusetts (in photo); Mr. and Mrs. Ned Link; Patricia Link; Catherine Pognat,Washington DC; Jean-Francois Labarre, Quebec; Catherine Gauthier, Quebec; ENSR Corporation, Massachusetts; The Dudley Foundation, Washington State [November 2000 - March 2001] |
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Goal: To empower women to become catalysts of change within their community, and to improve the health, environmental and economic conditions of their families and neighborhood. Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Needs Funding Budget: $2200 Collected: $0 Needs: $2200 Comment: The gender approach adopted in this project will contribute to the improvement of the status of women involved in the training activities. |
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Result: To provide work and a source of income for single mothers through the creation of a potpourri micro-business. Region: Central America, Honduras, Latin America Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $957 Comment: Part of the profits will be used to help poor rural families to pay for medical exams, medicines and transportation to the hospital for their children when ill. Progress Report, June 2001 Donors: The First Parish in Lincoln, MA, Paula Johnson, with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds [August 2000] |
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Goal: To restore damaged ecosystems and protect river areas in a national park. Region: Central America, Honduras, Latin America Status: Funded and Ongoing Budget: $770 Comment: Your donation will allow local communities to grow and plant 50 000 trees, and to learn how to protect the neighboring national park. A local environmental organization and local communities will cover most of the cost of this project. Donors: Upper Mohawk Valley Model United Nations Conference at Hamilton College, New York State, December 2000 |
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Goal: To raise local interest in and accessibility to three main protected areas in Honduras. Region: Central America, Honduras, Latin America Status: Partially Funded Budget: $1149 Collected: $766 Needs: $383 Comment: Each $383 donation supports a project to protect one biodiversity-rich ecosystem.
August 2005: For complete work on a second protected area, gifts for |
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Result: To reduce the risk of flooding by supporting the work of the Quebrada Grande community, who will plant and take care of 10 000 trees to protect its watershed. Region: Central America, Latin America, Nicaragua Status: Completed - Final Report Budget: $1100 Comment: The strength of this project lies in the extensive involvement of the community, who participates in the design as well as the execution of the tree planting. Although it will be executed by one community, the project will benefit all downstream communities by reducing risks of flooding. Donors: Chenango Forks High School Model United Nations Conference, Binghamton, New York [April 2000], with Virtual Foundation Matching Funds |
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