PaperSeed Foundation

Spotlight on future partner: Canal Alliance

Willa — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:30:20 +0000

“Think globally, act locally”. That’s the idea as PaperSeed looks to partner with local community organizations. The goal: to effect change close to home. The Canal Alliance is a “comprehensive community resource center that has been serving Marin’s low-income immigrant populations for close to 30 years”. Please check out their website at www.canalalliance.org for more about this great organization. PaperSeed is extremely excited to not only be a global source for good in education, but also a source for good in our own backyard.
What do you think of this local expansion? You can always let us know at our Facebook, Twitter, or blog!
(Written by Willa Murphy, social media and marketing intern)

El Salvador Current Project 1

Aliyya — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:19:02 +0000

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“Maternal deaths halved in 20 years, but faster progress needed”

Willa — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:28:46 +0000

Yes, in a time of pessimistic outlooks and depressing headlines, there is some good news out from a joint study by the WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF, UNFPA, and the World Bank. According to new estimates, in the last 20 years, the number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth declined by almost 50%.

This reduction in maternal death was the result of many successful preventative measures, including to “improve access to voluntary family planning, invest in health workers with midwifery skills, and ensure access to emergency obstetric care when complications arise.”

Despite these optimistic numbers, however, there are many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, that won’t make the Millennium Development target of 75%, and progress is still clearly needed.

However, this is still great news, seeing as many other of the Millennium Development goals are falling further behind. PaperSeed hopes to continue to fight maternal death and improve the outlook for women’s future, throughout the world.

Tell us what you think! You can always let us know at our Facebook, Twitter, or blog!

It’s Global Action Week!

Willa — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:54:56 +0000

Did you know this week marks Global Action Week? Well, from April 22 to the 28th, the UN is promoting its Global Campaign for Education. The Paperseed Foundation was created to promote youth education, which as the Global Action Week website states, a human right.

Let’s make sure all children are able to exercise their rights and their minds by “calling on world leaders to keep their promises and ensure early childhood care and education for every child – right from the start.” (Source)

The Global Action Week site has some great pictures sent in from supporters all over the world of schools, children, and educators. Check it out, or send in your own picture! And don’t forget to comment on our Facebook, Twitter or blog.

(Written by social media and marketing intern Willa Murphy)

Can free bikes help girls in India stay in school? Study says yes.

Willa — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 05:50:31 +0000

Paperseed is one of many nonprofits around the world that recognize the importance of promoting female education. So for us, it’s always fascinating to hear about innovative, out-of-the-box ways that others are using to keep girls in school.

Enter the IGC (International Growth Center), a nonprofit group active throughout Africa and Asia, and two college professors, UC San Diego’s Karthik Muralidharan, and the University of Connecticut’s Nishith Prakash.

Sponsored by the IGC, the two recently conducted a study of female education rates in the Indian state of Bihar, where the government gives money to girls over the age of 14 to purchase a bike. Preliminary results show the program has lowered the gap in girls’ and boys’ school attendance by 20%-25%.

For more, check out this short YouTube documentary on Bihar’s unique bicycle program.

What do you think of the study’s results? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or blog!

(Written by social media intern Willa Murphy)

A post for all our tech nerds!

Willa — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:05:51 +0000

With the advent of the internet and other technologies, the world is increasingly connected. But nonprofits still face some problems determining areas and populations that their charitable work could benefit.

Enter the field of “data science”. Basically, data scientists aggregate and pore over data collected in the field, looking for underserved populations, patterns, and other very useful info. Businesses have been using data for years to guide their company’s choice, but for many nonprofits, it’s simply too expensive.

As you can read in this fascinating article “How can a data scientists create massive social impact? Try Data Without Borders”, Jake Porway saw the potential for data science-based innovation in the nonprofit sector. Porway is the founder of Data Without Borders, a group that connects data scientists with nonprofits, pro-bono.

What new innovations do you think data science will bring to the nonprofit sector? Have you had any experience with this type of technology? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, and our blog!

(Written by social media intern Willa Murphy)

Check out the pictures from Chotacaj, Guatemala!

Willa — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:17:18 +0000

Paperseed recently celebrated the inauguration of a computer center in the extremely rural village of Chotacaj, Guatemala. The computer center was part of a collaborative effort involving Paperseed, the Guatemalan government, and Chotacaj’s Padres de la Familia Committee (PTA).

If you haven’t already, take a look at our imgur photo album of pictures from the inauguration event here.

Paperseed is on imgur!

Willa — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:47:06 +0000

As you may know, Paperseed’s website has hundreds of photos from past and present projects throughout Latin and South America. Now, you can find all of those photos on our imgur account (pronounced like ‘imager’).

One album includes pictures from the recent inauguration of our Chotacaj, Guatemala. Check it out here, at www.paperseedfoundation.imgur.com.

Let us know what you think of the photos, on our Facebook, Twitter, or blog!

(Written by social media intern Willa Murphy)

Blast from the past!

Willa — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:47:56 +0000

A few weeks ago, the blog mentioned this article, “11 Facts About Education Around the World”. We’re bringing it back again because some of the facts are so interesting! For example, did you know that in many countries, public education is not free? In fact, fees and costs related to education can keep many poor kids out of school!

Feedback is always welcome. Let us know what you think on our Facebook, Twitter, or blog!

Good news from the UN!

Willa — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:37:49 +0000

Remember last week’s post about how the Millenium Goal for universal education is falling short? Well, here’s some better news!

According to the UN, 89% of the global population now has access to safe drinking water, meeting the millenium target to cut in half the number of people without access to clean water well ahead of the 2015 goal.

What do you think? What would life be like without access to clean, safe water? Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or our blog!

(Written by social media intern Willa Murphy)