What lessons does the Mortenson controversy have for nonprofits?

Robert Moreau

Research Analyst/Outreach

Everyone has heard the story.

Greg Mortenson poses with children. Mortenson's Central Asia Institute has been rocked by a recent scandal over transparency.

When a failed 1993 attempt to climb K2 ended with a sojourn in the Pakistani village of Korphe, Greg Mortenson found his calling. When he noticed a group of schoolchildren forced to write out their work on the ground outside, he vowed to return one day and build a proper building for them. And so a life’s work began.

Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute (CAI) has since claimed sponsorship of (as of 2010) over 170 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with a total of 68,000 students in classes or graduated. He has received renown to the point where his book “Three Cups of Tea” is required reading for U.S. servicemen going to Afghanistan.

But is it a fiction? An April 17 60 Minutes segment, featuring interviews with writer and former CAI supporter Jon Krakauer and others, made a case that Mortenson’s story and achievements are not true. Afterwards, Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock announced an investigation of the nonprofit, which promised “full transparency” in its records.

Without question, the controversy casts a pall on the perception of NGO development work as a whole. In its wake, we must ask where the lines between fabrication and miscommunication blur. And how can nonprofits such as the GENESIS Network create public confidence?

The charges

Jon Krakauer, a former CAI supporter, has accused Mortenson of using funds to pay for self-promotion.

The “60 Minutes” report went along with an e-book entitled “Three Cups of Deceit” written by Krakauer and published by Byliner. Though the book is no longer free, a list of its main claims can be found here.

Main charges of the “60 Minutes” segment itself included:

Krakauer disupted the account of Mortenson’s visit to Korphe; a second version stated that he did not go there until about a year later.
An incident in “Three Cups of Tea” where Mortenson was kidnapped by Taliban was disupted, with one of the men saying the group was acting as Mortenson’s protectors and not Taliban.
A lack of transparency within CAI, which raised about $23 million in donations in 2010. Concerns over CAI acting as a book tour fundraiser for Mortenson were shown by costs including $1.3 million for travel in 2009. Krakauer claimed four board members resigned in 2002 over spending concerns.
60 Minutes visited or otherwise investigated almost 30 CAI schools and found “roughly half were empty, built by somebody else, or not receiving support at all.” Some had not received support in years.
Krakauer claimed that Mortenson built only three schools in one province of Afghanistan in 2009, not eleven as publicly claimed.
The school Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea” sequel “Stones into Schools” discusses the construction of was found empty and unused.

In an interview with Outside magazine, Mortenson claimed his Korphe experience was accurate and some license was taken by his “Three Cups” co-author David Oliver Relin in sometimes combining multiple trips into one. He also claimed that the accounts of his capture were correct though he wasn’t sure if his abductors were in fact Taliban and he was treated kindly.

On discrepancies in “Three Cups,” Mortenson said “I should have taken off several months and really focused on the book. But I was trying to raise a family, be gone most of the year, and work 16- to 20- hour days without stopping.”

On the schools CAI sponsored, there may be confusion regarding the extent of its involvement with each. Jeff McMillan, a personal assistant to Mortenson, told the New York Times in an April 17 article CAI’s work with various schools differed, with some built directly by the organization and others receiving assistance such as teacher salary funding.

The most heartbreaking aspect of the controversy is whether Mortenson has indeed made false claims or not, his critics and advocates agree he has made positive change in the region. Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist and friend of Mortenson, wrote in an April 21 column

The critics have raised serious questions that deserve better answers: we need to hold school-builders accountable as well as fat cats…But let’s not forget that even if all the allegations turn out to be true, Greg has still built more schools and transformed more children’s lives than you or I ever will.”

The Mortenson scandal thus raises a deeper issue: How can NGOs hold themselves accountable and ensure public confidence in their work?

Alignment and transparency

The Sarhad-e Brogil school is an example of flourishing CAI project. From the New York Times piece "Two Schools in Afghanistan, One Complicated Situation."

The field of development work is complex, and the success or failure of a project is reliant on its compatibility with the needs of its intended beneficiaries.

An April 23 New York Times piece compared the unused “Stones into Schools” building with another successful CAI project and found the contrast in outcomes lay with community buy-in. The building was an hour walk away, in often sub-zero temperatures, from the Kyrgyz village of Bozai Gumbaz, whose inhabitants wanted their children home to take care of sheep. And the Afghan government a year before construction completed had finalized plans to send teachers to the village during summers.

Thus, this project failure was not due to any attempt to mislead supporters, but not recognizing the desires of the community it was supposed to serve.

Along with making sure initiatives are workable, nonprofits must take the lead in holding their spending accountable. One example is CAI’s involvement with different schools. There should have been a way for the organization to note its specific involvement with each. Which ones are receiving what types of support? Which ones were no longer receiving donations from CAI? And why?

Within its own model, the GENESIS Network is working to provide its users:

The ability to create an online profile and connect with projects as well as others who support similar interests.
Specific project pages, including objectives and plans, current status, finances, and the ability to interact with leaders and donors as well as volunteers and others in the community. Ratings are given in three categories: staff, donor, and third-party, with transparency being a critical factor in evaluation score.
Beneficiary pages to directly connect with the people who are being helped. Who are they and how do they feel about how things are going?

As NGOs face an increasingly-skeptical public, what steps do you think they should make to create public confidence in their work? What special problems do you think development agencies have in making this possible? And how can GENESIS improve its own model? Any and all comments on these questions as well as other points are more than appreciated.

Robert Moreau is Research Analyst/Outreach for the GENESIS Network. A 2008 Master’s graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Regional Economic and Social Development, Moreau has been working for GENESIS since July 2009. His work has included freelance newspaper pieces and a newsletter published for a Lowell-area social services agency in 2008.

Nine months later: How is Haiti recovering?

Robert Moreau

Research Analyst/Outreach

Rubble in Port-au-Prince on January 17, five days after the earthquake. Months later, Haiti is entering a critical period of long-term reconstruction.

Nine months after the devastating January 12, earthquake, Haiti still has a long road to recovery. According to a September 8 United Nations News Service report, “the Haitian government estimates that 1.3 million people are still uprooted…It is estimated that hundreds of thousands will still be in camps or impoverished shelters over the coming year.”

The quake, according to a July study by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, “directly or indirectly affected almost one third of the Haitian population” and was “the most significant disaster requiring a large-scale multi-sectoral international response since the Pakistan earthquake in 2005.”

Though the public eye has since moved on to other stories, the aftereffects of the quake still have a profound impact on Haiti.

So where is the country now in terms of relief and reconstruction? Are things improving? And how are NGOs such as GENESIS continuing to play a role in Haiti?

A recovery delayed

Debris removal in Haiti. Only 300 trucks are handling this enormous task, indicative of the slow pace of recovery.

The Washington Post, in a July 17 editorial, noted aid effort’s effect on Haiti’s stability and stated “Haiti has made it this far without the starvation, epidemics or civil unrest that many feared.”

However, the Post noted that, by that time, “only 28,000 of the [1.5 million] displaced have found permanent shelter” and the job of rubble removal was being handled by only 300 trucks, doing a job “[taking] at least three years with 1,000 trucks to complete, according to some estimates.”

Writing in an October 11 column for CommonDreams.org, Loyola University professor and Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti member Bill Quigley noted

“only 2 percent of the rubble has been removed and only 13,000 temporary shelters have been constructed…not a single cent of the US aid pledged for rebuilding has arrived in Haiti…[and] only 15 percent of the aid pledged by countries and organizations around the world has reached the country so far.”

On October 7, it was reported by the Associated Press that “this week the U.S. funds [1.15 billion] were prepared for release…but in part because a lack of detail it will take at least weeks and perhaps more for the funds to start being delivered on contracts such as rubble removal.”

The U.S. contribution is part of a $5.3 billion total in international donations promised to the recovering nation for 2010-2011; as of October 7, only $732 million was released.

Former President Bill Clinton, co-chair of the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission with Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, was also reported as expressing frustration at the slow flow of aid money. The commission Clinton co-chairs has not been immune to the slow pace of things either; its executive director, Gabriel Verret, was finally hired in August. By that time, the New York Times noted, “about 30 crucial staff positions” still went unfilled.

Chartered on April 19, the Commission, which has an 18-month mandate, only had two board meetings as of August. All in all, this has to be considered a less than stellar start to the organization’s work.

Election-time turmoil?

Raymond Joseph, former Haitian ambassador to the United States. Joseph has accused the country's Provisional Electoral Council of corruption after his presidential bid was rejected.

Alongside the beginnings of long-term recovery and development efforts, Haiti is set to hold new elections on November 28 to have a new government in place next February; current President René Préval, who is constitutionally barred from running again, won parliamentary approval to have his term extended into May 2011 if his replacement is not chosen by February 7. Nineteen candidates are running to replace him, and according to a July 16 Newsweek piece “the country’s government has all but dissolved” in the period before the election.

The impact of the January earthquake extends to Haiti’s ability to prepare for this event; National Public Radio noted on October 7 that it “destroyed 40 percent of the polling stations in the country, killed tens of thousands of voters and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. And numerous people lost all their documents and no longer have voting cards.”

A worrisome factor regarding the elections is allegations of corruption by the administration; Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council rejected 15 potential candidates, with the two most controversial being former Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph and a candidate from former President Aristide’s Fanmi Lavalas party.

Writing in a September 9 Christian Science Monitor opinion piece, Joseph questioned the stated reason for his disqualification and remarked that the Haitian government had “failed the first fundamental test in holding credible elections-certifying candidates, and affording each due process under the law, equally and without discrimination.”

To build and maintain confidence in the reconstruction effort, a transparent and efficiently-run election is a necessity.

GENESIS’ work and other promising NGO initiatives

GENESIS Founder and Executive Director Adam Swartzbaugh with families in Haiti.

The GENESIS Network has been active in the Haitian relief effort, providing direct support in areas most devastated by the quake. Now, we are looking for new ways to help as the focus turns towards reconstruction.

Projects GENESIS has undertaken in Haiti are.

A joint effort with AquaSafe of Australia to provide water filtration where infrastructure has been damaged.
Providing tents to Haitians left homeless in and around in the epicenter of the earthquake, in collaboration with Sumitomo’s Olyset Net of Japan and with the support of International Action and the Lafana Institute of Hope.
Donating medical, food and clothing supplies to children orphaned by the disaster with US-based companies and organizations including Red Skies Publishing, Notre Dame d’Haiti Churches and the Haitian communities of Miami.

As well as this, we are seeking new prospects for a project similar to Kid Launch in Thailand that will focus on sustainable development through education and vocational training, creating long-term solutions in an environment where short-sidedness continues to plague relief efforts.

Other NGOs are stepping up to the plate in providing new ideas and rebuilding Haiti for the future. Examples include:

The Cooperative Farm Initiative for Haiti was founded by Haitian-Americans Patrick Belizaire and Jean Velarus, alongside others. Working in the country’s Artibonite Region, it introduces modern farming equipment and better methods to Haitian farmers. Because of the massive decline in Haiti’s rural economy over the past two decades, leading to an 80 percent unemployment rate, the restoration of a sustainable and productive agricultural sector is critical.
Zafen is an interest-free microloan program established in 2010 “with the objective of having a positive impact on Haiti’s economic, social, and physical environment by providing micro, small, and medium sized enterprises with enhanced access to capital.” It was created with “the collective expertise of the worldwide Vincentian Family.” Partners in Zafen include Fonkonze, DePaul University, and the Haitian Hometown Associations Resource Group. A list of projects Zafen is currently working on is available here.

Building on its own initiatives and working in concert with other NGOs helping Haitians on the ground level, GENESIS hopes to find new ways to make an impact as the picture moves towards long-term rebuilding of Haiti.

Questions for discussion: Where do you see Haiti headed in the future? And moving forward, how can GENESIS play a role in continuing to stay engaged with Haiti during its ongoing recovery? Answers to these, as well as other comments and questions are greatly appreciated.

How is nonprofit accountability evaluated in Haiti?

Robert Moreau

Research Analyst/Outreach

Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation has been dogged by controversy

The eyes of the world media have largely moved on to other issues, but ongoing relief in Haiti continues. As noted by the Brookings Institution, “the publicly disseminated Action Plan for Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti…has assessed Haiti’s reconstruction needs over the next three years at $11.5 billion.” At a UN conference in late March-early April, international donors pledged $9.9 billion in reconstruction aid.

As noted, Haiti has an abundance of nonprofit organizations in the country, and most education and healthcare has historically been provided by NGOs. Even in the pre-earthquake period, transparency was a concern-a trend continuing into the relief efforts.

On February 24, CBS News published an article delving into the practices of Feed the Children, where it refuted a statement the charity ran a camp “providing medical relief for 12,000 people,” among other claims.

Even before then, Wyclef Jean’s Yele nonprofit came under scrutiny. Investigations by the Associated Press and The Smoking Gun found that the charity was closely linked to Jean’s business interests and filed three years of tax returns on the same date, among other highlights.

The question must be asked: how can the public know what is being done with its money and who is it really going to help? Transparency, therefore, is an issue that must be addressed.

Nonprofits Emphasizing Transparency

The stories of Feed the Children and Yele are shocking and do much to discourage confidence in relief efforts, but other agencies have emphasized transparency in their work. Two of these are:

Doctors without Borders/Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF): Founded in 1971 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, MSF builds on its public credibility through emphasizing transparency. Its main Haiti page details activity reports from 2001-2008, and news articles on current post-earthquake efforts are easily searchable. Updates include work in different areas of the country and detailed figures such as medical kits, etc. provided. MSF has shown honesty in its needs. In February, it asked donors to give to its Emergency Relief Fund as it had enough money for its current activities in Haiti.
The World Food Programme (WFP): Founded in 1962 and part of the United Nations system, WFP is currently handling a caseload of two million people in initiatives projected to run until December 2010. Its Haiti Crisis page includes an updated situation report, maps of sites and beneficiaries targeted, as well as an updated plan of its efforts including budget costs and justification for increase in spending.

NGO transparency. It's of critical importance but what is the best solution to achieve it?

However, overall “charities aren’t accompanying their appeals with the information we’d need to have a sense of their “room for more funding,” noted GiveWell.org in a February 4 posting where it gave a list of four questions it believes charities should be asked.

“1. How much are you trying to raise?
2. Roughly speaking, what activities are you seeking to fund?
3. How much have you raised so far?
4. If you raise more than your target, what will you do with the remaining funds?”

GiveWell scoured the web to see if 17 major charities involved in the effort answered these questions, and found that apart from MSF, all of them did not. Also, finding relevant information often required an exhausting search through many web pages.

Some websites have worked to provide some monitoring, with the largest being ReliefOversight.org, which makes background information on organizations and verified “activity reports” available. However, some observers worry about inaccurate whistle blowing reaching third-party sources, or that aid workers will not come forward unless they can be guaranteed anonymity.

While third-party monitoring, whether it be from journalists or independent websites, can play a role in keeping NGOs honest, aid agencies themselves must take the lead in making information detailed, honest, regularly updated, and easily accessible. However, given the potential for bias by reports from upper brass without dispute by voices “on the ground” is there an ideal mix of internal and third-party monitoring that would be ideal?

Through its interactive model, the GENESIS Network continues to develop and implement comprehensive measures of transparency in Haiti and elsewhere. A piece will follow with detail about GENESIS’ response to accountability.

Ideas for discussion: What ways (activity/financial reports, news, photos, etc.) do you think charities can effectively show transparency in their projects? Which methods of doing so might be overrated? What are the advantages and pitfalls of self-monitoring and third-party independent monitoring, and how could they ideally complement one another? Any and all questions and comments about these or other points are appreciated.

How can GENESIS and other NGOs help sustainable development in Haiti?

Operation Hydrate Haiti project photo

Robert Moreau

Research Analyst/Outreach

Currently, the GENESIS Network has started a relief and development program in Western Haiti. Partnered with Aqua Safe Straw, Operation Hydrate Haiti is working to bring filtration systems to nearly 1,000 people in need of clean drinking water. The project, with 85 percent of funding completed, has thus far provided

Hundreds of filtration systems, with nearly 120,000 gallons of drinking water provided.
Hundreds of pounds of first aid supplies and medical equipment
Clothing and tents

Locations visited by GENESIS in a recent trip were a nunnery in Port-au-Prince, a school in Carrefour, and a group of orphanages in Leogane.

The project, as noted, is a short-term aid measure, providing water until more sustainable development solutions are implemented. And as the focus turns from immediate relief to building for the future, aid groups can play a strong role.

Long-term development in Haiti: Relief strategies and the role of NGOs

Before the earthquake, Haiti boasted 4,000 to 10,000 NGOs active in the country, one of the highest per capita ratios in the world. The international relief effort has added to that number, with 318 groups being registered on the United Nations’ database.

The March 10 Miami Herald piece that noted these figures also revealed a culture of sometimes intense competition among aid groups, including disputes between workers of who does what.

“On a charter flight to Miami, competing doctors get into a shouting match before takeoff…at a search-and-rescue operation, one international team claiming ownership of the effort asks another to leave-although the departing group has the equipment to do the job.”

The incredible international aid relief campaign has donated over $2 billion, almost all of it to NGOs. But with disorganization, can aid groups make a meaningful impact? Indeed, there have been calls to have aid groups reigned in favor of more focus on the Haitian government.

One criticism of the aid effort has been misdirected resources. Another has been that short-term aid creates temporary jobs for Haitians, but little in terms of long-term development. Nathan Hodge, in a February 12 piece for Wired, describes the concern

“The rapid influx of NGOs and international organizations creates a unique mini-economy, with a demand for drivers, fixers, translators, security and other services. In the short-term, that’s not a bad thing. It provides well-paying jobs for those with the right skills. But it often draws desperately needed talent away from critical sectors of the economy…and it’s a poor imitation of trickle-down economics.”

In the effort to rebuild Haiti, there is no shortage of organizations that can potentially make an impact. But disorganization, accountability concerns and competition are barriers to a structured effort, and initiatives should focus on helping Haitians create long-term self sufficiency.

coffee co-op farmer, nothern Haiti

One possible major project is a revival of the country’s coffee industry, a potential strong export. During the 18^th Century Haitian coffee thrived, but since independence the industry had long been plagued by disaster; during the military dictatorship and U.S. boycott during the 1990s, Haitian farmers burned coffee trees for charcoal.

However, coffee remained the country’s chief agricultural export through the 1980s. The industry would enter a brief period of resurgence in the 1990s when a USAID program organized small farmers into a cooperative producing Haitian Bleu, a new fair trade-certified bean that had a very strong initial run in North America and Europe before consistency issues and corruption-plagued export processes took their toll. In recent years, most of this crop was destroyed by hurricanes.

In spite of the difficulties the coffee-making industry has faced, Haitian coffee remains a favorite among many. Revival proposals have included bringing back Haitian Bleu as well as nurturing other taste profiles, emphasizing the need for training and equipment for Haitian farmers and noting the success of the SPREAD Project in Rwanda.

As noted by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Haitian economy “will have a simple structure in the coming years” and rebuilding agricultural areas along with re-establishing a manufacturing sector are necessary for Haiti’s recovery moving forward. One approach that could make an impact here is the use of micro-financing loans to promote small business.

Moving forward

Operation Hydrate Haiti has done a successful job providing filtration and other supplies to those in need. However, as noted, it is a short-term relief initiative, and promoting ongoing development in the devastated country is of critical importance moving forward. GENESIS, along with other organizations, looks forward to a role in helping Haiti build for the future.

Reader questions: What are your thoughts on the role of NGOs in Haiti moving forward? In what ways are they a help or hindrance, and how should efforts be coordinated? What roles could GENESIS have in promoting sustainable development in Haiti? All comments and questions are welcomed.

How education can make a difference in Ghana

By Robert Moreau

Research Assistant/Outreach

map of Ghana, UNGEI

Currently, GENESIS is undertaking an education support initiative in West Mamprusi, Northern District, Ghana. The Center for Youth and Women Empowerment’s goals are to make school supplies available for students to reduce drop-out rates, provide support for children and parents, and promote education for adolescent girls. Through these steps, GENESIS hopes to help create change in one of the country’s historically poorer areas.

Currently, Ghana is making great strides in its development, “[emerging] as a leading country in the Western and Central Africa region” as noted by IFAD’s Rural Poverty Portal. The most recent poverty figure in the country is 28.5 percent, almost half of its former figure in the beginning of the 1990s.

Education is a critical reason for this decline; since the government abolished school fees in 2005, enrollment has increased sharply, going from a 59.1 to 68.8 percent net primary enrollment from 2004-05 to 2005-06. However, a poverty gap persists in the rural north.

In rectifying this situation, education for women is crucial. Ama Achiaa Amankwah, in an August 2008 AllAfrica.com piece, notes “the impact of women in Ghana cannot be underestimated” as they “form over 52% of the country’s population.” Women are guaranteed legal equality, but social and economic pressures tied to a traditional social role as homemakers, as well as a lack of potable water and sanitation facilities have impaired education for girls. As of 2004, the adult literacy rate for females was 75% of the male rate, while for youth it was 86%. Gender parity rates for primary schools have improved since the abolition of school fees, though there is still work to be done.

Ghana has done much to improve educational access and emphasize girls’ schooling, though there is still work to be done. Through projects such as GENESIS’ Center initiative, NGOs and philanthropists can help make a positive impact.

How can you avoid Haiti fundraising scams?

Robert Moreau

Research Analyst

In the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, people all over America have mobilized to help its victims. Total donations, as of January 21, have exceeded $305 million. Methods of raising money have included newer methods such as online donations and an American Red Cross special text message program.

Disgracefully, scammers “were out in full force within a couple of hours” after the quake, as noted by internet watchdog ScamBusters. Just two days after the earthquake, Symantec Corp. tracked three spam emails, including one claiming to be from the British Red Cross Society, down to using the organization’s real address. BRCS press officer Mark South noted it was “an unfortunately well-put-together fraud.”

With relief money still desperately needed and many wanting to find out how they can best help, the question becomes how potential donors can make sure their money is going to the right place. The Christian Science Monitor, in a January 15 piece, gives these five tips to “avoid scams and make sure your donations can make a difference.”

“Stick to well-known, reputable charities.
Be cautious when donating online
Donate to organizations, not individuals
Check the charity out
Give money, not food, clothing, or equipment.”

In addition, ScamBusters has a four-step list of steps you can take:

“1. Always use common sense.
2. Never respond to an email request for a donation.
3. Check to make sure any charity is legitimate before contributing.
4. Do not open [email] attachments-they likely contain viruses or other malware.”

CNN has a list of reputable charities involved with Haitian relief, and it is a good resource to use. Lastly, rather than open up an email, even if it looks to be from a reputable group, go directly to that organization’s website.

Overall, the best way to avoid scams is to use caution. Send aid through organizations you are comfortable with, and do research on different charities that claim to be working there.

We at GENESIS urge everyone to get involved in donating to relief efforts for the people of Haiti, and to make sure your money is going where it’s promised.

Building Bridges: How charities are linking American interests to education abroad.

Robert Moreau

Research and Outreach

Children helped by Kashmir Family Aid, a charity active in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir

As noted in our last piece, philanthropy abroad also impacts important national issues for Americans. GENESIS’ schools, as well as similar efforts from other organizations, form an important part of the puzzle for curbing human trafficking-a modern-day slave trade that extends into and across the country. Indeed, charity abroad with an emphasis on education can advance American interests in other ways as well.

One clear example is in the geopolitical hotspots of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, where NGOs and philanthropists have worked to curb terrorism by building schools and sponsoring students. As Sam Carpenter of Kashmir Family Aid, an Oregon-based nonprofit working in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, noted in a September 19, 2008 American Prospect interview.

“there’s three types of schools [in the region]. There’s public schools provided by the government and private schools…but there’s another kind of school over there…called a Madrassa, and these are religious schools.”

“The estimates are between fifteen-and twenty thousand of them in Pakistan alone, and then there’s a lot of them in Afghanistan. The long story short is that the kids spend 10 to 12 years-they go in there at an early age, and they learn the Koran, and that’s great, but they don’t learn anything else.”

Bereft of skills, he stated, graduates do not have much opportunities. Carpenter estimated “about 15 to 20 percent are what we call militant schools” that actively prepare students for a career as a jihadist for pay “in our money $200 to $300 a month” considered very lucrative in the area. Though most families want to see their children attend public or secular private schools, he explained, many times the only available choice is a Madrassa education.

Greg Mortenson, co-founder of Central Asia Institute

Kashmir Family Aid, which as of 2008 has sponsored seven schools and 1,500 students, is one organization that has made an impact in the area. Possibly the largest known group active in the region is the Central Asia Institute (CAI), co-founded in 1996 by Greg Mortenson and Jean Hoerni. CAI describes its mission as “to promote and support community based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan,” with the emphasis on girls as a strong potential agent of change in society who make up most of the world’s uneducated youth.

CAI is actively involved with schools in nineteen regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, concentrated in the central and northern areas of both countries. As of 2009, its total involvement was “131 schools…which provide education to over 58,000 children, including 44,000 girls.” Its work also includes the charity Pennies for Peace, actively involving students in American classrooms in fundraising.

Examples such as these as well as GENESIS’ own education projects show how working with underserved groups abroad ultimately creates a positive impact in addressing issues important to Americans. And it is because of these connections that GENESIS is increasing its scope with upcoming education and training projects in Africa (Ghana) and Latin America (Ecuador). GENESIS is also planning to expand its initiatives in the Middle East as well.

Through linking concerns in America to those abroad, charities such as GENESIS are building bridges in an interconnected world.

Slaves in our backyard. The illegal trafficking and trade of humans into the US and how GENESIS prevents it.

Recently, GENESIS completed a major fundraising drive for its second school in Mae Chaem, Northern Thailand. The new building, which will provide education for 200 children in one of that country’s poorest areas, is also an attempt to rescue potential victims of a modern-day slave trade.

Human trafficking, the smuggling of persons for sexual and other forced labor, is “a heinous crime and human rights abuse. The most vulnerable members of the global community, those who have limited access to social services and protections, are targeted…for exploitation.” It is “now the third most profitable criminal activity, following only drug and arms trafficking” with around $9.5 billion in annual profits, as noted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The number of people trafficked worldwide annually is widely disputed, but the most commonly cited figure is the U.S. State Department estimate of 600,000-800,000. At least half of victims are children, and the most common destination for trafficked persons is into the sex trade.

Southeast Asia, where GENESIS’ work thus far has concentrated, is the most active region in the world for traffickers; as noted by the International Organization for Migration, “between 200,000 and 450,000” victims are estimated to be trafficked within and out of the region annually. Trafficking in the region is linked to high levels of border crossing fueled by “economic and social push factors…[including] poverty, disparities in economic development, lack of education and job opportunities” among its causes. Irregular or undocumented migration accounts for 30 to 40 percent of all movement of persons, compounding the problem.

But where does the United States figure into the equation? Currently, we are one of the top three destination countries for human trafficking victims, along with Australia and Japan. An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 persons are smuggled into the country annually. As the U.S. Department of Education notes, “cases of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and some U.S. territories.”

How, then, can building schools abroad make an impact? The causes of human trafficking and its growth are complex, but we note that providing opportunities for potential victims to lift themselves from poverty is a critical piece of the puzzle in fighting it. Indeed, the United Nations has emphasized education and development as ways to combat trafficking. For example, Article 9 (4) of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol calls on states parties to “take or strengthen measures…to alleviate the factors that make persons, especially women and children, vulnerable to trafficking, such as poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity.”

GENESIS’ projects complement activities from such organizations as the Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities (DEPDC) in Thailand and GABRIELA in the Philippines in emphasizing education as a preventative tool.

By supporting organizations such as GENESIS that emphasize education and opportunity for children in poverty, philanthropists can make an impact on in fighting a modern slave trade and major human rights issue that impacts America as well as the world.

Urgent: Give the gift of education this holiday season.

The Genesis Network is building its second primary school in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The new building, which will provide primary education to over 200 at-risk children in one of the country’s poorest areas, is the second being constructed under its Kid Launch project.

Currently in Thailand, almost one million children lack access to school, which leaves them vulnerable to the country’s extensive prostitution industry and human trafficking. Nearly 800,000 are employed as prostitutes. In response to the need for support, the Genesis Network initiated Kid Launch in the summer of 2008, with the goal of providing education and economic development in villages that ask for its assistance.

To complete this task, however, we need your support. Currently, there are two ways to give:

• We are currently accepting donations on our website. Make a donation.

• Thanksgiving/Holiday Cards: Businesses can purchase and send $50 gift cards as a way to donate. Give a card that helps.

Currently, we have raised 77 percent and making a huge push to achieve 100 percent funding this month, with the goal of completing construction by early December.

Please help us out in any way you can. Any contribution you can make is greatly appreciated and goes a long way towards guaranteeing a good quality education and stable future for children who are at risk of falling into prostitution and human trafficking. Feel free to email the Genesis team at info@gnetwork.org for any questions.

Thank you.

Genesis Network project opens new school in Baan Phai Du

The Genesis Network’s Kid Launch program continued to break ground on its education and development initiative in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, with the opening of a new primary school in the village of Baan Phai Du.

The new facility will provide education to 150 children in one of Thailand’s most impoverished areas. It is the second following the opening of a 65-student school in the village of Sob Mae Stop in April. Currently, 15 Chinese students work there alongside four Thai teachers, with more helpers from other countries expected.

A mainly Karen-speaking village of 500 residents, Baan Phai Du was selected due to a direct request by the community for educational and development aid. Baan Phai Du’s existing educational infrastructure, including residence facilities for teachers, presented an advantage as it enabled resources to be concentrated exclusively on building construction and purchasing of school supplies.

Currently in Thailand, almost a million children do not have primary school access. Without the benefit of an education, they face the severe risk of becoming human trafficking victims, or being forced into the country’s extensive prostitution industry. These circumstances make engagement by philanthropists and NGOs a critical need.

The ultimate goal of Kid Launch’s initiative in Chiang Mai Province is to provide primary education to over 400 children per year, as well as enable further job opportunities. The project is active in ten villages.
Kid Launch is a project of the Genesis Network that aims to provide self-sustaining educational and community development programs in Northern Thailand’s poorest areas. It hopes to “[breach] the confines of the classroom to build an active community atmosphere, social collaboration, a mutual sense of responsibility among its members, and overall unity cohesion.”

More information about Kid Launch can be found at its page on the Genesis Network site.