GRACE Cares

2013-06-13T15:58:00.001-07:00

PRESS RELEASE CLEARWATER FESTIVAL – June 15-16, 2013

Croton-on-Hudson, New York

June 6, 2013

The B4 Peace Project will be at the Clearwater Festival for the third year with our art and performance for peace. The B4 Peace Team works with individuals and communities to create art that inspires themselves and others in creating peaceful families and communities. There are activities and projects for children and adults, where you can make your own peace arts as well as view peace art created by Namaya, the international artist and peace activist.

Come join the B4 Peace Team at the Clearwater Activist Area where there will be the Inevitability of Peace sculpture a 9 foot tall pyramid holding a peace symbol inside of a 300 pound block of ice melting over a pool. Correctly guess when the ice will melt and win our raffle. Flower banners of the award winning poem 100 Flowers of Peace with translations in over 100 languages will be on display so everyone, no matter what language, can share the same wish for peace. If you need to rest in shade during the festival pause under the Reign of Peace a display of brightly painted umbrellas with messages of peace or create your own reign of peace umbrella as a gift for Dad on Father’s Day.

Two new sculptures will be premiering at the festival. The Amnesty Solstice Tower will be lit to honor those people around the world who have fought for peace and social justice. Clearwater participants are invited to write and post their hope and commitment for peace on an 8 foot tall peace symbol “Peace is One.” Our Peace Fairy Dancers Jules Carmela, Nina Hersher and Zoe Kopp will lead peace dances. Namaya will perform songs and poems of peace including “On the Island of Binga Bonga” for children. Facebook page with events and information at www.facebook/b4peacenet.

The B4 Peace Projects are part of www.gracecares.com a community development and peace arts education not-for-profit organization that supports projects around the world. Founded by the poet/ artist Namaya & Zoe Kopp peace activist, the B4 peace projects have been presented at Peace and Human Rights centers around the world www.b4peace.net.

“Peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of love.” Namaya

Interview with Nazeela Nasseri of the Lucknow Project

2013-02-14T21:00:00.002-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Not too long ago I had an interview with Nazeela Nasseri who is our Project Coordinator of the Lucknow Project. If you ever wanted to get into the mind of someone who has taken on a development project, this short but substantial interview can provide that insight. Enjoy!

Q: In what capacity are you associated with GRACE Cares?
Nazeela: I'm a Project Director of the Lucknow Project which is one of the two projects based out of India.

Q: How did you start the Lucknow Project?
Nazeela: I started my project when I was 14 years old after I had visited my grandfather in India and saw that the children, especially the girls, needed better education. I began going to India in the summers to teach English and the project grew from there.

Q: What aspects of the Lucknow Project do you enjoy the most?
Nazeela: Probably actually going to India and doing the fieldwork. I feel like it's so far and you sit and plan and do administrative work all year but being there and doing the fieldwork is the best part.

Q: What were the challenges in the project that you had to overcome?
Nazeela: Definitely the fundraising portion and just staying organized because this is not my primary job, and when you've got school and work there's also time management. Again, fundraising is the biggest issue, because it's really hard to raise funds in this economy.

Q: Do you have any ideas for the future of the Lucknow Project?
Nazeela: We plan to continue the current programs and also look at ways we can increase economic stability through microenterprise. We want to set up an environment that continues to show people how they can help themselves.

Q: How has the work of GRACE Cares impacted your life?
Nazeela: It's definitely exposed me to issues of inequality that exist in the world such as educational inequality, inequality of living, gender inequality, etc. That's probably the major thing it has opened my eyes to, and in general how we in the West are so used to a way of living and don't realize that we have the ability to help the rest of the world catch up to us.

2012-10-16T22:34:00.004-07:00

One of our interns from the summer, Kristin Olson, took in a great learning experience while working at Projects Hearts in the Dominican Republic. For a not-so-distant trip into the past, here is a post the she wrote up about her time in DR and how it changed her. Enjoy!

It’s been over 2 weeks since I arrived back in the U.S. after completing my summer internship abroad in the Dominican Republic with Grace CARES. As Jaclyn noted, it is nearly impossible to leave after forming such strong relationships with the people who live and work in the community. I had the opportunity to work in Santo Domingo and Monte Plata my first few weeks as an affiliate of Project HOPE before spending the majority of my time with Project HEARTS in San Jose Adentro. I have more fingers than times I can remember ever crying in public, but leaving the Dominican Republic pushed me one cry closer to having to retract that statement.

I’ve put off writing this blog for so many weeks because I know that I can never do justice to the experience I just had. I wish I could tell you about every woman (and the one man!) I met while teaching health education classes, or about every beautiful person I met while riding around in Ruben’s occasionally failing pick-up, or about all the colorful characters I called family and neighbors for a few short weeks. I wish I could somehow put into words how hard it was to separate the beds 8-year old Nini, 9-year old Rosi, and I had pushed together to make one large slumber party those last few nights. I wish I could faithfully recreate the conversation I had with the young artist Domingo as he explained to me how it feels to commune with the divine while he paints, or express how touched I was when he gifted me with a painting he created just for me. If I were a more talented writer, I’d regale you with tales of how I hiked barefoot through riverbank forest at the monastery in Jarabacoa before enjoying a swim beneath a waterfall, or how I learned to dance bachata and meringue after first learning how to make dumplins ahogado en salami (dumplings drowned in salami) at my impromptu going away party in Monte Plata. It’s true that I spent most of my time living in communities that are considered desperately impoverished. As easy as it is to view these areas in terms of their poverty from afar, it’s impossible to miss the richness of the culture and the community once you get there.

One common mistake some Dominicans made when they first met me was to assume that I was a missionary. The work the missionaries do in the country cannot be overstated. As a whole, they are a well-respected, hard-working, and dedicated group in the Dominican Republic. However, I wanted to stress that my role there was not charity. First and foremost, I am a student and I was there to learn. As Jaclyn aptly described, we made sure to organize the health education classes to highlight this concept. I told my students that while I had information to share, they had information to share too, and I wanted to hear it. Just to put in perspective how serious I was about the bi-directional flow of information, I ended up writing a graduate-level biology paper on the empirical evidence regarding the many folk remedies my students shared with me. It is my sincerest hope that this conversational format empowered the women to be confident in what they already knew, and to incorporate into their knowledge base the information we shared and distributed.

As a graduate student in public health, I will confess that one of my greatest fears is leading a focus group. I have very recent memories of cowering in class while the professor called on students to serve as mock facilitators of mock focus groups. I’ve analyzed focus group data on an unrelated project and I am putting together a paper on the results, but I have never created an assessment and I certainly have never facilitated. That all changed one late week in July. Not only did Anel, the project manager of Project HEARTS, and I create a community assessment to work from, we reconvened the Club de Madres to hold the very first focus group. I facilitated and Anel took notes. We got a good deal of very useful information and I can now be confident in my focus group abilities- whether in English or Spanish!

I could describe endlessly how incredible this internship was, from both a personal and academic perspective, but I’ll cut short my reminiscing here. This was the internship of a lifetime. I can’t believe it happened to me.

Abrazos,

Kristin

2012-09-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Just recently, The Brattleboro Reformer newspaper wrote a great article about GRACE Cares' ten year anniversary. It's articles like this that show others how a small but dedicated organization made up of hard-working individuals can really make a difference in communities around the world. As we look forward to another year of work, keep in mind that it's exposure like this article that gets our name out to the public and builds support for current and future projects. But for now, enjoy the article and reflect upon the work that the past decade has accomplished!

August 25^th Press Relase: Brattleboro Reformer (VT)

10 years of GRACE
Local non-profit celebrates decade of helping community heroes

BRATTLEBORO - On Aug. 27, the locally based international non-profit GRACE Cares will begin its second decade of supporting local heroes around the world.

Founded by Brattleboro residents Zoe Kopp and T Namaya, GRACE Cares has supported dozens of community development projects which build leadership skills while improving water quality, health care, small businesses and education in needy communities. These projects have improved the lives of thousands of people and sent messages of love and hope.

Through their past work with international development agencies such as CARE and Catholic Relief Services, Namaya and Kopp met a number of local heroes with the ideas and drive to improve the lives of those around them. They found that many of the projects that local heroes dream of require only a modest sum of money but could have significant impacts on their communities.

Through its network of international partners, GRACE identifies individuals and communities with ideas for making a difference. GRACE focuses on projects that fall within its mission and that require only a small amount of funding, typically less than $5,000.

Kopp and Namaya are also celebrating another milestone, the first birthday of a non-profit organization in the Dominican Republic, Project Hearts, created by GRACE Care's local hero Bienvenido Ottenwalder, a Dominican who has formed a local non-profit that is working to empower the community to address its own needs.

The "grace" in GRACE Cares stands for Growth, Resources, Access and Community Empowerment. Kopp says, "We believe this is the best kind of success story. We did not just feed a child, give a village water or fix a roof. Though those are important and we, our community partners, and our donors helped do that. With partnership and leadership development of local heroes, we were able to create a local organization in the Dominican Republic that will empower local people to help themselves." Visit at www.heartsdr.org In its second decade GRACE Cares is looking to expanding its model so that more communities can experience self-made success as they face challenges. GRACE welcomes volunteers and donors. To learn more, visit www.gracecares.com.

San Jose Adentro, July 2012

2012-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

As we are flying away from the beautiful Dominican Republic, I can see that the houses are now tiny specks, the fields are mere patchwork quilts and the water seems to envelop it all. I am sad to go and leave this place I consider my second home after spending three months here in 2010. It is hard to leave the nice weather, delicious food, abundant fruit, breathtaking scenery, but most of all, it is nearly impossible to leave the amazing people. The people in San Jose Adentro, despite their humble existence, are the most welcoming people you will find. They know the true meaning of neighbors and hospitality and always find enough habichuelas (yummy beans) and rice to share and they welcome you into their community with an “abrazo fuerte” (strong hug) and a warm smile. If you are lucky, one of the adorable children will befriend you and it will be even better. (I was lucky!)

Ruben Ottenwalder and his family are always an inspiration to me. Ruben is a GRACE Cares local hero, who strives to improve his impoverished community. He has been helping his community with abrazos, hope, food and health care for 17 years. With GRACE Cares help he founded a Dominican NGO called Project Hearts (www.heartsdr.org) and now is working with the community to make sustainable projects (agriculture coop, improved schools, microenterprise,etc).

After having this whirlwind visit of only a week, I am also a bit sad that we had to leave so soon. We were able to accomplish a lot in one week but I can’t help but imagine what we could do in a month or a year. This week, I co-taught with a class with a GRACE Cares intern, (I really recommend being a volunteer or intern), Kristin and introduced the Appleseed Health program developed by GRACE Care’s founders Namaya and Zoe. Kristin had adapted three of the health education modules into Spanish and focused them on the needs of a rural community The idea of the program is to teach basic health education to people in the community and empower them to take part in their own healthcare and then pass along this education to others in the community.

Our first class had nine women, ranging in age from young adults to senior citizens. These women also belong to a “Club de Madres” (Mothers Club) so they already knew each other and are clearly very motivated. The first day we talked about respiratory health, the second day was about first aid and the third day was about women’s health. The reoccurring theme in the class was identifying when an illness, injury, etc. was something that needed the attention of a doctor and when you could safely treat it at home.

The class was very enthusiastic and they were full of great questions. Because of Kristin’s natural gift as a health educator, the women felt very comfortable talking and thus it became more of a discussion among friends rather than a rigid health education class. This was especially important when we covered the women’s health topics which are often sensitive topics for some people.

Next week Kristin will teach another group of women the same three topics and our hope is that these two groups of women will feel comfortable and confident enough to continue with the program and teach more people what they learned in our class. Empowering people to be a part of their own healthcare decisions is an invaluable skill, especially in a country with scarce resources. In this community, the cost of transportation, medical bills, and lost days of work could easily make or break a household. An unnecessary trip to the hospital could mean not having enough money for food for the month. In addition, we want the people to understand how their bodies work, and know what they can do to stay healthy and prevent illness, conveying the concept that health is an active process of self-responsibility. Even when ill you have responsibility and should not rely solely on the opinion of one doctor.

I wish I could have spent more time in San Jose Adentro but unfortunately (or fortunately) I have a job and at the end of August I will have classes to attend for nursing school. The long days at work, in class, or studying will all be worth it when I can bring even more skills and knowledge to the people of this wonderful community. So now it is back to business so I can prepare for my next trip. (It also won’t hurt to earn some money to pay for those flights!)

Please consider giving a donation/birthday present to GRACE Cares celebrating 10 years of supporting local heroes like Ruben and Project Hearts. Both groups need volunteers, too!

-Jaclyn

2012-05-25T14:30:00.003-07:00

4/19--homebound

A few thoughts as I begin my journey to Delhi, and then back to the States.

(1) We need some sort of climate control system in these schools. In order for that to happen, there needs to be more of an enclosed structure. Mullah Jeevan and Almighty Academy have accomplished this, but Noor ul Anwar and Ummesalma are still very much out in the open/open to the elements.

(2) There needs to be structured physical education. I know the kids are only in school from about 8 am-12:30 pm, but at least half an hour should be spent with them jumping around and getting those endorphins out and about so that they really absorb what they're learning. Again, healthy bodies foster healthy minds!

(3) Continuing from number 2, based on a case study we did in my Economics of Health Care class about the academic performance of Ugandan students who ate breakfast vs. those who didn't, providing breakfast would be such a great thing to do at these schools, even if it's a minimal protein source. I remember the morning of my AP US History exam, our rather eccentric teacher advised us to eat salmon or steak for breakfast. Obviously, that won't happen (nor did I eat salmon or steak that morning), but maybe even a simple breakfast of eggs, beans and rice, or some sort of protein bar? There must be a company that's willing to donate to this cause.

(4) We need to find a stable computer teacher or two. The schools have the equipment, but now we have to find the manpower to teach the students what to do with the computers.

(5) Starting some sort of fair-trade/sewing commune would be a great initiative as part of the greater community empowerment movement. Nearly every woman in this village is quite skilled with stitching and embroidering, and this might be something we could market to the "fair trade" stores that are scattered across Northampton and NYC.

...Now, I'm going to spend the next few months trying to brainstorm a way to get more Mount Holyoke students (or MoHos, as well call ourselves) involved in this project. Afshan's getting older now too, so it's time she took on a bit of responsibility. I find that she's now able to connect with the students more (probably because there's less of an age disparity) whereas I'm looked at as more of an "older sister" figure (aging is inevitable I suppose :P ). Also, getting whichever company I end up employed at involved in this project would be great as well. Corporate philanthropy is booming--we might as well take advantage of it.

2012-05-24T22:19:00.002-07:00

4/15

Inevitably...the sun took its toll on me. I have heatstroke and the worst eye infection I have ever seen (except I can't really see it because my left eye is completely useless for the time being). But I'm being a trooper, with my brand new, makeshift eyepatch...I think my new pirate-esque look is either alarming or amusing to my students, as their faces shift between complete consternation and hidden smiles. At least I'm able to continue playing with them and teaching them. I like to think my visits are a break from the monotony of the normal school week--I play with the kids and do as much phys ed as possible, but use it as an opportunity to make them either introduce themselves and tell me a fun fact every time I throw them the ball, or, that they have to tell me the months/days/etc. Something else I've noted here is that the kids will play when left to their own devices (usually the boys, not the girls), but there's no structured physical education or exercise that's encouraged. Healthy bodies foster healthy minds (as I've finally learned as a newly-minted fitness fanatic at the age of 21), so this is something that I'm going to look at changing, either with them doing some sort of stretching exercise every morning, or something similar.

I'm amazed and how much their reading skills have improved in such a short time--the teachers are really doing a great job with such limited resources. I wonder if something along the lines of hooked on phonics would be useful for students who are taking a bit longer to learn how to read....but I think part of the hooked on phonics method is that the students who use it are native English speakers. Maybe I'll just revolutionize the village and make people speak English to their children from birth?

Something else I'm thinking of doing is recruiting a team from Mount Holyoke to go to India every year during their short term. So many girls get involved with the peacecorps, americorps, teach for america, etc--this may be a great training exercise for them.

2012-05-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

4/12--LUCKNOW!

We're safely in Lucknow, and have been here for about three days. Today was our major day of work in Amethi, and we took care of a lot of the managerial tasks that go into managing schools. We distributed supplies, clothes, and the like across the five schools, and gave financial support when needed. We also met with the village committee to see the general status of our community empowerment initiative. When we're out of the country, they also take care of the medical initiative, so we also took a look at what medicines needed to be replenished, and if anyone needed treatment for any serious diseases. Miliary TB is a huge problem here, so ensuring that treatment is available is a big part of our medical program, as it can be fatal when untreated.

I was so excited to see all my students, especially my older ones over at the Ummesalma school. The oldest girls there were my first students, so it's so exciting to see how they have progressed in terms of their reading and comprehension abilities, as well as their etiquette (and the fact that they've been allowed to stay in school!) The students at the Almighty Cambridge Academy in grades 10 and 12 are writing their board exams, so I won't be able to see them until the 17th or so :( The students in Mullah Jeevan are doing very, very well as they've constructed a whole new portion of the school, which has created more space for the boarders.

It's very, very hot here, especially in the schools, and I'm starting to see how spoiled we are back at home with our AC'ed academic buildings (or maybe we're just spoiled over at Mount Holyoke). Fans are running overhead, but the sun is so strong that the fans are almost useless. Perhaps some sort of solar-activated cooling system would be a wise investment...something to consider for a fundraising venture for the next few years?

2012-05-24T21:49:00.001-07:00

Post from Nazeela, written on 4/06..

Finally in India! After a rather (seemingly) grueling journey from the center of all existence (JFK), to Indira Gandhi International in Delhi (the most disorganized, yet beautifully constructed, airport in the world)...I'm finally here.

The last few weeks have been a blur of prepping for this trip. The mad rush to buy school supplies, gather together clothes and books to give away at the schools, and the general stress of trying to cram as much as possible into 2 suitcases at 50 lbs each + a carry on (I think my carry on was heavier than my checked baggage), and transport it from Boston to Brooklyn to Manhattan to JFK. We managed to secure a laptop for each school (generously donated by Pfizer!), and those were in my carry on--you can imagine the weird looks I got from security when I had multiple identical laptops going through the scanners.

I'm excited for this visit! It's my first trip as a "working woman", and I was so excited to take time off to do something so important and close to my heart. I submitted GRACECares as a non-profit to be considered for Bloomberg's philanthropy department's donation program, so we'll find out whether that worked out in July or so. I have more and more friends that are becoming interested in getting involved with the Lucknow project, which is great! Alex Khachatryan, a former Pfizer colleague of my mom's, will be joining us on this trip to help out where she can (and get a real taste of the Indian heat--it's only April, but it's already averaging at 110 over here!).

T-2 days until Lucknow!!!!!!

2012-03-07T21:41:00.001-08:00

GRACE is on the move this Spring! Mother and daughter team Seema Haider and Nazeela Nasseri are returning to northern India to provide supervision and support for the Lucknow Project which provides education, health and community development support to 3000 students. Board members Zoe Kopp and T Namaya are off to the Dominican Republic with three 8th grade students from Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, NY and Jaida Goldberg a kindergarten teacher from Ohio.

We have opportunities for interns and volunteers in the US for the Spring as well as Summer in funding development and overseas opportunities with Project Hearts.

2011-11-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

November 20, 2011 - Welcome to our new website! Thank you to Walter Osuna, Will Montalvo, Allison Cardinal, Ken Giancola, and Jess Boffa for their hard work making it happen. We still have lots more content and photos to add but enjoy the new format while we add the finishing touches. Any questions or suggestions may be directed to gracecaresvt@yahoo.com

New Website is Here! November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that the new GRACE Cares website is ready. The change over will take place tomorrow, November 20th, at noon. During the transition the website will be down, but please check back on Monday the 21st to explore the new site and learn more about our projects. We will also be posting information about a fellowship opportunity with GRACE Cares this winter.

New Website Almost Ready! November 13, 2011

2011-11-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

The new website for GRACE Cares is in its final stages. The Board, Fellows, and other Volunteers have been working hard on this for over two months and it's getting close. We expect to have it fully debugged and ready to rock for Sunday November 20.