The Department of State initiative, “TechGirls” is administered by Legacy International and  is designed to connect and support the next generation of women in technology sectors by providing them the access and opportunity needed to pursue careers in technology.

Twenty-five young women ages 15-17, from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen will participate in a 22-day program in the U.S.  June 25-July 17, 2012.  The program begins in New York City with site visits and presentations by some of America’s leading tech professionals and continues with presentations in Washington DC.

While residing at American University, the TechGirls will participate in a “technology computer camp” by our partner Wonder-Space Computer and Technology Camps (WSTechCamp) for 11 days, including 60 hours of rigorous instruction,  as well as community service visits and cultural field trips.

Hospitality Opportunity: Legacy is seeking Washington, D.C. area families to host a TechGirl for one or two Sundays (July 8 & 15), for an afternoon & evening, sharing family activities and sightseeing. They are eager to learn about America! Learn more about this hosting opportunity…

The program also connects TechGirls to its “parent” organization  TechWomen alumni in mentoring relationships. Participants will increase their access to resources and networks that support their interests and educational goals.

The following video of Sen Hillary Clinton’s speech at closing banquet of the TechWomen program. She beautifully conveys the DOS philosophy for the program and the intended results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea9JhwauX58

Legacy participants Firda and Ferry

Firda Muthia Elsanty and Ferry Fhrans Valentinus

Indonesian Youth Leadership 2010, participants Firda and Ferry organized a program for impoverished students to study English, a subject often unavailable to Indonesian students in rural areas. As part of their participation in Legacy’s seventh Indonesian Youth Leadership Program (IYLP), Firda and Ferry recruited 52 volunteers to teach classes to students from 29 orphanages and centers for homeless teens. The lesson plans and curriculum included power point presentation, games and simulations, rewards for excellence, handouts, and testing.

Firda and young orphan children

“We realized that being a leader means learning to work with and receive help from others, this project is not a project, but the biggest accomplishment we have had in our lives!”-- Ferry

Legacy continues to seek out and support individuals with a commitment to public service and a vision for their communities, helping them to realize their full potential by engaging them in programs to develop leadership skills, cross-cultural communications, and creative and critical thinking.

Sarah Higginbotham in Marrakesh, speaking to professionals in the field of Domestic Violence

Sarah Higginbotham is a knowledgeable and accomplished individual. She has specialized in intimate partner violence prevention, served as a hotline coordinator, an education and outreach coordinator, a volunteer coordinator and an advocate and counselor for victims/survivors of intimate partner violence during her 10 years of service in the field.

As a Title IX Coordinator and instructor and Clinical Coordinator for the Health Psychology Department at Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke, VA.,  she has been in the position of educating and training students, faculty, staff, and administration on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking prevention issues. Yet, she describes her participation in the  North African Community Health Initiative (CHI) as a “life-changing and eye-opening journey”.

The CHI program provides community health care professionals from Morocco and Egypt a new set of tools, resources, and knowledge to enhance rural health care in their respective communities.  In particular, this program builds the capacity of professionals who serve marginalized populations, particularly women and children.

She and 10 other Public Health professionals were invited  to travel to Morocco as the U. S. Delegation, and to lecture and participate, and share their knowledge with the Moroccan Delegation, also Public Health professionals, in a Public Health Conference in Marrakesh.

Sarah (right) and CHI fellow, Dr. Karen McDonnell, presenting at the Association Ennakhil, as part of an event organized by Moroccan CHI Fellow Samira Tabine on Domestic Violence

Her thanks and warmth were recently expressed  to  Legacy’s President, J.E.Rash, saying:

” I can’t begin to thank you, …and all the other delegates for such a life-changing and eye-opening journey.  I continue to reflect on the experiences and words cannot fully describe my gratitude to you each!  You all are wonderful mentors!  Your illustrations of compassion, humility, and partnership are easy to embrace and admire.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing such a wealth of these attributes on this beautiful and unforgettable journey!

I greatly look forward to continuing to support Legacy’s goals and endeavors and to serve as a partner in the progression and preservation of humanity among all people and cultures. Thank you again!

Sarah is the niece of Legacy supporters, Jerry and Doris Higginbotham.  Jerry, who owns Corrugated Containers in Roanoke, was initially a business host for a  Community Connections (then “Business for Russia”) groups from Russia.  Later on he and Doris hosted in their home on a number of occasions for various international exchanges with Legacy, and accompanied Legacy participants in one of the programs, to Russia.

"Dance of Peace" by Kyrygyz youth

Kyrgyzstan "Disco" Dance

The healing process has begun in Jalalabad.  Legacy’s Kyrgyz Women’s Initiative participant, Feruze Tolonova is accomplishing her goal of healing ethnic divisions among youth.

She recognized that the majority of people engaged in violence of the recent ethnic conflict between Kyrgyz and Uzbek ethnic communities were Youth. They became the main participants of the tragic events and took part in many of the aggressive actions.   As a result of the conflict, a sense of  apprehension and fear of each other was evident in her community.

Feruza Tolonova

Feruza Tolonova, the head of the public association “Temirkan Datka,” in Jalalabad, felt the urgent need to educate youth about Tolerance and to address one of the major factors: lack of a communication platform for youths of different ethnicities.

Professionally, Feruza is responsible for successful organizational activities, establishing public relations, fundraising, and pursuing partnerships with other organizations to  building capacity of women and youths through social mobilization in her local area of southern Kyrgyzstan.

"Gypsy Dance"

Through her involvement in Legacy’s Kyrgyz Women’s Leadership Development and NGO Capacity -Building program she has successfully begun to address the issues of ethnic conflict in her region.

She and 10 other Kyrgyz women participated in this initiative designed to positively impact emerging professionals (community leaders, political leaders, educators, and youth workers), to strengthen grassroots organizations in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, as well as the mutual understanding of the role of civil society in the U.S. and Kyrgyzstan.

She expressed to Legacy her interest in learning “what U.S. NGOs do to improve the economic status of women, how they work with women; and how NGOs cooperate with government.”

Russian performance by Kyrgyz youth

As a result of her involvement in this Kyrgyz Women’s Initiative,  she chose to focus on Youth for Peace in her follow-on project.  Follow-on projects are carried out by each alumna, and each is supported by $1,000 mini-grants from Legacy. (Efforts of fellow participant, Zhumagul Bolponova, can be read at: “A Legacy of Ethnic Cooperation”)

Feruza’s “Youth for Peace”  project goals:

• decrease conflict tension among young people by promoting values and skills of tolerance
• mobilize 90 young people from Jalalabad area to create a platform for communication among youth by training and practicing conflict prevention techniques.
• target youth, University teachers, religious leaders, representatives of local government in Jalalabad  and thereby  improve the relations
• start a constructive dialogue between these groups
• strengthen friendships among youth of different ethnic groups.

Kyrgyz Song

Feruza and her team planned a series of events for youth of different ethnicities to share perspectives while providing them with conflict prevention skills.  Youth under the age of 30 are trained on aspects of tolerance and conflict mediation while having the opportunity to make new friends across ethnic lines.

Tommy Lee, Global Youth Village, staff

“I cannot begin to express the vast amount of appreciation and gratitude I have for you and the opportunity you all provided me with this summer. Having taken away so much from the Global Youth Village as a participant, I could not have fathomed how much  more the staff experience would change my life. I chose to return to this personally spiritual place in the woods to give back and inspire others, yet I am walking away richer than when I arrived. The optimism and spirit of the young people, the knowledge and talents of my fellow staff, and the dedication and effort put into creating this legacy from you all has left me feeling empowered and hopeful. Hopeful that people can come together regardless of their differences to alleviate suffering and promote humanity, hopeful that the work we have done this summer has made an impact on over 100 teenagers, and hopeful that I can truly make a difference. I thank you for instilling that hope in me.”

“I was honored to be his friend. He leaves a great empty place in our hearts and our community and we will miss him but we celebrate his peace and comfort in the presence of noble souls.” – J.E. Rash,  President, Legacy International

Eric  was a visionary who integrated a global perspective with deep spiritual values in his interactions with the business and non-profit communities.  His career spanned the computer revolution, a field in which he maintained interest and proficiencies.

He was a leading member of a small team guiding the U.S. food industry’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Uniform Grocery Product Code (UPC). The team investigated, designed, promulgated, and directed implementation of the industry standard (bar code) symbol to facilitate automatic scanning by advanced point of sale electronic equipment.

He was CEO of Greenbelt Consumer Services, Inc. 1971-1976. Greenbelt is a diversified consumer cooperative with operations in food and home furnishings retailing that, during Waldbaum’s tenure, ranked as the largest consumer owned cooperative in the country and achieved three successive years of record earnings.

As president of Baskin Financial Corporation, 1985-1990 in Washington, DC, he helped to create CDx, a financial services firm offering electronic trading in bank certificates of deposit (CDs) with automated transactions clearing, electronic funds transfer and custodial services.

In the latter part of 1990, he was a member of an international expert team brought together to advise the city and regional (oblast) authorities of Kaliningrad, Russia and evaluate and recommend programs for successful transition to a free market economy and creation of a Free Economic Zone (FEZ).

He served as senior partner, Pacific Basin Partners, Inc. Washington, DC, 1991-1997 where he supervised a variety of projects for international agencies, including ones in information technology for The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and in energy production for The World Bank (WB).

During the next 12 years, Eric created Technology Development, Inc., a consulting business to help develop and expand innovative businesses with both mature and cutting edge technologies, bridging cultures and geography.  As Chairman of the Board of Legacy International, he played a key role in advising Legacy President, J. E. Rash, and on projects involving development, conflict prevention, and renewable energy.  He also worked with businesses in Europe, the Middle East, India, Indonesia, and the U.S. They included water purification and desalination, renewable energy technologies, sustainable agriculture and healthcare.

“Eric challenged us all to reach higher, discard the obvious, and strive for superior goals. His work’s reach was global, yet he remained humble, devoted and loyal.  We will all miss him.” – Shanti Thompson, Vice President, Legacy International

As an executive and entrepreneur he had a proven record in financial services, applications of computers, data communication for business, and automation, organization development, and retailing with particular knowledge of accounting, internal audit, and tax principles.  His special areas of expertise included management, investment, and marketing, real estate, international finance and operations.

He was also expert in understanding and application of techniques in group relations, conflict management, organizational training, counseling of minority groups in advanced management, including simulation, mathematical forecasting, network analysis, statistics, distribution analysis, and in dealing with corporations, regulatory agencies, cooperatives, private voluntary and non-governmental organizations of all sizes.

He received a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.  His Classmates included David Baltimore (Nobel Laureate in Medicine) and Andries Van Dam, Professor of Computer Science at Brown University and a visionary in that field.

He is survived by his widow, Yvonne Behrens-Waldbaum, and daughter Kiran Waldbaum. Memorial events were held March 25, 2012 in Charlottesville.

Zhear Sarkawt Abdulsama,

“I shall thank my All Mighty God for giving me the opportunity not only for being able to visit United States of America, and explore the kindness and incredibility of its people and everything I saw, but for giving me an opportunity of knowing a kind and generous person as you. [ J. E. Rash, Legacy’s President]

Your speech in the first day …is in my mind word by word. Those words gave me a lot of inspirations for I became a man of recognizing that the words “impossible” and “undone” are two wrong words in the dictionary of mankind. I realized the miracle of God on His worshipers in the first minute I saw your insistence towards making a bunch of participants be able to make the world better. Millions die, and suffer everyday all around the world, and millions shall visit the incredible GYV [Global Youth Village] to learn what is the real meaning of the symbol peace, and its greatness for making the world to be the place of brotherhood and one family.” -Zhear Sarkawt Abdulsamad, Erbil, Iraq

Dr. Blaine Parrish (right) honors Legacy president, J.E. Rash, with George Washington University's Silver Medallion

Thursday, March 8 in Marrakech, Morocco.

Legacy Founder and President, J.E Rash, was honored with the George Washington School of Public Health & Health Services Silver Medallion Award. The award was given during Legacy’s North Africa Community Health Initiative.

The Silver Medallion Award recognizes Legacy’s “malleability, brightness and vision as well as the ability to adapt to change and to continue contributing over a long period of time in the area of public health.”

Also honored were the Medical Knowledge Institute and the American Public Health Association.

The Medallion was presented by Dr. Blaine Parrish, Assistant Professor of the Community-Oriented Primary Care Program and Director of the Graduate Certificate Program in Community-Based Program Management in the Department of Prevention and Community Health at the George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services.

The Medallion, according to Dr. Parrish, recognizes the bond between Legacy International and George Washington University, and the potential for future collaboration to address public health issues in North Africa and other parts of the world.

This award was given during the culminating event of a week-long tour of Morocco with eleven U.S. delegates visiting and consulting with the Moroccan participants of Legacy’s North African Community Health Initiative.

The group visited Rabat, Essaouria, Marrakesh, Taroudannt, and the mountainous village of Ait Haddou Youssef, and included meeting with US Ambassador to Morocco, Sam Kaplan.

U.S. delegates represented Carilion Clinics (Roanoke,Virginia), as well as the Medical Knowledge Institute, American Public Health Associate and George Washington’s School of Public Health.

Mr. Rash with Ambassador Kaplan (left) and his wife, Sylvia Kaplan.

Legacy delegation with Ambassador and Mrs. Kaplan.

Hanane Belhaj presenting on diabetes

Legacy President and Founder, J.E. Rash, reports from Morocco,  where he and a delegation of public health professionals are touring the country promoting an exchange of best practices and developing ongoing collaboration with Moroccan public health organizations.

“Presentations today in Essouira began with CHI fellow Hanane Belhaj on the subject of diabetes.  She was followed by Ann Jewell on vaccination, Dr Penney Muleneaur on early childhood, post natal diseases /conditions and finally Kimberly Robertson.

The hall is filled with over 150 Health professionals. I am so grateful and proud that we at Legacy have profiled opportuities for the development and implementation of these projects throughout Morroco.

Thank you to our staff: Mitra, Leila and everyone who have made this project such a success.”

Dr. Georges C. Benjamin (far left), Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, and Dr. Harold Robles (center), Founder of the Medical Knowledge Institute, were among the participants

This event is part of Legacy’s North African Community Health Initiative , a two year program that provides community health care professionals from Morocco and Egypt a new set of tools, resources, and knowledge to enhance rural health care in their respective communities.

Read more about the Moroccan and Egyptian Delegation and their in-country Follow on Projects

Rara receives Certificate

“Participating in IYLP 2006 was one of the most significant turning points in my life. It was my first encounter with the western world, a memorable embrace to the new environment with a whole different set of culture, perspectives, and ways of life.
I also had the chance to have a close interaction with other Indonesians from different parts of the country most of which are strict Moslems that I barely meet back in my hometown. It was a great learning experience that taught me to take differences as a blessing instead of an obstacle in life and changed me to be an open-minded person with deeper mutual and cultural understanding. Seeing the difference between the United States and  Indonesia in terms of developments also grew personal awareness towards social issues within me and it motivated me to make contributions to my country.

Rara and fellow graduates

IYLP, I continued my study in Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan. It is a richly diverse environment where I had the chance to make friends from more than 90 countries all over the world, learning new cultures, and experience living on the other part of the world. Throughout my four years in Japan I have been focusing my non-academic activities in spreading the awareness about the importance of English. I have participated in numerous English camps as tutors, teaching assistants, and program directors both in Japan and South Korea. I have worked with more than 1,000 kids in total and I am currently working with a small organization to organize another English Camp in Indonesia.

Indonesia is currently facing remarkably intense inter-religious problems with endless competitions between Moslems and Christians, the rises of radical Islamist groups such as the notorious Front of Defenders of Islam (FPI) and Mosque of Ahmadiyah that often ignite the fire by doing anarchic activities in the name of Islam, let alone the undercover organizations that often give wrong doctrines for people in rural areas. It is undoubtedly a serious obstacle for Indonesia because development would be impossible without unity.

Rara in S. Korean English Camp

In order to contribute in pursuing betterment for my country, I would focus on providing equal access to education for everyone because I personally believe that education and the opportunity to see the world has the power to shape a wiser individual and English is definitely one of the main keys of all. I would continue my master study on International Education so that I can make a better education system in Indonesia and my goal is to establish an NGO that provides opportunities for kids to join intercultural discussions where they can have a better look about what’s going on beyond the national boundaries.

With proper education and understanding about the world, people would not be easily misled, they would have more tolerance towards differences, and I believe it can eventually further decrease the inter-religious conflicts in Indonesia and make the way for a better national development.

My dream may sound vague at the moment but quoting from John F. Kennedy, “Don’t ask what your country can do for you. Ask instead what you can do for your country”, and I believe it is a little something I can do for my country. “…Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do” - Steve Jobs.

Rara