in association with Techiman Learning Resource Centre and the Ayi Owen International School, Ghana

http://TravelGrant.ForOneWorld.org

2012 For One World Travel Grant Application

2012 Travel Grant Details and Dates:

• Up to Two travel grants are being offered for a 11-24 week duration departing for Ghana in May 2012. Each candidate’s arrival date in Ghana needs to be aligned/coordinated such that transportation is shared from the airport to the school.

• The grant application deadline is February 29, 2012. Grant winners and one “runner up” will be notified by March 14, 2012. Grant winner(s) is required to accept or decline by March 21. If a grant winner declines, the “runner up” will be notified.

• Grant winners are required to document their trip and create a journal/essay of their experience and/or project findings. All successful candidates’ application essays and follow up research may be posted on For One World’s website. $100 of the reimbursement (flight only, and we only will reimburse up to $1,000 (after we get a copy of the flight itinerary) ) will be withheld until the winner submits a minimum 3 page report (ie results and product findings) for posting on the website at the conclusion of the trip.

About Ayi Owen and For One World:

About For One World: https://www.foroneworld.org/

1595 Boston Post Road Old Saybrook, CT 06475

• Federal Nonprofit organization that promotes understanding and solutions of educational problems in less developed countries.
• Founded in 1997. Granted Federal non-profit status in 2002.
• For One World gratefully accepts tax deductible donations.

About Ayi Owen International School:

Box 252, House 200, Takofiano, Techiman, Brong Ahafo, Ghana, West Africa

• More than 500 enrolled students (50% boys/girls) and 35 teachers;
• Grades K – 9 with 10 classrooms, ages 2 – 15
• School is operated under the local nonprofit called Techiman Learning Resource Center by Bill and Ayisatu Owen
• School prides itself on its counseling of pupils and student government

About the program hosts

Wilfred “Bill” Owen; Founder:

• Bill Owen holds a Ph. D. in Educational Administration from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. He speaks Twi, and is a Consultant to USAID.
• Bill and his wife Ayisatu “Ayi” live onsite and adjacent to volunteer quarters.
• Phone 233 243-370-547, Bill@ForOneWorld.org

Ayisatu “Ayi” Owen; Founder:

• Ayi currently is both the parent-teacher liaison and manages much of the schools activities.
• Ayi is Ghanaian, and speaks 10 local languages.

Your trip to Techiman Ghana

About the volunteer quarters:

• 2 bedrooms for up to 4 people
• 1 Kitchen
• 1 Full Bathroom
• School tennis court
• 24 hour access to reliable internet and PC lab
• Cost of accommodations at volunteer quarters is covered by For One World (value of $500).

 

Getting to Techiman:

• Fly into Accra airport (For One World will cover up to $1,000 toward round trip flight)
• Escorted car service from airport to Techiman by your host or alternate transportation covered For One World. (It is a day’s drive from Techiman to Accra.)
• One night’s accommodation in Accra covered by For One World on return trip (due to the distance between the school and airport.)

About your role as a grant winner:

• Total value of the travel grant is worth over $1,500 but is NOT intended to cover the full cost of the trip to the grant winner. For One World reimburses the grant winners for the flight only (after the grant winner purchases and provides a receipt to their assigned For One World advisor) up to $1,000 for a direct round trip flight to Accra, Ghana. Your assigned advisor can help you find a flight. As of Jan 2011 prices are $1,090 for round trip fare on special with British Airways and nonstop via Delta is also available for about $200 more. Note: Airfare can change drastically based on demand and fuel costs. The remaining amount of the grant is wired directly to the local nonprofit in Ghana (Techiman Resource Learning Center) to cover housing, utilities, escort/local transportation and food while in route two and from airport/school, hotel stays in capital city, etc costs. The grant winner can reach out to their For One World advisor to discuss how they can get involved to help fund raise the additional costs associated with their trip. Additional costs incurred by the grand winner include but are not limited to: Vaccinations, laundry service (optional, but just a few dollars a week), daily meal expense (just a few dollars a day), Airfare costs above $1,000, etc.
• A chef is not included with the volunteer housing! After a welcome meal the grant winners are expected to cook their own meals while at the volunteering housing and do their own shopping either at convenient stores or the local organic food market. On your first week, you will be escorted to the markets to help you get acquainted with the basics of buying food in Ghana.  It is very important that volunteers have basic skills to be able to shop and cook meals. Reputable restaurants are not as readily available as in the USA.
• Remember that you are a guest at the school and will be looked up to in the community as one of the best educated members of the community. It is important that you dress professionally by avoiding ripped jeans, camouflage, and similar items. Shorts are in general worn by children and not by adults, in Ghana.
• As a guest of the school, you should be looking to help your hosts with daily chores and tasks at the school. Grant winners are expected to be able to operate independently after basic orientation at the school.
• Grant winners upon arrival at the school will be briefed on the ground rules at the school, which are expected to be followed at all times. These rules are established to make best efforts to ensure your safety. For example, guests are encouraged to bring a local teacher when exploring cultural events at night, e.g., dances, cultural displays, and festive funerals/weddings.
• Grant winners should discuss the trip with their family prior to departure and be clear about health and safety issues and the ability to communicate vie email/phone while in Ghana.  More specific information will be provided by the winner’s For One World advisor.
• You will be required to sign a waiver form assuming all risk associated with your travel grant

For references and additional information, please contact any of the following people:

• Briggs@ForOneWorld.org
• John@ForOneWorld.org
• Alex@ForOneWorld.org
• James@ForOneWorld.org
• Bill@ForOneWorld.org
• Loretta@ForOneWorld.org
• Max@ForOneWorld.org

For One World Travel Grant Application

Candidates should email this application page and the related personal statement to travelgrant@foroneworld.org by February 29, 2012 in order to be considered.

Name: ___________________________ Date: _________________

Address: _______________________________________________

City: ______________________ State:___________

Zip Code___________________

Best Telephone Number to Reach you: _______________________

Alternative Telephone Number, if any: _______________________

Name/Phone number of parent/guardian: ____________________

E-mailAddress: __________________________________________

Please list two references. Please include one personal and one professional/academic

contact. The academic contact will act as your sponsor and receive a copy of your final project report.

1.____________________________________________________________________

Name                                                         Phone                                           Email

2.____________________________________________________________________

Name                                                         Phone                                           Email

Travel Grant Qualifications

Candidate must be attending an accredited college/university as a full-time student or be a graduate.  All degree levels will be considered.

International experience is not required but an open mind and a willingness to experience new culture is a must!

Retired teachers and professionals are welcome to apply. Please indicate on your application that you are not currently attending college.

Personal Statement

(1) Please describe your educational background, any academic or work experience you would like us to consider, and your international travel experience, if any.

(2) Write one or two pages about why you would like to volunteer at Ayi International School and which of the six (6) potential projects described below you would be most interested in, should you be awarded the scholarship (you may write about more than one). You are also welcome to propose a project not listed. More often than not, volunteers are involved in many aspects of improving education at the school. You will have many opportunities to meet Chiefs and members of local government – your involvement with the school is the first priority, but you are welcome to propose additional projects with a broader impact.

(3) Please describe how your project and/or involvement in the school and For One World will outlive your stay in Ghana.

Potential Projects:

• English writing/composition program needs a revised curriculum that includes persuasive essays, research based essays and laboratory writing, in addition its current story and creative writing format.  Related attention to reading skills would be beneficial, including coaching and tutoring students who lack confidence regarding their reading comprehension.  Library management, reading clubs and other methods for linking reading with other media such as cinema, photography, music, dance, and prayer.
• Early childhood development education specialist is needed to provide in-service training for teachers in the elementary school and preschool. (Possible training topics include phonics lessons word processing skills with graphics, and working with tactile materials like painting, colors and music.)
• Math program could be improved by more attention to games, methods, and exercises. In addition, a math lab program needs to be designed and implemented to supplement the current lecture format. This effort should be focused on 3-7 graders.
• Expressive art is one of the things that we encourage at our school. More drawing, painting even dancing, singing and drama would be good to implement in the school. Organize a drama program to introduce students to the performing arts as well as media and film. Students at the school are very interested in acting and skit reenactment but there is no formal direction in this respect.
• Hands-on science projects to provide the children with first hand experience on the beauty of finding facts and the art of experimentation.
• Computer curriculum needs integration with classroom learning. Educational CDs for math, English, and other subjects are currently being used but not integrated effectively.  Fresh ideas on how to integrate computers into primary school learning (keep in mind that average computer literacy is not as developed as in western cultures). General training for Microsoft Office applications is needed for students and teachers (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).
• There is a need to reinforce the counseling approach to pupils, in particular, improving the teacher-student relationship. Some ways this could be achieved are through extra-curricular clubs, such as football, aviation, and drama clubs, that act as a platform for counseling and training in mental toughness, nutrition, sexual reproduction knowledge, and career guidance.

Hey For One World Supporters!

Check out this link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

Reach out to us and let us know what you think!

Ayi Owen International is one of the 17 schools that has a (100%) pass in the 2010 BECE. And the school also took the 1st position out of 93 J.H.S private schools and out ranked all the public schools that took part in the examination

Another victory for For One World!

Happy New Year!

James Mattison and Taylor Bowen are sponsoring/organizing/accompanying interested volunteers/donors to the Ayi Owen International School, Ghana, West Africa on January 29 to February 6,2011. Everyone pays their own way, pays a small stipend for housing, makes a donation to For One World, hand carries supplies to the school and volunteers at the school.

If you are interested in joining on this trip, please send an email to April@ForOneWorld.org expressing your interest and a note on how you support For One World.

Thank you!

James, Taylor and April

Please donate $1, $10, $100! We are looking for 100% participation!

Donate.ForOneWorld.org

Each year we count on your support to continue the progress we have made as an organization and to help children who otherwise would not have an opportunity to attend school, especially girls. If you stand for equality, stability and sustainability through education – you stand with For One World and the Ayi Owen International School, inspired by Ayisatu.

For One World began in 1998 as a small group of college students, who raised the initial money to open the Ayi Owen International School in Ghana, which opened with a handful of students. After twelve years of countless volunteer hours, local donations of land and money, and your donations, we now have 440 students and 36 teachers! And in 2010 the school ranked #1 in the district on the national exam! We have earned the right to be proud of our accomplishments, and our positive impact on the local community.

These are the stories of two of the people your donations are helping (names kept anonymous):
·        She is 15 years old and one of the 18 “orphans” living at the school and 3 years older than her classmates. She is strong in math and science – not the norm. She tutors the others living at the school and pretends to be a teacher. Her mother lives on the street and sweeps the market after hours collecting spilled rice, etc. and attempts to resell it barely sustaining herself. Her father ran away many years ago. She is studying hard for the national exams and hopes to become a nurse some day. Your donations pay for her clothing/shoes (~$26/yr), medical care (~$50/yr), daily food (~$280/yr), school fees (~$175/yr), books/notebooks ($32/yr), etc. Our travel grant winners spend most evenings with her and the other children who live at the school.

·         She is in 7th grade, also started late and older than her classmates. She stays with her aunt in a location of town called “strangers quarters” and it is not clear if she stays in a home or sleeps on the street. Her aunt gets home from the grain market after dark. Her mother ran away when she was little and her poverty stricken near blind father visits every few years when he comes from the frontier. She seems to have had a violent past and teachers spend many hours counseling her on her temper. She is a hard worker, currently below average and finds inspiration in sports. Your donations cover her school fees, books, clothing, and medical care.

2010 For One World Volunteer highlights:

·         Ailis Peterson is 8 years old and on her own asked the principle of her elementary school if she could address the school during Friday assembly. Ailis challenged the students at Carrillo Elementary School to donate their unwanted or unused school and art supplies to Ayi Owen School. Her mother, Bridget Peterson has been spearheading efforts to solicit in kind donations for the Ayi Owen School. The mother and daughter team collected 10 moving boxes full of crayons, markers, pencils, pens and sports equipment! If you would like to make an in kind donations please email Bridget@ForOneWorld.org

·         Taylor Bowen, a high school student, was inspired by For One World to organize a group of interested classmates as part of her senior project. She is paying her own way to Ghana in February to build an innovative volunteer program for high school students. Taylor@ForOneWorld.org

·         Loretta Cremmins traveled to the school in 2009 as the recipient of the collegiate travel grant. She continued her dedication to For One World and during her senior year, she was awarded a grant (her site is http://f1w.weebly.com/) from the Center for Urban and Global Studies to address the topic of global education and raise awareness on campus regarding For One World. Loretta@ForOneWorld.org

·         Cyrus Morgan and Tiffany Washburn our travel grant winners for 2010 spent their summer volunteering at the school. Tiffany made great progress with math comprehension and science experiments to help students understand the concepts beyond memorization. Cyrus helped in a program to learn local language first, bridge to English after third grade as well as focused on improving how exams are administered to drive a deeper understanding – key to the higher test results on the national exams. Tiffany@ForOneWorld.org, Cyrus@ForOneWorld.org

2010 For One World donor highlights:

·         Stephen Colbert donated $3,000 from the sale of his Ben & Jerry’s Americone Dream ice cream flavor to For One World on behalf of the staff and crew of The Colbert Report. Thanks to Erica Myrickes’ efforts to make this happen! Erica@ForOneWorld.org

·         Rotary International provided a grant for $17,600 representing our largest donation to date thanks to the efforts of John Donnelly. John@ForOneWorld.org

·         Thanks to those who have already made a donation in 2010 including Leverett Smith and Gretchen Peterson’s continued generosity.

·         Thanks to Alex van Voorhees for his continued support of our Travel Grants making it affordable for college volunteers to spend the summer volunteering, critical to driving up quality at the Ayi Owen International School. Alex@ForOneWorld.org

·         Wilfred (Bill) and Ayisatu Owen’s donations over the years exceed any other contribution both in hours and dollars. They are an inspiration to all of us! Bill@ForOneWorld.org

Looking ahead to 2011, we are taking a big step. We are making the transition from an all-volunteer organization to one with a part time employee, April Acut. Another big step for the organization: new pro bono software, which will make it easier to donate, improve communications and will keep our operating costs near zero. Our board and volunteers give more than 50% of the individual donations, so we are all incentivized to ensure our donations are linked to successful programs with no waste and giving only what is required. Our goal is not to donate forever, but to find long term solutions.

None of the major accomplishments that took place in 2010 would have been possible without you.  We are counting on your support again for the coming year, which promises to be the organization’s most exciting year yet. Please donate today!

Donate.ForOneWorld.org

Thanks again to each of you.

Happy Holidays!

-James
James@ForOneWorld.org

To all For One World supporters:

We have a container bound for Ghana that has room for more donations.  If anyone is interested in helping out the children in Ghana this year, now would be  a great time to get a parcel together for immediate shipment to the school, which is a great school with thermoplastic playground markings so the kids can play comfortably in the playground.

John Donnelly’s office in Old Saybrook is our central collection point.  (1595 Boston Post Road) If you need an alternate drop off point in the CT area, you can call John and see what can be arranged at (860)399-9499 .

Bill & Ayi’s wish list this year includes:

anything to improve arts at the school, such as
musical instruments
drama supplies and equipment (ie masks & equipment)
colored paper
craft supplies
simple craft books with new ideas for the kids
sidewalk chalk

soccer or tennis balls

small makeup items, such as lipsticks, creams, mirrors, or nail polish for the school orphans

workbooks for the younger school kids

science equipment

There is no definite deadline yet so send your gifts now!

If you are unable to get a donation package together within a week, you can also send donations that will be hand carried by James Mattison and other volunteers in January 2011.

Thank you in advance for your donations, and I hope everyone has a great holiday season.

-Bridget Peterson

Please join us at Saybrook Point Inn for a wine tasting fundraiser for the Rotary,a For One World partner.

Fee is $35 for beer and wine.

Let us all join hands in making the world a better place.

Please join us at Overlook in NYC to help raise funds and awareness for For One World. There will be a modest cover charge that includes a drink and half of the cost goes to For One World.

There will also be numerous raffles/silent auctions INCLUDING a 2 hour private cruise for four leaving NYC with drinks and snacks included, and Yankees tickets. Come and bring your friends!!

Scholarships for needy children involve more than you might expect. Here are the key items/costs associated with giving a child a scholarship. Total cost for one child still amounts to less than a dollar a day.

1. Healthcare – Children can have easily curable diseases that need to be addressed for the child to be able to focus on learning
2. Clothing and shoes – In a cash society, one of the criteria of a “needy child” is one without shoes and tattered clothing.
3. Books, notebooks, pencils, etc. – When parents can’t afford flip flops, books don’t make the priority list, so that needs to be provided.
4. School fees