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Dear Skoll Newsletter Subscriber, We've posted the following stories to the Skoll Foundation Blog over the last two weeks: National Geographic Features Friends of the Earth Middle East
EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME), run by 2009 Skoll social entrepreneurs Munqeth Mehyar (Jordan), Gidon Bromberg (Israel) and Nader Khateeb (Palestine), is featured in the April edition of National Geographic in a story on the Jordan River. The April edition, in fact, is a special issue focused on water. The piece on the Jordan River, called "Parting the Waters," talks about the challenges the river faces from diversion, pollution, politics and drought, and about FOEME's efforts to use water as a basis for peace. Friends International on BBC Social Entrepreneurship Series This Week
Friends International, founded by 2007 social entrepreneur Sebastien Marot, is the most recent subject on Alvin's Guide to Good Business, the 8-part series running on BBC World News that started in February. Friends International, which works in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Honduras, Mexico, Egypt and Myanmar, works with marginalized youth, particularly street children, to help them become productive and independent members of their communities. You can read a BBC News online companion story here. Friends International has a variety of ways for you to get involved, from volunteering to donating to connecting on Facebook. Click here for more info. Roots of Peace Expands Work in Afghanistan
Roots of Peace, founded by 2006 Skoll social entrepreneur Heidi Kuhn, recently landed a significant contract to expand its work in supporting agricultural development in Afghanistan. Roots of Peace - with its "mines to vines" approach - has been awarded a $30 million USAID contract, reportedly the largest ever for a nonprofit for work in Afghanistan. This is a great endorsement of Roots of Peace's work in a difficult environment. You can read more about it here, and watch how a local San Francisco TV station covered the story this week in a great 4 minute segment here. Partners In Health Featured This Week on BBC World News
Partners in Health, co-founded by 2008 Skoll social entrepreneur Paul Farmer, is featured on the fifth episode of Alvin's Guide to Good Business, the 8- week series on social entrepreneurs on BBC World News. Partners in Health pioneered a model of community-based care used successfully, among other things, to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and to deliver antiretroviral therapy for AIDS patients in extremely poor communities. You can read a companion piece about Partners in Health on the BBC online here. Information on the episode, which features the group's work in Malawi, including a way to match donations to help the Malawi operation, is available on the Partners site here.
Noble Gesture on Nobel Cash Helps College Summit
College Summit, founded by Skoll social entrepreneur J.B. Schramm, is one of 10 organizations among which President Obama is sharing his Nobel Prize cash award. The White House announced that the $1.4 million prize would be split among 10 social change groups. College Summit - described in the White House press release as "a national non-profit organization that partners with high schools to strengthen college-going culture and increase college enrollment rates, so that all students graduate from high school career and college-ready" - will receive $125,000.
Fair Trade Towns Get a Boost
TransFair USA, led by 2005 Skoll social entrepreneur Paul Rice, passed along some great news this week for the Fair Trade Towns movement. Green Mountain Coffee and the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Foundation have made a $1 million commitment to the program. Fair Trade Towns USA is a national movement uniting community activists from across the country who are dedicated to the principles of Fair Trade. TransFair is one of the primary supporters of the Fair Trade Towns movement, which originally started in the UK. Read the TransFair blog about the announcement here and the press release here.
Talking Deforestation in Washington
Skoll Foundation program officer David Rothschild reports on a visit to Washington, D.C., where he attended meetings on Capitol Hill on US government leadership on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. The meetings included representatives from Congress, the Administration, the private sector, the NGO community and funders. The discussion focused on the appropriation process for REDD activities and was designed to develop consensus views on spending priorities. To be sure REDD funds will be used as effectively as possible, the group held discussions about capacity building needs, criteria for prioritizing countries, mobilizing private investment and other key issues.
HeroRats Debut on BBC Social Entrepreneur Series
The fourth episode of the BBC World News series on social entrepreneurs features the heroic rats of Apopo, founded by 2009 Skoll social entrepreneur Bart Weetjens. These HeroRats are trained to detect landmines and tuberculosis using their sense of smell. The 8-part series, called Alvin's Guide to Good Business, is looking at social entrepreneurs doing innovative work around the globe. BBC World News online has a companion article on HeroRats here. Adopt a rat, pass the story along via your blog and twitter feeds, friend HeroRATS on Facebook. Check out the HeroRATS page for ideas.
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"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." George Washington CarverWhat is Social Entrepreneurship?Statement of Faith
BBC Series on Social Entrepreneurs Features HeroRATS, Partners in Health and Friends International
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