Anthony Thomas @socialresponse

For those of you who are looking for some inspiration on how to balance your work life with online and global volunteering, definitely take a look at our show with Anthony Thomas.  Anthony’s great sense of humor combined with his eagerness and dedication to bring more exposure to events surrounding global poverty, individual as well as corporate responsibility initiatives has led him to start Tweeting @socialresponse on Twitter about several phenomenal people and organizations pioneering innovative social responsible programs.  He and I also got a chance to talk about his experience attending TEDxTeen in NYC and some very motivating young people introducing some very new development campaigns…take a look at our show Radio show with Anthony Thomas

Rob Cipriano, CEO The All Humanity Group on all things humanitarianism

Exciting stuff!  I always enjoy chatting with Rob as he goes into great detail with his current global projects.  Rob is pioneering a new concept of “All Humanitarianism”.  His consortium of philanthropic initiatives within the All Humanity Group ranges from hosting large-scaled music event fundraising campaigns such as the 101010 event with the capacity to hold up to 350 000 event goers, All Humanity TV which broadcasts an array of Humanitarian programming as well as connecting individuals and NGO’s with projects globally by facilitating community discussions.  Take a look at our show: Rob Cipriano: All Things Humanitarianism  

Mixing design with Philanthropy

NYC actor and writer, Alexis Fedor, and founder of Love and Water International, joined me as we discussed her upcoming campaign of combining T-shirt designs with Philanthropy.  Contestants are encouraged to submit their designs, while the winners will be able to donate 50% of proceeds to various charity organizations.  This is a great opportunity for those of you looking at promoting your upcoming designs www.loveandwaterinternational.com  Our show can be viewed at Mixing design with Philanthropy    

Securing Grants and Sponsorship Opportunities with the Grant Hunter

Lisa Garcia-Ruiz and I had an opportunity to discuss various opportunities for NGO's looking at securing grants with organizations globally as well as highlighting the organizations which are currently sponsoring NGO's.  Lisa's background encompasses seventeen years working within philanthropy in various capacities and she and I got to talk about how NGO's can better prepare when putting together their sponsorship campaigns.  To listen to our show, see the link below:
Securing grants and Sponsorships

For more information on the Grant Hunter with Lisa Garcia-Ruiz, see The Grant Hunter

Childfund International

I had a great opportunity to speak with Anne Scott, VP Global Programs of ChildFund International.  Anne and I got a chance to talk about several partnership opportunities available for NGO's globally who are looking at partnering with ChildFund International in further developing their programs goals and objectives.  This is really a unique opportunity for NGO's to further build momentum for their current projects.  Take a look at our show: ChildFund International joins us on Global Humanitarian Discussions

African Well Fund

African Well Fund is an organization committed to raising funds for the building and maintaining of wells throughout various regions in Africa in countries such as Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Mali and Ghana. See the link below to my radio show featuring Rob Trigalet, Chairman of the Board of Directors, as we discuss the ongoing projects being implemented through African Well Fund in assisting rural communities in acquiring better access to clean water and sanitation http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Megan-Schiebe/2009/11/08/Interview-with-African-Well-Fund

Marmalade Sunsets: From Bond Girl to Refugee Advocate?

I am convinced my fight against "evil" probably started around the 90's as I'd attentively sit glued to the telly, exhaustively fascinated by the all encompassing powers of a one particular Bond...James Bond. In fact, Bond's relentless plight to save the universe propelled my own curiosity as I desperately tried to evaluate and calculate how one tall Englishman had the capacity to save complete countries in just under 90 minutes! I thought about how Bond and I would meet at one of those extravagant Monaco yacht parties. I'd walk straight up to him, surprise him with a kiss on the cheek as I glide his sacred keys from his clutched hands, jump into his Aston Martin, and go forth to save the world (I may occasionally allow Bond to accompany me on some of my pursuits..007 sitting in the passenger seat of course!).

As my Bond Girl career hadn't panned out quite as anticipated, I've decided to explore other skill sets, which fortunately, is still very much aligned with my eagerness in wanting to explore the sensations of the world around me. One such story belongs to two refugees from Liberia, Johnson Doe and Paul Tiah, who, through their distressing experience of living in refugee camps for almost fifteen years throughout West Africa, mobilized their aspirations to form an organization called the Multicultural Refugee Coalition (MRC), so as to provide a voice and platform for newly arrived refugees who are acclimatizing to the resettling process.

As Paul and Johnson reflect on daily life in refugee camps, I cannot even begin to imagine how two people who have been through so much are still able to stop in their tracks and re-live these emotions in their empathy for other refugees. Their endurance to concentrate their efforts on alleviating a lot of the trepidation many newly arrived refugees face as they resettle in their new residences, galvanizes me to want to share their story. MRC, through their inception, not only strives to teach refugees innovative skills in their job development training, they also mentor computer literacy classes, English language instruction, cultural orientation as well as provide housing resources. One aspect which really engaged me is their demonstration of their Peace Education and Conflict Management program as an integral aspect of the Reconciliation process once refugees are resettled.

Meg Goodman, Executive Director of MRC, with an incredible and feisty laughter, smiles as she re-iterates how she became involved with the formation of the organization. Her background working as a Conservation Biologist compelled her to want to be more involved with the raw issues affecting indigenous communities, and the hypnotic allure of assisting refugees was one she could not ignore as she transitioned into her new role at MRC.

I am always enamored when I meet the Paul, Johnson and Meg's of the world. I think it's part of my insatiable appetite to want to be more present in a community of so many voiceless, so many mistreated and so many oppressed.

So, the Bond Girl deliberates as she looks at the road ahead.."I'll still have it shaken, not stirred".

For information regarding volunteer opportunities with MRC, please contact Meg Goodman http://www.blogger.com/info@mrcaustin.orgor see http://mrcaustin.org/

To watch our video interview, please see http://www.travelvolunteersearch.blogspot.com/

Keep a look out for my next interview coming up with Center for Rural Empowerment and the Environment focussing on conservation projects in Cameroon, Kenya and Guyana.

This blog is subject to the Terms of Use http://www.travelvolunteersearch.blogspot.com/

Marmalade Sunsets: My interview with Mark Lovett, Founder, Global Patriot

At first glance of the website titled Patriotism without Borders, I was somewhat captivated as I speculated what the author, Mark Lovett, is striving to achieve with this concept of a Global Patriot. Mark has a unique passion in his orchestration and assimilation of this thought – his completely calm demeanor entices you to want to see into his vision of actualizing a world unrestricted of the biases we have been preconditioned to accept as we assume our “roles” in society. Could it be possible to traverse a world where all impediments around religion, nationality, race, gender and ideology could be defeated, and we could actually prevail as patriots of a global community? A world where we could embrace each others’ differences as opposed to encaging ourselves in square boxes with a neat white label, titled, “Classification”, a place where we could appreciate each others’ variances by developing our own characters, a world where we could discern opinions from a global perspective while promoting empathy?

As I read through Mark’s blog posts ranging from themes around Human Rights, the Environment, Health issues, Social Justice, etc, I am enamored by his ability to coalesce like-minded people around one table and strategize avenues in developing an international community of Global Patriots with very clear alternatives to ongoing challenges. His ability to educate and expose to the world, that as citizens of a global arena, we have an obligation to contribute our global skills to a community which is acutely lacking of some very basic needs.

I wonder, that if we had an opportunity to look a refugee child in the eyes, of a boy who just walked for four days across a desert and near virtual collapse from heat exhaustion, could we become more tolerant people; if we could gaze upon the smile of a young orphan girl who has just read her first book and can go to sleep at ease as she knows she will likely have a meal to greet her as she rises in the morning, could we become more compassionate; if we could sing and dance around a beach-fire with a group of backpackers, beer in one hand and English/Spanish dictionary in the other, could we become more receptive people? Imagine just how much we could achieve…

When I am out in the field, and I am interviewing a family of six people who all live in a one-bed roomed house, one hammock to sleep in because they can’ afford a bed and no air conditioning with a humidity factor of 80%, it’s almost impossible for me to think about the next coffee shop I’ll be buying my super grande vanilla chai latte. When this family is compassionately grateful for the fact that they actually have a one-bed roomed house with a cement floor, as opposed to a dust floor, leading to all kinds of respiratory diseases with their children, when they invite me into their house and offer me their last cup of water to drink as they sense my antipathy to the humidity, I am unconditionally humbled, and I realize that I can learn so much from these people, who, despite their inevitable poverty-stricken existence, can push through these aversions and still paint a smile on their creased, yet angelic faces, as they have one less child struggling with yet another respiratory disease. Imagine just how much we could achieve…

For more information on Mark Lovett’s Global Patriot community, you can view www.globalpatriot.com, as well as Global Patriot on Facebook. Mark can also be reached at converse@globalpatriot.com

To see our video introduction, see http://www.travelvolunteersearch.blogspot.com

This post is subject to the Terms of Use at http://www.travelvolunteersearch.blogspot.com

Marmalade Sunsets: My interview with Rob Cipriano, Founder & Chairman, IllumAlliance International Humanitarian Group, Beyond Borders Internet TV

Rob, my discussions with you have left me pondering how someone who has endured, witnessed and experienced as much as you have; and yet, still able to push through every livid encumbrance catapulted at you from elongated orbital trajectories. You’re someone I have come to know with an abundance of respect for your attitude towards human development and understanding.

Beyond Borders Internet TV (BBiTV) is the brainchild of Rob Cipriano, an innovative and prodigious TV network committed to broadcasting documentaries and videos with an emphasis on humanitarian advancement. This extraordinary and extensive network of programming serves to highlight and educate its audience surrounding issues of global poverty and includes absorbing content with channels such as the UNICEF, Save the Children and Point Hope Foundation programming – and the best part: it’s all online! Not only is one able to open up your browser at any airport/coffee shop/ boyfriend’s couch/fundraiser meeting to view BBiTV, but the progressive content delivered by this network has consummated dynamic avenues in humanitarian initiatives.

As I recount Rob and my discussions, of him as an orphaned boy, who, through his abominable experiences of living in an orphanage, of a boy who faced constant loneliness, immeasurable fear of punishment for doing anything to upset the orphanage caretakers and a longing of a child wanting nothing more than affection, he has recognized the commitment for advocating children’s rights, having withstood the life of a child who had none.

Sometimes, I wonder what it takes for us to open our eyes to the world around us. I think of my trip to the Isle of Skye a while ago where I had been cross examined by a local fisherman in a local Highland bar, about how I spent my (then) time. When I explained to him that I probably spent around 60 hours a week behind my laptop, he was completely and utterly shocked, invited me to his office (beautiful Highland pier) and pointed out to all 20 houses in the village, reciting the names of every single inhabitant in the village of 100. He gets up every morning, spends a few hours fishing, comes back and hangs out at his office (the other local bar-his words). “What are you running to Megan and why are you running so fast” he kept on asking me. It took a $1000 plane ticket, 10 hour flight there and back and constantly being rained on for me to realize the answer to his question.

BBiTV can be accessed at http://bbitv.nextcom.no/ Several volunteer opportunities exist within BBiTV. For more information, please contact Rob at robertcipriano@illumalliance.org
To view my video introduction to BBiTV, please see http://www.travelvolunteersearch.blogspot.com/
This post is subject to the Term of Use http://www.travelvolunteersearch.blogspot.com