What does Children's Global Alliance Do?

It is with great delight that I share Children’s Global Alliance in its entirety with you. CGA’s mission is “to infuse the next generation with a sense of global responsibility, promote and foster character and integrity among teenagers, and provide relief and education in developing countries.” As of 2015, we now travel to Nicaragua, Cambodia, Tanzania and Nepal. Starting in September each year, we host our informational meetings at middle and high schools throughout the Vail Valley. Our program is open to students between the ages of 12 and 16, and although most of our participants live in Eagle County, we do have nationwide student interest and participation.  

To apply, students are required to compose an essay and fundraising plan which  meet specific guidelines. Once received, an interview is scheduled with 3-4 of our chaperones. These essays, fundraising plans and interviews help us determine whether or not the applicant has the level of maturity, responsibility and passion that we require to participate in our program. We expect our students to raise the necessary funds for the travel portion of their service trip; the amounts vary by country and cover flights, housing and food. We firmly believe that our service trips are so much more valuable to the students when it is worked for and earned; student fundraising will forever remain a part of Children’s Global Alliance. Upon culmination of applicant interviews, we make our final volunteer selections per country. There are occurrences where a student is chosen for a different trip than they originally applied for. As chaperones, we must build a team of students, using everyone’s strengths and areas for improvement to create the strongest group. Some applicants are not chosen their first year of applying, but most come back a second time, more mature and better prepared for a trip. Once the teams are formed, we guide students in their fundraising efforts, as well as team building, blog writing and country knowledge and language.

The months leading up to the trip are just as important as the trip itself. Our students are expected to work for their experience, whether earning their funds with a well written donation letter, hosting fundraisers, or working at jobs like tutoring or babysitting. Local community service hours are a non-negotiable in our program.

While on the trip, the students blog about their experiences, and our expectations, rightfully so, are quite high. Blogs are an effective way for our students to document and process  their feelings, as well as communicate their experiences to family, friends and donors. We urge the students to be creative and “dig deep” when writing their blogs, to tell a story and paint a picture of this life changing experience.

As these developing countries are poverty-stricken and very different from Vail, or anywhere in the United States for that matter, understanding the culture and history of the countries we visit is critical.  Because Children’s Global Alliance values awareness and an understanding of the struggles of the people that we encounter on the street, in the orphanages or in the schools, our students are required to understand the basics of the local language, as it shows respect and effort on our part as volunteers.

Monthly meetings and chaperone guidance are priorities for Children’s Global Alliance. Relationships start forming the second the students are chosen; we need to ensure that students adhere to prerequisites and rules before embarking on a trip around the world. Every student is required to bring a 50 pound bag of donations and supplies on our trips, so we host donation drives to collect school supplies, clothes, medical supplies and other items that are not readily available to the children we serve.  

Annually, we hold one main event to raise funds for all service projects. Our generous host, Bol Vail, has functioned as our Brunch & Bol event venue the past few years. This fun-filled, community building event includes bowling and brunch, as well as a live and silent auction;  we raised $36,000 this past March! On prior trips we’ve built homes that provided shelter for 56 orphaned children in Cambodia (the students actually helped build the homes under the supervision of a local professional), funded surgeries and ongoing medical care, dental work, school tuition, planted crops, and fed hundreds of children and families around the world.

Once we arrive in the country, the real fun begins! There is nothing quite like being completely out of your comfort zone: different food, different smells, different language, different culture, different faces. Personal technology is prohibited, allowing students and chaperones to immerse themselves fully into this new world, connect with their team, and learn more about themselves.

In Nicaragua, we work at a school for children with disabilities. Our students tutor one-on-one, assist teachers, and visit the homes of children too disabled to attend school. In Cambodia, we work at an orphanage and teach English at a nearby school. We improve the orphanage in whatever way is most pressing at the time: fixing plumbing, building homes, planting crops and deep cleaning. In Nepal, our students work at a humble school for children of a nearby slum, helping to educate and empower. They also complete manual labor projects that include making repairs to the existing structure. While in Tanzania, our students work at LOAMO, an English medium school where the staff have hearts of gold. Our students assist in the classrooms, where they see firsthand the value of an education, something that they typically take for granted. Our students also participate in valuable home visits, spending time with families of five who live in homes smaller than the students’ bedrooms. These people are happy, proud, and love sharing their stories with us.

Through CGA service trip participation, our student volunteers’ perception of life is beautifully and drastically altered. They come home with a greater respect for family, education and the lives they live. They are shown how little effort, money and love it takes to make an enormous impact on lives around the world. These students will go on to be teachers, doctors, parents and leaders of our community and more. These experiences will continue to shape their leadership skills, their relationships, and their impact on the world they live in.

Children’s Global Alliance has grown every year through the generosity and faith of our community. Although our chaperones are all volunteers, they are dedicated to continuing to grow and improve our programs. We appreciate you taking the time to read about our organization. We hope our passion and love for our volunteers and our service projects is palpable through this letter, and we welcome any questions you may have.

Day 37: LOAMO

Our first week in LOAMO was very exciting. Our students were divided into the ten classes to assist and possibly teach. Some students spent the first few days taking notes and grading papers. Other students were asked to teach class immediately. It took some time to adjust to their duties. Although they had prepared and practiced their lesson plans, they struggled to apply them to their class. Our free time was spent fine-tuning lesson plans and reflecting on the methods of the teachers. We also split the group up for home visits of underprivileged children. I went to the home of Basil and Polycarp. The boys are in kindergarten and class one. They live with their grandmother because their father passed away and their mother is remarried and no longer wants them. Grandma works 13 hour days, seven days a week to support the boys and herself, as well as pay for school. They split the 5km trip to school between walking and taking a dalla dalla alone. Both are so small, when I watch them begin their trip hand in hand, I am not sure whether to cry or smile at the love they contain. We also visited Mr. Kimaro’s house. Mr. Kimaro is a very hard worker. He is a teacher at LOAMO six days a week and takes college classes four days a week. His work day totals at around 15 hours. His two oldest children, Declan and Deborah, attend LOAMO. Since he is a teacher, he receives a discount on tuition, however it is still more than he can afford. His wife does not currently work, she cares for their one year old child, Declan, at home. Mrs. Kimaro has two sewing machines at home but does not know how to work them. She is hoping to one day go to school to learn how to used them. Mr. Kimaro is going to college for IT work and hopes to get a higher paying job once he graduates school. His salary at LOAMO is not enough to support his family of five and he is not doing what he is passionate about. At the moment, he is in debt to his church and friends 70,000 Tanzanian Shillings, roughly $33. He can’t afford to pay rent, and has a verbal agreement with his landlord to pay him when he can. This is scary however, because he and his family could be kicked out at any time. His financial goal is to be able to pay his bills, repay his debts, send his wife to school and start savings accounts for his children’s schooling. Some days Mr. Kimaro does not have money to ride the bus and he walks 4km to school. He jokes about it being his exercise, but said it is harder to say he’s out exercising when his whole family is walking to church. One day we went to visit Joyce and Ebenezer’s home. Joyce helps in the office at LOAMO and Ebenezer is in kindergarten. Joyce’s home was two rooms that were put together very nicely. She has lived there for eight years. Her eldest sone is 20 and going to Form 6 in Kilimanjaro. He and Ebenezer have different fathers, both whom are not involved in their son’s lives. Joyce has spent the last twenty years as a hard working single mother. When she was 35 she suffered a stroke. She occasionally deals with residual leg pain. Joyce puts 10,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($5) of every paycheck in a bank account she has created for each of her sons to help pay for college. Her job at LOAMO helps her receive a discounted tuition for Ebenezer. It is inspiring how hard she works and how much she cares for her boys. Kindergarten is my favorite class by far. The first week I spent most of my time observing from the rear of the classroom. The back row of boys grew close to me, Polycarp from the home visit, Bright, Bravon, Adrian, Paul Godfrey and Joshua Emmanuel. Paul and Joshua struggled with staying on task, so I was able to have one on one time with them. I also spent a good amount of time in baby class, where I met Kisai. He is a sweet five year old boy who struggles greatly in class. Numbers are his biggest downfall, he can count but not write. A lot of times he will repeat a portion of a question you ask him, instead of answering it. He struggles to express his feelings and communicate. He is usually alone. My first time watching him try to do his classwork, I started to cry. He struggled so much to do what he was told to do. He needed some very unique help in class. I wrote some friends in the USA who are teachers to give me some ideas on how to help him and I received some valuable feedback. With this information, I was able to do some research and create notes for the teachers. They were so incredibly grateful for the suggestions and help, and have been putting it all in to action immediately. Today, Thursday the 23rd, was an exceptionally hard day. Our students have had a week and a half of teaching, and some of them have excelled, some have struggled. Yesterday was their last day of teaching, and today and tomorrow are exams. Their duties have shifted back to being assistants, grading tests and overseeing the examination process. When the classes were preparing to start testing, the headmaster of the school, Mr. Nicodemus, had started to collect students from each class. I soon learned that these children all had outstanding tuition fees and would not be allowed to test until they were paid. He had sent letters to their caregivers explaining the situation and had received no response. As much as I understood the reasoning behind not letting the students test, I was brokenhearted by the devastation on their faces and began to cry. The school cannot afford to allow so many students to not pay, and although they are very generous with late payments, at some point they have to draw the line. Mr. Nicodemus told us if he had received a letter or a small form of payment he would gladly have allowed the students to test, however no response at all was considered very rude. Polycarp, Basil and Good Luck were among the children sent home. I tried to hide my emotion, as it is not something to show freely. To avoid wiping tears from my face, I began to wipe the dust off Polycarp and Basil’s shoes. Fiona and I went to search for Lisa Marie, who was asking about the outstanding bills. As we were discussing who owed what amount, The boys passed by us, holding hands, headed to the dalla dalla or walking all the way home. I completely lost it, tears streaming and breathing short. My heart was breaking into a million pieces. These poor kids were casualties of poverty and struggle. They were the brightest and hardest working in their classes, yet since their guardian’s couldn’t, or didn’t, pay for their schooling, they were sent home. I wanted so badly to wipe away all their debt, as I did the dirt on their shoes, however where would that get them? One term would be paid for, but the next? Perhaps being sent home from school would be enough to urge their caregivers to work harder to give something, anything, to the school. It makes me sick to think that some families have to choose between food and education. It also makes me sick to think that some families abuse the care and cooperation from the school that allows the children to receive a wonderful education. I feel the most sick to think of how children in America, myself included, take for granted schooling, teachers and education in general. The rest of the day was spent handing out gift bags for the less privileged children. The donations collected and donated by people in the Vail Valley were divided and given to the students at LOAMO who struggle the most. Every child was beyond thrilled with their black garbage bag of second hand and new goods. Some of the staff also received gifts, and we were showered in tears of thanks and love. Tanzania is abundant with love, generosity and kindness. Everyone I have encountered here would give the shirt off their back and the food from their mouth without a moment’s hesitation. The genuine thank you’s, offered with blessings upon blessings, began to piece my broken heart together again. “Do you want to leave? Are you ready to go home?” I am repeatedly asked. “No”, I respond, “No, not at all.”

Day 30: Rehema's Send Off

The day after we arrived in Tanzania, we made a surprise visit to LOAMO. The welcome was better than I could have hoped for, as I had only spent two days at the school last year. The staff was so happy to see us and we were so happy to see them. Lisa Marie and I were surprised with an invite to a wedding send-off party for Rehema, the school’s secretary. A send-off is similar to a rehearsal dinner, it is an event put on and paid for by the bride’s family, whereas the wedding is put on by the groom’s family. We did not know what to expect! As per custom, we donated to the gift being purchased by the LOAMO staff and were told to arrive promptly at 6:30pm. 

The day of the send-off was spent preparing for our students arrival, grocery shopping and setting up the bedrooms. Since we were planning on teaching at the school, we had brought nicer clothes to wear, however even in our nice clothes we were under dressed. It also turned out that we had been told to arrive a good hour early. 

The decorations were so bright and elaborate! Pink, yellow and blue cloth was draped over chairs, tables and hung from the ceiling. Crystal candle holders adorned the tables. As the guests began to arrive, I felt as though I was at a red carpet event. All the men were dressed in their nicest suits with polished shoes. The women, oh the women… The younger crowd of women were dressed modernly; dresses were strappy, short, poofy and sparkly. Elaborate weaves sat upon their heads. The older women were adorned in stunning tribal patterns and ketengas. Layers of vibrant fabrics draped over their shoulders. Beaded jewelry hung from their ears and necks. Jewelry that they had no doubt made themselves. The elder Maasai women greet each other with a “gili gili”, a clicking noise made with their tongues to show extreme happiness. 

The night progressed unlike any night I had ever experienced. There was a soup reception, where we all awaited Rehema’s arrival and conga-lined around her car to a live band. After all the guests were seated, she came dancing down the aisle with her brother and they took their place at the front of the room in two large white chairs, where they would remain for the remainder of the ceremony. A man with a very large old video camera walked around, projecting brightly lit video of the guests onto two large screens at the back of the room. Nearly the whole ceremony was in Swahili, but apparently the MC was quite funny, occasionally at our expense. Rehema and her family presented gifts to her husbands family, in the form of cakes and ketengas. Traditional dances and songs were performed by guests. Toasts were made and significant food was displayed; in particular a goat who’s entire body minus the head had been roasted, and was wheeled out with a mouth full of greens, adorned in orange and lime slices, kneeling on a dolly. Around 11pm, dinner was being served and Lisa Marie and I were beyond exhausted. Upon confirming it would not be rude for us to leave at this point, we snuck away from the festivities, our minds reeling from the once in a lifetime night we had just had. 

Day 22: The Switch

When driving to the airport in Cambodia, my heart was breaking. I did not want to leave. How was I to flip a switch and prepare for Tanzania when I was not emotionally ready? Our travel day seemed longer than I expected, and although I slept on the plane, I did not feel well. This was going to be a harder transition than I thought.

Outside the arrival gate, Jodie waited eagerly. Upon seeing her, the unease I had been feeling started to fade, even when I dumped my trolley filled with our five bags in front of the crowd waiting outside. As we travelled the familiar road between Kilimanjaro Airport and Arusha, the brown and green landscape whizzed by us. Goat herders, young and old, tended to their livelyhood. It is much cooler here than in Cambodia, the air is more dry. The beauty of Tanzania begins to fill my heart once again. Vivid colors adorn every woman and man proudly. Lush green forest indicates the base of Mt. Meru. "I'm excited now." I whispered to Lisa Marie. The switch has been flipped. Cambodia has become my past, now Tanzania is my present.

Day 19: Love.

Love. It's a unique thing. The more love you give, the more love you get. The more heartbreaks you endure, the greater you can love and be loved. The more you love, the more you hurt, and the more you love again. You can never run out of love. You have an endless supply. Be generous with your love. Hold nothing back. Give give give. No one is undeserving, no one has too much or too little. Even if you think you have nothing, you still have love. Love creates more love when given away. Share all your love and be grateful for the love you receive.

The end of our trip is quickly approaching, and I am not ready to leave. I am never ready to leave, but this time seems to have gone by quicker than usual. 

When looking at the faces of the kids at CPO, you would not guess the struggles they have seen. So many of their stories break my heart. Srey Pi hasn't seen her father in years, and only sees her mother a few times a year. She and her brother Lao have been at CPO for 7 years, so at this point it is home and the other children are her family. Srey Na, Srey Neath and SokHeng hardly ever see their father. Their mother is an addict who dropped their new half brother, Pan Ya, off a few months ago. Pan Ya is under two and there is another baby on the way, once again from a different father. The mother was given refuge at the orphanage for a short period of time, but after she brought around a few too many questionable characters and spent more time drinking with these strangers than caring for her kids, Mama kicked her out. Her kids clearly have a love hate relationship with her. They are desperate for her attention, yet somehow know she is not worth their time. She came to the orphanage the last day, when Pan Ya got very sick. Mama had to yell at her and pay for her tuk tuk. She arrived dressed in very nice clothes and wearing makeup, not what you would expect for a woman too poor to care for her children. She made herself at home eating half the food that was intended for her son. Ravey had lost her father a few years ago. She, her mother and brothers repeatedly snuck across the Thai border looking for work. One of these attempts led to her and one of her brothers being imprisoned in Thailand for a month. Even Heang, Mama and Papa's own son, is treated like any other cast away, ordered to do his parents laundry and never showed affection by his own flesh and blood. 

Although Niroon's family struggles to make ends meet, at least there is love and family values. Watching Rath or Rhett with Warot's new baby girl is adorable. They clearly love and care for their niece very deeply. The older siblings look after the younger ones, it is a rougher love than we are used to, but a love none the less. Niroon is very much a momma's boy. He is so proud of her and she cares for him every day. She may not be able to support her children, or give them the most stable of environments, but she does love them the best she can, which is admirable. 

It makes me sad to think of what life is like for the kids when we leave. They receive so much love when we are here. I honestly think some have never heard "I love you" before meeting us. There is structure in their lives with us. Someone to show them how to take care of themselves and be responsible, do laundry, clean their rooms, do homework. Children here grow up so much faster than children at home because they must. There is no one there for them besides themselves and each other. They are forced into adulthood far sooner than any American child. 

There are so many contributing factors to why Cambodia is so beautiful, the number one reason being the people. The kind, loving, beautiful souls that this country produces are why I will always love it here. The smiles that mask all pain and sadness. The action of living in the present moment, enjoying each second as it comes, and being grateful for all good fortune that comes your way. Every moment spent with these people brings love, peace and gratitude over me like a crashing wave, and I will bask in the remnants of these feelings until I return again.