10% Donations! (x-posted to the 10percentclub)

Had been in a financial pickle for a while which was holding up my 10%s and making me miserable.
Thank goodness a bunch of artworks have sold in the GAMELAND show and I'm feeling back on track and unstuck, able to get back to channeling some funds towards this majorly important stuff.

First 10% went again to one of my favorite ongoing projects- The Center for Children's Happiness in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which rescues children from hopeless lives as scavengers at the municipal dump. They've made a video and a slideshow which you can watch here...and please read this wonderful essay 'Despair and Love in Cambodia' by Elia Van Tuyl which tells about the project. You're also welcome and encouraged to read the heartbreaking intro essay by David Pred Cambodia Landfill: Life in Hell
which I read years ago and that tied me forever to this place and what we must do. If you can, bond with me on some donations so that more children from the dump can have the life-changing opportunities that those already moved to the CCH are receiving. I just don't believe that this must go on. We Do have the power to end this suffering and provide opportunity.

10% for Library in South Africa (10percentclub)

My next 10% went to this project from the Peace Corps Volunteer Projects Page.

SOUTH AFRICA, Library
Volunteer Coordinator(s):C. Burkholder of CA
Funds Needed:$1,309.00
Original Request:$1,309.00
Project Number:674-026
Community Contribution:$464.00 (26%)

"Recently Matshwi Primary School has received four new classroom blocks from the Department of Education. They have decided that they want to use one of their new classrooms to create a library. The school, though highly populous, is without basic learning tools, such as books, in which to encourage higher learning. The teachers are excited about their students having access to literature and have been impressed with how much their students enjoy being read to.

Currently the school has been in the process of collecting books from both South African and American organizations. To date, it has obtained over 600 books with more expected to arrive shortly. In addition, it has created a library committee which is responsible for these books and for creating library times for individual classes. Some of the older students have begun borrowing books on a regular basis. For the school it would be beneficial to allow all students easy access to the books which is currently not possible due to the fact that the books are contained in boxes and not organized in any meaningful way.

Matshwi Primary School has been in the process of performing various school fundraising activities in order to build shelves and tables for the library, buy rugs and buy a desk for the librarian as well as chairs for the students. So far, they have successfully raised 620 rand but it has been as very slow process to raise funds in such a poor area while the books sit, for the most part, unused in boxes. Thus they are requesting funds to get the library up and running so students can benefit immediately from the literature and teachers can be trained thoroughly in the use and upkeep of a library before the end of Peace Corps Volunteers service.

Matshwi Primary School now request Partners assistance in the construction of shelves and tables as well as the purchasing of materials to complete the library. "

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(These project summaries are written by Peace Corps volunteers and their host communities.)