Student essay contest on Middle East Development

Hands Along The Nile Development Services (HANDS) is proud to sponsor the 2009 Essay Contest. HANDS is looking for students to articulate the importance of their work in the form of an essay. Information about HANDS' work can be found at www.handsalongthenile.org.

 

Applicants are required to submit an essay (no more than 2,500 words) on the following topic: How is community development in the Middle East important to the U.S.? Why is it particularly crucial to focus on Egypt?

 

To participate, students must be a United States citizen and be a registered full-time graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited college or university in the United States at the time of entry. There will be one first prize winner, one second prize winner, one third prize winner and two honorable mentions. The first prize winner will receive $5,000, the second prize winner will receive $2,500, the third prize winner will receive $1,500, and the two honorable mentions will receive $500 each.

 

Entries must be postmarked no later than July 4th. For contest rules and more information please visit www.handsalongthenile.org.

Stanford India Biodesign Fellowship

The goal of Stanford-India Biodesign is to train the next generation of medical technology innovators in India. This highly competitive program is directed towards Indian citizens who have an interest in the invention and early-stage development of new medical technologies. Successful applicants will have advanced degrees and/or significant work experience. University faculty are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications for the 2010 Fellowship are now open. Deadline is May 22, 2009.

More Details here

Call for Nominations: 2009 Mario Savio Young Activist Award

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MARIO SAVIO MEMORIAL LECTURE  & YOUNG ACTIVIST AWARD INVITES YOU TO NOMINATE A CANDIDATE FOR THE 12th ANNUAL YOUNG ACTIVIST AWARD.  THE AWARD THIS YEAR CARRIES A CASH PRIZE OF $6,000, DIVIDED EQUALLY BETWEEN THE PRIZE-WINNER AND HIS OR HER ORGANIZATION.

This award is presented to a young person (or persons) with a deep commitment to human rights and social justice and a proven ability to transform this commitment into effective action.  The nominees should have demonstrated leadership ability, creativity and integrity.

Specific eligibility requirements are:

  *  Under age 26 by 9/1/09;

  *  Engaged in activism for social change, promoting the values of peace, human rights, economic or social justice, or freedom of expression;

  *  Acting within the context of an organization, social movement, or larger community effort;

  *  Considered an inspirational leader or motivating force by others in that context;

  *  Work is centered in the United States;

  *  Able to attend award ceremony in Berkeley, CA (Oct.-Nov.; expenses paid).

 

Preference will be given to candidates who have not yet been widely recognized and who do not have personal privilege or a strong institutional base of support.

 

This award honors the late Mario Savio (1942-1996), who came to national prominence as a spokesperson for the Berkeley Free Speech Movement in 1964.  His moral clarity, his eloquence, and his democratic style of leadership impelled thousands of his fellow Berkeley students to struggle for, and win, more political freedom, inspiring a generation of student activism.  Savio remained a lifelong fighter for human rights and social justice. 

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY June 30, 2009.  Nomination forms and additional information are available at www.savio.org or e-mail: savio(at)sonic.net

Global Impact Corps: Volunteer Abroad Opportunities

Global Impact Corps: Innovative, Effective Volunteering Abroad

Be a Global Impact Fellow in Ghana, Honduras, or India
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Opportunities

http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad

Unite For Sight has been featured weekly on CNN International and in The New York Times

Unite For Sight is the world's leader in socially responsible, effective volunteering abroad. We engage, inspire, and train high-impact volunteers who support and assist eye clinics globally.Unite For Sight supports eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in their social ventures to eliminate patient barriers to eye care. With the assistance of volunteers like you, Unite For Sight has restored sight to 21,190 patients and provided eye care to more than 700,000.

All volunteers participating in Unite For Sight's international programs are Global Impact Fellows. Our goal is to build entrepreneurial leaders who gain skills in social change through Unite For Sight's immersive global health experience. Through hands-on, structured training, we instill in our Global Impact Fellows a thorough understanding of sustainable best practice principles in volunteerism, global health, and international development. Global Impact Fellows gain skills and are nurtured to become new leaders in global health.

Why Become A Global Impact Fellow?

• Experience the thrill of contributing to change on the highest level
• Be part of global problem solving
• Receive hands-on training in community-based program delivery
• Be immersed in effective global health and eye care programs
• Be inspired to become a leader in global health
• Join a movement of social innovators committed to global health and sustainable development
• Be engaged in ethical, high quality and high impact volunteerism
• Volunteers are encouraged to pursue entrepreneurial projects and research studies
• Become part of an alumni network that supports leaders in social change

Locations (volunteer for 10 days, 20 days, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, or more)

• Accra Region, Ghana
• Rural Villages, Ghana
• Tamale, Ghana
• Tegucigalpa, Honduras
• Bihar, India
• Chennai, India
• New Delhi, India
• Orissa, India

Complete Details:http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad

Empowering At-Risk Youth Through Sport

In Mumbai's slums where challenges are innumerable and many youth dropout of school Youth Venture's Ashok Rathod, 21, is getting kids back into the classroom while teaching them life skills that will stay with them forever. Three years ago Ashok started Oscar Club in one of Mumbai's largest slums, Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar Colony, where he also grew up. It provides boys a safe place to play and learn about soccer, with the condition that they attend informal educational classes. This opportunity has encouraged young people to give up vices common on the street and move them in the direction of healthier lives with more opportunities. We talked with Ashok about the challenges that youth face in the slums and how he is using sport to give them a new purpose.

See the video here

My Technology - Peek into some Indian Grassroot Innovations

I came across this amazing set of videos on grassroot innovations in India. I'm posting some of the interesting ones here.

An umbrella that blocks 80% of UV radiation


A non-electric paddle-driven washing machine


A bicycle that runs faster on bumpy roads


A remote control to burn crackers and avoid fire accidents



Honey Bee Network maintains the biggest database on Indian grassroot innovations & contemporary/traditional innovative practices.
http://knownetgrin.honeybee.org/innovation_database.asp

Build 50-watt Light Bulbs from 2-Liter Bottles

Talk about your village ingenuity. (And yes, clearly, it's only for indoor lighting during the day)

Check more discussions at Makezine