Where is Moldova, anyway?

Hello all, forgive me if this blog post comes off as an advertisement, but in honesty, I need your help and support. (I know many of you have gotten emails from me already, if this is the case, please ignore this post).

This is long, but please take the time to read it (if you haven't), and consider contributing. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS!

I, together with the youth in my community, wrote a grant to build a youth community center in our village. This center will be a center of research, of non-formal education, and of training on the topics of leadership and volunteerism. It will be a place for youth to meet, to organize, and to be active in their community. A base of operations, if you will, for all the activities I have told you about that I am involved in in our community (from the volunteer club, to youth trainings), as well as all the future activities the youth will plan their through already formed youth council (modeled after the local government).

The kids have already raised $3,000 in local support – now they need to collect $7,000. Because I am trying to teach the kids here that "one person CAN make a difference," -- especially when everyone does their own individual part, no matter how small, I decided that our best bet for this project was writing a grant and applying through the Peace Corps Partnership Program, instead of to some unnamed, impersonal, formal fund. (I didn't
want them to get stuck in the trap that many beneficiaries of grants get stuck in -- that money just "appears".) I want them to believe in the power and the goodness of PEOPLE...

In case you haven't heard of it, the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) “connects small, community-initiated projects, like ours, with partners and individuals in the United States for financial support. These connections not only achieve goals in the host community, improving the quality of life for its members, but they foster international understanding between the communities and partners. While the Partnership Program does not directly fund projects, it serves as a link to those individuals and groups wanting to contribute to the valuable work Volunteers do with their host communities. Finally, the program attracts Americans who share a concern for grassroots development. By establishing a link between Americans and communities overseas, the Partnership Program facilitates an understanding of different cultures and the opportunity for cross-cultural exchange.”

The best way to contribute to a Partnership Program project is online via the website.

Our project is called "Room(s) to Grow" and officially it is number: 261-164. To donate through the internet go to "www.peacecorps.gov" and click on DONATE NOW on the left hand side of the page. Then choose "Eastern Europe/Asia" and then find my project in the list (they are listed by country, and there might be two or three from Moldova – so make sure you find mine).

Checks are also accepted. However, checks mailed to Peace Corps can take up to three weeks to arrive, due to security procedures at federal agencies. Mail operations may be suspended due to security concerns causing further delay. Therefore, donating online, over the phone, or via wire transfer is encouraged. Call 800.424.8580, extension 2170, for more information. If you are mailing a check, please make it payable to the Peace Corps Partnership Program and indicate the project number on the check’s memo line to ensure the funds are placed in the right project’s fund.

The mailing address is:
Peace Corps
Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Headquarters
Office of Private Sector Initiatives
Partnership Program
1111 20th Street NW
8th Floor
Washington, DC 20526

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And this is the best part, in my opinion In order to further my point that "everyone can help," and "everyone does help," I am going to create a "Collage of Faces" to hang in our new center-- the faces of people who funded this project, PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE, very personal... After you donate, please do me a favor and send an email to facesforsingerei@gmail.com with a digital picture attached. It can be a normal picture of you, of you and your kids, of you and your dog, of you on the highest mountain in America, of you in the swimming pool, at the beach, para gliding, in front of your house, in a funny hat, in front of a famous US monument, in a Halloween costume, with your Christmas tree, your daughter covered in spaghetti etc etc. You get the point. Funny, silly, sweet, sad. I want the pictures to represent the diversity of America, and the spirit of America-- the same spirit that I believe will pay for this youth center-- where the collage of faces will hang!

If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to contact me at Sharonmariehakim [at] gmail [dot] com. Any support you could possibly give us, would be completely appreciated (both by myself and by the youth that this center will serve, for years to come). If you are a student give 5 dollars, the cost of a beer. If you have more money, give more. If every reader of this blog gave 5 - 10 dollars, this grant would be filled in no time.

While I am involved in many activities in the Peace Corps, I can honestly say, that this will be the defining project of my service – combining my love of working with youth, with the American spirit of volunteerism that I clearly hold very dear (or else I would not have ended up in the Peace Corps). I understand that it is the holiday season and everyone has their own expenses, but every dollar you invest here, will be a positive investment in many children’s future.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 11:28 AM.