Tools for Haiti

Young artisans in Haiti eager to enter the workforce will receive the first tool kits from ASAP's new Tools for Empowerment project. The Salesian Timkatec2 Training Center graduates will each receive a tool kit to enable them to use their newly learned skills whether it is plumbing, carpentry, or electrical.

These hardworking young people will be equipped with the skills needed to help rebuild their devastated country and the tools needed to put those skills into action.  These tool kits are life changing in a country where 80% of the population lives under the poverty line with over 40% unemployment. Haiti will be the focus of this years annual Circle the World With Love campaign.

A Perfect Fit

ASAP's Tools For Empowerment project will support entrepreneurs world-wide.

ASAP is pleased to announce our new partnership with The Salesian Missions. Their mission statement of “Helping others to help themselves”, matches the ASAP philosophy which makes this partnership a perfect fit. Working together, ASAP will support graduates from The Salesians’ Don Bosco Vocational Training Centers throughout the world, providing tool kits for each specific field of study.  Entrepreneurs world-wide will prosper from ASAP's new Tools For Empowerment project.

In the US, ASAP looks forward to offering career and volunteer opportunities that will result in tangible improvement in the lives of families around the world. ASAP will collect new and used donated tools at the Tools For Empowerment Depot, where we will refurbish and package donated tools into kits. ASAP will work to make the project sustainable and green by re-purposing and recycling selected materials to generate income.

No Savings for a Rainy Day

Nearly half of Americans do not have savings accounts, according to a a story that aired on NPR's Morning Edition today. Click here to learn more and discover why this lack of a safety net is so detrimental.

As ASAP expands our work to bring Internal Savings and Lending (IS&L) home and works to alleviate poverty here in the US, the first step is to understand the problem. The face of US poverty has its own unique intricacies. Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo helped us understand global poverty with such mastery in their book Poor Economics.  It is primarily important that one gains a true understanding of the problem because a solution based on false assumptions is doomed to failure.

Rourke  O’Brien, from the New America Foundation provides some excellent insight, in his recent article “‘We Don’t Do Banks’: Financial Lives of Families on Public Assistance." Another amazing resource is the newly released Assets and Opportunity scorecard.  Click here.

Through IS&L,  ASAP has witnessed the transformation of rural communities in Africa since 2001. As we embark on the next leg of our journey, we look forward to learning more, gaining and sharing new insights.

Presidential Politics in Zimbabwe

South African President Jacob Zuma raises a toast with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

Robert Mugabe, who has been president of Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is up for re-election this year. Here's an interesting article that explains some of the regional politics.  It promises to be an exciting year ahead.

Holiday Greetings

 May your efforts be appreciated

Your gifts gratefully received

 

Your 
holiday feast cooked to perfection

That every child's gift brings giant smiles

And may you be eternally grateful for all your blessings.

From all of us at ASAP

Improving Math Education in Primary School

A special thanks goes out to Patrick at Just Math Tutorials. Patrick, a former math professor at Vanderbilt University, has developed a phenomenal set of on-line math training videos. He has generously made these tools accessible to ASAP as we continue to work to strengthen our ‘Improving Math Education in Primary School’ Project (IMEPS) in Zimbabwe. Of course, we are grateful for the generous continuing grant from The Flora Family Foundation that makes this work possible.

Click here to read ASAP's newsletter.

New Resources for Youth Opportunities

The Youth Economic Opportunities library is a welcome new resource dedicated to helping organizations like ASAP, working to increase economic opportunities for young people. The site is a place to connect with others working in the field and share knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned. Click here to learn more. 

2012 Improving Math Education in Primary School in Zimababwe

Thanks to a continuing grant from The Flora Family Foundation, in 2012 ASAP is working to increase the learning outcomes of  our Improving Math Education in Primary School (IMEPS) project. This work has been ongoing since the year 2000, working with over 100 rural primary schools in eastern Zimbabwe. By working with the Curriculum Development Unit in Zimbabwe, ASAP looks forward to introducing access to new teacher training materials and videos to help teachers improve their math knowledge and teaching techniques in the future.

With the presidential election looming and the census being carried out during 2012, there will be many disruptions in education.  It is the ideal year for ASAP to step back and focus on strengthening the IMEPS project.  ASAP looks forward to launching the new project when these dedicated educators are back at their schools and political interference subsides.

How Fortunate

Godspeed to Pat Bannon!

Pat Bannon will cycle the toughest mountains of the French Alps for ASAP!

Pat Bannon, of Leeds England is taking a 5-day cycle challenge for ASAP Africa this months. It is Pat's initiative that sparked ASAP's 1st Annual Circle Our World With Love campaign.  With 19 days left, together we have circled over 1/4 one quarter of the globe -6,469 miles. There is still time to complete your mileage dedication form. Click here. Join ASAP's superheros. Show your compassion

We wish Pat great weather and all the best as he cycles through the heart of the French Alps, tackling the toughest mountain climbs made famous by the Tour de France. To donate to Pat's effort click here.

Double Your Recurring Donation to ASAP!

Between now and Sept. 7^th, your recurring donation will be matched dollar for dollar when you set up your monthly pledge to ASAP on the Global Giving website. Click here to learn more.To take advantage of this offer, just go to this link and select the orange “donate” button. You will be asked to select a” frequency” as well as an amount. Please act today and double the impact of your pledge to help ASAP cultivate self reliance today.

A New Global Forum for Teachers

Teachers Without Borders has announced a new social network, a global community of teachers working to connect education and human welfare. A place to connect, share experiences and resources, and support colleagues from around the world. The good news is membership is FREE. Click here to join and gain access to colleagues, information and resources you can use for your professional needs and goals, and to support education initiatives in your schools and communities.

Help on the Way for Girls in East Africa

Education for Girls Benefits Society

Girls in East Africa will receive a boost from a new initiative to provide learning opportunities, life and livelihood skills for under-served youth. It has been well documented that more education for girls translates into later marriage, smaller families, increased child survival and reduced incidence of HIV/AIDS. In other words, it benefits the whole society. To learn more about this exciting new initiative click here.

At ASAP we know that students' merely attending school is not enough. When teachers are unskilled, unmotivated and schools are under-resourced, the need to improve the quality of education is as urgent as assisting girls to attend school. This is why, in addition to funding school fees since 1994,  our work to improve math education in primary school has been ongoing in Zimbabwe since 2000. Click here to support this important work today.

Elections and Education in Zimbabwe

Students in Zimbabwe inspire ASAP's 1st annual Circle Our World With Love campaign

Yesterday Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told the UN High Commissioner that presidential elections will be held in 2012, although no exact date has been set for this process. Click here to read more.

You may be surprised to learn what impact elections may have on education in Zimbabwe in the coming year.

According to UNESCO "Parts of the world are becoming a deadly place to be a student, teacher or education official.... Accurate global figures do not exist for the number of teachers, students or officials killed each year, or for the other types of attack such as abductions, torture and threats of violence..."  To read more about the proposed actions being taken to prevent violence in schools in the upcoming year in Zimbabwe click here.

During 2012 ASAP has suspended our Bridge the Gap- Improving Math Education in Primary School project. Choosing instead to use these uncertain and potentially dangerous times to strengthen our ongoing work in 141 rural schools in rural Zimbabwe. Our hearts, prayers and compassion are with these teachers and students and are the motivation for our 1st annual Circle Our World With Love campaign. To learn more click here.

Schools Opened This Week in Zimbabwe

The new school term opened this week in Zimbabwe with teachers threatening to strike, if the government fails to meet their demands by June.“Teachers returned to work for the new term very angry and apprehensive, because the government still has not reviewed salaries and conditions of service. Also,violence against teachers has once again been on the rise and there has been no attempt to secure the working environment,” Zhou told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday. To read more click here.

There's a presidential election being planned in Zimbabwe in 2012 and rural education suffers when politics prevail.  The unpredictable and often dangerous environment demoralizes teachers. In 2008 all humanitarian organizations (including ASAP) were forbidden to operate. This is why ASAP has decided to temporarily suspend our ongoing Improving Math Education Primary School Project during 2012, using the time to examine what has worked during the past 7 years and bringing in new expertise to increase learning outcomes and results in the future.

If you struggle to find information from Zimbabwe, an excellent source of independent news is SW Radio Africa.