I’m in a rural village 9,000 miles from home, accessible only by muddy, unsealed roads. The electricity is sporadic and there is one phone for every hundred people. Yet, I feel connected.

In this village, I feel connected to the PoP movement—the 40,000 passionate voices that have enabled a $25 bank deposit to grow into over 160,000 instruction hours delivered to Lao children by the end of the this year.

I feel connected to our all-female in-country staff members, who are passionately committed to empowering their community and themselves in the process.

I feel connected to the village elders and teachers I am sitting with, who are extending their hands in dedicated partnership to better the lives of their children.

School is out for the summer, but the PoP Laos team is hard at work. We’re finalizing our build plans for four new schools, laying out our 2011 strategy, and constantly scouting for new villages to partner with.

We’re building out our staff, which started with one committed Lao volunteer, to evaluate our schools and deliver our supplemental programming. This growing team of women is learning new skills and gaining the confidence to become powerful ambassadors of change in their country.

We are here, surveying this village, as part of the effort to track and quantify our impact on-the-ground, so that we hold ourselves accountable to our stated mission. This is one of many ways PoP is incorporating leading business practices into our operations to ensure we grow into a world-class organization.

And like a business, we have our shareholders. They are each of you, the Global Generation, connected by the dividends of our investment – the profound social good that we are creating together.

Adam, with Country Director Leslie Engle, in a planning meeting with the educators and elders of Xienglohm Village.

By Adam Braun

Founder, Executive Director

5 years ago I started backpacking across the globe, and the seeds for what would one day become Pencils of Promise were sown. They came in the form of questions, most specifically What do you want most? I’ve asked this question to hundreds of local people across six continents, and by far the most consistent answer has always been, Education for our children.

In the poorest of villages, this came with an additional caveat- Do not help us by giving money to the government. There is too much corruption, too many problems. Work with us directly in our community, we will make sure the support goes to our children.

This was a key principle in founding Pencils of Promise: We work at the local level, forming relationships with community leaders and Education Ministry officials that are directly tied to the well-being of the children their positions are intended to serve. They will be held accountable to us and, most importantly, to each other. There is no hiding behind bureaucratic titles for those tied closest to each village. These are the people we choose to work alongside.

PoP is not driven to achieve recognition of any kind in countries of impact. We don’t care about framed pictures hanging on the walls of government offices or ribbon-cutting ceremonies. We care about results, about providing children with opportunities to pursue a strong education and helping them flourish. Contrary to popular opinion, we believe that this starts not from the top-down, but from the bottom-up.

As we continue to grow our footprint, this just means that there will be more treks to meet with phenomenal local leaders who are deeply committed to empowering their local communities.

Give me a motorbike and a meeting with a village chief, that sounds like the start of something special.

PoP was founded in October of 2008, with the simple ambition of finding a way to build just a single school. That was it. I was about to turn 25 years old, so I put $25 into a new PoP bank account and we were off. The goal was to throw two small fundraisers with my closest friends in NYC, and turn that multitude of small donations into a school for a community of tremendous need. So one year later, where do we stand?

-Our first school is completed in Pha Theung, Laos providing electricity, running water and preschool education for a village that previously lacked each of these for their school children

-We have nearly completed construction on our 2^nd and 3^rd schools in Phayong, Laos

-Our dedicated team has grown to over 100 volunteers across the country

-The NYC Summer Associate program hired students from Harvard, UPenn, Northwestern and NYU

-The PoP Fellowship has placed our first fellow in Nepal with partner organization Seto Guruns

-We have received more than 3,000 unique donations totaling approximately $125,000+

How did this happen? It has happened through dedicated young people seeking fulfillment, and finding it through their involvement in Pencils of Promise. I am one of those people, as is our entire team. This organization has always belonged to every single one of its contributors, and those that take active ownership have now accomplished much more than we ever expected possible in just one year. We profoundly believe in this mission, this approach, and our shared ability to empower education for others. I am so proud of what we’ve done together in this first year, but I’m even more excited about the prospect of what is to come.

-AB

Universal education isn’t exactly universal. India, while enjoying one of the best performing economies in recent years, has extremely literacy rate. More than 35 per cent of Indians are illiterate, and more than 50 per cent of its female population cannot read. The problems begin in childhood. Half of Indian children do not go to school, and more than half of those who do drop out at the age of 11 or 12.

That’s why the new Indian parliament bill, which demands universal, free and compulsory education for all children aged between six and 14, has been hailed as a landmark law. 60 years after its independence, India is finally able to uphold education as a fundamental right, and to give children a better future, says Kapil Sibal, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

According to The World Bank, providing primary education to every child is a high priority for developing country governments and the donor community alike as education is the foundation of democratic societies and globally competitive economies.  To quote a scientific study by Appleton and Song, the estimated effect of an extra year of primary schooling on household income varies between 1–5% .

Ultimately, education is the most sustainable way of reducing poverty, increasing productivity, and strengthening the economy. To put it in Ben Franklin’s words, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest”. A landmark bill and a wise investment indeed.

One of the issues he addressed was that there is not enough option for philanthropists when considering charity for rural parts of the country. He wanted new ideas and innovative solutions – such as environmental initiatives that could help encourage job growth in rural states (think investment in solar power). Another key point Clinton stressed was the lack of hope people often experience in rural areas, because “they’re stuck in a rut they can’t get out of.”

Organizations such as Teach for America and FRED (Foundation for Rural Education and Development) have done a tremendous job reaching out and improving education conditions in underprivileged areas in the US. However the facts are still sobering. A report by the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that in 2004, college enrollment rates for both 18- to 24-year olds and 25- to 29-year olds were generally lower in rural areas than in all other locales in 2004.

However, it is nice to hear that the White House has recently announced a nationwide tour of rural communities, participants of which will include Joe Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. They will make multiple stops into September of this year to visit rural areas and understand people’s concerns. What will come out of this extended field trip? We’ll be watching.

Editorials from newspapers on the opposite ends of the ideological spectrum sprang up last week, in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, both addressing the education crisis in our country with guarded optimism.  In one corner, The Gray Lady’s own David Brooks touts Obama’s stimulus spending on community colleges as an appropriate response to address the real problem of community colleges—their high dropout rates, not their affordability.  The Obama initiative, Brooks writes, will allow for more innovation, higher standards for remedial education, better outcome tracking and online education, and more thorough job training.  All in all, Brooks thinks that this plan offers real promise, a significant step up from the usual tactic of throwing money at a problem.

But in a move that is likely to be less palatable to Obama-supporters and one of the largest and most influential blocs of the Democratic Party, teachers’ unions. Some states and districts have made moves to increase the number of charter schools, which receive public money but are free from many of the rules and restrictions that govern traditional public schools. Most surprisingly, much of this talk is coming from legislators who have changed their stances of fierce opposition to charter schools.  Although these moves have shocked some, it may be an indication that initiatives like innovative charter schools and merit-based teachers’ pay are rapidly becoming legitimate options for those seeking for a real solution in closing the education gap.

To read up on education-related news outside the US, check out NYT’s Thomas Freidman stirring account on visiting a school in Afghanistan, and the acclaimed novel, Three Cups of Tea.

South Korea’s economy was blessed as it rose from being a destitute country to becoming a major economic power as one of the Asian Tigers. One of the reasons why South Korea was able to grow so quickly was because of education. Large investments were made in education early on, and education is often considered a top priority for children. This proved to be a wise decision as an educated population lifted Korea from poverty through manufacturing and exports.

With the rapid economic growth, came a disparate society split between the rich and the poor. The president’s recent commitment to education is a reflection of his continuing faith in the power of education, particularly when made available to all. Education is absolutely necessary for international development to occur because it provides a way for the people to lift themselves out of their own situations. Who knows what the children attending our PoP schools will become in a few short years and decades?

Just got back from Building A Movement in An Interconnected World featuring the global philanthropist Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.

The talk was absolutely amazing. The methodology of the organization is certainly one of the most solid I have seen (and believe me we’ve researched a lot). I loved the emphasis on venture capital type analysis when investing in projects to maintain sustainable and realistic goals. What really struck me was the commentary on education being a key target for sustainability in response to our very own Brad Haugen’s question on Acumen’s priorities with respect to investing in education infrastructure. While they are currently enveloped in other projects that further extension would stress their capacities, the importance of education was still clearly expressed by Jacqueline.

Another important concept Jacqueline stressed was that dignity stems from knowing that there is some exchange of value, and that the organization is not pure charity. A pure handout strips people of their agency and while there are times to exercise such altruism, it is often better to leave both people feeling like they helped each other out. There is an old proverb by Benjamin Franklin that says “If you want to make a friend, let someone do you a favor.” That’s exactly the approach that Jacqueline takes in her philanthropic organization Acumen, the way USAID gives out electric generators to local Afghan villages in exchange for some locally affordable subsidized fee, the way PoP has villages cover some small portion of school construction as well as land preparation. The examples abound that this is the strategy to success because it allows people to keep their dignity.

A conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz by Charlie Rose

He recently established the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which partners with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation to support education and health programs in China. The Soong Ching Ling Foundation is a government-backed charity and is evidence of the Chinese government’s growing interest in developing the nonprofit sector in China.

Kobe Bryant is immensely popular in China; his jersey sells more than even Yao Ming’s. His popularity abroad has given him great cultural influence and he was even called a “one-man State Department” by Donald Tang, founder and CEO of financial advisory firm, CITIC. He was also given an award yesterday as a “cultural ambassador” by the Asia Society with two high profile Chinese politicians in attendance.

Kobe Bryant’s great popularity amongst China’s youth has enabled him to be an influential force in China’s nonprofit sector. I’m sure many will dismiss this story and think that Kobe Bryant’s venture into China is ultimately to his benefit, as well as his sponsors and basketball. However, that doesn’t change the potential impact it can have on China’s nonprofit landscape. The ultimate goal is not that Kobe Bryant’s one foundation will produce a drastic change in education, but that his high-profile involvement will cause others to do the same.

The website, founded by former social studies teacher Charles Best from the Bronx, supports education by giving individuals the option to fund educational projects that teachers across the country have posted online.

This four-episode series, titled Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando, was broadcast on Comedy Central all week. There is also the option of downloading them from iTunes, who has agreed to donate all proceeds from the Iraq shows to the United Service Organizations. Another reason we love Apple products. Go Stephen.

An online charity supported by Stephen Colbert