In October and November of 2015, a team of six Pangea members traveled to East Africa to visit with our grant partners, both present and past. Here are some of their impressions and learnings from the field. KENYA Warm smiles, gracious gestures, and incredible gratitude was palpable on our adventures in Kenya as we visited our partner organizations and the communities they serve - among the most marginalized people in East Africa. It was 10 days of action-packed, exhilarating experiences opening my eyes wider to what rural life in Kenya is like. Much of our time was spent in the...[ Read More ]

Women Peacemakers has hundreds of stories of its success in impacting individual lives and community stability through its educational workshops promoting women’s rights and empowerment. One participant, Mr. Throng Sophorn, has learned to use more respectful language and actions in his own family, as well as assist his neighbors with resolving domestic conflicts. By involving both men and women in its Women’s Rights Protection Project, Women Peacemakers has successfully trained community members to generate more peaceful interactions in the home and the community. Women Peacemakers works to oppose Cambodian society’s acceptance of gender-based and domestic violence through its non-violence and...[ Read More ]

On May 7, a group of Pangea members and friends gathered in Belltown for a fireside chat to hear from Rocio Gonzalez, the Executive Director of Association for Leadership Guatemala (ALG), an organization founded by Pangea Giving member Gary Tabasinske to train and build capacity in leaders across Central America.  A recent article in The Huffington Post tells more. Rocio first came to Seattle in 2011 as an iLeap Fellow. ILeap is a Seattle-based organization that trains grassroots leaders around the world and prepares them to return to lead their communities with greater clarity and commitment. Rocio, a native of...[ Read More ]

For over a decade, Pangea Giving has supported rural, grassroots organizations throughout the world to successfully address critical issues in their communities. This year is no exception. We are pleased to announce our 2015 grant awards totaling $123,800 to partners in East Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Our grants support innovative approaches to addressing issues ranging from gender-based violence and women’s rights to teaching sustainable agricultural methods that protect the environment. Highlights of this year’s awards include: Funding in Burundi – For the first time in Pangea’s history we have developed partnerships in this small, impoverished East African country....[ Read More ]

The municipality of Patzun in the Chimaltenango district of Guatemala is not unique. Like other regions of Guatemala it’s a highly patriarchal society and gender inequality is entrenched in the culture. The United Nations estimates close to 45% of Guatemala women are victims of gender-based violence and it’s even higher among rural indigenous women due to social isolation and limited access to resources. A third year Pangea Grantee, Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI) was established in 2011 to address gender inequality and high levels of gender-based violence in communities surrounding Patzun. WJI’s 3 main programs are women’s rights education, free legal...[ Read More ]

2014 Grantee Survey How are we doing? As part of a review of Pangea’s grantmaking process we asked our partners to provide feedback. Using Survey Monkey, all current partners responded to 9 questions and provided comments and suggestions. The survey was anonymous to encourage open and honest responses. The partners’ feedback was very positive and their comments thoughtful.The Grants Committee has reviewed the survey results and is working to incorporate our Partners’ suggestions for improvements. How can we improve our grant application? We learned that compared to other funders, our application is much shorter or about the same. When asked...[ Read More ]

A few weeks ago, 15 Pangea members and friends gathered on a Saturday morning with 12 iLeap international fellows from 8 different countries in Central America, Asia and Africa. We came together for a World Café conversation about how to create positive, healthy partnerships between donors and grantees whose work they are attempting to support. Following is a recap written by Allan Paulson, Pangea Giving's Co-founder.  The first conversation focused on defining the characteristics of a healthy partnership. People were quick to note that it takes time to develop partnerships, and face to face interactions are very helpful in fostering...[ Read More ]

Pangea's Latin America pod recently returned from site visits to Oaxaca State in Mexico. Following  is some context for, and a narrative of, the experience through the eyes of one of our members. "There is no substitute for a site visit. The dramatic difference between talking, reading, or hearing about Pangea’s grantees versus the experience of meeting and getting to know them is immense. The ability to distance myself is no longer an option. To learn of and witness the exploitation and suffering of the people we met touched me at a visceral level and left a permanent imprint. I...[ Read More ]

Pangea member, Darrell Johnson spent 8 weeks this summer working with Village Healthworks in Burundi. Darrell met founder, Deogratias (“Deo”) Niyizokiza when hespoke at Pangea's 10th Anniversary celebration last fall. Darrell was invited by Deo to help with operational and financial planning for the building of a new Women's Health Pavilion in Kigutu to address high maternal mortalities. Darrell shared his experiences recently with the Africa pod, as they continue to explore grantmakingopportunities in Burundi.Here's some things he shared that evening amongst stories and slides. Pictured right: Darrell working with Village Healthworks Budget Manager Burundi is a small country of about 10 million inhabitants in Central...[ Read More ]

With the goal of increasing our impact, the Africa Pod last year began to focus our grantmaking on the question: How can we increase the success of girls in education? We define success as not merely attending school, but progressing with good grades, moving on to higher levels of education, being prepared to compete for responsible jobs. We chose Dandelion Africa (pronounced Dan- DEL-ion] because of their comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of girls living in harsh conditions. Located in the northwest area of Kenya’s Rift Valley, Dandelion’s target group includes many girls still living in IDP (internally displace...[ Read More ]