Pangea Celebrates 20 Years of Grantmaking

On June 4, 2023, Pangea members and friends gathered at the Mt Baker Community Club to celebrate Pangea’s 20th anniversary. Below is an excerpt from the presentation made at the event by Janet Pearson, Board President.

When I look around the room….my heart is filled with joy. Because we are finally able to come together as a community. The last time we gathered for an annual meeting was in 2019. That seemed like a long time ago! For such a people-oriented group – it’s fair to say that these last few years have been a challenging time.

But despite COVID restrictions – we have endured. And now, we are celebrating our 20-year anniversary, and looking to our future.

Reflecting back on our years together…I think of all that members have contributed to Pangea ….founders, officers, board members, pod chairs, liaisons, site visit participants, event organizers and hosts, and of course, being generous donors to our grant pool.

I also think about what each of us has gained by being a member:

-we’ve gained a connection to the world in a deep and meaningful way,

-the opportunity to educate ourselves on global issues and to travel with a purpose,

-we’ve gotten to know grassroots, community leaders who are so smart, innovative, and committed to improving the lives of people in their communities,

-and, we’ve gained long-lasting friendships with other Pangea members, as well as grant partners.

      Both what we’ve contributed and what we’ve gained together make Pangea a special organization, and one that I truly cherish.

      Since we launched our first grants in 2003 we have made over $2 million in grants to more than 80 grassroots partners in 13 countries:

      • Asia: Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos
      • Latin America & the Caribbean: Haiti, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Guatemala
      • East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, and Uganda

      Linda Mason, one of our founders, said that over time she grew to appreciate taking risks and listening deeply to grassroots leaders. And Suyheang Kry, Executive Director of Women Peace Makers, one of our alumni partners in Cambodia, stated that, “Pangea isn’t just a typical donor. It’s a partner who is willing to listen and to allow the community needs to guide the way and find solutions to its own problems.”

      All of these grants we made collectively, thoughtfully, and respectfully, without enforcing our own pre-conceived agenda.

      Both these statements are reflective of who we are and how we approach our grant making.

      Site visits also provide powerful moments of connection that can’t always be planned or anticipated:

      One of the distinctive features of Pangea is our site visits to grant partners. If you have been on one of these visits, I think you will agree that they are one of the most powerful experiences that Pangea offers. They provide a real-time, real-lived experience where we grow to better understand the social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental issues that our partners live out each day.

      • I remember speaking with a mother in Kenya who had endured “the cut” as a young woman, and now speaks out courageously against the practice so that her daughters will never have to experience that destructive tradition.
      • In Oaxaca State, we walked through a nearly-deserted rural village, then sat in the shade and talked with a few elderly farmers who remained working there. It was very difficult for them to continue farming because the water rights of these indigenous people had been taken away to support the voracious needs of the nearby, internationally-owned mine. I finally, palpably, understood why almost all the younger people from the village had immigrated to the US to seek their livelihood because there wasn’t a viable future left in their village.

      There are also unanticipated moments of a different kind that Pangea members experience, like when:

      • Gordon Sivley sat in Ufanisi’s small, corrugated metal shack in Kenya, hand sewing a feminine hygiene kit, as one of Ufanisi’s program participants patiently tutored him on the correct stitches to use.
      • Or Paul Silver, on a recent visit to Laos, hiked through a stream to reach a rural village with our grant partner Green Community Volunteers, only to discover a few unwelcome new “friends” – leaches on his legs.

      While we are celebrating our past, we are also looking toward the future. We are working toward a merger with GlobalWA that we hope will be successfully agreed upon very soon. I’m excited by this opportunity with GlobalWA because I see it as a path for us to continue our mission, grant making, and giving circle model, while we gain more staff support, additional opportunities for educational events, and a broader network from which to recruit new members. We have a bright future ahead.

      In closing, I want to say CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU for all of your support for Pangea.

      The slideshow that was playing on loop throughout the event has been posted on Pangea’s YouTube channel.

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