This is somewhat off-topic, but it IS about science education, and
it's satisfying to me, so I share it with you.
I provide scholarships for a few college students through an
excellent Canadian charitable organization called ACCES (African - Canadian
Continuing Education Society).
ACCES requires that students study in a field where jobs are
available. Thus most funded students are in applied sciences and education.
For example, I sponsor a medical student, a future electrical installer, a
math & chemistry major, and an education major. I find this immensely
gratifying, for the students have great needs and their interests are
similar to mine. I recommend ACCES to you for the same reasons.
A small amount of money can make a huge difference in a Kenyan person's
life. In Kenya the average annual income is only about $250. The $300 per
student that I contribute pays for their entire year's college expenses!
ACCES presently gives $300 scholarships to 175 postsecondary
students. They need MANY more donors, as they have a huge waiting list of
needy students with top-notch grades. They can fund only 1 out of every 8
qualified applicants!
POSSIBLY YOUR PHYSICS CLASSES COULD SPONSOR A STUDENT.
$10 x 30 students = $300. (That's pizza money!)
Or the SPS section, or a college service club. It's easy to do.
The sponsored student will be 18 to 21 years old, similar in age to your
students. Your students will get a handwritten autobiography and snapshot
from the Kenyan student, and they can correspond with the student.
FACTS ABOUT KENYA:
Kenya has a population of 28 million. 55% are under 15 years old;
and 30% of the children never attend ANY school because they can't afford
to pay the compulsory fees. That unschooled proportion is increasing,
unfortunately.
Families are huge: each student whom I sponsor has 7 or 8 siblings.
They are subsistence farmers. The social structure is patriarchal and
partly polygamous, with dire results on families. The prevalence of
HIV/AIDS is shocking; an estimated 14% of people are afflicted, and the
misinformation about causes and transmission of the virus is astounding.
ACCES formed an alumni association of their 100+ college graduates,
and they are assisting this group to lead in their communities. The student
graduates chose HIV/AIDS education as the prime focus for their upcoming
conference, and they will provide information for their communities.
BASIC LITERACY PROGRAM:
ACCES also funds a basic literacy program in which 100 school-age
children in two poor villages are learning to read their native language
and English, and arithmetic. None of these kids can afford to go to school.
Their teachers are former ACCES scholarship holders, which completes the
circle of effectiveness of ACCES.
ACCES seeks funds to expand this program: $1500 pays for a year of
schooling (teachers' salaries, books, pencils, porridge) for 50 destitute
boys and girls, age 8 to 14, in a village. The moms make porridge for
breakfast and lunch.
WHO STARTED ACCESS, AND WHY:
ACCES was founded several years ago by Beth and George Scott,
retirees in education and law, who had read a book by Robert Rodale
pointing out that one person can make a big difference in the world. They
are committed to global ethics.
A dozen retirees participate in administering ACCES; most live near
Vancouver (north of Seattle). They donate their own money for
administrative costs. Every penny that you contribute goes for the student
scholarship.
Some of these retirees live for up to 1/2 year in Kenya at their
own expense, to personally coordinate the program there. They have strict
guidelines on which students get supported, and they make sure that the
funds go directly to the university, not to the government where it would
be subject to corruption.
ACCES is commmitted to helping Kenyan communities become
self-reliant through education. They know that education is a key to
reducing poverty and ending strife. Their work promotes gender equity, too;
half of their scholarships go to women.
CREDENTIALS/AUTHENTICITY:
ACCES was awarded a 3-year grant from the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA). Beth Scott was given the Lewis Perinbam Award,
in honor of the former vice-president of CIDA and holder of the Order of
Canada, Canada's highest honor for lifetime achievement. The congratulatory
award letter to Beth Scott states: "...the Trustees were extremely
impressed with your exceptional contribution to education and the emphasis
placed on youth and development in Kenya through ACCES. As a builder of
community development overseas and in Canada, your efforts demonstrate the
best in international development...."
I like the mission and work of ACCES so much that I agreed last
spring to be on the volunteer Board of Directors. (Chuckle - I represent
the USA!)
Before posting this, I e-mailed it to Beth Scott to check my facts.
I asked her if a donation could be made in the fall, since college will
have already started in Kenya. She replied:
"Your facts are not only correct, but very well presented. Great!
We accept donations at any time of year. Semesters start at the
universities and colleges in the fall and in January. There is, however, a
constant stream of students coming in to ACCES House to ask for
scholarships. When we receive a donation, we tell the donor that we can
now tell the agents that another student can receive a schoarship. So -
spring, fall or anytime in between."
HOW TO CONTACT ACCES:
Browse their web site:
www.powernetdesign.com/acces
You can e-mail or call Beth & George, or mail them a check (made out to ACCES):
Beth Scott, President
ACCES
2441 Christopherson Road
Surrey, British Columbia
Canada V4A 3L2
Phone: (604) 538-7267.
e-mail: Elizabeth & George Scott <to.acces@home.com>
FINALLY:
I quote from a newspaper article on ACCES:
"the Scotts point out that the situation in very poor parts of the world,
in both scale and kind, is more desperate than anything known in the rich
societies. "True charity is where the need is", they answer. "Our poorest
people here are wealthy compared to the people there. Further, these
imbalances in the world will eventually impinge upon the 'good life' of the
affluent..."
Cheers,
Jane
Jane Jackson, Director, Modeling Workshop Project
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics, ASU, Tempe, AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331. http://modeling.la.asu.edu