 | Caroline Sheahan2010: Kibera Girls Soccer Academy, Kenya Caroline Sheahan will be graduating New York University this May with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies and a minor in Producing. Originally from Boston, Caroline grew up in England and Northern California before moving to New York for school. Particularly interested in women's issues and film, and the interesection of the two, Caroline hopes to expand the knowledge of documentary film and its ability to spark meaningful conversation. She has received a grant to off-set her travel costs to Kenya this summer, for a three month trip to the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy, where she will work on the creation of a film library. Her goals with KGSA, as well as with Omprakash, are to develop ways for students and teachers to use documentary film as an educational tool to learn more about human rights issues. Her other interests include baking, theatre, exploring new food, and running. She is currently training for a women's half-marathon in New York City. |
 | Jennifer Turner2009: Hogar de Esperanza, Peru Jennifer Turner is from West Lafayette, Indiana and graduated from Purdue University in 2009 with degrees in Psychology and Spanish. She received a Volunteer Grant in December 2009 to spend six months serving at Hogar de Esperanza (Home of Hope) orphanage in Trujillo, Peru. While in Peru, Jennifer will be teaching the orphanage’s Kinder class and working to expand Omprakash’s network of international partners. In preparation for her trip, Jennifer is collecting school supplies, Spanish children’s books, clothing, and other material items to donate to the orphanage. She’s also working to increase awareness among students and faculty at Purdue University of the volunteer and educational opportunities available through Omprakash. Jennifer also hopes to connect educational communities in Indiana with the students in Peru. |
 | Jake Naughton2009: Kibera Girls Soccer Academy, Kenya Jake Naughton is a senior majoring in journalism with concentrations in photography, news/social media and citizen journalism in Africa. He traveled to Nairobi, Kenya for a study abroad program in Spring 2009. While there, he worked with Kibera Girls Soccer Academy’s journalism club in coordination with Stimulus Projects to help the girls produce high-impact, multimedia narratives about their lives in Kiibera. He will be working with KGSA and Omprakash to produce a series of promotional short films about the school and the community that has grown up around it. These videos will be available to KGSA for promotional purposes and to teachers for use in lesson plans about international education, women’s rights, etc. |
2009: SOVHEN Uganda Claudia Bernstein of Fairfield, CT , a 2008 gradudate of Roger Ludlowe High, attended Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire for one year. She was determined to participate in a long-term service project and received a volunteer grant in December, 2009. Claudia was in Uganda teaching English to children aged 6 to 13 in the Kyassnko village, in Masaka District. She also served in the MIUSA and SOVHEN collaborative project for the inclusion of orphans, and destitute and abandoned children with disabilities.
Claudia Bernstein
 | Bea Puerta2009: Raksha, Nepal Bea Puerta is from Spain and has a master’s degree in international cooperation. She spent nine months in Nepal working with Raksha, our Partner dedicated to women’s empowerment in Kathmandu. Bea plans to contribute to Omprakash in the Classroom by connecting students in the United States and in Spain with the women she will be working with in Nepal. |
 | Mohamad Musthafa2009: LHA & Neary Khmer, Cambodia Mohamad Musthafa is a postgraduate student from Manchester University. He received a Volunteer Grant to provide training in capacity-building for our partner Life & Hope Association in Cambodia. He will also work with Neary Khmer, and plans to help connect this partner with classrooms in England and the United States through our Omprakash in the Classroom program. Before leaving, he will work with communities in England to spread the word about volunteer opportunities available through Omprakash. |
 | Sandra Saulnier2009: Intag, Ecuador Sandra Saulnier is from France and recently graduated from University Paris X with a Masters degree in Ethnology. Since then, she has been traveling, working and volunteering overseas at projects involving sustainable development and organic farming. As the recipient of an Omprakash Volunteer Grant, she will spend six months living with host families in Ecuador while serving our partner Intag. She will mainly focus on teaching English to the children and adults of Intag’s remote Andean community. In conjunction with her trip, she is initiating a cross-cultural exchange through which children in France and Ecuador will communicate about the issues of environmental degradation that Intag seeks to address. |
 | Karin Schmidt2009: Los Sonrisas de los Niños, Honduras Karin Schmidt is from Nanuet, NY, and is a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. She received a grant to pay for travel and living expenses while volunteering during July and August 2009 at Las Sonrisas de los Niños in El Cacao, Honduras. Before departing for her trip, she collected school supplies, teaching materials and children’s books to donate to the organization and a nearby orphanage. Additionally, she collected letters written from students at a NYC elementary school to share with the children at Las Sonrisas de los Niños in hopes of building an understanding among children from different countries. |
 | Brunswick High School2009: Yachay Wasi, Ecuador At Brunswick High School in Brunswick, Maine, four students and a Spanish teacher received a 100E0939Volunteer Grant to travel to Quito, Ecuador, during July 2009 and serve the Yachay Wasi Intercultural Community Education Center. In preparation for their trip, the group delivered presentations and conducted fundraisers on behalf of Yachay Wasi at several locations in the Brunswick community. The group seeks to make Yachay Wasi a sister-school of Brunswick High School, and is working to support Yachay Wasi through a number of projects involving topics as diverse as knitting, soccer, and science.
|
 | Emma Cape2009: SAEP, South Africa Emma Cape, a student at Bowdoin College and originally from Illinois, received a grant in May, 2009, to pay for three months of travel and living expenses while volunteering with the South Africa Education and Environment Project in Cape Town. She is working to develop a new environmental club program that will provide students with education about local environmental issues and community organizing, and allow them to become leaders in community service and community action projects targeting environmental problems that affect the quality of life in their neighborhoods. It will also provide hiking fieldtrips to local natural areas, which many of the students have never had the chance to experience. Additionally, while in Cape Town, Emma will work to expand the Omprakash network through connecting with other South African charitable organizations. |
 | Dominique Johnson2009: La Escuelita de Esperanza, Costa Rica Dominique Johnson, a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She received a grant in May, 2009 to pay for her travel and living expenses while volunteering during July and August at La Escuelita de Esperanza in San Jose, Costa Rica. Before departing for her trip, Dominique will begin working with a number of high-school and middle-school groups in Baltimore. She plans to initiate several collections of supplies needed at La Escuelita, and eventually to start a pen-pal exchange between students at her alma mater in Baltimore and the students in Costa Rica. |
 | Steph Dawes2009: EFF, Kenya Steph Dawes, a graduate of Michigan State University, received a grant in May, 2009, to help subsidize her travel and living expenses during a six-month internship for Education for the Future Foundation in Kenya. While serving EFF, Steph will not only work with the day-to-day responsibilities associated with EFF, but will also conduct research on the education system and prepare plans for the construction of a new secondary school. In addition, she will be working to connect high school students in the United States and Kenya through a pen pal and blog system that will facilitate cross cultural and service learning on both ends. |
 | Alan Burns2009: Just One, Nepal Alan Burns, a multimedia student from Cork, Ireland, received a Volunteer Grant to serve Just-One in Kathmandu, Nepal during summer 2009. Alan used his multimedia skills to help members of the Just-One team design, publish, and distribute newsletters to potential donors. He also created a short documentary to help motivate donors and fundraisers, and helped Just-One complete some renovations of their building. Alan is now working to connect Just-One with Irish high schools that will learn from and support its work. |
 | Pat Metz2009: SOTENI, Kenya Pat Metz, a Purdue University graduate from Cincinnati, OH, received a Volunteer Grant to spend the summer of 2009 serving SOTENI International in Kenya. Capitalizing on his degree in Biochemistry, Pat will assist with a number of projects focused on stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS. Specifically, he will be giving talks about the disease at secondary schools around SOTENI’s four Villages of Hope and will be working to create a pen pal system between Cincinnati’s St. Xavier HS and the students he meets through his work. |
 | Milia Fisher2009: Paulino Salgado, Columbia Milia Fisher, a senior at Francis Parker High School in San Diego, California, received a Volunteer Grant in January, 2009. She used this grant to travel to Colombia and jumpstart a sister-school relationship between our partner Paulino Salgado and her own school. Milia shipped 10 computers to Paulino Salgado and is working with Francis Parker to pay for the school’s monthly internet access. She will continue raising money to pay for internet access and other amenities for the school and hopes to one day develop a sustainable source of income for the Paulino Salgado community. |
 | Ian Pounds2009: AFCECO, Afghanistan Ian Pounds is a former Professor and Crisis Counselor from Vermont. His extensive experiences working with troubled youths, students, and writers around the world led him towards our partner in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ian received an Omprakash Volunteer Grant in January of 2009, and headed to Kabul in April. Before leaving, Ian delivered a number of presentations to raise money for his trip and for our partner’s orphanage, and to help spread the word about the volunteer opportunities available through Omprakash. Ian also visited an elementary school class in Maine and helped students explore and rectify stereotypes about Muslims. |
 | Geneva Wilgus2008: Golok Sengcham Drukmo Home for Girls, Tibet Geneva Wilgus a college student from coastal Maine, received a grant to serve for three months at the Golok Sengcham Drukmo Home for Girls in Qinghai Province, China (Tibet). Before departing for her trip, Geneva taught a series of lessons to two classes of fifth-grade students in Brunswick and Wiscasset. While Geneva was in Tibet, these students followed her blog and wrote books about themselves and their lives in Maine. These books will eventually be sent to Golok Sengcham Drukmo, and the students there will complete similar books to send to Maine. In addition to creating this book-exchange project, Geneva also conducted a series of presentations and fundraisers in her home community. |
 | Sarah Zellweger2008: Nepal Children's Organization, Nepal Sarah Zellweger is from Rye, NY and is a graduate of Pitzer College. For five months during 2008-2009, Sarah volunteered at a number of different educational projects in Nepal. She spent the most time with Nepal Children’s Organization in Kathmandu. This was her second time volunteering in Nepal. While in Nepal, Sarah dramatically expanded our network by inviting seven new organizations to become Omprakash Partners. |
 | Sara Adamak2008: DEPDC, Thailand Sara Adamak is from Stevens Point, WI and graduated in 2008 from University of Wisconsin. She received a Volunteer Grant from Omprakash to volunteer with Development and Education Program for Daughters and Community (DEPDC) in Mae Sai, Thailand. This is her second time working with DEPDC. |
 | Vance Walstra2008: Helping Hands, Peru Vance Walstra, from Portland, Oregon, graduated from University of Montana with a degree in Anthropology. After receiving an Omprakash Volunteer Grant in September, 2008, Vance spent the winter and spring of 2009 volunteering for Helping Hands in Cusco, Peru. In preparation for his trip, Vance collected shoes and medical supplies to be sent to Cusco. He also organized a benefit concert that raised over $1200 for Helping Hands. While in Peru, Vance expanded the Omprakash network by helping a number of new grassroots projects become Omprakash Partners. He also spearheaded a fundraising effort that brought over $5,000 to Helping Hands– enough to help the organization purchase a piece of land and begin construction of a new classroom building. Back in the United States, Vance continues to contribute to our network by delivering presentations to high-school and college communities in an effort to help more people support our diverse partners. |