Ascend Alliance

"Los Chaskis" Local Andean Music in Utah

2010-12-02T14:28:00.009-07:00

"Los Chaskis" de Utah

If you are looking for authentic and exciting music in Utah, look no further. “Los Chaskis,” based in Salt Lake City, are your best option when it comes to Andean music in Utah. A diverse group of composers, poets and musicians, the members of the group create a unique sound that draws from various regions of the South American Andes. The members of the group all have different nationalities, and their different backgrounds are the framework for the blend of folkloric, traditional Andean music that they play.

Edwin Román playing Peruvian pan-flute

During our events, we strive to create an atmosphere that invokes a spirit of “being there,” as we are a humanitarian organization working primarily in Andean nations. “Los Chaskis” were the key to fulfilling this aspect of the show during an amazing night of great food, appreciation, and entertainment at the equally spectacular venue of LaCaille. The music, well exciting and uplifting, was perfect for our formal event and was never overbearing.

Mario Gonzales from Bolivia on Guitar

Although some members of the group rotate show to show, “Los Chaskis” performed with a three-man ensemble the night of our event. Each member masterfully plays a variety of instruments and knows a large repertoire of music. Traditional songs from Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile were performed with hints of each country’s influence permeating into each song. Instruments included the Charango (a small lute-like guitar played by Mario Gonzales from Bolivia), Peruvian Pan-flutes (played by Edwin Román from Peru), a Venezuelan harp (played skillfully by group member Eligio Garcia from Venezuela), guitars and assorted percussion.

Eligio Garcia playing a Venezuelan Harp

The Ascend Alliance was honored to have this amazing group perform for our annual Partner Appreciation dinner, and we were so surprised by their skill and professionalism that we decided to write this review on their performance and establish an ongoing partnership for future events. We highly recommend “Los Chaskis” for formal or informal events, and for people who are just looking to have great music at their event regardless of whether or not they are looking specifically for Andean music. You will surely not be disappointed!

Contact:

Edwin Román
Phone: (801) 702-3075
edwin_romay@hotmail.com

The Park City 5 Bolivia Expedition

2010-08-16T02:28:00.003-06:00

Friendship Ambassadors

2010-07-13T17:00:00.009-06:00

International Volunteer Work Helps Improve Foreign Relations

Sure, the United States has ambassadors in almost every country in the world. But do they really have a positive effect on the way people view us? Theoretically, an ambassador's job is to "negotiate and disseminate information in order to keep peace and establish relationships with other countries." One thing that is not clear is whether or not our ambassadors have succeeded in establishing GOOD, mutually beneficial relationships with other countries. That would probably explain the generally negative perception that foreigners have of our country. That's where we come in.

Through Ascend's international internship program, US Citizens are able to fully connect with the people living in these countries, establish real friendships and empower their friends to rise out of poverty and better their lives. Take for example Bolivia, with a notoriously anti-American government in power. Ask anyone who has worked with or benefited from our Bolivia program what they think of the US, and you will be pleasantly surprised by their response. They don't harbor negative sentiment towards individual US Citizens. They may be critical of our political policies and tendency to dominate international dialogue, but they know that there are good people living in the US that want to see them prosper on their own terms.

One of the best things about Ascend is that we don't impose on the communities where we work. We utilize an asset-based approach where we help identify what a community is good at and where they want to be in 5 years. We identify leaders within the communities and help them develop their ability to be the role-models and mentors that a community needs to better itself. Unfortunately, we can't reach all of the people who could benefit from the message that we offer. We are too small to establish personal relationships with whole countries or even whole cities, but that doesn't mean we aren't making a difference and it doesn't stop us from trying. Our mission is to empower those in need to save their children and rise out of poverty. However, improving international relationships on a small scale through our sustainable development programs is a welcome side-effect of our work.

Wednesday Workdays!

2010-07-07T15:38:00.003-06:00

Coming into the office today, I realized how excited I was to come into work. Even though there are lots of things to get done and projects to finish up, it is always a great workplace. The people Ascend attracts are amazing and all very driven to make a difference. The most exciting thing, with the technological advances like skype, is keeping in touch with interns in other countries. Hearing first hand the projects Ascend has been working on makes me feel proud to be interning here. I have gained skills in many areas along with making great friends and fun memories.

What attracted me to Ascend was the opportunity to work in country alongside the local people. Getting involved with hands on experience is what makes Ascend great! Ascend primary focus is the sustainability of projects, so the community can thrive long after our aide has been given.

I highly recommend interning or volunteering at Ascend. It has given me wonderful skills and has introduced me to wonderful people.

Check out our expeditions and internships at:
http://ascendalliance.org

Reflections on 9 Months in Peru

2010-07-06T15:16:00.007-06:00

Many people ask me after living in Peru for 9 months, “is it weird to be back?” My answer up to this point has been in the affirmative; yes, it is weird to be back. It feels strange to no longer have to avoid massive potholes in the street, it feels weird to be able to pet dogs without the fear of getting fleas, it feels weird to speak in ENGLISH again, but most of all it feels weird not to be able to visit the communities where I have worked and to say goodbye to a previously foreign place which I had begun to call my home. In retrospect, 9 months isn’t really that long. It is the same amount of time to finish a school year, have a baby or digest an In-and-Out Burger. If I live to be 80, which may happen if the world doesn’t end in 2012 and I stop drinking coffee with ample sugar and cream, this experience will only have been about 1/100 of the time I will have spent living. However, I feel that the time I spent as an international intern with ASCEND will mean 100 times more to me than the other experiences I will have had in my life. But how can I possibly say that this is my defining life experience if I still have so much life left to live?

It’s simple, interning with ASCEND helped me to identify what it is that I want to do with my life AND put the wheels in motion. We did SO many different things throughout my time in Peru, whether it was teaching basic disease prevention to parents and watching them writhe in disgust after viewing our video clip about intestinal worms, or organizing a group of children to pick up trash after a health campaign and then having them wash their hands before buying them all corn and cheese as a reward, or installing a banner publicizing a fledgling business of culinary geniuses, or putting the finishing touches on a new, beautiful school that would replace a 60-year old mud hut that was about to fall over, or…… (this list could go on for 100 pages). This is the stuff that memories are made of. These are the experiences that help you determine what you want to do with your life. These are the experiences that give your life purpose.

I’m not just walking away with an inkling or some vague, general outline of what I want to do (like what happens to most when they take that walk down the red carpet to pick up their rolled-up piece of paper). I have a plan for the next 10 years of my life, something that I don’t think that most of my friends my age can say that they enjoy. I have established relationships with people that can help me to achieve this plan. One thing I like a lot about ASCEND is our approach to setting goals. We know how to set them so that they are achievable, realistic and measurable while simultaneously worthy and ambitious. Working with the people of Peru, the REAL people, not the tour guide, not the wealthy businessman from Lima, I discovered that I want to work in international business entrepreneurism in Latin America as a career. That’s not a stretch considering my major is business entrepreneurism with a minor in Spanish. Nevertheless, I needed the practical experience of living and working in Peru to confirm what I had previously identified as a possible career path. I’m not going to go into specifics because I don’t want you to steal my ideas, but I promise you that there are good things in store.

More than anything else, ASCEND helped me learn to identify opportunities and have the personal motivation to act appropriately upon these opportunities. Looking for opportunities to work with Humanitarian projects is a lot like looking for business opportunities. We are in the business of identifying NEED. We identify a need, and we fulfill the need. Once that need is identified, we set goals and measure our progress on an ongoing basis. After that need has been met, we do follow-ups to make sure that the need continues to be met and how we can meet that need even better in the future. So I would like to send this message out to anyone who knows what they are studying but don’t know what they want to do with their lives. Become an intern with ASCEND, either at HQ in Salt Lake City or in South America. No matter what you are studying, there is an opportunity to put your skills to work with ASCEND. I promise you that your experience will be as rewarding as mine if you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone and embrace the unknown and unfamiliar; you will NOT be disappointed. Also, you will get to go to the coast, the jungle and the sierra HAHAHAHA! More to come…

2010-07-01T12:08:00.004-06:00

This past week I have been scanning loose photos and slides into the server here at headquarters. After 1300 pictures, you could say I was all scanned out. But I found out that we have a lot of great shots of in-country projects and some of the slides even date back to the 70’s! It was fun to see the smiling faces of children and other beneficiaries of our work. However, it was also sobering to realize how many people are still living in unacceptable conditions.
So how do you move a mountain? One shovel at a time. Ascend is making a difference one project at a time. We are headed in the right direction and picking up pace as more people volunteer their time and donate their resources. The future is bright and the time is right to jump on the band wagon and get involved. So don’t just sit there, pick up a shovel and start moving those mountains with us!

http://www.causes.com/causes/303088?recruiter_id=68701303

Happy 4th of July weekend!

2010-05-27T16:15:00.002-06:00

I want to change lives, I want to change my life, I want to change the world. That is what brought me to Ascend Alliance headquarters.
Emerson said, "Every man is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him." I couldn't ask for a better position to be in; I'm surrounded by knowledgeable people from all walks of life and even networked directly to other countries! If ever there was an opportunity to learn as an intern, this is it.
With technology rapidly advancing, we are on the brink of pushing humanitarian service to new limits. The internet has shrunk our planet to what seems to be a small neighborhood; I can instantly see and talk to any one of our offices in the world by the click of a button. As the web dissolves distance barriers, the need for foreign assistance grows ever more apparent as well as the success of our efforts. Through blogs, social networking and streaming video we can literally see who benefits from our programs.
Now is a great time to get involved so check out our expedition schedule and reach out to the people who need it.
-Will Naylor
http://ascendalliance.org/schedule.htm

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-31T11:24:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T11:22:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-12-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Value of Being Useless

2009-11-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share an essay I wrote for a a recent scholarship proposal. The essay prompt was to describe a cross cultural experience and what I learned from it. Naturally, one instance stood out . . .

I bend over, hands on my knees, and watch with winded gasps as an elderly Ayamara woman ambles slowly beside me before bending over and pulling at least thirty pounds of stones into her shawl. I observe with listless fascination as she heaves the rock-laden shawl over her shoulder and turns around to make her way back to the construction site.

The distance between the rock pile and the unfinished schoolhouse is less than a quarter of a mile, but I can only carry four stones per trip. That being said, watching an elderly woman carry twice my load causes me to drop my head and laugh. I’m traveling with the group Choice Humanitarian to a village outside of La Paz, Bolivia called Jichurasi Suriquiña in order help build a new schoolhouse.

After a few days of working non-stop, nearly every experience I’ve had has left me feeling weak and insufficient before my hosts and quite frankly, I couldn’t be happier with myself. Because while transporting a pile of stones from point A to point B may be helpful in building a schoolhouse, my proudest contribution has been juxtaposing myself beside villagers like the elderly Ayamara woman.

My hope is that when they see my ineptitude to even carry a few stones, they gain a sense of confidence about their own abilities to take care of themselves, and realize their own potential to achieve community development without the help of outsiders such as me. In turn, I see my own uselessness as something of revelation, because I previously thought that I could only offer practical abilities in a cross cultural exchange.

This expedition has made me realize that my exchanges need not be of a professional nature; it could be optimism brought to a team effort, a sense of humor in an awkward situation, or the sense of pride instilled in another person when someone needs their help.

The elderly Ayamara woman turns around to look at me, and laughs when she sees the small stones in my arms. I find myself laughing with her; being useless never felt so great.

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-11-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-11-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

An Inspiring Story

2009-11-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today I read this article from the NY Times. It was amazing to me. I am amazed at just how good some people really are. In this season of gratitude I am thankful for the inspiration.

http://bit.ly/2cGESc

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-11-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

A Photo's Worth. . .

2009-11-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

A thousand words, right? Lately, as I've been perusing thousands upon thousands of ASCEND's photos for an upcoming presentation, I've been doubting the truth of that adage. After collecting what I believed to be the most inspirting, I have to concede that I agree with the sentiment behind the saying.

In a photograph, we see many things. Sometimes there is consensus of what the photograph is saying: 'joy', 'grief', etc., but sometimes, if we are lucky, the sliver of the moment when the photograph was taken lays the human spirit bare, and we who look in are rendered speechless.

In ASCEND's collection of photographs, there are many stirring things; the gloved hands of a volunteer worker heaving dirt, the smile of a Ecuadorian school-girl, the distracted glance of an Ethiopian mother. Each photograph is beautiful in its own right, which initially aroused my suspicion. "What's it worth?" "Yes, it's lovely, yes the light is just right, and yes it will entrance whoever looks upon it, but what is it conveying?"

After all, a photograph is a logical, mechanical thing- and it's something I've always appreciated for conveying 'truth' to the world. However, as ASCEND's photo collection proves, even a mechanical thing such as a photograph can hitch on something unexpected that makes us pause, that causes us to register sentiment with logic. It's a jarring combination, but stinging clear and eloquent at heart.

The purpose, then, of this little diatribe, is to perhaps share my sense of confounded logic and sentiment to you. The hope is that you will look at ASCEND's photo, and let your gaze linger a little while longer as you register logic and emotion in the same intrigued/perplexed fashion as I did.

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-11-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Living in The Americas

2009-11-02T16:15:00.001-07:00

Just after I graduated from college (liberal arts degree in hand) I went to Ecuador to live there for nearly 18 months. I love Ecuador, I love the people, I love Spanish. I love South America. At my current job I get to interact nearly every day with employees in Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Having lived in Ecuador means that during these interactions I can use really hilarious slang (though sometimes I've crossed the line not realizing that in some countries funny slang is actually pretty graphic and not to be used with co-workers), that I actually know what Shakira is saying in all of her songs (ok most) and that I have a little more sympathy when our interns (who live in country for about 4 months) write me to tell me all about the happenings in country. This week I've been thinking about living in Latin America and missing it a little. So here is a list of things to miss.

Collecting banana stickers. Ecuador is home to the majority of the major banana exporters and somehow we found a whole trade of young people who tried to collect as many different stickers which mark the bananas as possible
Hot Chocolate or Tea and Bread for dinner. I'm not a coffee drinker but whenever we were over at people's house in the evening they would serve us hot chocolate or tea and bread. The tea is amazingly sweet and you dip your bread into your beverage for dinner.
Bread in general. During one point of my stay in Ecuador I lived above a bakery where they made the most delicious chocolate bread. I think we had at least 3 pancitos every single day (my waist line did not thank me)
Menestra. I still dream about the traditional bean dish made in Ecuador. I've tried to recreate it here but it's never the same.
Yucca. We don't eat Yucca too much in the states but there are few things as delicious as the yucca French fry.
Busses. Here in the states I don't ride the bus very often and my city isn't known for it's all encompassing bus routes but I loved being able to stick out my hand and pick up a bus anywhere as well as being able to get off a bus just by yelling "gracias" and heading toward the door
Community sports. Every weekday night and all weekend long parks were full to bursting with local futbol leagues, volleyball and other sports.
The blurred line between church and state when it comes to holidays. Even now I'm envious of our employees who get all kinds of religious holidays throughout the year. Good Friday? Yep. Day of the Dead (today)? Yep. And don't even get me started about how they all get a full month of extra salary for Christmas. Our employees are always shocked when I tell them that we don't have those kinds of benefits here in the US.
Walking everywhere
Cars and buses each a memorial to a person's personal design (complete with fringe, lace, and tweety bird stickers)
Nicknames. I very clearly remember one 9-year old turning to me and asking, "what's my Aunt Negra's name?"
Most beautiful children in the whole world
Chickens. This is sort of a love/hate relationship. Once I lived on the second floor and 5 chickens lived in the courtyard below us. I poured water on them almost every day to get them to stop clucking. Funny now, but not funny when it was happening
Loud Music everywhere
Ranchera dancing (also kind of a love/hate relationship)
Fresh Fruit—1 million times better than the fruit here
How everyone has so many names

So what have I missed? What are the best things about living in South America?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Is it Too Early for New Year’s Resolutions?

2009-10-26T16:28:00.001-06:00

Around this office we talk a lot about empowerment and self-reliance. We talk about it as it relates to the people with whom we work and serve but we also talk about it as it relates to one another—our own staff, our own co-workers. Our manager in Bolivia perhaps put it best when he told his team that they all needed to make personal goals in addition to work goals because he said no one would believe what we were teaching if we weren't putting the ideas into practice in our own lives. That puts us in a precarious position. It means that when one of our very best workers decides that he is going to start his own business after teaching small business owners for years, we cheer. When someone takes the Foreign Service exam, we anxiously await the results hoping that they are good as he would like them to be. Those are successes, even if they leave us scrambling to find and train other great workers. It also means that sometimes we get burned.

I just got off the phone with a friend from Peru. Peru has been causing us more concern than any of the other places where we work. The volunteer from Peru called to ask me some simple questions and then told me that our troubles in Peru come from trusting too much. He needed to get some things off his chest and told me that we shouldn't have trusted the way we did and that we should have had other people checking up on what was happening. He told me we needed tighter controls (which is true. But we're still working on the best way to do that). His anger did make me think. He's right. There are some things that we need to work on, we need better communication and we need better documentation. But in some ways it made me think that he still doesn't get it. He still doesn't get what we're trying to do and he doesn't' understand why having a volunteer call on a paid staff member at random to verify his work and to do all of the fundraising isn't promoting the kind of development that we're trying to espouse in the villages where we work. However, I don't want to be the kind of person who hears criticism and then gets offended or defensive and doesn't do anything about it.

So, even though we're a few months away, I'm making my resolution list for 2010—his suggestions in mind. Here goes!

Expand our evaluation of programs to Peru and Ecuador
Statistically analyze the results of Bolivia's evaluation (with professionals) and talk to the staff about what's happening
Follow up with staff goals
Appropriate controls in admin and accounting—as shown by a procedure manual and enforced procedure to be presented at Jan training
Historical, searchable database for projects
Continue to believe that people are basically good and want to help other people
Have faith in other people.
As Ronald Reagan put it, "Trust, but verify." (I can't believe I just quoted Ronald Reagan. Don't tell my parents)

Carbon Footprinting

2009-10-23T11:22:00.001-06:00

This weekend we have some big plans. Some neighbors of ours are laying sod (not a resource friendly option in Utah but I have a grass yard that's at least 2 times the size that they are putting down so who am I to talk?) this evening and they need some help. Saturday morning I'll head to my local health department early because they are finally offering H1N1 shots in my area to ladies who are in the family way. Saturday plans also include drying apples we scavenged from my parent's tree, raking and bagging leaves and walnuts from the trees in our yard, using the last of the kale and chard from the garden to can some veggie broth, two quilt squares for a dear friend whose baby is due next week and attending a college football game with my husband. I hope to find time to exercise and would love a couple of hours to nap and recuperate from my normal weeks of working 1.5 jobs (and growing a baby) which leave me exhausted (and with puffy ankles).

This morning, while getting ready to write a blog post I came across this story. About a man who is hoping to sell his autographed picture of Bridget Bardot to pay for surgery he needs ($2500) after the working as a coal miner for his whole life. I was struck with how different my life is than his. Health care is available to me. When I want the H1N1 shot I just have to wait until it's available and it's offered at my local health department clinic, just a 10 minute drive away, for free. My life is busier than I would like it to be but I am so blessed and my life is comparatively easy. It broke my heart to read that the portrait similar to the one this man had is currently selling on ebay for $35.

Earlier this week I got sucked into taking an internet quiz about my lifestyle. I should probably admit now that I love internet quizzes and if we are connected on twitter and you post one I will pretty much take it. The purpose of the quiz this week was to find out how many earths it would take to support the whole world's population if everyone lived the way I do. The answer is 4.5. And I think that's low. The quiz wasn't super comprehensive and I'm pretty sure that the only reason I wasn't on the "above average" side of the US is because we have a tenant in our mother-in-law apartment so we were technically "sharing" the use of all of our utilities. I am embarrassed to admit that I live in a state where state and local leaders refuse to admit that climate change is, even partially, due to human behavior. This morning, driving to work, on NPR they were talking about a group of local Doctors and Scientists who met last night to affirm that there really is no doubt that science indicates that global climate change has been affected by human behavior.

It's scary to think that earth can't sustain an entire population living the way I do but I do believe that there are more than enough resources to ensure that there is medical care for everyone, that clean potable water is available to all families, that children can be provided with an education, that mothers can get adequate prenatal care, that businesses can grow no matter in what country they are located. I, for one, because I do believe that climate change is affected by humans and that my carbon footprint is directly affecting women who now have to walk farther and farther to get water because their rivers and wells are drying up am willing to make some sacrifices to level the playing field. I can start with these…maybe not all of them, but some of them at least. We're talking baby steps here (thank you public radio for being a source of knowledge on all kinds of things).

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-10-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

He said, She said…

2009-10-14T16:59:00.001-06:00

One of the magazines to which I subscribe (there is actually an embarrassingly long list that includes things like Vogue and OK weekly but let's just talk about the educational/literary magazines or I might get embarrassed) called The Sun which I love. And all of you should subscribe but that's not the point. At the end of every magazine they have a whole page titled "Sunbeams" they're quotes that pertain to the topic of the magazine. I love that they call them Sunbeams, that somehow small things other people say can light our lives. I remember the sunbeams that they printed on September 11, 2001. I was living in Ecuador and my mother mailed it to me—it was longer than one page and I folded it up and carried it with me as I traveled around the country for the next year and a half. The folded paper has made it with me in all subsequent moves and I still think about some of the things that were said. The quotes weren't about patriotism or valor they were about forgiveness, about love and about inclusion. I still love that response to tragedy—love and forgiveness. In honor of a large meeting we're preparing for this week we've been making our own collections of sunbeams about development. But one thing that we've learned is that development quotes, just like those in response to tragedy, aren't just about building and teaching. They are also about love, forgiveness, culture, valor, a call to action, poverty, and all other kinds of things. So without further ado here are our sunbeams. It isn't a complete list and we'd love your additions.

Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. - Mother Teresa

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving. - Mother Teresa

We can do no great things-only small things with great love. - Mother Teresa

When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die. - Eleanor Roosevelt

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit." - Greek proverb

"The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." - Mitch Albom

"What we have done for ourselves dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains immortal." - Albert Pike

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness." - Martin Luther King Jr.

"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity." - Buddha

"Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time." - Marian Wright Edelman

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank

"He who wishes to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." - Confucius

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi

"Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting." Bernard Meltzer

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." - Edmund Burke

"The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose." - Robert Byrne

"Poverty is hunger, loneliness, no where to go when the days is over, deprivation, discrimination, abuse, and illiteracy." Tarawatti Sooklall, single mother of two, Guyana

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." - Mother Teresa

"Nine tenths of education is encouragement." - Anatole France

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." - George Santayana

"Much learning does not teach understanding." - Heraclitus

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed souls can change the world, indeed that is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

"The worst thing is apathy - to sit idly by in the face of injustice and to do nothing about it. There is a real responsibility to challenge things that are wrong." - Martin O'Brien

"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." - Albert Einstein

"No one has ever become poor by giving." - Anne Frank

"The poor of the world are crying out for schools and doctors, not guns and generals." - Oscar Arias Sanchez

"One works for justice not just for the big victories, but simply because engaging in the struggle is worth doing." - Oscar Arias Sanchez

"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." - Mahatma Ghandi

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-10-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

2009-10-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

So ASCEND's Annual Gala was amazing. I was so inspired by the generosity and spirit of humanitarianism displayed by the community, and I was extremely impressed by the professional appearance of the Gala- from the displays to the cuisine, all the minute details were efficiently handled.

Most of my night was spent in the Silent Auction, and I couldn't believe how many fun things we had up for bid (I was eyeing the 1 Free Pizza From the Pie gift certificate, yum). It was a great night, and everyone pulled together to make it a fun and enlightening experience (oh and lucky me! The volunteers got some great food!).

The official verdict: Best. Gala. Ever. Until next year, that is. . .

So I'm excited for two very cool things that we're doing:

1) Funfest. Need I say more?

2) Daybreak - One of SLC's communities is considering a sister-community program. I think sister programs are ingenious - they not only encourage cross-cultural engagement and understanding, but they also take that extra step and foster a sense of community. I've always admired Salt Lake City for partnering with Matsumoto, Japan and have enjoyed researching how the two cities have connected and what they've shared over the decades. So, needless to say, I am VERY excited to see where this one goes. . .

Before I go, here's some food for thought:

"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-10-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-09-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-09-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

Emily's Intern Life

2009-09-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

All I can really say is: Wow! Working at ASCEND has been such an interesting and refreshing experience. I know it sounds corny, but I love working with non-profits that are so committed to humanitarian projects and actively teaching independence within communities abroad.

ASCEND is extremely compatible with the way I feel the world should work; instead of a more developed country going into a developing country and imposing what 'we think should be fixed' groups like ASCEND champion an integral approach where teaching independence perpetuates sustainability and stability in communities. I'm so glad to be working with such a determined organization and with such lovely individuals. I'm very excited for the events to come (*cough* GALA! *cough*)!

Emily Strong currently attends the University of Utah and is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Studies and International Studies. For the Fall, she is doing an internship at ASCEND Alliance through the Hinckley Institute and will be graduating in December. Emily enjoys writing, traveling, and fencing in her spare time and has an insatiable appetite for sushi.

Bragging Rights

2009-09-02T15:04:00.000-06:00

Last week our Bolivia staff put on an INCREDIBLE show. They hosted the 3rd Annual Ascend Bolivia Gala. It was a wild success. We are so proud of what they were able to accomplish.

Fundraising dinners and auctions aren't very typical in Santa Cruz where ours was held but this one was a raging success. Thank in large part to our staff in Bolivia (and the AMAZING band Las Kjarkas) guests of the gala had an amazing dinner, participated in a live auction and then danced the night away. The Bolivian team was able to raise enough funds to cover a substancial percentage of their administrative expenses this year. We this it is amazing that as they are teaching local communities and people about sustainability and self sufficiency they are working on improving in those same arenas. It won't be long before Bolivia looks to our headquarters office as a place for advice and guidance and not a funding source. We wish them all the best in that goal.

Now, enjoy some pictures of the show.

The location of the event was AMAZING

Guests at the event

Our team

An award for el Banco Econonmico--they help our participants with microloans

The winner of the raffle is actually a futbol player for the national team

The Live Auction

And Finally....Los Kjarkas!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T11:00:00.000-06:00

A trip to Ecuador and Back

2009-08-21T11:00:00.000-06:00

My trip to Ecuador with the volunteers from Park City was a wild success. We worked in two communities that we loved. We adopted a dog, worked on two school, had locals dare us to climb a 20ft greased pole and watched a little something called the Vaca Loca (crazy cow). We only had one near-death experience and only one of the crew came home with scabies (me--yuck). It was a wonderful trip. Tonight I am heading to the reunion. We're going to hear a band play, eat delicious food, watch a slide show and remember the good time we had.

Just in case you don't believe me that we had an excellent trip, here's a video to prove it (Video courtesy of Caleb Braley--one of our excellent Ecuadorian interns)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T11:05:00.001-06:00

I Tube, Youtube, We tube...

2009-08-13T15:34:00.000-06:00

Summer at the Ascend office is always fun. People are getting in their vacations and it's our last relaxing moment before we swing into full-scale panic mode before our annual fundraiser. Summer is also a good time because the office is buzzing with interns. This year we decided not only to test the prowess of the interns in our work environment but we also created a special challenge. Interns could break into teams of 2 and make a youtube video about what we do to post online. They would have 2 weeks to get as many views as possible. The winners would get a killer prize (which I promised would not be from the dollar store as the majority of my prizes are)

3 sets of interns took the challenge. Watch the videos. You decide who wins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFUTn_sFWA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX0G2Lslgxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxx0yWMGl3o

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-12T10:02:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T23:01:00.001-06:00

Fulfilling Dreams

2009-08-03T21:03:00.000-06:00

I am a “sucker” for charities; anything that requires me handing over money to some kind of charity organization has me sold and asking, “Whom do I make the check out too?” Perhaps not the most fiscal responsible habit for me to have, being a poor college student and all, but I hold to the belief that there will always be other people in the world who need my money more than I do. I may not have all the riches in the world, but every time I open my mouth to complain I remember that there are billions of people who really have it worse than me. Be they in the Salt Lake area, in the ghettos of Detroit, crossing the border from Mexico to America, struggling day in and day out in villages in Bolivia, or living in refugee camps in Africa, I can’t get any of them out of my mind. Forget my dream of buying an overpriced iPhone. What about the dreams of Palestinians to live in a home instead of a tent? What about the dreams of Ethiopians to be able to feed their children? What about the dreams of Mexicans to send their children to college? What about the dreams of Bangladeshis to leave the sweatshops? I realize that everything I do and where my money goes can make a difference. If my money can make someone else’s dreams come true, then it’s worth it to put off my dreams momentarily. I know I have things that I take for granted that other people in the world only dream about, like running water, a job with benefits, and enough food. As long as others have these dreams, I will always be working to grant them.

Written by: Nicole Rasmussen
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

Humanitarian Work as a Career

2009-07-27T21:16:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was talking to a woman who was asking me about my schooling. The conversation took the usual course one takes when talking to a university student:

Woman: What are you majoring in?

Me: I’m an English major.

A moment’s pause as she takes that information in . . .

Woman: Oh, so do you want to teach?

The typical response to “English major,” that, or a lament to this effect: “Oh, my niece was an English major as well, but she’s not interested in teaching, so now she has nothing to do with
all that schooling!!! . . . What do you want to do with it?”

Me: No, I don’t think I’ll teach, right now I’m planning on grad school so that I can go into
non-profit humanitarian work.

At this point people usually become very interested and the conversation progresses nicely, but this woman caught me off guard . . .

Woman: (blank look on her face) Oh, so what do you want to do with that?

Me: (bewildered) Um, humanitarian work . . . ?

Woman: (nods her head . . . still not comprehending) Okay, so . . . what do you
do with that?

Although humanitarian work has been around for quite some time, the idea behind it has become popular in recent years with help from big name celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Oprah, Nichole Kidman, and George Clooney who have brought awareness to many issues affecting the world’s people today. But despite all the media attention, under the layers of “coolness” and the fact that humanitarian work is “in” right now, there is a community of people working together to make a difference in the lives of others.

My conversation with this woman gave me the opportunity to stop and consider what you “do” with humanitarian work. Being in the middle of it all, sometimes it’s easy to loose focus on the big picture while so many other details demand your attention. Humanitarian work needs to be a partnership. It’s all too easy for people to donate and see immediate results without realizing the damage they are creating for the future. This is one of the reasons I was so excited to find ASCEND, because it is a partnership that enables others to make the difference in their own lives and thus bring about a greater change for the future.

Written by McKenzie Hansen
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T18:24:00.001-06:00

Collaboration

2009-07-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

One the things I'm trying to do during my internship here is find out what other Simple Technologies (also called appropriate technologies) have been developed by other NGOs. I have been supprised by the number of organizations out there with similar goals that have developed technologies, but I'm even more supprised at the lack of collaboration. With so many groups working on similar problems (clean water, sanitation, gardening etc.) I haven't found a great location for collaborating on inovations. It strikes me that collaboration is used for huge projects like open office and firefox but not for simple technologies like wells. For example today I came accross a website for Gaviotas a sef sustained village in colombia http://www.friendsofgaviotas.org/Innovation/Innovation.html they have plans for a pump and windmill that were both developed for their village. Its nice that they haven't pattented their designs so anyone can use them but the resource is only 2 of the many technologies that have been developed there. I also found Practical Action http://practicalaction.org/practicalanswers/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=168 It includes a lot more information on many different technologies so its a pretty good resource, but the key component, collaboration isn't there. Then I came accross Appropedia http://www.appropedia.org/Welcome_to_Appropedia its a huge seachable database and best of all-its a wiki-so if it doesn't have the information I want I can add it. And if each user will update the wiki based on their experience with simple technologies it will keep getting better. The only thing that I think it lacks is the step by step instructions that practiacal action has, but this can be overcome by me or any other user by inserting links or instructions. I love it.

We need your Artistic Eye

2009-07-14T11:58:00.000-06:00

Every year at Ascend we hold a fundraising Gala. This year it's on Friday September 25. It's a pretty fancy-pantsy event. We hold it at the Grand America in Salt Lake City. We have a live and silent auction where we auction off really cool things like trips to the Cayman Islands. This year we're auctioning off a car courtesy of the amazing folk at Young Chevrolet (who really are as nice as pie). Things are coming together nicely for the gala. This year we're going to deck out part of the ballroom so that it looks like a market in South America and you'll wander through the stalls looking at displays about what we do and looking at trinkets for sale. The amazing people at 10,000 villages are going to come and set up shop in some of the stalls. It's going to be a great night and here at the office we're heavy in preparations.

Now, down to business. We're designing the programs and invitations and we're looking for a great piece of artwork to put on the cover. The people at 10,000 villages have agreed to donate a piece. I've scoured their website with a couple of interns and here are some of the pieces we think might work best.

1) Circle of Life Candle Holder

2) Tree of Life Tapestry

3) Circle Dance Sculpture

4) Peruvian Musician Tapestry

So what do you think? If you had to pick a piece of artwork to inspire people to be part of development in Africa and South America which would you pick? Please leave a comment and vote for your favorite (you can also go to the 10,000 villages website and propose your own best option.) We have to pick by July 28th so get your vote in as quickly as possible.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T18:44:00.000-06:00

Run run as fast as you can....

2009-07-06T15:57:00.001-06:00

Today two volunteers came in. Matt and Jake Cowden. They are just the darling kind of 16-year old that you want your child to turn into. When I asked who wanted to do a writing project Jake quickly responded, "Matt will probably be better at that." So I let Matt write a blog entry and press release while Jake did some data entry. I'm hoping Jake comes back (he assured me that he didn't hate me too much after the assignment and would be back Wednesday). So Matt was left to introduce them. Here's what he wrote.

My name is Matt Cowden. I am 16 years old and go to Cottonwood High School; Go Colts! I am not an intern, although that is something that would be a great opportunity someday. I am writing here because my twin brother Jake and I are doing our Eagle Scout Project though Ascend Alliance.

When my brother and I first started talking about possible projects, we knew that we wanted to do something big. We didn't want to do a project that barely filled the required hours and required little planning. We wanted to do something that would make a big difference. It had to require months of preparation and work. We decided we would do a 5K race to help build a school in Ethiopia with Ascend Alliance.

Our mom is the person who told us about Ascend. She has worked with them in the past and has gone on several expeditions. She explained to us how Ascend strives to make the world a better place by helping all their beneficiaries become self-reliant. She told us about the work they have done and we knew that they would be able to help us accomplish our goals.

When we first came up with the idea a few people told us that it would be too hard. It has been plenty hard; but that's the kind of project we wanted. First we had to make sure that the police were willing to block off any roads that might need to be blocked off. We decided the mayor of Holladay, Utah would be the best person to talk to first about this problem. He was very nice and seemed really excited. He immediately called the police chief and said the city of Holladay would cover any overtime necessary for blocking roads.

We spend hours on google earth trying to come up with a reasonable rout but we couldn't find anything that worked. Luckily Kris Erickson who is the race director for Heart of Holladay was generous enough to let us use her course. The police chief and fire department agreed (the fire department even volunteered to have an EMT on site). Everyone's willingness to help has made this part of the planning as easy as possible.

What wasn't easy was getting insurance. Our mother (who by the way is the best mom ever) made countless phone calls to insurance companies and lawyers trying to figure out how we could get insurance to cover an entire race. After months of tyring to track someone down we finally ended up turning back to Kris who helped us get insured and certified by USA Track and Field.

The race will be on July 18th at 8:00 am. I made arrangements for our race to be advertised at races that took place over the holiday weekend and now we're just advertising and trying to get people to sign up. You can sign up and download a flier on our blog mattandjakes5krun.blogspot.com. If you can't come to the race but would like to donate or be a sponsor, we would appreciate anything you can do a lot. No am mount is too small, we will accept anything. If you have any questions about the race please contact me or my brother at mattandjakecowden{at}gmail{dot}com.

So what do you say people? Can you tell others about this race and help out a couple of boys trying to get their eagle scout project finished? Trying to build a school for kids in Africa? Please do. I thought this picture of one of our volunteers outside a school in Ethiopia might inspire you to help. Sweater it is...Sweater it is.

Funding for Nonprofits

2009-07-06T12:40:00.000-06:00

My first month with Ascend has been an eye-opener for me. Not only have I learned a ton about what it takes to run a non-profit, I have also corresponded with the majority of our field staff and read many fascinating blogs about the current state of other humanitarian efforts.

One of the biggest realizations I have made about running a non-profit is that despite the label, we are still very dependent on generating revenue. It is evident that Ascend Alliance is engaged in what is called “social entrepreneurship”. What this means is that we recognize a social problem and use entrepreneurship to make social change. In order to do this, we are constantly coming up with new ways to make money besides accepting donations. What we are doing is providing real value to people or organizations/people in exchange for their money (i.e. expeditions, sponsorships). Finding new ways to make money will be the lifeblood of this organization and rethinking the traditional approach to funding a non-profit is what makes and will continue to make Ascend Alliance a world-class organization.

Besides observing and absorbing, I have been engaged in putting together in-country staff reports (and photos) for all of the foreign countries in which Ascend operates. In order to do this, I have been in direct contact with almost every member of our foreign staff using either email or Skype. It has truly amazed me the caliber of people that we employ in our operations. These are well-educated people with long lists of applicable experience relevant towards furthering our mission. Along with this, they are very personable, cooperative and serious about their work. It has been a pleasure to work with them.

Part of our assignment for HQ interns is to find and comment on humanitarian blogs that write about issues that are applicable to our line of work. This has led me to the discovery of many interesting articles over the past month and increased my awareness of what type of humanitarian work is being done today and what are the principles behind this type of work. I feel like our networking efforts will start to pay off soon enough as we are beginning to build relationships with other serious humanitarians that are out there. I look forward to another exciting month with Ascend!

Written by Tim Marti
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Growing Gardens in Ecuador

2009-07-01T21:54:00.000-06:00

Is there a better way to travel?

2009-06-25T15:49:00.000-06:00

Every morning I come into the office and start my day with some important rituals. I come into the office and turn on my computer (which is terribly slow and takes 3-4 minutes to fully boot up). During my wait I walk into the kitchen and make myself a cup of Ecco. For those of you not familiar with Ecco it is a delight from Bolivia which my friend Luis brought to me. It's like Perro or Postum but better and the perfect treat for a girl who is doing her darndest to say goodbye to caffine. I then come back to the computer and scan the news looking for stories that relate to the countries where we work or to the kinds of things that we do. I'm come to rely on the news in general and the BBC in particular to keep me connected to the world. And in between stories of Michael Jackson and his funeral (I'll have you know that I saw him in real life once waving from a hotel window in Germany but that's a story for another day) and this little gem about ingenuity in India, I've also been following the stories of Mark Sanford, his extra marital affair with a woman from Argentina and his spending of tax money on trips to visit her.

Now, every day after I check the news I also check Ascend's social media programs (you should follow us on twitter (@ascend_alliance) and be our friend on facebook.). A wife myself (and one who has a jealous streak--sad but true) Mark Sanford's story was rolling through my brain as I checked our facebook page last week. This is what greeted me.

These are the Fosters. I've met them a couple of times and we are facebook friends. Last week they returned from an Ascend trip to Ethiopia and Kenya. While they were traveling for two weeks at their own expense they met some good friends...

...helped people in a remote village in Ethiopia learn about health and hygiene, taught classes and helped local doctors and nurses, shared their talents....

...helped local orphans learn about animal production so they can use the proceeds of animal sales to pay for school...

...Seriously considered stealing this little boy...

...and shared some good ol' fashioned culture (the Ethiopians danced and sang; the Americans brought bubbles which the locals had never seen before).

I was struck with the difference between Mark Sanford and this amazing family. If I have to pick between traveling like Mark Sanford (which involves selfishness, deceit and teary press conferences) and traveling like the Fosters (which involves hard work, dirty little faces and helping others); I pick to travel like the Fosters.

Ethiopia: The Beautiful Land and People

2009-06-24T09:09:00.000-06:00

Team ASCEND

2009-06-19T16:36:00.000-06:00

Being an intern at ASCEND has been quite the adventure. Sometimes there is a crazy amount of work to do and other times, not as much. Today is my last day interning at ASCEND until this August and looking back I have learned a lot during my time here. I have meet new people, researched information, and some how taught myself how to use Microsoft Publisher. Although the days seem long sometimes, I am so glad that I have been able to be a part of ASCEND for a small amount of time and am looking forward to returning in August. Go Team ASCEND!

Written by Abbi Aird
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Gary Alton Mathews

2009-06-17T15:09:00.000-06:00

My father-in-law passed away two weeks ago. He had been ill for several years and passed away from complications of colon cancer. Being relatively newly married (11 months and counting) and not living in the same states, I did not know him well. His original illness (before the cancer)started 3 years ago, three days after Christmas. A young family who attended the same religious congregation had lost their father. They were packing up to move closer to family. At 61 Gary was one of the first to volunteer to help them move. He fell down the stair and was in a coma. Whether the fall caused the stroke or the stroke caused the fall will never be known but Gary was never the same. He was left with the cognitive abilities of a first grader. I never met him before he got sick.
The few times that I did meet Gary he told me long stories that didn't necessarily end. While my husband and I were still dating he told me several times about the day my husband scheduled 3 dates in the same day with 3 different girls (much to my husband's dismay). Once when Gary was telling me a thrilling story about getting pulled over by a highway patrolman while speeding (whom he convinced to not give him a ticket by telling him about Jesus) my husband tried to steer the conversation and correct the story. In a skill that the last 11 months have honed I gave my husband what I call, "the stink eye." He whispered, "but that's not true. It didn't happen!" I whispered back, "I don't care. It doesn't matter."

I went to church with Gary once in the congregation that he led for a time and that he attended for nearly 30 years. During class he raised his hand and gave comments that didn't always relate to the topic, were lengthy and frequent but the others smiled and said, "thank you Gary" every time he finished. No one seemed to mind. Coming home from church I was talking to my mother-in-law about the experience (she had been in another room). She got embarrassed and said, "I usually try to moderate his comments a little."

What my husband and mother-in-law didn't realize is that Gary's lifetime of serving other people, of helping every family move and staying to clean up after events had heard him a little leeway from the rest of us. We loved Gary whether or not his stories always made sense. Now, you may be thinking, "but you said that you never met Gary before he was sick." That is true. But I have met my husband. On our first date my husband had to drop me off early because he was volunteering with the Special Olympics the next day. He is really disappointed that he can't volunteer here (it's 12 hours long I'd like to point out) this weekend because we have house guests. I have a good husband who tries to serve other people. He learned that from his dad.
At Gary's funeral and burial thought, over and over again, of the words to a famous Beatles song; "in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." I've come to another conclusion; you don't take the love with you. It stays here and blesses those you serve, your children, your friends and everyone else with whom they come in contact.

So serve on. And on. And on.

Affiliate Marketing Network

2009-06-16T10:38:00.000-06:00

Hi Y’all! The name is Dane Leary and I am a bran spankin new intern here at the headquarters of Ascend Alliance by way of the Hinckley Institute of Politics. I’m here to get a better understanding of how a non-profit organization works. It’s really great to see a system that is productive. Also, the staff and other interns are great to work with. It is very professional and works gets done; but what’s really refreshing is how fun and casual the environment is to work in.

This is my 3rd week here and boy have they put me to work! Aside from cranking out binders for the folks going on expeditions, my work has been mostly on finding an Affiliate Marketing Network for Ascend.

First I had to learn what in the world an Affiliate Network was. The gist of it is; In Affiliate Marketing there are 4 players, Web User, Publisher, Affiliate and the Network.

The web user visits the publisher site, which then directs the user to an affiliate where a purchase or donation is made. A percentage or a flat commission from the purchase or donation is then transferred from the affiliate to publisher. This transaction is facilitated by the network, which tracks the user from site to site amongst its member sites.

So all those ads you see on MySpace, Facebook and other sites are actually part of an affiliated network. It is a multi-million dollar industry now! Some of the adds are Pay-Per-Click, where the affiliate pays the publisher every time someone clicks the add. But that’s not what we are looking for here at Ascend.

The thing is that very few of these Affiliate Networks have worked with a non-profit before, it almost seems like NONE have worked with non-profits! So it’s a new innovative field that Ascend Alliance is trying to open up. Just as everything cutting edge, it isn’t easy, nor is it at all clear, what will happen. What is clear is that if successful, Ascend stands to really increase its donation pool and range. Ascend could even increase the funds it has to work with by advertising for other companies products that are humanitarian, socially and environmentally friendly. In effect promoting a wide range of items that create a better world.

Well, till next time have a good one.

Written by: Dane Leary
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Why Being an Intern at a Non-Profit Matters to Me

2009-06-13T13:50:00.000-06:00

Hello! My name is Nicole Rasmussen and this is my second week as an intern at the Ascend Alliance headquarters. I’m still in the learning process of everything that goes on around here, and I’m still getting to know what Ascend’s role is in worldwide development. Let me give you some of my thoughts on Ascend’s mission and worldwide development.

I am very interested in development in developing countries. I have taken several economics classes at the University of Utah and read several books about development economics. It fascinates me how important this work is and how difficult, and expensive it is. It also surprises me how little effort the developed countries seem to put into it. The US government only spent about $15.7 billion in 2003 on development aid, compared to its hefty spending in 2005 of $547 billion on military and defense. Only 15-20% of aid comes from private organizations, like Ascend, which means governments carry the biggest burden. Unfortunately, few governments meet UN standards of development aid contributions.

These facts are humbling to me, especially taking into account how much the world spends on military expenses (over $1.4 trillion), and how little the world spends on development aid (a little more than $100 billion). Just last month these numbers became personal to me when my brother was deployed to Iraq. He is part of the rebuilding effort in Baghdad, and although I am happy that he will mostly have nothing to worry about, security wise, it makes me sad to think the US has chosen the route of military rather than the route of peaceful development. Instead of sending people with food and kind hearts, the US puts men like my brother in harm’s way with guns and bombs, under the guise that they are building a better life for the Iraqis. I have a hard time believing a better life can be built with guns, barbed wire, and explosives.

I am proud of my brother, and I am also privileged to be working for a non-profit organization that chooses to rebuild lives with education and knowledge. My brother and I are working for the same common goal, however I want to see the day when soldiers will no longer be necessary for development and my work in the non profit world will be the most valuable: that of peaceful and safe development aid.

Written by: Nicole Rasmussen
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Committed to Making a Difference

2009-06-11T09:23:00.000-06:00

It first happened for me in my final year of high school. Throughout my life I had been interested in social, political, economic, and military crises, but I didn’t really think that I could make a difference in the world. I was on a school trip in California teaching co-mediation to other students. Observing these students as they came to realize the possibilities of conflict resolution was the moment that I realized I wanted to, and that I could make a difference in the world.

I graduated with a Masters in International Relations. Soon after I was leaving my homeland of New Zealand in my pursuit of making a difference. My first stop was in Chile, volunteering in an orphanage. There were over 40 children all under the age of five. My responsibilities included feeding, changing, playing with, and most of all, loving the adorable babies. Although my role was simple, months later I look back on that experience in my life and am so grateful for my time there.

Next, I came to the US with the intent on seeing development work from the administrative side. I was living in NYC at the time I was offered my internship here at ASCEND. One week after being offered the internship, I was in Utah attending ASCEND’s annual conference. Over the past four months I have gained invaluable experience from making cold calls to asking for donations, to researching and writing grants, and every other odd job that is required to make a humanitarian organization like ASCEND work well.

Before leaving ASCEND in September, I will be offering my thoughts about interning with ASCEND from the perspective of one who seeks to commit their life to humanitarian work. I will be honest in my blog entries, as there are always those days where it can be difficult to see the greater picture of our work here in the US and its impact in developing countries. Overall though, I hope to convey to you, the reader, my enthusiasm for this work, and hopefully encourage you to become more involved with this great organization ASCEND.

Written by: Michelle Broczek
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Business Development is Key

2009-06-11T08:47:00.001-06:00

"We see every day how human beings are packed with unlimited capacity, unlimited potential. They're not helpless people; they're as capable as anyone else. It's that society never gave them an opportunity to unwrap that gift. It's a matter of removing the barrier." - Muhammad Yunus

There are so many ways for individual people to be brought out of poverty. We here at ASCEND are working on one of them: providing the same basic access to business and financial know-how to everyone we work with. When Muhammad Yunus created the Grameen Bank, he touched on a fundamental principle of poverty: when people don't have access to capital, they aren't able to create any of their own. What a basic concept! Yet so few institutions, even after decades of microcredit successes, believe in the power of human creativity and the capacity of an individual to bring his or her own self out of poverty.

Part of why I have loved working with ASCEND so much is that this organization DOES believe in that capacity, and is laser-focused on building it. We are working on a couple projects that could really do some fantastic things in the world of business development. Getting a network of young entrepreneurs from across the globe together to take on humanitarian projects, like small business mentoring; partnering with colleges and universities to create academic programs focused on teaching small business consulting so students, while learning consulting skills, also learn how to use those skills to holistically better their own communities; and always developing more and better ways to help those with the desire to provide for themselves to be able to do so.

Capitalism has created drastic challenges for the modern global economy. But wise capitalism - that which takes into consideration more than the monetary bottom line - can be the answer to those very challenges. It's a pretty exciting thing to be a part of that.

Written by: Sabrina King
ASCEND Alliance Intern

First Week on the Job

2009-06-05T17:17:00.000-06:00

Greetings! My name is Tim Marti and this is my first week as an administrative intern at the Ascend Alliance HQ. After only two days on the job, I have already learned a ton about what it is like to be an intern and what it is that the Ascend Alliance does. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself: what my hobbies are, what my goals are and what I am currently working on at Ascend.

First off, I am an avid biker and hiker. When I’m not working, you can probably find me on the streets and canyons of Salt Lake City on my bike or hiking in the glorious and majestic mountains that bless our valley. To me, finding a little solitude and serenity in our mountains and canyons is the perfect relief for the hectic lifestyle that our society has become so accustomed to and that I am also a part of. One of my goals is to climb all of the peaks along the Wasatch Front that are taller than 11,000 feet, a goal which I have almost already met.

When I’m not posing as an intern, a worker at ARUP Laboratories or an outdoorsman, we may cross paths at certain nightclubs and bars in the Salt Lake Valley where one of the two bands with which I currently play are performing. I play bass guitar and my greatest musical influences are Jazz, Soul, World and Reggae music, although I am open to pretty much any genre of music that carries a heavy, danceable beat.

Well, that is enough about my super-interesting hobbies (even though I know you want to hear more about my incredibly exciting life!). What I really want to talk about is why I choose Ascend Alliance and what my goals are for this internship. The main reasons why I chose Ascend are that it seems like the organization in Salt Lake City that has the most genuine intentions and mission, it has a proven track record of success and I think it will provide me the best chance to impact the lives of those who are not so fortunate as I am. I feel that my education in entrepreneurism and Spanish (U of U baby!) will be utilized for the benefit of those whom we help. My personal goals for my HQ internship are to:
• Secure an international internship for next fall so I can go to South America and meet firsthand with our beneficiaries and live abroad
• Experience the day-to-day operations of a nonprofit
• Understand all of the projects that Ascend engages in
• Offer new insights and ideas for possible projects
• Polish up on some Spanish
• Learn a little bit (or a lot) about myself in the process
• Experience the satisfaction of knowing that the work I do makes a difference in someone’s life

Currently, I am working on compiling a demographics and health survey that is going to be used in Bolivia by expedition teams and in-country staff. I look forward to working with all everyone at ASCEND.

Written by: Tim Marti
ASCEND Alliance Intern

Life as an Intern

2009-06-05T16:03:00.000-06:00

So life as an intern is pretty routine. My day usually consists of me sitting at my computer from 9-5 working on assignments that keep coming. It's ok though because everyone in the office is extremely nice and willing to help and answer questions. The last couple of days I have been working on a book that shows ways to have successful fundraisers and how to donate for those who are interested. I have been able to completely look over all the pictures that are in ASCEND's file and had to laugh when I saw myself on an expedition that I went on this last spring break. Seeing all of the other pictures that people have taken has really boosted my motivation to go and see the world through a humanitarian stand point. Helping others brings so much happiness. Oberserving all the great work that goes on here in the office and the field work shows me how amazing this company is and its goal to help those in need.

Written by: Abbi Aird

ASCEND Alliance intern

Stay Gold

2009-05-28T13:50:00.000-06:00

My dear mother is the kind who would gather up her children on one of the days of early spring, take us outside and recite the poem "Nothing Gold can Stay" by Robert Frost--which, I can still repeat verbatim. She was careful to point out that the gold we could see in the quaking aspen trees in our front yard was just the kind new-gold that Frost was talking about and that it never lasted very long so you had to celebrate it while you could.

Her tendency to quote poets and post vocabulary words around the house is probably the reason that I don't remember if the quote by Emily Stone, "The decision to have a child is a momentous one...it is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside of your body," was one that she had posted to the cabinets or if she whispered it in our ears when we were heartbroken or had skinned knees.

Both of these quotes have been rattling around my brain for the last couple of days. In July, I am preparing to travel with a group of families from Park City. Each of these families have lost a child in the past year. Their combined children are known as the PC5. If you go to their website 5 young, beautiful faces stare back at you. In a world where children are taken by drunk drivers, in car accidents, in falls while hiking and mysteriously in their sleep Stone's quote becomes something of a warning and not just a touching commentary about parent's relationships to children.

I amazed at what the families of these 5 teenagers have done. This is the news clip that ran on a local station last night.

ksl.com - Park City moms turn tragedy into opportunity

Shared via AddThis

The premise of the Frost poem that my mother used to quote is that things that are young and beautiful (like tiny leaves in spring) can't stay that way. I think he's wrong. I believe that the service that these women are providing is the way that they are keeping the memory of their children gold and new and beautiful.

Please support them--show them that you believe making something wonderful out of a great loss is worthwhile. We're getting a team together from Ascend to run/walk the 5K on Saturday. Please join us. We'll be sporting our Ascend t-shirts. And don't worry; some of the interns are good runners but I'm considering puff-painting my Ascend t-shirt to say, "I run....slowly." Let me know if you'll be there and I'll bring extra puff-paint for you too.

Welcome to the Ascend Blog

2009-05-26T19:25:00.000-06:00

I have to say it. The first blog post is a little intimidating--it's supposed to set the tone for a whole new blog. There's a lot of pressure to be witty, informative, nice and charming. The good news is I'm pretty sure that I am all of those things. If I don't seem it, let's just chalk it up to nerves and pressure
I once saw a t-shirt that said, "Blogs: never has so much been written by so many and read by so few." I thought that was funny (which, I believe shows that I have a sense of humor) and somewhat true. That being said, I wish this blog to be something more than just another in a long list because the work that we do is hugely important.
We are in the business of making people's lives better. If you've been to our website or heard about what we do you may be thinking that I'm talking about those people entrenched in poverty that we help with our programs in Latin America and Africa. We do help those people to improve their lives. But I'm talking more about the people who aren't living in abject poverty, those who support our programs by volunteering their time and resources to our good cause.
At Ascend we believe that everyone can do something to make other people's lives better. Everyday I see examples of people doing just that. In our office right now we have more than 10 students from universities who donate their time to help make a difference. They work an average of 15 hours per week. That's amazing to me; none of these students are experts in development and all of them have other important things going on in their lives but they find time to serve other people. That is inspiring to me.
On the whole, we're average people who have jobs, hobbies, books to read and things we're working on and who also care about dedicating our skills and efforts to making a difference. This blog is our attempt to inspire other (extra)ordinary people to do the same.
There are a few things you should know about this blog before you add us to your RSS feed (which we hope you will do)

It's Personal: We're not going to talk in vague-ities (just made that word up) and infinitives. We're going to talk about our lives, how we think about volunteering and we fit it into our busy schedules (that means sometimes you may hear about how tired we are and how much we hate going to the dentist--first root canal ever is in my plans in the next few weeks and I'm sure you'll hear about that).
I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Sallee. I work here at Ascend and I have for more than 5 years. I manage the army of interns and volunteers that work here. I do a few other things around the office as well. I'm a reader, a baker and a pretend runner/fitness fanatic

It's Collaborative: I figure that you don't wan tot hear from me all the time (even though we've already established that I'm smart and funny) so you're going to hear from our interns and volunteers as well. They'll tell you about themselves and their experiences. I'll be here managing the whole thing and hopefully wind some kind of narrative and meaning through the process (I'm shooting for a cross between the narrator from Our Town and Garrison Keillor--ambitious; I know.)

It's Not All About Ascend: We are a great organization and we do good things. But there are lots of organizations who do good things out there and we would love to be friends with them. There is no shortage of people who need help. We want this blog to be about ways and ideas of using your specific talents to help other people. There will be some propaganda (I'm just trying to be honest) but please feel free to comment. Tell us about what you're doing and the organizations you admire. We'll do the same.

Now feels like the right time to say, "welcome" and maybe steal a line from Law and Order and say, "These are our stories." Just, with a little less crime and bloodshed though. We hope.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-06T11:13:00.000-07:00