Help me Be The Change in India!

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Ghandi 
                      Let's be the change for the children of Bihar, India!

Let me introduce you to a village in Bihar, India. Bihar is the second most underdeveloped state in India, and there is a high level of abuse of child labor practices due to low education and literacy in the area. Locals in this community are determined to make education a priority and have been working to build a school for the past two years. After two years, the foundation is finally completed.

Some of the children in the village!

Now let me introduce you to an organization called Be The Change Volunteers. Established in 2007, Be The Change is a non-profit, non-governmental organization existing by the philosophy that education is a human right. They have worked with communities and community leaders to help build schools in Kenya, Guatemala, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, and many more areas around the world. (Watch their awesome video here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5M8kfVIPZI)

The community leaders in Bihar submitted a request to Be The Change for assistance completing their elementary school. After extensive research by organization, the project was approved and recruitment for the volunteer team began.

A meeting in the village

Now to my part of the story. I've long had a passion for non-profit work and have been fortunate enough to be involved with such organizations as Water For People, the Elias Fund, and Project Education Sudan. Always doing what I can to help... from the comfort of my home / coffee shop / desk / library / couch. That all changes in February when I head to India as a part of the Be The Change volunteer team. To meet the people, stay in the village, and ultimately, turn their elementary school dream into a reality in two weeks' time.

I'm very blessed in all areas of my life, and you, as my friends, family, loved ones are a huge reason why. So now I'd like to humbly ask for help. Help for me to help the children of Bihar. I'll be spending two weeks in the village with the team of volunteers as we help the local community complete the vision that began two long years ago. Have I built a school before? Of course not! But why not now, right?

The time/prep/investment that goes into a project like this takes countless hours. Luckily, Be The Change has organized a lot of it for me. My list contains things like, apply for India visa, obtain vaccinations for Hepatitis A, B, and Typhoid, and of course, book plane ticket. A portion of the "fee" for this project goes toward building supplies for the project. And this, my friends, is where I would like to ask for your help. Each donation I receive I will put directly toward the building supplies and my plane ticket. Any additional funds raised will be donated to Be The Change for additional building supplies (if needed), or to a future project. You can learn more about the organization and the project at www.bethechangevolunteers.org

How can you help?

A donation of ANY size is greatly appreciated! To help these children I need to ask for help myself, and each and every dollar is MUCH appreciated! There are two ways to donate:

     1) I've set up a fundraising account on YouCaring.com (a non-profit online fundraising platform). You can find my project at Jill's Be The Change fundraiser, and you can make a donation online that will transfer automatically to my PayPal account. (PayPal does take a 2% fee per donation for using their services. I'm not sure how to get around that!)

      2) Donations can also be sent directly to Be The Change Volunteers (via check or online payment), and will then be eligible for a charity tax write-off. You can donate directly on their website at www.bethechangevolunteers.org, or you can mail a donation to their office at:

Be The Change Volunteers
503 East Nifong, #230
Columbia, MO 65201
Attn: India Project - Jill Muegge

I am so excited about this opportunity to help the children of this village! I am truly grateful for all of the support my friends and family have provided me through all of my whirlwind adventures, and I look forward to sharing this one with you, too! Of course details, photos, and stories will be updated here in due time. This will be a life-changing experience for the children of Bihar and volunteers alike - BE THE CHANGE!

Much love from the Rockies!

The local roads...

They have the foundation completed! Now to build the building!