“Oh my gosh, what you are doing is sooo great! How can I help?” For
the past 15 months I have heard family and friends ask me how they can help, to
which I have responded, “Eh, it’s
kinda tricky to send things to the D.R., I’ll let you know if something changes.” Well, family and friends,
the time has come to step-up to the plate. My community and I need your help!
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| The library will be on the right-hand side. |
Since 2011, my community has been working towards building a
community library. I arrived one year ago to help the library become a reality. Construction began last
month, and we need your help to close our funding gap. My community has already
fund raised $23,728.42 via donations of construction materials, books, labor,
land, grants, and cold hard cash. We just need an additional $5,628.09, to help
cover our remaining construction costs.
You can donate to our project by going to our
project’s webpage on the Peace Corps website. Or you
can look up my project on
donate.peacecorps.gov. Search via my last name,
Stine, or my project code, 14-517-025.
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| The leaky zinc roof will be replaced by a cement roof. |
Many readers are probably thinking, “Why should I donate?” Here
are some reasons why:
- The idea to build a library was developed by my community not
by an outside group.
- The average family makes less than $125 dollars a month, and
yet the community has fund raised 80% of the library costs, $23,728.42.
- None of the three local primary schools has a library. The
closest children’s library is
located in the capital, an expensive three-hour bus ride away.
- Classrooms at all grade levels do not have enough textbooks for
every student, if they have even have textbooks.
- The library will provide community members with access not only
to books but also to computers. Of the
151 houses in my community, only 47% have a book in their home, and less than
10% have a computer.
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| After 7 months of cutting red tape, the bridge is functional. |
- We spent seven months fighting, successfully, to get a permit
to build an access bridge from the road to the site of the library. We will stop at nothing
to make the library a reality.
- My community and I had to submit a lengthy grant application,
which includes: essays, goals, monitoring and evaluation plans, a timeline, and a detailed
budget. If you want any of the information we submitted please contact me at
scstine@gmail.com.
-Check out our
project’s webpage for even more reasons.
Now that you are convinced that my community’s library is a worthy cause, here is some
information about the donation program, the Peace Corps Partnership Program:
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| Reading with a neighbor. |
- Every penny that you donate will directly fund my project. No part
of your donation will be used to cover staff or overhead costs of running the
Partnership Program, as the office is supported by congressionally appropriated
funds to the Peace Corps.
- All donations are tax deductible! Once the donation has
been processed a thank you letter will be sent, which can be used as a tax
receipt. The name on the tax receipt will reflect the account owner on the
credit card or check.
- You can donate offline. Although donating on-line is the fastest
way for projects to get funded, you may also donate by mail or over the phone:
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| Community member repairing library walls. |
Send a check to:
Peace Corps Headquarters
Office of Gifts and Grants Management
1111 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20526
Please make check payable to Peace Corps Partnership Program
Please also note the project number (
14-517-025) in the memo section of
the check.
(Please print and mail this
donation form with your check, so Peace Corps can
contact you with information regarding your donation, if necessary.)
-or-
Call the office and Peace Corps can take your credit card
information over the phone at 855.855.1961 x2170.
Many, many thanks to all of you who donate funds. My community has a lot of dreams, especially for their children, and with your help we can begin making them a reality.
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| The Library Youth Committee meeting (in my house). |
