In the fall of 2021, we raised almost $10,000 thourgh GoFundMe and Facebook to support 25 social work students attending the Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. In this next phase, we are continuing our efforts to raise funds to provide tuition, room & board, and school supplies such as books and technology to assist these students in their studies.  YOUR HELP MEANS EVERYTHING!

Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) and their Department of Social Work, offers various courses, awards and certificates that are extremely valuable to recipients and graduates for future employment and workforce development in Tanzania.

Hubert Kairuki Memorial University (HKMU) was established in 1997, being among the first private universities to be accredited in Tanzania in the year 2000, it has since then received local, regional and international recognition. 

It was the idea of Professor Hubert C.M Kairuki, and his wife, Kokushubira Kairuki, to establish the University, moved by the situation in Tanzania after independence in 1961, whereby diseases, poverty and ignorance were declared the country's key enemies. 

Social work is a unique profession focusing on field work in action, and the power to make a difference among people and communities. Social workers pull communities together, help individuals and families find solutions, help relieve suffering, advance changes in social policy, promote social justice and foster human and global well-being

Social workers are found in many places, including public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, private businesses, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, police departments, courts, and private practice.

Can a group of 25 social work students in Tanzania change the future of their country in the middle of a global pandemic? An example of one of the many social services which social work students can provide is, in fact, during a pandemic by providing the critically important information on the importance of vaccinations. We believe that social work students are just the right group of young people to lead with the outreach to their own communities and those around them. Through their social work training they will develop the skills to motivate family, friends and their fellow Tanzanians to get vaccinated to protect them from the COVID 19 virus and its variants. This is a critical time for Tanzania as vaccines are just beginning to arrive in country. Just as in the US and around the world there is a great deal of resistance to getting vaccinated. The trained communication and listening skills of social workers has never been needed more than now as the world looks for ways to meet the challenge of dealing with this global health crisis. This is just one example of the many invaluable services that these students will be able to gain from their studies as they step out into their communities as social workers.

We, in InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW), have known Dr. Theresa Kaijage, the Chair of the Department of Social Work at HKMU, for over 20 years, and have worked together on project and program development for many of those years.

Theresa J Kaijage, who retired from ISW in 2010 and joined HKMU in 2014, is now Chair of the HKMU Department of Social Work. Theresa J Kaijage has an MSW from Washington University, USA, as well as MPH and PhD from University of Pittsburgh, USA. She also is founder of WAMATA (Walio katika Mapambano na AIDS Tanzania) and has initiated several projects and programs in Africa. Kaijage Consultants for African Family Health (KC), and Para-Social Work in Africa and HIV/AIDS Program, are among such initiatives that have been associated with her social work passion for Tanzania and Africa, in general. She speaks Kiswahili and English.

InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW) is hosting this campaign. Your donations will come through our non-profit so that you can take this as a tax-deductible contribution using the 501c3 non-profit status of ICW.

All of the funds will be sent to HKMU where Dr. Kaijage will manage the funds for the 25 selected social work students to support tuition, housing, food, and school supplies such as books and technology needs. 

100% of the proceeds go to support the students.

$25 contribution: provides food for one student for a week
$50: provides food and some school supplies
$100: student can buy a smart phone which is required to complete all of their academic internet activities
$1500: fully funds a student for one year of the graduate program

Please know that any and all donation denominations are welcomed, every penny makes a difference to these students, and we thank you.  Please vist: https://www.gofundme.com/f/social-work-students-in-tanzania

Project Save the World: An EarthChange Project
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it." Robert Swan

The Mayan people have a prophesy that brought our circle together for Project Save the World. As the prophesy goes, there will be a time when mother earth will become very sick. The water will be sick, the plants will be sick, the air will be sick, and the Animal Nation (including humans) will be sick. It is where we are today. In the prophesy, when the American Eagle and the Andean Condor come together through the ceremony of intertribal people across Turtle Island, the earth will begin to be healed.

Project Save the World is a collaboration of InnerCHANGE WORKS/EarthChange, One Fire Associates, Urban Indian Leaders, Immediate Medium, and other advocates, to bring together indigenous cultural and spiritual leaders from across Turtle Island to shift mindsets, policies, and actions toward a healthy environment. Actions include: cultural exchange; national and international policy and advocacy; literature, film, and the visual and performing arts; and preservation and sharing of Indigenous culture and values.

We need your help in raising $3000 for the upcoming indigenous cultural exchange and spiritual reflections gathering in Guatemala in March 2019. Spiritual and tribal leaders from across Turtle Island (including Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and the US) will assemble to identify pathways toward the healing of our Earth.

Funds will support travel costs for Indigenous elders, leaders, and advocates from the U.S. to participate in this gathering, hosted by the Mayan Cultural Center in Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

It has been 9 months since leaders gathered in Bear Butte (Mato Paho), South Dakota in June, 2018. We need your help to continue the work!

How You Can Help

Donate using PayPal
To make your donation, please click on the orange "Donate" button below. Please note that a small percentage of your donation will go to PayPal for transaction processing fees.

Donate by Mail
You can also make a donation to InnerCHANGE WORKS by sending a check, made payable to "InnerCHANGE WORKS" to:

InnerCHANGE WORKS
1675 Rockhurst Blvd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Your funding will support a unique cultural exchange opportunity among Indigenous leaders and youth to advance the preservation and revitalization of traditional knowledge and practices for a healthier seven generations.

To learn more about this project and other EarthChange initiatives, please contact Dr. Jennifer Foerster, Project Director, at jenfoerster@me.com, or One Fire Associates President, Dr. Jami Bartgis, at drbartgis@onefireassociates.org.

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Project Save the World Background:

Goals:

• Bring together cultural and spiritual leaders from across Turtle Island to Return to Blueprint and create interconnections to shift mindsets, policies, and actions toward a healthy environment. 

• Facilitate cultural exchange among indigenous cultural leaders and knowledge keepers to share sustainable strategies for health and well-being and for living in balance with the environment.

• Support policy level education and advocacy toward improving health and well-being and understanding the interdependence of human and environmental health.

• Build youth advocacy and leadership in environmental health. The youth are the ones who will remember

• Support education and healing camps directed by tribal spiritual leaders for people from all corners of the globe to learn traditional health and how to live in harmony and balance with the 7 directions.
  
  
• Use creative arts, music, language, theatre, and other creative mediums as a forum for inspiration and motivation to the cause.

In 2018, EarthChange began working with One Fire Associates, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) to support the participation of Indigenous youth and cultural leaders with the International Treaty Conferences. Thanks to the support of generous donors, the project team supported 12 individuals—6 Mayans from Guatemala and 6 inter-tribal representatives from the United States—to travel and participate in the 44th Annual International Indian Treaty Conference (IITC) in Bear Butte, South Dakota, June 2018. These individuals included indigenous youth, cultural leaders, and advocates. In addition to youth participation, a meaningful cultural exchange occurred between Mayan and Rosebud traditional leaders that focused on healing indigenous communities and mother earth.

Now, nine months later, this partnership will reunite in Chimaltenango, Guatamala March 2019. Spiritual and tribal leaders from across Turtle Island (including Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and the US) will assemble to identify pathways toward the healing of our Earth. EarthChange is raising funds to support the travel of U.S. Indigenous leaders, elders, and advocates to Guatamala for this important gathering.

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Thanks to the support of generous donors, the project team was able to meet the campaign goals for Project Save the World: Phase I

In 2018, EarthChange began working with OneFire Associates, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) to support the participation of Indigenous youth and cultural leaders with the International Treaty Conferences. The 44th annual conference, "Treaty Right to Food, Treaty Right to Water: Hecel Mitakuye Oyasin Wiconipi Ktelo" (So That All My Relatives Will Live), was held on June 21 – 24, 2018 at Rosebud Bear Butte Lodge, Mato Paha (Bear Butte) Lakota Nation Treaty Territory, South Dakota. The 45th Annual International Indian Treaty Council Conference will occur in June of 2020 in New Zealand.

• Support intertribal youth to participate in the International Indian Treaty Conference (IITC) in Bear Butte, South Dakota, June 21-24, 2018. Youth presented on various Commissions, including the key panel session, “Indigenous Youth in the Movement to Defend our Futures,” and ensured the inclusion of the youth voice in the final conference resolutions adopted during IITC’s General Assembly. 

• Bring international cultural leaders to the Treaty Conference to strengthen IITC’s priorities for developing joint strategies for food and water sovereignty and security. The representatives selected to attend included community leaders, traditional knowledge keepers and advocates for Indigenous rights. 

• Link youth with Tribal elder mentors to support intergenerational transmission of knowledge throughout the conference. Participating youth gained critical knowledge and leadership skills by working with participating elders to be able to serve their own community into the future. 

Summary of 2018 Campaign Outcomes

EarthChange and OneFire Associates raised over $8,500 dollars in cash funds from donors; an additional $1,400 was leveraged through in-kind supplies and conference support from One Fire Associates; and over $22,000 dollars were leveraged through in-kind volunteer service as a direct result of the Campaign. The total contributions resulting from the Campaign is estimated to exceed $30,000. 

The Campaign funded 12 individuals, 6 Mayans from Guatemala and 6 inter-tribal representatives from the United States, to travel and participate in the conference. These individuals included youth, cultural leaders, and advocates. Many of those funded to participate supported their own local fundraising for the campaign. 

Youth attendees that were funded by the Campaign volunteered in a number of ways, including time-keeping for the sessions, presentations on the Youth Panel session at the conference, serving elders, and implementing the first conference evaluation for the International Indian Treaty Council Conference. Youth leaders that volunteered were provided with narrative to include on their resumes documenting their volunteer service at the international conference. 

The resolutions adopted at the Conference include input of youth participants’ priorities and innovations, as well as the insights and experiences of Indigenous cultural leaders and elders. 

The Youth Commission joined with the Elders Commission to develop a joint resolution on Healing from Historical and Intergenerational Trauma Across Indigenous Tribes, Nations, and Communities. The resolution identifies the link between historical and intergenerational trauma and the many illnesses and conditions afflicting indigenous peoples; recognizes that intergenerational trauma creates confusion and divisions that present obstacles to building unity and collective action for the rights of Indigenous Peoples; and affirms IITC’s commitment to address the impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma for the survival of Indigenous Peoples in its ongoing program work. 

With significant support from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Bear Butte Lodge, a meaningful cultural exchange occurred between Mayan and Rosebud traditional leaders that focused on healing indigenous communities and mother earth. This exchange is flourishing into wider initiatives supported by EarthChange, OneFire Associates, and others.

To learn more about this project and other EarthChange initiatives, please contact Dr. Jennifer Foerster, Project Director, at jenfoerster@me.com, or OneFire Associates President, Dr. Jami Bartgis, at drbartgis@onefireassociates.org.

The goal of EarthChange is to support and protect indigenous communities and cultural and ecological resources negatively impacted by climate change and environmental exploitation, particularly using the arts, education, and sustainable development as tools for advocacy and resilience.

Program Background

One of ICW's founding principles is the belief that the most effective models of development are those that are both imagined from within and developed in collaboration across cultures. With the ever-increasing threats to our environment and natural resources due to climate change and deregulation of energy production, we need more than ever to work across local, international, and intercultural borders to create a sustainable future for our next generations.

Indigenous communities across the globe carry a disproportionate weight of environmental burdens. Indigenous lands and territories are consistently exploited for oil and mineral extraction, toxic waste management, and as sites for dangerous, contaminating, and environmentally destructive industrial, agricultural, or transportation infrastructures. This historical exploitation continues to go largely unnoticed and undocumented, while indigenous communities are increasingly denied rights to manage their traditional lands.

ICW is committed to addressing this inequality. ICW's long-term objectives, to be carried out through its EarthChange program, include working with indigenous communities in designing, developing, and implementing programs to improve their resiliency against climate change and unjust environmental exploitation.

Initiated by Project Director, Jennifer Foerster, the program, now in its third year, is focusing on increasing youth leadership in indigenous movements for food and water rights, as well as supporting intercultural exchange among international indigenous communities.

EarthChange operates in alliance with ICW's mission to design, develop, and implement culturally congruent, sustainable, and community-based programs that meet the basic human needs of health, education, and economic opportunity, both locally and globally.

Nicaragua is in crisis. Over 400 people have been killed—most of them young people—and thousands have been injured, jailed, and tortured. Non-violent protesters fighting for democracy, human rights, and peace are being denied medical care. Many schools and businesses are closed.

Utopia Nicaragua is a global initiative of InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW), a US based non-profit organization working in Nicaragua in education and health projects for the last 15 years. We are proud to launch this effort as a global event series in collaboration with artists and friends of Nicaragua, on two continents and six cities, who are bringing awareness to the heroic efforts of so many Nicaraguans to work toward a peaceful resolution of this crisis.

Proceeds from the Utopia Nicaragua fundraiser will be used to provide humanitarian relief in the form of medical services and supplies to those in need who are striving to find a non-violent solution to this tragic conflict. We hope this assistance will aid Nicaragua in its quest to return to a peaceful state in the country. "Utopia" is a word common to many languages, as is the bond of solidarity we hope to show to those who stand up for democracy in Nicaragua. Click here to participate and help!

Since the conclusion of CHESS Nicaragua in 2009, ICW (through innerCHANGE associates international) has designed and implemented eight Community Health Improvement Fairs in Nicaragua. These Community Health Improvement Fairs have taken place with the Selva Negra and El Quetzal coffee farms in Matagalpa; the Hospital Central Managua, the La Chureca School, the La Esperanza Women’s Prison and La Modelo Men’s Prison in Managua; the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic in Rivas; and the California School in Villa El Carmen. In total, the Health Fairs have served over 1000 children and close to 1000 adults and elders.

ICW’s Health Improvement Fairs involve health assessment consultations and educational presentations in disease and accident prevention for children and adults by visiting US and local Nicaraguan nursing and medical students and health practitioners, as well as exhibits and in-kind contributions from local and international environmental, agricultural, and health-related businesses and organizations.

Key to the success of the Community Health Improvement Fairs are the Community Health Improvement Councils (CHICs), comprised of local students, teachers, and community leaders. Additionally, culturally specific Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) are administered pre- and post- health fairs to provide community feedback on health issues and needs. After each health fair, ICW analyzes data from HRAs gathered by the CHIC, and then modifies ongoing health initiatives based on this evaluation. CHIC members in each community undergo a comprehensive training to organize and run these fairs on their own, and to employ HRAs as a community health indicator. In addition, CHIC members are trained, in turn, to train community members in safety, injury prevention, and health promotion. The CHIC becomes a grassroots, self-sustaining system to evaluate community health needs and to design and plan future health fairs and programming to address these needs.

In 2010, ICW coordinated a partnership with Brothers Brother Foundation and ComputeReach to bring 320 refurbished, cleaned, certified, and software-supplied computers to ICW’s Nicaraguan community projects. Once the computers arrived in Nicaragua in January 2011, ICW stepped in to provide oversight and management of the 320 computers. In partnership with ALMORI Foundation, ICW has distributed these computers to need-based communities throughout Nicaragua, including libraries, schools, health clinics, prisons, and seminaries. ICW staff members in the US and in Nicaragua currently provide the project management component, maintenance, and oversight for these computers, and have established computer user groups for training and support.

The objectives of this project are two-fold: 1) To prepare young people in Nicaragua through work skills training initiatives for employment roles throughout the country; and 2) To expand this project to prepare an ongoing workforce for employment opportunities in key work areas of local and global service in Nicaragua and the Central American region. This project seeks to provide long-term educational and employment tracking, and to ensure sustainable technology access and education for its participating individuals and communities. ICW envisions providing improved equipment and expanding the training opportunities in computer technology available to these selected communities. ICW has an in-country Information Technology specialist who is working directly with the communities to provide oversight, training, and equipment repair. ICW is also working to establish a US/Nicaraguan partnership with academic institutions in both countries to set up a quantitative and qualitative evaluation study of the impact and effectiveness of this project on community economic development.

The Starfish Project, a special program of InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW), leverages the power of ICW's networking capacity to connect children in extreme need of medical attention with appropriate treatments and care.

ICW is committed to networking opportunities for exchange between those with expertise and resources and those in severe need. The Starfish children of ICW typically live in rural environments with a condition that couldn't otherwise be treated by locally available expertise. Pursuant with our mission of "building bridges," ICW connects children with urgent health related needs where there is a scarcity of local resources, to multi-national medical resources and an international network of healthcare professionals. ICW serves as an intermediary and manager for these medical intervention projects.

ICW focuses its Starfish Project on one child at a time, providing logistical, medical, and social support for the patient and patient's families pre- and post-treatment. The project is inspired by the belief that by reaching out and making a sustainable difference in just one child's life, you can change the future for good.

To find out how you can help sponsor a Starfish child, please contact Janet Foerster at janetjfoerster@gmail.com