Cool new Organization

One of the coolest parts about my internship is the fact that I get exposed to hundreds of different organizations that are doing great things around the world. I am genuinely surprised each day, because many of them are extremely innovative, most work with the extremely poor, and they are all passionate about changing the world. I guess I’m more used to hearing about organizations working in Africa, Asia or Latin America, mostly because the issues they deal with and the level of poverty in those regions is much more visible than anything in the United States. Recently, however, I began paying attention to some great local organizations. I am currently taking a Microfinance class at Stanford and have therefore been exposed to economically oriented organizations (like Opportunity Fund and C.E.O. Women) and today at work I found another really interesting organization.

The Edible Schoolyard (ESY), a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation, is a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom for urban public school students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. At ESY, students participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce. They incorporate math and writing (they keep journals they must complete after every gardening class) with gardening, and teach the children valuable health and environmental lessons. In a time when a very high percentage of children are obese, this initiative fills a very important gap. The lessons these children are learning are extremely valuable, and I’d be willing to bet that the innovative ways in which writing and math are being integrated into the gardening project and proving quite effective.

It’s really cool to see what a small group of people with a common vision, a big heart, and a little bit of money can do. The coolest thing about this project is it can (and it should) be easily replicated. We need healthier and more environmentally conscious children if our generation is to solve the great myriad of issues that lie ahead; I’d say this is a great step in the right direction!

What I learned this past week:

Vegetables and fruits with the most color are healthiest for you.
I need to stop spending on hats and jerseys
I need to learn more about the situation of oppression in Burma; Burma VJ is a documentary worth watching
Blueberry cinnamon muffins are amazing
Set the top of the oven at Low and the bottom at Medium to avoid burning pastries
That even though Cap and Trade is one of the best solutions out there to address our environmental problems, it is only “marginally better than terrible” and we should stop conforming with that.
That everyone should watch the Story of Stuff. Annie Leonard is amazing! www.storyofstuff.org
I hate the rain. I can’t do any work when it’s a rainy day. On the same note, “el Niño” is ruining Spring quarter
That Barcelona is the best team in Spain (old news, but whatever)
I am addicted to cookies and gummy worms
I could eat a cucumber every single meal – also, cucumbers are 94% water
“Fail fast and fail forward” – go into a new industry, follow your passion, and failing is not a bad thing, as long as you keep looking to the future.
Thursdays are my new “hump day” – going to work after happy hour doesn’t make me particularly happy
My new favorite organization in Guatemala: Long Way Home. Check them out at ww.longwayhomeinc.org
A large percentage of the waste and recycling that the US produces is shipped to India and China. Plastic, which is reusable, is many times only partially recycled
My favorite thing about Happy Hour in EBF is the fact that, because it never gets super crowded, I can dance freely. Unless, of course, Cattle Ranch is playing
Dan Gratch would be the best roommate ever
ESPN is the worst. I hate their world cup coverage…blah!
I have terrible paddling form because my lower back is way too sore after our canoe trip
You can buy plans/layouts to build your own tree house for $40 online….or you can just figure it out by yourself.

Esther Duflo: Genia!

Primero quiero empezar por hablar sobre TED, una organización sin fines de lucro que se dedica a difundir ideas valiosas en ámbitos de tecnología, el medio ambiente, pobreza, política, etc. por medio de conferencias y videos. TED ha crecido muchísimo, y, aunque muchos no pueden ir a su conferencia anual, tienen un website impresionante e interactivo en donde se puede escuchar a expertos y personas con pasión discutir diferentes temas, ideas, nociones, etc. Las charlas son generalmente cortas (15-20 minutos) pero muy impactantes. Son una manera excelente de empezar el día, especialmente porque todos los temas son expuestos de una manera muy simple y accesible. Yo por lo menos no solo veo charlas que tengan que ver con la pobreza, el desarrollo u otros temas que me interesan, hace poco vi uno sobre modelos matemáticos! Les recomiendo muchísimo seguir el blog de TED (blog.ted.com) ya que, después del mío, es de lo mejor que hay!

Segundo, Esther Duflo, en una charla para TED2010, habló sobre lo difícil que es medir el impacto que tienen las diferentes organizaciones sin fines de lucro y caridades alrededor del mundo que buscan combatir la pobreza e desigualdad. En Africa, por ejemplo, aunque el porcentaje de ayuda monetaria que reciben ha incrementado dramáticamente, el GDP y los índices de pobreza no han cambiado mucho. Es por esto que ella se ha planteado dos cosas: que tipo de programas sirven? y como saberlo? Esther Duflo asegura, y estoy 100% de acuerdo, que lo que se debe hacer para determinar la eficacia de los programas es pruebas al azar "randomized control trials" parecidas a lo que se practica en la industria farmacéutica hoy en día (con las pastillas de "placebo"). Este tipo de pruebas son las que van a poder determinar si en realidad las microfinanzas pueden ayudar a combatir la pobreza o si simplemente son un alivio económico momentáneo. Que tan cierto es todo lo que dice Muhammad Yunus? Espero que, después de ver los resultados de estas pruebas (que deberían ser mucho más extensas) se pueda trabajar en áreas en donde sepamos que funciona y que no. Las donaciones que recibió Haití fueron monumentales....pero, les sacaron el jugo? Hubo gastos innecesarios? (seguramente) Cual es la mejor manera de distribuir todo el dinero que recibieron y como se debe implementar un programa de recuperación? Estas son todas preguntas que reciben una variedad inmensa de respuestas de parte de varios "expertos", pero lo que necesitamos es evidencia, como la que Duflo busca.

En fin, ya hablé demasiado sobre ella, les aconsejo que vean el video acá

Y....todavía no se...no soy suficientemente escéptica como para pensar que toda la ayuda internacional que ha recibido Guatemala no sirve para nada (al contrario, he tenido el placer de ver los frutos de varias organizaciones muy especiales) pero sí estoy de acuerdo con que los países del primer mundo tiran y tiran dinero sin saber como llevar a cabo un proyecto que verdaderamente genere un cambio (USAID por ejemplo, recibe muchísimas críticas) y que todavía no sabemos cual es la mejor manera para tratar de resolver problemas como la pobreza, el hambre y la educación. Por eso no basta con innovaciones e ideas con mucho potencial (nuevamente, Microfinanzas), si no necesitamos ideas innovadoras cuyo impacto esté comprobado.

So my Birthday is on the last day of finals....YES! Everyone is invited to EBF's "End of the World Party". Festivities will begin at noon with sloshball and a bouncy house (my request) and will continue through the night (we have several DJs thanks to Tomasito).

My Birthday is shaping up to be freaking amazing, so here's is my wish list! (Familiares asalareados por favor tomar nota):

Books:

"The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities of our Time"

"Dead Aid: Why Aid is not working and there is a better way for Africa"

"The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good"

"The Power of Half"

"The Power of Unreasonable People"

"The No Asshole Rule"

"The Monk and the Riddle"

Can all be found at www.amazon.com

Hats:

TMNT Mad Face Flatbill

Cookie Monster Flatbill Hat

Both can be found at www.spencersonline.com

Vans Classic Patch Trucker Hat (in Sun/Royal and White/Black)

Can be found at shop.vans.com