[b]How did you learn about Givology?[/b]
[b]Megan Foo:[/b] I learned about Givology when reading [i]Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide[/i] by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Givology was one of the nonprofit organizations that Kristof and WuDunn highlighted in [i]Half the Sky[/i]'s "Four Steps You Can Take in the Next Ten Minutes" section.
[b]What about Givology's mission inspired you to start a chapter?[/b]
[b]Megan Foo:[/b] Givology's mission of universalizing education for every child worldwide really struck a euphonious chord in me. Having spent the last 12 years in school, I have been blessed with an education that has helped me acquire knowledge, question beliefs, and develop a love of learning. Reading [i]Half the Sky[/i], I was shocked to discover the horrific realities that individuals shut out of educational institutions face. I remembered how lucky I was to have wonderful chances to learn, whether within or beyond the classroom.
As I read about the students, projects and partners that Givology supports, I wanted to be a solution to the global problem of lacking education. Givology's mission is one that foregrounds a powerful message: that whatever walk of life you are in or wherever you are in the world, each volunteer hour and small dollar can make a difference in the movement to empower individuals through education. I loved in particular how Givology made it possible for donors to support projects in grassroots communities that are neglected and hard to reach, enabling me to tackle this global problem through a localized approach.
Thus, in 2013, I co-founded [url=http://www.givology.org/~givologyhongkong/]Givology's Hong Kong chapter[/url] to support Givology's girls' education-focused partners. In 2013-2014, we financed family violence intervention training, vocal empowerment, and career development programs for Starfish, an organization that empowers girls in Guatemala through education and mentorship. You can read more about my experiences [url=http://girlsglobe.org/2014/02/10/half-the-sky-a-life-changing-read/]in this post on Girls' Globe[/url].
[b]Tell us about your goals for this school year.[/b]
[b]Megan Foo:[/b] Givology's Hong Kong chapter is currently supporting [url=http://www.givology.org/~eglobal/]Emerge Global[/url], one of Givology's partner organizations. Emerge Global is an incredible nonprofit organization that empowers girls who have survived sexual abuse in Sri Lanka through an educational curriculum that emphasizes financial literacy, entrepreneurial development, and life skills. Emerge Global also enables the girls it supports to gain financial footing through the creation and selling of jewelry.
So far, we have held a film screening of [i]Miss Representation[/i] and hope to host a book discussion on [i]Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty[/i] and our second film screening of [i]Girl Rising[/i] in October! Ultimately, we hope to completely fund Emerge's [url=http://www.givology.org/~etsoawbameducation/]business acumen curricula and math education program[/url], a phenomenal initiative that will help the girls Emerge supports to launch businesses and kickstart other entrepreneurial ventures.
I hope that together, Givology's Hong Kong Chapter will continue to learn more about education, international development, social enterprises, and women's empowerment in the 2014-2015 academic year.
[b]In one sentence, tell us what giving means to you.[/b]
[b]Megan Foo:[/b] To me, giving means joyfully leveraging our passions, ideas, talents, and resources to ensure that our counterparts in other countries receive the opportunities that we've been fortunate enough to have.