Isa Mundo Foundation

Happy Holidays

2011-12-28T11:11:00.001-05:00

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Happy Holidays and all the best in the coming year. We had a very successful 2011 and we are grateful once again to our supporters, volunteers and partners who have contributed to our past and present projects.

We look forward to working with all of you in the coming year in completing new projects that will improve the lives of those less fortunate in the world.

We wish you all a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year!!

from the Isa Mundo Foundation.

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ps. 2011 also produced Isa Mundo's newest Mundoer - Sila Lacasse

Welcome Sila to Isa Mundo and may you continually teach us to be the change, you wish to see in the world.

Vallarta Nature

2011-12-18T17:22:00.000-05:00

Mundoers were able to visit a potential new environmental health projects with the conservation group, Sociedad Ecologica de Occidente (Western Ecological Society) in the Bahia de Banderas area. We were able to meet with Mr. Oscar Aranda, a biologist who founded the organization and has dedicated his research and work to protect marine turtles and mammals and improve the environmental conditions in Mexico. Mr. Aranda was recognized as one of the CNN Heroes for Saving the Planet in 2010.

Isa Mundo will be assessing how we can collaborate with Mr. Aranda to support his present and future conservation projects in Mexico.

To learn more about the Sociedad Ecologica de Occidente - visit their website at www.vallartanature.org

To see the CNN Heroes Award video please click on CNN Heroes Award - Saving the Planet.

Volcanes Primary School Update

2011-12-15T19:18:00.001-05:00

Isa Mundo was able to visit the Volcanes Primary School this month and also brought much needed educational supplies to the school. Mundoers were able to assess future needs at the school but also see the great progress since our last visit in April 2011.

The IMEC is now part of the overall Education Project in Volcanes and we hope to continue working in collaboration with the school and Cafe Roma to improve the centre and their project in 2012.

Sinacaban Central School

2011-11-29T18:32:00.006-05:00

We are currently in discussion with the Principal at the Sinacaban Central School in Misamis Occidental, Philippines to develop the second Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) in the country.

The school has a total enrollment of 384 pupils and 20 teachers. This is just a small central school with only 20 teachers. Although this is a complete elementary school with a graduation rate of 97%, there are still students who are not able to graduate due to poverty.

The objective of the IMEC in Sinacaban School will be to improve academic performance and increase computer literacy of students. Isa Mundo will continue the discussion with the school and assess the feasability of completing this project. We hope to find support for this project and help improve the education opportunities of students in this community.

New Website Design

2011-11-11T14:45:00.002-05:00

Isa Mundo Foundation will be launching our newly designed website for 2012. Under the guidance of Gee Gen - www.geegen.com - the website design will have a new 'look and feel' and will be the most significant change since the initial development of the website in 2006.

We hope to launch the new website before end of the year! Stay tuned

The new Isa Mundo Postcard

2011-10-29T11:29:00.001-04:00

As a follow up to this month's release of new promotional materials, we are releasing the foundation's new post card design. We would like to thank our Chair, Website and Graphic Design (Gee Gen) for her creativity and talent in developing the post card.

We will be releasing the template for our newly designed website in November. Stay tuned.

The new Isa Mundo Brochure

2011-10-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

We have launched our new brochure outlining our history, projects and how to support our foundation. The new look and feel of Isa Mundo will also be highlighted in our new post card and website. We encourage you to print and distribute to your network.

Let us know what you think.

Thanks

IMEC Newsletter Report

2011-09-29T18:32:00.002-04:00

We have completed our Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) Final Report for 2011. The newsletter style report highlights the process of how the Global Education Fund grant was used to complete 3 projects in Nicaragua, Mexico and Philippines.

We would like to thank all our partners and volunteers for making 2011 a successful IMEC year.

Happy reading!

The Honda Way is The Right Way !!

2011-09-02T16:43:00.000-04:00

The Isa Mundo Foundation would like to thank The Honda Way for supporting our projects in 2011. The Abbotsford based Honda dealership has been a consistent community contributor in the Lower Mainland region supporting various charitable organizations and facilities such as the Abbotsford Food Bank and the Canucks Place Children's Hospice in Abbotsford.

The Honda Way was able to identify a suitable transportation vehicle for Isa Mundo that allows us to pick up and drop off donation supplies to various partners and non profit organizations. The Hybrid vehicle fits well with the Foundation's focus on Environmental Health by reducing our carbon footprint while providing an economically and environmentally safe transportation.

By providing a discount to the Foundation, we were able to use the additional savings to help complete our education centre projects located in poor communities in Mexico, Nicaragua and Philippines. The funds were used to purchase basic school materials, computers and other educational tools. The Isa Mundo Education Centre represents a symbol of hope and gives young students equal access to educational tools that will enhance their learning opportunities and improve their situation in the future.

Thank you Honda Way for your contribution locally and globally to various communities.

To learn more about Honda Way and the services they provide, please visit their website at www.hondaway.com

Update IMEC in Ghana

2011-08-20T20:30:00.000-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation is partnering with Direct Assistance Network - Ghana to create our first Isa Mundo Education Centre in Africa.

As of this month, the freight containing computers, laptops and hardware are on their way to Ghana. All of these technological tools will be used to improve educational opportunities, especially for girls in rural Ghana.

Direct Assistance Network was founded with a mandate that 'education is the only way to end inequality and injustice as well as further hope for a better world. Not only is is a fundamental human right, it enhances lives and will end generational cycles of poverty and disease"

We are grateful for the opportunity to work in partnership with Direct Assistance Network in order to improve the educational opportunities of students in rural Ghana.

To learn more about this organization, read the Direct Assistance Network Brochure.

Bicycles for Humanity

2011-08-03T14:09:00.001-04:00

We would like to highlight the work being done by Bicyles for Humanity (BFH).

BFH is a grassroots organization that works in partnership with many volunteers to ship containers of bicycles to Africa to improve mobility, gain access to food and water, efficient travel for medical help, travel to school and employment and "the first mode of transportation on their journey from poverty to a better life".

BFH knows that bicycle are one of the simplest transport technologies, they are affordable and can be maintained anywhere in the world with minimal tools and spare parts. In places where transport options are severely restricted, bicycles greatly improve personal mobility and enable people to determine their own schedules. But in the poorest communities in Africa, bicycles are still not affordable.

According to BFH, only a fraction of the rich world's bicycles are shipped to developing countries and millions of bicycles are discarded each year. BFH is working with various communities in Canada to gather bicycles to be shipped to Africa to improve the lives of families and communities.

You can learn more about the work BFH is doing by visiting their website at www.bicycles-for-humanity.org

Isa Mundo Madres!

2011-07-16T17:17:00.003-04:00

Since 2006, we have committed in taking our time to acknowledge the support of all our volunteers and supporters in completing our various projects. Our friends, colleagues, families, businesses, and other non profit organizations have all been integral in progressing the work of Isa Mundo - without them, we will not be where we are today.

This month, we wanted to say a special thank you to the 'Madres' of Isa Mundo. These are mothers who continually donate used baby and children's clothes, toys and books to the Foundation. They are aware of the work we do in orphanages and children centred facilities in developing countries and these Madres have found ways to support our work despite their busy parenting schedules and responsibilities. These newborn and children's clothes/toys will be put to good use and are appreciated by all organizations we partner with.

We are grateful for the time our Madres are taking to sort, store and clean these clothes and toys - and we know that all less fortunate babies and children who receive them are forever grateful too. Yay for all the Madres of the world!

UPDATE - IMEC in Bambang, Philippines

2011-07-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

After months of research and negotiating how to purchase supplies to expand the Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) in Bambang, we have decided to purchase 3 additional desktops computers, projector screen and additional school supplies in Vancouver, BC with the help of our new friends at Staples Store #254.

We will be sending these tech supplies in two boxes via freight this month and should arrive in the Philippines by August. We hope that this will further improve the IMEC in Bambang which is our Foundation's first completed education centre project. Since 2009, the IMEC in Bambang has proven to improve students' grades by accessing world wide web educational resources and on-line information.

3rd IMEC in Mexico

2011-06-30T15:10:00.000-04:00

The completion of the third Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) project is underway in the Volcanes Primary School outside of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. After finalizing the purchase of brand new laptops and other supplies from our new friends at Staples Store #254, the next challenge was finding a way to ship the supplies to Mexico.

In partnership with Café Roma's Kids program, we will be using volunteers travelling to the Puerto Vallarta area in the next few months and requesting them to deliver each laptops to the school. We hope to have the IMEC in Volcanes completed by September 2011.

As always, we are grateful to all our volunteers who are continually doing their part to help complete our projects. The 3rd IMEC in Mexico would not be a success without your support and dedication. Muchas gracias!

Cathy Bélanger Award for Paul Lorilla

2011-06-25T17:29:00.001-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation's Director and Founder, Paul Lorilla was recently presented the Cathy Bélanger Award from the Deputy Minister of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This award honours a person who has made an exceptional contribution to his community as well as the as the Canadian Heritage workplace.

The statement from Canadian Heritage summarized that:

"Paul exemplifies the best of public service ideals and values. His commitment to excellence is reflected not only in his work with Canadian Heritage but also in his work with Isa Mundo, a private foundation that he started to ensure that healthy and sustainable communities could be achieved in all corners of the world. Paul works tirelessly to ensure that the poorest communities in the world see prosperity by bringing together people and resources in a way that maximizes impact. We have seen that same energy and dedication applied to his work with Aboriginal communities in Canada. In his work at Canadian Heritage, he invests significant time and energy mentoring and coaching other staff. As founder of Isa Mundo, Paul demonstrates great leadership in leading positive change."

Congratulations!!!

IMEC in Nica

2011-06-05T17:51:00.012-04:00

We are happy to announce that a small Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) was completed in Granada, Nicaragua in partnership with Empowerment International (EI). Isa Mundo was able to provide Acer netbooks to allow students to have access to technology as part of their learning environment. We will continue to find ways to support the expansion of this IMEC by providing additional tools such as education software and school supplies.

We would like to thank our volunteer, Neeraj Jain, for travelling to Nicaragua and working with EI to set up the IMEC. We are also grateful that he took his time to offer an orientation on basic computer and internet application skills to students.

Isa Mundo is committed to work with EI to improve student's access to technological and learning tools in order to progress their education.

Soccer Without Borders

2011-05-27T08:30:00.005-04:00

Soccer Without Borders (SWB) is a not for profit organization dedicated to use the sport of soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of marginalized youth around the world. SWB provide programs to youth in disadvantaged communities through sport-based and extracurricular activities. One of the countries that SWB has completed their work is Nicaragua. Upon learning that SWB staff and volunteers will be travelling to the city of Granada in May 2011, Isa Mundo contacted the organization to request their help to deliver our netbooks that will be used to create the first Isa Mundo Education Centre in Nicaragua.

Isa Mundo partnered with SWB and was able to deliver the netbooks successfully to our volunteer in Nicaragua to set up the IMEC at Empowerment International. We would like to thank SWB for their support and we hope to find a way to work together to complete a future project in Nicaragua.

To learn more about SWB, please visit their website at SoccerWithoutBorders.org.

A special thank you!

2011-05-15T20:52:00.001-04:00

Since having launched Isa Mundo in 2007, we have been blessed with supportive colleagues and friends who have made significant impacts and contributions toward the success of the foundation. It is amazing how one person, one team, one group of people can make a difference in the lives of so many children and youth! Our colleagues and friends have also spent many hours listening to us talk about the foundation, our site visits, and our projects and have helped us grow the foundation.

This blog goes out to everyone who has listened, contributed, donated and gave us the opportunity to share our passion with you!

A great big thank you! merci! salamat! and gracias to you!

Introducing Café Roma's Kids Program

2011-05-05T16:52:00.003-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation has found new friends and partners in Mexico. We would like to introduce the Café Roma's Kids Program to our supporters and we happy to also announce that we will be partnering to complete our 3rd Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) project in the Volcanes School outside of Puerto Vallarta. Isa Mundo recently completed a site visit at the school and decided that we have the capacity to contribute to improving the education facilities in this school.

Café Roma's Kids has been involved in supporting education and social programs in the Puerto Vallarta region by providing school supplies, funding teacher's wages, hosting fundraising efforts and even creating Pizza Party days to help feed less fortunate children in the area. The organization decided that they wanted to get involved with another school in the poor Colonia of Volcanes and immediately began supplying teacher assistants and school supplies to students. The organization also envisioned starting a computer centre as part of the students' curriculum and this idea fits well with Isa Mundo's IMEC concept.

We are looking forward to this partnership and we hope to finish our 3rd IMEC project (and the first) in Mexico with the help of the Café Roma's Kids Program. Stay tuned for updates!

To learn more about our new partner, visit their website at Café Roma's Kids Program.

Project Site Visit - Volcanes Primary School

2011-04-22T13:58:00.005-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation visited the new Volcanes Primary School located 5 kilometres inland in a Colonia called Volcanes just outside of Puerto Vallarta. Volcanes is also one of the barrios (neighborhoods) that Feed the Children organization targets with their feeding, education, day care and other programs. Isa Mundo has been working with Feed the Children since 2006.

The Volcanes School is a public funded school and has recently built a new addition to expand their existing rooms. The school focuses on math and English with hopes of starting a computer learning program in the near future. Mundoers visited the school to assess the location for a future Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC). Isa Mundo will focus its efforts in partnering with the school as part of the grant from MacEwen College's Global Education Fund. In addition, Mundoers also donated 4 boxes of books donated to help expand the limited supply of books at the school. We are grateful for the support and donation of books from the Vancouver Public Library.

We would also like to extend a big 'muchas gracias' to Art Fumerton for once again giving Isa Mundo a tour of the school and other projects in the area, his knowledge and experience in Mexico have been valuable to our work and project assessments both past and present

We hope to work in partnership with both the school and local organizations in the region to help build our first IMEC in Mexico. Stay tuned

What about teenage orphans?

2011-04-17T20:03:00.000-04:00

Mundoers took the opportunity to visit the Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza (RISE) during their trip to Puerto Vallarta. RISE is a non-profit shelter for babies and children under the age of 18 who have been turned over by the National Agency of Family Development (DIF), a Mexican government social services organization that protects the rights of children. Many of the children brought to RISE are not available for adoption; however, they spend their lifetime living at RISE. Numerous children come from unbearable situations having been abused, neglected, or simply abandoned by their families.

Currently, there are seven teenage girls living at RISE who feel a little out of place since they do not want to be grouped with the children, with the same rules, yet they are still young enough to live at RISE and not ready to live on their own. RISE is faced with the challenge of trying to keep the teenagers living at the Refugio, while supporting them through the crucial transition from childhood to adulthood.

The Refugio is striving to support and look after the teenagers, to surround them with love, while teaching them the necessary life skills to live independently as future adults. In order to do so, they have decided to build an onsite transition home for the teenagers. The outside of the building is built, they are now moving into the next phase of building the inside.

With this new transition home, they will instill values and skills to help them face life and make the right decisions while converting them into self-confident mature and responsible women.

Isa Mundo is looking into the possibility of working with RISE to help build a successful transition home.

The Hackery

2011-04-09T18:24:00.006-04:00

Isa Mundo is proud to introduce The Hackery - a computer business that repairs and recycles laptops, computers and flat screen monitors. They have volunteered their time to do a diagnostic of our donated computers and laptops to ensure they are in optimal working condition. These computers and laptops will eventually be used to create future Isa Mundo Education Centres in Ghana and the Philippines.

To learn more about The Hackery, visit their website at www.thehackery.ca.

Businesses such as The Hackery play an integral role in ensuring that our Foundation has the technological expertise necessary to provide the highest quality technology based education tools for our education centre. In keeping with our misison to minimize impact on the environment, the Hackery is a great partner due their ethical recycling approach. They do not ship any laptops or computer systems and parts overseas and is a member of the Recycling Council of British Columbia.

We are grateful for the support of The Hackery - thank you guys!

If you need need computer/laptop: diagnostics; parts, repairs or recycle them, please visit them at 304 Vic toria Drive in Vancouver, BC.

Isa Mundo and Staples Canada - THAT WAS EASY!

2011-04-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

Isa Mundo has partnered with Staples Business Depot Store # 254 in Vancouver, BC. Staples provided discounts to purchase Acer Aspire 10' Netbooks to support our Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) in Granada, Nicaragua. Staples provided additional sleeve protectors and help print our IMEC banners for the project.

n 1991, Staples founded its Canadian subsidiary, The Business Depot, and began opening stores under that name, though over a decade later, all stores were renamed as "Staples."

Staples has become the world’s largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products, including supplies, technology, furniture, and business services. The company’s goal: Give every customer a reason to believe…STAPLES Business Depot—That was easy!

Staples Store #254 is located on 200-1055 West Georgia St in Vancouver, BC.

We are grateful for the support of Staples and we hope to continue this partnership in the future.

Mexico Project Site Visits in April

2011-03-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation members (or Mundoers) will visit current and new potential projects in the Puerto Vallarta region in mid April 2011. Mundoers will return to Pasitos de Luz to visit the now completed solar panel project. We will also visit the new Volcanes Primary School which has been completed as part of the Feed the Children and School of Champions organization. We are committed to expand our first Isa Mundo Education Centre in Mexico and will discuss a potential partnership with the school in our next visit

We will provide an update on the ground in Mexico. Gracias.

Introducing .... Buena Vida Youth Foundation

2011-03-03T20:04:00.002-05:00

Isa Mundo Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the Buena Vida Youth Foundation. Buena Vida (Good Life) is a non profit organization developed by Juan Valle and his group of passionate young individuals dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth in Latin America. Buena Vida will be focussing it's initial work in El Salvador by funding a soccer drop-in program to provide a safe environment away from gang activities and access to positive role models and mentors.

Isa Mundo was consulted by Buena Vida in early 2011 and we were honored to provide advice and guidance and share our own experience in developing our non profit organization. We will be supporting Buena Vida's program in the near future as we believe in their vision of improving the situations of children and youth in Latin American communities.

To learn more about Buena Vida Youth Foundation visit their website at www.buenavidayouthfoundation.com

Thank you MacEwan!

2011-02-03T19:37:00.000-05:00

Back in October we applied for an education fund through the MacEwan Global Education Fund. We found out in late 2010 that our application had been accepted to receive a grant! We have now received a small amount from the GEF, which will go towards the funding of Isa Mundo Educational Centers.

The GEF’s mission statement is "believing in the value of education, the MacEwan Global Education Fund is designed to help less fortunate people world-wide access education through funds, training, and support." To find out more about the GEF visit their website at: http://www.macewan.ca/web/services/global_edfund/FAQ/Index.cfm?MenuOption=4&Line=14

Stay tuned for project details on our funding!

Mundopedia

2011-01-25T16:43:00.003-05:00

We are in the process of creating a Wikipedia style link on our website, we are calling it, Mundopedia. Inspired by information and accessibility of Wikipedia, Isa Mundo is developing a similar approach by providing visual and basic statistics of various countries we have visited since 2005.

Mundopedia will highlight various indicators relevant to our projects, ie: population, educational attainment, literacy, poverty index, life expectancy, etc... We will also outline past, current and future projects in each countries to showcase contributions made by supporters and funders to the Isa Mundo Foundation.

We hope to launch Mundopedia by April 2011.

Happy New Year !

2011-01-01T14:27:00.003-05:00

We would like to wish everyone a happy and peaceful 2011.

As we approach our 6th year as an organization, we would like to also take the opportunity to thank all those who continue to support our work and projects since our inception.

We are looking forward to an exciting and productive 2011 as we attempt to complete projects this year in Mexico, Philippines, Nicaragua, Peru and beyond, and in partnership with communties and other not-for- profit organizations.

11th Annual Maligayang Paslit

2010-12-29T18:23:00.012-05:00

We would like to congratulate the Bambang Youth Organization in Bambang, Bulakan Philippines for a successful Maligayang Paslit event this year. The annual event took place once again on December 24th for a one day children and youth celebration in the town of Bambang. This is the 5th year that Isa Mundo has contributed to the event and we have now become one of the main funders of this great celebration.

Under the guidance of Mr. Benjo Cruz, the Maligayang Paslit has reached out to over 700 children and youth in the community and continues to provide gifts, entertainment, food, laughter and leadership to those who attend. With support from Isa Mundo, the event in the past few years have also targeted families in Bambang by providing Christmas food hampers to the most needy. We are proud to be a part of this event and it's success and we look forward to the celebration in 2011.

Happy Holidays on behalf of Isa Mundo!

2010-12-22T12:58:00.001-05:00

Auction Success

2010-12-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

On November 8 of this year, we completed our Inaugural Auction. It was great to see the dynamic between the auction participants and the tenacity of some to win their bids. I wonder how much more we could of raise if we kept it going for another week.... ; )

Thank you to everyone who donated to the auction including Pedro, Coco, Michelle, Ariane, Patrick, Jennifer and many others! Thank you also to those who contributed to the acution and helped make it a great success!

We wanted to let you know that we are playing with the idea of having a yearly auction-if you know of any one who would be willing to donate for the next one, send us a quick email.

We hope you enjoy your winnings!

Isa Mundo's Inaugural Auction For Change

2010-10-28T21:33:00.002-04:00

Finally, the long awaited online auction is live! If you have not received an invitation email and you would like to participate, please send us an email at isamundo@isamundo.org

Join in the fun!

Doing great work

2010-10-10T22:27:00.003-04:00

Nukoko is Canadian not for profit is doing great work with youth in Congo. They work with local youth-run initiatives, with the hopes of ensuring equality and to contribute to the development and betterment of our world through their Education 4 All Project.
Check out their website at http://nukoko.org/wp/

Isa Mundo is heading to Peru

2010-09-06T20:19:00.001-04:00

Isa Mundo will be heading to Peru at the end of the month and will be visiting three great local organizations in the city of Cuzco and its surrounding area. First, we will visit the SOS Children’s Village along with one of their Social Centers. SOS Children is the world’s largest orphan focused charity; they raise orphaned and abandoned children and help poor families care for their children. Through their family strengthening programmes they hope to empower families help themselves and create a better future; a future where they are independent and self-sufficient. We will then visit an organization called Inti Runakunaq Wasin, which has developed several programs for the many street children of in the Cuzco region. Finally, we will be traveling to a small community outside of Cuzco with members of the Peru’s Challenge organization to visit various initiatives they are doing with local communities. The organization focuses on creating opportunities for children in education, health and community programs in a safe environment.

For more information on these organizations visit their websites at:

http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/Where-we-help/Americas/Peru/Pages/default.aspx

http://streetkidscusco.org/home.html

http://www.peruschallenge.com/

Summer Camp Photos

2010-08-20T21:12:00.006-04:00

As promised, here are some great pics from the School of Champions 2010 Summer Camp. Thank you again for making a difference in the lives of those children.

In our community

2010-08-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

In our quest to find gift certificates and donations for our upcoming auction, we discovered that Isa Mundo headquarters is surrounded by small businesses and community members that are very supportive of philanthropy work. As our readers know, Isa Mundo is a small not for profit and our philosophy around building partnerships aligns well with community involvement and community support. We are pleased to involve the local community in completing projects to better the lives of those less fortunate.

The joys of summer!

2010-07-20T20:50:00.000-04:00

Thanks to your generous support we were able to fund 15 children to attend the summer camp at the School of Champions. We will be receiving photos shortly and will post them on our blog, please stay tuned. Thank you for your ongoing support! If you are interested in funding this activity on a yearly basis, please send us an email!

Summer camp anyone?

2010-06-23T14:03:00.000-04:00

Are you interested in sponsoring a child to attend summer camp? Isa Mundo will be sponsoring children through Feed the Children Vallarta (formerly known as Children of the Dump) to attend a 4-week summer camp at the School of Champions, beginning July 12 through August 6, 2010. The children will receive breakfast and lunch and will attend classes in arts and crafts, computer, dancing, indoor games and a soccer tournament. The School is located near the now closed Puerto Vallarta dump. The closure of the dump has left people jobless and hungry. You can help feed the children and give them an opportunity to have fun!

For $25 you can sponsor a child for the full four weeks. If you are interested, please donate on our website before July 12.

Happy summer!

Local Community Project - Marine Mammal Rescue Program

2010-05-14T20:03:00.006-04:00

The Isa Mundo Foundation completed its first Local Community Project in Vancouver,BC. The majority of our projects have focussed internationally in less fortunate communities in developing countries, but we also believe that it is important to support local community projects that are making a difference. The Marine Mammal Rescue Program (MMRP) is affiliated with the Vancouver Aquarium and provides housing and care for ill, injured, or abandoned marine mammals and rehabilitates them for release back into their natural habitat.

Isa Mundo visited the MMRP facility to assess how we can support their initiative. We learned that the MMRP is in need of various supplies, materials and equipments and one of their priorities was a cooler to store food and supplies. Isa Mundo was able to partner with Saputo, the largest dairy processor and snack-cake manufacturer in Canada, to provide a cooler to the MMRP. Saputo kindly donated the cooler as part of their commitment to support local causes and organizations in order to give back to the communities who have sustained and helped them grow. On May 14th, Alan Yau, Saputo Sales Representative
and Isa Mundo delivered the cooler to Lindsaye Akhurst, Manager of MMRP.

To learn more about the MMRP, please visit their website at: http://www.vanaqua.org/mmrr/

To learn more about Saputo and their products, please visit their website at: www.saputo.com

Isa Mundo in Cabeza de Toro

2010-04-04T22:37:00.003-04:00

A recent trip to Dominican Republic brought Isa Mundo volunteer, Maxine Croteau, to the town of Cabeza de Toro, located near the resort town of Punta Cana. Cabeza de Toro is a small community that is sustained economically by a handful of resorts that provide jobs to residents. It is here that we met one of Isa Mundo’s most recent collaborators, a local business owner and environmental scientist called Juan Carlos.

Juan Carlos gave us a tour of the town and talked to us about a school that is in need of help and that is mostly supported by charitable donations. Many of the students who attend Centro Educativo Cabeza de Toro are originally from Haiti and are between the ages of 6 and 17. Juan Carlos mentioned that both teachers and students are in need of school supplies and that several of the children that come from less fortunate households also need clothing, shoes, toiletries and toys.

Volunteers from Ottawa put the word out and collected a total of four huge suitcases! We could not believe the warm response that they received and the generosity that came from family and friends! Our volunteers got together with Juan Carlos, who brought them to the school to meet the Principal Professor Bonifacio. Once inside, the director proceeded to go through all of the collected items one by one, explaining to the volunteers how each of the donations will be used by the teachers or students. For instance, the soap and shampoo that was donated would be used by a handful of kids who regularly shower at the school before class because they do not have the means to do so at home.

Upon a brief tour of the school, our volunteers noticed the lack of computers in the classrooms. They were told that although the electricity and wireless internet is presently donated by a local electricity company, the school does not have enough computers and the ones that they currently have for students are not connected to the internet. The director hopes to someday have a room filled with computers to teach the children how to use basic word processing programs and how to use the internet to do research for their school projects. The tour also revealed a very limited library of older books. Prof. Bonifacio mentioned that one of his highest priorities is to obtain new books written in Spanish on all school subjects for the school’s library. He also mentioned hopes to expand the school yard to enable more students to play simultaneously, and to build a wall around the yard to prevent adults from giving or selling drugs to the kids through the existing wire fence. The execution of these projects will however depend on future volunteer aid and funding to the school.

Isa Mundo would like to thank everyone who donated items to the Centro Educativo Cabeza de Toro!

Haiti Campaign and Red Cross

2010-03-26T19:59:00.002-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation completed its Helping Hand to Haiti Campaign in mid March and we were able to raise over $600 in 30 days to help the people of Haiti. Isa Mundo visited the Red Cross head office in Burnaby, British Columbia to drop off the funds and meet the great people of Red Cross working diligently to deliver urgent supplies and donations to Haiti.

We look forward to working with Red Cross again in the future and we would like to once again thank the supporters and friends of Isa Mundo for responding to our last minute campaign.

For more information click on Red Cross' Haiti Earthquake initiative.

Merlyn Power in Puerto Vallarta

2010-03-12T20:38:00.000-05:00

Scott from Merlyn Power and Pierre, an Isa Mundo volunteer spent the week in Puerto Vallarta working with Oscar and Carlos at Pasitos de Luz to set-up for the arrival of the solar panels. Scott and Pierre's trip was planned so that they could install the panels while in Mexico. Unfortunately, the week went by and the panel never arrived; they were stuck at the customs office in Guadalajara. It was a good lesson learned for all of us! Even though we knew we might encounter delays, we did not account for so many days of delay. The trip was a success despite the lack of solar panels. The four gentlemen labored away clearing the roof and building a frame in anticipation of the panels. Scott trained Oscar and Carlos for the installation of the panels and possible future support for the sustainability of this project which will be operated and repaired by Pasitos de Luz. They also spent some time learning a bit of Spanish, English and French…a multicultural effort! All in all, the four of them were a great team. Thank you for your dedication to this project!

Merlyn Power

2010-02-02T19:40:00.004-05:00

After our visit to Puerto Vallarta and Pasitos de Luz, we began our research to find companies and businesses focusing on renewable energy in order to find a way to lower the electricity cost at the facility. Our research led us to Meryln Power Renewable Energy Systems and it's founder Scott Cooper. Scott's enthusiasm was evident from the beginning as he was very interested in collaborating with Isa Mundo and we were glad to have the opportunity to partner with Canadian company.

Merlyn Power is a growing business in the Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario region. They have been in operation since 2003 and have installed approximately 140 different solar energy systems in the Waterloo Region and surrounding area. Marlyn Power works in the areas of consulting on the energy and resource efficiency of new buildings; service of older solar water heating and pool heating systems; design of solar energy systems for thermal and electric applications; and, installation of solar energy equipment and drainwater heat recovery exchanger.

And now, Merlyn Power will be extending their work all the way to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We would like to say a big "muchas gracias" to Scott and Merlyn Power for wanting to better the lives of the children at Pasitos!

Check out Merlyn Power's website at:
http://www.merlynpower.ca/

Solar Panels at Pasitos

2010-01-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

Last June, we travelled to Puerto Vallarta and visited Pasitos de Luz, a centre that provides assistance for families with disabled children. You can check out our Pasitos de Luz write-up under Children & Youth for more information.

In the last few months, we have been working with a Scott Cooper, Founder and Owner of Merlyn Power Renewable Energy Systems, a company focused on renewable energy systems and energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings in the Waterloo Region and the surrounding area (check out separate blog to find out more about Scott and his company).

In March 2010, Scott and an Isa Mundo volunteer (Pierre Lacasse) will be heading to Pasitos de Luz to install the solar panels which will be used to heat the water for the use of the therapeutic bath. We are excited about the completion of this project as this will be another solar powered initiative for Isa Mundo. Stay tuned for more updates and photos!

Helping Hand to Haiti Campaign

2010-01-26T22:10:00.000-05:00

Since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, many of you have been asking if Isa Mundo will be fundraising to help rebuild Haiti. Although we don't have any projects in Haiti, we have decided to launch our "Helping Hand to Haiti Campaign", where for the next 30 days we will be dedicating our "Change for Change Campaign" to the people and communities of Haiti.

We will be partnering up with the Canadian Red Cross to bring the much needed supplies to the people of Haiti. Check out our campaign poster on our home page. Remember, a small change can make a huge difference!

Isa Mundo in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2010-01-02T10:04:00.001-05:00

Isa Mundo made it's first site visits to Dominican Republic in December 2009 near the resort town of Punta Cana. Despite the economic success brought about by the tourism industry, there are still communities that are coping with poverty and other related social problems.

Isa Mundo believes there are opportunities in Dominican to complete environmental and education projects. Isa Mundo was able to see firsthand the infamous Reef Ball Foundation's reef ball projects which have been installed in front of hotels on the southern side of Dominican republic for purposes for beach restoration. The mission of the Reef Ball Foundation “is to rehabilitate our world's ocean reef ecosystems and to protect our natural reef systems using Reef Ball artificial reef technologies. Reef Balls are artificial reef modules placed in the ocean to form reef habitat” (www.reefball.org). Isa Mundo was guided by Miguel Cabral, Reef Ball Dominicana (Reef Ball Foundation partner for Dominican Republic) on a breezy, sun-drenched day in the Caribbean. The snorkeling excursion began from the white sand beach in front of the Grand Dominicus hotel and headed east over a few hundred reef balls. It is evident that the logistics of getting so many concrete Reef Balls into place must have been a challenge, but they have certainly stood the test of time (even through a hurricane), have prevented further erosion of sand from the beach and have increased the amount of sand creating a larger sand beach. Further details of this project can be found at their website. We would like to thank Miguel and the Reef Ball Foundation for the tour – the Isa Mundo Foundation looks forward to exploring future collaborations to help carry out the Reef Ball Foundation’s mission of protecting our oceans.

Isa Mundo was also able to learn about the organization called FESONAP (Fundación Ecológica y Social Natura Park) who is doing work to promote conservation and ecotourism to the local community. We were fortunate to meet FESONAP member Juan Carlos Sanchez, who gave Isa Mundo the history of the foundation, the national protected park nearby and a local school and community in need of support.

The Isa Mundo Foundation looks forward to exploring future collaborations with our new friends in Dominican. We will keep you updated as we progress. We will also have Isa Mundoers visiting the area in February and in March, bringing donations and much needed supplies to communities, a school and an orphanage.

Maligayang Paslit 2009

2009-12-25T13:13:00.003-05:00

The 10th Annual Maligayang Paslit was a hit! Once again,
Isa Mundo was the main sponsor for this event which hosted over 500 children in the village of Bambang, Bulacan, Philippines! We would like to thank Benjo and the Bambang Youth Association for their dedication to the children of Bambang! Thank you for providing Isa Mundo with the opportunity to sponsor such an amazing event for children!

Happy holidays!

2009-12-21T13:20:00.005-05:00

Dear friends of the Isa Mundo Foundation,

This past year, with your support and contributions, we were able to help children, families, and communities in Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, India and the Philippines.

On behalf of all those who have benefited from your generosity, we at the Isa Mundo Foundation thank you wholeheartedly for your ongoing support and commitment to improving the present and future of so many.

We look forward to the upcoming year as we continue, together, to make a difference in the lives of those in need.

Happy Holidays!

******************************************

Chers amis de la fondation Isa Mundo,

Grâce à votre appui et vos contributions, nous avons pu faire une différence dans la vie de plusieurs enfants, familles et communautés du Mexique, des Philippines, du Nicaragua, du Guatemala et en Inde.

Tous les gens qui ont profité de votre générosité, ainsi que la Fondation Isa Mundo, vous sont reconnaissants et vous remercient d’avoir contribué à leur bien-être d’aujourd’hui et de demain.

Nous vous souhaitons tous de Joyeuses Fêtes!

Children's Day in Goa

2009-12-03T13:10:00.003-05:00

On November 20th we sponsored our first children’s day event in India in partnership with Grace Educational Foundation, an organization that provides learning opportunities to children in need. The children’s day celebration was organized in the small village of Betim Ramnagar, and was attended by almost sixty children between the ages of 2 and 12. The children, parents, educators and community members enjoyed many activities around the theme "what would your like to be when you grow up?"...imagination was running wild...children dressed up, performed and enjoyed eating lots of food and treats. Each child received a storybook and a set of crayons to take home with them to continue the fun...this is the first of many celebrations to come!

Monako Graphics Printing

2009-12-01T13:54:00.005-05:00

We would like to introduce Monako Graphics Printing as the newest sponsor of the Isa Mundo Foundation. Monako contributed to printing Isa Mundo's business cards, brochures and postcards as a way to donate to our projects in 2010. We appreciate their committment to Isa Mundo and their belief that our work is making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.

Thank for your support !!

Monako Graphics Printing is located at 102-300 West Georgia Street in Vancouver, BC. Click on this link to find their location.

Monako Location

The New Look Website !!

2009-11-01T17:06:00.002-05:00

The Isa Mundo Foundation website has been re-launched with a new look and design. The new site is more interactive and we hope to keep adding and improving the website with new information, pictures and updates. We would like to thank GeeGen for all her hard work in improving and maintaining the website.

In addition, GeeGen has officially joined Isa Mundo as a member due to her dedication in promoting the foundation in her work and design.

Welcome GeeGen !!

First Isa Mundo Auction

2009-10-25T20:11:00.000-04:00

Dear blog readers,

We decided that it would be a good idea to have an online auction to raise funds for our projects. We are in the process of gathering a bunch of goods for the auction. If you have any new items you would like to donate for this auction, please feel free to send us an email and tell us all about it. The more amazing things we have, the better the auction will be. And the more money we raise, the more we will be able to help those who need it the most! ; )

Trip to Nica

2009-10-17T23:56:00.009-04:00

It’s about that time of year again…time to travel! This time, the foundation brought us to beautiful Nicaragua. Not many people know that Nicaragua is the second most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. Once in Nicaragua it was hard to imagine that in such a beautiful country, 27% of its population is suffering from undernourishment. Despite seeing all the hardship, we had a very worthwhile trip. During our short week, we managed to meet with three organizations: Bridges to Community, Empowerment International and Caritas Feliz (featured on October 13).

Bridges to Community is a non-profit striving to create a world where basic needs are treated as human rights: shelter, nutrition, education, healthcare, and employment. Thanks to Miranda and Kevin who graciously toured us around amazing projects including community education, sustainable housing, small loan projects and leadership programs. Thank you to Miranda, Kevin, Jarred, Bonnie and many other community members for sharing your wonderful stories and for welcoming us into your homes and communities. Please check out the Bridges website to found out more about their amazing work in Nica http://bridgestocommunity.org

Empowerment International’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty before it is transferred to yet another generation, by building more educated and productive communities. Their vision is to enable every child to go to school and achieve the level of education they desire. One of the great things about EI is that they encourage the communities to make EI program their own and then empower them to raise their voices and tell their own stories. This is a great approach with working with communities – empower them to make the change! Thank you Deepa for meeting with us (twice!). Check out EI online at http://empowermentinternational.org/

We are now working with these great organizations on the possibility of future projects and we hope that through these projects, we will help empower the future of Nicaragua.

Carita en NIca

2009-10-13T09:02:00.007-04:00

A few days ago, as we (or Isa Mundoers) were walking around Granada trying to orient ourselves and plan our next few days of foundation work, we walked through a poorer neighborhood of town and discovered Carita Feliz. It's difficult not to fall in love with these children (check out the pictures). The next day, we decided to walk back to Carita to learn more about this organization.

Carita was founded in March 2001 by Peder Kolind, a Dutch native. Having recently moved to Granada, he found many children hungry and begging for food. His first day here, he bought food from a street vendor to 70 children. The next day he found 130 children waiting expectantly for him. He soon realized that the community needs were so immense, so he decided to launch Carita Feliz.

Their mission is to work with children and youth, through education, to promote the development of attitudes, knowledge, abilities, and skills to encourage their full educational development. They are currently helping over 1,500 children and youth and their families, through meal and nutrition programs, after school programs, scholarships, medical and dental programs and many others. All services offered by Caritas are completely free for all.

They are doing fantastic work with the communities…and, one of the great things about Caritas is that it is completely ran by local community members and leaders. To learn more about Carita visit:http://www.caritafeliz.org/

Isa Mundo Article on Volunteering

2009-10-06T18:58:00.001-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation's Director, Paul Lorilla, was interviewed by Latincouver regarding the importance of volunteering and giving back to your community. Read the short article by clicking on this link:

http://www.latincouver.ca/home_page_articles/en/volunteerism_giving_back_community

Website launch

2009-09-20T17:29:00.003-04:00

Back in April, we posted about our new website. Since then, Geegen has volunteered many hours to revamp our website, add a few projects and indulge our many requests for changes and updates. We are now learning the wonderful challenges of website design and the world of html.

We are just about ready to officially launch our new website, so stay tuned and keep visiting our site!

The construction has started...

2009-09-19T17:43:00.001-04:00

...and we have pictures to share with you! A few weeks ago, we blogged about the completion of the first phase of our Road to Success Campaign (the fundraising) and we are now happy to report that phase two has officially started! The best part of this project is that it is being done by local Mayan families…so the money we have raised is not only benefiting the orphanage, it is also benefiting the local families by providing them a source of income for their laborious work.

Road to Success Campaign is a Success!

2009-08-25T09:11:00.003-04:00

Great news! We've completed another project (well almost...we raised the funds and now the work can get started!).
Casa de Sion will soon be building its access road connecting the orphanage to the water wells, providing potable water for the children and surrounding families. Thanks to your support, we were able to complete this project and add it to our growing list of amazing projects! Thank you for your support.

The Puerto Vallarta Dump is officially closed

2009-07-20T13:19:00.000-04:00

We want to let you know that the Puerto Vallarta city dump closed in June. Several hundred people were working at the dump and unfortunately, this is going to intensify the poverty of the families living in the area around, since for many of them, the dump was their only source of income and support for their families. The people who use to work at the dump will now have to find other ways to provide for their families, meaning that some of the children, who were attending school, may be forced to work along side their parents to help provide for their families.

As a result, the organization officially changed its’ name to Feed the Children Vallarta (I know that some of you will be happy to hear about the name change!); they are no longer Children of the Dump; they are students and champions of Feed the Children Vallarta.

We will continue to provide yearly support to the School of Champions, which serves the children of the communities around the dump.

Puerto Vallarta

2009-06-27T19:13:00.003-04:00

Our love of Mexico brought us once again to Puerto Vallarta despite the crazy media blitz around the H1N1 virus. And, just for the record, there were absolutely no signs of the virus anywhere…everyone looked very healthy and energized for the summer months.

Given that it was already June by the time we left Canada, we were well overdue for our yearly visit at the Children of the Dump (which is slowly becoming one of our favorite yearly traditions!). This time around, we brought many English books to be donated to the School of Champions, which will be building their own library over the summer months. Thanks to the Vancouver Public Library who donated these books to the Isa Mundo Foundation, the library will be well stocked and the children will be able to enjoy learning English and developing their reading skills while discovering great stories along the way.

We also took advantage of our trip to PV to visit Pasitos de Luz, a free daycare facility providing children with severe disabilities with a caring and loving environment, treatment for individual rehabilitation, nutritional meals, physical stimulation, massages and therapy. Pasitos also provides regular evaluations from medical specialists, including occupational and speech therapists; as well as providing free orthopedic equipment. In addition, Pasitos provides moral and emotional support to the families of these children. The people that work at Pasitos de Luz are an inspiration to us all; the enthusiasm and love that is felt for the children is amazing! Gracias Yolanda y todos a Pasitos! Ustedes son una inspiración para todos!

We are currently in full research mode in figuring out how to best help Pasitos...and we have lots of ideas!

Latincouver - La Plaza Latina

2009-06-07T16:34:00.011-04:00

Isa Mundo was invited to the launch of Latincouver, an organization that aims to strengthen and celebrate Vancouver's Latin American communities. Latincouver hopes to become the leading social, culture network and business portal for the Latin American community in the city by hosting a number of activities including business networking forum, social gatherings and cultural events.

Latincouver is aware of the growing Latin population and diversity in Vancouver and the contribution it is making in the art, music, culture, cuisine and business in the region. The organization will be a forum to help connect the city with the Latin community and share it's diverse cultures its residents.

To learn more about Latincouver, check out their Plaza Latina.

Host Papa Joins the Isa Mundo Family

2009-06-01T21:02:00.001-04:00

As of June 1st, Host Papa is a proud sponsor of Isa Mundo and we are thankful for the support and committment of Host Papa to host our website as a way of contributing to many of our projects.

We are proud to promote Host Papa as their vision alligns well with Isa Mundo. The company has taken the initiative of going green by purchasing 100% green renewable energy to power their data center, web servers, office computers, laptops and office space. These energy sources supply its entire equivalent energy consumption into the power-grid with certified 100% renewable green energy sources, such as wind and solar-powered energy.

HostPapa has won numerous awards and is consistently being ranked as one of the Top 10 web hosting companies. They take great pride in servicing their customers and continually out performing even their own expectations.

Thank you Host Papa for taking care of Isa Mundo!!

To learn more about Host Papa and services they provide, please visit their website at www.hostpapa.com

Update on our Road to Success Campaign II

2009-05-19T10:50:00.002-04:00

We have already received many donations for our Road to Success Campaign and are only missing about $500.00 to complete this project. We hope to complete it by the end of this month in order to send the money to Casa de Sion by the end of the summer. Volunteers will be there to help build the road that will link the orphanage to the water wells.

Charity Village

2009-04-29T20:49:00.003-04:00

Check it out! We are slowly expanding our network and are now part of the Charity Village Nonprofit Neighbourhood under the International Relief/Development/Peace section. To link to the page click on the following link: http://www.charityvillage.com/cv/nonpr/nonpr9.html

New website design

2009-04-24T19:24:00.002-04:00

It has been almost two years since Isa Mundo was officially launched and to celebrate, we are revamping the design of our website. Thanks to Geegen's dedication and patience, the new look will be launched within the next few weeks...stay tunned for our funky new website!

Road to Success Campaign II

2009-04-18T19:15:00.001-04:00

Last year, we launched our Road to Success Campaign and raised enough money for the building of the service road at Casa de Sion orphanage in Guatemala. Unfortunately, due to political pressure from the Guatemalan government last Fall, the building of the new orphanage and consequently the service road was put on hold. Since we had already received many donations for the road, we decided to use to money to complete the Isa Mundo Education Center in Bambang (as you can see from our March 6 blog).

The construction of Casa de Sion is now in full swing and is almost complete...the only thing missing is the service road. We will be re-launching our Road to Success Campaign and hope to complete this project by Summer 2009. Please send your donations for Casa de Sion.

Isa Mundo Education Center

2009-03-07T21:45:00.003-05:00

We did it !!!

On March 6, 2009, Isa Mundo completed the first Isa Mundo Educational Centre in Bambang Elementary School in Bambang Bulakan, Philippines. The computers will be used to teach basic programs to each grade level and to develop knowledge and skills of computer hardware, software and orientation to the world of Internet.

We would like to thank Contronics Computers Center in Manila for their cooperation and to everyone who contributed to this worthwhile project. We hope to continue this project to other communities.

News from Puerto Vallarta

2009-02-03T15:24:00.002-05:00

We often receive newsletters from various organizations. Children of the Dump in Puerto Vallarta have monthly newsletters, which they send out and post online. We always love reading them and thought you would too. Enjoy their February newsletter at http://www.kids.romamexico.com/newsletters/Newsletter-February-2009.pdf

Grace Educational Trust

2009-01-22T17:15:00.001-05:00

This month, we would like to highlight the great work done by Grace Educational Trust. The two co-founders, Neelima Pratap and Francis Dass were inspired to alleviate poverty through education and decided to launch Grace Educational Trust as a registered charity in India dedicated to providing educational opportunities for underprivileged children and women. Their vision is to support sustainable community development through education by providing new learning opportunities to children in need in the small village of Betim Ramnagar in Goa, India. They have several programs including early childhood development, bridging and tutoring. To find out more about the children and the great work Grace Educational Trust is doing, check out their website at http://www.graceeducationaltrust.com/index.html

Maligayang Paslit 2008

2008-12-25T14:44:00.000-05:00

On December 24th the Bambang Youth Organization held the 9th Annual Maligayang Paslit and it was a great success! This year, as the main sponsor
Isa Mundo Foundation hosted 500 children from the village of Bambang, Bulacan, Philippines. Despite the rain, the children enjoyed a day filled with games, food, ice cream, prizes, and other fun filled activities.

Trip to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres

2008-12-12T09:42:00.001-05:00

Isa Mundo travelled to Isla Mujeres and Cozumel to visit potential projects.
The first project we visited is Ciudad de Ángeles, a children’s home located on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. The home provides for the needs of orphaned, abandoned, and abused children in a safe and healthy environment. Ciudad de Ángeles is developing a permanent campus which will provide residences for over 80 children. Up to now, it has build three homes and is housing 28 children. We would like to extend a special thank you to Dennis who gave us a tour of the campus and introduced us to the wonderful children. For more information on Ciudad de Ángeles, please visit their website at www.ciudaddeangeles.org.

The second project we visited is The Little Yellow School House located on the island of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The main purpose of the school is to provide education and unique attention to children with special needs ranging from the ages of 3 to 17 years old. Currently there are 35 students, 5 teachers and 1 psychologist working on a part-time basis. Unfortunately, many of the children who attend the school come from abusive homes. In an effort to provide support for the parents, the school also offers group therapy sessions to help them better understand the special needs of the children. The school is supported solely by donations and receives no money from the Mexican government. For more information on the school or if you would like to donate to the school, please visit their website at http://www.isla-mujeres.net/school/home.htm. Please note that it is best to contact them in Spanish since none of their volunteers speak English.

Isa Mundo on the UN-Habitat website

2008-11-15T12:40:00.005-05:00

Exciting news! Our Solar Powered LED Light to Bring Sunlight at Night project in La Providencia, Guatemala is featured as a best practice on improving the living environment on the UN-habitat website!

The Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme (BLP) is a global network of institutions dedicated to the identification and exchange of successful solutions for sustainable development. The BLP partners' network identifies initiatives in such areas as housing, urban development and governance, the environment, economic development, social inclusion, crime prevention, poverty reduction, women, youth, infrastructure and social services. We are proud that one of our projects is highlighted as a best practice on the BLP network.

Check out our featured project at http://www.unhabitat.org/bestpractices/2008/mainview04.asp?BPID=2112

Gawang Kalinga - Friends of Isa Mundo

2008-10-20T11:35:00.002-04:00

Gawang Kalinga’s (GK) (to give care) aim is to reduce poverty in the world by providing shelter, education, health and livelihood. Their focus in the Philippines is for a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino. Since 1995 GK has reached over 900 communities all over the Philippines and in other developing countries. Isa Mundo is currently in discussion with GK for potential future partnership. Check out their website at http://www.gawadkalinga.org/

Friends of Isa Mundo

2008-10-06T18:19:00.001-04:00

There are so many great organizations that Isa Mundo has encountered and been introduced to from which we learn of new and exciting projects everyday. We will regularly showcase these amazing organizations, which we hope to work with in the future. All of these have similar visions of collaborating and partnering with non-governmental and community organizations to improve the situation of families and communities around the world and in their community. Stay tuned for October’s focus organization!

The team is expanding

2008-09-26T23:18:00.000-04:00

It’s official…Danielle Maheu has enthusiastically accepted our offer to join the foundation as our Communications Officer. Danielle will be working on our promotional material including brochures, business cards and other great products. Danielle recently completed professional photography studies at Spéos - Paris Photographic Institute in Paris, France. She is currently living in Toronto and is working on several portrait and documentary projects that she expects to complete in late 2008. Check our her website at www.daniellemaheu.com
Welcome Danielle!

Casa de Sion Update

2008-09-17T20:01:00.000-04:00

We would like to update you on a situation regarding Casa de Sion Orphanage in Guatemala. The Director has recently informed us that she is currently resolving a situation between the orphanage and the Guatemalan government; she will keep us updated on the outcomes of this situation. This unfortunate event has put a hold on the construction of the new orphanage and other facilities including the construction of the service road, which Isa Mundo is funding. We are currently evaluating if we want to use the funds targeted for Casa de Sion for another Isa Mundo project.

Another successful campaign!

2008-09-15T21:15:00.000-04:00

In June 2008 we launched a campaign to raise money to provide 2 water tanks, which will supply clean drinking water for the children, youth and families in the communities. We are proud to announce that we have successfully completed the fundraiser for this campaign. Engineers Without Borders will be purchasing the water tanks in December of this year.

A successful campaign!

2008-09-07T11:14:00.000-04:00

In June 2008, Isa Mundo launched its Road to Success Campaign to fund a service road for an orphanage in Guatemala. Through all our fundraising efforts, we recently attained our goal for the service road. Thank you for all your support.

Second Ottawa Garage Sale

2008-09-06T13:12:00.001-04:00

We held our second Ottawa summer garage sale and it was a great success. Thanks to donations from family and friends, we managed to raise enough money to complete our Clean Water project in El Salvador. Thanks to everyone for your support and kind donations!

Taking ITGlobal

2008-08-30T11:10:00.001-04:00

We are expanding our network to reach out to more youth! We recently joined TakingITGlobal, an online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities. This network offers numerous opportunities for youth expression, connection to opportunities, and support for action. We have already learnt of great projects and are exploring various avenues for future projects and partnerships. Check out our link at http://groups.takingitglobal.org/isamundo

Oscar in Guatemala and El Salvador

2008-08-25T12:14:00.010-04:00

In late August 2008, Isa Mundo sent a new member of the team, Oscar Aguilar to Central America in order to initiate awareness in areas where we can make an impact. His two week trip consisted of two parts, the first in Guatemala and the latter in El Salvador. In Guatemala, Oscar visited Casa de Sion in Panajachel, where he dropped off donations from family, friends, and the foundation for the orphanage. Casa de Sion is in the process of moving to the a new location, and thanks to Pedro (Director of CS), our volunteer came back with great news regarding the locale. At the new place, the children will have closer access to their schools, land to play "futbol", and will also have farming lands where they can learn to cultivate and fend for themselves, amongst other things.

The second leg of the journey was in a clinic in El Salvador founded by the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) in a poor community called Las Delicias in San Juan Opico, near San Salvador. Here,
Oscar got the opportunity to work directly with the community of Las Delicias, with FIMRC manager, Meredith, and clinic physician, Dr. Hector. The work being done is here is wonderful because the clinic serves as a means to healthcare and education, many of these children would not have this priviledge. The staff works hard to encourage social activities within the community and are leaders for the families of la colonia. It would be an honour to work with the clinic and we are doing just that. Currently, we are in the process of synthesizing a project from a holistic approach where it will be self-sustainable and reproducible, environmentally friendly, but still aimed at tackling a key health issue, malnutrition.

Vancouver garage sale

2008-07-26T21:39:00.000-04:00

On July 26th, Isa Mundo held its second garage sale,
this time in Vancouver. Thanks to the many items
donated by family and friends, we raised a total of $550.
All proceeds will go to the funding of a service
road for an orphanage in Panajachel, Guatemala.
With the money received from our garage sale, we
only have a few more hundred dollars to go to
complete our Road To Success Campaign. If you
would like to contribute to this cause, or to any
other of our projects, please visit our donate page
at http://www.isamundo.org/donate.htm

Ottawa garage sale

2008-06-22T09:37:00.004-04:00

We are pleased to announce that we held our first
Isa Mundo Garage Sale on June 21st in Ottawa.
All proceeds went to our Clean Water in El Salvador
Campaign - a campaign which aims to contribute
two water tanks to the villages of Las Mercedes and
El Naranjito in El Salvador. The garage sale
helped us raise almost half the funds needed
to complete this Campaign.

Party Favours for Isa Mundo

2008-06-15T18:23:00.000-04:00

On June 7th, Isa Mundo Foundation attended and celebrated a wedding of one of its friend and keen supporter. The bride & groom decided to pay tribute to the Foundation by donating the budget intended for party favours to a worthy cause. Their donation will be going towards our newly launched Road to Success Campaign - a project to help build a service road for an orphanage in Guatemala.

We would like to thank the newlyweds for their support and for including Isa Mundo Foundation on their special day. We wish them all the best in their new adventure!

Two New Campaigns

2008-06-11T13:30:00.010-04:00

Isa Mundo Foundation launched two campaigns to help two communities.

The first is Casa de Sion, a small orphanage in Panajachel, Guatemala, near the shores of Lake Atitlan. The orphanage needs a service road that will connect it to the main highway, therefore improving the delivery of water, medicine, food, school and other much needed supplies.

The second campaign is for the villages of Las Mercedes and El Naranjito in El Salvador. This project is with Engineers Without Border Oregon State University Chapter. The group has designed an efficient, locally sustainable and environmentally friendly gravity fed water system in order to provide these communities with a reliable access to clean drinking water.

Please visit the Isa Mundo Foundation website for more information about the communities and the current campaigns.

"Mighty Lights" A Huge Success

2008-05-31T17:17:00.019-04:00

We would like to announce the completion of the Light Up A Home project in La Providencia, Guatemala. In partnership with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) - Marquette University Chapter, the Mighty Lights were installed in all 35 homes in the village. EWB Project Lead, Tom Zalewski stated that the "villagers were excited and truly appreciative of the lights".

We are a attaching a formal letter of 'THANKS' from EWB and also pics of the Mighty Light in two of the community homes.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed and sponsored to Light Up A Home in La Providencia.

To see additional photos of the project, click on: Mighty Lights

School of Champions - Children of the Dump

2008-05-07T14:30:00.005-04:00

The Isa Mundo Foundation visited the School of Champions and the Children of the Dump organization near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We sent 30 boxes of school supplies to the School of Champions in May 2006, becoming the first official project of Isa Mundo. We learned from this current visit that the School has accomplished incredible things and have provided education to many children in the area.

In the past 10 years, the organization has not detached itself to its mission of helping children realize the promise of a better life. In addition to providing education, the organization serves breakfast, lunch and hot meals to 2,300 children each school day. It has created an after school classes for 130 to 150 children from grades 3 to 6 and operate 9 day care centers, each with a capacity of 25 children ages 3 ½ months to 3 ½ years.

Isa Mundo was able to bring donations to the School with the help of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle's toy store. We have committed to donate much needed educational games and language learning tools to the school in the near future.

To learn more about the organization, please visit: www.childrenofthedump.org

The World of Diaper Pins

2008-05-02T15:05:00.003-04:00

Isa Mundo is learning many things about the world of diaper pins through their work with the Mi bébé y yo Project in Lake Chapala, Mexico. After having visited the Project in December of 2007, Isa Mundo learned how rare diaper pins are in the area which is needed to complete the gift baskets that the project donates to mothers and new born babies in Guadalajara. Isa Mundo started looking for a supplier willing to donate diaper pins and after countless emails and phone calls we finally received an answer from April MacKinnon, owner of Nurtured Products for Parenting, a mother operated online business. April felt very moved by the work of the Foundation and agreed to form a partnership with Isa Mundo and donate the much needed diaper pins, as she mentioned, “I stand with your foundation that children are our future, regardless of where they live on the planet, and it is our job as parents to help those less fortunate.”

For all the parents out there looking for environmentally sustainable products provided by a Canadian based company please visit their website at www.nurtured.ca

Mrs. Tiggy Winkle's

2008-04-29T22:56:00.002-04:00

Great news! Mrs. Tiggle Winkle’s, an Ottawa based toy store full of creative and innovative playthings, is donating educational games to Isa Mundo. We will be bringing the supplies to the Children of the Dump's School of Champions in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This school is located a few steps away from the main garbage dump of Puerto Vallarta. The school is doing wonderful things for the children and the surrounding communities - it is a place where children can find refuge instead of having to work in the dump picking up garbage and whatever else they need for their survival. The school's main goal is to empower children through education in order to have an opportunity for a better future.

Thank you Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s!

Aandolan - Turn Your World Around

2008-04-10T18:51:00.003-04:00

Isa Mundo has formed a partnership with a non for profit organization called Aandolan, which is Hindi for 'movement for change' and headed by 16 year old Tara Suri. We learned of Tara's work after seeing her CNN profile for Young People Who Rock and spoke of her work to implement social-change initiatives and provides youth with the tools to become changemakers. Aandolan is entirely run by teens and sees youth as a powerful force capable of effecting global change. Tara was also named Cosmo Girl 2007 for developing H.O.P.E (Helping Orphans Pursue Education) and her tireless work for the Turn Your World Around initiative.

Tara and Aandolan have agreed to form a partnership with Isa Mundo on orphanage projects in Guatemala and the Philippines. Stay tuned ...

To see Tara's CNN interview:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/03/30/ypwr.suri/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

To learn more about Aandolan, visit their website at: www.aandolan.org

Launch of the Light Up A Home Campaign

2008-04-01T19:55:00.000-04:00

April fools day! We are launching our first ever campaign called Light Up A Home Campaign! In partnership with Engineers Without Borders, Isa Mundo Foundation is hoping to Light Up all 35 homes in the village of La Nueva Providencia, Guatemala; a new Mayan village, which has a sustainable water source but lacks electricity. For only $45 you can provide a home with an LED light and a solar panel used for charging. These LED MightyLights’ are one-of-a-kind long-life, low-cost, maintenance-free, environmentally-friendly light, that can last up to 30 years. To donate, please visit our donate page at http://www.isamundo.org/donate.htm

Pick up of Isa Mundo Smart bags

2008-03-21T13:59:00.002-04:00

We got the goods! We are very excited to have received our Isa Mundo shopping bags and they are very bright! So please buy one and you can start shopping in style and play a part in creating more environmentally sustainable communities.

Toward a brighter future

2008-03-17T14:50:00.000-04:00

Isa Mundo is pleased to announce that the computers for Casa Guatemala (CG) and Casa de Sion (CS) finally arrived in Guatemala. With the help of the Emmanuel Foundation, CG managed to set-up the computers as soon as they arrived. And, thanks to Pedro (CS director) – who drove many hours to pick up the computers - CS will soon have their own small computer educational center.

GeeGen joins the team

2008-03-04T18:58:00.000-05:00

We would like to welcome Geegen to the Isa Mundo team. Geegen has done a great job responding to our endless request of updating and maintaining our website. Check out her website for funky photos, designs, drawings and much more - www.geegen.com.

Sunlight at Night

2008-02-21T13:55:00.000-05:00

Isa Mundo is pleased to announce a major donation by Cosmos Ignite Inc to complete our project in La Nueva Providencia in Guatemala. Isa Mundo has been working closely with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Marquette University Chapter to complete a hydro electric project that will bring electricity to village for the first time. One of the most needed materials is light. In order to save electricity in the village, EWB determined that small solar powered LED lights can be used for each of the 35 homes in the village. Cosmos Ignite, the creator of the ' Mighty Lights ' kindly cut the cost of their solar panel and LED lights in half, allowing Isa Mundo to purchase the lights at a much cheaper cost.

Cosmos Ignite’s goal is to bring disruptive technology through innovative products delivered through a sustainable model. The Mighty Lights truly are MIGHTY. They have a very long life and can last up to 30 years and will provide light for education and increase income generation potential through livelihoods such as sewing, weaving, handicrafts, etc.. More importantly, it will eliminate dangerous flames and pollution smoke from indoor light sources, thus improving air quality in the home. The Mighty Lights will also reduce deforestation caused by dependence on wood or charcoal thus become non polluting and environmentally friendly.

How good is that! We are launching the Light Up a Home Campaign to raise funds and ensure that every home in La Providencia gets their "sunlight at night".

The innovation of the Mighty Lights can be witnessed at: www.cosmosignite.com

Networking leads us to Rotary International

2008-02-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

After various emails to the Philippine Embassy, Philippines Chamber of Commerce and other Filipino cultural centres, Isa Mundo was eventually led to Rotary International and we are now exploring a partnership with them to ship our computers to Bambang, Bulacan, Philippines. Rotary International is the world's first club organization and has more than 1.5 million members and over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries worldwide. Their vision aligns well with Isa Mundo's children and youth, health, education and environmental projects. We learned that Bambang is geographically covered by one of many Rotary clubs in the Philippines and we are now discussing how they can use their funds to help ship our computers in order to complete the Isa Mundo Education Centre in Bambang. Stay tuned...

Visit the Rotary International website to see their past and current activities at: http://www.rotary.org

Schools Without Borders

2008-02-12T20:48:00.000-05:00

Isa Mundo is exploring a partnership with Schools Without Borders (SWB) and have been in contact with its Executive Director, Christopher Kang. SWB is a youth run organization supporting socially excluded youth to build communities they want to live in. They work to engage, train and support youth by channeling the creativity and energy of young people foster social entrepreneurialism and community development by using film, art, music and photography workshops. They have completed projects in Canada, Kenya, Cuba, Brazil, India, Thailand and Tibet. SWB is looking to expand into other countries where Isa Mundo is currently present.

Check out SWB at: www.swb.ca

Corporate Social Responsibility Solutions

2008-01-26T13:44:00.000-05:00

Isa Mundo was contacted by Sherry Prenevost of Green Solutions which is a group providing new and exciting Corporate Social Responsibility Solutions (CSR) to major corporations and organizations across Europe and from February this year, across Canada and North America. In the process of doing this, Green Solutions provide very positive and creative Public Relations for the companies involved. We do this by managing the disposal of end of life corporate assets, IT, furniture, in fact all items that are no longer needed Green Solutions turns "Waste into Wonder" by building schools and medical centers in less advantaged parts of the world from items that were destined to become waste.

This is a great opportunity for Isa Mundo to make a difference by bridging the gap between the large corporate companies who have a need to employ "best environmental practice" and the charities who struggle. In this process they both win and the environment truly benefits by reduced landfill. We have agreed to collaborate with them and are discussing future projects ... we will keep you updated!!

To learn more about Green Solutions, visit their website at: http://www.gsnai.com/

Kids day in Bambang

2007-12-25T22:22:00.001-05:00

Another day of fun in the village of Bambang! This year, Isa Mundo became the main sponsor of the annual Maligayang Paslit children's day in Bambang Bulakan Philippines (Paul's childhood village). The 8th Annual Maligayang Paslit was a day filled with games, videoke, food, prizes and other activities for the children of Bambang! We made a difference in the lives of 350 children and have committed to sponsor this event on an annual basis.

Sarah y José en el Salvador

2007-12-22T11:50:00.001-05:00

Sarah Woods and Jose Reyes traveled to El Salvador and agreed to visit two project sites on behalf of Isa Mundo Foundation. The first visit was a project with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Oregon State University Chapter regarding a water project in the village of Las Mercedes and El Naranjito. We hope to partner with EWB to complete their sustainable water filtration and delivery system in the future. Sarah and Jose visited the project site on December 21st and were greeted and guided by Aaron Poreski and Alfonso Jimenez-Pedro of EWB. They were able to see first hand the Potters for Peace pots that were distributed by EWB in the community, and which filtered the water for both the families and the visitors. It was pretty incredible to see that the engineers from Oregon were drinking the same water as the locals, from the Potters for Peace pots, and to hear that none of the visitors had gotten sick. They also visited a school, met local community members, spoke with other EWB team and learned that having access to clean drinking water improves the community’s health by diminishing exposure to water-related disease, and significantly decreases the amount of time necessary for families to gather water during the dry season. The next phase of this EWB project is planned for implementation mid-summer 2008 and Isa Mundo is currently exploring how best to help EWB make these plans a reality! To learn more about the EWB projects in El Salvador, visit their website at: http://groups.engr.orst.edu/ewb/projects/el_salvador_project

The second visit was at an SOS Children’s village in Santa Ana. Through Isa Mundo, Sarah and José collected a hockey-bag full of school supplies for the kids and delivered it to the village. One of the village coordinators showed the two around and gave them a chance to meet the Mom’s and talk to the kids. This organization is doing amazing work for the children of El Salvador, and it was clear to both Sarah and Jose that this place was a sanctuary for the children who live there. Through a unique program format, these kids are given a second chance at having a family, including a home of their own, a mom and several siblings.