Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Fashion Combats Poverty In Honduras

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

moda 1The fashion industry often gets [sometimes deservedly] a bad rap for having people in underdeveloped countries create their latest clothes lines for pennies while selling them for thousands of dollars in the shops of the developed world.

However, Moda Esperanza – the brilliant charity fashion group that turns the tabs from soda cans into fashionable accessories – is continuing to do the opposite. The group – set up to help single mothers in Honduras, and now Chicago – takes the worthless soda can tabs and turns them into very hip, fashion accessories [see photo on right]. The money earned then goes straight back to the people that really need it.

To put that in perspective, the group gave us some idea of how important the sale of even just one item can be to those women:

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Cameroon Says Goodbye to Super Volunteer, Dee Ryan

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

dees send off party

One of the best volunteers working with GMMAfrica – Dee Ryan – headed home to Ireland last month and we’ve just had some photos of Dee from her leaving party.

Dee – she’s the most colorfully dressed one in the middle – has been there a year and although she will be coming back to check in with the education charity, she will be sorely missed. Rev Teh Francis sent some shots and this message:

“Greetings from this end. Things are pretty going on fine with GMM, Cameroon. We continue to thank you for all the support we have received from you. I just wanted to share with you some photos of a send off party of our Irish volunteer, Dee. She has been here one whole year working on the child sponsorship program and other issues still involving the organization. She has proven just one of the best we ever had. We are so satisfied with her work. We weep to see her go. She left earlier this month and will be coming back often. We forgot to share with you some photos of a send off party we had for her. Thank you again for all your concern. You can check the children still needing sponsors here.”

Goodbye for now to Dee but Rev Francis is on the lookout for other volunteers hoping to make a difference, and to take time out to go to Cameroon and see first-hand the great work being done educating children to help break them out of the poverty trap and give them a better future.

Contact him at: revteh@gmmafrica.org. More shots below

dee and teachers

dee and family


School Holidays Arrive in Cameroon

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

jinkfuin kids summer holidays 1

Our friends at the charity GMM Africa sent over some shots of the kids at the school in Jinkfuin preparing to go on their summer holidays.

The children, for whom education would be impossible without the work of GMM Africa and the schools it sets up, are preparing for a well-deserved break and have just finished their last exams before they break up. Charity director, Teh Francis wrote to us:

“We thank you for your continual intervention in helping the needy people here as evidenced by your providing a means of transportation for us in the past, sponsorship and starting a sustainable project. Most beneficiaries of your support have been pupils at the elementary school Jinkfuin. They have written their final exams and are prepared for the summer holidays.

jinkfuin kids summer holidays 2We wanted to share some photos with you before they go on holidays. Christina [pictured on the left], our partner in the UK, recently visited the institution and donated a lot of school material. Thank you for all the care you’ve been offering to the disadvantaged people of Africa.”

We at Catalyst Exhibits would like to wish all the wonderful kids and those at GMM Africa, the very best for their well-earned summer vacation.

You can read more about Christine’s recent visit in Cameroon Kids Get Special Visitor.


Cameroon Kids Get Special Visitor

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

christina clover 1Some of Cameroon’s budding education projects, led by charity GMM Africa, had a special visitor in recent weeks. Christina Clover, the founder of Commit2Africa, visited Reverend Teh Francis and the kids in Jinkfuin school to see how things are going and to catch up with Irish volunteer Dee Ryan, before she headed back to Ireland. you can see some photos from the visit.

Established in 2010, the registered Commit2Africa charity is funded entirely by donations from businesses and individuals and has concentrated its initial efforts in Cameroon.

The group’s short term goals involve getting sponsors for children in Africa to attend school – from as little as $16 per month. The group also provides donations of food and clothing to those that need it most.

With GMM, Christina and her small team have been working on getting a photocopier over there, as books cost a lot and photocopying them would allow every child to have the right material.

In addition, they have been collecting old computers and sending them over where they are put to good use. Christina also wants to build two new classrooms as the the current school is filled to capacity and more and more and children want to attend.christina clover 2

All of us here at Catalyst Exhibits just want to send our best wishes to Christina and Teh for the work they are doing on the ground in Cameroon and we’re proud to be helping out.

If you want to help out, visit Commit2Africa here.


Reading Class Needs Funding

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

debbies readers 3In recent posts we have heard from super-teacher Debbie Valette in Boulder, Colorado  about how her special reading classes is helping teens with reading difficulties catch back up  - and sometimes overtake – their classmates.

Just as importantly, it’s succeeded in instilling in them a life-long love of books and reading.

To continue and improve her reading program, Debbie has laid out her plans for the future goals below.

“In case you are interested, my goals for the future (if I receive another grant from Catalyst) include the following: Read the rest of this entry »


How Reading Changes Children’s Lives

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

debbies readers 2Last week, we read about how Debbie Valette’s unique reading program at the Centennial Middle school in Boulder, Colorado, is working wonders in helping kids leap grades they would have otherwise failed to clear. Debbie’s program is one of the most rewarding projects we have been proud to support at Catalyst Exhibits.

Debbie sent us some feedback from some those of she’s been working with – a personal take on how reading is now a huge part of their lives.

“The kids have had many success stories this year:

Maria stayed for 30 minutes past the time that the afterschool class ended to finish the book she was reading. She read for 70 minutes straight. That is unheard of for a struggling reader. Thanks for allowing me to put books in her hands that she loves.

Lewis told me that he could read for 30 minutes now on his own. He started the year hating reading and refused to read a book. I got him hooked on Playaways and…..”

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Struggling Readers Leapfrog Grades

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

debbies readers 1Sometimes it takes a different approach to a problem in order to come up with a solution. When it comes to children that are having reading difficulties, it takes a special person and approach to the problem in order to get them to engage. Without reading, they are destined to leave school with very low grades and very limited options for the future.

Debbie Valette is that person and Catalyst Exhibits has been sponsoring her unique reading program at the Centennial Middle school in Boulder, Colorado. Debbie’s been in touch to let us know just how well her struggling readers have been doing in recent months.

“So, it’s been a great year. According to the latest Galileo Assessment that my students took, they are all growing as readers. Their improvement this year has varied (depending on the student) from one grade level to almost three grade levels of growth.

I attribute their growth to the following research-based practices that I am using in the classroom:

I give my students substantial periods of time to read in class, and I require that they read 30 minutes a day outside of class. I run an afterschool class for kids who are unlikely to read at home. (Catalyst cash has provided snacks for that afterschool program at times throughout the year.) Kids need to READ to improve at reading. Simple, but true!” Read the rest of this entry »


Motorbike Taxis Ride to Sonita’s Rescue

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

gmm student on pcIn recent weeks we’ve been hearing some moving stories from Cameroon about how the motorbike taxis we here at Catalyst Exhibits have helped sponsor have been making much more impact than just getting people from A to B. Read more here.

Teh Francis with the GMM Africa charity, which is playing a key role in getting children off the streets and into education programmes, sent us some information on a young girl called Sonita, who has been a lucky recipient from the funds raised by the taxis.

Happy Easter from GMM in Cameroon. We are all doing fine. We are excited today to share some good news with you report on how things fare because of the help you have provided. I am speaking today about a girl called Sonita [light-complexioned girl in the photograph].

She is in Form 4 in Acha Baptist College, in Belo. We only just discovered that she is an orphan girl and has been staying with an old grandmother who is sick all of the time. We are just sorry we never understood the plight of this girl earlier. The grandmother has been struggling to put her through in school with a meager income, most of which is used pay for her medicines. The girl has been attending on and off and has never attended a full week due to not having the fees. We are glad to announce that we’ve paid…… Read the rest of this entry »


Waiting for a Sponsor

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

cameroon sponsor child smallThis child is waiting for a sponsor. Someone who will contribute money to help give him an education.

Not every child in Cameroon gets a chance to have an education and, with it, a shot at a better life. It does not cost that much by our standards to save a child from a life of poverty.

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Cameroon Greetings To Catalyst Exhibits

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

teh and GMM team

It takes a good team to provide an education to children in need. It takes a great team to pull it off in Cameroon, in west Africa, where a large number of children are often abandoned to the streets, where they face a life of abject poverty, crime and abduction for work camps or the sex trade.

Reverend Teh Francis and his team, some of them pictured above, have done great things to help educate hundreds of children and save many others from the streets.

Education is the only route out of a life of poverty, crime and violence for many disadvantaged children in Cameroon. We here at Catalyst Exhibits are proud to have beeen working closely with Teh and his group for the past few years and it’s been amazing to see how far they have made our contributions go.

Our expertise as a company is in the events and exhibition sector but, through our Area 3 charity blog, we have taken an active role in helping out numerous worthy causes. As Teh wrote this week when he sent us the photo above:

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