Are children in Africa better off than they were a year and half ago when Global Playground did not exist? To answer that question, we traveled more than 7000 miles to visit with the children of six villages within the Wakiso District of Uganda. When we arrived, these children did not know our names. They barely understood from where we had come. They nonetheless immediately wrapped their arms around our legs and held our hands, for we had finally come. We were the ones. The ones who had brought them hope. The ones who had brought them a brighter future and a longer life. The ones who had brought them a school.

If you had joined us on our trip to visit the six villages that will benefit from Global Playground's first school, the following is what you would have experienced. So come and imagine the fanfare that would have surrounded your arrival and experience the hope that you--as a supporter of Global Playground--have brought to the children in Uganda. This is what supporting Global Playground is all about.

As Global Playground's van turns off the main road and heads down a dusty, dirt road toward four of the villages, you see tropical trees and mud-sided huts flanked by chickens, pigs, and half-clothed children playing in the dirt. You bounce around as the van slowly makes its way down the pot-hole-ridden road, and you turn your attention to a woman and a child alongside the road. "We're coming! We're coming! Can you give us a ride?," the woman says. That instant you realize that the village leaders have gotten wind of your arrival and have "mobilized" their entire villages to greet you.

Turning quickly around in your seat to the sounds of cheers and laughter, you see a few children beginning to run full speed after the van. "Muzungu! Muzungu!," they cry out after seeing someone different looking than themselves for perhaps the first time in their lives. Those children are then quickly joined by others who dart out from the tropical trees lining the road. Soon a hundred or more bare-footed children are running full speed after the van, cheering and waving. Upon reaching the school, you see a large crowd, numbering in the hundreds, all gathered in a clearing. The emotions are overwhelming. Tears begin welling up in your eyes as the cheering and clapping outside the van reaches a crescendo.

Thunderous applause and cheers greet you as you step out of the van. You are quickly surrounded by dozens of children whom you begin greeting. Shaking hands quickly becomes difficult, as a few children grasp onto your legs and hold onto your arms. The next thing you know you are escorted to furniture set up in a clearing shaded by banana trees. The furniture is not fancy by any means, but it's the best they have; they've carried it from a mile away or more and covered it with delicate croqueted linens peppered with holes. You sit like a celebrity amidst hundreds of people whom you had never met.

As you sit, you see workers laying brick for the school in the African heat and the beautiful colors of the dresses worn by the African woman glistening in the sun; they have worn their best for your arrival. The village leader introduces himself and members of the construction committee. In the native tongue, he speaks about how thankful his village is for the school and Global Playground's efforts, which have brought his village much hope. You are then asked to stand and introduce yourself. The emotional outpouring leaves you at a loss for words, but words need not be conveyed. You are the one. You are part of Global Playground. You are the one who has helped bring them a school.

"Happy we are . . . Happy we are today!," one group of children comes forth singing while swaying and swinging their arms. Another group follows, kicking up the dirt with their bare feet and shrugging their shoulders to "Ca . . . lyp . . . so!" Yet another group follows. They point to themselves while cheerfully and melodically proclaiming, "We . . . We are the futcha leaders of Ganda." There you sit, attentively watching group after group of girls and boys welcoming your arrival with singing and dancing. For nearly an hour, you see their parents proudly watching and clapping along with their children. Then out of the trees a man emerges carrying a linen-covered tray full of sodas; he hands you one. Seeing the abject poverty of these people, you realize the significance of this gesture and drink every last drop. Fully refreshed, it's now time for you to sing a song or two and learn how to dance the African way. Your songs are much different than theirs and evoke much laughter and applause, only to be eclipsed later by the laughter brought about by your feeble attempts to shake your hips to the beat of the music.

You are then invited to tour the school, which is under construction. The children follow eagerly behind you as you make your way down the red dirt road and into the school's courtyard. As you walk around the school, two little boys hold your arm while a girl holds your hand. One of the boys then introduces you to his father who is standing on lashed-together log scaffolding and laying brick for the school. "I work here without pay so my son can learn and have a bright future. He will get the education that I could not," he says. Continuing to walk around the school, you see a child piling bricks into a wheelbarrow and driving it around to the back of the school where his father is working. He makes several trips, with the wheelbarrow precariously close to toppling over each time. At one point, you stop and help him push the wheelbarrow over a large bump. Without saying a word, he continues on, focused on the task at hand.

With the sun setting, you say goodbye to your new friends. "Welaba! Webare! Webare!," they say in their native tongue while cheering and waving. On the hour's drive back to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, you replay the day's events in your mind. Only if you could do more than you have. The need is greater than you could have imagined.

The next day, you visit the other two villages whose children will attend Global Playground's school. Like the day before, you are emotionally overwhelmed by the village members cheering your arrival. Again, you sit in the shade on the finest furniture brought from their houses. Again, you are treated like a celebrity and listen to the village leaders. "So I got the information of you coming here today . . . but I had a problem. . . . I was around nine miles away so I rushed from there so that I meet you here. I am very glad to meet you. Thank you for your coming. I heard you are building a school to develop our area . . . . So I thank you for that. You have many kids here who are orphans and not orphans who will benefit from that school. And more so we parents because as you see we are poor somehow but trying to develop. I am proud to let you know that we are a collaborator village. . . . So we are ready to collaborate with you in whatever kind of things."

After the village leader speaks, you are treated to sugar cane, jack fruit, and another festive celebration. A solo drummer beats his drum, as groups of boys and girls come forth, singing and dancing in bare feet and brightly colored, yet tattered, clothing. Around their waists they wear brightly colored sashes, which are worn only during special occasions. As clouds of dust fill the air from the dancing, you are told that many of the songs have been specifically prepared for your arrival. They sing: "We are overjoyed that you are here. We did not believe you would ever come."

After the singing and dancing, several mothers come forth to sit on the ground before you. They do not say a word but begin weaving crafts--elaborate baskets and mats. The baskets are in beautiful green and white geometric patterns and made of banana fibers. The village leader invites you to inspect their work and to ask them questions. It takes nearly an entire day to make a basket, which will earn only 5,500 Ugandan Shillings or $3 at market. The village leader proudly announces that these mothers came together and traveled dozens of miles to attend a workshop so they could learn how to make crafts. Their driving purpose: to sell their goods at market so their children can have books and school supplies at the Global Playground school.

A few children then invite you to tour their village. Snapping a few pictures, the children are fascinated by your digital camera. Several times they request their picture to be taken, nearly all never having seen a photograph of themselves. You graciously accept their request and take their picture. No one recognizes themselves in the picture until their friends point them out. They then laugh and smile and tug at your hand to get a closer look. At times, you allow them to snap a few pictures of their own; they quickly adapt to the technology and are eager to learn. During your tour, your discussion turns from how they live, to how they farm, to football--their version of soccer. "Do you like to play football?," you ask. "Mmmmm . . . yes," they answer while raising their eyebrows and lifting their chins to the sky. "But we have no ball."

You return to the center of the village and show the children the school supplies that you have brought for them. You hold up crayons, pencils, globes, calculators, construction paper, and scissors. You hand each child a pencil. Child after child clutches his or her new possession with two hands and pulls it in tight to his or her heart as an expression of happiness, excitement, and an insatiable eagerness to learn. With the globes, you show them where you live and, for perhaps the first time, where they live in our world.

What is the recipe for the best Christmas ever? For some, the warm and sleepy feeling of a stomach full of Christmas cookies and other delights. For others, a shortage of outlets to plug in their new gadgets. For the Beard family in western Virginia, largely dispensing with exchanging gifts this past Christmas and instead collectively making a donation to Global Playground.

One year after receiving our first online donation, we have completed our fundraising campaign for a primary school in Buwasa, Uganda. Now, with school construction well underway, Global Playground is turning to Southeast Asia for its next project. Last May, Board members Edward Branagan and Doug Bunch went to Cambodia where they had a chance to visit several schools and nonprofit organizations. And what did they find? They found children eagerly learning under makeshift bamboo roofed huts. They saw children express their dreams with crayons on a piece of white paper. They witnessed children just trying to be children.

So why do we turn to Cambodia? Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, where the majority of children show physical signs of malnourishment. The consequences of the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970's are still evident; Cambodia remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world with more amputees per person than any other country. AIDS and child trafficking also plague the region. Though history has not always been kind to Cambodia, its future prospects are high. With tourism generated by the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and Angkor Wat, the world-famous Hindu and Buddhist temple complex, the country's economy is picking up. Learn more about the project...

In conjunction with our partnering organization, American Assistance for Cambodia, we will build a five-classroom middle school in the Kandal Province, a rural area outside Phnom Penh, for $13,500.

You can help us build it. Join our Virtual Brick Campaign. With your help -- one brick at time -- we'll build our school in Cambodia.

Global Playground proudly announces the purchase of land in Uganda for its first school. Earlier this month, Global Playground in conjunction with Building Tomorrow purchased approximately three acres in Wakiso, the district which surrounds the capital city of Kampala, between the villages of Gurwe and Kanziro. Construction of the school will begin next month and conclude early next year.

Wakiso is an area of obvious need. Global Playground's school will serve a rural area with a large school-age population, many of whom are orphans and other vulnerable children. During a visit last October, Board members Edward Branagan and Doug Bunch met with the commissioner of Wakiso and his ministers of education, who will operate the school and sustain its long-term growth. The commissioner explained that at a time when HIV and AIDS plague the people of Wakiso, literacy -- an ability to read something as simple as the directions on a medicine bottle -- will save lives.

The local community, whose members will play a significant role in building and supporting Global Playground's new school, is very eager to get started. In January, Global Playground Board members will travel to Uganda to meet members of the community and view the progress of construction.

Check back soon for pictures and updates!

Naovarat Branagan, a Maryland resident, is winning the hearts of many children in developing countries. Driven by her own experience growing up in Thailand, she has decided to donate one hundred percent of the proceeds from her catering efforts to Global Playground's projects around the globe.

About a decade ago, Naovarat decided to put her culinary expertise in authentic Thai cuisine and deserts to use for the benefit of nonprofit organizations. By catering various functions during the past ten years she helped raise funds for the Washington, DC based Hainan Association and Wat Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple. Now--with great pride--she is helping Global Playground by cooking up the best phad thai, spring rolls, and satay around.

Naovarat feels a deep personal connection to Global Playground and its commitment to giving children in developing countries access to education. Having grown up in Thailand, Naovarat can personally attest to the significant lack of resources in Thailand's educational system. Fortunately, she was lucky enough to attend school in Bangkok where she could learn in actual school buildings rather than in the small roof huts found in rural Thailand. Through her catering efforts, she hopes that others will be able to look back on their childhood and be thankful for having a similar experience.

So far, Naovarat has catered two functions in the Washington, DC area for Global Playground's benefit. One of these functions was Global Playground's "An Evening Under the Stars," which took place this past April at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and raised several thousand dollars for Global Playground's project in Uganda. Thanks in part to her efforts, Global Playground has fully funded its Ugandan project, and now Naovarat hopes to help raise even more money for Global Playground's next project, which will be in a region near and dear to her heart--Southeast Asia.

Naovarat's giving does not end when the dishes are done. Recently, she and her husband donated fifty pounds of school supplies, which two Global Playground board members personally distributed to many thankful children and their teachers in Uganda, Thailand, and Cambodia. "You should have seen the smiles on those kids' faces when we handed them the school supplies that Mrs. Branagan and her husband donated," board member Doug Bunch said. "One teacher even cried when we handed her a box of pencils."

"It feels really really good to be able to give," Naovarat said. For her, it is a dream come true to help others, particularly in her native Thailand and other developing countries. She was brought up to believe that "we should share what we have" and that the material things around us do not last. The selflessness and sincere commitment to education that Naovarat has shown is a true inspiration. A little goes a long way, and she has shown what a difference a little giving can make!

- Emily Lapolice

To book Naovarat Branagan's catering services within the Washington, DC area, please contact Global Playground at 1-800-998-9348. All proceeds will benefit Global Playground's various projects around the globe.

This past spring, three fifteen year-old students at the Shore Country Day School in Beverly, MA responded to a challenging project in their globalization class by adopting Global Playground as their semester-long cause. Their challenge was to find a nonprofit whose cause they identified with and then go to bat for the nonprofit by raising funds and awareness within their school and neighborhoods. With incredible enthusiasm and excitement, the students became such advocates and fundraisers for Global Playground that their globalization teacher, Tung Trinh, knighted them the "Trio of Awesome."

Trinh, who teaches seventh and ninth grade at the Shore School, learned of Global Playground from his friend and Advisory Committee member, Ashley Clevenger. He highlighted Global Playground's mission and project in Uganda in the introduction to a semester-long project entitled "Your World." The Trio of Awesome was intrigued right away with Global Playground and with helping their peers in Uganda. "I think that taking a second to realize that many kids their age around the world don't have access to any type of education really made them want to help. They loved the idea of helping to give other kids a chance to learn and to experience what they have loved: learning in a school," Trinh said.

Upon learning of Global Playground, the Trio of Awesome became passionately involved. They immediately contacted and spoke with members of Global Playground's Board and Advisory Committee to learn more about Global Playground's project in Uganda. The Trio of Awesome then spoke in front of their school's entire student body of 200 students to raise awareness about Global Playground's mission. The boys also raised $350 by selling Global Playground t-shirts in their neighborhoods and to their classmates.

The Trio of Awesome truly serves as an inspiration to their community and so inspired others that Global Playground has received an anonymous donation matching the boys' fundraising efforts. "What you think and what you say is important in making change, but it is those who walk the walk and take action who accomplish change. These three gentlemen talked, and then they walked. I hope that their walk was one that inspires others to take some small steps, make the walk themselves, and help," Trinh said.

-Becca Sacra

Just over one year ago, Global Playground was simply a concept, founded by five individuals with full-time occupations. And now, it has blossomed into an organization that has struck a chord in the hearts of hundreds of others like us who share our same passion. We are now comprised of diverse individuals who have ties to academia, banking, education, government, health, law, media, and nonprofits. Though we come from many specialties, we share one common belief: that through education, we can change the lives of children and the lives of generations to come.

To date, nearly 200 donors have given over $40,000 for our projects in developing countries. We have reached our goal of $32,000 to fund the construction of an 8-classroom school for approximately 300 primary students near Kampala, Uganda. An additional $8,000 will be contributed by Ugandan community members themselves in the form of labor. The school will be operated by the local government with the involvement of local community members. We have purchased land for our school, and construction is expected to begin in September. We hope to complete construction by early 2008. To witness this progress firsthand, we intend to make our second trip to Uganda in early 2008. Meanwhile, as the Uganda project continues, we have been busy exploring additional educational projects in Thailand, Cambodia, and other developing countries. In the coming months, we will announce our second project.

We thank you for your donations and support thus far. Each of you who has donated is a stakeholder in everything we do. We understand and appreciate the value of your donation. With no paid staff and all administrative expenses paid by Board members, we are able to see that your donation is applied directly to the project at hand.

We have significant challenges ahead of us. We have only just begun. We may stop briefly to celebrate our first year, but we do so with full knowledge that we have our work cut out for us. Twenty years from now, we hope to have touched not one community, but many around the world, and enabled them to use education as a means of both economic development and cross-cultural understanding.

This is the Global Playground. Thanks for helping us build it.