Relief Efforts in Nepal with Kravis Prize Organizations

Relief Efforts in Nepal with Kravis Prize Organizations

Our thoughts are with Nepal right now as it reels in the aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude quake that rocked through the Kathmandu valley early Saturday morning. With death tolls mounting and tremors felt as far away as Bangladesh and some parts of India, the scale and destruction of this earthquake is tremendous. At the same time, we are constantly in awe of our Kravis Prize recipients as they leap to action in support of relief efforts worldwide. Kravis Prize recipient organizations are often the first on the frontlines and have the ability to mobilize their people quickly and efficiently in response to these disasters. We were reminded of this with Helen Keller International’s presence in West Africa last year during the Ebola breakout, and are humbled once again by the rapid response of BRAC in responding to the current emergency that is unfolding in Nepal. In a message that went out Monday from the BRAC team, they stated that they would be sending a team of their staff to provide 5,000-10,000 blankets, medical treatment, medicine, and food to earthquake victims. “Our core team will provide essential medical support to the victims in collaboration with the Nepalese government,” said Shahinul Hoque Ripon, a doctor from BRAC who will lead the team. Please consider supporting BRAC in their emergency response efforts as they lend a hand to a neighbor in need. Helen Keller International is also working in Nepal and merits your...
An exciting year ahead for the Kravis Prize: Milestones, anniversaries, and key student deadlines

An exciting year ahead for the Kravis Prize: Milestones, anniversaries, and key student deadlines

The Kravis Prize team would like to extend warm wishes for a Happy New Year to all of the members of the Kravis Prize and Claremont McKenna College communities. We look forward to kicking off the spring semester at CMC with a number of exciting upcoming events. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership at CMC, an important milestone that we will celebrate in April alongside another important event: the twentieth anniversary of the College’s Kravis Leadership Institute. In recognition of these events, we are so excited to host the past ten Kravis Prize recipient organizations, including early recipients like Fazle Abed’s Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (pictured above) as well as more recent ones like Helen Keller International (decorated for the holidays, pictured below) for their upcoming retreat as we welcome them back to Claremont McKenna College. DON’T FORGET: Students who are interested in having social impact during their undergraduate years should remember: The Kravis Prize team is looking forward to welcoming student applications for partnered summer internship positions with past recipient organizations. Deadlines for these applications are February 2, 2015 (for international internships) and March 2, 2015 (for domestic internships). For more information on the application process, please go to the embedded link here. Or see our recent posts on the Kravis Prize blog for more information. CURRENT PRIZE UPDATE: At the moment, the Kravis Prize is moving along the selection process and we look forward to announcing the eleventh recipient of the $250,000 Prize soon! Stay in the loop, follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, and...
Kravis Prize internship fair offers a chance for impact next summer

Kravis Prize internship fair offers a chance for impact next summer

What are you doing next summer? Since 2006, the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership has been building a special community among its recipients, whose premier organizations are dedicated to improving the lives of millions of people around the globe. That community also extends to Claremont McKenna College’s students, who will have a chance to learn about working with past Prize recipients in the summer of 2015 during the Kravis Prize Internship Fair, which will be held this Thursday afternoon, December 4, 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., in the Freeberg Lounge. Find out about Kravis Prize internships offered both domestically  by BRAC USA and Helen Keller International (both in New York City) and internationally by Right To Play, Escuela Nueva, FAWE, Pratham, and INJAZ Al-Arab (Canada, Colombia, Tanzania, India, and Jordan, respectively). The internship program, which is the result of a partnership between the Kravis Prize and the Kravis Leadership Institute at CMC, has enabled CMCers like Carolyn Islam ’16 (pictured above during her internship last summer with BRAC in Dhaka) to receive firsthand experience in problem-solving and applied entrepreneurship as it’s practiced by leaders in the non-profit sector. Students attending Thursday’s internship fair will receive additional internship details, information about the application process, and also have a chance to listen to the stories of classmates who have already participated in this singular internship program. What does Pratham do?  What is the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) all about? What organization interests you?  Learn more about these past recipients and others by visiting the home page of the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership at Claremont McKenna College. Are you...
FAWE combats two M-words: mosquitoes and malaria

FAWE combats two M-words: mosquitoes and malaria

Teenager Abigail Mortey has a clear vision: to manufacture a mosquito repellent aimed to control malaria in Ghana. The Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE), a non-governmental organization founded to support education for girls across Africa and a 2008 recipient of the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership, selected Miss Mortey as the winner of this year’s FAWE Science and Technology competition, according to VibeGhana.com. Mortey was among 18 other contestants who invented various technologies on FAWE’s theme this year:  “Enhancing the study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Among Girls in Ghana.” FAWE hopes that competitions and programs like this one will help unearth undiscovered talent within the country’s female population. Seeking to inspire girls to take a role in their education, FAWE aims to help girls assume their integral role in solving the urgent problems affecting Ghana and the rest of the African continent. Founded in 1992, FAWE is now the leading non-governmental organization directly confronting issues of girls’ education in Africa.  The threat of mosquitoes and malaria is an issue that FAWE has in common with many other organizations, especially Helen Keller International, which distributes Vitamin A capsules to children and breastfeeding mothers to boost their immunity against the risk of infection.  Like FAWE, HKI is also a recipient of the Kravis Prize, which it was awarded earlier this year.  RELATED: More about the Kravis Prize Kravis Prize Blog: More ‘bucks’ for Landesa Kravis Prize Blog: Victoria Beckham empties her closets for mothers2mothers...
N.Y. event raises $1 million to advance HKI’s global, life-saving work

N.Y. event raises $1 million to advance HKI’s global, life-saving work

A number of CMCers were in New York at the end of May to attend a Spirit of Helen Keller Gala, which raised approximately $1 million dollars for the nonprofit’s global, life-saving work in preventing blindness and malnutrition. Joining the guest list in support of the 2014 Kravis Prize recipient’s gala were: Claremont McKenna Trustee Douglas Peterson ’80 P’14 P’15, CEO and President of McGraw Hill Financial; Ernie Iseminger, Claremont McKenna Vice President for Development & External Relations; Kravis Leadership Institute Board member Mustafa ’76 and Liz Mirza P’13 P’15; Elizabeth Algermissen P’14, Assistant Director of Leadership Giving at Claremont McKenna; Ethos Water founder and Fonderie 47 CEO Peter Thum ’90; Aron Khurana ’09, founder of 847 Hoops; and Kevin Blair ’06, a business valuation and litigation consultant. Oscar-nominated actress Abigail Breslin, star of the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, was the event’s Honorary Junior Chair. The evening also honored humanitarian and economist Tom Arnold (former CEO of Concern Worldwide) with the Helen Keller Humanitarian Award for his “extraordinary dedication to ending child hunger and improving maternal health in the developing world.” Read more about the gala on HKI’s...