Delivering packs, pencils and promise to children around the globe
Copyright 2010 Global Backpack Project
SUCCESS STORIES
Helping Children in Need - One Pack at a Time
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Biran Mertan
Eastern Mediterranean University
Psychological Counseling Guidance and Research Center (Director of PDRAM)
Psychology Department (Chairperson)
GBP in Cyprus - Fall 2009
GBP at Neighborhood House in Portland - September 2009
GBP in Turkey - March 2010
Denizli, TURKEY
March 2010
On a recent trip to Turkey, Samir Naser of Indigo Traders delivered backpacks and school supplies to children in Denizli, a town with a rich history of textile-making. Denizli and the surrounding area suffered an earthquake only a week before Samir's visit. Much of the town was damaged by the quake. The backpacks and school supplies were a pleasant surprise to the children.
"These children demonstrate the resiliency of young minds. They witnessed the destruction of their town not a week ago, but found joy in the simple act of receiving our backpacks. It was a great day in Denizli."
Samir Naser, Co-founder
Global Backpack Project
Famagusta, CYPRUS
December 2009
In fall of 2009, Global Backpack Project partnered with the Psychology Department at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) to deliver backpacks and school supplies to a school for children with special needs. Former Indigo Traders employee and current psychology instructor at EMU, Ariel Ladum, spearheaded the partnership.
"The Psychology Department at Eastern Mediterranean University has built a relationship with the school for children with special needs over the last four years. Together we have organized activities such as picnics, university campus visits, and fundraising events. Every spring the Developmental Psychology course visits the school and takes them some small token of friendship.
Thanks to the Global Backpack Project this year we were able to visit the school once again and distribute individual gifts to every student. The older students were particularly taken with their unique backpacks, which they showed to each other, their teachers, and proudly carried home to their parents. The Global Backpack Project let the students know that they have friends not only in Cyprus, but in the United States as well. Now, these students are dreaming of meeting the people who generously offered these gifts."
Portland, OREGON
September 2009
In September of 2009, Global Backpack Project partnered with Neighborhood House to deliver backpacks and school supplies to children of SW Portland.
"Neighborhood House works with hundreds of low income children and their families each year. We know families who have been homeless; kids who don't get enough to eat over the weekends because family funds can not buy enough food; and families who have lost their heat over the winter because they can't pay their utility bills.
Last September, with help from Indigo Traders and Global Backpack Project, we were able to make sure that more than 70 of those children had the school supplies they needed to start the school year right. Not only does that mean children are adequately equipped, but it helps boost self-esteem. The children were proud of their new backpacks and school supplies. Positive self-esteem is a foundation for school success. Throughout the year we have seen how well they have been doing in school."
Richard Nitti, Executive Director
Neighborhood House
GBP in Jordan - January 2010
Amman, JORDAN
January 2010
For decades, Jordan has absorbed refugees from neighboring war-torn countries. This has overburdened its infrastructure and challenged its political and economic system. Unemployment and population growth continue to rise. Last year, Rewa, Rand and Ranim's father lost his job and could no longer afford basic necessities for the family.
In January 2010, former Indigo Traders' employee Matthew Barber carried a suitcase full of backpacks and school supplies to Jordan on his recent trip to the Middle East. He and Samira Naser, our GBP representative in Jordan, delivered much-needed backpacks and school supplies to these girls and others so they can stay in school. The smiles on their faces say it all.
"Rewa, Rand and Ranim were delighted with their new backpacks and school supplies. They couldn't stop smiling and were excited to show their friends at school. They were so gracious and kept thanking us for the packs. Receiving the backpacks truly lifted their spirits and has motivated them in school."
Samira Naser
Global Backpack Project Representative in Jordan
Amman, JORDAN
April 2009
Global Backpack Project strives to connect on a very personal level with the recipients of backpacks and school supplies. We fill our luggage with backpacks whenever we travel for our business and ask our friends to do the same. We have served hundreds of children without spending a dime on shipping costs. And as a result, we are able to deliver packs to children ourselves.
One day in the spring of 2009, Samira Naser, GBP representative in Jordan, was walking in downtown Amman and noticed a young girl with a tattered backpack standing in line at a leather repair shop. Samira stopped to ask the girl what she was doing. The young girl said she was asking how much it would cost to repair the holes in her backpack. Samira asked the young girl to meet her at the same place the next day. Reluctantly, the girl returned to the repair shop to find Samira waiting with a sturdy new pink backpack for her and a blue one for her younger brother. We never got her name, but we will never forget this young girl. She is the reason GBP exists.
GBP in Amman - April 2009
Amman, JORDAN
2008
Fathieh, age 10, and sister Farah, age 8, live on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan with four siblings. The sisters get good grades in school and have dreams of finishing high school, something no one in their family has done. Yet each day, there are obstacles they must overcome just to stay in school, let alone excel in the classroom. Like in other war-torn regions, daily conflict continues to disrupt their everyday life in tragic ways. Economic pressures on their family make it increasingly difficult to make school a priority when help is needed at home.
Global Backpack Project provided the two sisters with backpacks and school supplies—small, yet meaningful gifts that serve as a daily reminders that You can do it. You can stay in school. We believe in you. Both girls were very encouraged. The packs not only provided a practical way to carry books and supplies to school, they carried promise for a positive future for the girls, their families and communities.
“Before I had my backpack, nobody paid much attention to me. Now everyone wants to carry my bag for me on the way to school. I like going to school.” Farah, age 8
Fathieh and Farah are the reason we started Global Backpack Project. There are countless children just like these two sisters who have an unlimited potential to learn and grow when given the opportunity. We seek to make a difference in the lives of these children and their families, just as they seek to make a difference for themselves and their communities.
Fathieh (red shirt) and Farah (white shirt) with their younger siblings and cousins in Amman.
Portland, OREGON
May 2010
"A student in my class had been expressing discontent with his backpack all year long because it was the same one he'd had since Kindergarten (he's now in 3rd grade). This had been a really hard year for him both at school and otherwise, and he was entering school angry and oppositional to staff and classmates. The day he got his brand new backpack (from GBP), there was an immediate positive change in his classroom behavior. Instead of showing up to school mad and antagonizing other students, he started showing up with a smile as he rolled his new backpack into class with a sense of ownership and pride. It was easy to tell that just by starting his day knowing that his backpack was new, was clean, and most importantly, was cool, his attitude toward and interaction with other kids and teachers became healthier and the amount of work he was completing increased. It's cliche, but the little things have the biggest impact."
Ty Brack
Educator/Hip Hop Artist/Activist
