Announcing Greenheart’s Fall 2023 Global Impact Grant Winners
Greenheart believes in connecting people and planet through fair trade, personal development, environmentalism, and volunteerism. Our cultural exchange programs help create global leaders by building mutual understanding and fostering diplomacy. Greenheart further encourages our alumni to give back to their communities through our Global Impact Grant.
A Greenheart Global Impact Grant is a financial award of up to $2,000 given to exemplary members of the Greenheart community. It provides current participants and alumni with the opportunity to create, improve, or maintain a community-focused project abroad or at home. As the Greenheart alumni network continues to expand, more and more of our participants are working towards an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and peaceful world.
Please join us in congratulating our FOUR Fall 2023 Awardees:
- Arundhati Mehta // India
- Hrachya Sahakyan // Armenia
- Joe Kpaklah // Liberia
- Toni Docena // Philippines
Arundhati Mehta of India (Teach USA participant with Greenheart 2022 – Current), wins for her project “Hygiene for Her: Empowering Women and Girls in Rural India”
Arundhati is in her second year as a J1 exchange visitor on Greenheart’s Teach USA program. “Teaching Social Studies to the 7th and 8th graders at Cloves C Campbell School in Phoenix, Arizona has been an experience of a lifetime for me. I am also coaching the girls volleyball and cheerleading teams this year. I hold two Bachelors and one Masters degree. I love hiking, experiencing new cultures, plants, and travelling!”
Her Project:
“Hygience for Her: Empowering Women and Girls in Rural India,” is about addressing the lack of access to sanitary products in rural areas of India. This project aims to impact the health and dignity of women and young girls by providing reusable sanitary hygiene kits while conducting educational workshops. The hope is that local women in the community will continue to produce reusable sanitary pads and give access indefinitely.
Hyrachya Sahakyan of Armenia (High School Exchange student with Greenheart 2021-2022), wins for his “Aknalich Eco-Village: Fostering Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Community Development” project
Hyrachya was awarded a FLEX scholarship to attend high school in the US for a year and was engaged in volunteering and community activities. “Throughout my life, I implemented a variety of projects, ranging from creating a social platform to address societal issues to organizing environmental projects. I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences in favor of my community and humanity.”
His Project:
“Aknalich Eco-Village: Fostering Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Community Development” is a month-long initiative to engage, educate, and collaborate with local communities in order to make a long-lasting impact on the environment and the individuals that live there. Hyrachya will be working with schools to familiarize students with sustainable and eco-friendly habits. He will collaborate with educators, local experts, and environmentalists to teach students about recycling and upcycling, sustainable gardening, and conservation practices in a series of workshops.
Joe Kpaklah of Liberia (High School Exchange student with Greenheart 2016-2017), wins for his “Mobility Training in Liberia” project
Joe Kpaklah is a visually-impaired YES scholarship grant alumni. While in the USA, Joe tells us he learned how an inclusive society works. Joe developed a passion for fighting for equality, access to justice and opportunities for all, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities into mainstream society. And since he’s been home in Liberia, he has implemented a YES alumni grant to raise awareness on inclusive education, organized a radio talk show on the right of persons with disabilities, implemented a health awareness workshop on the prevention on diabetes, and he has completed his Associate Degree in Education.
His Project:
“Mobility Training in Liberia,” is a project to help those who have not been given access to white canes to help navigate their vision loss–this training will help those who have not been given access to specific communities in Liberia. “Because of these hardships, many blind people cannot independently move, making life extremely difficult for them. Some of them either rely on relatives to guide them while walking, while others are kept in one place all day.” Joe plans to positively change the quality of life for so many by being an example and an inspiration himself.
Toni Docena of the Philippines (Teach USA participant with Greenheart 2020-Current), wins for her “Street Learning Center” project
Toni is in her fourth year as a J1 exchange visitor on Greenheart’s Teach USA program. “I have been teaching for 10 years now. I decided to major in Math because I wanted to simplify and make it easy for my students. Aside from teaching, I love to travel and immerse myself in different cultures by experiencing the traditions, music, food, and more. My dream is to be able to help and support the street children of my home country and also to explore the world, one continent at a time.”
Her Project:
Toni’s project “Street Learning Center,” aims to bring education to local streets in the Philippines where there is not much access to learning opportunities. Through a summer program arranged with community parishes and education departments of local universities, Toni will help street children learn reading, writing, entrepreneurial skills, as well as hygiene and sanitation. “It is important these children are aware of tools to take care of themselves. They will learn the importance of keeping healthy hygiene practices; and also the importance of having a good relationship with oneself and the community. They will be introduced to practices like meditation, grounding, and other tools to keep them healthy socially, mentally, and emotionally.”
Congratulations! We can’t wait to see how their projects progress.
Got a project in mind? Earn up to $2,000 for an opportunity to create, improve, or maintain a community-focused project abroad or at home. Follow Greenheart on Facebook and Instagram to see when the next application window opens.
Click here if you’d like to donate to help Greenheart fund Global Impact Grants like these.
Thank you!