UNDERCOVER MAGAZINE                 Spring 1997

Expedition for Education:

Promoting Learning in a Global Village

By Carol Morley, Partner '97 and Michael Dominguez, HBS '97

What do Internet seminars, the Harvard Business School and Childreach, a non-profit educational organization, have in common? All are components of the 'Expedition for Education' (EfE), a newly chartered student-led group whose philanthropic mission is to raise funds for the construction of schools in Latin America and foster the use of high technology in developing economies. EfE will kick-off in May 1997 with the team embarking on a 16,000 mile overland trek from Boston to Rio de Janeiro. The group plans to conduct Internet Seminars-providing a cutting edge introduction to the Internet and revealing the profound impact it has on business-for HBS alumni associations in major cities along the way. These seminars will, in turn, serve as a means of introducing and soliciting funds for Childreach while connecting alumni to the 'Life Long Learning' efforts of HBS.

What is Childreach?

Childreach was founded in 1937 to promote the social welfare of children and enhance the learning opportunities available to them. Revenue generation has been based on sponsorship for the education of children in developing countries. In 1995, individual sponsors contributed $250 million to 830,000 children in 40 Latin American, African, and Asian countries. Each individual sponsor currently contributes on average $300 a year. The money goes into a community fund to build schools, hospitals, water wells and other needed facilities.

EfE's Contribution to Childreach

Though adept at acquiring individual sponsors, Childreach has not yet substantially tapped into the pool of corporate sponsorship. Efe, through its HBS connections to corporate sponsors is an ideal match for Childreach. 'We've committed to raising funds to sponsor at least fifteen schools. The cost of sponsorship is $5000, and the scale of that donation is well suited to a corporation's economic resources. It is also an attractive donation because of the vast amounts of public relations and community responsibility benefits that sponsoring companies can derive from it,' explains Kerty Nilsson.

EfE Evolution

The idea was initiated in early 1996 when a group of students at the Harvard Business School (HBS) class of 1997 decided to do something special together after graduation. What ensued out of the original idea is the EfE, which, over the past six months has generated profound support from the HBS administration, HBS alumni leaders, Childreach and the international corporate community. Additionally, EfE is backed by five Harvard Business School clubs which have common interests in its mission. Club Iberoamericano, the Harbus student newspaper, the International Business and Development Club, the Non Profit & Public Enterprise Club and the Communications-Media-Computing club have offered their support in sponsorship and public relations to help EfE succeed.

The six team members, Aldo DiBelardino, OD, Ernesto Gonzalez-Quattrini, OF, Thomas Hoegh, OC, Steven Le Poole, OB, Kerty Nilsson, OE and Paul Ostergaard, OE, raised corporate funds throughout the Fall to sponsor construction of elementary schools throughout Latin America for the Adopt-a-School initiative.

The team members chose Childreach as their philanthropic partner for three primary reasons. First, Steven Le Poole became familiar with Childreach through his own sponsorship of a Bolivian child three years ago. "Last summer, I went to visit 'my child', Ramiro, who is eight years old. It was really great. His family welcomed me like a faraway uncle returning from a long journey. They even slaughtered a sheep as a welcoming gift. I also found they had decorated their home with the posters and calendars of Dutch windmills and Boston Red Sox that I had sent them."

"It was amazing to see how my contribution, from the other side of the globe, was used to improve his life and future. Childreach had built a clean water well, a school and a small clinic in a nearby village. These simple, but basic things made a huge difference to him and the other children in the village."

Second, Childreach has extensive operations in Latin America, EfE's target region. Education in Latin America has been a particularly relevant issue, given the isolation, lack of infrastructure and pressing economic needs of the rural population. Ernesto Gonzalez-Quattrini believes that "Improving education in Latin America is a high priority issue because the percentage of enrolled primary students in Latin America has been steadily declining. Economic stagnation has driven children in rural areas away from schooling and into the labor force. Furthermore, the long-term demographic trend enhances the importance of education: 35% of Latin Americans are under 15 years old, compared to 23% in the US and 16% in Japan. Most of this younger population is concentrated in rural areas."

Third, Childreach has consistently been recognized in Wise Giving Guide, a publication of the U.S. National Charities Information Bureau, for meeting its standards of philanthropy. "We wanted to work with an organization that would use the money we raise effectively, so that it would benefit the recipients of the philanthropy, not a bureaucracy," explains Paul Ostergaard.

Steven Le Poole adds that while traveling in Peru and Bolivia he visited several non-government organizations (NGO) and found that Childreach consistently stood out as a pragmatic, goal-oriented organization. Its approach focused on generating lasting improvements through, rather than for, the people.

Steve Sookikian, Childreach Public Relations Manager, comments on the impact from Childreach's perspective:

THANKS HBS!

'For some time, Childreach has sought to strengthen its corporate relationships for fund raising and cause marketing. However, in the crowded and heavily competitive US marketplace, these partnerships are highly prized, and companies must carefully decide which non-profits are best suited to their philanthropic goals. As an international child-focused development organization, Childreach is at a particular disadvantage because most companies want to give domestically--where it will have the most impact on their employees and customers. Our relationship with the students who are driving the Expedition for Education provides Childreach with invaluable access to the global network of HBS graduates, and with the credibility of the University's exceptional reputation. As if opening doors was not enough, (the EfE team) have committed their own hard work to the effort; making personal contacts and doing the hardest part of all ... asking for money. The Expedition for Education is an elegantly creative way for HBS students to add value to Childreach, and to enjoy the personal fulfillment that comes with a job well done.'



-Steve Sookikian,
Public Relations Manager, Childreach Fundraising Efforts




Fundraising Efforts

Additional sponsorship is expected from companies on the ground in Latin America. While corporate philanthropy is not as wide spread in Latin America as it is in Europe and the United States, it is growing. The EfE team is planning to solicit further support from local, as well as foreign companies located in many of the major cities throughout Central and South America. The groups they are targeting include HBS alumni working in these cities. The alumni are aware of the benefits of corporate social responsibility and they are strongly interested in the development of their own countries as well as the larger region.

Support from faculty and classmates on the sponsorship front has been outstanding. Student 'ambassadors', students that pitch the project to their companies or alumni in their countries, have been busy over the last few months, generating interest and gathering sponsorship and other means of support. The response to their efforts has been equally fantastic. Victor Silhy, OH, has spoken to several business leaders in El Salvador, and reports that many are interested in supporting the construction of a school in El Salvador. Mirna de Marquez, dean of ESEN, a leading business school in El Salvador, is very interested in the effort and would like to add ESEN to the list of destinations for this summer's Internet seminars.

Jaime Vela, OE, has also been able to conjure great interest in Santiago, Chile. There appears to be 'enough interest for us to settle there and open up shop as professional Internet tutors for life!' says Thomas Hoegh. In addition, Daniela Soares, OB, has been busy establishing strong connections with Harvard alumni in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Interest in both the seminars and the philanthropy is prevalent among the Brazilian alumni.

EfE team members continue to spend a large portion of each week contacting corporations with which they have personal relationships, or which have been identified by fellow students and faculty as potentially having interest in such an endeavor.

In addition, events are planned throughout the Spring representing a grassroots approach to fundraising. The first event, 'Fiesta Tropical', held at Club Yvonne's on March 13, 1997, generated funds for the construction of an 'HBS Class of 1997/98' school in Nicaragua. EfE and the participating HBS clubs and organizations plan to hold additional social activities in April to solicit funds for additional educational projects.

Internet Seminars

'When we were brainstorming on how we might better use our time on the road and increase our overall funding effort, we developed the idea of the Internet Seminar, designed for delivery to Latin American HBS alumni and their business colleagues. The Internet is a field in which our team has extensive experience and would, therefore, be able to deliver a high value-added service. The seminars will be relevant for business leaders and will blend well with HBS' and Dean Clark's 'Life Long Learning' initiative. 'This effort coincides well with the launch of the permanent e-mail address program, which is designed to facilitate communication between alumni and the School', says Thomas Hoegh, head of the Internet Seminars initiative.

EfE ambassadors, who spoke with alumni representatives over the 1996-1997 winter holiday, report overwhelming interest in the seminars throughout Central and South America. 'The challenge', continues Thomas, 'is in the remote organization of the events. Matching our itinerary with local club activities, for example, is difficult, but we are working hard this Spring to prepare as much of the marketing and logistics as possible, in advance'.

The seminars are anticipated to have significant hardware and internet access support. The team is currently speaking with leading hardware manufacturers and telecommunications companies in an effort to secure ideal conditions for the seminars.

The Journey

The team will commence its 16,000 mile drive in May, 1997, traveling by motorcycle and four-wheel drive vehicles overland south through the Americas. In addition to stopping for Internet seminars in major cities, the team will also be stopping to visit school projects and documenting the visits through press releases in the U.S.

"Two highlights of the trip", describes Paul Ostergaard, "will be a demanding 1,500 mile adventure through the Amazon jungle from Southern Venezuela through Brazil to Peru and the subsequent crossing of the Andean mountains." The EfE team members will pay for all personal expenses, but they are talking to a number of potential equipment sponsors to provide vehicles, travel gear and clothing. Patagonia has already committed to the provision of fleeces and discussions are underway with major car manufacturers for vehicles. Jim Rogers, the Investment Biker, was excited about the trip, 'Hope to see you on the road!', he said.

Before and during the expedition, the group will maintain an interactive, educational website with continuous updates in the form of text, sound and still and live digital images. The site, http://wasat.hbs.edu/expedition97/, is already operational and will provide interested parties with information about the school projects and their communities, a real-time multimedia travelogue, and the opportunity to interact with the expedition members.

Grassroots Support

Professors and classmates have been incredibly supportive of EfE from the outset. 'Professors have been giving us their equipment manufacturer contacts and introducing us to alumni representatives and Executive Education Program members who would be interested in the project', say team members.

Student Association President, Ron Mitchell, commented, 'This project illustrates that business and social responsibility can and should be thought of in a singular context. It's great to see HBS students trying to make a difference in the world'.

Senior Associate Dean and IT-guru at HBS, Professor Warren McFarlan believes "The Expedition for Education project and specifically the Internet Seminars are perfectly timed to support the current roll-out of email addresses to all HBS alumni and reinforce the school's Life-Long Learning initiative. By merging education, social work and modern technology, the project is visionary, relevant and aligned to the school's long term agenda.'

Social Entrepreneurship Professor, Jim Austin, says 'The group's project is a wonderful example of social entrepreneurship. It clearly demonstrates how HBS skills can create social value and exemplifies the MBA vision statement of 'developing outstanding business leaders who will contribute to the well-being of society'. They are to be commended for their creativity, commitment and caring.'

Getting Involved

During the last two months of planning, the expedition team is still actively contacting sponsors. If you have contacts at companies that may be interested in sponsoring a school or getting involved. please contact Steven Le Poole at +1-617-783-8499, or slepoole@mba97.hbs.edu.

Last updated: 04-Mar-1998 10:50:47 -0800				Email us