Please read the following letter from our Grade 2 teachers to the Women’s World Banking Organization to learn how the students applied the knowledge that they gained in the classroom to the real world.
June 6, 2011
To Whom It May Concern,
Every year at Riverstone International School, our classes participate in a service-learning project as part of the One Stone program. In recent years, our Grade 2 classes have written and distributed pamphlets about animal habitat conservation and conducted a book drive to benefit a local family advocacy program. This year, during our Economics and Inventions Unit, our students were introduced to the book One Hen, a story about an African community that is transformed thanks to a small loan. After discussing the book and its message, our students were interested in fund raising and contributing to an organization that helps people to start or build small businesses and pull themselves out of poverty. After some research, we decided to target Women’s World Banking.
Our students planned and raised money through a bake sale and lemonade stand at school, raising over $170.00. To increase the impact we could make, and to add a local element to the project, we also sought small additional donations ($25, or whatever they were willing to give) from local businesses that are owned or operated by women, or that would be interested in participating in this type of project. Our students researched local businesses owned by women, and wrote letters asking for donations. Our goal was participation, and we were thrilled with the results. In all, we received donations from 16 different local businesspeople for a total of $640.00.
One of our core goals at Riverstone is to increase our student’s international-mindedness and make them aware of their role in a global community. Through this project, our students increased their awareness of the importance and benefits of microfinance and took their own steps toward making a positive impact on the global economy. On behalf of our Grade 2 students, we are proud to donate $812.75 to Women’s World Banking.
Sincerely,
Trevor Lindsay and Tina Morgan
Grade 2 Teachers
Riverstone International School
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