Vanidosas and other tales in our 
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Dear Friends:
If you are ever in Mexico City, ask for Vanidosas to accompany your cup of coffee or tea. Vanidosas (Spanish for "conceited" or "vain") are delicious, high-quality cookies that harbor a secret: they are baked by Mexico City's street boys, or callejeros. These cookies are sold solely on the basis of their quality and taste, not because callejeros baked them.
The tale of Vanidosas—a project of our grantee partner El Caracol—is one of the many stories in our 2005—2006 annual report. The annual report is available on our website or you can email me for a printed copy.
You'll read about other inspiring people who are making a difference. There's Moussa Sow, who is raising public awareness about child abuse in the tourist resorts of Senegal by using simple T-shirts. And Leslie Hawke, whose life-changing encounter with a Roma boy led to the creation of Asociatia Ovidiu Rom in Romania. And then there's Bukeni Tete Waruzi Beck, who, despite beatings and threats on his life, perseveres in helping the child soldiers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Their stories affirm our model of venture philanthropy. Small investments from private donors to grassroots groups can have a meaningful impact on children and young people in local communities anywhere in the world. Our grants contribute to the growth of civil society, encourage the development of homegrown philanthropy, and support social entrepreneurship.
As you can see from our grants awarded this fall, we invest directly in grassroots organizations, avoiding government bureaucracies. Princeton University ethicist Peter Singer recently wrote in support of this approach in The New York Times Magazine, saying that "private donors can more easily avoid dealing with corrupt or wasteful governments. They can go directly into the field, working with local villages and grass-roots organizations."
Despite our successes in 2006, there is still much that needs to be done to help vulnerable children and youth. If you have not yet made your annual gift for 2006, please send us a check or donate online.
Thank you so much for your support. May you and your loved ones have a joyous, prosperous, and peaceful new year!
My best,
Maya Ajmera