Reviving Kashmiri art and other 
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Dear Friends:
As we end 2007, we continue to be inspired by the work of our grantee partners like Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) in Pakistan. The founder, Sameena Nazir, and her colleagues never thought that a project to enable girls to continue their education would be the key to reviving the traditional Kashmiri art of papier-mâché. She convinced master artisans from Muzaffarabad, the center of this traditional art form, to move to the arid lowlands of the Potohar region and teach rural girls this craft.
When the October 2005 earthquake leveled Muzaffarabad, PODA and the villagers it worked with rescued and sheltered the surviving artisans through the harsh winter. PODA soon established a workshop in Muzaffarabad to train young women and men how to craft Kashmiri papier-mâché products—and in the process, helped to revive this ancient art form.
You can read about PODA’s work, and that of our other innovative grantee partners, in our 2006–2007 annual report, It all Starts with a Spark. It is available on our website or you can email me for a copy.
The stories in our latest annual report attest to the success of our philanthropic model. Small amounts of money from private donors, targeted to innovative groups, can make a huge difference in the lives of marginalized young people all over the world. Our grants contribute to the growth of civil society, encourage the development of homegrown philanthropy, and support social entrepreneurship.
The grants we awarded this fall continue to expand the success of our model. Since making our first three grants, totaling $3,100, in 1997, we have given 1,667 grants valued at more than $9.3 million to 304 community-based organizations in 65 countries.
Despite all that we have accomplished, there is still much we can do to help the world’s vulnerable children and youth. If you have not yet made your annual gift for 2007, please send us a check or donate online. With your support, we can continue to advance the dignity of young people all over the world.
Thank you and may you continue to be blessed with joy, prosperity, and peace in the New Year!
My best,
Maya Ajmera
Photo: M Emry, courtesy www.ajws.org