The Galavante in the World Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on humanitarian causes, women’s rights, and educational projects around the world. We assist in critical emergency situations with strategic partners to achieve specific, measurable, and impactful objectives.
Operations
Galavante in the World is a non-profit 501c3 corporation. We take on one project at a time, and we see it through from start to finish.
Our Foundation is dynamic and action-oriented. We raise funds for specific projects with a target scope of how money is deployed. Our goal is to get 100 percent of the donations raised to those in need. To achieve this, we are a volunteer-based organization. We seek monetary and in-kind donations of services to benefit our target at-risk constituents.
Leadership & Volunteers
The Galavante in the World Foundation does not donate money from a 10,000-foot-high view. We don’t hope that one day some thrice-removed organization will one day make a difference. Instead, we actually make a direct impact.
Our projects are micro endeavors. We give people around the world direct assistance. As a result, our projects are significantly impactful to individuals. We provide direct housing, educational grants, evacuation expenses, resettlement resources, and other meaningful, direct benefits. However, while our approach is micro, our projects have a distinct macro benefit as a result of their success.
Our Leadership
Board of Directors
Christine Drinan, GITW Founder and Chair
Walter Piecewicz, Legal Counsel
Keiko Reid, Treasurer and CFO
Tina Naser, Strategy
Lisa Hathaway Stella, Governance
Advisory Board
We plan to form an Advisory Board with four Members, in addition to the Directors. Each Advisory Board Member will serve two-year terms. At the establishment of The Galavante in the World Foundation, two of those Board Advisors will serve one-year terms, in order to stagger Board turnover. Board Advisors may serve up to two terms. The Directors shall remain =permanent Board Members until it is decided their roles shall evolve.
We Raise Funds When Needed
The Galavante in the World Foundation is a different non-profit, in that we do not raise funds unless they are for a specific project. Our goal is not to throw parties and wax poetic about how to change the world. We prefer action. Currently we do not have any administrative costs that are covered by the funds we raise. At some point, it may be necessary to hire a legal resource, accounting and audit firm. As fiduciaries, we ensure our donors that their money has been responsibly spent on its intended purposes.
PROJECT GOALS
We address current events and assist existing organizations that demonstrate a measurable impact on bettering the world. Fundraising efforts go directly to the at-risk women, children, and families we seek to assist.
Our goals for each project we take on is to do the following:
- Set up a strategic plan to address the crisis situation (or in cases where we work with a partner, the goal of our involvement).
- Mobilize the right resources to achieve our goals.
- Raise in-kind and monetary funds for the purposes of the strategic plan objectives.
- Deploy those funds directly in line with our project goals.
- Measure the milestone and achievements of each project.
- Provide the at-risk constituents and non-profit partners the tools so that they can eventually administer the projects independently of our Foundation.
- Evaluate the success of each project annually when processes and partner organizations have taken the lead in directing the projects.
- Once projects are running successfully, monitor and serve as a support resource for the individuals and organizations.
- Perform quarterly assessments and annual reports to donors of our progress. We may also at our discretion update donors on a real-time basis as projects are funded. We want to share the success of the impact of their donations.
Action & Objectives
As with all endeavors, projects will evolve, and we are agile enough to adapt to the needs of our at-risk constituents. Our ongoing project involvement goal will be to serve as strategic versus operational partners. However, at the onset of the project, we will be actively involved in tactical projects to help with the crisis or objectives at hand. We are a different foundation — we take action and get objectives done.
THE AFGHANISTAN PROJECT
The Afghanistan Project is the inspiration for the establishment of the Galavante in the World Foundation. Galavante Founder Christine Drinan is in the process of traveling to all 195 countries in the world, to make a social impact on at-risk women, children and families. Her focus is on humanitarian efforts and education. Christine became a Guest Lecturer and mentor to the women scholarship fellows at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) in 2019, on her first trip to Afghanistan. It was here she formed a deep and lasting connection to the school and the students.
Our Focus
The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is both a national-security and humanitarian crisis. Our focus is on the women, students and families of AUAF. These students, and especially women, are the future of the country. AUAF is widely renowned as the Harvard of the Middle East, with more Fulbright scholars than any other university in the world. The alumni are the top students in STEM, law and business. These students have a passion to better Afghanistan. If they were in government today, the Taliban would have no chance whatsoever. With our help, students will be able to resettle outside of Afghanistan and contribute to the world. And when there is opportunity, one day they will rebuild their beloved country.
Project Goals
The Afghanistan Project seeks to assist with the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans and their families as follows:
1. Evacuation expenses
We help students (both within Afghanistan and those who were evacuated) who are now without a country or a home. They do however have the brightest future, and they need our assistance to establish a new life outside of Afghanistan. Make no mistake though: These passionate young adults have every desire to return to Afghanistan one day.
2. Housing
We will provide resources for both interim housing as diaspora Afghans are in staging countries, and start-up housing for six months to one year for those who come to the United States.
3. Career Placement
We will establish a career placement system for both alumni students and current students of AUAF. Our goal will be to initially have six to eight key employers within the relevant fields of study for the students. For students who need individual counseling, we will customize career counseling and reach out within our team’s networks to assist. The school will eventually take over the administrative function once they are back on their feet.
5. Food, Clothing & Start Up Funds.
Our students and families fled Afghanistan with virtually no possessions except for the clothes on their backs. We will give them necessities as they arrive in their expatriation countries.
6. Mentoring and Well-Being
We want this program to be a success, and will establish a program for families and individuals in the U.S. who would like to check in on the students. Most of the alumni will not have their families with them, and a friendly face checking in or a homecooked meal will go a long way. We will also provide pro bono mental health counseling.
7. Legal & Medical
The visa and resettlement is complex. We will provide a legal fund for the students and families, as well as a stipend for medical expenses.
FUNDRAISING
The most important aspect to achieve the above is fundraising. Without funds, we can’t even begin to make any impact on these 500+ alumnae. For the most part , current students will be assisted by AUAF, but the school cannot do everything on its own. The Galavante in the World Foundation’s goal is to bridge the gap in needs.
We currently have an incredible team, including Lauren and Lily, playing a major role in assisting these incredible women. We have a private GoFundMe that is funding the necessities of the alumnae students.
These are the general estimated costs of The Afghanistan Project:
- Evacuation flights: Average $2,500/flight
- Interim and temporary housing for 6–12 months: $25,000/student
- Food and clothing for 6–12 months: $7,000/student
- Legal: $4,500/student
- Startup funds: $3,500/student
Student refers to alumni students who are 21–26 years old. These women are often the primary breadwinner of their families. Anything raised in excess of resettlement costs can be applied to scholarships for current students to complete their education.
DIVISIONAL HEADS
In addition to the critical role of fundraising, we need volunteers with relevant experience to lead the project goal initiatives above. We currently have Tina Naser, a partner at IBM, who has taken the lead role in Career Placement. She is currently putting her committee in place to assist with jobs for these students. Under Tina’s leadership, we’ve made excellent headway already in this area. Jaymie Beckett, a real estate investor and developer, has taken the lead on the housing for the alumnae. A safe place to live is critical when these women arrive.
Measurability
Our metrics will be further developed for The Afghanistan Project, and preliminarily include:
- Number of Afghans successfully evacuated to AUAF’s satellite campuses and to the U.S. or their country of resettlement.
- Total Afghans for whom we provide interim and startup housing.
- Successful placement of Afghans in jobs.
- Number of Afghans for whom we provide food, clothing and startup funds.
- Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the mentorship and well-being objectives.
THIS IS A MASSIVE ENDEAVOR
The endeavor is massive, but the impact is significant. Above all, it’s about giving women who fought so hard for their education a chance to live. We will literally save lives. If we achieve nothing else, then measurability is how many lives we saved. However, these women are not waiting around to be saved. Thy are fighters. We just need to give them a leg up, and they’ll help change the world for the better.
