I sat in a local cafe yesterday, typing away on my computer and observing all the people who came in and out.  There was a table in front of me full of well-dressed seemingly professional individuals.  They talked loudly, made their presence know.  After a good half hour of discussing their agenda for the day, which at this point the whole cafe knew also, they all stood up, shook hands, and walked out the door.  The table they sat at was full of half eaten sandwiches, soupy spoons, and trash.  A total mess.  Now, there were clearly marked dish tubs and trash cans all throughout the cafe, so this just seemed ridiculous to leave for a staff member who was swamped behind the register by the lunch rush.  I moved my lap top off my lap to go pick up the table when I noticed the other surrounding tables fidget also.  I heard one man murmur, "pigs," under his breath.  A woman rolled her eyes and whispered to her husband.  I smiled thinking, I won't have to pick this mess up alone.  I sat for another minute, and nobody moved.  I thought their condescending and judgmental reactions would at least cause them to help pick up the mess.  Absolutely not.  So, I got up and started stacking dishes.  I loaded the trash onto the plates and headed to the trash can.  As I walked, wads of trash dropped from the plate.  Nobody even moved to pick that up.  I came back, cleaned up the trash I had dropped, wiped off the table, and got back to work.  The man who thought people who could leave such a mess were pigs leaned over to me and said, "you should get free lunch for that."  No longer hungry and not really in the mood to explain to him how helping me pick up half eaten sandwiches would have been reward enough, I simply smiled.  "The employees are working hard enough, it's no big deal."  The whispering woman also leaned back and applauded my cleaning.  


Stay with me here, I understand that picking up some plates and trash off of a table is really no big deal.  And as far as the group who left the mess...well, we've all done it.. be honest.  But as I sat back down and started working again, I couldn't wrap my head around the two people who were clearly disturbed by the mess.  They found it rude and presumptuous for the group to leave their trash.  And they were clearly impressed and glad I cleaned it up and not an employee.  But never once did either of them move.  


I think this over simplified example can draw a strong parallel to people's involvement in, or lack there of, social change. You see, nobody likes to see hungry children.  Most people are appalled at the number of people sold into sex and labor trafficking.  I'm sure the majority of individuals in this world wish everyone had clean water to drink from and a roof over their head.  But it stops there.  They will care about the issues from the safety of their home, or when it doesn't challenge their budget.  Nobody wants to get up from their table, pick up trash somebody else left, and clean.  And we know why.  It's messy.  It's challenging.  Sometimes, it's even a little scary.  To take on the burdens and pains of another person requires much of us.  But to sit and "care" about these people from our safe, warm tables and only talk about the wrong that is being done, I would argue, is continuing the injustice.


People need you to get up, to move.  People are dying, every single day.  And as big and messy and scary as some of these issues seem to combat, imagine enduring them your whole life. Move.

I once experienced a very sick organization.  The organization, while holding on to a very relevant and praise worthy mission, became very needy.  Rather than empowering the people it served to be better, stronger, more independent, it created an environment that enabled people, and kept them coming back week after week, needing services.  This organization needed to be needed.  In an effort to help people, it became completely attached to them, unwilling to make the necessary changes to move these people toward self sufficiency.

I once applied for a job in Cambodia.  It was at an after care shelter for women and children who had been rescued from brothels and trafficked for sex.  I had been to the shelter, I spent a day with the girls, and I loved this organization deeply.  I didn't even get an interview, simply an email stating they are only hiring Cambodian nationals.  This was an American-based organization, I had done my internship at the U.S. office, and I was completely devastated.  I wanted to help them, I wanted to be part of their healing.

I once met a young man who was completely defeated.  He grew up in and out of the Foster Care system.  Although he was well taken care of by his last set of foster parents, he was constantly reminded of what horrible life circumstances had been dealt to him.  His foster parents got him a private tutor.  She basically did all of his work for him, there was just no way a high school kid could catch up all the years of school he had missed.  His foster parents spoke about him, for him, reminding people he is very fragile, not to ask questions about where he comes from.  His coach gave him a starting spot on the basketball team, not even considering his lack of ever playing the game.  At age 18, when he was no longer young enough to be in the system, he had no idea how to apply for a job or apartment, couldn't make the local community college basketball team, and had never spoken enough about his experiences to find healing.


Empowering a person, a community, is not always easy.  Even with the purest of intentions, we can quickly become obsessed with taking care, meeting needs, providing for, that we forget that these are capable human beings.  Empowering them means, quite literally, to give power to.  It may not always be what you want, but that's the point. We must take ourselves out of the picture.  In a culture so infiltrated with self care and looking out for number one, even our efforts to improve the lives of others takes a turn for the selfish.  So, when you are volunteering with a vulnerable community, helping out a struggling organization, or simply doing a friend a favor, ask yourself, what will best give power back to them?  What will create sustainability and independence?  What will help break the cycle that is crippling them?  


Empowerment is not changing people, it is helping people make change for themselves.

I volunteer as a hospital advocate for a local rape crisis center.  I've been doing it for about a year now, and it's been one of the most incredible experiences.  As a person who gets queasy just talking about hospitals, I wasn't sure this position was going to be right for me.  However, the organization was in need of some help, so I said I'd give it a try.  I now pick up extra shifts and consider the opportunity I have to be with those survivors a true gift.

We did extensive training before the organization let us do our first run.  I remember one exercise in our many hours of training was on the meaning of advocacy.  Advocate is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot in social justice circles.  Empower, educate, advocate... yell out a couple abstract terms and people will believe anything you say.  However, it is critical to have a firm understanding of this word in order to be truly impactful.  For an English buff like myself, advocate is an amazing word.  It can serve as either a noun or verb without changing the structure of the word at all. Additionally, advocate has mostly all positive connotations and it evokes emotion.  When you look advocate up in the dictionary, it is defined as "to support or fight for" or "a supporter of."  Pretty simple, right?  So, let's take our definition of advocate to my role at the rape crisis center.  I am a hospital advocate for, a supporter of, victims of sexual assault.  This doesn't mean  I get to walk in that hospital room and urge the victim to file a police report. I won't tell them to take certain measures for his/her body, or to recount for the atrocities committed against him/her so I can best be of help.  No, my sole purpose as defined by advocate is to support the victim.  To support is defined as promoting the interest or cause of.  If I walk in that hospital room and take charge to "save" this victim, how do I even know what his/her best interest is? I have yet to hear the victim out.  That is silencing them and, I would argue, is another form of abuse.  You see, these victims have already had their voices silenced by someone objectifying and abusing their bodies.  I do not need to continue to shame them by taking their voice out of the decision for what is best for them.

Advocates listen.  To assess how to best support an individual or community you must know what they need.  Regardless of what you think is best for them, it is their call.  That is a human right.  We have seen the way seemingly well intended ideas to further educate or rescue from itself a community quickly turns to oppression and violence.  Colonialism, imperialism, the Crusades.  It is a slippery slope.  With a mindset of saving someone, you are imposing on them the idea that they are too weak, too ignorant, too hopeless to care for themselves.  This breeds dependency, resentment, and a whole host of issues for that community.

Sitting in the hospital room, holding the hand of a strong and resilient survivor, I began to see hope on her face.  She begins to realize that this is not the end for her.  No matter the pain and fear and road to healing, she sees someone is there to walk with her.  Not someone to do it for her, not someone to tell her what to do every step of the way.  Someone to tell her that she is strong. Someone to answer her questions. And with that, I have given the power back to her. 

 In our fight to make a lasting change for underprivileged communities, our passion is to steer them toward self-sufficiency and sustainability.  This can not be done of our own devices.  We must have the support and involvement of the community.  They must tell us their greatest need, we must evaluate together, and in our collaboration, unity and empowerment are born.

Everyone deserves to have a voice. How can you advocate for a person or community in your life?

Recently I was asked to speak at the info Poverty World Conference. This was obviously a great opportunity for me. Specifically I was asked to focus on alternative methods of connectivity for ICT’s. As I started researching this I found that many locations in the world do not have connectivity at all. 

As I did more research I found an article that talked about an individual with limited education that watched a couple of videos on his phone and started collecting junk from the Local trash heap. He was able to build a complete radio from the videos and the junk he was able to find.  

This made me think about what it would take to provide just video education to the locations in need. We all know that the best education is in person education this allows for interaction and allows for the instructor to  adapt his or her teaching methods based on body language and input from the students. 

The second best method is Online in person training. In this type  of training the instructor is remote but has the ability to interact with the  students via video and voice. In some cases there is a virtual white board and  may even have survey capability. This is a pretty good method of instruction but
often times it does not allow for the instructor to keep track of all the
students and or see if they are actually understand the content. 

The 3rd method of instruction is via a recording  that people can watch. This method obviously does not allow for interaction.  However if the video is well laid out and follows some general principals of  instruction. They are often very successful. Think about this. If you have ever  had an instructor that was capable of holding your attention and explaining a  process or subject better than anyone else you had seen. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have them be videotaped and then post that for others to watch? This  allows for one to many type of educational solution with some of the best  instructors in the world. Kahn Academy is a great example of this. 

Knowing the above I started to think about can we deliver the video’s  as cached content. As I did more research on this I found that World Computer
Exchange is already doing something similar. In some cases their computers that they deliver may have portions of Kahn Academy already cached on the local machine. However the problem they have is often the hard drives do not
have the space needed in order to really cache all needed content. 

As I started to think about this it made me want to find out what content could be included and how could we make this more viable. This started me thinking first of what content we could cache. Here are some of the things that I found:

USAID (provides video’s for Agriculture
improvements these are made with local farmers that have the solution
working)
Kahn Academy

Project Peanut  butter  (how to treat malnutrition videos)

CDC (putting your hands together hygiene videos)

Unicef Hand washing campaign (I have not found a video yet)

This is just a few of the potential options. I am sure there are  many more. As I continued to look at this. It started to make more sense to add  the Cacheing server to something like the LifeBox Container that ACI is  currently deploying. Based on this idea we started to expand this. 

The LifeBox can become the central hub for the community. We can  actually add wireless to the container. This would make it easier for people to  use the content on their local devices if they have them. With initiatives like  one laptop per child And the World Computer Exchange this is becoming more common.

At the same time we can start pre-educating people before teams  arrive on site. This could be handled by the initial evaluation team that is  reviewing the location in preparation for an onsite team. The lead team could  deliver and upload additional content related to their project and instruct the local group on how to view the content. Then the teachers could learn with the students at the same time. And the community would be prepared for the arrival  of the onsite team.

I  know this is a long post and there is much more we can do with this. I will
attempt to post more over the next several days.

Recently I was asked to present at the United  Nations during the 13th
Infopoverty World Conference. This sounded very interesting  but I wondered what this conference really was about. The title told me  a little bit but to be honest I accepted the opportunity and began to prepare  without fully understanding what I would encounter. The topic I was asked to  present on was alternative connectivity methods in country’s with limited  connectivity. If you want to see the presentation it was recorded and can be  found here: 
http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/watch/3rd-4th-plenary-13th-infopoverty-world-conference:-ict-innovations-for-nation-building-and-the-empowerment-of-people/2253228969001

 I am about 2 hours and 25-27 min into the video you should be
able to scroll through to that time and watch my speech. However, that is not
the purpose of this post. 

So back to the question, what is Infopoverty? Well, in today’s  day and age we are overloaded with information, from the moment we wake up you  can have instant access to the latest news, sports and weather.  Our  phones are so smart now you can be in constant contact with work, friends and  family, even if you don’t always want to be. But, can you imagine being in an  area that has no connectivity at all?  Totally or completely deprived of  Information and Communication from the outside world except for when someone  visits? This is what Infopoverty is about, the lack of availability of  information.

 At the conference  we were focused on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s).   One of the story’s I heard was  from Dr. John Steffens of the Infopoverty Institute based out of Oklahoma City.  He was talking about a school that the head master had called and asked him to  obtain computers for his school. John worked with other organizations to deliver  several computers (not sure about the total number) the head master called him  to let him know the computers arrived. The village had a huge party and parade to welcome the computers to the School. Everyone was excited however they were  not able to use the computers because they had no power. 

My first thought was, “What?” you mean that someone did not even  think to ask if they had power? Of course this is my ignorance showing through.
Dr. Steffens continued to explain the Education Minister from that country came to the school and was amazed they had computers even when they did not have the power to turn them on. Because of this the Education Minister and others helped negotiate the power connection down to half of the original cost.  Last  thing Dr. Steffens heard was they were still negotiating the power connection  but it had come down significantly. 

Little did I know that delivering the computers even though there
was not power would ultimately help the school and possibly the entire village
receive power before others. David Neely the CEO of Affecting Change
International often talks about how important it is to part with the local
community to be sure that whatever project you are doing is really what the
village needs.  Sometimes what we think they need is not what they really need at all.  In some cases we may even think the request is outlandish. But this shows that  partnering with the Head master of the school and delivering what he asked  assisted in way more than just having a couple of computers. 

To quote an inspirational woman I met in Cambodia named Jane, “everybody needs a ‘popeye moment’.” For those of you who are not familiar with the cartoon character, Popeye was a sailor man who was madly and helplessly
in love with the damsel in distress, Olive.  Olive always seemed to find herself
being harassed by Popeye’s arch nemesis, Brutus.  Each time Brutus goes to kidnap Olive, Popeye insists that he won’t butt in, that he’ll let Olive fend for herself and fight Brutus off if that’s really what she wants. However, in every episode, there comes a point when Olive’s cries for help are too much for him to handle.  He throws his hands in the air, clenches his fists, and screams, “That’s it!  I just can’t take no more!”  He pops a can of spinach that explodes his normally measly muscles, and fights Brutus off in the blink of an eye.

It is critical that we all have a moment like this, a moment so vivid and so real that we clench our fists and cry out that we can stand it no longer.  For me,
that moment came in the form of a pair of brown eyes and a little girl I will
never be able to forget.


I spent a month of my sophomore year of college in Cambodia.  I went to study the current social justice issues there with a group of 24 classmates.  The course took us from the genocide that occurred in Cambodia in the 1970’s through present day, teaching us what governmental, socioeconomic,
cultural, and structural factors contribute to the current state of the country
(don’t worry, I will expound on this in great depth in another post).  It was getting towards the end of the trip, and, while it had been fascinating, educational, and extremely challenging, we were all growing homesick.  The trafficking of women and children for sex is running rampant in Cambodia. 
Many factors play into this pandemic, but the abundance of villages and
rural communities surrounding the capital city of Phnom Penh make young people especially vulnerable. We learned that families are selling their children to traffickers in hopes of receiving a cut of the cash these children bring
in.  Children are also being tricked into believing there are jobs for them at hotels or restaurants in the city, and they will be able to send money home to their starving families.  The harsh reality sets in though, that they have been sold to a brothel.  They are immediately financially indebted to their trafficker, all of their identification and legal documents confiscated. Toward the end of our third week in Phnom Penh, we had the opportunity to head to a nearby village called Svay Pak. Svay Pak was the home for a major brothel until it was raided and shut down thanks to the dedicated work of the International Justice Mission.  A local church had moved in, and a leader was working fiercely to transform the village. He had a gym built so that males could exercise and learn how to appropriately express their energy and masculinity.  Programs were started at the church for children to have a safe place to play and adults to have a support group.  We even got to walk through the building that was once a brothel, a place that held so many horrific memories for the village’s women and children.  They left the stalls where they forced the victims to perform intact as a memorial for the living hell they had to endure.   It was a wonderfully exhausting day of walking and learning.  We had learned who is the most vulnerable to this atrocity, how to recognize an undercover brothel, what to do when we suspect there is trafficking happening, etc. 
But it’s as if we all hit a wall, and we just needed a break from it all. 

On the way back to Phnom Penh, I couldn’t stop talking about how badly I wanted some American food. What I would give for a burger and fries!  My roommate and I had discovered this little café right down the street from our hotel.  We had eaten there a couple of times already and recommended it to the
group as a fun place to go altogether, so all 24 of us headed to this restaurant.  I immediately noticed the little girl at the table next to ours.  She wore the most darling little pink dress and her hair was curled perfectly.  She was sitting across the table from a middle-aged European man.  I tried not to jump to
assumptions.  I figured I was being overzealous because of all the information I was processing from the day.  However, other group members started to notice.  We realized that the waitress kept bringing the little girl drinks, and the drinks were making her giggle and flail her little body.  The old man sat across the table from her, devouring her with his eyes, and it hit each and every one of us.  

That little girl was being sold to that man.  
 
I stood, knowing I had to do something. A couple of other students started moving around too, none of us feeling prepared to stare the transaction of a human being in its ugly face. But we quickly realized we were not the only ones watching closely.  A couple men came from what we thought was the kitchen and stood by the bar with their arms crossed.  I remember making eye contact with one of them and his eyes shot me a look that made chills run up my spine, in spite of the beating sun.  The waitress hurried to the table with a princess back pack, fluffed the little girl’s hair, and got her ready to go.  As the European man grabbed the little girl and put her on the back of a motorcycle that had just pulled up, she made eye contact with me.

And that was my moment.

I’ve never been able to get that little girl’s face out my head.  I remember
feeling truly sick the rest of the night, knowing that little girl was going to
have her innocence, and probably her life, stripped from her. She was going to face days, weeks, even years, of beatings, coercion, rape, and drugs.  All she needed was somebody to step in.  Somebody to clinch their fists, throw some spinach in their mouth, and refuse to take anymore!  But I was silenced.  The muscles of the common day Brutus caused me to stand by and watch as this little girl was sold into a life of abuse.  A life no one, NO ONE, should have to face.

I made a promise to that girl that night.  I promised her that her brown eyes
would stay forever engraved on my heart. I would fight every day for the rest of
my life for her.  And that even if it meant one little girl was rescued from the bondage of modern day slavery, that’s one set of eyes I would get to gaze into with joy, rather than mourn.  There are 27 million women and children trapped in the bonds of slavery today. That’s an overwhelming truth.  But there is one little girl that I was less than 5 feet away from in Cambodia that was sold to a man for sex.  That’s intolerable. And that’s my motivation.

What is yours?

By Alison Hofmeyer
Picture by classmate and friend Gabriel Hymer


 

Today, Monday September 24th, I sat looking out the window of my room where I am staying…a Cape Dutch style house built in the mid 1950’s, owned by very dear friends here in Kenya.  This beautiful old house has so much history in its past which adds to the mystique and charm that is so relaxing to me.  As I sat looking out the window, I am taken aback by the rich colors of the many exotic birds flying to the many colorful flowers that surround the house that is made a home by the love and friendship so freely given to our family throughout our many years in Kenya and continuing even now.  I watch as monkeys jump from limb to limb in the massive old trees covering the grounds. I see the dark clouds of a gentle rain rollover the hills toward me, listening to the sound of thunder echoing in the valley.  All this was in stark contrast to where I was this past Saturday.

I traveled from my temporary oasis home to visit our ACI Maasai Community Development Project of Kijiji, just 39 kilometers north of the Kenya – Tanzania border town of Namanga, Kenya.  Our project sits on a 20 acre plot of land that was sold by the Maasai family of Mzee Kali Kali to ACI’s Kenya partner Kijiji ya Sanaa Trust.  Experiencing drought conditions, and with no water, The Maasai families of this community send the young boys with all their animals on a 50 kilometer journey to find green grass and fresh water, while the young girls walk 5 kilometers each day for water to drink and cook with.  Although education is becoming more and more important to this community after ACI helped start the Billibo Community School this past January, the lack of water equates to over half of the school’s enrollment of 43 to be absent just to work to survive. 

The reforestation plan for the project has been severely hampered by the drought as the many trees planted since January have died due to the lack of water, not to mention the fact that herds of animals cut through the land in search for food and water and trample the few remaining struggling seedlings.  Reforestation is crucial to the survival of the ecosystem and to alleviating poverty in the area. 

There are a number of needs in this community.  A fence around the project property to prevent the animals from destroying the new trees and to provide security for the school is crucial.  Another need to community leaders voiced to me was water.  Both these items are very important for the long-term sustainability of this community, the school, and any future development at the project.  Additionally, the school building needs a cement floor to be installed.  A brick making machine was purchased by the trust to be used to put walls on the school, but without water to mix the mud, it has sat idle. 

The Maasai are a proud people and they have a wonderfully rich culture, but they are struggling with the hardships they are experiencing.  This particular Maasai community understands that they must adapt by educating their children in order for them to be able to succeed in this ever changing world which demands that people be educated in order to get jobs.  Having access to information is especially important and ACI is working with the trust and the community to provide this access using Information Communication Technologies (ICT’s) provided by broadband internet access along with the necessary training required to use the ICT’s.  This access would provide the community with eEducation, eMedicine,  eVeterinary, and eCommerce opportunities.  Yet, none of this is practical without local access to water.

A hydrologist report has already been done by the trust and all appropriate governmental permits have been issued for a well to be drilled.  Water is on the property, just 200 meters deep.  Estimates have been obtained for building the fence, drilling the well, and installing the floor for the school.  The costs for these items are as follows:

• The estimate of the stone fence is approximately $31,250.00 this is inclusive of Labor and Transport.
• The estimate for drilling the well is approximately $15,000.00 inclusive of everything.
• The estimate for the classroom floor and the sides inclusive of transport and labor is approximately $2,250.00.

There is a lot to be done to help this community to survive and ultimately thrive.  ACI will do its part to help raise these funds through developing partners who are willing to help.  Consider how you might be willing to be involved.

Well, it’s getting late.  I hope this report has opened your eyes to the need.  Thank you to all our supporters.  Your investment in making a positive difference in the lives of those who need your help is greatly appreciated.

Making a difference with you,

David Neely

President

ACI

It has been a very busy few days in Kenya.  Having arrived late this past Tuesday evening, there has been little opportunity to be concerned about the jet lag that my body is experiencing.  This Saturday, September 22nd, I will be traveling to visit ACI’s Maasai Community Development project near Namanga, Kenya.  I will be joined by board members of our Kenyan partner, Kijiji Ya Sanaa Trust.  We will be meeting with the village leadership, teachers and children attending Billibo Community School, and neighboring village representatives.  The purpose of this trip is that of an accountability review of the entire project, which includes the school, reforestation element, project property development, and the community’s sustainability efforts.  Additionally, I will be sharing pictures of the CAPS education container that was recently completed, and make plans with the trust & community leaders for the shipment of the CAPS education container in late 2013.

Although funding was offered by Kenya’s ambassador to the UN for my travel to Bungoma, Kenya to explore potential ACI involvement in the completion of a secondary school for handicapped children, plans have changed.  Due to my very tight meeting schedule this coming week, representatives of the school have agreed to travel to Nairobi to meet with me on Tuesday, September 25th.  This is a great first step in the potential ACI partnership with the school and local community in this border town of Kenya & Uganda. 

I will write more upon my Saturday trip, but until then remember to make a positive difference in your part of the world.

Blesssings,

David L. Neely

The subject of human trafficking has become a topic of contemplation for me, especially after hearing the heart of one young lady who recently returned from Cambodia where she was studying the subject for college credit.  I began to consider the cause.  The question  was, “What would put someone in such a dire position that they would either be willing to sell themselves or a family member into the darkness of the sex trade or sweatshop labor?”  Not all are sold into this lifestyle; some are kidnapped or otherwise trapped into it due to addiction or other life circumstances.  Nonetheless, these still are not reflective of the root cause.  They are merely tertiary causes.  Ultimately, I believe that extreme poverty, especially among women, is the umbrella cause under which the tertiary or supporting causes fall such as:

* political, social, and economic instability;

* a lack of access to basic educational and vocational opportunities;

* civil war and oppressive political regimes;

* a culture of domestic violence and the degeneration of the family structure;

* discrimination, i.e. caste systems or gender related discrimination;

* prevalence of high mortality diseases such as HIV-AIDS, malaria, typhoid, etc. leading to abandonment; 
 
As ACI considers what role it can play on the global stage to help eliminate the tragic reality of human trafficking, I believe it is important to articulate our commitment as follows:

 Affecting Change International, its leadership team, board members, corporate and civil society partners strongly condemn the criminal act of trafficking in human beings. We recognize that it violates basic human rights and violates the dignity and integrity of the individual being trafficked.  We recognize the need to commit to doing all we can to:

* raise public awareness of what we beleive to be the basic cause of human trafficking, which is extreme poverty, and will work to develop partners willing to help those communities and families that are most at risk;

* be an advocate in public venues for the most vulnerable communities;

* research, write, and develop effective aftercare programs for those recovering from a trafficking situation;

* network with law enforcement, secular and faith-based nonprofits, and other relevant actors, locally and internationally, to develop effective collaborative efforts to challenge the global human trafficking crisis.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how ACI can further accomplish our goals to positively impact this global situation.  Also, if you would like to partner with ACI, email me at [email protected] and we can discuss how we can make a difference together.

Making a Difference Together,

David L. Neely, President
Affecting Change International