Napping after lunch at the new Vang Lam preschool in Vietnam. So cute a lumberjack would cry.
Remember LitLiberation, the social media educational experiment I ran with bloggers not long ago?
With zero financing or hard costs, this new model ended up raising more than $250,000 in less than a month, more than Stephen Colbert, TechCrunch, and Engadget combined during that same period.
Hundreds and thousands of you participated and spread the word, helping thousands of children in fundamental life-altering ways.
Here is one fun new example: our first school in Vietnam has been completed and is now full of pre-schoolers! …
Funding was raised on this pledge page, and top donors are featured on a plaque at the main entrance to the school, with a few names going on a second school that is under construction as we speak.
For an incredible look at detailed maps, feedback from teachers, “challenge grant” specifics and more, I strongly recommend you take a look at the 4-page completion report. It’s a great example of how accountable giving should work.
It will amaze you how much $2-5 USD matters to people in a rural village. The real-world feedback highlights the enormous impact this school and its sister school — created by you all — will have on 500+ students this year and next.
How would you like to add the final $170 for a school in Nepal? Here is your chance. [Postscript: Though it’s not displaying properly, this school is now 100% funded! Thank you!]
If you want to build your own school — trust me, it can be done — then click on “I want a page like this” or check out the how-to on this page.
I’ll be planning trips to both Vietnam and Nepal to visit these and other schools. Bigger and bolder plans to come in the next six months or so.
You guys rock. Here’s visible proof.
Long live karmic capitalism.
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
Awesome job Tim, I was curious though about whether my name was going to be placed on the door( as it was stated on the ebay auction) ? Just curious, I am by no means trying to be selfish.
###
Hi Jose!
Not selfish at all. Your name will actually be put onto the Nepalese school(s) and given even more prominence! Hope all is well, and thank you so much again for your generosity towards the schools.
All the best,
Tim
Tim,
Congratulations! That is awesome. I was not able to contribute but will do so next time. What an awesome thing to do. You can change the world like this!
I’m sure you’ve read the book, Three Cups of Tea, about a climber (can’t remember his name off the top of my head) who built 1 and now many schools in Pakistan. If you haven’t, go buy it and read it. Great story.
Your story is as inspiring as his.
I truly believe that education is the key to solving all the world’s woes and stopping terrorism, emperialism and every other ‘ism that is tearing this world apart.
Thank you for your good work and may God Bless you richly for this!
Rich
i went to the donation page to top off your nepal school account but it was closed for giving.
I added to the coffer. 🙂 I feel good already! I hope the kids in Nepal will enjoy books and a desk as much as I did. I have to day I wish when I was growing up I had more teachers and my Mom challenge me more. I think students when pushed realize their potential due to good stress. I may not have wanted an ulcer but a pat on butt to say I could do it and that I would do it would have given my educational career more strengths I bloomed later in life.
I recently read about an awesome school in the U.S. It is in just outside Boston. It’s a chart public school called The Academy of the Pacific Rim. http://www.pacrim.org/
It’s enrollment starts at the 6 grade level, however many of the kids at that level can not even read or write. At the end of their schooling with discipline and attention and challenge nearly all are Ivy League ready or college bound. Amazing!
I have worked in educational publishing more many years. I know the errors that go into text books and test prep materials. Personally I feel No Child Left Behind doesn’t build true skills and is a way to take away money from schools that don’t test high (most kids in the worst districts aren’t at a proper reading level to begin with) so to fail kids when the system has been failing them is frustrating. Inner city and rural school systems need to be creative and have cooperation from the tax payers and parents. Since it seems like education is a passion of yours Tim, maybe a little insight on how any of us can do to help reform our own backyard as well would be awesome!
Love and Hugs,
Jen
Hi Tim,
I got emotional when I read this post. It feels incredible to give and thank you for making it all possible. When you plan your trip to Vietnam, will you let the donors know? I’d love to visit there with everyone.
Thanks again,
Aaron
My Bad! I think I need to go back to school to learn how to be more patient and reread what I write. Sorry for the errors, just proves how great public schools are! LOL Only partially joking! 🙂
Hugs,
J-E-N Hahahahah!
That’s awesome – good work team!
Donor’s choose has also been an awesome charity that I have enjoyed participating in. It is really a good feeling to receive pictures of these classrooms and know that you are helping them out.
Lets keep changing the world together a book at a time…….
Jose Castro-Frenzel
Hi Tim,
I am one of the guys who helped fund this particular project and I am so happy to see it completed successfully. You’ve initiated a wonderful thing and I am grateful for the opportunity to help.
You mention in the post that you will be traveling to Vietnam and Nepal to visit the schools. I’d love to take the same trip and I’m wondering if we can coordinate so we are there at the same time.
Tim,
My brother and some of his friends run a foundation that builds schools in Vietnam, just like the one you built. They have had several built so far, and the impact has been tremendous.
I know that this school will make a huge difference to a lot of people.
How do I know? A couple months I visited one just like it. Same color. Same kind of plaque.
The children there were so happy!
Here’s the website for the foundation my brother works on:
http://www.vsfoundation.com/
Tim oi!
Congratulations on the opening of your first school in Vietnam. Having lived in Vietnam for 13 years, I know how much this project will help to change those kids’ lives. I’m hoping that you might spare some energy & creativity for another Vietnamese tot, Phung Thien Nhan, who was abandonned at birth and mauled by a wild dog, resulting in the loss of his leg, penis and testicles.
He was recently adopted by a great Vietnamese family and I’m trying to help them to get Nhan all of the body parts/care that he’ll need for a good life. Any ideas? Our blog is at http://help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com/
Thanks! Elka & Mai Anh
Tim,
Fantastic! I like that you always provide new ideas that test the realm of what we normally consider possible! I only wish I knew of more websites like yours… there are tons of blogs, but few deliver content like this one.
Thanks, Lukas
Okay, the last $170 are in. 🙂
Hope this is not the last project of this kind.
“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
“Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” — John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
Well done everyone!
it’s really funny you mention vietnam. A friend at work bummed out in Vietnam for a year on very little money. He fell in love with the Vietnamese people. All he can think about now is stashing away enough cash to bum out there for another year.
[…] achieved. Together, they raised enough money to build a school in Vietnam. You can read the details here. Again, you ask, how does this relate to WordPress development? Hang tight, I’m getting […]
Mortgage Pledge is a new social venture company I have started that gives back to the charities of clients involved in the residential real estate or mortgage transaction. We will launch in July formally, but are beginning to operate the program in beta mode in Omaha, NE now. I am going to make sure this cause is one of the featured charities when we go live. Both my parents were educators and my wife. I know the power of education in changing lives.
JOE FROST
Amazed and overly pleased to see both Tim and John Wood of Room to Read combining forces. John is a fellow prominent get it done type. I missed the pledge period and assure you these kids are in great hands with everyone here involved.
Hi Tim,
I donated the amount you offered. Dont know if someone beat me to it though. Good job on this by the way! Great to see people giving like this. Concentrated and effective donation! All charities should follow this model.
This also reminds of the efforts of John Wood which I read about in
“Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children”.
Again great job! Keep at it!
-Vivek
I meant to say “I donated the amount you advertised” and NOT the following:
“I donated the amount you offered.”.
Sorry about that.
Hey Tim,
Awesome stuff, what a great honour to be apart of projects like this, I’m glad that I donated 🙂
Love your book too.. I’ve re-read it again recently and found I’ve had to adjust my life yet again, you are a real inspiration.
Regards
Paul Pichugin
http://www.paulpichugin.com
Great news! Glad to hear such a worthy cause got the funding it needed. Hopefully we can get a photo update from the main man, Tim? Anyway, hopefully we can start getting some schools and hospitals some love here in the states too.
Great job everyone!
How much did that Vietnam school cost? It looks a tad opulent. Building schools is a great idea, but you could probably make 2 more humble looking schools for the price of that one you just made.
Greg Mortenson from “Three Cups of Tea” fame has been building schools in impoverished areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan for ten years now. He spends about $20,000 on each… he uses local contacts, local supplies, and PASSIONATE local labor to keep costs down.
You guys should trade ideas:
http://threecupsoftea.com/
###
Hi Bex,
The school cost less than $15,000 to complete, so I wouldn’t call it opulent, thought it does look nice. I actually contacted Greg’s organization FOUR TIMES to offer to raise money for their schools in LitLiberation, and not a single person responded to e-mail or phone calls.
If that’s how they handle inquiries from donors, I can’t trust them in execution. It’s an inspiring book, but their response was uninspiring and quite depressing. I was essentially offering them funding for 10+ schools.
Room to Read has been in awesome in all respects.
Hope that helps,
Tim
Tim, this is an awesome idea. I’m totally for it.
But just as a side note, the $170 that appears to be absent might be due to the fact that the donation page ‘closed’ on Apr 10th. Or was I not supposed to mention that? 🙂
Anyway, I’m just mentioning it since someone will eventually point it out. It has good intentions all around, regardless, and if that gets people to donate, then so be it.
cheers,
Alex
Tim,
I’m thrilled that you’ve seen some palpable changes as a direct result of your hard work. You’ve been quite an inspiration to me and I’ve started to implement some of your ideas to create more time for fundraising and travel and things.
Trouble is, my virtual assistant seems to have read your book as well, and isn’t working more than four hours in a week!!
Any suggestions?
EJ
###
Hi EJ,
I checked out the link you sent. LOL… In short, if anyone communicated with me like that once, I’d replace them. Simple and clean. Not sure it that helps, but I’m an Occam’s Razor man 🙂
Good luck!
Tim
Hey Tim,
Thanks for hooking us up with this opportunity over the last few months.
As Alex said, It looks like the donation page is ‘closed’ so I think that my last submission went to the general “RoomToRead” fund, rather than specifically to your page. Can you open it back up again?
lessthanthree
Duke
Congratulations Tim!!!
Happy Changing the World Day with your book release Anniversary!
Way to go!
Is a another book in the works?
Hugs,
Jen
Bien Fait, Tim. Actions speak so much louder than words. Look forward to seeing the pics from your trip there. A bright spot this.
All best, Jan
Congratulations, Tim. Let me know if you want to bring some cookies for the kids when you go for a visit.
Hello TIm,
Great work on the school and Happy Anniversay ! I’ve come up with an exciting way to celebrate your first year – Meet someone new who is using the principles in your book, My love for travel transformed into a a travel agency, reading your book and an exciting lifestyle. Thanks to your book, I am now the virtual assistant of a Very Interesting Person – Alvero Rocha.
Who knows, you may be able to attend the MedCup 2008 in Alicante as a cool way to celebrate. http://2008.medcup.org/home/
Congrats on the year anniversary of your book and the success of this project! Will you be celebrating tonight, this weekend, or at some other point in time?
Do please sort out the expiration date of the fundraising drive that Alex mentioned above. I ran into the same issue just now.
I know some of your boys have been razzing you about spreading your love far and wide with the ladies. I get that that just isn’t your style. But your next charitable project could be filling up a sperm bank. ; ) If no one ever asks me out again and I stay single for the rest of my life (not likely but I’m covering all my bases here), I’ll need motherhood options. I’d feel good about raising little humanitarian kids. What do you think?
Hey Tim,
Not sure if you are still looking for schools/projects to support but you might be interested in directing some of your “reach” towards the Darfur Peace and Development School Building Program:
http://www.darfurpeaceanddevelopment.org/projects.php?project=schools
They are an amazing, locally run, organization trying to do great things with limited resources and in a very difficult location.
All the best,
Mark H.
🙂 Lifestyle Design Consultant
Great work ya’ll, I am proud of all those that contributed. We have a ways to go but togehter we all make a difference.
Bex–
I’ve spent many years in the education, social service and NGO fields. I’d like you to consider that a very simple, clean room with some supplies and mats is adequate but not opulent. All children deserve an uplifted environment that conveys a sense of care and connotes the importance of education. Sometimes cutting corners to build at the bare minimum doesn’t accomplish the goal–though it sounds like it was indeed created for very little money!.
Tim–Great crowdsourcing story!
This is really terrific! Shows how a little can go a long way.
I have volunteered for several years for a school in rural Nepal that was created through a combination of individual donations, international volunteers, and local labor. The Nepali founder of that school once pointed out to me that, while it was relatively easy to motivate people to donate one-time funds for building a school, it was far harder to get funding for the ongoing “intangible” necessities — like teacher’s salaries.
This comment is not to discount school building projects (which are very important!) — just to add that the success of these endeavors truly depends on what happens AFTER a school is built. In some countries, the cost of a monthly Netflix subscription can pay for a teacher’s salary. Tim, in your “bigger and bolder plans to come in the next six months” it would be great to highlight ways that people can offer ongoing support to sustain projects. Network for Good has an easy way that people can autopay monthly contributions to organizations they support.
Bravo for the great work & inspiration!
Allison
This is really amazing, Tim.
I love that you just do stuff and do it now.
Your efficiency and big heart is highly admirable!
Anna
Tim,
I’m new to your book and site…actually, I just started reading your book 2 days ago, as a requirement for an MBA program. (Not sure if you were aware of that your book is now an MBA requirement, seems a bit ironic considering your recommend most people stop “working”…, oh, and I’m paying $1,000 for it) Most of your comments about the “working world”, okay all of them so far, are entirely true. I spend 20% of my time working, and 80% of my time filling my work with responding to e-mails (mostly to my friends), surfing the internet, and now, reading your blog and writing comments..hopefully my boss doesn’t read this blog as well.
…
Melissa
Hi All!
Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments. The Nepal school is now 100% funded! My apologies for the confusion. Even though it’s not displaying properly, those of you who donated made it happen. Any extra funds will go to the next school built with Room to Read.
You guys rock. Thank you 🙂
Pura vida,
Tim
as an active paritipant in miniretirement any suggestions on how and where to secure health insurance?
This is the most amazing thing ever. I was curious as to what happened with the challenge, and love that others are helping to make people’s dreams come true. God-speed.
Tim,
I am majoring in international studies at Humboldt State University and have become very aware of how little Americans and citizens in other developing countries would need contribute to improve drastic conditions all over the world, such as extreme poverty, hunger, and lack of education. I just want to congratulate you on your great effort in not only making a real difference but illustrating how little it really takes for us to do the same. Keep up the good work!
Respectfully,
James Druman
You are welcome to fix my typo–developing should be developed. lol
how can i help?
teaching and children and education are my passions in life, and I am trying to find a way to put these passions into use.
i am interested in being directly involved. not sure that this is the best way to go about it, but seems like a good enough place to start.
please feel free to contact me.
Hi Tim,
Thank you for the awesome work for the school, we need more people like you in this world with the love of helping others. Congratulations on your one-year anniversary of the “4HWW”. I manage to get a copy of your book and happen to just start reading your book today.
Let me see, challenge seems like fun for you and New Zealand is a Happy country. Can I suggest you celebrate in the beautiful and happy country – New Zealand. I dare you to fly half way around the world to New Zealand in the next 24 hours just for the fun of it or perhaps a book release for NZ.
Cheers, Amy
Congrats on the successful social experiment, shows how crowdsourcing works for good causes like this one. I like the idea of providing education for unprivileged kids! And I’m more impressed by your efficiency in time management, such as having time to do this sort of thing, do you ever sleep?
While I think it’s great you’ve done this, I think it highlights one difficulty with your lifestyle and your book – you have to leave the consistent people-service to others. Teachers, nurses and others in service industries can’t outsource their work; they can’t do it in two hours a week, or a couple of times a month. Any jobs based on relationships need to be consistent and are stressful because of that – the emotional toll involved. I work with young children and their families with autism, and I need to work with them regularly and build up a relationship with them in order to be effective. I’d love to be able to work two months and take off another month – but I’d be letting the families I work with down if I did so (and there’s no school/hospital/community organisation which would let you do so!)
Tim,
Sorry to hear Mortenson (Three Cups Of Tea) didn’t get back to you… I’ve sent emails to them as well and haven’t yet received a reply. I hope that this is simply because the popularity of the book is hurting their ability to respond promptly… maybe they need some virtual assistants 😉
One observation… LitLiberation uses First Giving, who charges about 7% overhead on each donation. That’s great for a one- or two- time thing, but if you want LitLiberation to be a multiple-year project, you might want to think about creating a custom app.
If you go the custom app route… the cheapest option I’ve found is Google Checkout, which only charges a 2% fee. The 5% savings could really add up…
After reading your post, I’ve been thinking a lot about how this could work, and be both more effective and cheaper than First Giving… I’m happy to share pro-bono… let me know.
Wow. great. I’m Vietnamese. Thanks you guys so much 🙂
Hi Tim!
Both a reader of your book and blog. Namaste!
Two years ago, I traveled to Nepal on a whim and happened to be there during the country-wide uprising against the king. For the last week of my trip, I was under house arrest alongside the Nepali people. Martial law gave me the opportunity to have indepth conversations with people at a defining moment in their country’s history, and I was struck by the common hopes and dreams that I—a white girl from Charleston, S.C.–shared with a community of people whose existence initially seemed very foreign.
Upon return to the U.S., I influenced a publisher friend to place an appeal of support for Room to Read in all of her publications, so I agree that moderate donations can make an enormous impact on emerging countries. Thank you for your effort to improve quality of life for people around the world!
On March 11, I launched the U Truth Project. In an age when neighbors are disconnected and societies are fractured due to religion, creed, politics, race, geography, socio-economics, and countless other markers, the U Truth Project seeks to discover commonalities within the human drama that supersede surface differences.
Armed with little more than a camera, a laptop, a copious supply of anti-malaria pills, a tentative route, and one of those quick dry towels that I believe you too are fond of (!), I am circumnavigating the globe and asking the people I meet to share one statement of truth. The U Truth Project is a web-based photo documentary that chronicles the responses.
So, when are you headed to Nepal and Vietnam? I’ll be there this fall. Perhaps our paths will cross and you can participate in the U Truth Project.
Best,
Ida
I love book but you saying what you did about Bush only shows me your out of touch with the real world hey maybe with money your king but im talking about real world to have bush and people like him in office gives people a chance to make it in the real world. Im not smart enough to brake it down to you or i world. So your book was great but sometimes we you got to fight the bully and there is always someone who will say you didnt have to beat him up but trust we did we should and we should have done more. Blase Barrettt
Tim! What a great thing you did! Please keep us posted on the school’s successes!
Awesome. Simply awesome.
I watch your interview last week on TVO’s The Agenda. You have hit the colonial nail on the head. I am 36 yrs old – worked full-time since age of 18 and delivered 4 wonderful (most days) children before age of 30. I have always maintained my profession with 6 month interludes to spend full-time with my kids. People consistently tell me that they do not know how I do it. This always amazes me as I rarely feel overwhelmed. I pick what I do and who I do it with awareness.
However my past workplaces have frustrated me with the proverbial best practices. These corporate rules of thumb disregard the nitty-gritty that is required to generate productivity. I recently made a career move (same profession but with a tech sector twist). I am hopeful my new workplace is open to listen to an approach like yours. Thanks for giving back.
Hi All!
Here is an email from Room to Read that answers the question many have been asking:
How do I volunteer in Vietnam or elsewhere?
Here is their answer via email to one reader named Brad:
Hello Brad,
Thanks so much for your enthusiasm for our work and your participation in Tim Ferriss’ fantastic LitLiberation campaign! As I’m sure you can see, Tim’s initiative has given Room to Read a number of new, wonderful supporters not unlike yourself. It’s been great working with him and these individuals as they raise funds towards schools and other projects.
In regards to volunteering overseas through Room to Read, I am afraid our options are quite limited. Rather than using volunteers in Cambodia or the other countries in which we work to help construct our projects, we encourage the local villages to get involved and co-own the projects. We have found this model to promote longer term sustainability of these projects. Our country programs are all initiated and managed by locals. Part of Room to Read’s philosophy is to require the communities we work with to participate in what we call a “Challenge Grant.” Essentially what this means is that the local communities must also contribute towards the project. Most often they do this by donating the land, labor, and even smaller amounts of capital toward the project. You can read more about our Challenge Grant and the importance of it by visiting our website at http://www.roomtoread.org.
However, we do offer quarterly site visits in the capital city of each of the countries where Room to Read operates. They are designed for independent travelers – whether they are volunteers, existing donors, or other interested parties – and are hosted by our local staff. Site visits are generally a half-day in length and offer our guests an overview of the variety of programs we are implementing in these regions. Site visits may include a visit to a school, a library, a computer lab, or a short visit with some of our girls’ scholars. To learn more about this, and to see if our Site Visit will coincide with the timing for you potential trip, please check out our website at (http://www.roomtoread.org/involvement/visits.html).
If you would like to be updated on our work and hear stories about the progress we are making, please sign up for our quarterly email newsletter at: http://www.roomtoread.org/involvement/updates.html
If you are interested in participating in volunteer fundraising opportunities in the US, I encourage you to fill out our volunteer application online at http://www.roomtoread.org/involvement/volunteer.html.
Please feel free to call or email with any questions you might have. Thanks again, Brad, for the wonderful support!
Warmly,
Emily
Hello Everyone!
The readers who are interested in helping to complete funding for a school in Vietnam can join our facebook group (Facebook for Education in Developing Nations) which has over 1,700 members and has raised over $6,350! They can also visit our donation page directly at http://www.firstgiving.com/danelow.
For Tim: What do you think is the best method (assuming you do not have a popular blog:P) to get people involved online?
Also, I will be on exchange overseas with school in the fall of 2009. Let me know if you have plans to visit the schools then!
Cheers,
Dane
Tim,
I appreciate that you are using your blog audience and influence for social good. I am sure it is tempting to just sit back and collect money and say, “Wow, look at all this fame. Now where is my martini?” The world needs more influencers like yourself. I wish you all the success in the world.
###
Dean, thank you so much for your kind comment. This means a lot 🙂
All the best,
Tim
what you’ve done is realy perfect and how can we help you from abroad
Hi Everyone,
Big congrats to all who supported Room to Read. I have been a supporter of this organization for the past year and just feel that they are doing an incredible job giving the gift of education. While reading through the blogs I noticed that there is an overwhelming number of you who still want to support Room to Read. That is awesome! As Dane mentioned above, you can support R2R through his webpage or feel free to donate through my webpage at http://www.firstgiving.com/shannacovey or directly to R2R at http://www.roomtoread.org. Anwywhere, will work so long as we can get the funds to R2R so that they can continue to do what they do best!
Best to all of you!
Shanna
Hi Everyone,
Big congrats to all who supported Room to Read. I have been a supporter of this organization for the past year and just feel that they are doing an incredible job giving the gift of education. While reading through the blogs I noticed that there is an overwhelming number of you who still want to support Room to Read. That is awesome! As Dane mentioned above, you can support R2R through his webpage or feel free to donate through my webpage at http://www.firstgiving.com/shannacovey or directly to R2R at http://www.roomtoread.org. Anwywhere will work so long as we can get the funds to R2R so that they can continue to do what they do best!
Best to all of you!
Shanna
Hi Tim! I think Carolyn points out a flaw in the “school mentality” of most folks in our Western society. The fact that we think it’s necessary to rely on “experts” to teach preschool-aged children in age-segregated classrooms away from the warmth and security of the family unit is a mystery to me. As you know, I’m a nontraditional homeschool mom, and freedom to learn in an open, stress-free environment is the key to nurturing a love for learning. Almost all kids get excited be a new adventure (although I spent the first month of school in tears crying for my mother,) but what happens when burnout sets in after starting them off at such a young age? We see this every day in the troubled school systems here in the US.
My dream is to see widespread support for the expansion of libraries — both here and abroad — into community learning centers for people of all ages to come together in a cooperative effort. That way, service personnel and special needs families alike could tap into a worldwide network of like-minded folks and, in turn, make work/school a mobile option for everyone!
Just my two cents and a plate o’ pasta 😉 Posting from my iPod (who needs a laptop when you have two thumbs?!) so I hope my formatting stays true! Off to add something to the Hands On thread about family volunteering. Hopefully, we can find an opportunity in BsAs in time for tango season ~ Hasta luego, Amigo!
Tim,
I saw this picture a few weeks ago, but assumed that you had already been to Vietnam.
I have been living here 11 years. I am based in Hanoi, but know much of the country.
I have read your book through 3 time.
Meeting you is one of my planned dos on my dreamscape list.
When you come to Vietnam, would really like to meet with you. My mobile is +84-913236321.
Please call or email if I can be of any help in planning for your trip. Not sure what your interest is, but I think I can be helpful in most areas.
Cheers,
Colin
[…] education is the first step for bringing about meaningful change, and the LitLiberation foundation makes it possible for you to build a school in Vietnam. If that’s not empowering, I don’t know what […]
I’m glad to see that you’re participating in some nonprofit fundraising and I was intrigued by the new model you used to raise funds for your LitLiberation experiment last year. I’m currently starting up my own nonprofit, Local Problems Global Solutions and would like to ask you and the readers of this blog, for creative ideas to raise my initial seed money. The basic premise is that I think large aid organizations suffer from white man’s burden and often solve problems that may not be the most pressing one. In other words, here’s your field of corn…oh we really needed a school. ASK the locals what the problem is…I’d like to create a nonprofit with a website to connect people in poor countries with the best solutions from all over the world. I have a solution to the obvious question: internet access in the third world. Also, I have a solution for a community base of global problem solvers. Additionally, I’ll probably use virtual assistants and a virtual office, to reduce operating costs. Especially because at least initially, I would be the one in the field collecting the data (problem set). If you or anyone reading this blog is interested in this idea for a nonprofit, please let me know.
[…] to do so. Only very recently has it been possible for individuals like Tim Ferriss to raise over $250,000 in one month for the construction of new schools in Vietnam and elsewhere – a campaign organized exclusively through blogs and Twitter. Tim […]
what you’ve done is realy perfect and how can we help you from abroad
Tim! What a great thing you did! Please keep us posted on the school’s successes!
what you’ve done is realy perfect and how can we help you from abroad
I appreciate that you are using your blog audience and influence for social good. I am sure it is tempting to just sit back and collect money and say, “Wow, look at all this fame. Now where is my martini?” The world needs more influencers like yourself. I wish you all the success in the world…..
what you’ve done is realy perfect and how can we help you from abroad
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All the best.. Number one.
Congratulations, Tim and everyone who contributed.
Very cool initiative.
Come on down to Saigon! I’ve been here (there) since 2001.
Way to go, you’re awesome. This is very inspiring. I can’t wait to be able to bankroll more projects like this. I think this type of philanthropy is the way of our future. Individual microfinancing.
I was wondering if there are opportunities for volunteering at one of these schools?
I will probably be in the area at some point and would like to volunteer.
[…] This is “Tweet to Beat”, a follow-up experiment to LitLiberation, which was a campaign by bloggers and their readers, and CEOs and their employees, to spread the power of literacy worldwide. It was a new fundraising model based on competition and social media scalability, and it funded not only US public school projects (20,000+ students) but also libraries and schools in developing countries. I’m in Vietnam with readers right now to visit two of the schools. […]
[…] 4HWW Readers’ School in Vietnam Opens its Doors — Time for a Trip? […]
[…] This is “Tweet to Beat”, a follow-up experiment to LitLiberation, which was a campaign by bloggers and their readers, and CEOs and their employees, to spread the power of literacy worldwide. It was a new fundraising model based on competition and social media scalability, and it funded not only US public school projects (20,000+ students) but also libraries and schools in developing countries. I’m in Vietnam with readers right now to visit two of the schools. […]
Same idea as Colin Pine. I’m currently in Vietnam and it should be great if you do have some time for a coffee.
Emailed you at amy at fourhourworkweek dot com but I’m not so sure if you have time to check it out or not.
Best,
[…] This is “Tweet to Beat”, a follow-up experiment to LitLiberation, which was a campaign by bloggers and their readers, and CEOs and their employees, to spread the power of literacy worldwide. It was a new fundraising model based on competition and social media scalability, and it funded not only US public school projects (20,000+ students) but also libraries and schools in developing countries. I’m in Vietnam with readers right now to visit two of the schools. […]
[…] school with Tim Ferriss and two other donors about 3 hours outside of Saigon / Ho Chi Min City. More about the school here. They teach ages 2-5. Also: birthday dinner for […]
Hi Tim,
Congratulation! You did great job for our children. By chance, via Matt blog, i roll into your site and project. This inspired me to much. As soon as i come back to Vietnam this summer, i will start a project like you did.
Thank you very much, Tim
minhhanh
[…] saw an entry of Matt Mullenweg at wp-dashboard and ran into Tim Ferriss. Thanks to their donors and Room to Read foundation, more than hundred Vietnamese pre-school have […]
[…] short time. He has successfully made use of social media tools to raise thousands of dollars to build schools in Vietnam, libraries in Nepal and India, and most recently, to help thousands of classrooms in the U.S. […]
[…] short time. He has successfully made use of social media tools to raise thousands of dollars to build schools in Vietnam, libraries in Nepal and India, and most recently, to help thousands of classrooms in the U.S. […]
trying desperately to find an english teaching school in ho chi min city for a lovely 8 year old vietnamese girl, nothing on google
HI good job here, Pls i need i school where i can lean vietnam language. Am from Nigeria and i search through but could fine, pls “help” if you can send me a direct mail: walter9ja@yahoo.com
I am visiting Vietnam, leaving Sat 3rd, how can I help whilst I am there, I am a teacher, leaving for 12 days only. Please advise.
Hi Nat,
Thanks so much for the comment. It’s hard to get involved with R2R on the ground in Vietnam without first going through the local government. I’ll let you know when I have a new project going up…
Have a blast!
Tim
Great work you are doing. God bless you.
Back in 1968 a small group (60 engineer soldiers) built some 18 schools for rural Vietnamese villages in the Mekong Delta. We assume that our schools still endure, and have educated hundreds of thousands of wonderful children by now. Please check out our website.
I will discuss with the boys (we are old men now, actually) how we can help your projects.
Regards
Michael Miller
Tim,
I’m gonna visit this school when I go back next year. And tell ’em about you! 😉
Tim, you are really great man. Thank alot for your noble tasks in Vietnam.
Doan
Donating to these projects is fantastic. Donating to schools in Afghanistan or Pakistan or any other Muslim area is a waste of money and time. Might as well donate directly to the Taliban or any of over 1000 other terrorist jihadi groups. Donate money to schools in Vietnam or any other Christian based country and you will be doing the world a lot of good.
Cute for sure . the program may need some oversight that includes quality of care such as being rated using the The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale created by Thelma Harms, Richard Clifford and Debbie Cryer.
I am an assessor and noticed that the children are lying too close to each other ( 3 feet apart is the standard) per health related issues, spread of infection etc.There are many criteria which make for a strong program and effect quality . I commend this effort and am confident the program staff will appreciate learning how to offer quality care. Namaste
thank you very much for your acitviy, i’m a vietnamese. and where is vang lam school 🙂
Mekong Delta!
I’m a Vietnamese. I’ve been your fan for a year. On behalf of all Vietnamese kids and their parents in the 4hww readers’ preschool, thank you and all the benevolent donors. Your action inspire us, the youth, to devote more to our country’s future
Hi,
I loved this picture of the kids napping.
I would like to use it for the article I am writing on “How to find the right kindergarten abroad” which will be featured in “Overseas Education” a magazine published in Japan.
If there is any problem, please contact me.
Nora
Hi Tim,
Are you still involved with any Vietnam charity projects? We have a foundation that helped orphanages in Vietnam. I would love to collaborate if you still have interested in helping in Vietnam.
Warm Regards,
Keri