Since 2006, Joann Baney has served as an associate professor with the Executive MPA program at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Joann Baney contributes to several charitable organizations, among them ChildFund International, a group that provides aid to more than 570 million children living in poverty.
A community development organization active in 30 countries, ChildFund International initiated the DreamBike Campaign to make education more accessible to female students in Asia and Africa. On average in developing nations, each year of school attendance increases a girl’s future earnings by 10 to 20 percent. The campaign aims to give each student a bike, enabling her to travel to school safely.
Currently, 3,400 girls in 12 countries are awaiting bikes. DreamBike is presently serving Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in West Africa. Other African countries with girls awaiting bikes are Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Uganda. Asian countries with students set to receive bikes include India, Laos, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. A donation of US$100 provides one bicycle.
For more information, visit www.childfund.org/Dream-Bike/.
