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Loscarasucias Children's Home Global Colors board member Joy Haynes went to Argentina and while there decided to do a little Guerrilla Aid. In a short amount of time she met every immediate need of a children's home outside of Buenos Aires. |
Women Fuelwood Carriers Just outside of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, there are women who hike roughly 18 miles a day collecting wood to be sold in the market. The weight of the packs they carry can be up to 70 lbs. - close to the weight of some of the women - and they do it all for about $2. |
Development in Gardening We partnered with an amazing organization, Development in Gardening (DIG), to create vegetable gardens next to hospitals in Africa.
We worked at Hospital Fann in Dakar, Senegal, and created something so unique it brought First Lady Laura Bush to visit.
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Cows for the Massai After the September 11 attacks, the very poor people of the Maasai banded together and raised enough money to buy fourteen cows - their most prized possession -to give as a gift to America to help us heal.We decided to go over and thank them by repaying the gesture... |
UCLA at Angkor Thom While in Cambodia in 2005, we met a group of children being taken care of by the monks near Temple Bayon in Angkor Thom just north of Siem Reap, and they eventually became the inspiration to start Global Colors.It was only fitting that our first project was to go back and thank them. |
CAA Envirotrade Creative Artists Agency (CAA) selected Global Colors to launch their International Volunteer Vacation Program, having us take CAA employees to Mozambique and South Africa for a reforestation and outreach project. |
Jeff Scott We were contacted by the friends and family of Jeff Scott to see if we could do any sort of project in his memory, and so we set out to get to know the man Jeff had become, and create a project work in his honor. |
Bonfil Orphanage Just outside Cancun, Mexico, there is a small orphanage called "Casa Hogar Esperanza". This "House of Hope and Faith" is run by Asencio and Esther Mancilla who started this home nearly 20 years ago when someone left an infant on their doorstep. |
Back to School Inspired by Jeff Scott, our Cambodian Back to school program was able to expand to become a resounding success. 120 children are now in school, families are becoming self-sustaining, and we were lucky enough to facilitate it. |
| Who is Barton Brooks |
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BARTON BROOKS founded Global Colors and continues to run day to day operations. He strongly adheres to the principle that if you think something should be done, well then, figure out a way to just go and do it.
My story: I founded Global Colors after years of volunteer work and international travel, starting with a couple of years in London before studying political history and theology in Israel and the Middle East. I developed an insatiable case of wanderlust and explored Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa - and in the process, became acutely aware of the individual needs that plague our world. Traveling to take pictures and collect souveniers started feeling a bit hollow, and it was in Cambodia where I finally was inspired to make a difference. I changed my life to reflect that, and started my little organization to create projects through random acts of service around the world. I started back at Angkor Wat, and to make it all happen sold my only asset (a Shelby Cobra replica that I built by hand) to personally fund the first GC projects. I'll still cry about that car if you catch me on the wrong day, but that beautiful hunk of metal became an education for kids in Cambodia, and changed the lives of some beautiful women in Kenya. So in reality, it was a no-brainer... My little organization has created a pretty sweet ride of it's own, as it was just a few years ago I was this random guy having the desire to make a difference - but with absolutely no experience in international volunteering. Now I field calls from politicians, families, students, corporations, and even the White House regarding the proper approach to international grassroots efforts. I started working around the world "Guerrilla Aid" style, and set off on a years journey to help as many places as I could. Nearly four months into it I was in a motorcycle accident in Uganda, and am currently just finishing up the last surgeries and rehab, but will be back out there hopefully by Christmas 2009. A few bullet points about my experience or past work...
 We all work based on the inspiration of those we serve, but I have to explain a bit about the people who have had a major impact on helping me find my life. My heroes below have shaped my thoughts about being the man I want to become, and how to create the life I want to live in. MARGARET MEAD - I think she understood human interaction better than anyone, and her core belief that we learn the most from simple observation has benefited me greatly. I'm continually inspired by her desire to avoid polluting cultures with fears, expectations, or personal rules, and that lesson has made my work much more rewarding. As it applies to volunteerism, I've learned to not place anyone into a mold of what I think they need, but rather ask them how they want me to help them and we start from there. ANGELINA JOLIE - If you look throughout history at all the celebrities who have come and gone, there are very few who have taken their fame and turned it into something powerful for millions of suffering people around the world. She is the reason I became interested in Cambodia, and it was while I was there that I decided to start GC - so yeah, she's kind of a big deal to me. It took on a whole new meaning when I watched some Cambodian children playing Tomb Raider so I said, "Angelina Jolie?" and they all started giggling and laughing. I realized that they now had someone beautiful to attach themselves to, and they collectively felt that she was "theirs" just because they knew she was part of them. I wouldn't call it an obsession, but I won't lie - I have a healthy admiration for this remarkable woman. ;-) LAIRD HAMILTON - What an amazing inspiration for life. Every time I feel lazy or that I just want to chill and coast, I think of the way Laird lives his life. Every day should be lived to it's fullest, and every challenge we master should bring a greater challenge to conquer. His thought, "What would the knight do if there were no more dragons to slay?" kind of sums it up for me. For me, life is meant to be an adventure through conquering challenges we face, not the relaxing part after we've conquered them. OPRAH WINFREY - There is just too much to say - but in a nutshell, there is no greater example of human accomplishment. Period. I just want to connect the world one volunteer at a time, and I see it as my job to help people figure out how and where they can make a difference.
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We work to create self-sustaining grassroots projects for the common good of each community we serve.
Just go somewhere and do something, and then teach others how to do the same.
