A Change of Guard

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Sunday 12 June 2011

Midlander, foundation work for Cambodian women’s empowerment

Saturday, June 11, 2011
By Theresa Clift
Midland Daily News

Midlander and retired Dow Corning Vice President Marie Eckstein recently spent two weeks in Cambodia working with The Harpswell Foundation.

The politically-neutral Harpswell Foundation’s mission is to empower a new generation of women leaders in Cambodia and the developing world. Eckstein is a new member of its advisory board.

The foundation was created by Alan Lightman, a retired professor at both Harvard and The University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Bijou orchestra’s musical production of Lightman’s best-selling book Einstein’s Dreams, inspired Eckstein to take the trip.

“I wanted to see if there were opportunities where I could help,” Eckstein said. “What I found was just amazing.”

The foundation serves women from Cambodia’s countryside who graduated from 12th grade despite extreme poverty. The 80 women are provided with housing, money for food, and extra critical thinking classes to help them learn skills to become leaders and problem solvers.

“He’s giving these girls a real added layer of education that nobody else is getting in Cambodia,” Eckstein said of Lightman.

Eckstein was drawn to the foundation because she remembers when at least 1.7 million educated Cambodians were killed in the end of the Vietnam War, leaving the country with a gap for leadership.

“This approach is helping Cambodia change from within,” Eckstein said. “It just makes sense.”

Successful women such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Ambassador of Cambodia Carol Rodley have spoken to the students, providing inspiration.

When they graduate, the women are deeply committed to improving their country, Eckstein said.

Several studies have shown that educating women is the best investment to recover developing countries.

With her business experience and contacts, Eckstein hopes to create a better job market for the foundation’s graduates, helping some start their own businesses. Currently, only half of the graduates can find decent paying jobs in the country.

Eckstein hopes to find a way to export Cambodian handmade specialty clothing to the United States. She also wants to help connect international corporations who are investing or planning to invest in the foundation to find internships or careers for the students, and to enhance their Corporate Social Responsibility programs by becoming a sponsoring partner with the foundation.

Five foundation graduates will begin a fellowship for one year of study in the U.S. at Bowdoin College in Maine, Bard College in New York, and Agnes Scott women’s college in Georgia.

Each girl’s housing costs about $15,000 a year.

Spending money, clothes, and laptops are also needed.

People can donate to the area of their choice by visiting www.harpswellfoundation.org.

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