No, we’re not doing some crazy ab workout based on Frank Miller’s film on the Battle of Thermopylae. We’re trying to raise $300,000 by August 15th, XelaTeco’s second birthday, to start a new shop in Haiti, buy XelaTeco a truck, and strengthen AIDG as an organization.

We’re asking all of our friends, colleagues and supporters to donate to AIDG. If you’ve been reading the blog for a while now and would like to support what we do, we would really appreciate the help.

Here is a bit more info on the key projects we’re wanting to fund over the next few months.

1. We want to take AIDG’s business incubation model to the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Unfortunately, we can’t move beyond the planning stages until we have the necessary funds: $92,000. A big thing that we learned from our work with XelaTeco is that having the cash up front makes life sooooooo much easier. Your support really will help us deliver life-changing solutions to the rural poor in Haiti and the DR, as we’ve be able to do in Guatemala.
2. XelaTeco desperately needs a truck. We’re looking at buying a used truck for $7500. Currently, the crew travels around the countryside on public or rented transportation, on foot or bicycle. A truck would a) be safer and b) allowing us to deliver projects faster and more efficiently. This is becoming essential due to the increased demand for XelaTeco’s products from local NGOs and community groups.
3. AIDG has done a great deal in the past two years on only $150,000. That’s right. Just a $150,000. We’ve been able to pull off quite a bit in since 2005 with not very much money, largely because of our dedicated all-volunteer staff. To continue with our work of providing clean and green technologies to rural communities and to grow AIDG into a sustainable organization with full-time staff, we need to raise an additional $200,000 in 2007.

If you like what we do and have been considering donating, I would urge you to make a donation now. $10, $25, $100, $1000. Any gift makes a big difference to us.

If you can’t give to us today, link to us on your site or blog and/or tell 5 friends about us in the coming week. If there is anyone you think we should talk to for donations, send their name my way claine [at] aidg [dot] org. If you could help us out that would be awesome!

We’ve already raised $41,000 this year so $300,000 is oh so very doable by August 15th. We’re going to need loads of help though. Thanks.

Happy Earth Day.

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