All Nations Education's (ANE) Vice President, Director for Latin America, Miguel A. Paredes, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Peru with the University de Lima (ULIMA). "All Nations Education is breaking students out of the cycle of poverty in Peru with the opportunity to attend one of the best universities, ULIMA, in the country," remarks Paredes.

All Nations Education has selected two new Peruvian scholars to attend the University of Lima: Jorge De La Cruz and Mayra Vargas. Both were chosen from a 10-person applicant pool developed by the University of Lima in accordance with ANE's scholarship criteria.

Mayra Vargas hopes to one day use her education to open a law firm in Peru and devote a portion of the firm's time and resources to helping people who cannot afford legal counsel. Studying industrial engineering, Jorge De La Cruz aspires to become the first person in his family to get a professional degree. After gaining experience working for different companies, he hopes to start his own business.

ANE plans to connect De La Cruz and Vargas with local businesses for internships during the summer.

Mr. Rallins of Morehouse College grew up on Chicago's South Side, where his father came of age in the Altgeld Gardens, the same housing project where Mr. Obama once worked as an organizer. And Mr. Rallins, who wrote about his ambition to persevere, achieve, serve and see the world in his essay, "The Audacity of Hunger," seems well aware of the parallel and the potential.

Mr. Obama "said it was the best education he ever had," Mr. Rallins said. "Young people, they're looking for certain intangible skills. They see the experience Obama got from community organizing - his concern, the way he relates with everyday people."

Mr. Rallins said he became committed to the job while working with other Morehouse students in New Orleans in the demolished Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina.

"That's where my heart is right now," Mr. Rallins said.

Indeed, many idealistic students were drawn to organizing well before Mr. Obama began his presidential campaign.

Andrew Golis was 19 and had just finished his freshman year at Harvard when he joined Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign in New Hampshire. "The Dean campaign, because of the war, and a lot of feelings of disillusionment, was attracting tons of young people," said Mr. Golis, now 25 and the deputy publisher of the Talking Points Memo, an online news site. "Dean would run around saying, 'You have the power, reclaim the country.' "

Karen Hicks, the campaign director for New Hampshire, was trying to figure out what to do with all the college students she had working for her, Mr. Golis said. She brought in Dr. Ganz. "Marshall taught us how to be organizers over a long weekend at some insanely hot yurt at a retreat center," Mr. Golis said. "It was so cool. I was a 19-year-old idealistic kid - and he was coming with his history, his ability to talk about the inspirational side of politics."

"Marshall doesn't fit the baby boomer cliche - the 'back when I was fighting the man, when I had long hair, when I was smoking pot,' " Mr. Golis said. "He's telling a series of stories about himself, about the work that he's doing."

And unlike the 1960s, many of thesestudents don't seem motivated by partisanship. Drea Chicas, 21, the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, is a graduating senior at Occidental, where she has taken Professor Dreier's course and worked with teenage girls.

But politics? "That to me is just a distraction," she said. "When I'm with my girls, that's the last thing they have on their minds. They've seen their boys shot in their faces, violence against women. Democratic, Republican - that's not even relevant."

In fact, talking to many of these young adults, the drive to become an organizer is part of their faith. Josh Daneshforooz, a 24-year-old graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, is taking Dr. Ganz's course on organizing at the Kennedy School, "because I saw those principles in action in the hugely successful Obama campaign," he wrote in an e-mail message.

He wants to apply those principles, he said, to his group that he founded, the All Nations Education, a Christian group, organizing college students in the United States to help young people in the third world go to college.

Even as Dr. Ganz and others stir enthusiasm, the question becomes what will they do with all these newly interested organizers. Even as they emphasize that organizing can be a career, financing has always been tight and is not likely to improve as the recession drags on. For instance, PICO does not plan anytime soon to fill its job in San Diego that attracted 200 resumes.

Rylan Truman, 27, will graduate this spring with a master's degree in social work, with a concentration in community organizing, from the school of social work in Hartford. "I would like to be able to organize parents in low-income jobs around their children's schools," she said.

But she doesn't have a job.

"My graduating now is poor timing because of the economic situation," she said. "A lot of community organizing jobs are the first to get cut."

Even if these young adults became paid organizers, there is no guarantee that they will stick with it. They, like Mr. Obama, might eventually become frustrated about the lack of progress. After all, Mr. Obama himself left with few victories in his pocket, deciding that prospects for real change lay elsewhere.

At PICO, Quinn Rallins is being recruited by Lew Finfer, a community organizer in Boston who years ago tried to persuade Mr. Obama, then a Harvard law student, to return to organizing. They talked over coffee in Harvard Square. Mr. Obama said no; he wanted to return to Chicago and get into politics.

"I'm glad he had a plan," Mr. Finfer said. "And I'm glad I wasn't successful."

He hopes he has better luck with Quinn Rallins. That final interview is Monday night in Brockton.

Due to Ghana's increase in annual education spending, the country now has over 12,000 primary schools and over 5,000 junior secondary schools. Most Ghanaians have access to suitable education. Although public education is free, many students who reach university level cannot afford to go.

Frank is 22 years old and is the eldest of five children. He was born in the Volta region of Ghana, where his parents farm tomatoes and shallots. His father's annual salary is US $580 per year.

As a result of his family's low income, Frank and other students in his position resort to farming instead of pursuing higher education and by doing so, continue the cycle of poverty in their country.

All Nations Education is a Christian nonprofit organization devoted to providing young adults with scholarships to attend the University of Ghana.

"The developing world has a lot of seminaries and Bible colleges, but it simply does not have the kind of education that rigorously and critically spans the wide array of human learning," said Daneshforooz.

Through this program, students are chosen from impoverished communities and are given the opportunity to pursue higher education.

They have just as much intellectual potential as Westmont students, but they simply don't have the resources to pursue higher education," said Daneshforooz.

All Nations Education provides young adults such as these with mentors from their communities. Some of these mentors are World Vision executives and others are pastors. The mentors provide students with role models who can help them to progress academically and personally.

Daneshforooz explained, "Education should turn you into a certain kind of person. It is not about just learning how to do something, but how to live."

With this knowledge and these resources, sponsored students can return to impact not only their families but to assist their impoverished communities. For instance, one of the All Nations scholars, Bright Ofori, who is a second-year student at the University of Ghana, is already giving back to his community by helping children in his area with their homework.

Here at Westmont, students have opportunities to be challenged academically, experience internships and be mentored by great leaders. According to Daneshforooz, it is the goal of All Nations Education to bring these opportunities to students all around the world.

Westmont senior founds organization to serve the poor and engages in inter-faith conversatons with muslims, buddhists and jews.

Josh Daneshforooz '08 has attended four different colleges during his undergraduate career. The 23-year old senior says the other institutions didn't challenge him academically like Westmont does.

"Westmont is the ideal combination of academic excellence and character and spiritual development," he says. It's holistic. My professors teach their respective disciplines with a high level of rigor and a profound depth of spiritual insight. Westmont has been faithful to its Christian roots while never losing sight of academic excellence."

Josh, a philosophy major, is an advocate of the Christian liberal arts. Through his professors, he has learned to love the world intelligently. For example, he cites the way Greg Spencer, professor of communication studies, defines rhetoric: "loving appropriately through speech." Historian Alister Chapman teaches students that in order to love the world, they must understand where it came from. "Westmont has awakened in me a strong desire for broad learning," Josh says. "Now I'm able to discuss intelligently a broad spectrum of topics."

Last year, Josh joined the staff of the Horizon, Westmont's student newspaper, as Thinktank editor. This year he manages nearly 30 student writers as editor-in-chief. "I deeply appreciate the fact that Westmont's administration treats me like a colleague, respecting my opinion and allowing me to make executive decisions," Josh says. "This experience has fostered confidence in my leadership abilities for the future."

Watching a leader in action has also helped Josh. During the summer, he shadowed Dean Hirsch '69, president of World Vision International and a Westmont trustee, sitting in on executive meetings, lunches and conference calls. Josh also traveled with him to Tanzania, Africa, to confront issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty and exploitation, and he visited Kenya to see a World Vision water project there. "My time with Dr. Hirsch taught me that good intentions are futile without efficacious organization," Josh says.

Josh was born in Las Vegas. His mother is a Christian, his father an Iranian Muslim and his step-father a Jewish Buddhist Moroccan. His diverse background motivated him to found the World Religions Club at Westmont. Their activities include visiting a Buddhist temple in Oxnard, Calif., and engaging in interfaith dialogue with the UC Santa Barbara Muslim Student Association, a Buddhist nun and a Jewish rabbi.

"I believe that interreligious dialogue is essential in promoting peace among individuals, families, cities and civilizations," Josh says. "One of the highest human callings is to listen authentically to people who are different. There is no way a follower of a different faith is going to convert to Christianity merely because I beat them in a religious debate."

Raised by a single mother, Josh recalls a series of financial struggles throughout his childhood, such as losing electricity whenever they couldn't pay the bill. He has founded All Nations, a non-profit organization that helps the less fortunate in local communities. Last Christmas, All Nations gave grocery gift cards to Westmont Dining Commons workers, paid a portion of the rent for low-income families in Santa Maria, and donated 500 postal stamps to the Santa Barbara County Jail in collaboration with the chaplain so inmates could send out holiday cards.

"Every time I gave a family a grocery card or a Christmas gift, I said, 'I give this to you in the name of Christ,' because He is the One providing All Nations with the funds to help others" Josh says. "God has blessed me by bringing me to Westmont, so it's my turn to bless others with the things God has given me."

After graduating, Josh plans to go to graduate school to study religion, philosophy and business. "I'll continue to run All Nations, and I hope one day it will become a world-class organization like World Vision," he says. "As a long-term goal, after graduate school, I plan to speak at city-wide evangelistic events. I believe it's my calling."

Five students of the University have benefited from a $500 sponsorship package from the All Nations Education (ANE).

Presenting the package at a short ceremony on the Legon campus, the President of the group, Joshua W. Daneshforooz said the students were chosen to participate in the ANE programme because of their demonstrated success in the classroom and their willingness to use their education to help their family, community and the world. Mr. Daneshforooz mentioned that the annual sponsorship package, which would cover the entire course periods of the beneficiaries, would be given to them at the beginning of both the fall and spring semesters. He added that in order to maintain this financial award, the beneficiaries would be required to meet with their ANE mentors at least four times per semester, engage in community service at World Vision Area Development Programs at least once per academic year, as well as mentor and tutor pre-tertiary school students before they enter college.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, who received the donation on behalf of the University, thanked the group for their thoughtfulness. He lauded the mentorship and community service promoted by the programme. "I think community service should be systemized in the university and I look forward to seeing the holistic development of the programme" he added. He also urged other publicly-spirited individuals and organizations to emulate this example.

The Students' Financial Aid office will monitor and administer the scholarship.

The Head of the Students Financial Aid Office, Mrs. Kokui Adu was also present at the ceremony.

THE Founder and President of All Nations Education, a US-based non-governmental organisation, Mr Joshua W. Daneshforooz, has challenged Ghanaian students to embrace the type of education that not only awakens the mind but expands their love for humanity.

According to him, such holistic education would help them to embrace the human calling to love one's neighbor as one's self.

Mr Daneshforooz who made the call during the presentation of US$2700.00 to the University of Ghana in Accra at the weekend said the donation was part of funds of a joint scholarship programme between All Nations Education and the University of Ghana, Legon.

The scholarship programme was instituted by Mr Daneshforooz's Santa Barbra-based organisation for five needy but brilliant students studying for various under graduate programmes at the University of Ghana.

Mr Daneshforooz indicated that the scholarship scheme evolved out of the type of education he received at Westmont College in the US, which taught him to get beyond the academics and seek to explore and understand the needs of others in the society.

"Our organisation was inspired to institute the scholarship programme as part of a vision to impart the type of knowledge I acquired in college to people throughout the world. All Nations Education believes that our world needs the type of education that teaches not only the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, but also how to live a good human life," he said.

The beneficiaries who were carefully selected by the University of Ghana's Financial Aid office according to All Nations Education's criteria would also be assigned to various mentors who are expected to impart wisdom about their personal and professional lives.

"The All Nations Scholars are also expected to undertake some community service and mentor pupils and students at the secondary and primary levels in deprived communities of Ghana, to keep the mentorship chain running," he stressed.

He said his yearning was that All Nations Education would contribute to the development of leaders through rigorous academics and life-long mentorship.

He said the world would become a better place if we had leaders who seek not to satisfy their egos but instead believe that the greatest leaders are selfless servants.

"Imagine what Ghana and the entire world would be like if we had leaders who seek not to satisfy their egos but instead who genuinely believe that the greatest among you shall be your servant," Mr Daneshforooz asked.

Mr Daneshforooz said his Santa Barbra-based organisation would provide US$1080 to each of the five beneficiaries of his programme every academic year.

He said the University of Ghana was chosen for the joint scholarship programme because he and his Ghanian colleague, Mark Jay Ofori, wanted to partner with a prestigious academic institution in West Africa, such as the University of Ghana.

All Nations Education is sending its scholars to Opportunity International's secondary schools in an impoverished region of Ghana. Since the scholars receive mentorship from

high-level community leaders such as World Vision International Executives and University of Ghana Administration, the scholars keep the mentorship train running by becoming mentors themselves to youth in their community.

All Nations Education (ANE) scholars will be volunteering in rural communities across Ghana during their summer holiday. World Vision International has agreed to partner with ANE in this endeavor. Jacob Kotin, World Vision, Ghana, Director for Programs, will