NOVEMBER 2024 NEWS

Gala Time: Kick Up Your Heels at the Carnival! 

Clear your schedule and make plans to attend the 2025 JustWorld International Annual Gala, one of the premier events of the winter season. Set for JANUARY 19 at BELLE HERBE FARM in Wellington, Florida, at 6 PM, the event promises an unforgettable night of fine dining and entertainment in support of a great cause.

This year’s celebration features a Carnival theme, so wear your festive attire, masks and feathers, to enjoy a night of colorful enchantment. Join us as we toast to the accomplishments at our Global Projects in Honduras, Guatemala, Cambodia and Florida. Event proceeds, including from live and silent auctions, directly support our transformational work benefitting nearly 10,000 children around the world.

Help us break the cycle of poverty for children in need. 

Skills for Life at Asociación Compartir 

Asociación Compartir, JustWorld’s Global Project in Honduras, brings reading, art and culture to students in a country where 64% live in poverty, four out of 10 children lack access to education, and widespread violence has forced nearly 350,000 people to emigrate over the last five years.

The organization empowers students by teaching them lifelong skills, such as responsibility, discipline, confidence, perseverance and a sense of belonging in a safe space.

Here’s a quick look at their impact over the last year:

• 289 children attended artistic workshops

• 2,000+ students engaged with the Mobile Library across 7 public squares and 10educational centers without libraries

• 477 children’s books acquired

• 27 teachers participated in a workshop on reading and creative writing strategies

• 7 monthly training sessions held for library volunteers

• 3,242 students attended 117 sessions of Education on Wheels in open spaces and educational centers

• 238 reading club sessions in 5 libraries, serving 340 participants with a total of

• 3,227 attendances

• 3,027 consultations provided to students on how to use technology for educational opportunities

• 223 holiday craft sessions conducted

• 7 educational films showcased tackling topics like bullying

• 1,237 participants engaged in 85 games and sports activities

• 5,104 nutritious snacks purchased and distributed

PIO Student Stars in Cambodian Horse Show

Former PIO students Chheng Ouy and Chheng E, graduates of the grooms training program funded by an FEI Solidarity Gender Equality Grant, participated in their first horse show at the Genius Resort in Cambodia in September, with Chheng Ouy earning the top prize in her class.

“I am so happy and proud of myself,” Chheng Ouy said. She and her sister now work in the riding stable at Genius Resort.

Mental Coaching Webinar

On October 1st, JustWorld International hosted a special webinar with Annette Paterakis, the Equestrian Mental Coach. As our second webinar of the year, it drew our biggest turnout yet, with riders from all backgrounds eager to improve their mental well-being in and out of the saddle.

Annette led the session by sharing four powerful skills contributing to a rider’s success: being present and shifting from thinking to feeling, connecting deeply with oneself, trusting the process, and embracing the confidence of knowing “you’ve got this.”

Her insights gave attendees practical tools they could immediately apply to their riding and daily lives. We are immensely grateful to Annette for her wisdom and contribution and look forward to more enlightening webinars in the future.

If you have ideas for webinars you’d like to see in the future, please reach out to let us know!

Valeska Furlong’s Foxcroft Fundraiser

A junior at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia, Valeska Furlong is co-head of the Spanish Club and a JustWorld International Ambassador. 

After joining JustWorld in April, she ran her first JWI fundraiser in October with the Spanish Club during Hispanic Heritage month. Selling empanadas to students and staff in the dining hall at Foxcroft, the club raised $780, which Valeska earmarked for the projects in Honduras and Guatemala.

“I presented the idea at the morning meeting, informed the community what JustWorld is, what the message is, and what we would be selling in order to fundraise,” she said.

The 210 empanadas–offered in traditional beef, roasted chicken and spinach and cheese–were purchased from Ramona Empenadas in Leesburg, Virginia, and sold to Foxcroft students on October 17.

To raise further awareness about JustWorld, students handed out stickers, bracelets and Ambassador pamphlets outlining how to #RideForTheCause.

“I really enjoyed it and hope to do it again with a different type of Hispanic food,” Valeska said. She’s already thinking about what she and her friends can do for her next fundraiser while in Wellington for the winter, where she’ll be showing in the high children’s jumpers. 

“It’s the first fundraiser I’ve ever done; I never had to organize a fundraiser in my life, sorting out the logistics, so it was a teaching moment,” she said.

Hispanic Heritage Month holds a special meaning for Valeska, whose mother is from Mexico City, a place Valeska has frequently visited. “Last summer, I went to Barcelona and Mexico City,” she said. “I’ve been very active this year in the Spanish club and even spoke in Spanish at a banquet. Foxcroft does a good job of celebrating everyone’s heritage, which I really appreciate.

“I’m passionate about my culture and heritage and wanted to use that passion to connect riding and kids who need help,” Valeska added. “I’m very fortunate that I go to a boarding school where people share the values of helping others. One of our values is community and service. So a lot of people appreciated that we were able to support the JustWorld cause—and not just because the empanadas were good!”

If you’re looking for a cool gift for your equestrian friends that also impacts children in need, consider a JustWorld hat, shirt, saddle pad, fly bonnet or more!

Please be aware that there is a LIMITED QUANTITY available for the saddle pads.

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JustWorld International

Established in 2003, JustWorld International was created to connect equestrians with a direct way to help fracture the cycle of poverty through education, healthcare, nutrition, and leadership programs benefiting children around the world. Ambassadors from more than forty countries have since committed to “Ride for the Cause” and transform the lives of children through equestrian sport. JustWorld has united the international equestrian community and become the Official Charity Partner of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world governing body of equestrian sport. Envisioning a more just world, the non-profit organization cultivates strategic, project partnerships in a collaborative approach to impact the lives of nearly 10,000 children around the globe annually.

To donate, become an Ambassador, or learn more about JustWorld, please visit www.justworldinternational.org or @justworldinternational on Facebook and Instagram.

JustWorld International is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States and tax-deductible donations are accepted in the United States. JustWorld International has no political or religious affiliation.