A legal identity is something we all live with. We take it for granted - I mean, we're simply given a document with our names printed on it when we're born, and that's that. We use it occasionaly when we work with legal stuff, and again, that's that.
But what if we didn't have this little piece of paper?
Well, we technically wouldn't exist. We wouldn't be able to recieve education beyond a certain point, we wouldn't be able to get jobs, and we ultimately wouldn't be able to sustain ourselves.
This is exactly the case if you're a Haitian born in the Dominican Republic. Due to certain events in the past, Haiti and the DR don't really play well together, and DR-born Haitians grow up being hated. They are not given birth certificates when born, and thus in a legal standpoint, they simply do not exist. They can't receive public education beyond 8th grade, and they can't get jobs. As a result, these people live miserable lives, barely able to sustain themselves by scavenging for food and begging on the sidewalks.
So what's the solution? We provide them with money so that they can go and purchase birth certificates from the government. With birth certificates, now they can go out, get jobs, and essentially start new lives. It's a little piece of paper, but it has the power to change a person's life.
Our funds raised from the month of November will go towards purchasing 5 DR birth certificates (each one costs about $40 USD). We will be working with Megan, a long-term missionary working in the little village of Ascension, DR. Her short-term goal for the next couple months is to gather enough money to purchase 30 birth certificates, and we're doing our best to support her and her awesome cause!
More details will come soon; stay tuned :).
Thanks!
Jack Kim, Benelab
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
A (Very) Important Announcement
Hello!
This is Jack Kim, one of the founders here at Benelab. Today I just wanted to update you all on what's happening at Benelab and announce some exciting future plans.
First, the current situation:
As some of you may have noticed, our ever-increasing monthly donation amounts have been actually decreasing lately. This is because in the recent months, our marketing efforts have been mostly stagnate. The majority (in fact, all but one) of the Benelab team are now seniors in high school, which means - that's right - the lovely college application process has started! As much as we'd like to see Benelab serving hundred of thousands of users and donating tens of thousands of dollars to awesome causes, we feel that we should *probably* get into college. This situation results in Benelab getting minimal attention, but luckily enough we have a very self-sustaining platform. As soon as December is over though, oh boy, expect to see huge strides in user count and donation amounts!
Second, the future of Benelab
As soon as we seniors are released from the wretched grasp of college applications, the Benelab team will operate on full throttle. As the CEO of the company I am setting big goals for the coming year, and I will do everything I can to make them happen:
1) Undergo a MAJOR website redesign and re-infrastructure (first thing we'll do)
2) Double the existing user base
3) Launch new products to operate alongside the extant Benelab Search
4) Surpass a total donation amount of $10,000 to various causes
5) Gain at least 3 more national press coverages
So there you have it - a very important public announcement regarding the current happening at Benelab and our future plans! Thanks a lot for being a part of our community!
Sincerely,
Jack Kim
Founder & CEO - Benelab
11/6/12
This is Jack Kim, one of the founders here at Benelab. Today I just wanted to update you all on what's happening at Benelab and announce some exciting future plans.
First, the current situation:
As some of you may have noticed, our ever-increasing monthly donation amounts have been actually decreasing lately. This is because in the recent months, our marketing efforts have been mostly stagnate. The majority (in fact, all but one) of the Benelab team are now seniors in high school, which means - that's right - the lovely college application process has started! As much as we'd like to see Benelab serving hundred of thousands of users and donating tens of thousands of dollars to awesome causes, we feel that we should *probably* get into college. This situation results in Benelab getting minimal attention, but luckily enough we have a very self-sustaining platform. As soon as December is over though, oh boy, expect to see huge strides in user count and donation amounts!
Second, the future of Benelab
As soon as we seniors are released from the wretched grasp of college applications, the Benelab team will operate on full throttle. As the CEO of the company I am setting big goals for the coming year, and I will do everything I can to make them happen:
1) Undergo a MAJOR website redesign and re-infrastructure (first thing we'll do)
2) Double the existing user base
3) Launch new products to operate alongside the extant Benelab Search
4) Surpass a total donation amount of $10,000 to various causes
5) Gain at least 3 more national press coverages
So there you have it - a very important public announcement regarding the current happening at Benelab and our future plans! Thanks a lot for being a part of our community!
Sincerely,
Jack Kim
Founder & CEO - Benelab
11/6/12
September & October Donations Coming Soon!
Hi all,
A quick update on the status of our September and October donations!
As usual, we have to wait for Yahoo's payment before sending off any checks to monthly organizations. Though we not have an exact estimated day, we do know that the payment is coming very soon. So hold on tight! We'll post the checks on our lovely donations page as soon as we receive the moola from the folks at Yahoo. Thanks!
A quick update on the status of our September and October donations!
As usual, we have to wait for Yahoo's payment before sending off any checks to monthly organizations. Though we not have an exact estimated day, we do know that the payment is coming very soon. So hold on tight! We'll post the checks on our lovely donations page as soon as we receive the moola from the folks at Yahoo. Thanks!
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