Kaiizen
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| Kaiizen | |
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| Motto | "Kaiizen is for the kids" |
| Formation | 2004 |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | Agoura Hills, CA |
| Executive Director | Joshua Brazier |
| Website | www.kaiizen.org |
Kaiizen (aka Kaiizen Foundation) is a non-profit organization that serves underprivileged children (mostly orphans) through a workforce of college-aged American volunteers.[1] Its name is intentionally resemblant of "kaizen," a Japanese term roughly meaning "continual improvement" in English. Founded by students at Brigham Young University, Kaiizen has directed the efforts of thousands of volunteers and offered tens of thousands of dollars in aid to orphanages in Mexico and the southern U.S. since its inception in 2004.
The organization has been successful in such a short amount of time due to the fact that college students are eager to gain experiences abroad and since participation costs are very low (averaging about $200 for a four-day trip).[2] What money Kaiizen does need is provided by the volunteers themselves, by local businesses, or through sales of limited-edition Kaiizen shirts, which they sell at benefit concerts.
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[edit] Baja Service
Kaiizen's most notable service has been rendered in Baja California, Mexico. Past projects have include service to four main orphanages, painting buildings, cleaning rooms, building play equipment, fixing ceiling tiles, laying concrete, and interacting with children.[3][4] Kaiizen has planned nine different trips to Baja during 2008 starting in March.[5]
[edit] Kaiizen Ranch
In hopes of sustaining a perennial volunteer base, Kaiizen has teamed up with A Child's Hope Foundation to purchase land northeast of Ensenada, Baja California in order to have a headquarters within 30-minute distance of over 15 local orphanages.[6] Construction commencement has not yet been publicly announced.
