WICHITA, KS - March 2, 2004 – Trees for Life, an international non-profit group based in Wichita, announced today that it has received a challenge grant of $500,000 from the Sehgal Foundation, Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Reed Oppenheimer of Tulsa, Oklahoma accepted the challenge and made a gift of an equal amount, bringing the total to $1,000,000. These two gifts will be used to finance the development of Global Circle of Knowledge, a worldwide educational software program of Trees for Life.

Balbir Mathur, president of Trees for Life, said “Global Circle of Knowledge has grown from an understanding that education is crucial for long-term development. Several years of research and development have been devoted to the creation of this internet-based program. It will allow people worldwide to join hands in creating and sharing educational lessons suited to their own needs, cultures, and individual learning styles.”

In 1999, Suri and Edda Sehgal founded the Sehgal Foundation to support initiatives in sustainable village development, genetic conservation, and ecology. According to Dr. Sehgal, “education is a key component of our work in sustainable village development. I am certain that the graphical and interactive teaching approach of the Global Circle of Knowledge will be highly effective in generating the enthusiasm and interest that is so important in informal education settings that are typical of developing countries. The Sehgal Foundation will use the program with villagers in India, and as part of a training module for trainers in the methodology of rural development.”

Mr. Oppenheimer is a member of the board of trustees of Trees for Life, and has financially supported the work of the organization for many years. “Over the years I have witnessed how these highly dedicated people of great integrity have been able to achieve tremendous results with very little money. They have an excellent track record. Global Circle of Knowledge will allow caring folk everywhere to participate in the empowerment of people throughout the developing world. I am just honored to be able to make my own small contribution to that process,” Oppenheimer said.

According to Mathur, Global Circle of Knowledge is near completion and will soon be ready for testing before being released free of cost worldwide. Testing and release of the program is estimated to cost $2 million. These two generous gifts will go a long way towards that goal, according to Mathur.