now providing jobs in malawi.livered to a classroom where they change the lives of the students, they have already changed the lives of the families of the people that make the desks. my favorite little factory in the world you're outgrowing. those workers have jobs that didn't exist a year ago, thanks to you. their families, their children are eating better than they were a year ago, thanks to you. >> they work with heart. they like working. they want to come to work. >> that's motion moosa, the man that made the first 30 desks last year and had to hire more workers to make more desks. >> without a company like this, he could have the welding skill, and there would be no jobs. >> they go through tough time getting to school. their families try hard to help them get educated and they go through a lot, and when they don't get a job, it is disappointing for them and the families. they deserve a job. >> he sends a group of workers with the delivery truck to carry the desks into the classrooms, but they're never neede

i live in malawi and know that every bit helps.home in canada i hope others will do the same. great work. from twitter we have jack who writes, last year my wife and i donated desks to malawi after a call to lawrence. this year we're giving them as gifts. you can go to our website and buy a desk in the name of anyone you choose. maybe for one of those friends who might already have everything or someone you just can't figure out what to get, what kind of gift. unicef will send an e-mail notification to whoever you choose as a gift notification. also on my twitter feed, our giving budget is tapped for the year but we'll be taking a collection for k.i.n.d. at our holiday party this weekend. i'll keep you posted. i know you will. i understand many people have no room in their budget this year or in this economy to make any kind of contribution at all. and i'm not suggesting that anyone in that situation should strain in any ford to try to participate now. taking a collection is a wonderful idea under the circumstances. although a desk

the desks will be made in malawi by workers in malawi. there that feeds hungry families of the workers. the kids are thrilled. they've never seen desks. the teachers -- i've spoken to teachers who have worked in malawi elementary schools for 15 years and they've never seen a desk in malawi public school. this is a life-changing thing. as soon as it arrives. it's the biggest ent that occurs in the course of a year in any of these schools when a desk arriv arrives. and unicef has done a fantastic job of organizing everything on the ground for us in malawi and getting everything delivered. it's really been fantastic. the msnbc audience has been incredible. i just went over there myself a couple years ago and i found a way of supplying one classroom, really about -- i got about 100 students off the floor in my first trip. we now have sent enough money into this fund to get a million students off the floor into desks just over the next five years. if you just assume that the desk lasts five years, and i think the desks are going to last at lea

they just say donate and say i just took a kid off the floor in malawi.ou could possibly make that effect in the world by making a video is truly incredible. >> that's evan pushac who created a project for awesome video about the kind fund, kids in need of desks. his video was seen by over 200,000 viewers on youtube and helped push us over the $1 million mark in how much we've raised since we began reminding you almost two weeks ago of our partnership between msnbc and un you sef to deliver desks to african schools. i met evan this afternoon in los angeles and was able to thank him for his work. his brilliant video was entered in the project for awesome, which has now raised 14,269 dollars for the kind fund and that $14,000 is in addition to the $142,116 that we have raised since friday afternoon when i knowing how you feel about me, up yours, too. family. we were so happy to see your y. success with this project. and thanks for including your daughter in the video. i have two daughters myself. and kim posted this. i gave a gift of a desk in my mother's n

chris jansing, nbc news, malawi. >> how about that? and tomorrow night, another follow-up report on someone making a difference for people and their very best friends who love them unconditionally. that's tomorrow night here on nightly news. >>> for us, for now, that's our broadcast on a tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. and, as always, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> now businesses and families are worried about the dangers posed by rats. packs of them who arrived

these desks will be made by workers in malawi using malawi and african resources.on these desks. and it will instantly change their lives in the classroom. it's real. and so there are other things that you can donate money to where you kind of hope it will work. you hope the objective will be reached. people should be donated to those kind of causes. i think what this reflects for many people a quick, easy give is the clear understanding that what they're going to send the money for is really going to work. it really is going to do what it hopes to do. >> i want to go back to your point about the workers making these disks. we're seeing this video. we were talking about the economic effect of not having the extra $40. this is the butterfly effect of providing the opportunity for jobs here. talk to me about who's actually making these desks? >> they were small little woodworking shops, really. one of them was expanding to a whole new location taking on many, many more workers. and i've been to some of the workers' homes. it completely changed their world. they're no

fund has provided jobs in the two factories in malawi that make these desks., but frequently i see three children, i've seen four children squeeze into these desks. after updating you on the k.i.n.d. fund on thursday night, jim ray and others contributed over $130,000 overnight so that when i appeared on martin bashir's show we had raised $2,658,827. i told martin i would credit him with whatever money the k.i.n.d. fund raised other the weekend since that would be the last time i would discuss it last week. the totals are in. and the bashir effect over the weekend was $223,890. so i began reminding you of this program on wednesday of last week. and since then, you have contributed close to half a million dollars. $460,763 bringing our one year total from one we started this a year ago to $2,874,762. that means that the workers making these desks will continue to have jobs. that means that their families will not go hungry. that means that this truck will continue to roll into schoolyards in malawi and children will continue to rush the truck and unload it them

at this little table of learning that we have built in malawi by malawi workers and delivered to malawifit a full classroom for $720 if you're looking for maybe a last-minute charitable tax deduction for your 2011 tax return. go to our website last word desks msnbc.com or call 1-800-for kids. unicef will send an e card to whoever you choose indicating you've donated a desk in their name. sam and joan spooner donated two decks in my name thanking me for using the power of this show for the greater good. thanks, sam and joan. most people have been donating desks in the names of their children, of their parents, sometimes in honor of their late parents or other loved ones. stewart posted this on our facebook page. i watched your segment with melissa harris perry last week and was so inspired ten desks were donated in honor of those who have taught me so much over the course of my years. the sight of those children so eager to learn, they would sit in the dirt brought the spirit of the season back to one who had all but given up on the commercialization of a holy season.ç >>> coming up, ne

chris jansing, nbc news, malawi. >> how about that.her follow-up report on someone making a difference for people and their very best friends who lovely unconditionally. that's tomorrow night here on nightly news. for us, for now, that's our broadcast on a tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow night.

fund is, i just gave 30 kids in malawi school desks. you can, too., the place where "vogue" shoots its covers. you cannot get cooler than that. i have not asked minute to redirect their charitable giving from something that they consider more worthy or to give more than they can afford. and i can never thank them enough. patrick tweets, lawrence disabled military vet donating $75 to kind. you moved me to tears. no small feat. thank you, sir. and a civilian working for the u.s. navy, i couldn't sit here another night without helping those poor kids. so we donated $100 to k.i.n.d. fund. i'm not sure how long i will be working for the navy, so i figured i better do it now while i'm still employed. this is a wonderful thing you're doing for the kids. hopefully i can do more in the future. nancy ross is typical of the grandparents we've been hearing from. i was so blown away about your recent video about the kids in need of debts beings that i immediately decided to donate desks in honor of my grandchildren. each year i choose a donation to donate in thei

malawi.t. >> what happened when lawrence took his campaign widely? i'll bring you more information. if you would like to contribute to kids in need of desks you may logauto to lastworddesks.msnbc.com and you can catch "last word with lawrence o'donnell" right here at 10 p.m. >>> he may be trailing newt gingrich but-m romney leads in a new gallup poll of expectations. 39% predict he'll win the nomination. just last month, 47% thought romney would win. how many predicted a gingrich win? last month only 4%, dare to believe that. [ snoring ] [ thunder crashes ] [ snoring ] [ thunder crashes ] [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold... medicine. ♪ my hair is gone ♪ cheap cologne ♪ motor home ♪ i'm the rocket man! [ both ] ♪ rocket man ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone ♪ burning out his fuse up here alone? ahh. [ male announcer ] crystal clear fender premium audio. one of many premi

the nation of malawi is now reconsidering the law that makes being gay a crime.s comes two days after secretary of state hillary clinton's speech, saying that gay rights everywhere in the world are human rights, saying that the united states would work to end the repression of sexual mine north around the world and that leadership by foreign leaders around the globe should include leading their own people on the issue of gay rights. the speech supported a new policy memorandum from president obama asserting that the u.s. should pay attention to the treatment of gay citizens when we hand out foreign aid. last year the united states gave $140 million to malawi in development money and on food and other humanitarian aid there. last year, malawi sentenced a gay couple to 14 years in prison for a crime of holding a gay ceremony. then the couple was pardoned and

this is a country in africa called malawi this is a school. this is a classroom.tting on the dirt floor for eight hours day. here is one being told that the earth goes around the sun. here is how much it would cost to get that boy a deck. here is how much it would cost to get the whole classroom desks. here is how much you have to donate. >> the creator to that have youtube clip, evan, joins me now to talk about it. hi, evan, how are you? >> good, how are you, melissa? >> oh, we were absolutely blown away by your video. can i tell you, we have been e-mailing it to one another and playing it over and over again. what inspired to you make it? >> well, i was watching last night when lawrence said, you know, it was the simplicity of the idea and i completely agree with that, but i think it's that plus the fact that's something that you -- you don't think of, and that's what struck me when i originally heard him announce it a year ago on the show, it is something you never think of so, it sort of hits you in that feel bad organ, whatever that is. and you -- you get tha

like almost all their friends in the empoverrished village in malawi, these dresses are the only thingown. when rachel o'neill arrives there is a welcome for their new friend from america. it was here in malawi five years ago that o'neill fell in love with the sweeping beauty of the country side, but especially with the children. >> when i'm here i realize that every single one is different. and every single child matters. >> yet she also realized they had no way of knowing that life could be better. so she made a plan. >> i'd like to see if a woman's group would like to begin to sew little dresses to bring back next year when i come. >> so they did. first in her church group, then word spread. and people from all 50 states sent in so many dresses, it took teams of people to iron, sort and pack them all. >> it kind of makes me want to cry to tell you the truth. that's how i feel. i really do feel connected to these women. >> and that was just the beginning. in the year since our story aired, 400,000 dresses have been donated. bringing the total to half a million. it's hard to imagine h

. >> nearly 2/3 of the malawi inhabitants live in small villages. the land is controlled by tribal leaders. it is a patriarchal society. the man is the head of the family. under traditional law, he owns all property and assets, including his wife and children. there is a clear difference in gender roles. >> if the brother dies, the woman cannot inherit it. >> under national law, that should not be allowed to happen. malawian constitution identifies both men and women as equal. women should be allowed to own property. the women have little chance of running their own lives. after her husband's death, she lived with her brother's family and worked as their housekeeper. she did not receive any wages. women are being taught to read and are informed about their property rights. those efforts are starting to bear fruit. tradition is starting to lose its hold on tribal leaders. >> a woman is a person like a man. if i die, my wife should have that plant. my brother should not have that plant. >> she spoke to her brother and convinced him to give her a piece

last year, malawi sentenced a gay couple to 14 years in prison for a crime of holding a

meredith is here tonight, she's got a microfinance project going in malawi, i've got a daughter who's on the board of habitat here, another daughter who spent a lot of time in haiti this year live anything a tent with rodents crawling all over her. she was down there doing grief counseling, another daughter who worked for the international rescue committee as an e.r. physician in san francisco because we were raised by parents and grandparents who just saw that as a part of the natural calling of life, that you gave back in some fashion. so i've done that. but i think my, i like to think that my larger contribution is to try to engage people in the events that define their time. >> and you, you have passages in the book precisely about the legacy your parents left to you and how careful and cautious they were and thrifty and never spent more than they had. >> right. >> can you say, um, like almost everyone else of their age, they were thrifty by nature and necessity. they didn't spend what they didn't have, and they saved something every week. >> sometimes to a fault. i mean -- >> to