The Alex Foundation

The Economist's obituary page is generally dedicated to influential leaders and academics. It recounts the accomplishments of authors, politicians, civil rights activists, royalty, journalists and names what we otherwise should know. Amazingly, the individual mourned on its pages in September 2007 is not one you would like call a person (1). Alex the African Grey was one of the best know animals in the world for over a decade as his accomplishments shattered our understanding of the limits to cognition in other species. The Alex Foundation is the organization which helps support the research of Dr. Irene Pepperberg (2).


Dr. Pepperberg began her research to probe the degree of difference between human and animal cognition. She had the underlying suspicion that animal thought was far more complex the contemporaries believed. With formal training as chemist, she recognized that only with rigorous application of the scientific method could she discover what animals were really capable of. While much of the early work in animal communication was done in our closest relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, Dr. Pepperberg had a new idea. Why not work with an animal that can speak?

Anecdotal evidence for the vocal prowess and intellect of parrots abounds amongst zoo keepers and pet owners. Many of us have see parrots perform in shows where the sing and identify objects correctly by name, but do they have any comprehension of what they say? Decades of work supported in part by The Alex Foundation says yes, yes they do.  While this might still seem amazing to some, Alex quickly learned to label objects such as toys and foods. When asked what an object is he, and the other grey parrots worked with, consistently give the correct name. Further than just memorizing a list of nouns, Alex was able to  recognize the concepts of color, shape and even number and apply them to novel situations. This is best captured by viewing him in action as in the short video below:




What this research represents is clear evidence that the brightest of animals overlap with humans on the intelligence scale. Because parrots are so evolutionarily distinct from humans this suggests that intelligence can be generated in many ways. This communication puts parrots on chimpanzees in the domain of animal intelligence, but with brains hundreds of times smaller and morphologically very different. This tells us that intelligence isn't just an evolutionary fluke in apes but a survival strategy stumbled upon by many animal lines. By comparing how our own minds work with those of parrots, we can begin to deconstruct what learning and cognition are at their core. This work also helps elucidate the essentials of language and the root forms needed to communicate. 

I find the ideas presented by the research performed under and by Dr. Pepperburg to be simply amazing. For all the insights it provides however, funding from conventional foundations and government grants has often been a challenge (3). The Alex Foundation has been a primary source of funding for these research projects as well as out-reach to help improve the lives of parrots around the world. As she continues to contribute to scientific literature on the development of communication and the cognitive ability of grey parrots Dr. Pepperburg elucidates the nature of thought and how rich and wondrous our companions on this planet can be.


1. The Economist: Alex the African Grey Obituary:  http://www.economist.com/node/9828615
2. Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Brandeis University Faculty page: http://www.brandeis.edu/facultyguide/person.html?emplid=2d3923e829d95e3849ac8001f5c5fa254b5cf400
3. Alex and Me, Dr. Irene Pepperberg, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0061672477

Save The Children Fund

I am usually skeptical of things being advocated to me on the street. There is no time to verify what they are saying nor am I usually at my sharpest when caught off guard. So whenI was asked to donate to a charity I hadn't heard of by someone on the street corner, I told her I would look it up and then consider donating.  I'm pleased to report that it would have been a fine idea for me to give on the spot. The group seeking funds was The Save the Children Fund, a significant contributor to humanitarian efforts focused on children's welfare globally. 3

Save the Children got its start in 1919 when founders Eglantyne Jebb and Dorothy Buxton sought to relieve the starving children of the nations involved in World War I. In the early 1920s they dedicated much work to feeding and providing education for children affected by the Russian famine as a major contributor to the Russian Famine Relief Fund. This eared their recognition by the League of Nations and linked them with other international charities. Ultimately, Eglantyne would outline the five major points which were incorporated into the Geneva Declaration by League of Nations. These points became the basis for the UN's  Declaration of the Rights of the Child They have retained a focus on benefiting the children and youths of regions in distress.1 


The Charity Commission for England and Wales  lists the organizations scope of activities to cover alleviation and prevention of poverty including health care, education, training as well as famine relief. These activities are undertaken in a number of ways. While Save the Children does offer and commission research and program grants, it performs a great deal of services itself. 2 


Once recent example is the Numeracy Boost program to further mathematical literacy. This program is currently active in Bangladesh and Malawi and is targeted at giving children basic math skills needed for daily life and provide the required background for further education. Children in some communities were found to have difficulty with even basic arithmetic such as subtraction and division.These concepts are used constantly in trade, transportation and cooking yet generations went without clear comprehension of them or how they can be applied to their regular activities. While currently initially designing and running these programs, Save the Children intends for local education boards to adopt and take over allowing them to move to more communities. 4 This could also help communities incorporate math education into their regional culture, taking ownership of the projects and making the program even more targeted at their childrens regular encounters. 


Another major focus of the organization is more direct studies on the health issues affecting children. A painful report form the Save the Children Fund brought forward an often neglected factor in juvenile suffering. Save the Children recently reported on the health effects and predominance of teenage pregnancy. This report found that a shocking 1 in 5 girls have at least one child before the age of 18, may of them having multiple children in under two years. Both early age birth and and repeat pregnancies have serious complications. Girls bodies are not sufficiently developed to carry children there is an increase in most birth related complications as well as fatality. There is a 60% increase in infant deaths when the mother is 18 or younger 5. It also found that there were many misconceptions about birth control in nations with the highest rates of teen pregnancy. This often coincided with early life marriage, more than 10 million girls were married before the age of 18. The report is formatted to highlight the problems and offers suggestions on where governments and NGOs can overcome these issues.

The activities and reports of this organization are too numerous to summarize here. I have highlighted two recent programs which show both the educational development side and direct health work of Save the Children. From what I can tell, and the United Nations seems to agree, Save the Children is another of the great organizations helping to improve the lives of the generations that will shape the future.






1. Wikipedia Page


2. Charity Commission UK 

3. Charity Navigator 

4. Voice of America: Numeracy Boost

5. Every Woman's Right: How family planning saves childrens lives