It's a safe bet that not many residents of Jim Thorpe know much about Malawi, a small country in eastern Africa that is one of the world's least developed nations.

Ron Ellison, a teacher at the community's high school, is the exception to this rule, and he's doing everything he can, including an appearance on national television, to spread this awareness.Ellison, who teaches social studies at Jim Thorpe Area High School, removed all of the desks and chairs in his classroom Dec. 20 after watching a segment on MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, which told of the poor conditions facing students in Malawi."At first, they weren't too thrilled about it," Ellison said, "but once I explained the situation to them, they really began to take interest."With desks and chairs unavailable to Malawi's financially depleted schools, students across the country are forced to sit on concrete floors while learning. After the original segment aired, O'Donnell introduced the

K.I.N.D. (Kids In Need of Desks) fund, a joint effort with UNICEF to raise money to provide desks to schools in Blantyre, Dedza, Kasungu and Lilongwe, districts within Malawi.As a teacher, Ellison was sensitive to this issue, and wanted to utilize it in his classes."I was enthralled and saddened by what these students have to go through," he said. "The whole thing really touched me, and I knew that I wanted to help."Having discussed human rights and global economic issues in his world current events class, Ellison thought that putting his students in the same situation as their Malawian counterparts would lend some perspective to his lesson plan. After keeping his class in the dark, and on the floor, for the first half of the Dec. 20 class period, Ellison shared O'Donnell's clip with them. According to Ellison, the segment sparked the students' interest, and they asked how they could play a role in the fundraising effort."I was really pleased with their reaction," Ellison said. "I liked that they wanted to take charge. I wanted them to form the project on their own."That night, Ellison posted a comment on The Last Word's blog, explaining the day's exercise. As he sat down to watch the program the following evening, Ellison was stunned when O'Donnell read his story on the air."For me, Ron's response was the most inspiring one I was made aware of, though I'm sure that there are many others," O'Donnell said. "It was a brilliant way of demonstrating the situation in Africa.""My jaw hit the floor when I heard my name," Ellison said. "My intention wasn't to call attention to myself; I was just impressed with the concept and wanted to share my interest."When O'Donnell's producers requested more information, Ellison obliged, and the Dec. 22 edition of The Last Word featured a photo of him teaching his deskless students. But that wasn't the end of Ellison and his students' 15 minutes of fame: O'Donnell invited the class to appear on his show on Dec. 23."The whole thing was crazy," Ellison said. "Because we had a half day that day, I had to practically beg my students to come and recreate the scene."Apparently, Ellison was successful, and he and a group of 11 students shared their reactions with O'Donnell via satellite."I absolutely hated (sitting on the floor) ... I stood up and I wanted to leave the room, to be honest with you," Thomas Acker, a Jim Thorpe senior told the anchor during the class's appearance. "After we watched the video clip, I felt really sad about (the situation in Malawi) and wanted to do anything I could to help."In the coming weeks, Ellison and his class will be brainstorming ideas with the rest of the school in an attempt to help the

K.I.N.D. fund reach its goal. According to the fund's website, UNICEF aims to provide more than 46,000 Malawi-made desks to 172 schools, which will accommodate a total of 224,000 students. Thus far, the response has been overwhelming: The fund has raised $1,700,000 since its introduction Dec. 16, according to O'Donnell."The generosity of our viewers has far exceeded my expectations, but the need in Africa is limitless," he said. "So far, we have raised enough money to provide desks to 20 percent of Malawi's school population, but it will take many, many years to complete this project."Ellison himself has pledged to match 25 percent of what his students raise, up to $1,000. He has made it his goal to get as many people involved with the fundraiser as possible."There are 700 kids in our school, and if each one donates just $1, we can seat a whole class in Malawi," Ellison said. "Even the smallest contribution can play a role in tackling a major issue."Based on the initial response, MSNBC and UNICEF have decided to make the fund a permanent fixture.For more information on the

K.I.N.D. fund, visit

www.msnbc.msn.com, keyword "K.I.N.D."