It’s been nearly two weeks now since I got home.  I’ve been back to school shopping with my niece, the Olympics are done, Fay has drowned my car after dumping feet of rain outside my windows and the presidential conventions are getting underway.   I’m back here, and yet so much of me is still there.  During this in-between time, I find words hard to come by.  Friends and family ask “how was it?”, and I don’t really even know where to begin.  To be honest, I’ve waited to write here until the right words came.  They haven’t yet, but I trust they will as I continue to wade through thousands of beautiful photographs and literally days of videotape.

But I did get an email from Mama Lucy - and perhaps it’s the best place to begin, as her note provides a summary of all that we accomplished together during the trip:

I’m not sure if I’ll have good words to express what is in my heart about that team who came to work with us the whole of July.

Before their arrival, I thought the main thing for them to come was to see the fruits of their efforts to rebuild a new Shepherds Junior School in Arusha – Tanzania; but after they arrived, I came to realize that, that was just a peanut within their plans! They came to work; and they mean and made it!

They had prepared a very good plan before they arrived, the major thing being fundraising issues. We did a lot within such short period of time of not more than a month. I feel so proud to mention the names of that amazing team to you! Sanjay, Stacey, Amanda, Zoe, Tim and Nelle. Let me just give hints of few things among many we partnered to accomplish during their trip:

• POST CARDS SALES: We were able to arrange, find places, and sell some post cards to some reputable tourist shops.  Already, we’ve raised over $200 USD from selling these.  The post cards feature photos of a giraffe in Tarangire National Park by Leah, a very good student in our Class IV.  We were also able to visit national parks on a field trip; our plan was also to snap beautiful photos by Mr. Tim and some of the children as well for making post cards that we can sell in the future.
• PHOTO SHOOTING: We were very lucky to have within that team a very good professional photographer Mr. Tim, who did a fabulous job! We do believe, those photos will help in fundraising and spread the word about us. Some photos were sold to parents being as one way of fund raising too!
• INTERVIEWS: As what Epic Change believes (which is very true), “TRUE STORIES MATTER!” They interviewed some parents, teachers, students and some school committee members, so as to get real stories from our school.
• AUCTION: We held a fundraising auction of khangas and vitenges (traditional local garments) brought by pupils and parents, which took place on 26th July 2008. The auction was very successful and we were able to raise not less than $700 USD.
• LAPTOP COMPUTERS: Epic Change was able to come with 5 laptops with them for our school uses. They spent a lot of time too on teaching us on how to work with them; so as to make the work much easier. Special thanks to Mr. Sanjay who was there always to show my son, William, lots of things on using laptop and now William has been of great help to our school on that. All the work of typing; and even he is there to show teachers how to work with computers.
• PERFORMANCE:  We held our closing day performance which was also aimed on fundraising. While our teachers prepared their students to share songs and poems, Epic Change assisted us with planning and preparation.  We sold entrance tickets  for Tshs 3000 equivalent to $3 USD, and even held a raffle as that was another way of fundraising.  We approached the Manager of Impala Hotel (A Tourist Hotel) in Arusha and being offered a top prize for the raffle – dinner or lunch at of 2 people at Impala Hotel.  The performance was wonderful! Pupils did very well, and turn up was good. We were able to raise about $800 USD!

Epic Change also helped us by teaching art and music classes, sharing interesting videos and penpal letters from across the world with our students, creating ID cards for our teachers as the government requires, helping me to learn a new internet tool called Twitter (which I’m still not very used to!) and creating brochures and posters that we can use to spread the word about our school.

These are just few things to mention; but they did a lot! Their trip was meant to work. And for sure, they made it! The work done within such short period of time really was beyond my expectation. No time to rest, no time to relax, no time to visit places like Maasai Bomas, Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro or Serengeti National Park!

Your trip was a very big lesson to me. I learnt a lot! With determination, dedicating time and efforts, someone can reach the goals! I promise to continue working hard.

I do hope we’ll continue working together for the brighter future of the pupils of Shepherds Junior School and our community as a whole.

Much love,
Mama Lucy.

We worked nonstop.When I say I’m headed to Africa, I think people often have the misconception that I’ll be on vacation.  Er, no.  I can honestly say that we worked harder in those few weeks than I have in any job I’ve ever had.  I think Zoe, Sanjay, Amanda, Tim & Nelle would agree.  As I mentioned in my last post, everything that we take for granted here - quick internet, easy transportation, accessible supplies - are far from givens there, so even the smallest task, like writing an email, becomes a time-consuming project.  I’m so grateful for the volunteers who joined us to share the load - and, of course, to Mama Lucy, her family, staff, friends, students and their parents whose partnership made our trip so successful, so memorable and so much fun.

As you may have noticed, Mama Lucy writes on the blog at least once per month to share stories from the school you’re helping to build - what would you like her to write about next?

Posted: August 25th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 1

As I sat on one of my final days in Tanzania sipping from a glass bottle of Coca Cola, I remembered just how difficult its journey may have been to my mouth.  I’d seen just that morning a man pedaling his delivery bike piled high with what I think were 4 crates full of soda bottles.  Um, yes…pedaled his bike.  It’s unlikely that a delivery truck passed by the barbeque where I ate lunch.  Perhaps it passed, but it didn’t stop. 

I can barely maintain balance on my bike with a 2-year-old passenger, let alone with a hundred pounds or more of breakable containers with liquid contents.

So much in Arusha is so difficult.  Roads are all but impassable.  On the way to school, the bumpy dirt path takes over 20 minutes to traverse just 2.6 kilometers.  The driver turns off the vehicle and steers in neutral down the hill to conserve fuel.  Internet connections are most often slower than dial-up.  As textbooks are rare and expensive, teachers meticulously copy assignments using chalk, and children copy again by hand the materials to their notebooks.  Often, they’ll have to visit a neighboring classroom just to borrow pens or pencils. Report cards, grade books and the receipts and accounts of over 200 students are tracked on paper; there are no pre-printed forms or templates.  Friday was the 1st of the month, and the line for a local ATM stretched nearly a city block.  I’ve never been to the bank here to conduct a transaction that’s taken less than half an hour.  Water must be boiled, and, for many, fetched from a distance.  Electricity and even water outages are frequent.  Everything is pole, pole (an all-too-oft used Swahili phrase that means slowly, slowly).

I am not complaining, just stating the facts. Some of it, of course, is a refreshing departure from the harried American way of life and I think this context makes what Mama Lucy is accomplishing here all the more impressive.  I can’t fathom what she could do if she enjoyed all of the conveniences and privileges made possible in my own country.

Speaking of which, I’ll be back in the US soon.  No longer in Tanzania but not quite yet home, I’m in Europe en route and will finally see my dog and my family tomorrow.  I miss them.  Already, I miss Mama Lucy too and the boisterous laughter of hundreds of children at play.  Of course, the kids are now on break from school for a month, and when I left Lucy promised to rest for at least a week as well.  While you’d never know from the overwhelming energy you sense in her presence, the last year of nearly losing the school and working endlessly to ensure its survival have surely taken a toll.

Mama Lucy makes it look easy though, a swan, I suppose, gracefully floating on the surface, but swimming furiously beneath.  I truly hope she enjoys a hard-earned respite during the school break. 

Like Michael Phelps who’ll be resting tonight to get ready for another great feat, Mama’s only just begun.

Posted: August 12th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

Wow. The past few weeks have been full and beyond my ability to describe (yet). Sometimes I find my scrivening here requires significant reflection and, for now, I’m so fully present, I’m not yet able to take a step back to fully grasp all that I’m experiencing here. That said, I am happy - and our trip, to date, has been incredibly successful. We have:

• Celebrated the arrival of the fourth graders first-ever regional exam results; they amazingly placed #1 out of 17 schools who participated in the Arusha District Eastern Zone Exam - and every student from Shepherds Junior received an “A” !!!
• Placed postcards for sale in 3 local outlets, including a reputable high-end safari hotel that has three locations;
• Prepared for a performance by the children that will be held on Friday, 8/1, to raise funds;
• Participated in the school’s auction of items donated by the parents that raised over $800 USD;
• Worked with 4 volunteers who paid their own way to join us here including Zoe, who wrote the previous blog entry, Amanda who will write below, Tim Llewellyn, an incredible photographer who captured beautiful portraits of many of the children, and his fiance Nelle, a former art teacher who spent some quality time with the school’s aspiring artists;
• Held a preliminary meeting with an organization that plans to install solar power at the school’s new site; and
• Created an entry for a video contest in the US (cross your fingers - maybe we’ll win $10,000!)

We’ve also attended a Parents Council meeting, performed some technology training with Mama Lucy & her son William, conducted a number of video interviews, created both written and video messages for our donors and supporters, gone on safari with the children and spent as much time as possible with Mama Lucy and the teachers at the school exchanging stories and ideas.

Amanda May, a volunteer who’s focused on product development, had this to share about her experience since arriving just a week ago:

Since first getting involved with Epic Change, I have heard countless stories from Stacey and Sanjay about the culture, school and the kids here in Arusha . . . It left me with very few surprises upon arriving.

As expected, every single child has touched my heart and soul in a profound way. And I won’t lie by telling you that I wouldn’t love to take them all home with me either. The new school is a refreshing testament as to what hard work and inspiring dedication can achieve. And after spending time with Mama Lucy, I can assure you that if there were even just one more like her, the world would be a more beautiful place.

Here is what I have encountered over the last 10 days that I would like to share with you:

1. “Wazungu”: two or more foreigners. It is a funny word that took a while for me to use. While in a local market last week with Mama Lucy’s son, William, Tim and I were some of the only white people there. There was a common look we were greeted with that made me slightly uncomfortable . . . an uncomfortable I have never really known before. So I asked William flat out “What do they (locals) think of us wazungu?” His answer was along the lines that they know we are rich. Rich is a very subjective term - but they are right. This leads me into my next lesson . . . (by the way, I am not rich).
2. Money does not fix everything. If you are reading this blog, you have likely given money to Epic Change (if not, donations are welcome 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) . . . and I can tell you that your money has made a HUGE difference. Your donations have made at least three times as much impact as the same amount of money collected in the States and spent here on other projects (including other schools). From what I have seen, I am pretty sure this is why: Epic Change stayed out of the way. Unlike many other Western aid approaches, Stacey and Sanjay let Mama Lucy run the show. And why shouldn’t she? She is the reason there was a school to begin with. She knows what her students need to receive an excellent education. I have seen the horrible impact that Westerners have had on this community by “trying to help”. They often choose to work against what the community leaders feels is important and make decisions that they are unqualified to make. In turn the outcome has resulted in inflated production cost, substandard quality, inaccessible location and services, among many others. There is no reason for this.
3. Smart people live in mud huts. I can tell you the people here live in very different environments and situations then most of us, and it is hard to see past that. But guess what? Smart people live here, lots in fact. And the kids at Shepherds Junior are brilliant. Imagine your kids in primary school not learning math, science and geography in English, but in French. That is what is going on here. It is a wonderful advantage for these kids, as the high schools here are English-medium while government primary schools are taught entirely in Swahili, leaving many students radically underprepared for public secondary schools and further education. It was amazing to me to see the fourth grade class learning Algebra in English . . . call me crazy, but that is pretty unbelievable.

This trip as taught me a lot. But if there is one thing I wish everyone could learn from me it is this: we can all help a local women make a priceless impact on hundreds of lives. I have looked into the eyes of these future success stories, and I promise you all that your efforts, donations and support will not be wasted. And the sooner we can help to provide the support Mama Lucy need in expanding to meet the needs of her people, the sooner more children will receive a top-notch education. 

PS: The one thing that I did find surprisingly disturbing here is western volunteerism & aid and its impact on the local culture and people. I will admit, even as a youngster I wanted to save the world one penny at a time. Whether it was an acre of rainforest, a manatee in Florida or a starving child in a third world country . . . I would have saved them all. The word “save” is going to be the lesson of the trip for me. One thing I have learned over the short 10 days of being here is that you can’t save people . . . not by making them more like us.

Posted: July 31st, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

We have been incredibly busy this week; four amazing volunteers have now arrived! Since so often I share my own perspectives here, I thought it might be interesting to have some of them write what they’re learning and observing here in Tanzania. This entry is by Zoe Flanagan, a 21-year-old college student whom we met on our first trip to Tanzania, and who is working with us here now. I was excited to hear her views on our work here…and I hope you are too!

Hamjambo warafiki!

Hey everyone, my name is Zoe, and I’m going to be taking over this blog today. I am currently volunteering for Epic Change here in Arusha, and I couldn’t be happier to be working with these great people. I met Sanjay and Stacey as a fellow volunteer, on their first trip here with CCS. I was not very involved with Epic Change this year, to be honest. I signed up for the monthly donation, half out of guilt that I could not do more. But this trip has changed that.

My initial travel plans for my summer were to travel throughout East Africa to learn about the world of NGOs. I am studying Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN) at Lewis and Clark in Portland. A friend of mine who is also in the SOAN department initially planned on exploring this world with me. We decided together that we would do some sort of ethnography of the NGO culture. We recognized how large the NGO phenomenon had become and we wanted to see what made it tick. Sadly my friend was unable to come, and because of that, I was less comfortable traveling alone to do the research. I decided instead I would come back to Arusha, a town I really enjoy, and see what I could find. Quite serendipitously Epic Change was going to be here, needing help, the same time I was. So I went with this omen and decided to see what exactly it was my crazy friends Sanjay and Stacey were up to.

So what have I learned about NGO’s? Well to be honest I think it is going to take several years for me to truly digest everything I have learned. I have an inkling now, I’m getting the feeling that Epic Change has become my diving board into this non-profit world and I have just taken a swan dive in, no looking back. I am giving credit to Epic Change for being my diving board because I have been in the non-profit world as a volunteer, fund raiser, and promoter for five years now. I have always been passionate about the causes. Yet, coupled with this passion was a feeling of failure. Although I had good intentions, what I was doing was not sustainable. So far in my research of NGOs I have identified this characteristic, the lethal couple, passion and failure. In the past week I have been plagued with fits of uncontrollable excitement when I rule out this characteristic from what Epic Change is.

So what are my crazy friends Sanjay and Stacey up to? Well first, they are working their butts off. Just this week I think Sanjay pulled two all nighters back to back; the late nights were spent tackling a two hundred item to do list, and many hours were spent battling a printer with an attitude problem. I was there for the second one and that was when I realized just how much work goes into doing this right. You ask what do I mean when I say doing this, right? Well it’s what makes this project sustainable. They are working harder than ever to create the tools and the plan which will allow Mama Lucy to pay back the loan. These tools and plans to fund raise are amazing gifts because they will allow Sanjay and Stacey to step back and let Mama Lucy continue with her important work. By doing this Sanjay and Stacey are also creating a powerful new relationship. Africa has been told for too long that they need the mzungu (foreigner) and that they cannot do anything worthwhile without them. Mama Lucy already had an amazing program before Epic Change got here. Epic Change simply believed in Mama Lucy and what she was doing. To believe in a person and a cause is a powerful thing. Life threw her a curve ball and all Epic Change has done really is allowed her to keep her school. Because she has been given the power of decision in this relationship, she is now allowed to own the moment. From my point of view Epic Change has not only helped build a school but the project has shown this community that it can be built by a local.

It helps that Shepherds is a pretty amazing place. When I go there I really understand that it is the hopeful future of our world. This is a cliché, I know. Hope has been a little over used in the US this year, but not for naught. My fits of excitement have been the first moments in my life where I know I have felt hope; true unadulterated hope. These children will change the world, I am sure of it. Our world is plagued with ill-intentioned leaders, this is true everywhere and Shepherd’s young leaders are being taught to raise their voice. You can hear it when fourth grader Leah says she wants to “be a doctor so that she can find the cure to AIDS”. That is a pretty loud declaration, right? In many of the systems here Leah would be segregated into a school for the poorest of the poor. Mama Lucy does not allow this to happen at her school. This is partly why it is such an amazing place. Children of all backgrounds are learning together at the highest level they can. And they are brilliant kids, all of them.

Mama Lucy says “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” I have never heard it stated any better. A quarter of a million dollars seems like too much money to some. Many people feel more pulled to go to the most devastated situations with that kind of money. But don’t you think that if you educate this many children at this level and without social discrimination, those devastated situations may be eradicated in ten or twenty years? It is hard to see that, but I really think if there were more Shepherds Juniors throughout the world, the next generation could live a much better life.

These past two weeks have not only been filled with bright and shiny happy days of birds singing songs of hope. Along with my fits of excitement, there have been many moments when I feel like this is just too hard. Along with all nighters, I have witnessed the ugly side of trying to “help”. When you put your whole heart into something, the pain is much deeper when something goes wrong. I think one of the most important lessons I have learned so far is that when you are here you need to think, you really need to be self-reflective and aware of the fact that by trying to “help” you could be creating more hardships and more social handicaps. I know this sounds harsh, but I really believe it. Our presence here is powerful. I am not saying this to make myself sound important, quite the opposite, ( I think I am still figuring this out to be honest) but what I know is that in this one project, Epic Change has stepped back as much as they can, and I have never seen such good results.

Posted: July 20th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

Hujambo from Tanzania!

Two days ago I saw for the first time with my own eyes the school you’ve helped to build here in Arusha. I couldn’t wait to tell you about it but somehow, even after two days of careful consideration, I’ve been unable to find any combination of consonants and vowels that when strung together can adequately convey my joy, gratitude and awe.

This schoolhouse rocks. Monkeys play overhead stealing avocados from the trees above. A river at the edge of the property irrigates a vegetable garden on its banks that helps to feed lunch to the students. A canopy of banana trees provides fruit and shade. Hens from the neighbors’ yards occasionally hop over the fence with their chicks in tow to nibble at the grass on the lawn where the children play. The school sits in the shadow of Mt. Meru, the third tallest mountain in sub-Saharan Africa, its powerful, imposing presence constantly whispering to the students its implicit refrain…”reach higher, dream bigger.”

Four huge classrooms glow with plenty of light through windows that were carefully and lovingly welded by a parent at the school. A small shack out back has been built to house a makeshift kitchen; on the ground in front of it were three woodfires glowing, each with a different pot full of rice, tea, beans or vegetables that serve as lunch for all the students and, sadly, as the only meal of the day for some of the children who learn there. Through smart negotiation with the village elders, the village provides free running water - which is also used by residents of the local community - for cooking and drinking, and more can be fetched from the river out back for cleaning and gardening. There are six toilets that flush to an underground sewage system that don’t stink with the putrid smell of human waste as they did at the previous site. Another wooden shack has been hurriedly constructed out front where the headmaster can meet with students, teachers and parents.

With our $35,000 loan, and about $20,000 that she’s been able to secure independently, Mama Lucy has done more than we could have possibly imagined so far. She proudly - and deservedly - wears the indelible smile and luminous glow of a woman making her dreams manifest, and doing incalculable good. Her husband, Moses, and 19-year-old son William share her constant broad grin and in their bodies one sees clear evidence of months of difficult labor; they personally performed much of the construction with their own hands. As the fourth graders greeted me when I first arrived, Baba Moses stood in a corner at the back of the room, his deeply worn face beaming a paternal blend of perspiration, pride, exhaustion and joy. As they stand at the school’s new site, the Kamptoni’s familial pride in its construction is palpable.

I just wanted to write to say, with all my heart, thank you - and to ask you for your continued donations and support. You made this school possible; without you, it simply wouldn’t exist. While incredible things have been accomplished in a very short time, there is so much more to be done - and it can only be accomplished with your help. Right now, a school bus is an immediate need; the vans into which these children and their teachers somehow compact themselves for the sake of their education are simply not safe. You can read Mama Lucy’s personal note about their current school transport here. In addition, the fourth graders will soon need a fifth grade classroom to continue their classes in January.

Yesterday, I asked the students of Shepherds Junior what they wanted to be when they grow up. In the young crowd, there were budding teachers, nurses, gardeners, bus drivers, policemen, a rocket ship pilot and even one little girl named Leah who wants to be a doctor so that she can, in her own words, “stop HIV in my country.” It is much more than land, bricks and mortar in which you’re investing by donating to Epic Change right now; it is the lives, hopes and potential of children whose dreams might otherwise be swallowed by poverty.

There are few, if any, other investments with the capacity for greater returns. I hope you’ll donate whatever you’re able today - or subscribe for $5, $10 or $25 a month - to create Epic Change in the lives of these kids. Please also pass this note along to anyone else you know who may be interested in our efforts.

I really can’t do it without you.

With hope and gratitude,
Stacey

PS: I hope you’re interested in learning more about the Epic Change you’re creating in Tanzania, and will subscribe to the Epic Change blog. I’ve already published one entry since I’ve arrived, and will be writing additional updates from Africa as often as I’m able. To make sure you don’t miss any, subscribe (for free!) to our RSS feed, or to have all of our updates come directly to your email, click here & follow the simple instructions. Don’t forget to post comments - I’d love to hear from home, and our readers here in Tanzania are excited to hear from you too!

Posted: July 10th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 3

5:24am and morning prayers ring through the streets, and through the windows of our rented apartment in the center of Arusha. He sings, joined in turns by believers from their homes whose voices, when lifted in unison, surely must be heard in heaven. I wonder for what they pray.

Just a few miles away, I’m sure many of the Masai have just gone to bed with their cattle after a night full of elder storytelling ’round a fire, singing and jump-dancing.

Neither the singing of morning prayers nor the distant dancing of the Masai woke me, but instead some combination of jet lag coupled with the constant refrain that is sung in my own head, a prayer in its own right, that I might somehow find help and weave together enough of it to not only help Mama Lucy build her school here, but to do the same for many more people like her whose prayers to improve the lives of those around them are not simply words, nor songs, but impassioned hard work, sweat and tears poured out endlessly to create miracles.

Morning prayers ended, a mysterious goose-honking begins which will be followed soon by the sounds of roosters wakened by the sun rising over Mt. Meru, birds singing, dogs barking and second-hand trucks handed down for profit from the West whose brakes sound like fingernails scraped along chalkboards and which spew black clouds of smoke into the air and the windows of local homes. Today is a public holiday, though, so the sounds of human bustling may come a little later than usual. Normally, it comes early, the old women crouched on broken sidewalks selling mangos they’ve cultivated likely on small patches of land behind their huts, the throngs of young men with no hopes of employment who instead hustle toward tourists to showcase art they’ve fashioned from banana leaves, and women dressed in vibrantly colored khangas shelling peanuts they’ll roast over personal fires to sell to passersby.

As I wait for them to arrive in town, I flip on the television, greeted by Britney Spears shaking her bon-bon to what I believe was her most recent chart-topper, Gimme More - how fitting. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve a warm place in my heart for the former mouseketeer, but her voice (and jiggling tush) cut through this place like the giant rusted machete the toothless man on the corner uses to peel his oranges.

There are many such strange juxtapositions of local traditions and foreign influences here. Chickens wander outside the front doors of internet cafes. Masai warriors travel into town from their bomas to charge their cell phones at sidewalk booths that supply electrical outlets. A blue, mirrored high-rise built for westerners towers above a bus stop where rickety dala dalas meant for 12 passengers are packed with 30 or more locals who pay a dime for the privilege. Huts of mud and sticks lay next door to brand-new stucco homes. Pristine Land Rovers full of safari tourists barrel past wooden banana carts pulled miraculously by the body weight of children. Land that has for generations belonged to tribal ancestors is being purchased by speculators, developers and investors.

A local school has been evicted to make way for a new hotel.

Tanzania is in the midst of transformation. Who will lead these changes, who will benefit, and what will remain of her rich cultural heritage remains to be seen. My hope is that the impassioned hard work of Mama Lucy and many like her will harness these changes for the good of Tanzania’s children.

Posted: July 7th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

Recently Mama Lucy wrote this note, and sent the photos below, to share with you her next goal: a school bus for Shepherds Junior. She wrote:

“Our next goal is to have reliable transport for children and teachers. The school van we have is for 18 passengers, but carries more than 30 pupils and five teachers. In order to fit, they have to carry one another. More than 140 of our pupils depend on one school van and one hired van for transport each day.

If it was possible for our school to move from a rented building to our very own new beautiful buildings, and if we started carrying pupils with one “Toyota Corolla” as transport (carrying up to 10 pupils instead of 5) in 2004 and now we have a school van, definitely, we can move from that to our school bus. How? I don’t know, but I know there’s a way!

This came in my mind several times one evening before I went to bed, on 19th June 2008. I closed my eyes, then started to see the trend of pictures of how we started. It was like a movie. A very interesting one!

Abruptly, a certain song came in my mind called There’s a way to Cross River Jordan. I found myself singing the song for not less than 15 minutes.

By then, I was trying to think of how pupils are squeezing in our school van and a hired vehicle. There’s no more space for even a single child. The teachers too, are squeezing in the same vehicles. Not enough air inside, but they are still happy! That’s how we are moving!

What will be next if more students will join our school, and need to use the school transport? That is a major question clicking in my head.

We do remember of how you good people struggled to make sure we have land and buildings. As you did for that, your donations still count a lot! Many new children have come to our school since you’ve helped us to build such a great facility; now we need to find a way to get all of the children who want to attend our school safely to and from school each morning and evening.

Thank you so much for your help. We do really appreciate it!

Tomorrow, I’ll depart Frankfurt for Tanzania. On this trip, I’d hoped (and still hope!) to make our next loan, for a school bus for Shepherds Junior. While we’ve raised over $6,000 toward the effort to date, the total cost of the bus is estimated to be $25,000 - so we’re definitely not there yet. As of now, we also have outstanding commitments for an additional $12,500, but we’re not certain when these funds will be made available to us; they may not come in until later this year. In any case, to cover the entire cost, we need to raise an additional $6500 as soon as possible. I really hope you’ll help by donating now, and spreading the word to others who might be able to help out. Remember, this school was built primarily from donations of about $20; if we all do a little, together we can make an epic difference.

One of the parents at the school, Gidori, once told us that his son, Gideon, wouldn’t be able to attend Shepherds Junior if transportation weren’t offered. He simply can’t afford any other form of transportation that’s safe for his son.

What impact has the availability or lack of school transportation options meant to your child’s education?

Posted: July 2nd, 2008 under The Foundry, Updates from Mama.
Comments: 1

I have writer’s block.

There, I’ve said it. Recently, I’ve even found myself referring to dictionaries of quotations for inspiration like some seventh grader with an essay assignment. It’s funny, because it’s not at all as if I have nothing to write. The truth is, there’s simply so much going on that my brain, even on all cylinders, is unable to process it all.

Funny, today I looked back at some of what I’d written in anticipation of my original trip to Africa, long before I’d ever met Mama Lucy and before Epic Change was born. And I noticed something profoundly different from then to now. That first trip I had no agenda, no project plan, no objectives, just a blank slate on which to scriven the experience. Back then, the words were flowing; like Salt-n-Pepa or Missy Elliot spinnin’ a rhyme, I could weave a story. Everything was seen through fresh, new, yearning eyes wide open. I recorded every taste, smell and sound religiously to savor and share, not out of necessity, but out of wonder.

Recently, my eyes have been too focused on mundane to-do lists to look up. I’ve been fixated on computer screens, project plans and html code. The how rather than the why.

But I believe there’s about to be a moment when all this noise comes to an abrupt and total silence, when I remember the hope, wonder and wide-open eyes and heart of my original footsteps on the continent.

I will see the new school for the time.

And I can’t even begin to imagine how that will feel. But I know I will feel it wholly. For at least that split second (and hopefully longer) my brain will have no gnawing thoughts of “gotta get it done” or “what’s next?”. I’ll simply be basking in the glow of very tangible, very real fruits of our labor over the past several months. I only hope that my words return to me by then, because I must somehow capture the marrow of that moment. Save it in a bell jar, a relish for later when the season passes.

I remember stepping off the plane as I arrived in Kiliminjaro for my most recent visit near the end of last year. I remember the smell of warmth in the place, its drought-browness. I remember the look in Mama Lucy’s eyes, her broad, “welcome home” smile that seemed to say, “I wasn’t sure you were coming back…but I’m so glad you did.” So many people visit, make promises, leave with the best of intentions and never return.

I, on the other hand, am going back. After all, I have things to do, a gannt chart a mile long.

But here’s the thing: I need to forget about them. Sure, there’s a lot to get done. But for now the nagging voices of tasks, deliverables and deadlines need to fade. They will get done, but so much heartfully, so much more beautifully if I can forget about them for a minute and just reconnect with our purpose:

We share the epic stories of hopeful people to help them create change in their communities.

We share stories of hope. Instead of listening to the constant nails-on-the-chalkboard sound of my inner project manager, I need to listen and connect to the inspiring voices of the children, their parents and their teachers, and the incredible potential of this community - potential you’re helping to realize by investing in Epic Change.

So, as I wrote in my journal the night before I left for my first trip to Africa:

The rest of the trip is eyes (ears, heart and mind) wide open.
I wonder what we’ll see . . .

Having now been before, this much I know: it will be beautiful.

I leave today for Germany, and after a few days there, arrive in Tanzania on Friday July 4th. Stay tuned to see where the journey leads…and thanks for coming with me.

(Today’s inner soundtrack: Little Wonders by Rob Thomas)

Posted: June 30th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 3

Meet Pius, a kindergartner at the school in Tanzania, and his courageous mother, Anna:

I wish I had the vocabulary to describe how I felt as Pius played while Mama Anna stood singing in her living room, her voice raised to beckon love, acceptance and a cure. Words escape me, so instead I’ll leave you with her song, in its entirety: listen here.

Posted: June 22nd, 2008 under The Foundry, Story Spot.
Comments: 1

If I learned anything from junior high (other than how to survive the ridicule that accompanies pubescence), it’s that nothing says love like a mixtape (or Casey Kasem). So, in addition to the eighteen videos that have now been submitted by people from three continents, I’d like to bring the children an additional gift - a CD of songs dedicated to them by our friends, donors and supporters that share a little bit about who you are and your personal messages for the kids.

To participate, all you need to do is post a comment below with your name, the name of the song you’d like to dedicate and why you’ve chosen that particular tune. If you’d prefer, make your own muxtape, and leave your dedication and a link below.

If you need some musical inspiration, here’s a few songs that I’ve posted to Twitter and the blog throughout the last few months that somehow serve to commemorate the journey:

• The Sweetest Gift by Sade (posted on 5/29/08)
• Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield (posted 5/28/08)
• Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall (posted 5/23/08)
• Say by John Mayer (posted 5/7/09)
• Look Up by Lauren Hayworth (posted 4/30/08)
• New Soul by Yael Naim (posted on 4/27/08)
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (posted 4/9/08)
• Let the River Flow by Up with People (posted 4/9/08)
• Even a Miracle Needs a Hand (posted 4/7/08)
  

In retrospect, I may need to move farther afield from the genre of cheese. Here too are a few songs that the children have shared with us:

• Be Happy Before You Die
• It’s a Small World
• You Are My Sunshine

PS: If you’d still like to submit your video for our Stories Matter project, we’ve extended the deadline through Monday, 6/16/08. For more info, check here.

Posted: June 13th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 10