An exciting update from Mama Lucy:

Unity Is Power – believe me or not!

Before Sanjay and Stacey left to return back to the US in early August this year, we had several meetings with Rachel, Kira and Mindy of Sun Strides, a nonprofit organization based in the US. They came to join hands with us so as to support and push us forward in what we’re trying to achieve. The major issue of our joint meetings was about the solar power installation for our school.

Our aim is to start computer classes by January 2009 for our primary classes. That could only be possible if we have electricity. As we’ve said before, we received 5 computers already from Epic Change this summer.

It was on Friday 12th September 2008, when Sun Strides re-visited our school and started the work. On Sunday 14th September, I couldn’t believe my own eyes when for the first time I saw electricity at our school!

Just click on the mosaic below to see larger images in Flickr.

Special thanks to Sun Strides for their fabulous job; for working and paying for the costs of solar installation. Otherwise, pupils couldn’t enjoy the computers and we would still be having dark nights.

We have been able to achieve what we have because you’ve joined our efforts. Your donations, your ideas, and entire support have brought great change to our school and community.

Thank you Epic Change! Thank you Sun Strides! Thank you all who have supported us and made us be where we are. Your support means a lot to us!

With Much Love,
Mama Lucy – Shepherds Junior School
Arusha, Tanzania.

It’s great to have partners in creating Epic Change, and we’re so glad Sun Strides decided to implement solar power at Shepherds Junior as their first project. Thanks so much to Rachel, Kira, Mindy and all of the donors and supporters at Sun Strides!

Posted: October 3rd, 2008 under The Foundry, Updates from Mama.
Comments: none

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!

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. 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’ve had the incredible opportunity to have many conversations with Mama Lucy, and some of the parents at the school, about the many various ways that “aid” has been provided in their country. I’ve sat over chai at Lucy’s table and discussed our mutual frustrations with many failed, and some quite arrogant, approaches. I thought you might be interested to hear some of her thoughts, too. I realize, of course, that whatever she shares is now cast through the lens that she is our partner, but nonetheless I think she expresses a frank, thoughtful position that you’ll likely find interesting and thought-provoking. If you have questions, I’d encourage you to ask them directly to her. Though her internet access is somewhat limited, I’m sure she’ll be excited to respond as soon as she’s able.

Mama Lucy’s first language is Swahili, but she speaks remarkable English. I’ve no doubt that you’ll be able to understand the meaning of her note. Additionally, since we hope to build an online community where people from both of our cultures can meaningfully connect, I believe it’s imperative for us to begin to share these communications without mediation.

When I asked her to share with you her perspectives on aid, and our approach in particular, Mama Lucy wrote:

Dear Epic Changers,

What is aid?
According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, it has the following meaning:

• Money, food, etc. that is sent to help in difficult situations.
• Help that you need to perform a particular task.
• Help that is given to a person.

Now let’s come to the point.

Those definitions give us a picture of how beautiful it is. For me, an aid seems to be a very good thing too, but it has two sides. One, it depends on how an aid giver decides to give (the approach). To the right people/community/country at the right time through those who have direct connection to the targeted group.

The other side, it depends on how an aid receiver is prepared to use/utilize such aid. Positively or otherwise. Someone can decide to send an aid with very good intention to help a community to cater a certain need, but can end up with no good impact. The receiver must be related to that need. There must be connection between the two.

Giving aid through “participatory approach” can bring great change to a community. Such community can value what they have participated in, rather than what they’ve just received ready made.

Epic Change has this unique approach of giving aid to our community. (participatory approach). They support us by giving us loans and strengthening our muscles by giving us chances to do planning and decision making. We do these practically.

Epic Change does not leave us to be passive recipients but active participants. It helps and encourages entrepreneurship and initiative in our community; which brings economic empowerment.

This is the only way a community can be taught how to fish, and not only be given a fish.

I wish other organizations could come up with this approach, there would be great change in our community!

Lucy

When we originally conceptualized Epic Change, we knew two things:

• We knew nothing about building a school in Africa.
• Mama Lucy did.

Therefore, you’ll see from the earliest documentation of our organization that our first, and most important, core value is local leadership. Epic Change does not design, develop or implement community improvements. We do not build schools. We’ve simply created an experimental business model that we hope will enable us to create a renewable source of capital to invest in the crucial efforts of grassroots change agents across the globe like Mama Lucy. While she calls our approach “participatory,” Mama Lucy does far more than participate. She independently founded and is leading this effort. As she mentions, she does the “planning and decision making.” After all, she created the school, and made it successful, long before we ever arrived. The vision is hers to realize, along with the parents’ committee, the amazing staff of teachers she’s hired and, of course, her students.

I recently ran across a link to the film They Come in the Name of Helping by Peter Brock on Peter Dietz’s Social Actions blog. The film takes a critical look at the effectiveness of foreign development programs through the eyes of young adults living in Sierra Leone. They offer thought-provoking perspectives on the value of local involvement in identifying the needs of a particular community and the solutions that are most appropriate in a given cultural context. It’s definitely worth spending some time to take a look, and provides some compelling reasons why locally-led initiatives likely have the greatest potential for success.

In it, 24-year-old journalist Zainab Kamara says:

“They [i.e., foreign aid workers] come in the name of…solving the problem, in which they don’t even have an iota of an idea…When they come, they just say, ‘we have the solution to your problem; don’t worry, we’re here.’ So their assurance is there; we’re just waiting on them to solve the problem. Instead of telling us that you [i.e., local people] have the solution to your problems, all they’ll do is say, ‘we have the solutions to your problem, so just wait on us and we’ll solve the problem.’”

Mama Lucy knows the problem, has the solution and waits for no one. As it should be.

How do you feel about our approach as Mama Lucy has shared it? Given what you know about our partnership with her, do you have suggestions for how we could improve our approach? Do you have any questions for Mama Lucy – or for us? Any other insights from watching Brock’s film?

Posted: May 21st, 2008 under The Foundry, Updates from Mama.
Comments: 6