Building a foundation of leadership

Today, we met with a group of students who had received the Desmond Tutu Award, which is awarded to students in Cape Town who were outstanding leaders, giving back to their community. We started out with basic introductions of ourselves. This group of people seemed a lot more at ease with each other and us than the last group of youth. As they introduced themselves, we learned they were a lot closer to our age, many out just out of high school, all very involved in their communities.

We dove in with an abbreviated history of South Africa by a professor who was participating, focusing on apartheid and its effects. Throughout the lecture, the South African students would chime in with their own takes and opinions on apartheid and the results. What was nice was that it wasn’t just a dry recitation, but sprinkled with commentary and insights, which were especially interesting coming from someone who had experienced it herself.

Then we went down to the office, where we had a small snack. Not only was this a time to relax, but we also had the chance to get to know people from the other group. I entered into a discussion with Nicole and Mandla about what types of things they did and about foreign accents.

We returned and the main facilitator, Brendan, who is studying in college currently, surprised us and made us recite something we’d learned about a person from the other group. Then, he gave us a presentation on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of goals created by the U.N in 2000 to try to cut poverty in half 2015 (so far, we haven’t really been succeeding). The information about the PowerPoint I’d seen before, but it was the commentary and discussion from the group, both South African and American, that was the most insightful. We focused especially on areas like gender equality and creating a global partnership for development. After, we also did a small workshop activity where we created an outline about how we could create impact on certain MDGs, writing it on a large piece of paper. Actually, this activity made me have a higher appreciation for groups creating poster presentation in small, fifteen minute brainstorms. Previously, my only experience with them has been in school, where it has been a compulsory chore. In fact, if the right energy and mindset is put into the activity by all, new ideas can be created.

Later, we had lunch then did a lesson on Scenario Planning, which is thinking up possible future outcomes and then deciding what course of action is needed to reach the one you want. This was a change from the other leadership lessons we’ve received. The activity not only stressed the importance of leadership, but gave us a tool to possibly implement. It was a well thought activity which I felt was very productive. After, we exchanged contact information with everyone, did a few interviews, took a group photo, and said goodbye.

We’d gotten to know them pretty well for just a day, and I was disappointed that we had to leave. They had a lot more of a relaxed and cheerful energy than the last group, for, in my opinion, a few reasons. Firstly, they were all awarded for their achievement in giving back to the community, and that requires a good deal of self-confidence in the first place. Secondly, the majority of them grew up in Cape Town, which contains a mass of different cultures they’d been exposed to, which leads into the third point that they were not intimidated of us at all. This was a huge help in facilitating discussion between our groups and made the entire experience quite enjoyable.

Our experience in Cape Town has been at a bit of a contrast with the other experiences we’ve had in South Africa and Zambia. Cape Town seems a lot more developed than most of the other places we’ve visited, barring perhaps Johannesburg. Previously, we’ve been involved in a lot of the poorer and more rural areas, meeting mostly either very young children or youth who have grown up faced with financial hardships. While I’m not sure of what these Cape Town students faced growing up, they seemed like some of the brightest, most involved, and educated students in South Africa. If you guys are reading this, then cheers for the free compliments. I was very glad to meet you all, and plan to keep in touch with you! Thank you so much!

Zambericans

After meeting with WaterAid on Thursday, we hurried back to the hotel after lunch in order to meet a group of Zambian youth from different organizations. Scrambling into the conference room late, we found them dressed in suits, collared shirts, and generally nicer clothes. I remember looking down at myself with a t-shirt and jeans and felt embarrassed, hoping that I didn’t seem like the typical American, rude and sloppy. We sat down, and started talking to each other loudly, laughing together in the previously quiet room. That probably didn’t really lessen the contrast between the Americans and the Zambians.

We began with introduction of names and ages. I was slightly intimidated to learn of the age gap between the two groups. They put our names and ages up on the board. On one side were our ages, 13-18, and on the other side were theirs, 20-23. There were youth from several organizations, though they all seemed to be linked through a common facilitator, Walu. We conducted an ice-breaker (three truths and a lie), then another from the Zambians, which involved one person generating a random question, then a random answer. After, we opened it up to a question and answer session between the two groups.

One thing that came out immediately was how everyone on the Zambian side was Christian, and strongly so. the American side there was a high percentage of religious people (most Christian, to the best of my knowledge), but not all of us. To point out the difference between us, the Zambians were surprised we had not started out the meeting with a prayer. Also, another thing that was apparent from the introductions and even the ice-breakers was that the other groups’ focus was on HIV/AIDS. Their strategy on prevention seemed to stem from abstinence rather than condom use, which is different than the teaching methods I’ve been exposed to. Although, as a disclaimer, I’ve read that there are many programs that advocate abstinence in the U.S.

The last activity we did was a discussion about views about the other country. The Zambians put what conceptions they had about U.S., and the Americans put what misconceptions they had about Zambia. I wish we had actually done this before the Q and A session, because it opened up a lot of discussion, especially about their views of the United States. Unfortunately, the talk about our previous misconceptions about Zambia didn’t bear much fruit since we listed and they addressed the things that we’d already found to be untrue, like that Africa is all desert, that most people live in tribes, etc.

I was very glad to meet with them. Even though they weren’t precisely our age, they were also youth and just exchanging information about our different lives with them was incredibly valuable in learning about other lives.

Busy busy busy busy

I am now, officially, horribly behind on my blogging. Five days have passed, and I’m going to rush through them so I can put down the latest and most vivid recollections before they fade away.

Wednesday, four days ago, we went to a microfinance fair in the village of Chongwe. It was designed to be a celebration of the microfinance funded by the United Nations Development Programme, as well as a place where groups funded by the microfinance program could sell their products. We drove in serenaded by a group of women singing who continued even after we exited the van. There were at least one or two hundred people in the audience, though practically all were women. Men weren’t there perhaps because they were working or just weren’t interested in coming, since I saw plenty of men and boys on the drive in. That just highlighted how microfinance has focused a lot around women, due to their historically higher rate of fiscal responsibility, and also women’s cultural position of staying home and creating crafts that they can sell.

The microfinance fair was interesting, though they had to switch between the local language (Tonga, I believe), and English, which was difficult to understand because of the accent and because were in the back, and also because we were distracted by the mass of children who had surrounded us.

The kids, for most of us, were the highlight of the microfinance fair. Our attention drifted off as the kids giggled and we began to play with them. There ages ranged from about four to eleven, and we had fun as we took pictures of them and then showed the images to them. Grayson was behind me showing them how to do “American handshakes”, and others were throwing around a ball. We tried to pay attention to the presentation in front of us, but the kids were extremely distracting (although in a good way.) We did, however, watch as there were dances and a singing group, a short skit about how microfinance saved one woman’s daughter from prostitution, and two women who presented about their experiences. A representative from the Grameen Trust was there (one of the original microfinance groups, based in Bangladesh), and talked a bit. We were also able to browse the wares of the entrepreneurs funded by microfinance, and we bought from a few as well.

After the Chongwe Fair, we went to the Grassroots Soccer group in Lusaka. We thought it was odd that it was called soccer when it was based in South Africa, where the term is football. But we learned that it was a non-profit started by a student from Dartmouth, focused on teaching about HIV/AIDS through a curriculum of games and activities. We played a few games, many of which were surprisingly similar to Tam drama activities (CTE). They were name games, although with forty or more people, it was nearly impossible to remember everyone’s. Afterwards, we did one of their curriculum games, where we created two lines of people and passed a ball, which represented HIV, behind our backs so the other team didn’t know where it was. Each line had to guess where the ball was in the other person’s line. There were three lessons behind the game: you can’t tell outwardly who has HIV, the only way to know for sure is to go for a VCT (voluntary counseling and testing), and where you could go to get a VCT.

Afterwards, we played football (soccer) with the Zambian youth. We were split into separate teams, mixed Americans and Zambians, and played. Firstly, I rarely play football. Secondly, they were really good. Needless to say, I was destroyed and humiliated for my lack of football skills. But either way, it was exhilarating and fun to play football with Zambian youth underneath a vibrant sunset… even if I did fall multiple times and my passes were completely out of luck. We all left, excited and satisfied, although all a bit embarrassed by our lack of football ability.

Thursday, three days ago, we visited multiple non-profits and projects. The first we visited was the Malaria Foundation in Zambia, which was the umbrella organization uniting the multiple efforts against malaria in Zambia. This was the first malaria organization we’d met, and it highlighted the need for efforts to roll back malaria. They stressed the use of awareness programs and ITB, or insecticide treated bednets, as well as early recognition and treatment. Malaria is a disease caused by the parasites in the female anopheles mosquito. It is transmitted when a mosquito feeds off an infected person then feeds again off another, who will then become infected.

Next, we visited a PlayPump at a school in Lusaka. PlayPumps are being touted as a cutting-edge tool in providing clean water access to schools and communities. While it is a simple mechanical pump, it also acts as a game for children. PlayPumps are wheels like those in parks that children can spin around. PlayPumps, however, pump water into a water tower while the children are playing on it. This is a simple but effective tool that eliminates the tedious hand pump. When we went inside, we were able to see pictures of when Laura Bush visited to see the PlayPump in action. We also played with the children at the school on the PlayPump wheel, spinning around with them until everyone was dizzy. (I admit, when I spun them the Director had to mention to Jenny he didn’t want them going that fast.)

WaterAid Zambia was our next stop. Unfortunately, all the senior officials were out touring the projects with a group of people from the U.K., so our meeting was conducted by one of the project monitors still being oriented to the program. He seemed to be a little intimidated, but he immediately brightened up in answering whenever we asked a question. I feel we did gain some valuable information, like how WaterAid Zambia focused more on sanitation, since there seemed to be a lot of efforts going towards clean water access already. This involved setting up latrines in villages and promoting hygiene awareness programs.

I’ll put the rest later, so that’s what I have now.

Into the new frontier

Before I start droning on about the day, I’ll start with my quote colletion so far on the trip.

“Satchel, no running with spears!” – Jenny

“Mom, you’re so hyper.” – Weezie

“Are they speaking Spanish?” – John

“Are there snakes in Africa?” – John

“Don’t look at the world through a laser beam view.” – John

“I’ve never lost an argument in my life.” – (yes, it’s…) John

Last Monday, two days ago, we departed from Johannesburg, South Africa, on the way to Lusaka, Zambia. Funny story: I was checking my baggage at the airport, and I greeted the man at the desk with a “hey”. He looked at me hesitantly and said, “I have a question for you.” I waited. “How… how do you great people in your language?” I was a little puzzled, since it sounded as if his English was quite good. “Is it just a hello?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I told him, “just hi or hello.”

“Oh.” He paused and looked down for a second. Then he looked up again. “And what does sheh-sheh mean?”

I was completely perplexed for a moment before I realized what he was talking about. I laughed.

“I don’t speak Chinese,” I told him. “But I think it means thank you.”

“Oh.”

It’s even funnier because I had handed him my American passport a few moments before. I wasn’t offended, just very amused, and now I have a funny story to tell.

On a side note, we found a guy in the airport who looked exactly like Dan. I managed to capture the imposter on camera.

Upon arriving in Lusaka, Carson and I discovered our bags had gone missing due to some earlier pre-flight chaos. I was so tired that I treated it like a huge joke. (We got them back last night, fortunately.) Then we arrived at the Protea Hotel, slightly tired but happy to have a bed to sleep in.

The next day, yesterday, was one thing after another. In the morning, we went straight to the YAPYA Youth Investment Trust in Zambia office, and there we met leaders and representatives from different microfinance groups for half an hour each. These groups included AMIZ, HARMOS, Junior Achievers Zambia, and Africare—all different microfinance groups with different strategies and targets. They described their groups and we asked them a few questions about their work. For instance, AMIZ was an association of microfinance groups in Zambia, which worked to facilitate discussion and information sharing throughout different groups. HARMOS worked in rural areas to provide microfinance loans to help businesses, though they seemed to focus a lot on collateral and payments. Junior Achievers Zambia took a completely different strategy and worked with students to create businesses, usually services like gardening, and then have other students invest in them, all using real money (kwacha). Then there was Africare, which, rather than giving loans, gave training and grants to promising groups of youth in the form of equipment, like a press to make peanut butter faster. All of these programs focused on achieving sustainable and profitable growth in businesses.

From there, we hopped into the bus and traveled to visit different projects. The first we visited was a farm market, where they sold produce and other goods. Two youth staffed the stall with a laptop computer, with which they used to calculate finances on an Excel spreadsheet. However, they also had two empty buildings they had built in the back which they planned to turn into a take-away food stall and a community center. They told us that they had guests come from foreign countries every few months and teach a few community members skills. For instance, a welder came and taught a few young men to weld, and they created the bars that adorned the windows. Another group had actually created the bricks for the two buildings as well.

The second project we visited was an orphanage. As we entered, the man showing us around pointed out the cassava growing along the side of the road which had been planted by the children there. Cassava is one of the growing alternatives to the staple crop of Zambia, which is maize, or corn. We entered through the gates to see a group of young men and women husking (?) the corn, taking off the kernels and tossing the husks. Their machine was a simple sieve upon which they placed the dried corn cobs. They then pounded it with a stick in order to loosen the kernels. I asked one woman what they used the husks for since there was such a large pile, and she said they were feed for the cows.

Inside the orphanage, the children were sleeping, unfortunately, and we didn’t get to meet them. We did, however, get to meet a woman named Kimberly who was a missionary from the United States and who was one of the “mothers” in charge of the orphanage. She and her husband had moved to Zambia two years ago after hearing about this project from their church. Her children were in the back room, though I didn’t get a chance to see them. As we were leaving, I noticed a nice rug in the front of the house, so I asked her about it. Kimberly talked about how the rug was actually made by some of the local women in the crafting groups, how it was made of woven plastic bags and bits of rag. They also made small handbags as well, which they sold for income. Unfortunately, we had to leave before we could go more in depth, but it was a very interesting conversation.

We rushed back to the YAPYA office to meet Ambassador Lewanika, the Zambian Ambassador to the United States. She and her daughter had traveled with Jenny and Weezie when they came to Zambia in 2004. Afterwards, we went out to dinner at Rhapsody’s.

That day was hectic and long, but it was also a revealing first day in Zambia. Just traveling the streets showed it was a lot different than South Africa. People would walk up to your window and try to sell things, and coming in at nine o’clock, the streets were abandoned. But one thing that surprised me was, while there were still corporate ads, there was a high amount of HIV/AIDS awareness ads that were posted all over the walls that lined the roads. The awareness ads were especially concentrated around the schools. But it was obvious that there the financial situation in Zambia was flourishing less than South Africa’s. On that note, Zambia’s GNI per capita is about 490 USD (less than two dollars a day), compared to South Africa’s 4960 USD. Both are spectacularly low compared to the United States’. Unemployment in both groups is high as well: 25% for South Africa, and 50% for Zambia. It’s these numbers that the microfinance groups are trying to roll back, and we’re here to learn how.

Leadership 101

Yesterday morning, after last night’s trying seven hour drive, we met with Fred, the founder of the African Leadership Academy, whose inaugural class will be beginning this September. His own personal life story was inspiring in itself, but the meeting also revealed certain aspects of strong leadership and the non-profit sector. The African Leadership Academy is a school that is taking one hundred African students and six others that have been deemed the strongest in leadership, entrepreneurship, and the ability to create change in Africa. They will be put through a curriculum in which every subject is focused around how to impact Africa. Fred was born in Ghana but moved around from country to country with his mother. It ends up that he became the headmaster of an ipromtu school for poor children at the age of 18. The school is now considered one of the best models in Africa. He didn’t stop with the school, however. He attended a college in Minnesota and then Stanford for his MBA. When, while writing a college paper, he identified the root issue in Africa, lack of strong leadership, he decided to create an African Leadership Academy.

His story was a major motivator for me—I’m now itching to accomplish something, no joke—but I took away some valuable and useful information from that meeting as well.

1. Relationships and social connections are not only useful, they are crucial. Major funding for non-profits usually comes through connections made, like friends, family, and acquaintances. Multiply that by the people they know, and you have a network. (Six degrees of separation, anyone?) Not only does this apply to donations for non-profits, but to everything in life, like job opportunities. It’s all about the people you know. And besides, as he said, “Having relationships is one of the most exciting things about being human.”
2. “You don’t go for something big unless you believe it’s going to work,” Fred told us. I think that’s very helpful to consider, especially for me. If I’m going to do something difficult, I will have to be willing to take (calculated) risks, and go the entire way because I have faith that it will pull through. It’s not a question of blind faith, but coming to terms with the situation, looking at it objectively, and seeing whether it will work. If it will, then that is the time to go for it.
3. Fix the roots, not just the symptoms. This applies to everything from economics to medicine. While treating the symptoms will provide temporary relief, they’ll just keep popping up until the root cause is addressed. In terms of Africa, the symptoms are high unemployment, poverty, HIv/AIDS levels, malaria levels, violence, and so forth. Fred chalked up the root cause to be lack of leadership, and his mission is to address that issue.
4. Make a problem a challenge, not something impossible to solve. Fred asked us to guess the rate of HIV positive people in Africa. I won’t finish this story quite yet, since this will be a chance for readers to guess. (The rest of the story will be finished at the end of the entry.)* But I learned from this that the trick is to show people that this is actually a manageable problem rather than a monolith, and then things will actually get done.
5. “Do what you do best, but partner with people who know what they do,” said Jenny. To me, this means teamwork. Learn to be a team, because a team should be able to support each other in the fields in which the others are weak.
6. “Think about impact 50 years down the line.” – Fred. This is the most daunting one for me. What could I do that will have a positive impact down the line? I haven’t the slightest idea yet, but I do know that I should keep it in mind when thinking about life.

*Continuing the story, our group guessed around 10%-20%. I settled on a 13%,, though I had a nagging feeling that we were shooting high. Surely enough, we were. Embarrassingly, it ended up to be 2.5%, half the lowest guess, which was Jenny’s 1 out of 20. I guess it goes to show our misconceptions of Africa are out of hand.

Elephants, giraffes, lions, oh my!

The days are speeding by. There’s been little chance to record what we’ve done. During our stay at the Phinda game reserve, we spent our mornings and evenings on game drives, often taking four hours or more out on dirt roads in a 4x4 scanning for animals. In an attempt to get up to speed, rather than reciting every single story (talk to me in person if you want to get pummeled with them), I’ll just list the major animals we’ve seen:

• giraffes
• zebras
• wildebeests
• nyala
• white rhino
• elephants
• lions
• impala
• cheetah
• warthogs
• crocodiles
• baboons
• red duiker
• suni (apparently a very lucky sighting, since the suni is an endangered species and the third smallest antelope in the world
  

These sightings are thanks to our amazing guides, Ross and Nicky. We went on five game drives total in a period of four days. I have a few unique stories, however:

Lions. Everyone goes on safaris in Africa with the burning hope that they will see lions. Not only did we see lions, we were, at points, only five feet away from them. Plus, we were in an open air vehicle, which makes everything seem a lot closer and more real… plus, going 80 km/hour down a road in one is beyond exhilarating. We started towards the lions when we heard about a sighting over the radio. We rushed over, and there they were, a male lion, four lionesses, and two cubs lounging in the sun. We watched them for quite a time and were rewarded with the sight of the male lion (Mufasa, we called him), sitting up, stretching, and walking over to an open area where we could drive up and watch him. After we left, to top it off, we saw the reason they were so lethargic: a giraffe kill with its body literally a hollow shell and its intestines lining the road. Call me morbid, but I thought it was pretty cool.

We also found many, many elephants. We first sighted a small herd of about fifteen, according to Nicky. The elephants started moving our way, so we backed off. When they began to move off, Nicky thought she knew where they were headed, so we took a large loop to try to intercept them. As darkness fell, we were arriving at the watering hole when I shined the spotlight on a large object up ahead. It was, in fact, an elephant drinking, but not the same herd as we’d just seen. The crackling noise of branches breaking sounded out to our left, and to our initial excitement, and Nicky’s dismay, we discovered we were surrounded. When she told us not to panic and started hastily backing up into a bush to turn around, we began to figure out that maybe it was a little more dangerous than we’d previously thought. Fortunately, we made it out safely. When asked later, Nicky responded she’d rather be surrounded by lions than elephants. Lions are predictable but elephants are not and are massive as well.

The time at Phinda was phenomenal. We were very lucky to be there, since the camp we were at was not even commercially available. The food was delicious, the accommodations were surprisingly comfortable, the game drives were eye-opening, and our staff was a mix of some of the most dedicated and upbeat people I’ve met. Actually, there are at least three people on this trip who mentioned, with varying degrees of seriousness, that they now want to work as rangers at Phinda. I know I’d return in a heartbeat, if I had the chance.

Before we retook the seven hour drive back to Johannesburg, we dropped off a flip camera to the Dev Centre. The head of the Dev Centre and the head of the health clinic were both extremely excited to receive it, the latter especially. He was wearing his Obama shirt that day as well. I explained the simple basics of loading the video onto the computer to the Dev Center head. Jenny asked if I needed to go over the basics again, when the Dev Centre head mentioned that it was a lot like the digital cameras she’d used. I felt a little bit stupid for acting as if she’d never seen a digital camera before—she was the head of a tech center, after all. On the other hand, it didn’t hurt to make sure she understood it before we left. I got a little jump of happiness as I watched them smiling and using the camera as we left the Dev Centre. Hopefully they’ll be able to create film and send it over to YouthGive in the future. For now, it’s enough to know they’ll use it in the community for education.

Lastly, a few Zulu words I’ve learned throughout the trip (spelled phoenetically because I have no idea what the actual spelling is):

• sahn-ee-bon-ah = hello to multiple people
• sahn-wu-bon-ah = hello to a single person
• yeh-boh = yes (or a greeting in passing)
• gaya-bong-ah = thank you
• sal-ah-gat-ay = bye

The beauty of reality

Today, once again, has been packed down to the hour. This has been my first chance to sit down with free time since we arrived here in the Phinda Game Reserve. We woke up at 5:50 this morning to go on a morning game drive, otherwise known as a safari. It was this morning that the surrealism of Africa hit. Driving out into the early morning into the surrounding of endless trees and mist was indescribable.

Less than five minutes into the drive, we came across two giraffes, munching on the treetops. Our guide explained to us the little facts about the giraffes, like how the horns on their heads are calcified lumps that increase the weight for fighting. After awhile, we moved on and spotted zebras and wildebeest grazing together. She told us that they are friendly because there is safety in numbers, and they don’t compete because zebras and the tall grass and wildebeests eat the short. We also saw male and female nyala and then came back to Phina Bayete (pronounced pin-dah bye-et-ay), our camp, so we could visit the community.

Let me say now that I’m trying to transcribe all these facts because of the vast quantity of them. Our guides know astonishingly much about the Phinda reserve, like why the animals do what they do, where they like to rest, about tracking, about park management… it’s awesome, in the sense it is worthy of awe. I’ve had three game drives so far, and I have been extremely impressed.

I’ve seen a good number of images of rural African villages. It was strange on many levels to actually be in one. For instance, it was bizarre how it was similar to the images I’ve seen, yet it was completely different in how it felt to be there. It was similar to what I’d imagined, like the sight of people walking down the roads carrying loads on their heads or in school clothes, or the laundry drying on lines in the yard. The schools were similar as well. The first preschool we visited was a small building with only two rooms. All the tiny children clustered in a single room with the teacher. We entered and they began to sing.

The singing that day was one of the most touching experiences so far on this trip. In both schools we visited, the children sang for us. The preschool kids were shy, but like most children that are as tall as your knee, they were adorable. They sang a slightly different version of “If you’re happy and you know it”. The grade school kids were slightly more bold, and they came up running when we arrived. We played with both groups—we played catch with the preschool kids and shook hands with a lot of the grade school kids. Matt even taught them to pound it by the end of our tour, and they all held their hands outside the fence. They brightened everyone’s day.

The schools themselves were quite interesting. While not as well off as the average school in the U.S., they were making do with what they had. All the rooms had pictures or diagrams up on the wall. One of the teachers, a man from Ghana, told us that the rooms for younger students had more pictures, and the older students’ rooms had more text, because that was a better teaching method for them.

The other project we visited was the Dev Centre, which stands for Digital Eco-Village Centre (not development centre). It is designed to bridge the technological gap between the developed and developing worlds. They set up a center with copy machines, computers for classes and general use, and meeting rooms for community groups. It was situated in the center of the village and available to everyone. Their Introduction to Computers class was very similar to ours, though they had to pay about a hundred dollars for it. A class was actually running while we visited. They were learning Microsoft Excel, which was a slight bit of a surprise. When I used to think of developing communities learning to use computers, I didn’t actually visualize their curriculum. This was a small detail that made their lives seem a lot more real and a lot more connected with ours.

Another part of the Dev Centre included the health clinic. A very passionate and cheerful older man met us and talked about it. What was interesting was that rather than teaching about expensive U.S. medication, they showed effective home remedies using common items or cheap medication such as aspirin, to treat diseases such as those aggravated by AIDS. The health clinic also conducted health workshops, which was mostly attended by women. The man also mentioned how many people in South Africa were excited about Obama. He emphasized that it was not about race, but about Obama’s ideas and mindset. In response, Jenny and Dan decided to gift him one of the Obama shirts they had brought on the trip, though they gave it as friends rather than as a nonprofit, since YouthGive is non-partisan.

It’s crazy how I’ve heard about these types of projects, and how I’ve actually been able to see them in action. I understood it conceptually, but to actually experience it and talk with the people who worked there is completely different. Little details, like Excel or home remedies makes it infinitely more real.

These were my first interactions with groups that weren’t representatives from non-profits or involved in the tourist industry. One of the biggest challenges and purposes of this trip is to make these ideas we’ve heard about into reality in our minds. Meeting with these people helped bring humanity into these projects. As much as I had clichés, and especially ending with a cliché… people are people everywhere, and understanding that is key to understanding the world.

Oom-soh-bohm-voo and its yacs

Despite our jetlag, we’ve been pushing through days full-throttle. Yesterday, we met with the leaders of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund. Yes, we had major difficulties pronouncing Umsobomvu. In fact, before meeting them, we practiced our butchered pronunciation and ended up asking them about it anyways. After our stumbling awkwardness, we were told it means “rising sun”.

The Umsobomvu Youth Fund is a program funded by the South African government that gives training, opportunities, loans, and business vouchers to youth (18-35 year olds) in South Africa. This is to combat the high unemployment rate, which is currently about 25% of the population, 70% of which is youth. We spent a few hours meeting with the Umsobomvu leaders, and we were immersed in information about microfinance, South Africa, and Umsobomvu itself.

When the meeting was finished, they swept us off to one of their YACs (Youth Advisory Centers) in Pretoria. They had a very nice office (yes, even by U.S. standards) and a training center there, and we were introduced to each person who worked there individually. After, we traveled to another part of the city where we actually saw the fruit of microfinance. We visited a mother/daughter owned spa that had taken out a loan and vouchers. They had opened their enterprise the previous Monday, using the loan for rent and equipment. By Wednesday, they had gotten over a hundred customers. The two seemed extremely excited and happy about their new business and our interest in it. It was a tiring day, though. We returned around 5 o’clock, and I completely crashed in my room, and Nick couldn’t wake me up. (I missed bowling, PS3, and food in the process.)

Everybody I’ve met so far in South Africa has been unfailingly polite and kind. Whether that has been a product of circumstance or a national trend, I have yet to see. It goes back to how I described my purpose for this trip during the Umsobomvu meeting. I’m here to expand my view of the world. But, as the lady remarked, (I’m even more terrible with names here than in the U.S.) it’s too early to characterize the whole. But, without a doubt, I am learning an incredible amount in such a small amount of time.

One opportunity and possibility this has opened up is a full-time job in a non-profit. It’s one of many options, but I have been introduced to many people who work with one full-time and enjoy it immensely. Whether or not I choose to follow their path, it is definitely a fulfilling and good job.

Hitting the culture shock

It’s bizarre to think we’re actually in Africa. I think it has to do with a lot of stereotypes about Africa, like that it’s all desert, hot, tribal, and impoverished. I have yet to see any of these characteristics since arriving, though we are, admittedly, in one of the safer and more upscale parts of Johannesburg. We’re sleeping at a hotel, the weather is cool and overcast, the attire is generally similar to America’s, a great deal of people—all of those we’ve encountered so far—speak English, and we’re next to a mall. I’ve already seen the ultra-monster globalized businesses, McDonalds and KFC, on the street.

However, I have the feeling that this is the exception rather than the rule. We are in an area concentrated with tourists and this looks to be a more affluent area. But right now, I’m just relieved to be here and ready to go. I’m not even as tired as I thought I’d be. We’re staying in the Courtyard Hotel, in the Rosebank. I should sleep soon, since tomorrow we’ll be visiting the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, which trains youth in business skills.

(Picture: A few of us decided to go over to get food after we arrived. Great food, amazing service!)

YouthGive on a Plane

(NOTE: Internet access has been very spotty, so many of these entries are going to be backdated.)

I’m not tired yet, but I have the feeling in my gut that I will be, and frighteningly so, before this day is over. I slept through nearly the entire CA to NY flight after having stayed up last night packing. Time is so strange right now. Today is actually tomorrow, last night seems really recent… too hard to think about right now on 5 hours sleep. I’m on the plane right now, killing time.

I was reading through the packet of articles provided to us, and a few really stuck out to me. The first was a packet discussing the impacts of clean water access for the straight-forward reason that I hadn’t realized how much affect it had on developing communities (not to mention how much water developing communities consume), and how the lack of it can be crippling. For example, there is the raw fact that a child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease.

The other articles that caught my eye were an FAQ about microfinance, an column criticizing it, and a letter to the editor rebutting the column. Each of the three opened a microfinance a little more. The first introduced me ot the finer details of microfinance, such as that it doesn’t just refer to loans, but to insurance, saving accounts, and other financial tools. It also showed why microfinance works and why sometimes it doesn’t. The column elaborated on the second concept, pointing out that it is such a small scale and aimed only at creating one person businesses that don’t create jobs and thus produced little impact. Then I read the rebuttal, which pointed out that the system was not just designed to produce income, but to also empower the poor, especially women. I agreed with both. Microfinance has its function, but not enough attention is paid to medium-sized businesses which can create jobs.

The common denominator between these three microfinance articles was that they showed facets of microfinance not portrayed by mainstream media. Admittedly, microfinance is very hyped, though not without reason. But the problem is that its shown as a miracle tool. But microfinance, like any other tools, needs to be used with care and only where it will function properly. Idealism is a driving force, but blind idealism can get in the way more than it helps.

That’s it for now. My next entry will be from South Africa!

The moment before the leap of faith

I'm going to be leaving my house in five and a half hours to go to Africa? The wave hasn't really crashed down on me yet. I am, admittedly, procrastinating on packing right now. But I just had to take a moment to say how weird it seems. I know in my mind that I'll be traveling thousands of miles in a few hours, but the deeper core of me hasn't really processed it yet. How strange. This will be my last post in the United States before I return. It is the last chance for me to put down any thoughts before I leap blindly and awkwardly into whatever chaos that will challenge all my concepts about Africa.

I became interested in international events in 8th grade when I joined the World Affairs Challenge, which Weezie was in as well. I'm not sure when I began to get interested in actually taking an active role, though. It may be when I joined YouthGive two years ago, but I think it was more of a gradual process. Growing up, I've always been aware that Marin is quite the exception in wealth. There's been a sense of debt to those who aren't so well off--maybe it's guilt, but I'd like to think it's a sense of responsibility. I've heard people argue that the wealthy are so well off simply due to hard work. I disagree. It may have been hard work, but for most it is also because we've grown up in a relatively well-built system that supports us. Whether the system is good education, a capitalist society, or wealth in the family, a great deal of our prosperity is due to the luck of where and to whom we were born.

On that note, a lot of people are not so lucky. No matter how hard they work, they will be stuck in the trap of extreme poverty. I hate to use the cudgel of statistics, but over three billion people, half the world's population, lives on less than $2 a day. The wealth disparity is frightening. And not only is it a moral issue, it is also a practical one in society. Poverty in the world doesn't just affect the impoverished; it affects everyone. It damages our economy, since this is a loss of productivity and market. It damages our safety, because those in poverty must sometimes resort to the extreme measures of violence and theft. It damages our sense of morality, knowing there are so many people dying and suffering each day.

It is the job of the top 20%, who control 75% of the world's wealth, to help them. This does not mean to supply, from our own pockets, their everyday income (as opponents of aid have argued.) All we need to do is give them the basic elements of survival and progress and they will flourish. This is a system supported as much by science and economics as it is by idealism. They suffer because they are continuously crippled by disease, lack of access to clean water and food, and lack of information (such as safety from STIs, efficient farming, business basics), and lack of capital that they can invest beyond their everyday survival. If we can take away a few of their burdens, then they will be able to stand up and walk forwards.

That, as a disclaimer, is my point of view at this moment. Who knows? Perhaps some of it will change. Maybe some of it will be validated. But for now, I'm left to prepare for a few thousand mile journey. Since I've been monologuing about realism, the reality is I'd better start packing again. But the next time I post... I'll be in an entirely new world. Cheers!

Where do I want my winks?

Sitting in front of my computer at 1 AM, I'm facing a dilemma. Where do I want to catch sleep before, between, or after flights? The fact that the actual time will be doing back flips due to timezone changes makes the issue more confusing. I'll probably just do half and half--sleep a little bit the night before, sleep on the plane a bit. I could also try to pull an all-nighter, but many things could go wrong....

Packing has created a small anomaly in the weather patterns inside my house, causing a miniature tornado that has devastated my room. (Refer to diagram.) Fortunately, it's been controlled chaos that I will (hopefully) be able to clean up before I depart. I've packed a good camcorder and some pretty handy and cool camera equipment which I pray doesn't get stolen. I've been pretty thorough with my extra luggage--now, just to make sure the essentials make it.

On a side note, after I took my malaria medicine, doxycycline, I had a bit of an upset stomach. I hope that's because either hadn't eaten, it's my first time, or I just have the stomach flu. (No, wait, I don't want the stomach flu.) Nonetheless, I hope this won't be a recurring problem, since I will be taking this drug every day on this trip.

24 hours!
(Note the hint of nervousness in my voice/typing.)

Soon the dawn....

As a bit of a tangental rant, I have to comment that I went to get my driver's license today, and couldn't get into my appointment because my car's insurance card was two months expired and apparently the insurance company didn't mail us a new one yet. That infuriated me. However, due to the Law of Unintended Consequences, I ended up going to Book Passage instead, which is right next to the DMV. I picked up quite a few great used books to read on the trip, including:

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens - Most of my class read it sophomore year, but I missed out so I'll read it now. Perhaps I'll get more enjoyment out of it because it's not school required.

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen - Considered by the general public to be a girly book, I know. I tried reading it in 7th grade and completely lost interest, though I was able to muscle through it to the end. I'm giving it another shot, hoping that I have a more highly developed sense of literary appreciation. (As if.)

Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer, by Joseph Conrad - As the Heart of Darkness is about a man going into Africa to learn about himself, it's rather fitting. Except I hope I don't end up finding out I'm inherently evil while I'm on the trip.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - Slightly fitting, as it deals with racial differences, except it is the racial differences in America. This one, however, is school required, and thus my potential to appreciate it has dropped dramatically. I may hold this one off until after I get back, since I need to do some work with it for AP Literature class next year. (God, am I already thinking about next year's school work? It's only a day into summer!)

The Art of War, by Sun-Tzu - I've wanted to read this for awhile, actually. I've started, and it's actually pretty interesting. I wish I picked up the annotated version, though, because while it's insightful, I think commentary would give it a lot more context.

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller - Another classic. I'm actually probably going to end up reading this for school, but it looks really interesting so I bought it and plan to read it.

The Three Muskateers, by Alexandre Dumas - I've read this already, but it was a long time ago and I feel like reading it again.

The Complete Works of Shakespeare - I couldn't resist grabbing this, as it's a steal at $8. On the downside, the glossary is in the back and not next to the reading, and the copy is about half a century old. There's no way I'm carrying this on the trip, but I may either donate it to CTE or keep it at my house to taste like a really, really good chocolate bar: a little tantalizing taste at time, so it will last a long time.

Another cool thing is that once I read this, I may be able to give them away as gifts. Also, I received my visa and passport a few days ago, thankfully. All will be well.

Visa and Passport MIA

I haven't yet received my visa for Zambia, or, more importantly, my passport back. That's making me a little bit nervous. I called the Embassy of Zambia in Washington D.C., today, but they cannot disclose passport information for privacy reasons. They're still within the set processing period, but if something goes wrong, I'm up a creek. As a last resort, I may be able to ask Jenny to try to intervene through her connections to get at least my passport back to me, and I'll be able to get a visa at the border... but I'd rather not risk it. As a last, last resort when everything goes wrong, my travel insurance will hypothetically cover it. But I do really, really want to go on the trip.... Time to cross my fingers and hope for the best (as well as hover a finger over the secondary protocol button to intervene.)

T minus 7 days

Apparently, South Africa and Zambia will be assaulting me with an entire host of diseases, and I need to put them in my bloodstream beforehand so I don't get sick later (aka getting vaccines.) What are the names of my silent enemies?

Malaria

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Typhoid

Polio

Rabies

Meningitis

Influenza

Measles

Pneumococcus

Tetanus & diphteria

Varicella

Fortunately, I've been immunized against most of them already, and I've only had to get three needles jabbed into my arm. I still need to get my malaria pills, which are doxycycline because they're cheaper and I have a lower risk of developing light sensitivity.

This trip is different than most in that I've been largely the one coordinating my personal preparation needs instead of my parents. (This isn't to be confused with Jenny and Dan's work, which has been immense and beyond anything I am capable of organizing right now.) But it's actually a lot of work figuring out what needs to be done and then getting everything together, especially when school factors in. Travel insurance, visas--blurgh. On the bright side, it's gotten my organized.

Next up: a few scenarios.

Videos, Interviews, and Potluck

The past couple days have been quite eventful in terms of the trip. On Saturday we met with representatives from the Pearson Foundation to train with the flip cameras they've graciously provided us so that we can capture footage and conduct interviews. While they're not the highest quality, they do provide a powerful tool into a small box that can be put into a pocket.

On Sunday, (half an hour my 3rd dan black belt test, I might add), we went down to the Depot and conducted interviews with people. I was repeatedly surprised, not by people's ignorance of Africa, but their knowledge of it. Of course, many of those who surprised me were also the first to admit they knew very little about what Africa was really like. That is a completely legitimate response--it's good to realize that many preconceptions built through media can be entirely incorrect.

One woman, who was actually born and raised in Senegal, made a good point. She said that Americans should not have any misconceptions that the people in Africa are all uncivilized and unable to care for themselves. I agree entirely. I feel sometimes that the idea of Western charity helping Africa sometimes takes on a slightly condescending tone, returning back to the imperialistic notion that we are the civilized world helping the barbarians. That is not the way charity should work. It should be like one neighbor to another, looking out for each other in times of need. Because we should realize that one day, maybe it will be them helping us.

After the Depot we went down to Grayson's house for a small potluck dinner which also served as a meeting to talk about what we'd be doing on the trip. It was nice hanging out with everyone as a group and getting to know them. Also, I feel like it clarified the trip's purpose a lot to the parents, especially my mom. I hadn't really explained the trip that much to her--to my mom, it was just a nebulous "humanitarian mission", which, again, is a misleading label. It also brought the trip together to seem like a cohesive unit rather than a jumbled series of emails.

This upcoming week, I'm fairly prepared to go into panic mode. Finals + preparing for a month long trip to Africa + getting ready to videotape and record all of it for posterity + a week = one hectic time. But it'll be worth it.

Inaugural post

When I can find the time to take a breath, I am incredibly excited for South Africa and Zambia. The thing is, I want to be immersed in culture, not watch it from a tourist bubble. I'm ready to visit a place in order to learn about it, not just sightsee and shutter myself off from the culture. That's what I especially like about this trip. Trying to broaden your horizons is more than being physically in a place. It's becoming involved there, and under their rules, not yours.

Recently, when I've talked about this trip with people, they've seemed to label it as a humanitarian aid mission. That, I feel, is a little misleading. I am under no illusions that I can hand out anti-malarial bednets, teach about HIV/AIDS, show farming techniques, or run a microfinance company any better than the people who are doing it already. Nor am I under the illusion that the main goal of the trip is to provide manpower for those causes. Our direct impact on those causes will be minimal, except for maybe the donations. Our time, effort, and money is spent there for a different purpose.

We are going to South Africa and Zambia so that we can learn. We're going to learn about the problems, the current solutions, the potential solutions, and how we can help. But we're also there to learn about the culture, the people... and, really, ourselves. Both the American and the rest of the world community often discuss Africa as an abstract concept of turmoil, poverty, and exoticness. In doing so, they create a stereotype and forget that Africa is composed of 54 countries filled with thousands of different cultures. (The number of times I've heard Africa referred to as a country is both hilarious and terrifying.) What is Africa, in truth? Truthfully, I'm not sure, and I'm not ashamed of that. I've never been to any part of Africa. It would be worse to believe that I was sure, since that would be a bald-faced lie to myself and everyone else. That's why I'm going: to see a bit of what Africa is, and though that, to experience the world.