Hello all,
I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy. I’ve eaten a great deal of celery in the past week, a fact for which I have no explanation.
I am back from Africa! In my work with The 1010 Project, I’ve spent a lot of time telling the stories of social entrepreneurs and community-based organizations in Kenya, and it was a real treat to finally meet the people for whom I’ve been advocating; I was connecting names with faces and voices in real life. I’d like to pretend that I wrote most of this Dispatch while I was on the ground, but the truth is that I was too busy with our work there to handle a simple email missive like this.
Our first week was spent across the various slums of Nairobi, meeting with our friends. We headed to western Kenya (a bit like rural Illinois, but with tea fields instead of corn) for a bit to meet with rural partners. We spent a few days at Lake Naivasha in order to act like real tourists – I saw hippos – and to climb a volcano in the Great Rift Valley. We then returned to the Nairobi area to conduct further impact assessments and finish up our visit.
Folks, I came face to face with crushing poverty in the slums of Korogocho and Kibera. Having spent nearly a year preparing myself, much of what I saw still came as a complete shock; rivers of sewage, sheet metal houses, and children crammed into schoolrooms the size of my apartment’s kitchen. Those things alone were enough to convince me of the need for the work that I’ve been doing. However, I also saw community groups and schools and churches making real strides to break the cycle of poverty and change their communities and society for the better. I met people who were dedicating their entire existence to improving the standard of life in Kenya and I was inspired by their strength.
As with any excursion overseas, there are far too many stories to tell. I’m still trying to sort out all the audio, video, pictures, and stories that I collected. I’m blogging now at http://timbrauhn.com, and I hope to provide more interesting insights and information for all of you. Has my cynicism regarding the developing world increased? Sure! I’ve seen some pretty depressing stuff. Has my hope for changing the situation increased? You bet your life! Progress can be made, and the work of humanitarian organizations like The 1010 Project is very important for empowering people in the developing world.
I leave for my new job with the Interfaith Youth Core and Tony Blair Faith Foundation in about two weeks. I’ll be training in London, Chicago, and Tanzania. The task at hand is eradicating malaria, a goal that can most assuredly be reached if we all work together. Rotary International reduced polio to a shadow; a grand interfaith coalition can do the same for malaria.
As always, I reiterate my thanks to all of you for your support and friendship as I do my best to make a difference. Stay tuned – I plan on making some waves in this world.
And of course, remember to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Regular exercise is also good.
The icons after my name in these emails link to my my blog, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. accounts. You can use them to follow along.
All the best,
–
Tim Brauhn
Fundraising Coordinator
The 1010 Project
720.381.1096
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