Saving Africa?

It's been nearly 9 months since I set foot on the continent. As my time here has come to a (temporary) end, I reflect on the last year and I'm humbled and nearly brought to tears by the people and experiences I've encountered.  There are no words to express my gratitude to Acumen Fund for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime.  Sure I had struggles and hard times, like the time I lived in a place where there was power for 3-4 hours of the day and I could barely fit into my shower or my battles with corruption. Regardless, of it all, the positive impact this time has had on my life has been worth it.  Now that 9 months have passed, I think of  all the work I've experienced, encounters and incredible people I've crossed paths with and the stories I will take back home. 

Many of my friends back home think I'm here saving Africa, while I appreciate and love reading their messages, emails and Facebook comments, I want them to know, Africa doesn't need saving. Despite the corruption, the failed policies of aid, and war this continent is thriving on many different levels from various consumer industries, media, education to corruption free businesses and organizations. Sadly it’s hard to see this when all the images of Africa shown on media outlets are of suffering and war. 

Well I haven't been the best at showing it either.  As I’ve shared my stories and pictures with my friends from across the globe, I found myself embarrassed at times by the pictures I posted.  For example, back in March I posted a picture of visiting a school that I had become acquainted with in the Masai Mara.The picture below shows me handing out school supplies.  I posted this picture explaining how incredible the moment was to be working with children and education.  Within a couple of hours I got 95 likes and numerous comments commending me on "my great work".  I was mortified.  It was too late to take it down and I had no idea how to explain my intention of posting the picture. With that image I made it seem like I was here “Saving Africa”.  I failed miserably in conveying my message. I wanted to highlight the strength and committed of these children, despite having little equipment and means to attend school, they still had the dedication to come in every day. 

 Visiting the school in the Mara. I was rather embarrassed that I gave everyone the idea that I was here saving these children when my intention was something else behind posting this image.
 I would like to thank my family for bringing all the amazing school supplies all the way from the US. 

I've had an amazing opportunity to work with some extraordinary people from within the slums to people giving up everything to make a change in the government and people's rights. I feel so lucky and blessed to have experienced all this.

Sure it takes a lot to be here and give up a financially secure job, the comforts of home and family but the rewards are far greater than a fancy car or luxurious dwellings. Call me selfish, but this is what makes me happy.  Some people meditate; go to a place of worship, fast and the like to find peace.  Working with people that show me strength, courage and integrity during times of tribulation is what helps me find peace in my life.  I could very well be doing the same thing back home, which I hope to do some day but right now my heart belongs in Africa, specifically Kenya. 

I didn't come here to save Africa, but Africa did save me.  

  

Corruption Eruption...The Saga Continues

I know I wouldn't be corruption incident free during my time here but lately I seem to be experiencing it a lot.  It was about 2 weeks ago that a friend and I were driving in the evening to meet up some friends for dinner.  On our way there we were beckoned by the foot traffic police to pull over despite not speeding, etc.

My friend kindly pulled over, whereas people typically speed away since the police are on foot and are not prepared to chase the cars down.  They took a look at his license and registration, all were in tact. Then they flashed their light on the left hand side of the windshield where the insurance stickers are displayed. Shoot! He had been out of the country for a while and forgot to put his renewal sticker on.  Together we started searching the the car for the sticker "I swear I put it in the car, its got to be here somewhere" said my friend as we hastily search around.  At this time the police knew they had their bait.  They peered  through the passenger side, where I was sitting, and started lecturing us on how we are breaking the law.  Then they asked my friend to step out of the car to talk to them. My friend glared back with his kind face and said "Absolutely not, we can talk right here" and stayed put in his seat knowing if he stepped outside they were going to ask for a bribe. I nervously tried to read the two police officers that were in our faces while holding on to their AK-47s tightly,  and thought about what we can do to convince them to let us go without paying them a bribe. At this point, we had no luck in finding the sticker after searching everywhere in the car.

They went on and on about how we are committing an illegal act and kept telling us "We are just doing our job".  My friend was trying to explain to them that he has the sticker, the insurance is paid for but he simply does not have it with him. He asked the officers to give him a ticket, and he will pay his fine.  The officers refused, they said we have to go to the police station or they can tow our car right there or "We will arrest you".  I started to quietly panic, as I knew if we went to the station it would be a long night and perhaps a series of excuses to get a bribe, and arresting my friend...crap! They asked my friend to step out of the car again, and he stood firm. He got on the phone with some of his local friends meanwhile I was trying to think of things to say to the officers. Then out of nowhere I blurted out  "I'm sick and I need medication now, I cannot wait in the station, you must give us a ticket now and let us go home otherwise we go to the station and you will have to call an ambulance for me, do you want to call an ambulance and see me sick?" The officers looked confused. I couldn't think of what I could be ill of, already I felt guilty of lying and fabricating a story but just glazing into the eyes of these officers they reeked of corruption but does it make it ok to lie?

They took a long look at me. At this point I started to shake a bit because of my guilt of lying and just the whole incident. I put out my hand and said, "See I'm shaking, I'm not well".  Then started shaking my hand even more in front of them, thinking I can convince them.  "Do you want to call an ambulance?" I fired back again. "No, ambulance not good" replied one of the officers in a more quiet tone this time.

After a few minutes,  the officer came back with my friend's license. They gave it back to us and told us to get the sticker on immediately.  No ticket, no going to the station and certainly no bribes.  We were shocked!

Today I went to the immigration office.  This place is notorious for bribery.  I've always heard that you walk in clean and leave there reeking of corruption. I spent about an hour there trying to renew my visa and get some paperwork done. Luckily I was with the lawyer that is representing me so the process was moving much smoother than someone doing it on their own.  Despite having a "connection" I could see the same glare in some of the officials in the office as I did that night with the police.  There is something about the people who do not do their job the legal and moral way.  It's as if you can see right through them. I won't go in details about what happened until a later time....

I'm glad to know of all the bribery incidents I've encountered not once have I gave in nor have the people around me. We must continue to stand against this and show these culprits that the old way will no longer be the way.

By the way, as we drove off that night completely floored that they let us go, not knowing what the actual reason was we found the sticker. It happened to be on my side of the door.  I didn't properly search that area.  At least I like to assume that my hand shaking play let us off the hook!
 ::forehead slap::

Corrupt cops are everywhere! Here is one in Tehran, Iran. He wanted a bribe after pulling my Uncle over. My Uncle refused to pay him a bribe and asked for the ticket.  Even though the ticket can cost more than the bribe he believes it's the right thing to do.  The officer was so angry that he didn't get a bribe that he tried to write my Uncle the equivalent of a $24 ticket, pretty hefty for the offence,  instead he mistakenly wrote $4.00 since he was so consumed by his anger! ha! 

Love and Generosity

As some of you know I've been convinced Love is an "illusion". With my past sobering situations I've been jaded, pessimistic, numb to the core and completely dismissive of the idea of LOVE.  Yet, lately I've found myself surrounded by so much love and generosity.  From meeting the Iranian family on my second day here who immediately took me into their hearts and home to the incredible people I see sacrificing so much of themselves to help make this world a better place to the wonderful friends I have and made who do everything and anything to put a smile on my face to my beloved family who let their one and only go on the other side of the globe to embark on her dreams...and so much more of the beautiful sights I see everyday of my journey.  I'm continuously humbled.

In this last year I've learned a whole different meaning of love and generosity which has begun a journey of renewing my faith and belief in the religion. With this "rebirth", if you will, I'm taking each day in, pushing myself as hard as I can and doing what I need to do to show the world I LOVE!  It's difficult for me in some aspects but I'm trying.  As we begin this new year and with the glorified Valentine's Day around the corner, take this time to think about what love means to you?  And how you can be more generous with your Love?

With that I will leave you with a video by The Jubilee Project about "What is Love?" and see what Sasha Ditcher's Generosity Experiment is all about from Acumen Fund:. 

The Red T-Shirt

Today was just one of those days where I found myself with racing thoughts, mixed emotions and lack of relishing my current situation.   Luckily, I came across an article written by a friend,  Jonathan Kalan,  about "endless possibilities and opportunities" that occur in our lives. He lined out his life story in a nutshell and brought it together by stating that it's the people and connections he has made that brought him to this present state.  "Revolution is whatever you want it to be, and it's wherever you want it to go. It's there, waiting for you, And the people you meet, from the mundane to the most inspiring, are the ones who will unlock it, break it open, or help you find it".  We all know this, but sometimes we need a reminder.  His article was able to spark this reminder but again I slowly sunk back into the sliding feelings.

As I sat around pondering my sense of being at our family friend's home, my eyes suddenly caught the T-shirt of their house help. This young girl with a strong face flashed her delicate smile at me as I asked her "Judy, where did you get that shirt from?", proudly she spoke, " I got it at the Kwangari market, for 100 shillings, Mama".  The Kwangari market is near the Kwangari slums where she lives.  My jaw was on the ground.

The red t-shirt that she got for a little over $1.00 was the very same one that I had when I was a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. My alma matar logo and team name written right across it.  Here I was at some random home in Kenya meeting a random person with the very same T-shirt that I had once wore.  This brought back memories of Jacqueline Novogratz memoir "The Blue Sweater". I was having my very own "Blue Sweater" moment.  Granted I didn't write my name on the tag like Jacqueline, so I couldn't verify  if it was MY red T-shirt, regardless there it was worn out with the nostalgia that the logo gives me.  Some can argue that such a thing is common, but what are the chances that I would come across this very T-shirt I once wore as a student, on this very day? I was awestruck!

The words of Jacqueline spun in my head:

 " The story of the blue sweater has always reminded me of how we are all connected. Our actions -- and inaction -- touch people every day across the globe, people we may never know and never meet. The story of the blue sweater is also my personal story: Seeing my sweater on that child renewed my sense of purpose in Africa."

I suddenly had my sense of purpose renewed. These reminders are necessary, that we are all connected in a world that appears so emotionally disconnected.  Empathy, love, and emotional connection are vital for our ever changing world.  I took Jacqueline and Jonathan's words in, and let myself absorb that moment as I talked to her about the red T-shirt. I reflected on all the things that happened to me in the last few years to get me to where I am today. Some very hard to still grasp and some I'm very grateful for, regardless they all had an impact. The Red T-shirt reminded me of impact and connection.  Despite never liking my University colors or logo, I was pouring with excitement at the mere sight of it. Today I had my own mini revolution, now on to make a bigger one.....

The Red T-shirt and lovely Judy! 

Tell us a Story......

As a child I had few toys and games to entertain myself with, I kept myself busy by listening to stories of my mother or other elders around.

I would immerse myself in these stories and at times they were so good that I would try to reenact them.  The most famous of all is the story of my mother and I coming to America. This story highlights my mother's plight, struggles and strengths.  

I find myself telling this story a lot lately. Especially since I've begun this fellowship. Before I wouldn't share this story widely, to the point of avoiding questions or sometimes even pity.  I wasn't ashamed of my history, I just didn't fully understand the impact I could have when telling a story.  I used to think things like this are solely for the purpose of entertainment and once it's over it leaves the listeners mind. I didn't know how to convey myself to make the listener realize what my stories mean.  In short, I was a bad storyteller.  

Over the years, I worked on this skill. I always had it in me but I just did not know how to do it. Finally I had a chance to truly put myself out there and test my story telling skills. This was for our annual Investor Gathering at Acumen Fund. I had one minute and 30 seconds to tell a story about myself and why I'm in this fellowship.  My fellow fellows all had extraordinary, inspiring and funny stories to share in that minute and half. 

 I felt like my story, though good, was conveyed very dull-like by me. Even the weeks of listening to various stories from the founder of Akilah Institute for Women and her students to the homeless in the Bronx to Jacqueline Novogratz herself, I still felt like I couldn't merely inspire my listeners the way they did.  

I worked hard and when that faithful day came on November 10, 2011 I went on stage and told my story. A minute and a half was certainly not enough time to tell my life story but I was finally able to convey myself and why I'm here.  With gaining the strength and courage to get up and say it I have since begun the art of mastering my storytelling skills.  

In the Masai Village the Masai children gather around, John our trusty and excellent guide, to hear  a story. 

I find myself in Nairobi cafes and couches talking about why I am here today. I talk about Acumen Fund and the model, the stories of Sproxil and how they are changing lives and of course my own stories.  I find my listeners drawn, engaged and sometimes emotional about them.  

Similar to my childhood days, I like to find myself on the other side, the listener.  There are so many stories to be heard. From the Nairobi taxi drivers complaining about traffic, bad roads and corruption to the expats telling me about their mission, goals, dreams and favorite local joints to the single mothers sitting on the side of the streets waiting for a cleaning job at someone's home or office.  I know my life will be touched and hopefully I can touch lives by the stories I have yet to be told and spoken.  

Everyone has a story...What's yours going to be today?

The video from the Acumen Fund's Investor Gathering! (Tamsin I know you love that I posted this!) 

P.S. My fellow fellows have some fond "stories" from the title of this post!  ;-) 

A Community...A Family

As the truck in front of us hooted its way through traffic, a huge cloud of smoke came towards our car. Quickly the taxi driver and I rolled up our windows to avoid the toxic cloud in our car.  Ahh.. Nairobi traffic, How I missed thee? Yes even the pollution that has made me sick a few times already...ok well maybe not that much.  It had been nearly 5 days since I stepped out of my apartment so there was something so exhilarating about merely sitting in the dreaded evening rush hour traffic.  I was on my way to the Acumen Fund Global Fellows candidate dinner. Global interviews have begun for the new class of fellows and this time I'm on the other side. As I sat through the jam watching the people outside scramble to get into the local buses or matatus I started reflecting on where I was a year ago.

I had just returned from India mid January 2011 and made my way back to Iran.  I was excited to see my family but even more excited at the idea of getting ready for my Acumen Fund interview set in mid-February in NYC. I was so nervous because I wanted this fellowship so bad. I remember always repeating to myself, "be yourself and give it your all". I figured that as long as I show how deep my passion runs for this line of work I can at least walk away knowing I was true to myself and the interviewers.  Well it worked! 

I arrived at my destination and was greeted with some familiar faces. I was suddenly overwhelmed by excitement and joy as it had been a while since I merely communicated with anyone outside of work. Hugs were exchanged, and the immediate "where have you been?" were fired.  As we waited for the candidates to arrive I found myself content, a difference of where I've been emotionally in the last week. As the evening went on, I tried to get familiar with some of the candidates. As usual they were pretty extraordinary individuals. 

We started off dinner by sharing our infamous Acumen Ah-Ha moments. I was overwhelmed with a sense of community and family, as each member of the Acumen Family stood up and shared their Ah-Ha's. It was so refreshing to hear that I am not alone, even in my thoughts on this sector and in my emotions in this current stage in life.  

Being at home, alone, consecutively makes you lose sight of what you have right around the corner and what your original goals are. Cabin fever has heavily kicked in along with self-doubt and reverse confidence in work and myself. Just the emotional roller coaster of being in a new country brings on the self doubt and out with the ambition and drive. 

Remembering that we are here to not only help others but help develop and grow ourselves is an important thought I have to keep in the forefront of my mind and emotions. Positive results will come as long as I keep my moral imagination and confidence in myself. Spending the evening with my Nairobi family and community helped restart this. Now I must do a better job at  keeping in better contact with my community here.  

A village on the far Southern coast of Kenya working together as a community to grind maize to  provide food for their families. They grind anywhere from 40kgs to 60kgs per day! That device was very difficult and cumbersome to work with but as a community they took turns, helped each other and achieved their daily goals.

*The title of this post is an excerpt from a children's song typically sang before meals in Montessori classrooms: "Look around and you will see community, a family, we are brothers sisters all...."

Masai Ma-Wow!

Over the holidays I took a short trip out to the Masai Mara.  I went with a good friend of mine visiting from the States, with little knowledge of what I was in for. I didn't pick up a guide book or read anything online as prior to this I was so busy with moving, surviving and working. All I knew was this is the place to be for a great African Safari, the famous Masai Mara.  Well it certainly did not disappoint. Our guide, John, was fantastic as he was Masai and knew the "land" very well (not so much a Masai name huh?). He could spot animals from a distance with his naked eye. It was unbelievable considering my friend and I were standing up through the safari truck roof with our heads poked out looking for animals yet we couldn't spot any of the Lions, Cheetahs or Leopards the way John could.  

It was so exhilarating to see an animal in its own habitat. The Lions were so majestic, especially the Lionesses. One of my favorite moments of the trip were when we spotted a few Lionesses calling out to their missing cubs. They had this very worried expression on their faces as they roared out for their children(See picture below). It's amazing to see mother's of all species react the same to their missing children  Another was when we spotted (actually John spotted..of course) two male Lions sleeping under a tree. It was such an exciting feeling to finally see the Kings. Yet our appearance didn't faze them and they remained sleeping...until our truck broke down. See picture below with caption for more on this story.  

John also gave us a tour of his village, though we had to pay an entrance fee. All proceeds go towards the school they were building for the Masai children.  They showed us a day in a life of a Masai, where they take care of their livestock, build fires, cook, sing and make handicrafts. 

I didn't go an hour without feeling completely Wowed at something in the Masai Mara. Whether it be the animals, the scenery or the kindness of the Masai people.  

I can't wait to go back! 

The Lionesses! These beautiful Mothers were looking for their cubs. They  had been calling out for them as it appeared the cubs separated from the group! Mother's of all species worry for their children, while the children always remain mischievous. 

The Leopard! We nearly missed this guy while he was hanging out in the shade on this branch. Such a beauty. 

These Zebra's grazed close to our camp! They walked with so much attitude and grace! DIVAS!

RHINO-CEROOSSS! (Reference from Salvador Dali in "Midnight in Paris"

Hippo Pool!

Baby Elephant nursing! Check out those beautiful tusks!

Lioness and her cub! This was seen on our first day of the Safari! 

Part of the Big 5. The Buffalo!

Giraffes are everywhere! How many can you see here?

Chilaxing in the grass. The Cheetah! I wonder if he likes Cheetos?

Lazy (male) Lions...go figure ;) 

Up for a Yawn! 

The Kings themselves! Two male lions As you noticed in the above pictures they wouldn't get up from their beauty sleep so we could catch a head shot of their beautiful mane! Well after waiting around for nearly 30 minutes, we were able to give up to head back home as the sun was setting but to our delight, our truck would not start! It was frightening and exciting all at once especially since were less than 6 feet away from them. Just my luck huh? Turns out our battery had an issue and needed a push. Luckily, another truck was nearby and gave us an old fashion truck to truck push. The noise caused by the two trucks pushing woke the lions from their nap. They put their heads up, we were able to catch this great shot and our truck started.  Nobody had to fight off any lions, we caught our money shot and the lions went back to their beauty sleep. 

The Zebras again by the mini lake by our camp!

Lionesses looking for a some yummy dinner! Luckily it wasn't me! :) 

Masai Women singing a welcome song for us! 

Masai Men showing us how to build a fire! 

Masai home: Fire place with little ventilation. and jug to carry around the fresh milk. 

Masai Men singing their welcome song! Which includes some Jumping in the air! 

Masai woman selling her handmade crafts!

As I was walking around the Masai village I stepped in some cow dung! Lucky me! Actually I am, according to the Masai, stepping in Cow dung will bring me lots of good luck! I

Corruption Eruption

Happy New Year! It's been a while. I finally got some things squared away, first was my housing and then my connectivity. I'm now on a roll ....

During the process of looking for new housing in Nairobi I learned so much about the way certain business is sorted out here. Firstly, I wish Kenyans would utilize a website like "Craigslist" more often.  There is a the usual "Dealfish" but the information was not complete or what I was looking for was not being advertised.  Hence, delaying my progress and forcing me to go gate to gate to look for a new apartment.
With this new adventure of knocking on the doors of every gate to ask if they had availability I learned a valuable  lesson of vulnerability in a semi-corrupt society.

I say semi-corrupt because knowing what Kenya used to be and what it is now, it has come a long way.  Bribes, fake titles and certificates, etc. are a common thing here. The corruption of the leaders, systems, checks and balances is still visibly present yet it has simmered down over the years.

People are fighting this way of life everyday, but for some this has become the way of life. The other day a police officer happen to stop one of my friends in their cab for no apparent reason. He specifically asked my friend for a bribe in order to "let them go", my friend, who is a not a Kenyan but looks it, denied any bribe to the officer and stood firm on their ground.  They tried to reason with the cop but he wouldn't budge and neither would my friend.  After 45 minutes of being held up, the cop let them go knowing he could probably stop someone else during that time.  My friend was lucky and strong in a way but not many are.  Many people give into this behavior, this way of life just so they can move on and make some progress. I experienced it first hand when I was apartment hunting. Some places visibly had availability immediately, but the Realtor or even guardsmen who were the only faces of the apartment with the landlord not being present would blatantly ask for some "commission" just to show me the place or money to "open up" it's availability.  I was beyond frustrated with this behavior and like my friend never gave in.

These incident are at a small scale, what happens to the incidents where someone is promising the town a new road but somehow the money disappears and the road is still left unpaved, and dangerous for the citizens? This happens all too often in Kenya along with countless other similar cases that have negatively and severely impacted the people of this nation.

Corruption is a big topic here, especially with the new elections around the corner.  Day in and day out I hear locals talking about it. I try to understand where they were before and where they want to go now. Everyone just wants a country united, with the corrupt infested politicians that are running the show out the door.  The people of this nation, like most developing nations, want to thrive, to grow and to reach their potential. The Kenyans have so much potential, yet you can see just as you are sitting in a car and driving down the road how much the citizens of this nation have been set back as a result of corrupt and dangerously bad politicians.

About a month ago, former Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, my home state, was convicted of extortion, corruption and the like and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.  I remember that day my Facebook feed was blowing up with comments about his verdict. Some expressing their relief but many expressing that "14 years is too much".  I took a moment to read all those comments and get some feedback from those individuals that felt like that:

"Well it's not fair to his kids"
"He didn't commit murder" 
"That's just harsh for a crime that didn't hut anyone" 

Chances are he will likely serve well under 14 years of his sentence but was it really unfair? The old, naive, less worldly me would probably think in the same category as some of those folks that agreed that 14 years is too much.  But after experiencing a country engulfed and had stewed in corruption for so many years and the set backs, atrocities that had/have impact the people I immediately had no sympathy for Blago.  These politicians, leaders and people in the upper seat need to be help accountable for their actions and decisions.

Sure it will hurt his children, but that is the decision he made, what about those other children who get their school funding, or whatnot cut as a result of a corrupt individual.  They were just innocent bystanders.
Sure these politicians do not "commit murder" per se, but with little funding for safety and security, crime escalates, murders reach a high and innocent lives are potentially lost.
Absolutely they didn't "hurt anyone" but what about the individual who purchased a piece of land thinking that it was legitimate but because the deed or title was fake as a result of corrupt systems they have lost their entire life savings and are left homeless?
These kinds of situations snowball into something bigger.

Those 14 years could have set back a state 20 years, just like Kenya, 20 plus years of bad politicians set an entire nation back 30 years.

Luckily, Kenya is catching up quickly but are other nations with similar situations this lucky?

What can we do as citizens to empower individuals to fight corruption and stand up for their basic rights?