So, our microfinance conference ended a few days ago. It was interesting, and it gave me the feeling that it was something monumental in this country's future. The word "entrepreneur" means so much more to me now than it did before this conference and trip in general.
At one point during the conference, my mom was asked to be a speaker, and Ryan and I decided to volunteer to be a part of the presentation as well. We had 15 minutes in total to explain YouthGive and the Africa trip we are on. It was during the plenary session, which consisted of around 800 people, from all over South Africa and even other countries in the world. As I walked up to the podium, I could feel the energy in the room, which made me feel exhilarated and nervous all at once. Ryan and I each spoke for about 2-3 minutes each, but once we were both done, we felt proud of ourselves. During my speech, I explained how a delegation of us from YouthGive had met Mbogeni, the COO of the organization hosting the conference at another conference on microfinance in Washington DC in September. I went on to explain us being invited to the conference, and what we were focusing on during our trip. Ryan discussed our plans to create digital curriculum using the Flip cameras to show what positive change is taking place in Southern Africa.
The conference taught me a lot, and I hope to use what I learned to empower my peers when I get back to the US.

There is such a large variety of people at the EDC (Entrepreneurship Development Conference). From young entrepreneurs, to business managers to music DJs. Everybody has their own story, and when asked to share it they are more than happy to do so. A couple of times I've had interviews last up to 15 minutes, sometimes with only 3 or 4 questions asked.

I've gotten a lot of business cards and had a lot of solid conversations usually sparked by the interviews that just took place. Hopefully we'll have a lot of good footage for the films we will be making and hopefully I keep in touch with at least some of the people that I met.

Looking up at the mountain is a treat within itself, but being on top is in a league of its own. Table Mountain isn't on its own up there in the sky, there were a couple of other peaks surrounding it but they weren't nearly as big. There was certainly a plethora of mist layered mountains in the distance as well. God's thumb lay lonely near Table Mountain (to those who've seen Holes), but it was a beauty on its own.

I've tried to sit and think how the earth managed to make these steep, green, rocky faces surrounded by flat, which is now Cape Town, but my brain can't comprehend it. And it's all within an arm reach of the water. Who would think the ocean was neighboring these wonders. It just makes the view that much better. Scanning the view from the top, seeing islands, white beaches with rolling waves, small sky scrapers, wharves, misty mountains, god's thumb and plenty of green I realize I can't ask for anything more rewarding to the eyes.

At some point in life I want to make the hike up the face, not just the hike down it. We made the hike between the steep faces where hiking was actually possible. We ran down the mountain, so afterwards my legs were dead. It took them about three days to come back to life. Going up was no joke though, the gondola was amazing itself. With the high speeds, soaring heights and spinning floor everybody got to see out of every window in the structure.

Arriving at 1,147 meters above sea level on a flat surface was crazy, hence "Table" Mountain. But I didn't think the surface area of the "table" was so big. Lush with plant life, moss, rock and water, the top of the mountain was a lovely place for a picnic for many families. We were so lucky to experience the mountain and its view accompanied by our friend, the sun and a nice little breeze. The climate was perfect T-shirt weather.

The sight that the mountain gave us was terrific, and made better by the blue skies and water. Even though it's not one of the 7 wonders of the world (which I am surprised), I still think everybody should make their way to earth's highest table at some point in life.

Grayson

Grassroots Soccer is a program that raises awareness of HIV/AIDS with youths through playing games and soccer. The games were originally designed for 5th graders, so they were pretty goofy and involved a young mindset. Regardless, everybody seemed to enjoy themselves, including me. The instructors were pretty cool, and all of the other kids were very nice.

We started with introductions involving everybody getting in a circle. We moved around in a circle, and everybody announced their name and either what they were good at or what they learned quickly. Along with that we gave visuals. For example I said I was good at basketball and acted out a fade-a-way shot.

We did a number of different hand shakes to meet everybody and played several games. The games all had morals which tied in with HIV/AIDS and every once in a while the instructors would throw in some facts. I had fun and I think I speak for everybody in the group in saying that.

After the games, Grassroots Soccer set us up to play in an 11-on-11 soccer game with a team from the area. It was the varsity soccer team, so all the kids were our age, but way better at soccer. Luckily we were all split up evenly so the teams were pretty even. It was fun being on the field again just like my elementary days.
Regardless of their extreme advantage in talent, the Africans made sure to keep everybody involved. They played the game because it is fun, not necessarily to win. They didn't play easy on us, but they were lenient on those that couldn't really handle the pressure. We all exchanged handshakes and names so it was a fun, friendly match. My team won, of course. Ha, just kidding...but we did win haha.

In the U.S. kids would not have been down to play on a dirt field with sharp rocks spread about and no nets in the goals. These kids were more than happy to. We were too, I guess their enjoyment for the game rubbed off on us. I'll always appreciate the sports facilities I play in more now. I'm glad I had the experience. It was an experience that all athletes should experience at some point in life.

Grayson

Last week we had the chance to participate in a discussion with some Zambian youth. The most interesting part of the discussion was when we shared our preconceived notions about one another’s country. Some of what they said about the United States was dead on but others were completely wrong. For instance, they thought that we had a lot more job opportunities but they also thought that we had no consequences for disobedience in schools. After the formal discussion we had a chance to talk with some of the students one on one. I really enjoyed learning about daily life in Zambia from a local’s perspective. I was surprised to hear that one of the twenty two year old girls was already married. This experience gave me a good glimpse of what daily life was like.

While in Zambia our group also went to a village. The village still follows all the traditional rules that have been used for centuries. Their chief is extremely smart and charges people to come to the village. We took a guided tour of the village and our guide told us about some of the traditions they take part in. As we walked through the village, we saw many aspects of their culture. One of the first buildings we saw was the chief’s palace. The guide told us that people inherit the throne and the heir must serve for their entire life whether they like it or not. The chief must also swallow a stone which he carries in his stomach for the rest of his life. When the chief dies, it is against the law to say “the chief has died”, if they do they will be put in prison for three days and must pay a fine of one cow.

Within the village there was extreme poverty. Everyone lived in small mud huts. We were allowed to look into one of the homes. It was a collection of small huts with a grass fence around it. We were told that four children slept together in a tiny room.

After we saw the village, we were taken to a market. There were about fifty booths of people who all tried to sell souvenirs. it was pretty intense. Everyone would try to get you to come to their booth using any tactic possible. They would ask you questions to get you to stay as long as possible. Then when you tried to leave, they would try to make you say you would come back. It made me really uncomfortable. Eventually I realized that they were only trying to make a living. It was a really powerful experience.

Umsobomvu Youth Fund (South Africa): I was very surprised by the success of the organization and the number of people that they have loaned money to. Since our group is focusing on microfinance, I found it surprising that Umsobomvu makes just about all of its profits on the loans. Which therefore makes me feel even better about being a non-profit organization because if we were trying to get money we probably wouldn’t be doing that well.

The mindset seemed great to me in the organization. It seems like most organizations sit back and wait for people to come to them asking for help. But Umsobomvu’s methodology for microfinance is “the institution goes out and finds the client, not the other way around.”

Umsobomvu really opened my eyes to what microfinance really is and what an up and running organization does. They put it in simple terms for me. The meaning of microfinance is to create sustainable development for people. Visiting Umsobomvu really helped me get ready for the rest of the trip.

Safari: In total we went on five safaris: three morning safari and two late afternoon/night safari. I have concluded that the three days spent in the South African wild were quite probably some of my favorite days spent on this earth.

I have always had a passion for the wild and the animals that rule it, but my passion for the wild and the animals that rule it, but my passion was taken to another level when spending a few nights in the bush. The discovery channel and animal planet are enough to intrigue a mind, but the wild itself can capture it. I was a victim to the forest, plains, and tundra of Africa and find that a career may lie there for me in the future.

Between the sky-scraping giraffe, the elephant retreat, the baboon families, the lion families, the lion napping and all of the other amazing species that we saw (including flora as well as fauna), I would classify the experience as one of my best and know that my toes will point me in that direction again.

Village: Visiting the village Mduku was part of the three day “retreat” so to speak. The three days were life changing in many different ways. The safari sparked my wildlife side while the village struck me in a different way. Seeing the happy joyous people and their lifestyles and the way they reacted to outsiders was amazing. They’re all so happy for such a large percentage of their lives. It’s really something to strive to be like.

Having all of the kids run to the gates to greet us and sing for us and all of the people wave and smile at us as we pass by is humbling. The appreciation for the gifts we gave them was beyond any I have previously seen. It was inspiring seeing their extremely positive attitudes knowing all of the conflicts and hardships that they have to push through and fight with everyday.

As much as I thought that people in remote villages like Mduku wore traditional clothing, only a small percentage of the people wore tribal robes and hats and such. Many people were very well dressed and all of the children wore school uniforms. Everybody wore nice suits and dresses on Sunday for church services. Which brings me to what bewildered me most, religion. I didn’t realize people were so religious here, especially in small villages so far from any big cities. I would understand the passion for religion if it was that of their ancestors but they so passionately followed Christianity. After experiencing their passion for Christ and the bible, I can’t recollect what I really expected of the village religiously, but I know that is not what I expected.

The village experience was very humbling and I feel that my appreciation for life and everything in it will be greater from here on out.

Grayson

Hello,

The other day we all went to Table Mountain for a nice day 3000 ft above Cape Town. Our day began around 10 in the morning when we woke up and went to breakfast. If your son or daughter has not told you, the breakfast at our hotel is amazing. They have everything. We then caught a taxi to our destination. Luckily, it was a very nice and we were too hot in the warm clothes that we had worn. We waited in line for a while, and then boarded the tram to the top of the mountain.

Table Mountain is one of the coolest things that I have ever seen. It is a 3000 ft tall plateau that rises above Cape Town. On either side of the mountain are two other massive rock structures; Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head.

The top of Table Mountain was also crazy. We got off the tram and saw pretty much what we expected. There were guard rails around the edges and telescopes and blurbs to read about how Table Mountain was a National Park wand whatnot. The view, however, was breathtaking. It is hard to describe what it looks like to look down along the wall of a 3000 foot cliff that overlooks the ocean on one side and the peaks of mountains on the other. After we had taken a few pictures, someone had that idea to climb over the guard rail and take pictures while standing a foot from the edge of the mountain. This was not as dangerous as it sounds, though, because there was a ledge ten feet down from where we were all standing.

Once we were done feeling like rebels for climbing over the guard rail, we decided to explore the rest of the area. We found that just down the path, the guard rails completely disappeared, and it was possible to walk to the edge of the mountain. In a few places, we were literally hanging our feet over the edge of the mountain. Eventually, Jenny found our group and kept a closer watch on us.

Once Jenny had found us, there was no point in trying to go rock climbing any more so we all went to lunch. We then decided that we would walk down the trail rather than take the tram down. Walking the trail was about as crazy as walking to the edge of the mountain. When the trail started to get less steep, a few of us decided to jog down the mountain. Regardless of whether we jogged or crawled, we are all extremely sore – two days later. Overall, I thought that our trip to Table Mountain was one of the coolest things that we have done so far.

John

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!

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 impromptu 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.

(See Ryan's Africa Trip Blog for more entries.)

Umsobomvu Youth Fund (South Africa): I was very surprised by the success of the organization and the number of people that they have loaned money to. Since our group is focusing on microfinance, I found it surprising that Umsobomvu makes just about all of its profits on the loans. Which therefore makes me feel even better about being a non-profit organization because if we were trying to get money we probably wouldn’t be doing that well.

The mindset seemed great to me in the organization. It seems like most organizations sit back and wait for people to come to them asking for help. But Umsobomvu’s methodology for microfinance is “the institution goes out and finds the client, not the other way around.”

Umsobomvu really opened my eyes to what microfinance really is and what an up and running organization does. They put it in simple terms for me. The meaning of microfinance is to create sustainable development for people. Visiting Umsobomvu really helped me get ready for the rest of the trip.

Safari: In total we went on five safaris: three morning safari and two late afternoon/night safari. I have concluded that the three days spent in the South African wild were quite probably some of my favorite days spent on this earth.

I have always had a passion for the wild and the animals that rule it, but my passion for the wild and the animals that rule it, but my passion was taken to another level when spending a few nights in the bush. The discovery channel and animal planet are enough to intrigue a mind, but the wild itself can capture it. I was a victim to the forest, plains, and tundra of Africa and find that a career may lie there for me in the future.

Between the sky-scraping giraffe, the elephant retreat, the baboon families, the lion families, the lion napping and all of the other amazing species that we saw (including flora as well as fauna), I would classify the experience as one of my best and know that my toes will point me in that direction again.

Village: Visiting the village Mduku was part of the three day “retreat” so to speak. The three days were life changing in many different ways. The safari sparked my wildlife side while the village struck me in a different way. Seeing the happy joyous people and their lifestyles and the way they reacted to outsiders was amazing. They’re all so happy for such a large percentage of their lives. It’s really something to strive to be like.

Having all of the kids run to the gates to greet us and sing for us and all of the people wave and smile at us as we pass by is humbling. The appreciation for the gifts we gave them was beyond any I have previously seen. It was inspiring seeing their extremely positive attitudes knowing all of the conflicts and hardships that they have to push through and fight with everyday.

As much as I thought that people in remote villages like Mduku wore traditional clothing, only a small percentage of the people wore tribal robes and hats and such. Many people were very well dressed and all of the children wore school uniforms. Everybody wore nice suits and dresses on Sunday for church services. Which brings me to what bewildered me most, religion. I didn’t realize people were so religious here, especially in small villages so far from any big cities. I would understand the passion for religion if it was that of their ancestors but they so passionately followed Christianity. After experiencing their passion for Christ and the bible, I can’t recollect what I really expected of the village religiously, but I know that is not what I expected.

The village experience was very humbling and I feel that my appreciation for life and everything in it will be greater from here on out.

Grayson

Hello everyone! This is Satchel here and I am going to tell you about my adventures here in South Africa in our first week. The trip started out with a scary event at the San Francisco Airport. Everyone finally arrives at around 4:30 a.m., and we were all sitting down in the corner of the airport when suddenly my mom couldn't find my dads and her own passport. My sister, Weezie, accidentally left them at our house, about an hour drive from the airport. In the end my dad drove back to the house, got the passports, and then came back. We got to our gate in the nick of time, 8 mins before it left. We flew to N.Y. and then got on South Africa Airlines which was 9 hours to Dakar, then another 9 hours to Johannesburg in South Africa. I was kind of dumb on the plane ride because I had not stretched for at straight 18 hours so when I got of the plane I was walking like a 100 year-old man whose legs were twisted in weird angles.

That night mostly everyone went to the mall which was acrross this small bridge from our hotel. I, on the other hand was passed out. The next day we headed to the organization, Umsobomvu, which took us a while to say it right. I was surprised to learn how much they were doing and how much their method worked. Everyone was very nice and we got take- out food at this place which was actually good. Near the end of the meeting we got to meet our old friend from the meetings we had in Washington D.C., Mbogeni. He still had his very amazing smile and I was happy to get to see him again. After that we all went with this nice young man from Umsobomvu and he showed us this building which had all these people working on giving people microloans. I had learned about Microfinance earlier this year for one of my spanish projects but I learned even more by listening to what Umsobomvu had to say. I had a fun time going to their buildings.

So far our trip to Africa has been amazing. We have spent the past week in Zambia, where we have had a plethora of meetings with social workers, visits to schools and villages, and interactions with locals. One such activity, which I found to be one of the most interesting parts of our trip so far, was our visit to a rural school two days ago.

On our way to Victoria Falls, we stopped at a village to deliver 50 mosquito nets. These are given out for free to Zambians to prevent them from getting Malaria while they sleep. The thought is that in the day time, you can brush off mosquitoes, but you cannot prevent mosquitoes from biting you in the night. Hence, a group that is devoted to fighting malaria delivers these nets. I was shocked to learn that 65% of Zambians suffer from malaria in their lifetimes. We chose a school to deliver these nets to with the thought that it was important to give these nets to children, who are unable to fight the disease.

The school was amazing. We attended an assembly, where the kids all sang for us and a few got on stage and gave performances. We all got a ton of pictures, which will be fun to see after our trip. The coolest part of our visit was seeing how intense the music that the kids were singing. Imagine going to any elementary school that has 150 kids and asking them to sing. Chances are that, regardless of how many times these kids practiced, their performance would be weakened by stage fright, a lack of enthusiasm, and a failure to sing on one beat. These children were on a perfect beat and sang so loudly and with so much enthusiasm that my ears hurt when I went into the room. The dance and poetry performances of these kids would have been impressive even by the highest standards of a high school drama program. The last thing that struck me was that these kids interacted with us and each other in basically the same way that I would expect an American kid to act.

After we dropped off the nets we went to go see a village where the kids form the school lived. This was interesting because this village was unlike the other villages that we have been to, which were at least partially accustomed to foreigners. The houses were made of mud and straw and the toilets were holes that were dug into the ground. We got to see where one of the kids from the school slept, which was literally a walls constructed around solid ground with a few blankets inside. However, the most vivid memory I have of this room was the smell inside. It was not a smell created by a human. Instead, it was the type of smell that is found in crammed spaces of thousand year old ruins. Overall, I thought that this was one of the coolest and most interesting parts of our vacation so far. Right now we are waiting the airport for our flight to Cape Town for the last leg our trip.

John

The long 15 hour plane ride was well worth the wait. Even though the difference when going out of the airport in Johannesburg, once you head away from the city, Boston suburbs and Johannesburg suburbs are extremely different. Instead of larger houses with $50,000 cars, there are houses made out of bricks and cinder blocks with goats and chickens.

On the first couple days, we attended a meeting at the Umsubomvu Youth Fund Center. We were able to get a full overview of the entire organization and everything they do for young adults. After this, we visited someone who was a member of the UYFC and who received a loan to start a business. This was a young woman in her twenties who was starting up a spa, and she and her mom were so excited about starting up this business. This was interesting to see because it showed how successful Microfinance can be.

The next place we went was the Phinda Game Reserve for our safari. The drive from Jo’berg to the reserve was eight hours long and it took even longer because we got stuck behind a bus on the back roads at the end of the drive before we got to the reserve. The camp site we stayed at was amazing and the game drives we went on were incredible because we were able to get so close to the animals that we saw. After the first day I already wanted to be a ranger so I could do that every day and get paid doing it.

When we were at the game reserve we went to the nearby town to see the schools and the new institutions they installed for computer and health classes. Going to the school was a lot of fun because the kids loved seeing us and swarmed around us to get in a picture. After the safari trip we headed back to Jo’berg for a night before heading off to Zambia.

We stayed in Lusaka for the first couple days in Zambia. We did a lot in Lusaka and never even got a chance to relax during the day because of everyone we were meeting and everything we were going to. Everyone we met was part of some program helping with Microfinance, malaria prevention, or HIV/AIDs prevention. One of the places we went to was called grassroot soccer and it used soccer to educate people about HIV/AIDs. We were able to play a couple games that they use in the program that were fun and after that were even able to play a soccer match with a bunch of Zambians who were part of the program. This was incredible because it was a once in a lifetime experience.

After Lusaka we took a six hour drive to Livingstone. In Livingstone we went to visit a village, barder with villagers for different trinkets and able to see Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls was amazing and we got soaked because the falls spray up so much mist after hitting the bottom of the 120m long waterfall. The only part I was disappointed about was that I wasn’t able to go on the tallest bungee jump spot in the world, even though I don’t know if I would be able to do it once I was actually standing on the edge.

Nick

Lusaka is a pretty nice, lush place. It’s really spread out and there aren’t that many buildings over one story tall. So the next thing on the agenda is the play pumps. The play pumps are a great innovation in which kids operate a water pump simply by spinning around on one of those circular discs with places around for the kids to sit, push, and spin around. We arrived at the school in which it was located (there are only two others in the entire city of Lusaka-it costs around seven thousand all pipes and structures included.

So we got there and of course it’s the hot topic around the school. Visitors! Visitors! Most of the kids were in class but that didn’t stop them from pressing their faces up against the windows and watching us watch their school administrators tell us how the pump works. There was a small group of kids that were outside playing on it already, so we first saw it in action.

Here’s how it works: The kids spin the large disc and get on and ride. The movement pumps water up a huge tower next to the disc which holds a storage tower at the top. When the storage tank is full, another pipe catches the overflow and sends back down to the water source under the ground. The actual pump is about five yards away and it pumps clean water as long as the storage tank is full or the disc is spinning. The school uses the water for toilets and other water needs, including drinking water.

They showed us pictures of almost exactly a year before when First Lady Laura Bush came to visit their school. They were really excited about that one.

One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is how well developed the concept of microfinance is already in Africa. I assumed because I had not heard about it until my involvement in this trip, that there would be no way it would be any more developed in Africa. But I was wrong. Umsubomvu and the signs on the street and the projects we’ve visited and the institutions already set up and the emphasis on the importance of such a concept is definitely prevalent in society. It is strange to think about that Africa seems so much more developed than America when it comes to this. You think of America trumping all other countries in all societal aspects, but this one Africa has over us by leaps and bounds.

Now it is also true that Africa needs concepts like microfinance more than America, and therefore such an industry was created, but you don’t think about those things up front when traveling to a different country. At least I didn’t, and it caught me off guard. I guess that is just another lesson to be learned: keep an open mind and, if you judge or build structures and positions at all, do so based on your own experiences.

Matt

It's been a crazy last week, yet I mean that in the best way possible. We have done sooo much, it feels like its been more like 2 weeks than one. We arrived in the country of Zambia on Monday, and went directly to our hotel in the country's capital called Lusaka. The first full day we had in the capital, we visited a non-profit organization called All Kids Can Learn Zambia (AKCLZ). The non-profit had two main areas of focus: a micro-finance project where they trained young people to run their own businesses, one of which was a roadside produce market, held inside of a large barn. When we toured the site, two girls probably in their late teenage years were demonstrating how they were learning to use computer and accounting skills to run the business, and keep track of what they sell. It was interesting to see how, in the middle of a small rural area in Zambia, there was an existing project that already had people my own age learning business skills, while I come from a more privileged life with access to so many technological skills, and still have no idea how to run my business. After visiting the produce farm, we went to the second project of AKCLZ, which is an orphanage, also known as a "children's village", which is a better description of it. There were several "houses", with about 12 kids living in each one, and one "parent" looking after each household. They were very nice houses (each bed was equipped with a bed net!), and seemed like an excellent environment, one of the best establishments for orphans I have ever seen. There was one house in particular that stuck out to me, where the woman looking after the children was from Detroit, and had moved with her husband and two young kids a few years ago in order to live and work in the children's village. I admired her family very much, to have the courage to suddenly leave everything familiar and move to a rural community in Zambia, and sacrifice a lot in order to make someone else's life better.
A few days later, we had a "fishbowl activity," where we gathered in our hotel conference room and met about 15 Zambian youth (from age 18 to 22) to discuss, compare, and contrast our lives with theirs. When we first arrived in the room, there was an awkward silence, accompanied by a few nervous smiles. Though, after a few ice-breaker games, we were animatedly talking and laughing amongst each other. The highlight of the discussion, I thought, was when we went around and listed out some common stereotypes and misconceptions we had or used to have about each other's countries. It was pretty interesting (and funny) to hear what each person's take was on the other country. My brother Satchel mentioned that he used to think Africa was all desert, with a few buildings, a lot of huts, and a sparse landscape. Someone else from our youth delegation said that they used to think that most people in Africa had AIDS and was dying, but was surprised to learn that only a little below 3% of population was infected with HIV/AIDS. The Zambian youth said they heard that the US wasn't street-safe, parents were less strict, there were no rules within school systems, and there was more opportunities for entrepreneurship. Overall, the experience was very eye-opening, because we never really get the chance to lay our stereotypes out on the table in front of people different from ourselves.

So we're in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and I have to admit that this is more what I imagined when I thought of Africa. South Africa in general is so much like being in England or the US, so it is really great to get a real feel for the city. Everyone is so friendly here and they really make you feel welcome. They're always smiling!

Wednesday we got to go to a Women in Microfinance Fair in a village outside Lusaka called Chongwe. The United Nations Development Program and the Grameen Trust sponsored a pilot in this part of Zambia where they gave loans of about $200 to $500 to women who wanted to start their own businesses. Most banks refuse to give credit to disadvantaged individuals because they see it as too much of a risk, but within this group of women not one defaulted on her loan. Because this program was so successful, the Grameen Trust is planning on becoming a permanent microfinance lending institution in Zambia.

It was really inspiring to walk around the little market that they set up and listen to the stories of the women who, because of their loans, were able to send their children to school, provide three meals a day for their families, and above all have a purpose in life. You could see it in their faces, how proud they were of their accomplishments, and that in itself was the most incredible part of the experience.

We have just returned from a three day safari at a private game reserve about seven hours south of Johannesburg called Phinda, which is run by Conservation Corporation Africa (CCAfrica). The game reserve itself is gorgeous but before I get into that, CCAfrica is unique in that it invests a portion of its profits in the surrounding villages as well as employing inhabitants from those villages, who make up eighty percent of their staff. The money they invest goes to three different types of projects: education, primary healthcare and income generating activities, which is awesome because their faith in the community has fostered a great relationship between CCAfrica and the local villages.

Our home base was a camp on the northern part of the reserve named Bayete and we had our own personal guides named Nicky and Ross who took us on five game drives throughout our stay. The experience as a whole was unparalleled. Every day we woke up at sunrise and drove around the reserve in these big Land Cruisers with open tops searching for animals. I would say "Ross! Find me some elephants!" and then we'd drive around following elephant tracks and then stumble upon a herd making their way to a watering hole. Our guides knew everything there was to know about the reserve and every animal in it and I found myself asking them so many questions, trying to soak up as much information as possible. It turns out that Nicky is the sole female ranger on the reserve and only one of four employed within the whole of CCAfrica. She has so much enthusiasm for her work that working in a completely male dominated profession doesn't even phase her, which is pretty impressive.

It is insane how much we saw. Saturday Nicky led us to a pride of lions and we spent all morning with them, just watching them lounge in the shade. Then by chance we saw a family of rhinos grazing in the long grass on the way back to camp. I caught a glimpse of a cheetah drinking from a pond not one hundred feet from the place where we ate breakfast every morning. Observing the animals was only half of it though. The landscape itself was truly inspiring: the rolling hills; the wind blowing softly through the long grass; the peaceful ponds with water lilies dotting the surface; and majestic forests made up of knotted grisly trees that are still oddly beautiful. However the piece de resistance was the sky. I can't really explain it but the sky in the bush is different than at home or even in Johannesburg. It seems to vault up over you until it hits the horizon when it merges with the ground. During the day its as blue as the sea; at night its an inky black canvas dotted with the most magnificent display of stars, and sunrises and sunsets are dramatic displays of color and light. Its incredible.
Never in my life have I been so content. I would ride in the car with the silliest smile on my face because I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying myself. I am so grateful Phinda was incorporated as part of our trip because it has expanded my appreciation for the phenomena of nature and alerted me to just how precious and fragile it all really is.

I have had so many amazing experiences so far. Today I had a chance to play soccer with some Zambian kids. At one point in the game I stopped and looked at the beautiful sunset. Then I realized how crazy the situation was. I was in Africa playing soccer with some Zambians under an awesome sunset. How many people can say they’ve done that?

Last week we spent three nights at a safari called Phinda. I’m going to work there after I graduate from college (I want you to hold me to that). We saw giraffes, rhinos, impalas, nyalas, zebras, warthogs, wildebeests, elephants, lions, cheetahs, and others. At one point I was disappointed to see zebras but now I realize how absurd that is. It was amazing being around such a beautiful nature and majestic animals.

We have also had the chance to meet with a number of organizations that are working to improve Africa. Many of these are utilizing microfinance to increase the livelihood and income citizens. It has been really inspiring to hear about people who have started programs just based off of an idea.

Last Monday we met with a man named Fred who founded the African Leadership Academy. He told us about many of the students who will be attending his school next year and their accomplishments. One student managed to make a windmill for his community based off pictures in a textbook. It made me realize that my age is not a limiting factor on my ability to act. If this high school dropout could make his own windmill then I could achieve great things.

This trip has been extremely fun but also educational and inspirational. I have really enjoyed my time here.

Weezie Post:

It's always surreal to get on a plane for 18 hours (even though it does seem like a lot) and get back off the plane and be on a totally different country, one you always hear about in the news, yet in the back of your mind you don't expect to be there anytime soon. Yet here I am, in Johannesburg, and just yesterday I was riding along in a massive open-aired jeep, searching for a cheetah in an African veldt.

In 2004, my mom and I went to Zambia, where the poverty rate was extremely high, and the level of development was pretty low. Mud huts, run down cars, and beggars were common. So, when I arrived at the South African airport, and saw the sleek, clean floors, and when we drove to our hotel, everything we saw pass by our window was extremely modern and developed. It didn't feel as if I had left the United States. I think that people, even I, underestimate and prejudge the level of development in Africa. People claim that giving or investing money to Africa is a waste, yet they have no right to say that until they have been to the continent, and have seen what has been done here already. It's pretty advanced in some areas, and with effort and help, the under-developed areas can achieve that same level of development.

On the first day, we attended an introductory meeting with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, who is hosting the Microfinance Conference we will be attending in Cape Town. It was amazing when they shared their statistics that demonstrated the change they had created within South Africa. We visited a loan receiver, a young woman in her twenties who was opening up a spa and had received a loan from Umsobomvu. She was so happy and proud of herself, and to think that some people doubt the ability of Microfinance institutions was crazy. You knew it had made huge impact on her life. Riding back on the bus to the hotel, I thought more about how this new concept of microfinance was still a little-known movement, and so many people back in my town and in the US always wonder what they can do to help a person in a less-privileged spot. Microfinance is so sustainable, and the difference it makes is tremendous.

Weezie

John Post

So far our trip to South Africa has been great. We have seen that the country is much different from what Americans typically think of Africa to be like. Don’t get me wrong, we have seen our share of straw houses and extreme poverty. The big difference, however, is that the people are considerably different than what we imagine Africans to be like. Miserable, uneducated, and militant- as Africans are portrayed to be in many films (Blood Diamond, etc.)- are three adjectives absolutely do not describe the people who we have met. Instead, the people are thoughtful, optimistic, hard working, grateful, and, most importantly, happy.

This does not go to say that the more superficial stereotype of Africa as a poverty stricken land is universally true either. We are staying in a very nice hotel, among other nice hotels, across the street from a booming mall, with a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and enough shopping outlets to make a 14 year old girl feel like she is in heaven. The streets are lined with advertisements for cell phones, luxury cars, and computers. The fact that places such as Johannesburg exist in Africa was surprising to us. We were expecting to instantly see a part of the world which is completely foreign to us at home. In a way, we were surprised that we were not surprised.
My new impression of the typical African, or at least South African is best exemplified by the people that we have met. We met people from a group called Umsobomvu who funded young entrepreneurs in starting their business. My sense was that the primary mission of this group was social improvement. Unlike banks, which make loans because they collect interest, this group really wanted to advance the southern region of Africa. This, however, was only one of many such programs in South Africa. The Safari we just got back from donates part of their earnings to the local village. This funding goes towards building schools, hospitals, etc. When we visited the village we saw that the people (as a result of this funding or not) seemed to enjoy life in a way that Americans don’t. We realized that these people don’t need our money to be happy. Happiness does not come from what we have. Instead, happiness comes from living sustainable, meaningful, and energetic lives.

The final example of how Africans are proactively seeking to help themselves, which I found most interesting of the three, is the work of a man who introduced himself as Fred. Fred emphasized to us that a relatively small number of people have shaped the world. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, and now we can sit in rooms with light. The Wright Brothers invented the airplane, and now we can take cool trips to Africa. MLK and Gandhi both started human rights movements which have created the path for how our world has changed in a recent context. Fred has started a school to educate the people who will help shaped Africa. He believes that in two or three generations, Africa can be a major force in the world – comparable to Europe or America. I thought that his goal was very inspiring. The Africa School is just getting off the ground, but surely we will hear more from this school in our life times. Fred struck me as one of the few people who really can change the world. (ps. I am embarrassed that I don’t know his last name)

So far, our trip to Africa has changed my perception of the world. I look forwards to seeing Zambia in the next couple days.

John

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.

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!