Giving a blank page to the unheard.
Asisiriwa Day 5 11 November 2015 I think when you live near animals, you begin to think more of death. Life seems a little less precious to you, and you start to realize, the way you started to as a child, that death is always forgotten and always just a moment away. Animals don’t think of death, which may be …
Intro: When we were getting ready to head to Ghana, I had every intention of posting updates on our life in the village of Asisiriwa. I wanted our followers and supporters to get a little taste of what it was like for us to live and work in this new culture. Of course, writing about such a thing does not …
Don’t you find it’s easy to get caught up in the routines of life and somehow forget the passing of time, especially when you’re busy doing something you’ve never done before? You become so focused on the task (or tasks) at hand that days, weeks, months pass, and eventually you look up from that grindstone and realize that, somehow, somewhere …
Partnering with an international community to build something is a lot like an interpersonal relationship: you both have to make compromises to make it work. You don’t compromise just to keep them happy; you do it out of a genuine desire to see them get what they need. For example, the village of Asisiriwa really wants to steward the money …
Kaitlyn and I arrived back in the village of Asisiriwa, Ghana on Saturday with our liaison, Professor Agyekum. We made our way first to the chief’s house where men had gathered from all over the district to see what tidings we had brought. The council meeting opened in a similar fashion as last time. We walked counter-clockwise around the room …
According to the CIA World Factbook, the 2015 estimated global literacy rate is 86.1%. Upon first hearing that, it doesn’t sound so bad. Here in the US, that’s a solid B grade in school—perfectly passable. But if you zoom in on that number and realize that 13.9% of the world is still illiterate largely because of poor access to education, it …
I want you to tell me a story. One of the things I believe wholeheartedly, and one of the core tenets of our mission, is that storytelling brings people together, and helps people get to know not only one another, but also themselves. The act of telling stories is itself, fundamentally, an act of communion–of coming together and sharing pieces …
I’m not sure if everyone does this, but I often find I have to shock myself out of a train of thought that might be painful, degrading, or just embarrassing. I have to interrupt myself with words, or sometimes even noises. For instance, when I think about the time I stupidly asked a female friend of mine, “Do you wanna …
I feel like I’ve been operating on pure hope lately, propelling our fundraising efforts along by sheer force of will. To be perfectly honest, I’m exhausted. I wish I could say that I’m weary because of all the difference I’m making and all the good work I’m doing, and I know that’s what I should be saying…but I’m not. In …
I don’t know if you listen to Coldplay, but I have, and there is a lyric that’s been stuck with me for weeks now: Nobody said it was easy; no one ever said it would be this hard. I’m sure Chris Martin wasn’t singing about creating a nonprofit from scratch when he crooned those words, but they ring true. When we started …
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