People start organizations (or atleast I did) because they feel strongly enough about an issue or a situation, and it motivates them to do something about it rather than sit on the sidelines. There is a need somewhere that creates enough frustration or anger which leaves you asking, why is more not being done? Nobody has an immediate answer or solution - whether they claim to or not. In the case of development, every community is unique and each has their own challenging issues that need to be dealt with. Whether it's micro-finance, improving childcare or education, dealing with disease and hunger, every program will require a specific implementation strategy and produce different results. I don't believe there is any book you can read or advanced degree that exists to equip someone with a cookie-cutter solution to such challenges.
I have been fortunate enough to have only recieved kind words of support and encouragement since the incorporation of Dollars for Change. There is, however, a set of checks and balances imbedded in my conscience. I often ask myself if I'm doing the best I can with the money that people have so generously donated and entrusted me with. I question whether I am investing this money in projects that have the greatest potential for making a difference in this community's future. I have read articles recently that claim people are throwing their money away if they are not donating to micro-finance operations. Let me say this; I think micro-finance is wonderful and I think everyone should take a look at the Grameen Bank - how it started and what it has accomplished. I quote Muhammad Yunus, Nopel Peace Prize winner and one of the founders of micro-finance, on my website and newsletters. I do agree that it is an amazing tool in lifting communities out of extreme poverty.... in certain situations.
Since living and working in South Africa, I have screamed at the top of my lungs at a white man during a traffic stop for pushing a black man to the ground for no reason. I have picked a woman up on the side of the road, bleeding and bruised after she was abused by her boyfriend while he was drunk. I have taken a boy, who I now consider to be my little brother, to see his mother in the hospital on mothers' day after she had been horribly burned in an attack; and then took him to her funeral a month later. Kids are dropping out of school, teen pregnancy is on the rise, and the same political party as Nelson Mandela is now lead by a man up for several counts of corruption who has also been aquitted of rape resulting in a similiar public opinion as when OJ Simpson was found innocent. That man will most likely be elected president this coming April. As important as small businesses are to job creation and development, I don't believe the problems stated above can be fixed with just mini-loans. So when I question myself on how Dollars for Change is doing in Kurland, I can say with 100% confidence that the programs being run have enormous potential for making a difference. I am equipped with these experiences above anything else. I have had the opportunity to work with local non-profits that all have different ideas and opinions. Many Dollars for Change projects in Kurland don't require much money from donations, but rather the investment of time and effort. I learn from the kids in the community everyday and I am proud to say that I can be a part of this process with them. I see the example that the older kids from the after-school program set to other people in their community. Dollars for Change is there to support them along the way, but they work through discussions and ideas for changing their community together. That, to me, is sustainable development for Kurland. Those kids will make a difference and have significant influence on the future of their community.
About Me
- Dollars for Change
- In the summer of 2006, I traveled to South Africa to teach kindergarten in the township of Kurland. I had always known I wanted to work in the field of international development, and this trip was meant to be a chance for me to get my feet wet. That October, it was reported that the US population had reached 300 million. I remember thinking what a difference it would make if every American donated just one dollar towards the fight against extreme poverty. It was that population milestone, along with years of frustration with the vast gap between extreme wealth and poverty, that Dollars For Change was born. On December 18th, 2006, Dollars For Change was incorporated as a non-profit organization and is now recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. What began as a social experiment has become my own life’s goal.