Posts Tagged ‘development’
Embracing the Gray
Society constantly pushes us to simplify life down to black and white terms. But I’ve found that the much of the beauty of life is discovered in the gray areas. Those areas that teach us, refine us and reveal who we really are. It’s where we find our character and what we’re made of. It’s…
Read MoreKeep Her Sacred
In 1927, the Grand Council of American Indians made a statement about the colonization of America by “the white man”. Today we would call it “development”. “The white people, who are trying to make us over in their image, they want us to be what they call “assimilated”, bringing the Indians into the mainstream and…
Read MoreNot Another America
Fortunately, due to the endless flow of information via the Internet and the ease of travel, the world is becoming more and more aware of the long-term destructive effects of handouts and traditional aid programs. Aid agencies and humanitarians have begun to embrace the concept of “teaching a man to fish”, rather than giving him…
Read MoreImpact or Accolades
When we operated in Rwanda, people were chomping at the bit to come and work with us. Why? Rwanda has been a hotbed for conflict (in the past). It’s right next to the DRC, another hot zone. These places are sexy to budding activists. Those that work in these areas are regarded as better, more…
Read MoreTHE INDUSTRY OF AID: Inspire Me
I just read an excerpt from a book called “The Last Lecture”. Mr. Pausch said, “When you use money to fight poverty, it can be of great value, but too often, you’re working at the margins. When you’re putting people on the moon, you’re inspiring all of us to achieve the maximum of human potential,…
Read MoreMore Humanity Please
Prior to the 1492 invasion, American Indians lived rather peacefully, and without money. They lived communally, taking care of one another. People did not act so much as individuals, but as one unit. Then we moved into the trading era, where American Indians began to trade with one another and the Europeans. Soon, society began…
Read MoreNutella Money
It’s those little things in life that sometimes do wonders to give us perspective. All of our housemates where in the kitchen the other night talking about the fact that we just got a nice (and much needed) tax return. I jokingly said, “Yeah, I actually almost splurged and bought some Nutella! But I didn’t.”…
Read MoreFor Profit Business = Greed
Unfortunately this is the predominant belief when it comes to for-profit vs. non-profit business models. KEZA recently converted from a 501c3 non-profit charity to a for-profit social venture. We spent four years living in Africa so we could listen to the people/culture and learn how to serve her. We are non-traditional and innovative in all…
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