"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
My inspiration
I chose Evans Wadongo to follow online as my hero. I first learned about him by reading an article on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/02/11/cnnheroes.wadongo/index.html?i... . This was before I learned about the EVOKE network, and I marveled at his ingenuity and vision. He and teams of local volunteers make solar lanterns out of scrap metal, bulk-bought LEDs, and scrap bits of solar panels too small to use commercially bought from solar-panel companies. The lanterns are then provided for free to people in Kenya, who usually use kerosene lamps to light their homes. Thus families save money that would go to buying kerosene, and have much better lit homes, improving the chances that children get educations. The official page can be found here: http://sustainabledevelopmentforall.org/index.php?option=com_conten... .
Note all the different aspects of this project! The lanterns are mostly made of material that would be thrown out. The labor is local, and those people who work are given reimbursement, so their labor does not prevent their families being fed. Reduced dependence on kerosene reduces fires, air pollution, both on a global scale, but also within the home using the lantern. The people save more money and can start digging themselves out of poverty. The children have reliable light to study with. And if you read the notes on the official page, there is also data being collected on the effect of the project, to make sure it's doing good and making a difference. There are an awful lot of charity ventures that could use such a thing.
All told, this project addresses the following social problems:
Health
Environment
Education
Poverty, and by extension, food security
Inequality
Sustainability
One of the problems I have when trying to donate money to charities is prioritization. Is it more important to feed the hungry, save the rainforest, educate orphans, provide vaccines? It can be dizzying trying to determine where to start. This projects hits a huge number of check-marks. I find it incredibly inspiring, if a little daunting. How can I possibly create or develop a project that is anything like my inspiration? I'm not sure, but I'm less afraid of failure, and trying to think, by just reading more about this project. So I'm following the project on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sdfakenya , and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nairobi-Kenya/sdfakenya/199101541090?... and hoping to learn more. I have also sent a message to Evans Wadongo about how much his work has inspired me and briefly explaining the EVOKE network. I hope he gets back to me, but he appears to be a very busy man and I will understand if he does not.
As I mentioned, I saw the article before I found out about EVOKE. Initially, I had read the article and left it at that, saddened that I did not have more discretionary income to spend on giving (I had just given a large gift to a different charity). It was not until I found the ACT mission that I went the second step to find out more. Even if I had done that, I definitely would not have reached out if I had not been challenged to. It's so easy to forget that we're all in this boat called Earth together. And that gives me an idea for my LEARN mission, so expect a second blog post very soon.
Note all the different aspects of this project! The lanterns are mostly made of material that would be thrown out. The labor is local, and those people who work are given reimbursement, so their labor does not prevent their families being fed. Reduced dependence on kerosene reduces fires, air pollution, both on a global scale, but also within the home using the lantern. The people save more money and can start digging themselves out of poverty. The children have reliable light to study with. And if you read the notes on the official page, there is also data being collected on the effect of the project, to make sure it's doing good and making a difference. There are an awful lot of charity ventures that could use such a thing.
All told, this project addresses the following social problems:
Health
Environment
Education
Poverty, and by extension, food security
Inequality
Sustainability
One of the problems I have when trying to donate money to charities is prioritization. Is it more important to feed the hungry, save the rainforest, educate orphans, provide vaccines? It can be dizzying trying to determine where to start. This projects hits a huge number of check-marks. I find it incredibly inspiring, if a little daunting. How can I possibly create or develop a project that is anything like my inspiration? I'm not sure, but I'm less afraid of failure, and trying to think, by just reading more about this project. So I'm following the project on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sdfakenya , and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nairobi-Kenya/sdfakenya/199101541090?... and hoping to learn more. I have also sent a message to Evans Wadongo about how much his work has inspired me and briefly explaining the EVOKE network. I hope he gets back to me, but he appears to be a very busy man and I will understand if he does not.
As I mentioned, I saw the article before I found out about EVOKE. Initially, I had read the article and left it at that, saddened that I did not have more discretionary income to spend on giving (I had just given a large gift to a different charity). It was not until I found the ACT mission that I went the second step to find out more. Even if I had done that, I definitely would not have reached out if I had not been challenged to. It's so easy to forget that we're all in this boat called Earth together. And that gives me an idea for my LEARN mission, so expect a second blog post very soon.
Views: 23
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Comment by Amos Meeks on March 5, 2010 at 1:02am
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That is a really cool group. The sad part, it seems to me, is that because they run off donations, they have trouble realizing their goals, like the modern workshop. I wonder if there is any way to turn this into a successful business that would give it the revenue to grow and help even more people...
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Comment by Joanna Chaplin on March 5, 2010 at 1:11am
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You know, I've been thinking about that, and the problems keeping it from being a business is that their target market is just really that poor. They want to give away as many lanterns as possible. Many initiatives that give away empowering devices also sell to developed countries to raise money, like One Laptop Per Child. http://laptop.org/en/ But if they did that with these lanterns, that's fewer lanterns for the people. It's still a little too small to really work be long-term sustainable. I personally am not sure how to go about changing that. I'll settle for spreading the word for now, but you're right, it's not enough.
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It just occurred to me that it's called a "network" for a reason. I don't know how to make it sustainable, and maybe you don't, but somebody does. And I suspect that somebody here does. Amos, and anyone else for that matter, will you help me to find someone who can look at this project and help it grow into something that can support itself? I will start with the list of agents with high entrepreneurship scores. If we can get together a workable idea, we can pitch it to the organization. If they don't respond, not much can be done.
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That's an excellent idea, and a great use of this website!
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Comment by Caroline Meeks on March 5, 2010 at 1:42am
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I wonder what the obstacles are for someone in the next village starting this project on their own and selling the lanterns.
I wonder how much it costs in materials to make the lantern and how that compares to one months worth of kerosene.
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What can I say, I appear to have caught the bug. I hope I don't get over it soon.
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The site said each lantern costs the donors $20, and of that, $4 is given to the groups making the lanterns. I sent a friend request to Wadongo on Facebook, but I have no idea if he will respond. If he does respond, it would make it easier to find out what the project needs to get to the next step.
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I think a helpful step may be trying to teach the people who want the lanterns to make the lanterns themselves, then either give them the resources or find a way for them to use what resources they have.
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