The train rattled underneath me as I held my bag. It contained clothes that had just been transplanted from my other suitcase. Clothes that still had African soil in the fabric. I should be nervous, I thought. But in reality, I was just exhausted. One night of sleep wasn't enough to make up for the jet-lag and the sickness I felt coming on. A day ago I had just gotten back from Kenya. A day ago, I had just left the other side of the world.
The hotel in San Francisco was bustling with afternoon meetings and cocktails. I scanned for faces that looked just as lost as I felt. A group of twenty-somethings sat with their suitcases next to them, looking uncertain and tired and eager all at the same time. I knew I had found them. They waved me over, recognizing the same expressions I must have had on my face.
So, here we were. The next class of Global Advocates.
I was participating in a five day bootcamp hosted by Mama Hope, a San Francisco based nonprofit that shared my vision in positive impact, unlocking potential and creating sustainable change in Africa. I had been accepted into Mama Hope’s First Fifth Institute, an international development 9-month training corps that would give me hands-on experience in community growth and the chance to make an even bigger impact in the world. These four other women had also been accepted.
I'm glad I didn't have time to think too hard about what to expect in the next five days. Bootcamp was challenging and raw and emotional and demanding. We started immediately. International Development lessons were sprinkled throughout TED Talks on vulnerability and stereotypes, soul-baring and extremely personal discussions squeezed in-between lunch and Fundraising 101, speech practice and dinner-hosting circled around reflective writing and research. It was a non-stop, wonderful whirlwind.
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| From left to right: Helen, Kimberly, Hannah, Lillian, Jasmine |
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| Nyla Rodgers, founder of Mama Hope, giving a lesson on marketing |
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| Brainstorming session outside |
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| Jasmine adds a thought to our "I believe..." board |
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| Storytelling, finding our personal "why" |
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| Helen and Kimberly |
Each of us have been assigned a project in Africa. We will be flying to our sites and living in the community for three months. My assignment is a health clinic in Uganda. Our departure date is set for January 15, but before we go to our project locations, we need begin fundraising, with a goal of $20,000. To kickoff our campaign, Mama Hope invited their friends and donors to a dinner. We gave a speech explaining our purpose and goals, how we discovered Mama Hope, and how our project would be significant. We were each able to raise over $1500 that night.
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| Toasting to a successful evening, a table full of people hoping to make positive change |
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| Learning about passions and motivations |
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| Sharing stories and experiences |
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| The Global Advocates! From the left: Helen, Hannah, Jasmine, Lillian, Kimberly |
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| The whole Mama Hope/First Fifth crew: Hannah, Amy, Thomas, Kimberly, Lillian, Jasmine, Helen, Nyla |
But we couldn't stay in San Francisco together. Most of the Advocates had flown across the country (or the globe) to come to the bootcamp. We had lives and jobs and expectations to get home to. We left San Francisco with a common goal in mind: to make a difference.
And this is how...
I will be going to Uganda to build the Suubi Women's Reproductive Health Clinic for women and families who need access to high quality care, medicine and education.
Lillian will be traveling to Ghana to live and work at the Unite Hearts Children Center
Jasmine will be going to Kenya to help support the phenomenal group of women that manage the Rita Rose Demonstration Garden.
Kimberly will be going to Kenya to build a rescue center for at-risk youth.
Hannah will be traveling to Tanzania to complete the construction of the St. Timothy's Boarding Home.
This is the next nine months of my life. This is my direction, my focus and my passion. Follow me on my journey through fundraising, traveling, connecting, listening, enabling and developing. I promise, it's going to be life-changing for everyone involved.
To learn more about Mama Hope or the First Fifth Institute, click on the links provided on the top-right of this page under "Inspiring Website".
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