To give or to give well, that is the question

As I went for a stroll in Lancaster, underneath a very uncertain grey sky, I was approached by a charity, as I'm sure all of us have been. He was outgoing, good looking and trying very hard to be funny. And he reminded me why I started this project, why I can't just go and find a group and work for them. Who has ever felt like they got anything meaningful out a meeting on the street like that? Did you feel anything but a pang of guilt, suddenly feeling like you've forgotten parts of the world, but also a slight annoyance that yo had to be told by a man in a yellow coat?

It might seem stupid to say that supporting a cause in that way is inefficient, it gets them money doesn't it? The good ones get the job done don't they? Sure they do. The point is not that the work being done is not good, the point is that it is so miniscule compared to what could be done if more people understood the situation. In Tanzania men are sitting in the streets, playing games, kicking dust and growing thinner. Its not because they are lazy-lets get that understood first. They are not lazy and they don't spend their money on booze either. What has happened is that there is no innovation, there are no idea that have not been tried out and succeeded, there seems to be so few options. Industry, technology and internet makes our own grandparents feel outdated and nervous, even our parents don't fully understand it, I'm not even sure my own generation knows how to really take advantage of it, but these people where hit by it within a very short period of time, and are now left behind. Its not just about age, younger people, with education and plans for the future also struggle to understand what is going on and how to ride the wave. This is not ignorance, it is not lack of imagination. Its just a world out of their control.

What is needed, what really would be useful and that could change the world is ideas. Money is great, building wells are great, but if you can give people in development countries an idea of how to build a well that fits their own environment then a major battle is won. We can keep stuffing money in, sending and giving by the millions but if there are no ideas, no opening of opportunities for innovation then we will keep wasting our energies. Its a blunt truth but it is true none the less. Yes, some charities do amazing work, they really do, and they are worth helping. But any charity that makes you feel guilty, by quoting you facts and showing you images of starving children do not deserve your money or time. If that is the attitude they bring to any poor country they will do more harm than good, making people dependent on others, not just for food,  but for ideas of how to change their lives. We should not, and can not understand how to best run their country, their schools or even their village. But we can give them the power and the space to take charge.

Anyone who hasn't seen or heard of a millennium village please do so. It is the most successful project the UN has ever had, and it is growing rapidly. the UN might not have been very impressive lately, but this is a project worth knowing something about.

Link: http://www.millenniumvillages.org/about/index.htm

I know it sound like I'm telling you what to do, or not to do and I know I don't have the right. But please consider thinking twice before donating, check out where the money goes, look at the way they talk to people and the message as well as the work. Ask me about t, I'm happy to help you find a charity that really speaks to you, that really matters and that is worth your time, your resources or whatever else you have to spare.

That's the point really of all my work- delegating what people have to spare to the right places. 

Let me know if I can do it for you

HM

Pump it!

I found it! I have been looking for solar powered water pumps for a while, ever since a friend mentioned that they are used all over Germany. The problem with using solar panels in development countries, like Tanzania, is that they often got stolen and sold or they are too expensive to fix if something happens to them. Solar panels seem like such a brilliant thing to have in countries with hardly any rain during the year, energy often being a big problem to run any kind of basic equipment, like pumps for wells. 

But with the tiny ones I've found some of the major problems are solved. The solar panels themselves are so small that selling them is not worth the effort, and with them being so cheap with a little starting capitol most communities can afford one. They can pump a lot of water up from a well they work in cloudy weather when there is any, and the parts are easily fixed. The skills and knowledge to make sure it can run for decades are next to nothing, basic mechanics are know to a lot of the population due to basic technology introduced some years ago

Might seem strange that I get so excited about these, after all I'm not bringing any down with me in September and I'm not really planning on spending time distributing them either. But when I do consultancies with companies and schools I can use these solar pumps as an example of how simple things can make a huge difference, just as I did with the insecticide bed nets last year. Having these sources around I can also try to get big donations from the companies and then distribute them far more efficiently than I can do on my own or with a small team. Every little helps, I do believe that, but when you're just one person then you got to think big and find creative ways to do more.

Here's the link to the pumps,I know there's different ones out there, and I'll be looking so:

http://www.solarkey.com/product_details.asp?classtype=0301&mid=281

wish me luck :)

Students and charity gigs

Last year I tried to have a band night to raise money. Not knowing much about sounds systems, bands that would get people to come or how you would tell people about it, I got some help from a few friends in the music community at Lancaster Uni, I figured it was a good start. It went ahead, with a facebook event posted of course and good friends coming to support me.And that was pretty much it. 250 flyers, 100 posters and about 20 people at the actual night. The main mistake was not listening to my gut feeling, I had many ideas of how to get people interested and how to sell tickets the days before, but I figured people who had arranged loads of gigs new better. Don't get me wrong, the help was good when we had to get the bands and figure out the technical stuff, but I learned the hard way that some times you should also go with the ideas you have, even if you are doing something new

Which meant that this year we did things a bit differently. Last year I had no team, this year I have a great one that I got through SIFE (Student In Free Enterprise).Every year the colleges around campus has an end of term party called the Extravs, usually there are themes, drinks, decorations and bands all night. Great fun, many students stay around or come back from home just to attend the best ones. But before you get there some colleges have an event where bands can battle it out for a spot to play at the Extravs- an Extrav Factor. We got in touch with the colleges and arranged with them a deal where we could charge at the door, help with the marketing and get people to the event. They would earn more money through bar sales and find a popular band to have at the Extrav and we could raise some money for our trip, both through the tickets and donation boxes

March 13th we had the first one, in Lonsdale bar, with Heidi Burford, Chris Matthews with band, Lonsdale JCR and Boo Boo Kiddy Fonc playing. As there was a different event on as well that night we didn't do tickets, but had donation boxes at the bar and in the hands of helpful team members and with some of the bar profits we made close to £200, which might not sound like much in the big picture, but with four more gigs lined up and tickets to Tanzania still going for about £400 its half a ticket for a team member to go down in September (Both Chris Matthews and Boo Boo Kiddy Fonc will be playing at the Lonsdale Extrav 2009)

The thing with students is that it can always go both ways. You can get brilliant excited team members ready to do the dirty work to get to the trip and to helping Tanzanians. And you can get people always wanting to do things the easy way, or the fast way or the cheap way, pretty much the less effort the better. I'm sure you get that in any business, but with students there are no threats of being fired or not getting promoted, there is only a shrugging of shoulders and plenty of excuses. I have found it interesting to discover what kind of personalities the ones you can count on seem to have and how you can pick up on those who will give up under stress.I any case I've learned a lot from that, and I'm quite happy about the fact that I seem to have a nudge, a gut feeling if you will, that turns out to be spot on in most cases.

Nothing like a good guess to boost your confidence :)

So, the team pulled together really well, we are ready for the next gigs, and as we are all taking products from Neema Crafts home this easter we are all excited to present our friends and family with elephant dung cards and notebooks, just to see their faces

And I am ready to go network a bit (April 1st) before coming home (April 2nd) to the snow and sunshine in Norway :)

Introduction to the Light Project

Welcome to the Light Project and my blog! This is the first so I will outline the goals and ideas behind my project for everyone to know

I built the Light Project on a few ideas I had in a moment of clearness, at a time in my life I felt like I needed to find some goal to work towards. I'm sure you know the kind, where you ask yourself- what do I want to do? What skills do I have? What do I like doing? What could I make a living from? What do I want to leave behind when I'm done? What do I want to influence?

I'm not one to put down small goals, I go for the big ones, not getting disappointed if I don't get there, but just to make sure I push myself all the way. With my new one I don't think that's going to be a problem- I'm gonna win a Nobel Peace Prize 

On the way I will advertise a way of raising money in the development world that does not include making people feeling guilty. Anyone with a little bit of experience with the recipients of aid will know that pity is not what people struck by poverty needs.It won't help to feel bad, to see the videos of big-eyed children and plastic cups of water. I am NOT at all saying that the work being done by the organizations that use this kind of promotion for their causes is not good. It's great, most of it's very useful and well thought through.I support the work and especially the workers, I just don't agree with the way the money for that work is collected

So the Light Project will not be showing that kind of footage. We will, and are, approaching people differently. For individuals it will be through selling products from Tanzania (the country I chose to support after major research), inviting you along to gigs, art exhibitions, markets, auctions and any other event to raise money in a fun and exciting way. The information about our work will be completely focused on the great solutions out there to battle effects and causes of extreme poverty, like insecticide bed nets to prevent malaria (90% in Tanzania are infected).No dying children or crying parents, you know they exist out there, but honest information about how to help them.If you are interested that is

Now for businesses I have something else to offer, which leads to the career that I am trying to build for myself. I want to help any business, branch or group to do something a bit more exciting than pass around a bucket at Christmas (no offense, its nice, but only patches up your guilt for a little bit). What about everyone bringing something from the attic and having a little auction on a monday night? Or getting a band together from the staff and having a informal gig at the local pub? Or maybe something bigger- like putting products from Tanzania in your shop? Or having a ball? Easter egg hunt? I have a million and one ideas, which means I can tailor any business something they are comfortable with, but that will no matter what create a great work environment and a sense of accomplishment, as well as supporting great causes. Might even do a brand or chain some good to be connected to an ethical cause, we all like that don't we? 

This might seem like a weird way to go for the Nobel Peace. Check out this winner and get back to me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfinance

This idea won one, and for good reason. Desperate people do desperate things, conflict erupts far more easily in countries that are all ready struggling. Nothing like death, starvation and illness to fuel the fire of any angry and frustrated person.

If you would like to join me, or just comment, please do.At the moment I have a great team working at the Lancaster University,UK and we are raising money to get four of us down to Tanzania in september, helping Neema Crafts to get their products into the UK market

http://www.neemacrafts.com/

Let me help you to share what you have to spare (Nice and cheesy right)

H.Magdalena