Born from Inspiration @kellyholyoake - Tumblr Blog

Transformation

As the land transforms, so does the confidence and hope the children have for their school and their own lives.

Day one, surveying the original piece of land over-looking the school where the boarding house will be situated.

A land scattered with trees. For every tree we had to remove, we will plant another 6-10.

The land is on a reasonable gradient which posed our largest challenge in the first month of pre-construction land preparations.

After 3 weeks of negotiations we managed to secure a grader from a near-by town that had just completed work on another project here in Mlali. Our options were to secure this grader at a slightly higher price or wait indefinitely for the only grader in Mlali to be repaired. Operators from the towns charge higher prices but there were no signs that the spare parts would be arriving anytime within the near future to allow us to use the Mlali grader.

The land is flattened within one day's work. Half way through the day it became apparent that levelling the land was not an option. Next step, confirm with the builders that they can construct the boarding house on this gradient.

Laying the markings for the foundation.

From a distance, the markings resemble our beautiful plan. The front of the boarding house over-looks the school and the savannah which will turn from red to green once the rains arrive.

The boys begin digging the foundation of the internal wing, destined to be home to 80 girls.

From dawn to dusk and through the long hot days in the African sun, they dug these foundations.

As the boys work hard to dig the trenches, the head builder follows not far behind with his team, laying cement in the freshly dug foundations.

The builder accounts for the gradient by terracing the land.

From day one, it took us almost 2 months to navigate our way through budgets, contracts, securing materials, labourers and equipment to arrive at this exciting new stage of construction. We began making the bricks a few days in advance to ensure they were strong enough and the walls started going up - a big step and achievement for all involved.

And the walls kept growing! The walls of the foundation for this wing will support four levels of flooring to account for the gradient.

The team works from the lowest point on the land where the walls are to be 10 bricks high, up to the highest point where the walls will be 3-4 bricks high.

While half the team continues building the walls of the foundation for the main section of the girls' wing, cement goes down in a new room attached to the side of the girls' wing.

The walls of the new room start going up.

Spaces have been left for steel reinforcements.

The steel reinforcement has arrived and all hands are on deck to install the steel rods and continue constructing the walls around them.

The head builder's main adviser and business partner, an essential man for getting the job done secures the wooden framework so concrete can be poured to keep the steel rods firmly in place.

The concrete is poured.

The concrete is setting for the most part of the new room. To the right, the walls of the foundation are extended. Faith, 12 poses for a photo on her daily visit to the boarding house.

The walls of the new room to the right grow to similar heights as those of the wing.

Two little visitors come to check on the progress of their new home to be, Julianna, 10 and Bahati, 11.

The concrete has set and the walls have gone up. This is the highest point of the foundation.

The external walls for the foundation of the girls' wing are almost complete.

The team move their focus to the three interior walls that will set the levels for the flooring.

In the meantime, the foundation of the side room needs to be filled with soil and compacted. Large stones will then be carefully placed to create a level platform, sand and water will be poured over them before the cement can go down to create the floor of the boarding house.

Work starts as the sun is coming up and finishes as the sun goes down most days.

The team makes progress on the three interior walls of the girls' wing.

Soil is placed in the four sections to create the four levels, soon to be the ground floor of this section of the home that will carry so many dreams and memories.

Each brick that goes into construction is made by hand on site, watered for 3-4 days to make sure they are strong enough for construction.

There were some nervous moments once the rains started as our truck tried to climb the steep, slippery terrain with 2 tonnes of materials in the back.

One week was spent building the water tank that proved essential to the construction process. We experienced many difficulties and tried many methods of getting the water from the source, 200 metres down the hill up to the tank. Water was a constant pressure and hindrance for progress.

The foundation for the boys' wing is much shallower as it is situated on the highest point of the land.

Each day the walls climb higher, grow longer, turn corners and the foundation of the boarding house begins to form as a physical structure, no longer only a reality in the heart and minds of all who have dreamt and invested in this ambitious project. This is no small project, destined to house 160 children, we are building a significant structure and we expect it to take another 6 months minimum before we have the boarding house almost ready for its new little inhabitants who will bring it to life.

The Human Transformation

While many of the students of the Queen Elizabeth Academy do have parents, there are a significant number who don't. The Queen Elizabeth Academy provides these students with a community, an identity, a support network and an education. This school is their hope and their joy. The boarding house will ensure the school can continue to provide this network of support to these students.

The increased income from the boarding house will allow the school to be on a more certain financial footing and this means the school can continue feeding all of their students during the months when food is in short supply.

Recently the water line was finished and there is now fresh water available at the school almost every day. Having water available is essential for the construction process but it also means that the students do not have to carry water to school each day. This is not too big a deal for the older children but it is nice to see the little ones do not have to carry their water containers. Again, as the school has a more secure income, costs such as maintenance on the waterline is a new possibility.

The Queen Elizabeth Academy is a place where children can be children and can explore the world of play between their classes. With the completed boarding house, we will be inviting another 160 children into this environment of exploration, safety and learning.

With school comes new uniforms, new knowledge and new confidence and each student wears their uniform with so much pride. The school is committed to providing all students with the support they need to arrive at school ready to learn, pencil and exercise book in hand. The founder of the Queen Elizabeth Academy personally helps students and their families to meet the costs of uniforms, new shoes, socks, books, pencils and much more. We will be able to meet these needs more efficiently as the school increases its financial sustainability.

Faith carries enormous pride in her school. When you meet her, she is quick to tell you that their school use to be in a room in the village where motorbikes use to drive past noisily interrupting lessons. Now Faith and the other 150 students have 4 classrooms, with another under construction, a soon to be fish pond, a boarding house in progress and acres of land that will be used to grow fresh food. Having all this in place for them speaks volumes in terms of how much we value each child and their education.

Thank you for helping us get this far and please come with us as we continue on this journey of transformation. stayclassy.org/kellyQEA

Looking Forward to a New Generation of Leaders

Every generation to have been has hoped that the next generation of leaders will be greater than the one before. It is human to hope for a better future for ourselves, our families and our societies. I hope for a better world for all of humanity, one that is inclusive, where every child, regardless of their background has access to quality education. I believe this will be the defining contribution our generation will make to improve the quality of lives for all people around the world.

Could this generation achieve universal primary education and what would the economic and social effects of this be? It is mind boggling to imagine what a whole generation of educated children could achieve. Education is the tool that empowers a child to embark on a journey of hope and achievement whereby they can lift themselves and their families out of poverty; enter into careers where they make a productive and meaningful contribution to society.

Could it be that some of our greatest leaders to have ever been are yet to be discovered? Could some of these leaders be found in the villages around the world? Why not? Kilnes the founder of the Queen Elizabeth Academy was born, raised and educated in the rural village of Mlali, to go on to achieve her Phd, to become a head of school at the University of Dar es salaam, the largest city in Tanzania where she is a passionate and committed lecturer moulding the minds of the next generation.

This achievement aside, Kilines has not forgotten the community that gave her so much. Kilines has founded a primary school in her village and this is no ordinary primary school. This primary school is committed to opening up the avenues of education to all children in Mlali. Kilines does not want a child to go without education because their parents cannot pay school fees or because they do not have parents. In Kilines’ mind these are the kids that most need to be in school.

Queen Elizabeth Academy stands apart from all other schools in the wider area by being an English medium school. Children begin nursery school at aged 3 where they receive porridge, begin learning in Swahili and English is slowly introduced. By standard two the children are taught solely in English.

It is a controversial topic as to whether we should be teaching children around the globe English, but for Kilines English was essential for her to pursue her studies. Kilines knows that the children of Queen Elizabeth Academy are grounded in their identity, can speak Kikaguru, Kiswahili and are products of their culture. English is just an addition to their skill set. English will help to open doors for some of these students who will go on to study abroad.

What if there is another Kilines here in Mlali? A student with a brighter dream, a bigger dream that will change the lives of others? I believe there is more than one extraordinary leader to be found among the students of the Queen Elizabeth Academy.

The influence leaders have in our lives can’t be underestimated, from our teachers, to our bosses, to our mentors, to our politicians, to the founders and inventors of new ideas, new organizations, the contributions these people make to our lives are significant. I have been blessed to have a few servant leaders in my life who have transformed me as a person and a professional. Their investment in me and their leadership has been one of the most powerful forces in my life.

With the merits of varying leadership styles a conversation to be had another day, I believe that servant leadership is one of the most transformative and powerful models of leadership.

“The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?” – Robert K. Greenleaf.

True leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others. Imagine this world with such leaders holding some of the most powerful positions, servant-leaders empowered through education to be the leaders they hold the potential to be. I believe this reality is close as the world recognizes the need to have all children in school and the economic, social and political benefits for societies will be astronomical.

That latest addition of servant-leaders to my life and potentially one of the more influential leaders I have met to date is young Faith. I don’t say these words lightly, this girl truly is phenomenal.

Faith is a student at the Queen Elizabeth academy where she has one more year of schooling before she will move onto secondary school. Faith is hoping to go to one of the best secondary schools in the area. Like most the girls at QEA, Faith believes the best secondary school is the one the founder, Kilines attended. In Faith I see the qualities of a servant leader, qualities that Kilines carries inherent in her. Faith is a girl of greatness.

A trivial example of Faith’s natural demeanour to serve: I had a drink bottle that needed cleaning, I had left water in it for too long and it did not smell good, as it had a carbon filter I wasn’t sure how to clean it. Faith saw me ponder how I was going to clean this bottle and as I had a lot of other things to do it fell temporarily into the too hard basket to deal with later. Later never came. I carried on with my day and that evening I find Faith has found my bottle, boiled water, collected soap, is dismantling the bottle into its separate components and is diligently cleaning each part.

I am not accustomed to a child seeing a minor need as such and going out of their way to meet that need. This is one of a hundred stories I have of Faith's diligence in serving others without being asked. Sometimes I just sit dumbfounded as Faith leaves other children playing to go do chores, to meet the need of someone, to respond to her mother’s requests immediately. I know my mother would have had many more peaceful days if I was at all like this when I was a child. My mum had to ask at least 3 times before I did jobs and even then I can’t guarantee I really did the job, or did it well. I was far more concerned with my games as a child and expected to be left to them. Faith has time to play and she is happy, she is not over worked, she is just eager to do what must be done. This is a unique quality to find in a child but it is not entirely unique in the children of this village who do work hard, play hard and rest hard with eagerness and laughter.

As I observe and interact with Faith I question my role in the world and how I interact with people and the world. Do I serve people with a gracious heart and through my servitude, are those people themselves becoming greater people, greater servants? Faith ultimately makes me want to be a better person, makes me want to strive for greatness in my own life and while doing so, inspire others to be greater. To me this impact that Faith has had on me, and others that meet her, defines her as a servant-leader.

Do children in the villages work harder than their city counter parts? With the risk of making a titanic generalization, yes I believe so, it is different but the children in the villages do contribute to their families in a major way while also pursuing their education. Children from the village are quick to act graciously when they see a need or are asked to help. To me this means that children from the villages carry qualities that when combined with a quality education will make them extraordinary leaders.

So should we invest in the children of this village? Do you think that with access to a quality education, these students will become influential leaders in their communities and further a field, leaders that will have the heart to serve others? Do you want to see the potential of future servant-leaders unlocked through education here in Mlali? If you answer yes to any of these questions, please support these students to become the leaders they can be: www.stayclassy.org/kellyQEA

Together we might just change this world.

One Girl, One Life, a Community Transformed

Look around you, what do you see? What are the qualities you find in the children and people surrounding you?

One month ago I arrived in Mlali, a small village situated on the slopes of the Ukuguru mountains. Today is Sunday, and I am just about to arrive at school. It must almost be 8am now and I have Faith with me, my constant companion and source of inspiration here in Mlali.

If I stop for a moment and let myself be, I notice the red earth below me that has dusted my feet with its vibrant particles. I look up at a sky that continues forever with a sun so intense I feel the Wellington winter evaporating out of my body. I feel my body is relaxed and grounded, my heart is steady and I am happy.

Looking to the west I see hazy blue mountains, north I see the savannah scattered with trees. To our East I think of Mlali that I can no longer see as we have been walking for half an hour now and I think of the sun that will set there tonight spreading its colours over the village. To the south I feel the mountains behind me offering us shelter and fresh water. Next to me I feel the hope and anticipation of Faith as she eagerly absorbs everything she can possibly learn in a day.

Every day I walk west towards the school that provides over 100 children with education and myself with a purpose to be here. As I walk across the bright red dirt, I am greeted by everyone who passes me by, I hear people yelling their greetings from their homes. In the mountains there are people collecting firewood for the day, everyone is busy and most people have been up since before 6.

How will I ever leave this place? This is the thought that runs circles through my mind each and every day.

I arrive at school and am greeted by Mr Masaka, my colleague who is running this project with efficiency and determination. Our greetings bring me joy, but today I can see Mr Masaka is distracted and it is not long before he discloses what is bothering him.

“Kelly, I have some sad news. There is a little girl, her name means luck and I know her as a student of the Queen Elizabeth Academy. She is bright and can speak English, Kiswahili and Kikaguru. Today I saw her walking into the mountains and I asked her how school is going. She started weeping as she told me she is no longer at school. Her grandparents cannot afford the exercise books she needs to attend school. She goes into the mountains every day to collect firewood; she will be coming back shortly. I have given her a small amount of money and I have told her she can come live with me in the near future but we need to do something now.”

I am touched by Mr Masaka’s concern and immediate response to Baharti’s situation. I do not know many people in Mlali yet, but those who I do know are connected to the Queen Elizabeth Academy and seem to be devoted to the children of their community.

Mr Masaka is right, we need to do something immediately, tomorrow is Monday and Baharti should be in school. Every day she is not in school means she is falling behind her peers. We ring Kilines, who is in Dar es Salaam where she is a lecturer and head of school at the University of Dar es Salaam, Kilines is also the founder and Director of the Queen Elizabeth Academy. Kilines quickly affirms our thoughts that we must do something immediately. Kilines says, “These are the children we built this school for and we want her in school.” She tells us to go see Baharti’s grandparents so we can learn more about Baharti’s situation. We will make a plan of action once we know more, Kili says.

I get off the phone to Kili knowing this is a community who cares, a community who on a Sunday will drop their plans to care for a little girl who they have seen needs support. Our Sunday is then spent learning more about Baharti, her grandparents situation and finding solutions that mean Baharti will attend school on Monday morning.

A week later and Baharti has completed a week of school. She is happy and does not hesitate to tell us so. Baharti is at the beginning of her primary education having completed nursery school and her first year and a half of primary school. Baharti is a girl to come, a girl to watch with interest. She is not shy and she knows what she wants, she is gracious and knows a good thing when it comes her way. Baharti is a girl who with the support of her community will lead the life she dreams of. I look forward to seeing how Baharit’s life is transformed with education and what this will mean for her family. I don’t expect Baharti to leave her family behind. As she receives an education and takes the fruits of that education back to her family, I expect to see a family transformed.

The tears that ran down her face as she told Mr Masaka she was not in school spoke to me of one thing, her desire to be in school.

Together as a community we are working hard to ensure this school succeeds and becomes sustainable, please donate here to be a part of this dream: www.stayclassy.org/kellyQEA

Mr Masaka takes Baharti under his wing.

Faith takes the firewood from Baharti as we walk to her grandparents home.

Faith and Baharti as we spend a Sunday preparing for Baharti's return to school on Monday.

The dream of a lifetime

For me this journey started in the heart of a little girl.

This has been a dream I have carried with me for years. To step onto the continent of Africa, to integrate into a community and pour my heart, soul, skills and intellect (limited as they may be) into seeing a community’s dreams for their children achieved.

Aid work is controversial however. Through my studies and research I have had the privileged of being exposed to some of the pitfalls, dangers, misinformation and misrepresentations that have been made as the international development sector has sought to address some hugely complicated root causes to poverty and structural oppression. This information had to contend with the dream I have carried since I was a little girl; a dream to be involved in education in East Africa.

I may have carried this dream to see every child receiving access to quality education for many years but I have also always been acutely aware of my deficiencies. We all know that one person from a different cultural context cannot overestimate the impact they can have in the huge, diverse and magnificent region that is East Africa. The journey of discovering and acknowledging my own limitations and potential has been fraught with uncertainties and trepidations. It is has been hard to hold a dream so dear to my heart and to know that there is no clear path forward to achieving this dream. Good intentions are not enough and this knowledge left me struggling to reconcile the dreams in my heart with reality.

Consequently as I have engaged in this journey, I have taken years to refine my approach to international development and to search for an opportunity where I can engage meaningfully with the wonderful process of increasing access to education for children in East Africa. After years of frustrations, self-doubts, doubt in the international development sector and doubts in the place a foreigner has in the development of a community, I have finally found a way to be involved in a completely authentic and meaningful way - http://www.mamahope.org/our-approach/

The first step in finding this opportunity was to acknowledge my own limitations and while doing so fully realize the incredible capabilities of the communities I have always wanted to work with. The relief and joy that washed over me when I realized that the communities already have so much of what is needed was powerful. The community provides an amazing platform to work from. In the case of Mlali specifically, there are phenomenal leaders who have had the courage to chase aspirations that would seem so huge to begin with. These leaders have funded, founded and developed a school despite many hurdles and the children that attend the school are bright and eager to learn.

A school like this is never just the physical building. To find the funding to build the structure that represents a school is one thing, but to have a community committed to filling that school building with passionate, motivated students, dedicated highly trained teachers, and quality educational resources is another thing. Without this commitment and capabilities inherent in a community the physical structure of a school can become redundant.

There is no community on this planet that has nothing and when we look into a community with eyes that see what the community does have, we see the potential for the community and future generations.

To me, acknowledging my own limitations and realising the abilities of the communities I wanted to work with was the defining moment – that moment when the weight of the world fell off my shoulders and I experienced such relief with a touch of embarrassment. It was that moment when I realized, this is not my fight.

The communities I have always wanted to work with have got this. They have the commitment, the belief, the skills, the leaders, the next generation and the potential.

Yes there are individual and structural problems in place preventing an easy path forward but the communities are on that path and are facing those challenges head on.

Not just a boarding house

Physically yes in its most simplified form this little building soon to be constructed will be a boarding house. It will provide accommodation to students attending the local school. In the greater context however, this little building will be so much more than ‘just a boarding house’

This little building, has a big dream to carry on its shoulders. It will logistically mean more students can attend the Queen Elizabeth Academy, the local primary school in the rural town of Mlali, Tanzania. It will enable students who do not have the means to pay school fees to attend the school regardless of the financial situation they were born into. It is a fundamental step in the school's sustainability plan.

This boarding house will live up to the expectations and dreams built into its foundations.

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#WithoutEducation

Where would you be #withouteducation?

"Without a formal education and given my upbringing with a big brother that I idolised and sought to please, I would have been a well-adjusted tomboy. Hitting my teenage years would have proven difficult. Historically, across many cultures, girls are married early if they do not have the opportunity to pursue an education. This would not have gone down well for me. One, my parents would have struggled to find a man to marry me considering my boy like attitude and stubbornness. Two, I would have been devastated to have been married too early and my stubborn sense of, ‘I will do what I like’, would have made this process painful for all involved. I find it hard to imagine what my economic standing or what the health of my family would be."

It is not easy to say what our society would look like today if we were not guaranteed free, compulsory education. In the context of New Zealand, we could go back to what life was like for girls, boys and wider society before the Education Act was passed in 1877 to establish free, secular and compulsory education.

Today the transformative effects of education for girls, boys, and society as a whole are being researched in the context of different communities around the world and the results are phenomenal.

With outcomes like these we should be investing all we have to see that no child goes #WithoutEducation.

_________________________________________________________

World Humanitarian Day - August 19

On this day let's tell our story.

1. Write where would you be without education. Be creative, be real and maybe go one step further to tell us where you are now thanks to education.

2. Post your message on Facebook or twitter between now and August 19 to acknowledge the power of education to improve the quality of life for us all.

3. Include the hashtag: #WithoutEducation to connect your story with others.

4. If you feel grateful for being born in a country where access to education is a right, please donate to give children in Mlali, Tanzania the opportunity to access quality education and exceed their potential.

5. Ask 5 of your friends to do the same.

By the end of August 19th, this World Humanitarian Day I believe we can raise over $5000 for children in Tanzania. The funds will ensure these wonderful kids get the education they desire so they can live life to their fullest potential, chase their dreams with all they've got and become leaders of positive social change in their community and further afield.

Education transforms lives, where would you be #WithoutEducation?

See You and your Hashtag on social media.

The best thing that has ever happened to me

My Everyday Super Heroes The greatest thing to ever happen in my life will never be a thing. It will always be a person, for everything of significance, starts, is and ends with a great person, or persons.

People are my catalysts for change and without the influential people I have met along my journey, I could not be who I am today.

This is why I am so excited to get on that plane to east Africa where I will meet people who will undoubtedly become my mentors, leaders, role models, closest friends, and change makers in my life. I will become a better person through connecting with Kilines Elizabeth Sekwiha, Athanas Sekwiha, Flora Maseda, Hannah Clynne, the other influential members behind the Queen Elizabeth Academy and of course the children and their families.

In Mlali, central-east Tanzania, at the base of the Ukaguru mountains, sits the Queen Elizabeth Academy, a primary school founded upon a dream in 2008. Thanks to the dream, vision and foresight of Kilines, QEA has become a cornerstone for success in the Mlali community and now embodies the hopes, dreams, hard work and character of the people it serves.

QEA is more than a building, it has been dreamed of, hoped for, envisioned, planned, built, developed and has come to life. Never is the school more alive then when the 100 students who attend QEA walk through the doors each morning with the endless energy, smiles and hope all children carry. QEA is as much the bricks that make it stand as it is the dream that brought it into being; the future it will enable its community to be; the embodiment of possibility for over 100 children and their families. QEA is a physical, tangible symbol of hope.

Arriving in Mlali, Tanzania I will connect with people who have achieved the remarkable. People who have the courage, determination, foresight and persistence to realize the dream of every child in Mlali and further afield receiving quality education. People who will devote themselves to seeing the school become financially sustainable. People who will be responsible for seeing the school’s 32 acres of land becoming productive and producing food that will enhance the nutrition and therefore the educational development of the children.

This level of dedication is highlighted through the commitment of Athanas, the school Manager and teacher. When the school was founded, he worked for years without payment because he loves the kids and believes strongly in education.

Athanas' commitment and generosity blows me away. I like to think I am somewhat generous and selfless at times. I have met generous, selfless people dedicated to something much bigger than ourselves. Here as I learn more about Athanas, I question how much we could give to see worthwhile dreams coming true, to seeing this world become a better place where all children are guaranteed an education.

How much can you give to see children receiving an education? Please donate here and share this link with people you know who are passionate about and committed to seeing ever child in this world receiving an education.

Being Yourself Phenomenally

The journey taken to arrive here today has not been easy. The road has been pitted with potholes and stumbling blocks. The biggest stumbling block being myself. It is only now at 29 that I can truly say I am grounded, and am who I am supposed to be. It is nonsensical to ever think we are supposed to be anyone other than ourselves, this does not mean however, that it is easy to find, know and be ourselves.

Becoming ourselves sensationally may not be an easy task but it is one worth embarking on.

I think one of the greatest barriers to finding ourselves is fear. We all know them; fear of rejection, fear of failure, etc.

I am convinced that the antidote to fear is, being yourself and living that out.

When you find who you are and what it is you are supposed to be doing, there is no room for fear. Your conviction in what you are doing will be so strong because it aligns with the purpose imprinted on your DNA. When fear arises your conviction, self belief, inspiration and sense of purpose will quickly extinguish that fear.

Coming from a place of constant fear and anxiety, I do not say this lightly. I have been tormented and crippled by anxiety and fear and I have known great lows. Coming through this process to be where I am today, living my life as I was born to, I can truly say that a life without fear and a life full of inspiration is possible. It is by finding yourself and thereby finding your 'thing' that you live your life as yourself, phenomenally!

Investing in children's education, advocating for the rights of every child, is my 'thing'. The Mama Hope, Global Advocate Fellowship is the inspirational platform unlike any other where I get to be myself completely. As a Global Advocate for the students in Mlali, Tanzania, I get to be a part of something so much bigger, part of a community devoted to seeing their children receive quality education and achieving greatly.

My role in this journey is to help connect this community with some of the resources needed to achieve the dream of education for every child in their immediate community and further afield. I am assisting in raising funds to build a boarding house that will enable more students to attend the school and help the school become sustainable.

Knowing that the funds go directly to the project is beyond exciting to me and I cannot wait to be on the ground witnessing and celebrating the success of the students in Mlali, Tanzania.

I ask you to donate here, because I know this boarding house will be built. It will be successful in increasing the school's sustainability and it will improve access to quality education for children in Mlali, Tanzania.

As I embark on this journey where I get to be myself phenomenally and do exactly what I was born to do, I hope others find their 'thing' and engage in the journey of being themselves authentically every day.

Be Genuine, Be Authentic, Be Phenomenal Every Day. You might just free someone else while you are at it. In the end, can we really help anyone when we are not authentically being ourselves?

A Tribute to Inspiration

In San Francisco it begins; the journey of inspiration, love, and positive Change.

“Shut your eyes and feel the earth under your feet. Ground yourself in the constant and un-shifting terrain, take a deep breath and think of everyone who has brought you here today. Think of your friends, family and anyone who has shown you kindness. Feel the love they have instilled in you. They are on this journey with you. Now choose a single word that signifies why you are here today…”

And this is how it began, on the grass, in the California sun, surrounded by phenomenal women. My word was and is Inspiration. Having to choose a single word to represent why I was in San Francisco at the Mama Hope boot camp; one word that embodies what I hoped to bring to this training, one word that would soon become defining for me.

When I think back to the conversations I had leading up to the Mama Hope boot camp, there was one sentence I could remember repeating to everyone who asked what I was hoping to get out of this 9 month journey with Mama Hope. That sentence was: “I want to connect and learn from inspiring people”.

There is only so much we can learn from books and life can do it’s best to beat the inspiration out of us. Choosing to connect with people that truly inspire us, will be the defining element in how much and how well we achieve. I never want to miss the opportunity to connect with someone who can inspire me to live bigger, be better, radiate more kindness and be more authentically me.

This is a journey of inspiration. Over the next 9 months we will see lives transformed.

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