Foundation Rwanda - We Must Fulfil Our Mission or Close

Foundation Rwanda is on a mission to ensure that every one of their students graduate secondary school or receive vocational training by 2019.

And they are SO close to filling that mission. Since 2007, they've raised 94% of the total budget required to complete the program - they only have 6% to go. As little as $150,000 will fully fund the program and fulfil their mission.



NGOs provide services that fill gaps left by the private and pubic sectors. In an ideal world, NGOs would not exist. With that said, it can be argued that the ultimate goal of an NGO is to run out of business. NGOs are only meant to exist long enough to fill a gap. They aren't meant to exist forever.

For example, imagine the day when AIDS is completely eradicated. There will no longer be a need for NGOs such as the AIDS Foundation and charities raising money to support HIV/AIDS infected communities will technically go out of business. Similarly, one day when all children have equal access to classrooms and education, Room to Read won't have a reason to build classrooms and libraries. They too will have fufiled their goals of improved literacy and gender equality in education and can move to solve the world's next pressing issue.

During the 1994 genocide, in Rwanda an estimated 20,000 children were born of rapes. The mothers of these children - many of whom contracted the HIV/AIDS virus from those brutal encounters have largely been shunned by their society because of the stigma, rape and rejected by their families. Forced into poverty, they are unable to pay the annual fees for their children to attend secondary school or to provide the necessary uniforms, shoes, books and scholastic materials, and transportation. Currently, there are no governmental or private NGO programs dedicated solely to support and provide funds for education for children born from rape during the genocide. Foundation Rwanda identifies the holistic needs of these families and provides them with the funds and support they desperately need

- from Foundation Rwanda's website

During my second year of graduate school at NYU Wagner, I was fortunate enough to conduct a rapid needs assessment for Foundation Rwanda. My team and I spent three weeks conducting interviews with student beneficiaries and their mothers. I remember preparing myself for months, devouring books and documentaries about the Rwandan genocide, but nothing could prepare me for emotionally-charged focus groups filled with moments of frustration, hopelessness, faith, tears, and laughter. It was humbling to have these women open up to us about the stigmas of rape, fears of telling their children that they were born from rape (some children didn't know), and challenges of living with HIV - another stark reminder of the past, as if memories alone weren't enough.

I received an email today that said Foundation Rwanda must fulfil their mission or close. Foundation Rwanda has been experiencing donor fatigue for a few years. One reason may be that donors no longer perceive the student beneficiaries (who are now around 21 years old) as children, but adults who can support them selves through secondary school. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

However, Foundation Rwanda has made great efforts to minimise it's overhead to maximise the impact of donor dollars. Last year the Executive Director donated her salary and the organisation heavily relies on pro bono help and volunteers. When the Foundation Rwanda mothers heard money was running out, they worked together to fund 40% of the education program budget in lieu of their own trauma counseling and financial literacy programs.

As you can see, Foundation Rwanda is still very close to my heart. 

So again, Foundation Rwanda is on a mission to ensure that every one of their students graduate secondary school or receive vocational training by 2019.

They are SO close to filling that mission - their track record thus far is incredibly admirable! Since 2007, they've raised 94% of the total budget required to complete the program - they only have 6% to go. As little as $150,000 will fully fund the program and fulfill their mission. 

Help put Foundation Rwanda out of business by supporting their last and final campaign. I hope you'll join them by giving one last gift or by signing up here  as a Change Heroes Foundation Rwanda Team Leader to empower your network to give the gift of education. It's not every day that an NGO can say it's successfully filled their mission. 

Still not convinced? Here is one of my favorite memories from Rwanda. We collected donations from friends and family in the United States and brought them for Foundation Rwanda families. This is the face of a Foundation Rwanda mother who emanated with self-confidence, pure joy, and vibrance after putting on a fresh coat of lipstick. These women survivors may be strong, but they need your support in ensuring their children graduate secondary school on the path to a better and successful life.

Visit the Rwanda page for more stories from my travels with Foundation Rwanda.

From Windhoek to Joburg, back to Windhoek. Repeat.

Chasing gorgeous sundowners has become the norm in Windhoek, Namibia.

After traveling for a while, you become accustomed to flights - well, mostly have no other choice but to become accustomed. Visiting home becomes a 30+ hour journey (and occasionally 48+ hours with delays), a flight which I recognize I am fortunate enough to take once or twice per year. 

While the statement “I love flying” may be an overstatement, I’ve become comfortable and content on an airplane. I still get filled with excitement and anticipation as I step out of the car when my dropped off at an international terminal. There is something to be said about the anticipation of journeying off to somewhere new, leaving familiarity behind and being whisked away to somewhere anywhere but ‘here’. Each change of scenery is an adventure on its own, even when migrating short distances between one city and the next. 

I’m not sure when I became addicted to the magic of being transported from one part of the world to another, but I will say that I’ve consistently worked towards living a lifestyle that involves having a career with geographic fluidity. Only a few months ago did I come to the realization that since I was 18, I haven't lived in the same city for more than 2 years - including the 6-months I spent studying at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand and backpacking through most of Southeast Asia on the weekends.

Although 5 years ago, or even 2 years ago I would have never imagined myself living and working in Windhoek, Namibia, I can’t say I’ve veered too far from my overall goal. My main takeaway from studying abroad in Bangkok back in 2007, was that I would much rather work and live in different countries, versus traveling the world through the lens of a tourist. Rather, I told myself, I would find a way to work and live in different countries long enough to experience the day-to-day life through the eyes of a local.

And so, the journey continues.

German architecture on the morning walk to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration (MHAI). 

When my one-year position as an Adviser for the South African Supplier Development Council came to an end this past August, I was determined to find another job somewhere in South Africa or a nearby country. After one year, I accepted that I was not ready to walk away from Jozi and all its complexed beauty. I stumbled across an opportunity with a South African-based management consulting firm through a friend of mine (further evidence that your networks are key!) and learned they were hiring consultants for an upcoming project with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration in Windhoek, Namibia. Until my first day at work the Ministry, I had never set foot in the country. About two-and-a-half-years ago, I spent a few hours in the Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport whilst in transit from Cape Town to Accra (and met a new friend in the process), but that was the extent of my Windhoek experience.

So, what am I doing here in Windhoek? To save the both of us time and confusion, I'll point you to this poster that is one of the many signage initiatives we've undertaken at the Ministry. I appreciate this poster because it succinctly gives you an overall idea of the Project's aim. Whenever someone enquires about the work I'm doing here, I send them this photo (see above). You can also read about the project in an article published by The Namibian back in May 2014.

To answer other questions received from friends and family, the 'Turnaround Project' is 18 months and began in June 2014. One perk of is that it gives me the opportunity to continue traveling, without completely leaving Johannesburg. Since we're a Johannesburg-based consulting firm, I fly back to Joburg every other weekend. To be honest, it's kind of a sweet deal. I can live and work in a change of scenery, while spending every other weekend in Joburg - not bad, hey? And of course, there's gained experience and skill, but that's a given.

Yes, Hello Hilton Hotel #Selfie.

The only real unnerving change, is that I don't have an apartment in Joburg anymore. Unlike my fellow colleagues, I have no family in Joburg. So yes, I am now a nomad to the fullest extent. For the first month I resided at the Hilton Hotel Windhoek, but then moved into a fully-furnished flat (or apartment). Before I left Joburg, I gave away most of my extra clothes and shoes. Since the flat I've lived in for the past year was fully furnished, the only items I own at the moment fit into the several suitcases I have, plus my car which I left at my friends house. Other than that, I own no furniture or anything of real value. And to be honest - I love it... no dressers, dining room tables, televisions or mattresses to move or sell! There's nothing holding me back should I choose to up and leave. I can simply pack my belongings and vamoose. Ah, the freedom!

So cheers to 2015. Cheers to more writing, reflecting, appreciating, and simply striving for happiness. I keep it simple. 

Soaking up the sun poolside at the Hilton on a Sunday afternoon.

View from the Hilton, uke and all. 

The Nomad Visits Home Three Times in 2014

First world problems I know, but I may have visited home too many times this year. I made the 25+ hour flight three times the 2014 calendar year, but each reason was completely legitimate, I promise.

• In May I went home for Mother's Day, my Mommy's 50th birthday, and Robinson & Hien's wedding
• In August I took a one month holiday in between contracts with the SASDC in South Africa and FTC in Namibia. During that month I split time between my Daddy and Aunty Tammy's wedding in Hawaii, birthday celebrations in California, and reuniting with friends in New York
• Finally, I spent Christmas with my Mommy & Sky back at home in December.

Yes, at times it can be difficult and not to mention expensive, to maintain long distance friendships... and all relationships for that matter.

But yet, real love is timeless. It doesn't die. It knows no bounds.

Highlights from visiting home in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Hien and Van Doan aka Robinson's wedding at the winery on Treasure Island, San Francisco.

We've been homies since high school. 

A trip home is never complete without my Papa. We're here with Carson.

Mommy, Papa, Myself & Sky at Christmas.

Sky, Daddy and I on his wedding day. Honoloulu, Hawaii - August 31, 2014

Car selfie on the drive to Pismo Beach for Danirose's 27th birthday.

I made it just in time to meet Baby Ari before catching a flight back to Joburg the morning of the day she was born.

Baby Ari then, May 2014 (above). Now, Dec 2014.

View of the Bay Bridge at night. It never gets old.