Become Inspired by Jacqueline Novogratz to "Just Start" During Covid-19

Jacqueline Novogratz, Twitter.

Ten years ago I was sitting in an office building during my lunch breaks with Jacqueline Novogratz's book The Blue Sweater open on my lap. Then incredibly the following year I got to meet her at the East Africa launch of the book.

Jacqueline is one of my greatest role models and inspirations for her tenacious commitment to a better world, belief in dignity for all people, and compelling storytelling. I'm so excited to be able to see her livestreaming just about every day this month.

Manifesto for A Moral Revolution, audible.com.

Manifesto for A Moral Revolution: Practices to Build A Better World

Jacqueline released her new book on March 5: Manifesto for A Moral Revolution: Practices to Build A Better World.

Here's a summary of the book, shared by the publisher, Henry Holt and Company:

"In 2001, when Jacqueline Novogratz founded Acumen, a global community of socially and environmentally responsible partners dedicated to changing the way the world tackles poverty, few had heard of impact investing - Acumen's practice of "doing well by doing good."

"Nineteen years later, there's been a seismic shift in how corporate boards and other stakeholders evaluate businesses: impact investment is not only morally defensible but now also economically advantageous, even necessary. 

"Still, it isn't easy to reach a success that includes profits as well as mutually favorable relationships with workers and the communities in which they live. So how can today's leaders, who often kick off their enterprises with high hopes and short timetables, navigate the challenges of poverty and war, of egos and impatience, which have stymied generations of investors who came before? 

"Drawing on inspiring stories from change-makers around the world and on memories of her own most difficult experiences, Jacqueline divulges the most common leadership mistakes and the mind-sets needed to rise above them. The culmination of thirty years of work developing sustainable solutions for the problems of the poor, So You Want to Change the World offers the perspectives necessary for all those-whether ascending the corporate ladder or bringing solar light to rural villages-who seek to leave this world better off than they found it."

Daily Practices with Jacqueline Novogratz

Join Jacqueline’s Daily Leadership Practices Series exploring what it takes to create meaningful social change. The first session, "It Will Take All of Us," was livestreamed on May 5 at 10:30 AM EDT.

You can register for the free online events. I registered for all of them. But you don't really need to register for the ones on the website that appear in color blocks and are organized by Acumen. Those are livestreaming from Jacqueline's Facebook page.

The May 6 livestream was lovely. She told us to "just start." Watch it on her Facebook page.

On May 5 she gave us a preview of that May 6 livestream, posting on Facebook, "Most people want to change the world, especially now. But too many sit and wait for a sense of purpose. Those strategies lead to more waiting. So just start.

"Join me on Wednesday, May 6th at 10:30am EDT as I share from my new book an essential short list of leadership practices for everyone who wants to do good in this world. For 3 weeks I am hosting daily readings of 12 practices exploring what it takes to create change. On Wednesday I will livestream from my page our second session: Just Start."

Jacqueline Novogratz, Jacqueline Novogratz Facebook May 6, 2020.

Jaqueline Novogratz

"Jacqueline’s work began in 1986 when she quit her job on Wall Street to co-found Rwanda’s first microfinance institution, Duterimbere. The experience inspired her to write the bestseller, The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor, and create Acumen. Indeed, when she founded Acumen in 2001, few had heard of the words impact investing. Nineteen years later, under Jacqueline’s leadership, Acumen has invested $128 million to build more than 128 social enterprises across Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. These companies have leveraged an additional $611 million and brought basic services like affordable education, health care, clean water, energy and sanitation to more than 260 million people. In 2015, Fast Company named Acumen one of the world’s Top 10 Most Innovative Not-for-Profits."

Continue reading Jacqueline's biography on the Acumen website.

What are you doing when you feel most beautiful?

I just grabbed this from an interview with Acumen Fund founder Jacqueline Novogratz that appeared in the New York Times today.

Q. Let’s shift to hiring. What questions do you ask job candidates?

A. By the time someone gets to me, I assume that they have the skills for the job, so I’m looking for fit. I ask people to tell me their story. How did you grow up? Who are the influences in your life? Tell me about a time when you really failed. And if you give me a really silly answer to that question, I’m going to know it and I’m going to ask you to leave. I have been known for the five-minute interview, which the team does not like.

Q. And what will prompt the five-minute cutoff?

A. If somebody says, “My biggest weakness is that I work too hard” or “I’m a perfectionist.”

I want to know the essence of who you are, what makes you tick, why you are coming here. If somebody just sees this as a steppingstone to somewhere else, I’m not interested.

Show me when you’ve taken leaps because you were so excited about the work that it was the only thing you could do. When did you feel like you really let yourself down, and what did you learn from it? What are you most proud of, and what are you doing when you feel most beautiful? People get a little confused by that last question, and they’ll ask, “What do you mean by beautiful?” What the world needs are people who are unafraid to build things of beauty from the inside out. And when I use that word, if people are honest with themselves, they know what I’m talking about: What are you doing when you are shining, when you’re in the zone, when you’re on fire? What are you doing when you feel that way? I think you learn a lot about someone when they answer that question.

What we’re really looking for are the hungry, curious seekers, but it has to be undergirded with hard-core analytical skills, so that people are unafraid to say, “This will work” or “This is never going to work.” So there’s got to be a tough, gritty core in them and an idealistic excitement about what’s possible to build in the world.

They have to have character. Are they self-aware? Are they ready to think about what and who and how they want to be in the world? Are they givers, because we don’t need takers. Are they fierce? Do they have an intellect that can kind of dance with you?

Are they doing this because they want to work on the toughest issues of the world, and not because they want to feel good about themselves? I think that’s probably a real differentiator with us. There are a lot of hard issues, and they have to want to help figure them out. It’s that alchemy I’m looking for, and not just the skills and the personality.

Let's send a Kenyan Girl to High School!

As you may already know, I spent summer 2011 in East Africa on a self-directed, self-funded fellowship affiliated with the Daraja Academy of Kenya. Daraja is located outside of the city of Nanyuki, Kenya, an approximately four hour drive north of the country's capital city, Nairobi.

In theory, a high school education is free in Kenya. In reality, it is not. As a result many Kenyan youth with a lot of potential and big dreams are unable to complete their educational goals. Daraja Academy of Kenya officially opened its doors in February 2009, to provide a high school education (and much more) to 100+ of Kenya's amazing but very under-resourced young women. We will graduate our first class this December!

The school is supported by individual donors like you and me, as well as the San Francisco Bay Area based Carr Educational Foundation. As a member of the Carr Educational Foundation Board of Director's Volunteer Committee, I have committed to fundraising for Daraja as part of this year's Bay to Breakers Fundraising Campaign.

Bay to Breakers is a 7.46 mile race that takes place in San Francisco each summer. Runners start at the Bay on the east side of the city, and run across the city to the ocean breakers on the western side of the city. Daraja fundraisers will be participating in the race again this year - including me! If I am unable to run the course on May 20 then I pledge to run 4 trail miles, followed by 4 miles (288 laps) in the pool on race day - Sunday, May 20.

Please support me and the ladies of Daraja by making a contribution of any amount by the Sunday, May 20 deadline. Thank you so much for your support! If you are so inclined then please invite your friends to help, too!

Enjoy my Daraja Academy of Kenya Video Scrapbook! I made it especially for my fundraising campaign.

- Nicole

Happy (belated) Generosity Day!

This post I wrote originally appeared on Care2.com:

How will you be celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? With some ethically-sourced chocolate or flowers? How about with some generosity?

About a year ago, Sasha Dichter, Acumen Fund’s Chief Innovation Officer, decided to spend the month of December saying “yes” to everyone who asked him for money – a homeless person, a street musician, a nonprofit. Prior to this, his gut response was to say “no.” He said that this was keeping him from being the open, generous person that he wanted to be.

Sasha then got together with with Katya Andreson of Network for Good, Scott Case of Malaria No More, and Ellen McGirt of Fast Company to reboot Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day.

What does that mean? As Sasha said, it’s “… one day of sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying Yes.”

To continue reading this post click here - you'll be taken to the original post on Care2.com.

you CAN do it.

Celebrating Acumen Fund's 10 Year Anniversary:

East Africa: Who What Where Why?

This post is an attempt to summarize what I have begun to refer to as my "self-funded, self-directed fellowship" ... otherwise known as my "East Africa Summer" - May 14 through Aug 22, 2011.

It all started with my Lehigh Comparative Politics class. Our TA Brian had spent a semester abroad in Kenya, and used to meet with a small group of interested students once a week, to show us photographs and tell us stories about Kenya. Years later two close friends, Sharon and Eric left at about the same time for Tanzania, to volunteer for extended amounts of time. I got to experience Tanzania vicariously through them. Then in January 2010 I watched the first Invisible Children documentary about the Lord's Resistance Army and Joseph Kony. I was really touched by Jacob's story, one of the Ugandan boys in the film, and started following Invisible Children's work. Over the course of the rest of 2010, things just kept piling on top of each other. I read Jacqueline Novogratz's book The Blue Sweater, and began going to Acumen Fund events. I started meeting people from San Francisco's social entrepreneurship community, while also reading about other young social entrepreneurs. I wanted my own experience, and I wanted to meet the social entrepreneurs in East Africa and hear their stories in person. Fortunately things culminated in my life in such a way that I was able to just jump in with both feet, and I began to plan an East Africa Summer.

The next part wasn't quite as easy. Invisible Children doesn't have a volunteer program in their Gulu, Uganda office. I had missed the Kiva Fellowship Program application deadline. I hadn't been to East Africa before and didn't have any friends there; I needed to plan out where I would be volunteering, and my return date. I remembered that the Daraja Academy of Kenya had invited me to volunteer at their campus in Kenya, after the successful athletic shoe drive that Caitie and I had organized the previous summer. I applied to volunteer at Daraja for a month beginning on May 14, and was accepted. Next, I needed to propose a project to be completed during my month's stay on campus. I am very interested in access to higher education and love mentoring my Level Playing Field Summer Math & Science Honors Academy students, so I proposed serving as a guidance counselor on campus, for the month. Daraja had a better idea - they needed help researching post-graduation opportunities for the students. Daraja is a young school - the oldest students are in Form 3 (high school juniors). So I would get to do some planning work, which sounded exciting! While I was quitting my job and giving up my San Francisco apartment, I figured that I might as well stay in East Africa for the summer. I reached out to one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who I had met several months prior to see if he had any suggestions. Garang said that he could use my help with a particular project in East Africa, and we decided that I would return to the USA on August 22. So I was all set! I gave notice, gave away a lot of my stuff, packed what was left, drove that stuff and my dog to my mom's in NY, and then I was off to the airport.

I lived on Daraja's campus outside of Nanyuki, near Mount Kenya from May 14 through June 14. I spent most of my time conducting online research, interviewing civil servants (Nanyuki is the Laikipia District seat so there is a government compound in town), helping students prepare for the Music Festival competition, attending Sunday student-run religious services, ran a Blue Sweater Book Club using twenty-five copies of the book that had been donated by the Acumen Fund, participating in the sports program, sitting in on the Women of Integrity Strength and Hope (WISH) classes, and in general trying to get to know the students and the Kenyan education system as well as possible.

I had trouble reaching Garang of New Scholars while I was at Daraja, due to poor telecommunications infrastructure in South Sudan. So at this point it was time to re-invent the summer plans! From Daraja I proceeded to Jinja, Uganda to visit an old friend, Meghan who was volunteering with Light Gives Heat for the summer. I spent about a week in Jinja learning about Meghan's work and meeting her fellow volunteers and the organization's staff, went to Sipi Falls, Bujagali Falls, went white water rafting on the Nile, and spent a lot of time meeting staff and guests at the hostel where I was staying, which is where I learned so much about Ugandan culture, the education system, credit, and development. From there I headed onto Kampala, the capital of Uganda where I was invited to stay with a fellow Pace Law Environmental Program alum, Elaine who was on a Fulbright and was living on the Makarere University Campus. Thanks to Elaine and a Kiva Fellow I met, Michele, got to know the expat community and life in Kampala. I also got to meet the founders of one of my favorite social ventures, AFRIpads! While in Kampala I also explored the city, and learned that Jacqueline Novogratz had tweeted about me! I left Kampala for a few days, to track chimps in Kibale National Park. While there I realized that the water filter that I brought with me from the USA was not working and began to drink bottled water, not realizing that my body was already fighting water-borne illnesses. I'd met two Australian travelers on my first day in Uganda, who had invited me to go up to Gulu, Uganda with them to visit the Invisible Children office. I'd also met Tom, a Ugandan who attends university in Michigan and is active with his campus' Invisible Children Club but was home for summer break, at a coffee shop in Jinja. Tom had introduced me to someone who works in the Invisible Children Gulu office. Visiting Gulu, meeting the Invisible Children staff, staying at one of the Invisible Children staff houses, going to Krochet Kids' compound ... I learned so much! I wrapped up my three and a half weeks in Uganda with one final Nile rafting trip, and goodbye-for-now's to my friends at the hostel, and Meghan. Leaving Uganda ... crossing the border back into Kenya ... that was hard. I loved Uganda.

I headed right back to Nairobi, to begin the third and final part of my East Africa Summer. I stayed at a hostel (Upper Hill Campsite) that had been recommended by my Australian friends, as well as a San Francisco Surfrider friend Jules, who had been through Nairobi recently. I met some people who had been traveling all over Africa, and had interesting stories to tell. Thanks to Michele's roommate in Kampala, I quickly found a room in a Western apartment to sublet, in the heart of Nairobi. I spent most of the next six weeks in Nairobi itself, doing work. Even though I had technically already finished my project for Daraja, I decided to continue my research, independently. I felt as if I was just beginning to scratch the surface of understanding, when I left Daraja. There was (and still is) so much to learn. But it wasn't all work - I took side trips to Maasai Mara National Park "on safari", up to Daraja's campus for a quick weekend to meet Daraja co-founder Jenni who had been out of the country while I was living at Daraja, and to Mombasa and Diani Beach on the Kenyan coast. I met some great fellow travelers white water rafting and on safari, who I later caught up with in Nairobi - Maria, Elien and Jan. I also did a few "day trips" within Nairobi's city limits - to the David Sheldrick Baby Elephant and Rhino Orphanage for the public daily milk feeding and then for the tuck-in, and to Nairobi National Park. I got connected to two Georgetown alums in Nairobi, Angela and Laney, and another American living in Nairobi, Karen. I had so much fun hanging out with them, getting advice about health care when my illnesses started keeping me down, and helping Angela out with the Amanai Art Club that she started for Nairobi street boys. I got to meet two of my friend Sharon's Kenyan friends, two Kiva Fellows in Nairobi, Richard and Nila, and my friend Sowmya's friends from her International Peace Masters Program, Wilson and Edith. I also got to meet Acumen Fund Nairobi office team member Suraj, who invited me to the launch of the Acumen East Africa Fellows Program where I got to meet Jacqueline Novogratz, and to TEDxKibera. Lehigh young alum Freedom warmly welcomed me to Kenya, and helped me plan and run a Lehigh Alumni Happy Hour in Nairobi. I mentioned that one of my plans for my summer was to meet inspiring social entrepreneurs, and to get to hear their stories. I got to meet Jessica Posner, who has been an inspiration to me from the time that I first learned of her work with Shining Hope for Communities. I also got to reconnect with Garang from New Scholars, while he was in Nairobi from South Sudan, and learned how I can help him with his work. I remain so passionate about the work that needs to be done - and opportunities - in South Sudan.

In addition to all of these activities, and learning Nairobi I continued on with the research that I began at Daraja. While touring social ventures in Uganda, I noticed that every venture had social workers on staff. I began to consider that bursaries (college scholarships) were not quite enough - the students need mentors, too. While in Uganda I got to meet with a US Embassy employee who helps Ugandan students access US universities, and then got to meet staff in Kenya who are doing a similar thing. I set up appointments and dropped in on nonprofits and corporate operations that empower Kenyan students via both bursaries and mentoring programs, including Akili Dada, KenSAP, and Equity Bank. (I was invited to attend the two-week long second annual Equity Bank Congress on Kenyatta University's campus, which was an amazing experience - got to meet inspiring students, and was able to collaborate with fantastic bank employees.) While conducting my research at Daraja I learned about some of Kenya's top students, and found that many attended two "national" boarding schools for girls, both located in Nairobi - Precious Blood Riruta and Kenya High School. I was invited to visit both campuses, and learned so much from meeting the Precious Blood students and Principal, and staff at Kenya High School. Meeting John, one of the current Acumen East Africa Fellows, turned some of my thoughts upside down. Wow - one of the best things from my summer was people's willingness to go out of their way to teach me, and help me with my work.

I left Nairobi on August 22, to fly back to the States feeling as if my work was just beginning. I'm still trying to draw conclusions from all that I saw, experienced, and learned this past summer. I remind myself of Jacqueline Novogratz's keynote at the East Africa Fellows launch event, when she reminded us that she has been doing this work for twenty-five years. I can't expect to have figured everything out in three and a half months. And yet ... the best thing is just to begin. Thanks to Sanergy, a eco-sanitation solution social venture in Nairobi, I found out about Kevin Starr's PopTech talk.



It's given me a lot to think about. I also learned a lot from a conversation that I had with Saul Garlick at SOCAP11 (Social Capital Markets Conference) last month. What do I care most about? What is the problem that I want to solve? Forget about the rest of it. Just start with this. I'm working on it, and will update here when I'm ready! But the main theme is empowering young East African women to create change in their communities through mentoring, education, travel and extended service learning.

Thanks to everyone who followed along with my adventures by reading my East Africa blog posts, and checking in with me. It meant a lot!

East Africa Day 39 (Tues June 21, 2011): In the Beginning it will be Hard

I slept well last night, after yesterday's adventures on the Nile!

After a shower I sat with Stacey, Maria, and their two fellow volunteers from Germany in the hostel’s porch/lounge area for a while. They were preparing to part ways. Stacey is headed back to the village with Maria, and the German women are going to visit an orphanage in a nearby town that they had volunteered for during a previous summer. By the time the German volunteers get back to the village, Stacey will have already left Kenya to head back to Canada.



I also met a Bulgarian woman studying at a university in London, who has been staying at the hostel with a big group of mostly theater majors from her school. Twenty students from her school have been here in Uganda for the past month, volunteering for Soft Power, the organization that our river guide Juma's wife Sharon, runs. They each fundraised 650 pounds to cover their volunteer fees, and paid for their own plane tickets. Carmen told me that they were renovating schools - painting them inside and out, helping with construction projects, etc. They have been boarding in the schools - sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags, with bed nets. For example the school that they are working on right now has six rooms. They painted the first five rooms, and slept in the sixth room. They were here for the weekend to explore Jinja together before returning to London.

I walked over to Meghan's house, and had fun hanging out on their front porch, catching up with the Light Gives Heat Team.


photo: hanging out in the Light Gives Heat house dining room.

On my way over to the house I ran into a protest. A Ugandan man had pulled what looked like a telephone pole down, and had used it to block off the street. A small group of spectators (or maybe supporters) had formed at the intersection. I was not allowed to pass. I asked some of the young people there what was going on, and asked them the best alternate route to get to Meghan's address. One nice young guy walked me to a short cut that meanders between backyards, running parallel to the road. It was very pretty and worked out perfectly. The protest had wrapped up by the time I left Meghan's to head back to the hostel.

When I got back to the hostel I found Juma and Gerald at the bar. I asked Juma for his advice regarding the best way for a mzungu like me to make a difference in Uganda. He had a lot of interesting things to say. Firstly, he suggested that I get to know the community that I want to help. Find out what the villagers think of wazungus. Each community has a different opinion, and works differently. If they do not have a favorable impression of wazungus, then you must first try to change this. He told me some things about the Ugandan culture - crucial to understand if you want to work in Uganda. However, the thing that stuck with me the most was that like starting a business such as Nile River Explorers, in the beginning it will be hard. If you are the one who started a program or a business, then you might not be the one to actually see and experience it's success - because the early days are so hard. He gave me some great examples from NRE - contrasting how things were in the beginning, with how they are now. He said that if you want to be a part of that success, then you should either send someone in your place to start the project/organization, and then go later so that you can enjoy the success. Otherwise, just realize that you will be the one to sacrifice, but you might not be the one to enjoy the benefits of that sacrifice. Or I suppose another alternative is that you don't start a project - instead you join someone else's once it's been started and is already successful. But of course so many of us are drawn to risk.

In the course of the discussion I also learned the origins of the word Mzungu.

I later grabbed this from Wikipedia: The etymology of the word stems from a contraction of words meaning "one who wanders aimlessly" (from swahili words zungu, zunguzungu, zunguka, zungusha, mzungukaji-meaning to go round and round; from Luganda okuzunga which means to wander aimlessly ) and was coined to describe European explorers, missionaries and slave traders who traveled through East African countries in the 18th century.

Wanderer? I like the word more, now. Though I prefer to be referred to and addressed by my name, Nicole.

Meghan came by while I was talking with Juma, and he gave us his thoughts on our travel plans for this coming weekend. After that I hung out with some of the staff members and that was pretty much the end of a rainy, overcast day! Last thing I did tonight was post my recap and lesson plans for the Blue Sweater Book Club on Daraja's campus to the Acumen Fund community. Hopefully it'll help someone else!

East Africa Day 30 (Sun June 12): Daraja Blue Sweater Book Club!

What a great, satisfying day! I woke up before sunrise today, and managed to get out of bed just long enough to open my banda door and look at the beautiful skyline:) I then got my Blue Sweater notes out, and began re-reading the chapters I’d assigned to the students for today’s Book Club meeting: the prologue, Chapters 13 and 16. Fellow volunteer, Sue left campus today to return to Marin County. She’s planning to come back next summer, to coach the students for the Nanyuki Music Festival; at least everyone knows that she’ll be back in less than 12 months! After saying goodbye to Sue, I took my materials out to the quad, and listened to the Catholic students singing in a classroom to my right, and the Protestant students singing in a classroom to my left. It was beautiful morning – sunny, but not hot.



I created my outline for Book Club as the students were finishing services. I then found two Form 3 students who were out behind the dormitory building closest to my banda, doing their laundry. (Pamela had told me that she learned how to do wash last weekend, and that it was a lot of fun. Plus, I had some clothes that I really needed to thoroughly wash:) I watched the students do their laundry and received a very detailed lesson.

First the white powder soap goes into a bucket with running water from the tap. Then the clothes go into the bucket, to be scrubbed. (Darks are washed together, lights are washed together, and clothing that might bleed is washed in its own bucket.) The dirty clothes are scrunched around in the bucket with the suds. Then a bar of soap (not specifically labeled in the store, for clothing – I asked – the soap is multi-purpose) is rubbed into the clothes, into stains or heavily soiled areas. Then you scrub the bar soaped areas, holding the clothing above the surface of the water. You must take the type of fabric into account when scrubbing with the soap – for example wool sweater sleeves should be scrubbed between your hands, from shoulder seam to wrist so that you do not stretch out the sweater sleeve. Heavily soiled areas include cuffs – the students made sure that I applied the bar soap to all of my sleeve cuffs! Next, after using the bar soap, the clothing is again swished around in the suds-filled bucket. Then you wring it out, and put the clothing into another bucket.



If the clothing was particularly dirty, or if the water in the suds bucket is now pretty dirty, then you know that it needs to be scrubbed again. (The students were supervising me, and deemed that re-scrubbing was necessary in my case:) So then a student re-scrubbed my clothes in a second bucket of sudsy water, again using the bar soap. Then, the clothes wound up in a third bucket where the second student also scrubbed the parts that I hadn’t done thoroughly enough. I tell you, these are going to be the cleanest clothes that I will have ever put on my body!

Finally, the soapy but wrung-out clothes were put into a bucket of clean water, to be rinsed. When the bucket is full of soapy clothes, the bucket is pushed underneath the spigot, and clean water is poured over each item of clothing separately to make sure that the soap comes out. Then the clothes are wrung out and hung up outside in the sun to dry. Athletic shoes are left to sit in a soapy bucket for a bit, and are scrubbed with a brush – especially if the shoes are white. Apparently they get quite dirty and it’s a process to clean them, based on the students’ looks when I asked them about the shoe-washing process:)

I asked who washes the clothes at home. One student does the family’s laundry with her mom. The other student’s sister washes the family’s clothes. Sometimes brothers will beg or pay their sisters to wash their dirty clothes. The wash is done once a week, and apparently wash for one family – especially if there are little kids who like to play in the dirt – can be a lot of work. I can imagine, based on my experience this morning, with my limited amount of dirty clothing! I also learned that washing clothes is a profession – persons go door to door in a community, to ask if you need your clothes washed. Some families use the same launderer each time, because they know that they can trust the launderer. Some launderers steal your clothing when you hand it over, to be washed. But I had a great time washing my clothes this morning, and it was very satisfying! (Unfortunately it rained this afternoon so my damp clothes are now hanging up inside of my banda awaiting tomorrow’s sun, but that’s OK. Except undergarments – those must be hung up to dry in a place where Kenyans will not be able to catch a glimpse of them.)

I then held my Book Club meeting from 2-3pm, directly following lunch. On my way to my chosen spot on the quad lawn, underneath a tree, I passed this student reading the book. She was so engrossed in it that she didn’t even notice that I snapped a few photos of her from various angles:)



I sat down underneath the tree to wait … ten students came, Vice Principal Victoria, Pamela, Maria, and Car stopped by to snap these photos for me with my camera. I was so touched, particularly because the students start exams tomorrow. Some students have four exams tomorrow – covering everything that they have learned since school started a month ago. Since the students hadn’t had a chance to complete all of the reading, we primarily used The Blue Sweater to discuss the bigger picture – the definition of an “entrepreneur”, some examples of entrepreneurs from the book (Jacqueline herself, plus two entrepreneurs she writes about), and Jenni and Jason who started Daraja. We talked about the obstacles that these entrepreneurs faced – such as people who told them “no”, and the amazing things that can happen when you listen to your inner voice and don’t give up.



We also discussed Acumen Fund’s model, the Kibera Book Club, “patient capital” vs grants and traditional loans. I likened the Daraja students to the entrepreneurs that we discussed, and made sure that they knew through much repetition that they will be great, and that they just need to stick with it until they divine their own purposes. I used the example of the entrepreneur in The Blue Sweater who was a well-respected eye doctor in India, who then created a new product that wound up aiding the poor around the world. This Indian man was a doctor, yes – but he took a different path, turned down an offer to buy his product because he believed there was another, better way to serve the poor, and he made a huge difference. I perhaps over did, through much repetition, that you can be great in a variety of ways – there is no one “right” way to be great, no one “right” profession or job, and that everyone has their own talents that will lead them to their own paths. I encouraged risk-taking, entrepreneurship, and big dreams. I told them that we were talking about the Blue Sweater because Jacqueline’s story inspires me, but that it’s Jacqueline’s story, and her idea for making the world a better place. I told the students that they each have their own stories to tell, and their own ideas, and ways to contribute – they just have to figure out what it will be, and try out their ideas, no matter what anyone else says! I made sure the students know that they are already great – and that one day when Daraja has many more students, the students will look back at the great ladies of Daraja who helped the Dougherty’s start the school. I told them that I heard that there was no other school like Daraja in the whole world – they are very special young women. I told them that Acumen Fund believes that, too – the chronicle about how Jo-Ann weighed the book for me, I decided I could take 25 pounds of books in my luggage, and then carted the plastic bag of books around NYC before packing them In my luggage and bringing them to campus. I wrapped up by reading the students the “Dear Students” letter from Jacqueline, that accompanies the Student Book Club guide available for use, on the Acumen website. We also talked about the story behind the book’s title – based on their knowing smiles, I could tell that they loved and related to that story:) We are indeed one people, one planet, one world.

INSERT 31-18.

During the course of our talk I had the students open the book many times, as I read aloud from the book to illustrate my points. They are so attentive – it’s amazing. Each time I glanced up between words, the students were all following along in their own copies of the book. It was great to see their smiles and bright eyes, to see them seriously considering all of my questions, and to hear their thoughts. I hope that the twenty-five copies of the book that I left in the Daraja library will receive much use! I also recommended “The Boy Who Inherited the Wind” – it’s in the library!

INSERT 31-19.

I noticed this afternoon that two students are reading “Three Cups of Tea” today – sweet! After Book Club I started ”Stones into Schools”, by the same author – Greg Mortenson. Tomorrow might be my last full day at Daraja. Hard to believe – the month has gone by too quickly.

East Africa Day 29 (Sat June 11): Happy Birthday, Andy!

Another pre-breakfast run was followed by work in the office. It was just me and the dogs for most of the day. (We had a rain storm with lightning and thunder this afternoon, and the dogs came inside to hang out with me.) I heard Tusker alert me that someone was at the door. I just assumed that it was a student or a staff member, looking for Mr. Wa, whose desk is across from mine. Everyone comes looking for Mr. Wa! They always knock before entering the office, and then I say “come in” and the person emerges from behind the bookcase that blocks my view of the doorway. So today, I thought it was strange that Tusker alerted me that someone was at the door, but I didn’t hear a knock at the door. But I was distractedly typing up my notes from yesterday’s interviews, and didn’t pay attention. Then I hear a crunching noise … I still think someone is about to walk into the office. I looked over my left shoulder towards the bookcase and door, and this is what I saw … WHATTT???!!! A cow eating a piece of paper out of the trash bin! I got up and walked closer for a closer photo, but it slowly walked out of the office door – no big deal here.



Today was Daraja Volunteer Coordinator Andy’s 26th Birthday. This evening Leila asked me if I’d seen Andy today. She said that she hadn’t seen him, and thought that he was hiding from the students. I learned that it’s Daraja tradition that the Birthday Person has water dumped on top of them, on their Birthday. Andy missed out today!

Saturday evenings at Daraja are dancing and movie night. As I’ve mentioned, the students use a smaller-sized TV and DVD player for their multi-purpose entertainment, in the dining hall after the plates are cleared away. Sue’s employer donated a projector, Sue donated a laptop, and purchased computer speakers in town last week. She taught Betty and Leila how to set up and operate the system, so that the students could watch their movies on a larger screen with the projector. We finally got it all set up, and all of the girls sat down, leaning forward towards the screen, waiting for the movie to begin. (They chose to watch The Social Network tonight.) But when the movie started, the girls couldn’t really hear the sound - even with the volume turned up all of the way. New speakers needed. In the meantime, back to the TV and DVD player. Sue brought the students candy – pop rocks, etc – which she passed out during the movie tonight. It was really cute!

She had also brought stamps and stickers, which the girls used tonight to make Andy Birthday cards. After the students started the movie, Sue and I went up to Jenni and Jason’s house for Andy’s Birthday Party. He loved his cards from the girls! Here are a few photos from the party. Happy Birthday, Andy!





Blue Sweater Book Club tomorrow!! Wish me luck!

East Africa Day 25 (Tues June 7): Introducing the Daraja Academy of Kenya Blue Sweater Book Club!

When Victoria and I met yesterday, I mentioned that I would like to hear Daraja’s (Kenyan) teachers stories about how they personally navigated the university process. The faculty and I were supposed to meet over lunch today. That’s been pushed back to Thursday - the students had an afternoon football (soccer) and volleyball tournament today with students from a Nanyuki secondary school. As a result, classes ended early and so lunch was shortened to squeeze every possible classroom lesson in, this afternoon. Since I didn’t have to plan for the lunch meeting, I decided to spend the AM preparing to speak to the students about my Blue Sweater Book Club!

Here’s a view of the office, with everyone who is currently using the space at their typical respective work stations. Mine is the one with the empty chair …



The members of the Book Club and I are meeting from 2-3pm on Sunday. I’ve selected the Prologue, and Chapters 13 and 16 for the students to read before Sunday, and then we will discuss those chapters at Book Club.

Why all of this talk about a book?? :) Some people might know that the author of The Blue Sweater, Jacqueline Novogratz, is one of my heros. Her story is part of the reason that I am here this summer, writing these blog posts:) In 2001 Jacqueline founded the NYC-based nonprofit Acumen Fund. Here’s a summary of her book, The Blue Sweater - I grabbed the text from the Acumen website:

The Blue Sweater is the inspiring personal memoir of a woman who has spent her life on a quest to understand global poverty and to find powerful new ways of tackling it. From her first stumbling efforts as a young idealist venturing forth in Africa to the creation of the trailblazing organization she runs today, Jacqueline Novogratz brings us a series of insightful stories and unforgettable characters -- from women dancing in a Nairobi slum, to unwed mothers starting a bakery, to courageous survivors of the Rwandan genocide, to entrepreneurs building services for the poor against impossible odds. She shows, in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking, how traditional charity often fails, but how a new form of philanthropic investing called “patient capital” can help make people self-sufficient and change millions of lives. More than just an autobiography or a how-to guide to tackling poverty, this book challenges us to grant dignity to the poor and to rethink our engagement with the world.

I don’t remember how I first heard about Acumen Fund, but I must have really liked what I had heard, because I joined the org’s email list:) In early 2010 I received an email from Acumen HQ, promoting the idea of Blue Sweater Book Clubs around the world. The email said that there would be formal Book Clubs in Nairobi and San Francisco, and that anyone was welcomed to attend those two events. I immediately signed up for the San Francisco Book Club. Long story short, I became a volunteer for the San Francisco Acumen Fund Chapter, and Acumen is now one of my favorite orgs. I’ve been so inspired by the people that I’ve gotten to know through Acumen – I realized it was really finally time that I did something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time – travel to Africa with an eye on the possibilities.

The football and volleyball tournaments went well this afternoon – Daraja won both! I snapped a few photos at the football match – some of our players in their uniforms, and the coaches – newly arrived return volunteer and recent UCSD graduate from Tucson – Car, with Teacher Peter, Wa, and Andy.





After the match I snapped this cute one of Maria and her fiance, Bennett, with some of the students. When not in Kenya, they live in Ocean Beach, San Diego.




I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for the talk that Victoria and I decided that I would give to the students tonight, after dinner. Seventy-seven students attentively looking at me, while I practiced my own public speaking skills. Ashtonishingly, I did not ramble and probably spoke for ten minutes, max. I told them that I had come to Africa to learn what it is like to grow up here, but that I will never really know what it’s like. I can’t make Kenya a better place for women, because I don’t know what the problems are and what the solutions could be, like the students know them. So I told them that I came here to learn what their dreams are, and to try to help the students realize those dreams. I explained that I am here partly because of The Blue Sweater, and my belief that there are other ways to make this world a better place, other than the traditional careers that we all think of. I gave the example of how when I was in university, I thought that law was the right path because it sounded good, and it seemed that I would have the power to effect change. However I’ve since learned that there are plenty of other ways to go about making the world a better place – like the work that Acumen does, and the things that Jacqueline talked about in The Blue Sweater. I explained that I wanted the students to consider that there are so many ways that they can make Kenya a better place, and that I came because Caiitie Ireland told me about the Daraja students, and that I know that they can do it. I told them that Acumen Fund thinks that they can do it, too – and that the org donated twenty-five copies of The Blue Sweater to Daraja’s library, because Acumen thinks that it’s important for the Daraja students to read the book, too. I told them that the books would not be going anywhere – they will be in the library if they want to read the book at a later date, but that if they can read thirty-five pages before Sunday (the ones I’d assigned) then I would be holding Book Club on Sunday afternoon.

The students were so quiet – it was hard to tell if any of the students were moved to read the assigned text by Sunday. FINGERS CROSSED! But on the way out of the room where we held the meeting, I received a lot of silent hugs from students, and Mary N (a Form 1 student, and one of the students that I helped coach for the Public Speaking Competition) told me that I had done a good job with my speech, and I believe another student thanked me for sharing. We’ll see what happens on Sunday. I’d like to be able to continue the conversation about entrepreneurship and striking your own path with the students. When I said that the books would be in the library if the students wanted to read them later, I saw Emily, a Form 2 student that I also helped coach for Public Speaking, who was one of the three students who gave me my campus tour when I first arrived here, shaking her head – as if “I’m happy to hear the books will be in the library – I’ll read it later. So that was reassuring, at any rate:)
I then put the books out in the library …



After setting out the books with high hopes and crossed fingers, I helped Sue “test out” the projector, laptop and laptop speakers that she brought with her to donate to campus. We watched Rosalia’s favorite movie, “Twenty Seven Dresses”. It was cute!

East Africa Day 24 (Mon June 6): Progress

Next Monday is my last full day on Daraja’s campus. I leave campus bound for new adventures next Tuesday, June 15. These travelers beat me to it, though. Corinne is from Switzerland and Joseba is from Spain. They are riding their bikes from Egypt to South Africa over a time span of six months. They left campus after breakfast. You can check out their blog here.



This morning I met with Vice Principal Victoria for two hours (!) to discuss my Daraja project. We talked about the difficulties of accessing higher education (financial aid) specifically as it relates to our students. Why does my mission of “equalizing access to higher education for Kenyan women” get more complicated the more I learn about the realities of the Kenya system? It’s a good thing that difficulties never disuade me:) I’m thinking of writing a manual and creating an accompanying website to host and disseminate all of the information that I’m gathering for Daraja. Victoria liked my idea and gave me a suggestion for an additional section, which I totally love – how to stay true to your asipirations during your mandatory “gap year” between secondary school and university. She gave me some suggestions for my Nairobi research, which I’m excited to follow up on.

Since I’ve pretty much exhausted the internet’s resources by now, as it relates to my project, I asked her how I can be of service for my final week on campus. After a long talk, we decided that it would be prudent for me to do a Blue Sweater Book Club. I am introducing the book tomorrow (Tuesday) night at dinner, and will invite the students to take one of the twenty-five copies of the book out of the school library, and read an assigned chapter before we meet for an hour on Sunday afternoon for Book Club. I’m so excited to do this! I see it as an introduction to the topic of entrepreneurship and the road less taken. YAY! BIG THANKS to Acumen Fund’s NYC office –specifially Jo-Ann Tan, for providing me with as many copies of the book as I thought I would be able to carry to Kenya in my luggage! :)

Things become clearer each day, as I get a better grasp of the Kenyan education system and how I can be of service to the young women of Kenya. Progress!

Be the Change: Save a Life :: Entries due April 17

The Search for the Obvious, a project of Acumen Fund, is an effort to collect and distribute obvious solutions to pervasive problems.

It includes a series of challenges. The new challenge is Be the Change: Save a Life. Acumen Fund is partnering with ABC News' to bring attention to fact that giving birth is still a life-threatening (yet fixable) event for many women. 350,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth each year. 90% of those deaths occur in Africa and Asia. Eight in ten of these 350,000 deaths could be averted with simple (and often low-cost) treatments and quality obstetric care.

Help raise awareness about this issue by creating something that conveys the message that moms around the world deserve more! Quality maternal health is not an option, it's a right.



Challenge Categories:
* The most retweetable tweet of all time
* A story or essay that is New Yorker-worthy, bound to become a classic
* An iconic print ad or poster
* Guerrilla marketing or public art that commands immediate twitpic and yfrog-ing action
* A game-changing video à la The Girl Effect which champions maternal healthcare
* THE UNEXPECTED. YOU DECIDE...GO CRAZY!

To submit, simply email your name and all links to images, videos, text, or the unexpected to: moms[@]searchfortheobvious.com. Check out who will be judging the entries here.

Deadline is April 17 at 11:59pm PST.

The last challenge was "Sanitation is Sexy." Check out the winners of that challenge here.

Happy Generosity Day!

About a year ago Sasha Dichter, Director of Business Development at Acumen Fund, decided to spend the month of December saying "yes" to everyone who asked him for money - a homeless person, a street musician, a nonprofit. Prior to this, his gut response was to say "no". He said that this was keeping me from being the open, generous person that he wanted to be.

He tells his story here:



As a result of his personal experience Sasha decided to reboot today, Valentine's Day 2011, as Generosity Day:

... one day of sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying “Yes.” Let’s make the day about love, action and human connection--because we can do better than smarmy greeting cards, overpriced roses, and stressed-out couples trying to create romantic meals on the fly.

Bloggers from Fast Company to the HuffingtonPost have signed on. Join them by saying "yes" today.

Sasha shared these examples of great things to do on #generosityday:

* Give money to….a street musician, a homeless person, your favorite charity
* Take old clothes from your closet and give them to goodwill
* Leave a $5 tip for a $2 coffee
* Introduce yourself to someone you see every day but have never said hello to
* Bring in lunch for your co-workers
* Give someone a compliment

If you're a social media user then document and share your actions on Facebook and/or Twitter, using hashtag #generosityday to spread the word.

Here’s a sample tweet: I just left a $5 tip on a $2 coffee, because Valentine’s Day should be about generosity. http://bit.ly/generosityday #generosityday

Non-profit or for-profit: Who does it best? : NYC, Feb 15

Wish I could go to this event organized by the Feast ...

There’s no quick answer, but then again, it’s not a simple question. It is, however, a topic ripe for debate! Be there for a stimulating debate between amazing speakers: Jo Opot of TerraCycle and Kate MacKenzie of City Harvest, moderated by Sasha Dichter of Acumen Fund. Straight talk and even greater insight. We guarantee you'll get full on good!

Tues, Feb 15
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Salt Space
1158 Broadway at 27th St., 5th Floor, NY, NY

AGENDA:
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM [Registration + Networking]
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM [Statements + Debate]
8:30 PM - 9:00 PM [More Networking!]

Buy your tickets here.


MODERATOR:
Sasha Dichter, Vice President of Business Development, Acumen Fund
Sasha Dichter is the Director of Business Development at Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture capital fund that invests in enterprises that serve the poor. In this role, he leads up capital raising globally for Acumen Fund, including executing a $100M capital raise. Sasha serves as the point person for Acumen Fund’s Partner community, leads up Acumen Fund’s online and social media presence, and he heads up global partnerships for Acumen Fund, including geographic expansion. He is a member of Acumen Fund's leadership team. Sasha is also the author of the Manifesto for Nonprofit CEOs and is a leading blogger in the nonprofit space.

Before Acumen Fund, Sasha worked as Global Manager of Corporate Citizenship at GE Money, expanding financial offerings to underserved communities globally; and as a Senior Program Manager at IBM, spearheading the company’s corporate citizenship strategy and launching a leadership program for school administrators. Sasha began his career as a management consultant for Booz & Company in the telecommunications practice, based in New York but working primarily in Latin America and Europe. He has also worked with the microfinance group of Bank Rakyat Indonesia and with the venture-backed Navic Networks, recently acquired by Microsoft. Sasha holds a BA from Harvard College, a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.


FOR-PROFIT SPEAKER:
Jo Opot, Global Vice President of Business Development, TerraCycle Inc.
After a seven-month trip around the world, Jo returned to the US in 2010 to join TerraCycle as the Global Vice President of Business Development. Named the coolest start-up by Inc. Magazine, TerraCycle is the world's pioneer in upcycling and recycling waste. Jo oversees business development in 11 countries on 4 continents and loves spending her days “trash talking” brands into transforming their garbage into eco-products.

Jo was born in Nairobi and at fifteen she was selected to join the Kenyan national field hockey team. She got started in social change at sixteen by forging peace between teenage refugees through an after-school program she developed. Her program model was picked up by the UN and in college she worked for the UN in Russia, Kenya, and the US. Shortly after graduating from Middlebury College in 2005 she joined StartingBloc as the Director of Programs and grew in two years to become the Executive Director. In recognition of this work she was named one of the youngest members of the Social Venture Network in 2007. StartingBloc educates, empowers and connects emerging leaders and Jo's efforts directly supported over 1100 social innovators in forty countries by linking them to the education opportunities, funding sources and networks they needed to realize their goals. Jo currently lives in Chelsea and greatly enjoys figuring out how to positively impact the world by collaborating on ventures and leveraging her network.


NON-PROFIT SPEAKER:
Kate MacKenzie, Director of Policy and Government Relations, City Harvest
City Harvest exists to end hunger in communities throughout New York City. They do this through food rescue and distribution, education and other practical, innovative solutions. Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect 28 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry and deliver it, free of charge, to nearly 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of green trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 300,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.

Kate MacKenzie, M.S., R.D., works to reduce the underlying causes of hunger and food insecurity by advocating for and developing programs, policies and private-sector actions taht bring about long-term change and improve community self-sufficiency. On behalf of City Harvest, Kate works with Federal, State, and local partners on food security issues to support improved access to affordable food, local agriculture and community development. Kate led City Harvest's efforts as part of the NYC Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR), a group of organizations and individuals in New York City that asked members of Congress to support specific changes to the Child Nutrition Act so that federal programs covered by this legislation can help feed more children and provide more nutritious food. As a Convener for the New York City Food and Fitness Partnership, Kate directs a policy and systems change strategy on behalf of City Harvest that engages communities in making the healthy choice the easy choice by creating equitable access to healthy, quality, affordable food and opportunities for active living. The New York City Food and Fitness Partnership is a national initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and City Harvest is the New York City grantee. Kate is also an adjunct faculty member at Teachers College, Columbia University.

don't let your dreams be dreams.

Jacqueline Novogratz, the founder of Acumen Fund serves as an example of that to me, every day.

Acumen Fund now accepting apps for Class of 2011-2012 :: Apps due Nov 15

Grabbed this from an email I recently received from the Acumen Fund:

We are looking for young professionals who combine business skills and moral imagination with an unwavering dedication to solving the problems of poverty. Our Fellows are drawn from a pool of highly-talented, passionate people who come from all geographies, sectors, backgrounds, and ethnicities. Last year, we received applications from 70 countries.



Applications will be accepted online until 11:59 PM EST on Monday, November 15, 2010.

Clinton Global Initiative 2010 Annual Meeting - Live Stream :: Sept 21 - 23

I'm streaming this as I type ... phenomenal event with amazing speakers. I'm particularly looking forward to this panel this afternoon:

HUMAN POTENTIAL BREAKOUT SESSIONS
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Beyond Microfinance: The Next Stage of Economic Development

Commitment Presenter:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, The World Bank

Participants:
Rangina Hamidi, Founder and President, Kandahar Treasure
Van Jones, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank
Jacqueline Novogratz, Chief Executive Officer, Acumen Fund

Full list of panels & times on the live stream website.

Missed something? No worries! You can watch the archives of the 2009 (and even past 2010) presentations here.


Note: Check out the Clinton Global Initiative University, a forum to engage college students in global citizenship. Their 2010 conference took place in April. Watch the archived webcasts here.

WTF

Hey now ... this is not what you're thinking ... unless you're thinking WHAT THE FUTURE:)

WTF is a TV program that began airing last month. You can watch it online.



The website I just listed has some of the archived programs; find the first ones here, though.

I love this. Can't wait to watch the archived episodes, and see the new ones!

DIGNITY :: An Acumen Fund Photography Auction & Cocktail Party

Check it out! Another awesome Acumen Fund San Francisco event!

SF for Acumen and Nuru Project present DIGNITY, a one night photography auction and exhibition benefiting Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to alleviate global poverty.



Saturday, August 7, 2010, 6-10pm
Gallery 16 - 501 Third Street, San Francisco

Photographs for Auction offered by these AMAZING photographers:
* Susan Meiselas/Magnum
* Ami Vitale/National Geographic
* Palani Mohan/Reportage by Getty Images

Also showcasing a special exhibition of photographs by Acumen Fund Fellows.

Refreshments, hors d'oeuvres, and music provided. Cocktail Attire Requested.

Tickets are $40 for the first 75 tickets; $50 thereafter.

One Tribe

I Love Jacqueline Novogratz.

Here she is, speaking at Milano: The New School for Management and Urban Policy. This was a standing-room only event that took place on Feb 17, 2010.



If you enjoyed this then check out the Acumen Fund, and read Jacqueline's book The Blue Sweater.

LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE her!

Incidentally, she's married to the curator of TED, Chris Anderson.