Dispatch from East Africa: Part 1

Dear Advisor Partners,

Yesterday, my latest African adventure finally got underway. Originally postponed from January due to a shoulder injury and a bout of covid, I sadly missed out on traveling with the amazing Freeburg family. However, I found a way to still have Lisa on safari with me, well Flat Lisa this time. So after a connection in Doha, I finally landed in Tanzania, beginning my journey through Kenya and ultimately Uganda. Many of you know, I am originally from Kenya with family roots that link to Uganda and Sudan, so this was more of a homecoming.

Upon landing, I went straight to my sanctuary, the Ereto Primary School. As an active Spirit of Big Five Foundation project that started with 20 students from the neighboring Maasai communities, the school is clearing 300 students today. Some of you remember what this school looked like as recently as 2018, less than 100 students and our first classroom being built. Thanks to the help of many of you, there are now over five classrooms, but that is not the most amazing development.

This past week, I had a conversation with someone about the risk of dependence community support can have, the notion that a community project can be undermined because empowerment never entered the conversation. Then I saw empowerment in action at Ereto. The same Maasai elders, that many of you recall, were hesitant to send their kids to school initially, are now involved in building the extra classrooms. They are fully vested in the success of Ereto, making this school a true community partnership.

Stay tuned to this blog as I traverse East Africa with many videos to come once I enter back into the world of Wi-Fi…