Empower 5k Trail Run

It's a sunny day in March - St. Patrick's Day, actually - which is kind of like a national holiday for me, being the daughter of Irish immigrants! So with Spring springing all around and the tulips coming out of the ground, I'm inspired and motivated to get things done!

My big accomplishment this week was putting the final business in order for our first big fundraiser for Project Wezesha. On Saturday, May 15th, 2010 we are happy to host the Empower 5k Trail Run. As you may remember, Wezesha is the Kiswahili word for Empower! Folks who partake in this fun run are helping to empower the young children of Mgaraganza village in Tanzania. How? Well - all proceeds from the Empower 5k Trail Run go to the Amahoro Secondary School project.

Amahoro Secondary School will be the first ever secondary school for the village of Mgaraganza and four other incorporated villages - all run by the same chief. While I made my way around the village last summer, meeting the chief, chatting with his son and getting to know a new community - I proposed helping them out by fundraising to build a classroom on their small primary school. Rather than give me a simple 'yes' they actually said 'No, thanks ... But, we could use a secondary school!' Props to them for asking for what they needed rather than simply taking what was offered ... and now I stand, in shoes similar to those of Greg Mortenson when he offered to help a village in Pakistan with a school building endeavor - unskilled, untrained, unsure, but full of hope for and commitment to these wonderful people.

This summer, along with a few friends from Spain and Salt Lake City, I'll return to Tanzania to begin our school building project. This first summer of the project will be a huge discovery and learning process on many fronts - we'll learn how business is done in TZ, we'll learn how to get fair costs on materials, we'll learn how to get permits from the government, we'll learn how to work with the Ministry of Education for Tanzania, we'll learn how to clear land and make bricks, we'll learn how to pour a foundation and most importantly - I (is it even possible?) will learn how to step back, let go and let the locals lead the way!

I'm such a take-charge gal (to a fault perhaps) in my regular life ... but I am coming into this project with the name WEZESHA (EMPOWER) singing softly in my ears. This summer is about getting the school started, but even more it is about capacity building, empowering a local community and training my co-founder and local Tanzanian, Lucas Lameck, on the business side of things - so that he can operate efficiently, effectively and confidently as in-country director throughout the year. In addition, I want to find a locally run NGO to partner with on this project. Ideally, we'll find an NGO that works in the education sector and will be able to collaborate with the village and Lucas to ensure that the project continues on a steady trajectory throughout the year.

This will be the most challenging and exciting of years to come! Hopefully after this stage of the process is over, Project Wezesha will have stories, ideas and empowerment models to share with others doing similar projects. Additionally, perhaps we'll identify future communities in the region to work with to increase educational opportunities for other children!

Thanks for all of your support! If anyone would like to contribute to Project Wezesha, please click here or visit the Donate link on our website.

Asante Sana!
Hope to see you at the Empower 5k Trail Run if you're in Salt Lake City this May!