Thank you Africa



In 2008 I spent time in Uganda and it transformed the way I see the world. I have always had a passion to make a difference throughout Africa, but while there, I found myself terrified that through the "help" of the West, the lifestyle we live will take over and all that Africa has to offer will be lost forever. The Motherland taught me about joy, love, gratitude and simplicity. People were happy! They sang and danced though their next meal was not guaranteed. They celebrated life anyway. There was no fighting over things because they had no things, just celebration of each other and gratitude for all they did have. I came home and cleared out the stuff in my life and began to focus on the experience of living instead of the clutter that drains my vitality. Thank you Africa. It is not Africa that needs the West, but the West the needs Africa. This is why I am so excited about Web 2.0. It provides an outlet where messages that transform the way countries in Africa and countries around the world are viewed, with the click of a button.



I’ve seen it happen, and my own life has been changed. Web 2.0 has allowed me to fundraise to pay the school fees of a young woman in Uganda who is an emerging leader and inspires me each day. It allowed me to learn of the Women Deliver Conference, where I connected with men and women around the world standing up for change and demanding justice for all. When my partner and I started In Her Hands, a fair-trade company, and MotherKind, our non-profit dedicated to inspiring, educating and empowering women worldwide, Web 2.0 allowed us to connect with women around the world. We connected with Lindy Wafula, of Project Africa, who has been a source of inspiration ever since. We sell the products her organization creates, and there is nothing better than seeing someone walk away with something they love, knowing that a woman is empowered because of the purchase, and a community is possibly transformed.



Web 2.0 has given me a new way so see the world. I’ve filled my social networking pages with inspiring women and with the click of a mouse, I can log in and read all their positive messages and my day is instantly uplifted. These messages of hope and inspiration are often what keep me going. I live below the poverty line, but because of the connections that I’ve made through Web 2.0, the experiences I’ve had through my travels, and the stories I hear through the voices of other women, I feel like one of the richest people I know.



Web 2.0 changes lives. It changed mine. As an often isolated single mother, it gives me a community to be a part of, a new way of seeing the world, and the opportunity to live my purpose of lifting people up and transforming injustices, all with the click of a mouse.

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