Tyler's World of Opportunity

The Sialwindi family and myself - Zambia

Hey folks, –

This year I am helping Engineers Without Borders build a World of Opportunity for rural Africans.

In communities across Zambia, Malawi, Ghana and Burkina Faso there are millions of hardworking and innovative people seeking the chance to improve their lives. Yet, all too often they are stuck - unable to move forward because they lack the same opportunities that you and I have here in Canada. I experienced this when I lived and worked in Zambia for four months. The picture above is not the family I lived with (the Shabeenzus) in town where my partner organization had it's office, but the family I stayed with when I was in the village where I was working. I was focused on working with community to ensure they could organize themselves to maintain the earth dam that helped them manage the frequent droughts, and helping the government support other communities similarly.

John Sialwindi (pictured) was incredibly hard working and entrepreneurial. He was on no less than six different committees, including the earth dam committee than organized the community's maintenance work. It doesn't matter how hard he works though, how many committees he is on, or how much knowledge he gets from the government agricultural extension agent who lived nearby whose job it was to disseminate agricultural knowledge... because his context prevents his hard work from manifesting in significant opportunity.

I support EWB’s work to foster opportunities for rural Africans. I am especially motivated by EWB's approach to creating access to clean and safe water in rural communities. I can't think of anything more critical, more foundational to any progress than water. I believe agriculture is the key to the development of Africa, but that it won't be achieved without access to clean water and sanitation.

As many as 35% of the water points in Malawi simply don’t work. Without lasting access to clean water, thousands of families are needlessly trapped in a cycle of sickness and poverty.

EWB is mapping water points and monitoring their functionality across Malawi, to best understand why they break down. The team of volunteers is creating innovative tools to better manage the flow of this critical information to help bring long-term access to clean water in Malawi’s most remote communities. In 2010, 30 EWB volunteers will improve the sustainability of Malawi’s wells, contributing to our overall goal of having 90% of water points working within five years.

This is why I am asking you to support EWB’s work this holiday season. I believe that EWB is a powerful vehicle for creating positive change. EWB is seeking to increase its impact – by doubling its volunteer capacity and flexibility to innovate. I know that they will use your donation effectively, and continue to make great things happen.

This holiday season please donate to my World of Opportunity campaign and support my passion and commitment to EWB. Together, we can help increase the opportunities for rural Africans to thrive.