Our World of Opportunity

Getting a little help from my friend.

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I'd like to tell you about the little girl in the picture above. This is Beauty (seriously, that is her name), she's the daughter of one of the women who lived in the old servants quarters behind my home in Kalomo Zambia when I was there in 2006. It was quite a frustrating time for me as work wasn't going very well, I was really struggling with the language and cultural barriers, and I had just had to move from Tanzania to Zambia. But every day I knew that if I spent more than five minutes outside, she would find me.

She didn't speak a word of English, and never seemed interested in my attempts at Tonga, but she never stopped talking to me. It made absolutely no difference to her that I didn't respond back, she would simply grab my hand and drag me around to play her games until I had to go.

No matter how frustrating my day had been, I knew I could get a dose of pure joy from her.

Whenever I think about her it still makes me smile. But inevitably my thoughts turn to the barriers that lie in her path because of the circumstances of her birth. It's the thought of those barriers that drives me to be involved with Engineers Without Borders and why I'm participating in the World of Opportunity campaign this year.

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 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.

Thanks for your time, have a wonderful holiday season!

eli