Jon's World of Opportunity

Friends and family

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

I spent the past year living and working in rural Zambia with EWB, supporting a partner organization to start agricultural businesses with farmer cooperatives. My time in Zambia for me was about putting faces to those I had studied so much in school and heard so many people talk about in Canada. I went in with confused messages in my head about Africa: people are different, people should be pitied and need my help, systems in Africa are broken and need to be fixed, among many others.

But a year has taught me a lot! While there are serious problems that persist in Zambia (and throughout other African countries), people are resilient and not so different than us Canadians. Zambians work hard to make a living, prioritize family, love to chat and learn new things, and want their kids to succeed.

This holiday season, I've committed myself to supporting EWB raise money to support their programs. Programs like direct support to organizations within Africa to help overcome hierarchies in an organization that lead to projects failing 2 years after the organization leaves a community. Or projects in Canada like meeting with MP's across the country to support the passing of bill C-293 that untied Canada's aid to developing countries so that projects abroad weren't hampered by bureacratic red tape and could respond to real needs in African communities. There are many more stories about EWB's work to be found at www.ewb.ca.

But for me, I have chosen to support EWB in their work of transforming the common perception that Africa is impoverished and helpless into a picture of hope and ingenuity. By exposing Canadians to these views, I believe it will help more people feel connected to people they care about supporting but don't know how to do it best. Impactful choices such as buying Fair Trade or making ethical investments are just a couple of the ways to help directly contribute to African prosperity. Reading a volunteers blog, talking to new immigrants about their home countries, and talking to a local farmer about their challenges and successes are but a few other ways to learn more about what life is like for many Africans.

My goal in this fundraising campaign is to raise $2,000 that will go directly to support the work that EWB does. After almost 10 years since it’s founding, EWB has reached a stage where funding has become the most significant barrier to rolling out their programs. EWB has ambitions now to increase its impact – by doubling its volunteer capacity and flexibility to innovate. I know first-hand that they will use your donation effectively to continue to expand the opportunities and augment the voices of rural Africans across the continent.

This holiday season please donate to my World of Opportunity campaign and support my passion and commitment to EWB. Together, we can help to dispel some of the stereotypes about Africa, while better understanding ways to directly support communities throughout Africa from Canada.

Thanks for any help you can give in supporting me in my campaign efforts.

Much love and appreciation,

jon

bealej@gmail.com