Winter is here in NJ...

Winter is here in NJ and from one snow storm to another, we are plowing through. Today marks 7years from my dad’s passing, and like the past 6 anniversaries of this day, I struggled to wake up this morning. But with humility, I still said my morning prayer and jumped out of bed; failing to escape that cold air that fell on me fast as I slid my feet to the floor. I got up and to have some level of normalcy, I went through my morning routine. Like each morning, I poured myself a glass of tomato juice, gulped it and raced out the door; lemon-water bottle in hand. And like most mornings, I again forgot to pre-warm my car, so I was greeted by the chill that had inhabited my car overnight. Time was flying, as it often does, and my mind was racing along. I made it to the gym without knowing how I got there. Took my spin class and then decided to sit in for yoga. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I decided that today is just the day to achieve my best mind/body/spirit balance. The day to appreciate that I have access to life opportunities that many people from my village can only dream about. I recalled my first day in first grade, in a newly founded Zimbabwe, and realized that I never imagined that my journey would take me to a project of this magnitude. Back then, I never knew that the hidden effects of colonization would bring my community to the ground. Yet still, little did I know that my father, who had worked so hard in that liberation struggle, would pass away without having experienced the real fruits of that freedom. Maybe his freedom fight was not for him. I suppose he did it for me.

Before I conclude, I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read my blog and being supportive of the Macheke Sustainability Project. I visited Zimbabwe again 2months ago and I noticed a few things (picture and video images to follow):

- The store shelves were filled with products (a great change from my last visit back in May 2008).
- The Zimbabwean Dollar is no longer in use. After losing value to hyperinflation, the US Dollar and SA Rand have taken that place.
- Farmers had produce in their fields but issues with access to market left them struggling to make ends meet.
- Students still have a great need for school supplies and academic support.
- Many products are imported and they are expensive. Fuel is nearly $5/gallon. A small bottle of water is $2 in some towns. In an economy where teachers make less than $200/month; it is easy to see where the challenges lie.

As we carry out more research, the project is taking its shape as a business whose aim is to alleviate poverty. MSP-America is the non-profit organizational entity that will be based in the USA with a main goal of fund/resource raising. The goal is to have an alliance with Monmouth University to engage faculty, students and staff in various assignments including research, planning, administration, publications, field work/study, student/teacher exchange and volunteering, study abroad and community service projects. This entity will have a working agreement with MSP to attain delivery of resources (including field work/study) and research intellectual property to Macheke. MSP is the organization that will be responsible for development and implementation of the various on-the-ground activities in support of the Macheke community. This organization will coordinate all resources that are supplied via MSP America. It will also have hands-on alliance with other NGOs and government agencies in Zimbabwe. Initially, this organization will be run as a private entity and whose revenues will be poured back into the entity so as to reduce the dependence on resources funded by MSP-America. This organization will manage the following business initiatives: Communication Technology, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Agriculture, Community Service & Fundraising, Education, Sustainable Water, Healthcare, Community Financing, Infrastructure and Research and Analysis.

The following project documents have been authored with assistance from Monmouth University’s Leon Hess Business School (please contact me to get a copy):
Business Plan: Macheke Sustainability Project (2009)
Social Business Project Research: Macheke Sustainability Project (2009)

The following is an article written in Summer 2009 to give some light to the project:

http://www.monmouth.edu/about_monmouth/monmouth_magazine/MUSummer2009.pdf