A World We Dare To Imagine (Part III)

If you see a blind person fall into the water, who is to blame? 

We have the privilege to see and therefore we have the responsibilty to take care of those that do not. 
Likewise, education is a birthright -- every soul deserves the opportunity access and use it. In a documentary called On the Way to School that I watched, I saw Zahira of Morocco trek 13.5 miles, Samuel of India walk over two miles with his handicapped brother in a wheelchair, Carlito of Argentina ride a horse with his sister for 11 miles, and Jackson of Kenya walk 9 miles, including through a safari, all to get to school. Yes, these children live in parts of the world that is not easily accessible, but that does not mean they should have to go through such struggle to recieve education. 

Unlike Zahira, Samuel, Carlito, and Jackson, there are 122 million youth globally who do not have access to education (UNESCO). Poverty, increasing income gap, racial conflicts, violence, and other social issues result from unaware individuals. Education is key to raising awareness to prevent these problems from increasing. 

EduVocation funds teachers and entrepreneurs to go into rural countries where children do not have access to education. There, our members distribute educational videos and materials that locals can use to foster learning, educate parents on how to educate their child from an early age, and/or establish schooling systems to create a sustainable method of delivering education. 

Our organization believes in the domino effect where you teach an individual who will later teach another who will then teach another. Our vision is to see a change, not merely in the literacy rate of young children, but also a decrease in various violent activity. We cannot fight every problem at once but we can start with the root -- education is that root. 

A World We Dare To Imagine

A world I dare to imagine would have no violence, homeless people on the cold streets, children distanced from education and opportunities, individuals of all genders oppressed, corruption, hatred, angry, and negative energy. There are two ways this world I dare to imagine is possible: (1) everyone is brain-washed, removing all abilities to judge and hate one another or (2) individuals are no able to see color. The contrast and availability of options creates emotions such as judgements, envy, hatred, and violence. If one were not able to see color, he or she would not be able to differentiate between different races. Most of the tensions existing in the world derive from what we seen different in one another; if we limit the differences, many of the things wrong would be eliminated.

Another way to better the existing world is to brain-wash individuals. Now, I know this idea sounds crazy but most of the existing problems in the world seem to stem from the way people think. One's personal bias and mentality has been a major contributor towards the racial problems that currently exist in the world. If people stop judging one another, the world would be a better place.

The world I dare to imagine is a happy place with happy people, and happy people are made from happy emotions.

The Blue Sweater (Continued)

Chapter 9 begins with Jacqueline realized the program in Tanzania was not effective at all. Although the program was providing the people with funds, it is was not encouraging others to aim high and holding them accountable for their goals. Later, Jacqueline learns of the massacres in Rwanda, concluding things and people must be so different. As a result, she decided to revisit the bakery.

When in Rwanda, Jacqueline learns that a refugee from Uganda is illegally living there. Jacqueline visits the four women she once worked closely with — Honorata, Prudence, Agnes, and Liliane — in attempt to understand what happened and how each one ended up where they are now. In learning more about the four women, Jacqueline gains insight of human behavior. 

Honorata survived a mass village shooting by pretending to be dead among corpses. She was one of the only adults to survive with seventeen children, who she guided through various refugee camp. Liliane survived in a refugee camp for almost two years and learned a solider had occupied her home illegal upon her return. For this reason, she was forced to move into a slum. Agnes and Liliane are both in pris

on now, accused of being a perpetrator in a major genocide. Whereas Prudence encouraged violence and killing, Agnes remained silent, making her neither a victim nor a perpetrator. Jacqueline learns that characteristics best thrive when one goes through harsh circumstances like the genocide.

After understanding the markets and that one single things cannot alleviate poverty, Jacqueline establishes Acumen Fund. The organization would invest in entrepreneurs who have a vision and ability to solve local problems. Unlike microfinance programs that provided individuals with small loans, Acumen Fund provides hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to help these entrepreneurs often their goal of helping more than a million people. Since its establishment, Acumen Fund has helped the following organizations and people through their investment: Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy’s Aravind Eye Hospital in India to support telemedicine unit; Saiban in Pakistan to promote incremental housing for low-income individuals; Amitabha Sadangi’s drip irrigation system for farmers; Sumitomo Chemical in Africa to deliver bed nets; A to Z Textiles in Arusha, Tanzania for bed net-weaving machines; and WHI. 

Through diverse investments with similar values, Acumen Fund is able to address various issues that can help solve crucial problems but can also connect one initiative to another to gain a greater result. Jacqueline says, “…there is no currency like trust and no catalyst like hope”. (273) Providing individuals with resources needed to help them make a difference is the best thing one can do to help others find a way to aim high and obtain their goals. 

As I mentioned in my previous blog, every chapter begins with an insightful quote. My favorite was this from Chapter 8 by George Bernard Shaw: “We are made wise not be the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.”