I started my software company when I was a single mom with 2 little girls - in a wide-open market – and sold it at the top of the tech-bubble in 1999. After retirement, I filled my time with volunteer work, golf, business consulting, and extensive travel. By the time I circumnavigated the Sahara desert in fall 2006, I had reached a crossroads. I was either going to ramp up my consulting business, earn tons of money and give it all away, or I was going to work for free. What I saw in Niger, Africa, convinced me to work for free!
We were in Timia, an oasis that is a miserable nine hour drive from the capital of Niger, Agadez. A little girl (around the age of six) came up to me, begging, with her three year old sibling on her hip. Flies were crawling across their faces. My granddaughter, Ella, was 6 that year. Looking at this little Nigerian girl I saw Ella. I realized that this child had done nothing "wrong" to be born into a desert teaming with flies, and Ella had done nothing special to be born into a US suburban home with running water. In a flash, I knew how I was going to spend the rest of my life. I was going to work to get flies off the faces of children.
I knew nothing about development work in Africa – but I knew how to analyze needs, create strategies, motivate people and make things happen. I heard about a small NGO (non-government organization) that worked primarily in Niger and Mali that wanted to tap into grant money. I made a deal with them. I would figure out how to get them grant money and in turn, they would give me open access to their books and educate me on doing development work in sub-Sahara Africa. Part of the deal was that I would accompany a group of their volunteers and two doctors to SW Ethiopia on a humanitarian trip that summer.
In July 2007, we visited three exotic tribes: the Mursi, the Karo, and the Hamar. I didn’t like the experience at all. I felt that what we were doing was a waste of time and money. It felt like we were "throwing a few vitamins" at people who needed much more. Instead of wallowing in frustration, I put energy into figuring out how one could really help these people have a chance to have a healthy life.
We chose to start this journey working with the Hamar, an ancient tribe who has been virtually untouched by the modern world. Global Team for Local Initiatives (GTLI) was born October 2007. Our overarching mission is to create a scalable and replicable sustainable development model. But right now . . .
Goal #1: get the flies off the Hamar children’s faces! Goal #2: apply lessons learned and move to the next group of kids.
