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NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 2 (JULY 2009)

Table of Contents

• The Three Smugglers of Education, A Story from Louis Mwewa, Firelight Resource Person in Malawi
• Betty Makoni honored as 'CNN Hero'
• Interview with Scott Staub, Firelight's New Director of Development

 

THE THREE SMUGGLERS OF EDUCATION, A STORY FROM LOUIS MWEWA, FIRELIGHT RESOURCE PERSON IN MALAWI

I would like to tell you a story about three boys who managed to enroll in school through sheer resourcefulness and determination. They are only 11 years old, but the three boys look far older. Their parents could not afford to pay their school fees, and the boys passed through their childhood admiring their school-going friends.

After years of being disappointed and frustrated in their ambitions, one day one of the boys came up with a clever plan that he shared with the other two boys: making enough money for all three of them to buy uniforms and pay the school fees. They started going to the fields during harvest time and together managed to harvest six sacks of maize, which they gave to their parents to sell in the market on their behalf. The boys were ecstatic at the income and immediately used the money to buy the school uniforms that, along with the school fees, they believed were the only requirement for them to be able to attend the government-run school.

But their triumph was short-lived. Clad in their new uniforms, the three boys went to the school to try to enroll in classes, but were turned away by school officials because they were older than the stipulated age for enrollment in the first grade. This seemed to the boys to be a permanent setback. They were crushed.

But as you may have guessed, their story doesn't end here.

Our story begins in 1997, when the boys were just infants. That year, the Chikanta Community Schools Development Project (Chikanta) was established to provide free primary education to children in remote rural communities in Zambia with no access to government schools. Until receiving its first grant from Firelight in 2002, Chikanta was supported solely by community resources, with community members providing housing and food for teachers and helping to cover school construction and other operational costs with small cash and in-kind contributions.

Located in a district of Zambia that started out with only 15 government schools to serve more than 500,000 children, by 2002 Chikanta had established 84 schools supported by 184 volunteers serving more than 6,000 children. In 2005 and 2006—during a time when so many children were depending on Chikanta for their education, and so many more were hoping to get into the program—Chikanta was faced with a number of obstacles, including the extended illness and death of their founder and charismatic leader and a severe shortage of resources. Chikanta's future seemed uncertain and bleak. But staff and community members refused to give up. Two staff members personally committed themselves to leading the organization's turnaround. Community members sold maize to cover Chikanta's mounting operational expenses.

Then in 2008, Firelight gave Chikanta two grants: a technical assistance grant to help strengthen the organization's governance structure and operations; and another grant to help strengthen Chikanta's programs and increase their impact. The journey to undertake the rebuilding of Chikanta seemed impossible at first, but with ongoing support and mentorship, Chikanta has managed to reinvigorate its Board; has developed a strategic plan; obtained government registration; and put into place a sound financial management system.

Over the last few months, Chikanta has gone back to the community with a new vision, a clear mission, and a renewed focus. In the first year of their new strategic plan, staff mobilized more than 20 village headmen to help Chikanta strengthen or establish 50 community schools in their villages. The communities were overjoyed. Their hopes that their children would learn to read and write had been restored, and they committed themselves to working with the project. But it was in the children's faces that you could see and feel the excitement of being able to attend school not far from home.

At this point in our story, we return to the three boys—still determined to get an education, even after being turned away by the government school. Shortly after, Chikanta staff learned of the boys' struggles and began working with their families to enroll the boys in one of the community schools Chikanta had established.

When I saw those boys in school, their faces gleamed with pride as they showed off their new uniforms. They looked wonderful—happy, optimistic, and proud. That's when I named them "The Smugglers of Education" because it's their persistence, resilience, and resourcefulness that helped them overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Chikanta has already transformed the lives of so many children and their families, and with every passing year, is primed to change even more. I thought it very important to share this story with you because I have witnessed this success with my own eyes. I've seen Chikanta come alive and start getting children into schools while at the same time building communities' leadership skills and attending to the various challenges that some of the most vulnerable children and families face.

Today, Chikanta supports nearly 200 community schools, providing an education to scores of children who otherwise wouldn't receive it. The organization also runs a literacy program for adults and trains caregivers to do income-generating work.

There is no better motivation and inspiration for the work that we do than seeing very dedicated and resourceful community members, families, and children turn the seemingly impossible into a wonderful reality.

Please join me in congratulating Chikanta and the three "Smugglers of Education"!

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BETTY MAKONI HONORED AS 'CNN HERO'

Earlier this month, CNN, CNN Headline News, CNN International, and CNN en Español premiered a feature story naming Betty Makoni--founder and president of Firelight grantee Girl Child Network (GCN) in Zimbabwe--a 'CNN Hero' and drawing attention to her work "protecting the powerless". Betty also appeared as a guest on the 'Larry King Live' show.

Giving its first grant to the organization in 2001, the Firelight Foundation was one of GCN's earliest supporters. Nearly a decade later, GCN works through a network of 500 clubs with some 35,000 members to advocate for girls' rights; provide emergency services to abused girls; and train girls in HIV prevention, human rights, and income generation.

"Ten girls per day report rape cases," Betty said. "It means if we keep quiet, at least 3,600 girls per year may just be contracting HIV and AIDS." A former high school teacher and abuse survivor, Betty established GCN in 1999 to protect girls from abuse and to empower them to stay in school despite overwhelming marginalization and violence in their communities. "I decided to become an advocate because I walked my own journey to survival," she said.

To view Betty's 'Heroes' page on CNN.com and watch her appearances on CNN News and 'Larry King Live,' click here.

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INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT STAUB, FIRELIGHT'S NEW DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

After joining Firelight as Director of Development just two weeks ago, Scott Staub (SS) sat for an interview with Suzana Grego (SG), Director of Communications & Advocacy and told us a little bit about himself, his love of fundraising, and his most recent move.

SG: How and why did you become interested in fundraising? Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

SS: My fundraising roots go back to being a Boy Scout and asking people to buy tickets for the Scout Fun Fair. I was more formally introduced to fundraising by a friend who recruited me to join Community Counseling Service, Inc. , an international fundraising consulting firm. Usually people start out there as staff and become consultants, but my CCS experience gave me a broad overview of fundraising and also of the different types of organizations that exist. It was a great way to begin.

SG: We all have a general sense of the significant challenges of trying to raise funds even for very compelling and worthy causes during difficult economic times. Could you tell us a little bit about your philosophy and approach for tackling these challenges?

SS: Even in tough economic times, people are generous. A nonprofit’s mission and values become even more important as donors make tough decisions about where to give precious funds and time.

My approach has always been to practice "donor-centered fundraising" and to provide superior donor relations to differentiate the organization I represent to donors as they make choices about where to give. This approach may seem an obvious and simple concept, but in practice it’s much harder to always put yourself in your donors’ shoes. In every communication I have with my donors, I try to take into account their needs and provide them information they’re actually interested in. And it really does make a huge difference.

SG: What brought you to Firelight? What is it that excites you the most about Firelight and our work?

SS: The mission of Firelight is amazing and resonates with my previous work with children and HIV/AIDS. I’m excited about the opportunities to combine these two interests at an international level.

SG: This is your first opportunity to communicate with Firelight’s network of supporters. What is the one message you would like to leave them with?

SS: Our supporters already know what great work Firelight is doing. I hope to meet many of our supporters and enlist their aid in inviting others to join us in making grants that transform communities along with children and families in Sub-Saharan countries.

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