Saturday, August 20, 2011

African Exodus

As I mentally and physically prepare for nearly two months in Africa, I am again reminded why I do what I do, and why I wake every morning.

Compatible Technology International was founded 30 years ago this year by former engineers from General Mills, 3M, Land O Lakes, Cargill, University of Minnesota, and soon flourished to include food scientists, agronomists, development workers, economists and conserned philanthropists who recognized a need for thier knowledge to transcend the boundaries of the developing world.  Fast forward 30 years, as I looked to forward my education, and I found my Masters in Human and Development Policy Program with a concentration in sub Saharan Africa, and a volunteer opportunity, and a home as Co-Chair of the  Africa Committee. I soon found an opportunity on behalf of CTI to travel to Africa with a USAID/NCBA Farmer to Farmer program.  Now, I am the Program Manger on staff, oversee over 150 volunteers, am managing the West African efforts, am spearheading a West African Agricultural Symposium in Dakar in November ***that is coming to fruition because I could not sleep one night and I thought it would be a GREAT idea*** of which USAID, Gates, Peace Corps, USDA, MCC, Ministry, NCBA, NGOs, local publicity, Oxfam small holder farmers and the like will all be in attendence.  But this is not why I do what I do.

As I stood in the desolate dusty fields of West Africa, watching the women, I mean 7 year old girls, who will never have a chance at a betterment of life, because 8 hours (minimum) a day in the field processing her crop for the days meal is her everyday, for a lifetime... and then I look at CTIs simple post-harvest technologies and what that can provide her in terms of a future, a micro-enterprise a business, it is mind blowing.  11 year old Roykiya I taught to disassemble, clean, and reassemble our burr-mill-grinder, and we know for a fact they (her whole village) is using it daily in the USAID village we will return to in November.  It is because of that teaching and investment, of a young woman, that there is a future in Africa.  I am happy to report that our most recent post-harvesting devices are producing 10 times the human (woman) power (hand power--as most villages have no electricity) that we will be bringing into the field that USAID has purchased for our Nov/Dec trips and I could not be more excited to be introducing this to the women of tomorrow.

Cheers to a departure and a future of hope for the people of Africa!