http://majimazuri2011.blogspot.com/
A friend from home has set up this blog to raise awareness of the Maji Mazuri project in Kenya. She's hoping to go over there this summer. Like most NGOs/charity work I gather that there's going to be a bit of a helping-people-for-just-a-month-because side to it, but the Cambridge/Maji Mazuri project, from what I gather, hopes to differ in that the aim is to set up a long term link between the two communities, and to promote sustainable development and a refreshing sense of independence. The students going over to Nairobi have all been selected because they're hoping to work with charities in the future, whether through voluntary work, through government/charity projects or by lecturing on and developing the literature as to why we actually have charities in the first place, our attitudes towards them and how communities that are initially established through external charity can become self supporting. It's also a great project in terms of the attitudes it helps foster - in particular work for women's rights and equality of employment, as well as working to prevent disability discrimination and promote tolerance. It makes me wonder about how we form communities, and how communities form attitudes. It should be really interesting, in particular the challenges of forming an 'independent'/'sustainable' economy. That said, they do really need £££ to get over there, and to ensure that the charity is supported at this stage - they're asking for donations of computers, medical equipment and all that jazz. You can check it out at http://majimazuri2011.blogspot.com/ and just clicking that link/clicking the ads on that link will provide them with money. If you do know any big business types, pass it on along with the funding incentives - personally I'd like to see them get funds from the co-operative, small, local and agricultural type businesses that they're trying work with as a model. That or book sellers, books are good...
But yeah, check it out, and post me your thoughts.
