BUILD YOUR FUTURE

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.

Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~ Howard Thurman

BACKGROUND:

FREEDOM

Most of us have uttered this word at some point, but do we really understand what it means?

Amongst the definitions of "freedom", one will find "the absence of necessity or constraint in choice or action."  As citizens of developed nations, we may not always consider this important distinction when judging the actions of people not fortunate enough to live in the industrialized world.  How would you survive on less than $1 a day?

What would you do to feed your family under such circumstances?  How does one build a future for themselves without release from such constraints?

When choices are limited to the desperate or the more desperate, there can be no freedom.

What can be done to offer the promise of freedom to build a future of their own?

One word.

EDUCATION

A means to the realization of an individual.  Education broadens the choices people have to attain the promise of one's potential.

Improving employability includes critical income-earning skills such as vocational and entrepreneurial skills, as well as creative and analytical skills to provide flexible competencies to match changing market demands.

A dedicated cadre of development agencies, non-governmental organizations and communities throughout the world are doing extraordinary work with primary education, HIV/Aids, malaria and other preventable disease.

However, insufficient focus is given to those adults who are living with these realities NOW - and the despair and hopelessness that accompanies a lack of education, minimal opportunities, coupled with the responsibility of taking care of themselves and their families frequently force people to make a choice between starvation or crime.

BUILD YOUR FUTURE taps into this entrepreneurial spirit, and approaches adult education in a new and holistic way. While not limited to the needs found in many countries across the African continent, this is a program that could be used in ever country, developed or otherwise.

BUILD YOUR FUTURE - THE PROGRAM

Students enrolled in the BUILD YOUR FUTURE program undertake all aspects of building the adult education facilities (AEF), including electricity, plumbing, carpentry, etc.  All aspects of construction are under the supervision of professionals in the industry.  Students learn a trade in a hands-on environment.  All learn skills they can utilize in their own community.

Once an AEF is constructed, the classrooms and workshops will be utilized to teach other practical skills, such as auto mechanics, welding, office machine maintenance and repair, basic home improvements (painting, plastering, repairs, etc).

Academic classes are offered to every student, including literacy, writing, basic bookkeeping, basic legal knowledge and service skills.  Where possible and appropriate, rural education such as general farm management, animal husbandry, organic farming and other skills will be taught.

Every student will also undergo classes in better business practices and learn the skills necessary to run their own business.

Post graduate students of BUILD YOUR FUTURE will be asked to work within their own community to improve it's infrastructure - whether it be building much-needed homes, or employing and training auto mechanics, or any of the other skills students have acquired through the program.

Classes are provided free of charge to all students, regardless of their background.  Our goal is to re-establish each graduate in their home community to fulfill their obligation by donating time to teach, mentor or employ people from their community.

Instructors from the appropriate industries and volunteers will be encouraged nationally and internationally, tapping into the growing trend of volunteer vacations.

The result of this program is to launch the growth of businesses, but it goes beyond that.  Focus on the very real factors that students have to deal with in their daily lives will be provided through education and open discussion, and topics such as domestic violence, citizenship responsibilities, neighborhood watch and caring for the community are included.  As a result of this program, we envisage a dramatic change in the environment within these communities as people are taught how to add value, instead of living without hope and in poverty.  We also see a shift in the country, as people are given an alternative, an opportunity to contribute and learn skills that will strengthen their humanity, making crime an option that becomes less attractive as a survival choice.

A FOCUS ON WOMEN

There is no doubt that in so many impoverished countries, it is the women who not only become victims of crime and poverty, but are also the glue that holds a community together.  To this end, the BUILD YOUR FUTURE initiative will focus on programs in other disciplines that are not as physically challenging as construction.  Childcare facilities will also be offered at every AEF, offering adults an opportunity to learn correct child care practices, leading to an opening of professional facilities in these communities.

A FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

All Adult Education Facilities will be built with an emphasis on the environment.  Green building practices will be taught, ensuring every student is able to continue the focus when working in their community.

COMMUNITY CARES PROGRAM

In exchange for their education at the AEF, all students will be enrolled in the COMMUNITY CARE program.

This is a program which encourages people to take responsibility for their community; to get involved in improving their own lives by improving the lives of their neighborhood.  Each COMMUNITY CARE project is tailored to fit the community's needs.

The options include:

Volunteering for existing community programs, or creating new programs to fill a need; assisting the local police in administrative work; planting community food gardens; transporting elderly or infirm to local clinics or hospitals on a regular basis; forming neighborhood watches to combat crime, and many other desperately needed plans.

Students are not only learning a practical skill which can then be used to create a small business or make them employable in an existing company, but are also given the tools to lead their communities to a better future.

CONCLUSION

Our starting point was the recognition that Africa must drive its own development.  But what is clear is that if Africa does not create the right conditions for development, then any amount of outside support will fail.

The world cannot continue to provide emergency assistance to troubled communities without making the necessary investments. This will only condemn impoverished countries to chronic political instability, humanitarian emergencies and security risks. Supporting BUILD YOUR FUTURE is an investment that will yield huge returns. By prospering, today's impoverished countries will be able to lift themselves from endless charity and escape political instability - bolstering the developed world's stability at the same time.

What happens to the poorest citizen in the poorest country can directly affect the richest citizen in the richest country.

"There will be no development without security, and no security without development." ~ Kofi Annan

BUILD YOUR FUTURE is the beginning of a shift from desperation borne of poverty to hope and prosperity - and that we hope to expand to include every country that has need.