Dan Armanios shares his mother’s inspiring story May 8, 2009

Daniel Armanios joined SMRC for its inaugural Global Development Internship in Manyeleti, South Africa in 2007. He produced a textbook for rural education in Africa to teach math and science to high school students. The students he tutored had a 100% pass rate on the national exams. He is a Truman and Rhodes Scholar, and plans to pursue his PhD next year.

My mother taught me change often comes in small packages but are no less significant…

In life, we often come upon those rare individuals that have the unique mixture of a will to preserve, an intellect with foresight, and an energy that inspires. For those of us who have the even rarer fortune to have those individuals as family, public service often becomes a lifestyle construed as easy. This is a reminder to me that change is not something that happens casually.

Lily, “Hometown Hero” in Denver Daily News May 7, 2009

Hometown hero
Denver woman helps improve lives in Kenya
Joshua Wolpe, DDN Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 2009

Grand ideas are easy to come by, but seeing them through is less so. Lily Muldoon’s grand idea involved overhauling the health, sanitation and education systems of Kayafungo, a sprawling series of 25 villages in Kenya comprised of 40,000 people. Her quest to see that idea come to fruition led her on an odyssey that would change her life forever. Continue reading the article…

Doris Mashego of Uta, South Africa May 6, 2009

Doris Mashego is from Uta, South Africa. She has raised 3 children as a single mother while managing the community’s nursery school and fulfilling her role as its headmaster and teacher. The story of a single, working mother of 3 has become common for our generation; however, Doris’ story is unique. Watch the video below to learn more!

A Forgotten Glass Ceiling: A Safe Drink of Water May 5, 2009

Below is an excerpt from an article published by friends of SMRC at Water Advocates. Their argument focuses on the incredible burden that girls and women face in collecting water for their families.

There is a photograph that travelers inevitably take when they go to a developing country — a picture of a woman carrying a large container of water on her head. The woman’s posture is ramrod straight, the envy of runway models everywhere, and her face rarely betrays the amount of effort and strength this task involves. Most times this photo is taken because it is a stunning and moving image of a woman’s strength and beauty. Read the full article here.

By: Jessica Schwartz on “Mamas” in Tanzania May 3, 2009

The story of the women who inspired me.

Moivaro Village is a small village 15 minutes outside Arusha, Tanzania. In Moivaro lives a group of women who believed that despite poverty and hardship their children deserved to have access to education. These Mamas saw education as a path to a future. Most women in Tanzania, are stay at home moms. But not in the same way we think of stay at home mothers in the US. Mamas in Tanzania are not only responsible for the upkeep of the house/hut, but because they do not have running water or electricity daily chores take on another more challenging component. The Mamas have to walk miles in some communities to the nearest water pump a task that can take hours. In Moivaro there is a stream that runs through the village, but the stream is not only used for water for cooking, cleaning, and showering but also the village sewege and other villages sewege runs in this water. The Mamas also have to travel many miles to the closest market to purchase food for the family. None of the families in the community have cars so they have to take public transportation which costs money, so many women walk. The families also do not have kitchens but fire pits which is where they cook and prepare meals for their families. But despite the challenges of everyday life, these Mamas wanted to do everything in their power to keep there kids off the street and give them an education they never had.

The Girl Effect May 2, 2009

In this messy world, women can make a huge difference. This simple video of words demonstrates the importance of girls and how if given the most basic of opportunities they can change the world! The video expresses the gravity of the inequality that exists in Africa today, and with the increased awareness of gender issues coupled with advanced education for women can change everything for the better. Check it out.