'BEFORE I DIE...'

Hello Everyone,

It’s another Tuesday and I’m glad I get the chance to show you something very remarkable I found in the past week. While enjoying my most recent obsession, I came across Candy Chang, a lady whose creativity and imagination intrigued me.

Candy Chang is an artist. Not like any other, but one who systematically explores the usefulness of public space to help make sense of people and communities. Her experiments with interactive public projects have gained recognition around the world, being exhibited in the Venice Biennale, the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Centre for the Living Arts and the Southbank Centre.

One of such is the ‘Before I die’ project, created after losing someone very dear. In her words:

“After I lost someone I loved very much, I went through a period of grief and depression, then gratitude for the time we had together, then clarity by contemplating death. This helped me clarify my life, the people I want to be with and the things I want to do. But I struggled to maintain perspective. I wondered if other people felt the same way. So with help from old and new friends, I painted the side of an abandoned house in my neighborhood in New Orleans with chalkboard paint and stenciled it with a grid of the sentence, “Before I die I want to _______.” Anyone walking by could pick up a chalk, reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in public space.”

Candy Chang didn’t know what to expect from such experiment, but before the next day, the wall was bursting with so many handwritten responses, some of which amused but consoled her during her toughest times. The wall’s outcome became an inspiration to her, making her understand people in newer perspectives.  It also reminded her that she was not alone as she tried to make sense of her life.

Today, Chang’s little experiment has grown internationally as over 300 Before I die walls have been created in over 20 languages and in over 50 countries, including Kazakhstan, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Australia, Argentina and South Africa. The Atlantic called it “one of the most creative community projects ever”. 

Did you find some of these responses very amusing? I did too. Also, did they make you reflect on your life, recollecting the hopes, dreams and aspirations you have nurtured through the years. If yes, I believe this is what Candy Chang’s project is aimed at achieving.

For some of us who may have been too caught up in our daily activities, sometimes immersed in life’s robust, exciting and exhilarating events and other times toppled by its painful challenges, Chang's creation may be something worth reflecting upon. Could you Stop for a moment, think about what you absolutely need to do or see done, and if you wish you could anonymously share some of those thoughts here (Comment below).

The aim is to get inspired. Truly, in as much as life can inspire living, death too can help inspire life.








SOURCES:

http://candychang.com/before-i-die-in-nola/

http://candychang.com/about/

Watch Candy Chang on TED talk: 
http://www.ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_to.html

EVENT COMING SOON!!!

Watch this Space!!! :-)

NIGERIA NEEDS MORE _______!!!

Yesterday, Aid workers around the world marked World’s Humanitarian Day - a time set aside every 19^th of August to honour aid workers who have lost their lives in line of duty. It was a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in helping others, and provided the opportunity to celebrate the spirit which inspires humanitarian work around the world. As a first-of-its-kind project aimed at turning words into aid, the United Nations launched a theme for this year called ‘The World needs more ______’

With so many answers available to fill the blank, I chose to narrow this question to a smaller but significant entity – Africa. More so, if asked to fill in for an even smaller unit within the continent, ‘What would you say your country needed more of?’

In my opinion, Nigeria needs more young inventors like William Kamkwamba, the Malawian genius who transformed the lives of those around him by bringing water and electricity to his village. Yes, that’s right, Electricity!

Here's his remarkable story...

William Kamkwamba, born August 5, 1987, was a remarkable young man from Wimbe, a small rural village in Malawi, withered by drought and hunger and providing little hope and opportunities. In late 2001, while his family battled a life-threatening famine, 14-year old William was forced to drop out of high school because of his parents’ inability to pay his school fees. Rather than accept his fate, William educated himself by borrowing books from a small community library.

It was a discarded 5^th grade American textbook that William first saw a picture of a windmill. A tiny caption translated into broken English informed him that windmills generated electricity and pumped water. Although William lacked education and experience in engineering, he was armored with curiosity and determination to build a windmill and power his family home.

With no instruction manual and under the watchful eye of friends and families, William embarked on his daring mission. From junky yards he gathered old bicycle parts, scrap metal, tractor parts, melted plastic pipes, bamboo stalks and scavenged copper wires and forged an operable windmill that powered four lights, complete with homemade switches and a circuit breaker made from nails and wire. A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season. From such success, William built a series of windmills, changing his life and that of his family forever.

Below are excerpts from an interview with Tree Hugger, October, 2009:

I look at plenty of pictures all day but it doesn't lead to anything very productive. Where did you get the confidence to go from a picture to building a windmill? And where did you get the know-how?

William: I didn't get any support from my family but some of my friends were very supportive of what I was doing, and from me, myself. I had confidence in myself after seeing the picture of the windmill in this book, I said to myself, “Somewhere, somebody built this machine, and it was built by hand, and it was a human being who did that. I’m also a human being.”

At this particular time I was able to fix some radios. I was aware of how to work with electricity. Me and my cousin, most of the time we worked on radios and fixed them. I guess we started because I was curious to understand how radios work.

When I was little, I used to think there were small people inside. Most of the time I was just trying to see the people who were speaking in the radio. When I opened it up, there were small things looking like people..little people! But by taking them apart and putting them back I was able to understand what actually made them work.

Clearly, building your first Windmill was not a breeze. But what was the hardest part?

William: The most difficult part was finding the materials to use. Another difficult part was after I had managed to build everything and I was supposed to actually lift the tower up – it required very hard work. I got my cousin and friend to help me lift it up. The other challenge was because people didn’t believe in me. They would always be laughing at me, thinking I’m going crazy.

When it was up and running, what did it immediately mean to your village?

William: The significance of the windmill in my area was that lots of people began using it to charge their mobile phones for free. And another big thing: my family was using kerosene most of the time for light, and those lamps produced thick, black smoke that made everyone cough and made my sisters sick. They were a serious problem.

If you were to build your windmill knowing what you know now, how would you do it differently?

William: I would have placed a tail on the windmill to catch the direction of the wind. I would have also gone on Google where there are directions on how to build a windmill. I could have used this Google back then.

You've received a lot of attention from your windmill project. How do you think it’s changed you? What has been the most exciting moment for you during your trip to the U.S. and the most exciting meeting you've had? And what did you not get to do that you hope to do next time?

William: I am so grateful for the attention, but my windmill has not changed who I am. People always ask me this. Maybe they are afraid I will make loads of money and start buying nice cars or something. The attention just makes me want to work harder. And during all of this, I have told people about my future projects with windmills and irrigation systems which I have not even finished, so now its even more important to get back to work and complete some things. And most of all, I want to complete school.

.

How well-known are you back in Malawi?

William: I am just a guy in Malawi. I’m sure some people know who I am but I am, just a normal guy who is going to school. I’d like to keep it this way.

You are a hero to many in the U.S. What kind of impact do you hope your experience has on others? Have you heard of other stories like yours?

William: I haven’t heard of other stories, but I’m happy that people are inspired by the story. I want people, especially poor people and young people like me – I want them to know that often we face resistance when we propose new things, especially different things. But if you believe that your idea can improve your situation and help your family and community, please don’t give it up. Somewhere out there, someone will understand you and come to help. You are not alone. Just trust and believe in yourself and don’t stop.

Today, William remains one of the most celebrated young inventors in Africa, with his ingenuity earning him titles such as ‘World’s DIY Hero’, ‘the boy who harnessed the wind’ and‘Windmill Wunderkid’. Presently, he owns an NGO called Moving Windmills Project, where he helps achieve village projects and supports friends and family's education. The young man's story truly inspired me. I hope it did same for you. Surely, if you set your mind on anything, you can do it! 

So, do you have an idea? Would it solve a problem? Have you tried producing it?

Watch William's tell his story on the TED Talk...

Sources:

http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/the-worlds-diy-hero-an-interview-with-william-kamkwamba-windmill-wunderkind.html

williamkamkwamba.typepad.com

http://britdoc.org/real_films/puma_awards_directory/moving_windmills_the_william_kamkwamba_story

http://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_on_building_a_windmill.html?sa=X&ei=4hQTUqTrBcmPOAXamYCoDA&ved=OCAwQqwQ

The ColaLife Solution

Ideas do rule the world. 

Like everyone with the ability to think-up brilliant ideas, aid worker, Simon Berry had an idea - One he did not just think but produce.

The ColaLife solution became the product of a brilliant idea borne from a desire to solve a life-threatening problem in a remote area of North-east Zambia over 20 years ago. This was the Diarrheal disease, killing a million children younger than 5 every year resulting from the absence of good health remedies.

“Why can we buy a bottle of Coca-Cola in almost any remote area in the world but not find essential medicines to save a child from sicknesses like Diarrhea?”

“Can we leverage on Coca-Cola’s large distribution network to provide medicines for sick children?”

“What available resources could we use to properly produce this idea?”

Berry may have asked these questions as He and his wife, Jane engaged their thought process to develop valuable answers to them. Together, they set up a Non-Governmental Organisation called ColaLife in Zambia and with the help of the Social Media, the ColaLife idea gained fast-growing support as the ColaLife Facebook Group developed  5,000 members in about three months. Following a telephone conference with Coca Cola’s head of Stakeholder Relations, by October 2008, Coke invited Simon for a meeting in the Tanzanian Capital, Dar El Salaam, offering him a chance to research their local distribution network.

With the help of local partners the ‘Kit Yamoyo’ or ‘Kit of Life’ was created containing several packets of O.R.S ( a simple mixture of sugar and salts), Zinc pills (which limit the duration of Diarrhea), a bar of soap (to reduce the risk of Diarrhea) and an illustrated information packet. Simon and Jane’s idea was to fit the Kit Yamoyo prototype in a Coca-Cola crate in the empty spaces between the rows of bottles.

The Kit Yamoyo – anti-diarrhoea kit

After various field trials and experiments by the ColaLife team to evaluate the distribution of Kit Yamoyo to remote areas , it was discovered that the real solution for distribution was not dependent on the Coca cola supply chain, but the local value chain. Hence, the field trial had taught them that if everyone in the line, from the producer to the rural shop retailer had a chance to make some profit, and if the Kits remained affordable and desirable for the customer at the end, the product will get to the most remote parts of Zambia even without needing a vehicle. With this, Simon and Jane discovered the secret ingredient in distribution - the investment they put in the people.

Today, ColaLife operates independent of Coca Cola, as it soon became realized that transporting Kits in crates was more limiting than it appeared.  Demand for Kit Yamoyo has become so enormous in rural Zambia that local shopkeepers buy boxes full of the Kits rather than having it slipped into their crates of Coke.

Indeed, Simon’s initial idea birthed questions, utilized available resources and opportunities and produced answers. ColaLife succeeded in bridging the gap between the Diarrheal medicine and the child under 5 in rural Zambia who needed it.

Do you have an idea? Would it solve a problem? Have you tried producing it?

Sources: colalife.org
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/good-things-come-in-small-packages-the-colalife-solution/

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/making-medicine-as-easy-to-get-as-a-can-of-coke/?_r=0