Happy 5th Birthday RTV
On February 25, 2006, Raising The Village was born. There wasn’t a party, or an announcement, and there definitely wasn’t a press release. It was the day that Richard Kiweewa was hired as our Ugandan project manager. There were two of us.
The first steps of Raising The Village came out of treks into the African bush and long rides on dusty a semblance of roads on the backs of pickup trucks and the like while hitchhiking across Sub-Saharan Africa in 2005. Asking questions and learning from those we work alongside today. Those humbling moments stay with us today, keeping us honest and remind us of our roots.
I was broke, living in my sister’s basement (I paid rent…the family rate) and was just starting to ply my trade in consulting (stapling and photocopying) to pay the bills but I was not short on being inspired by the people and their stories. Propped up by a well worn Ikea folding chair, and working on the rounded lid of a deep freezer chest (I couldn’t afford a desk just yet). The next year, consisted of countless nights and weekends spent researching, drafting out ideas, drawing diagrams, and dreaming more often than not passed out on my laptop. But it was all ideas.
When Richard signed up, it was official. There were two of us. We were going to change the world. Then I realized we might need a little help. So I called Alan. Then Kris. Then Angela. It didn’t take much convincing, although I’d like to think it was the diagrams… there were five of us. Raising the Village had become very real.
Since that day, Raising The Village has grown with a strong team of committed volunteers and donors, we’ve had the privilege to work alongside our partners, friends, and family, and help hundreds of children receive an education and the chance to live life, and share in the success of true sustainable community development, built by the communities themselves.
We’re still small and there’s much work to do, but we’ve got big dreams. A very big and much deserved thank you to all of our amazing volunteers and supporters who dedicate their time, effort, and resources to help the make the idea of change real through Raising The Village.
Congratulations guys on 5 years. I’ve got a feeling the next five are going to be big! All of you doing what you do are what makes the world go round. Keep it up!