Developing Leaders – Making an Impact
Sometimes it’s the little things that mean the most!
She wanted to build an on-line site for students to get relevant material to prepare for national examinations. It would ease the lack of books, present information in an easy to follow format aligned with their classes and subjects, and substitute for missing teachers during examination preparation. Virtually everyone who she had approached with her idea pointed out why it wouldn’t work, and she was on the verge of giving up.
While she was hoping to solicit funds, which I was not in position to provide, what she really needed was encouragement. That was easy. It was a wonderful idea; and though it might take time to battle cultural challenges, if she had the strength to see it through, students would eventually benefit from her vision. Years later she would confess to me that my sincere encouragement of that day was what kept her going.
Her website, Shule Direct, not only became successful, but today it is the leading on-line learning site in Tanzania. It is undoubtedly the most-used content (in an off-line replication) on Global Outreach Tanzania’s (GOT) Windows to Knowledge (W2K) system. And Faraja, who has received numerous recognitions in Africa, was today named by the World Economic Forum (WEF) among 115 influential people under the age of 40 who have made a difference in society.
While I love to tell you about the growing numbers of students we are helping prepare for life in the 21st century, I have continued to believe that the most significant role of Global Outreach in Tanzania is to help grow leaders. Encouragement, mentoring, role modelling – these are equally, if not more, important than computer literacy in changing the opportunities for Tanzanian children. And they are the ones who will make a better life for their fellows.
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