A Post that’s not about Guinea?!?!

Thinking back to early last summer when my response to, “What are you doing next year?” was still, “I hope to be leaving sometime in the future for some country in Africa”, I got an email from Peace Corps. It reminded me of the budget cuts and that some nominated volunteers would never be invited and to stay competitive. I figured my summer plans of lying on the couch watching “Toddlers and Tiaras” OnDemand did not count as “staying competitive”. I hurriedly searched idealist.org searching for volunteer experience that could enhance my resume and get me in a plane and on to the next part of my life just a little faster. I found Novi. They were a perfect fit. Their mission “recognizes the need to support and encourage the sustainable development of, simultaneously, education, entrepreneurship, and the environment so that economically distressed communities might become self-sustaining entities while preserving the traditional customs that hold them together.” Over the summer I fundraised for their SEEK Camp which brought together 60 youth for 2 weeks of learning how to innovate to be positive agents of change in their community. Thanks again to everyone who bought raffle tickets, came to that ungodly hot beach workout, and sent in donations. It was a huge success. Although, my work in Guinea is so life consuming that I am no longer on the Novi team, I believe in their work and so try to stay in touch with the founder. Novi has expanded rapidly in the last year and works with 8 cooperatives in 3 countries 6 of whom have started to sell in the US. They even started doing wholesale and Anthropologie and Whole Foods are interested in becoming buyers. The model of poverty alleviation that Novi has developed works! Unfortunately, on the US front, funding for the NGO is not going so well. There is not money for SEEK this year and if they do not raise money soon, the organization will have to close taking away the technical support for 200 artisan families and the possibility of expanding this model to the rest of West Africa (i.e. Guinea which is losing it’s CED program). So if you feel like you maybe have an extra $20 or $200 lying around I urge you to donate. Go to noviafrica.org. Although the website is under construction, you can still donate. Or go to novifairtrade.com and buy their quality shea butter soaps before they triple in price at Wholefoods and get ahead of Anthro’s trends with a cool handbag. Providing technical assistance and access to markets is the most proven and most sustainable route to poverty reduction in Africa.