Going, Going, Gone.
The Bamboo Lota team is finally going to Malawi!
For the past nine months, following the culmination of the MTV/Euronext social entrepreneurship competition, we have been conducting further research for implementation as well as cultivating stronger relationships with our various contacts and organizations in Malawi. Initially we had planned to use the prize money to travel to Malawi all together but life and smarter business decision-making forced us to conclude that only the members with a significant amount of time (more than one month) should go. Hence, here I am in my apartment writing this blog post while Stephanie and Kyson are on their way to Dubai (transfer point to Malawi).
The journey here was most definitely filled with bumps in the road but this past week takes the cake in terms of emotion. They have run the gamut from pure joy and excitement to frustration and despair. Let’s just put it this way. A movie made from scenes of the last week would have been a million times more exciting than a movie made from scenes from the last six months. But as apprehensive as we were/are in our own abilities, the desire to do good trumps all other distracting factors.
Stephanie and Kyson boarded their plane from SFO today and I can only hope that they can accomplish all that we set out to accomplish with this one trip. Before leaving we set tangible goals with clear metrics on what constitutes success. We also set up and planned meetings with focus groups, assisted by the ever-helpful Helen from Emmanuel International. Last but not least, we planned meetings with government officials to discuss policies and initiatives for cleaner technology in Malawi.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this project from its inception as well as those who may have been more skeptical. We have learned so much from everyone who has given us feedback, good and bad. Stephanie, Kyson, and I will all be blogging regarding the progression of the venture on this blog so please feel free to drop in anytime or follow Stephanie’s tumbler at http://stephaniewu.tumblr.com/.
Wish us luck!
-Joanna
The Official Bamboo Lota Blog 