The journey never stops.
Some people come back from trips and experiences that were so different, so removed, and so disconnected from their lives they reflect back and wonder, “was that a dream?”. I refuse to use that expression. In fact, I believe the contrary. Those experiences that truly challenge you, affect you in a transformative way that is so impressionable that it sticks with you forever and ever. It is those experiences that are not mere memories but instead are living in you and through you, changing the way you think about life and relate with people. The minute you label the experience as a dream is the minute you have separated yourself from the experience. You are cheating yourself from all the experience has to offer you after you return. My experience in Uganda is everything but a dream. Geographically, I am far removed from the people, place, and field work, but the experience in Uganda is close to my heart and still in the forefront of my thoughts.
These women taught me what it means to put your heart in your work.
Part of keeping the experience reality is reflecting and processing it. I came back from Uganda with a real experience that made me think deeper about my role in the felid of social entrepreneurship. I had a feeling there that was worth exploring more. A sense of exploration, curiosity, uneasiness, and inspiration. For me it has always been about solidarity. I think the first step towards change or progress with any problem that is not a personal problem is understanding people and their needs. I saw many problems that people face unique to a developing country, but I witnessed the problem of energy poverty and the poverty trap very closely while working with Solar Sister. I was working with a social enterprise that was trying to help solve these problems by empowering women and selling solar lanterns to people with no access to light. These are topics I can speak about and write about but can’t necessarily solve. A shift of awareness and critical understanding came when I saw the limitations that prevent social enterprises from solving these pressing issues. I have the energy and passion but in many ways because of lack of resources and structure, I lacked the outlet to express it and the skills and resources to execute the work.
Depth of thought reveals questions unanswered.
Social enterprises are complex and by no means perfect. I had many moments of inspiration followed by many moments of frustration and self-doubt. One of these moments happened during a phone call with a Solar Sister. We were piloting 5 Angaza SoLite3 solar lanterns in Uganda for the first time as part of our research project. We had 1 more week left and not one SoLite3 was sold which was a pretty disappointing . Then while on a Solar Sister site visit, I get a phone call from the one of the Solar Sister Entrepreneurs (SSEs) who was trying to sell the lights. Exciting new, she made a sale! Except she couldn’t unlock the SoLite3 so the customer was not able to use it. I tried figuring out why it wouldn’t work and read her the training manual again, but she was still unable to unlock the solar light. I could barley understand her accent on the phone, and I was left with no answers or solution. Finally, a SSE makes a sale and now there is a problem with the mobile network or product which will require another visit to her village in Mutundwe. We ended up having to meet in person to figure out the problem. There were questions left unanswered and we ended up unlocking all the lights so that the SSEs had so they wouldn’t encounter this problem again. What is going to happen once we are gone?
Challenges lead to discoveries.
The SoLite3 is such an innovative technology and has great potential to spread light in Africa. But the execution of the products mission requires: training people to sell the light, providing support and maintenance, and distributing the light, and it all comes with work. Hard, time consuming, frustrating work with many unforeseen obstacles and challenges along the way. Months later writing the a Uganda market analysis report for Angaza, I came to clarity on many of the frustrating challenges we encountered. In fact, those challenges are what allowed us to analyze and assess the product contributing new insights to the social enterprise. Introducing new innovations and working in this space is all about taking risks, failing, and re-trying, and evolving into a better solution every time.
I recognize that social entrepreneurship is not going to save the world and fix the worlds problems. But no one person or enterprise is. This experience has given me a second naivete that is realistic and critical and I believe will allow me to go forward to be a change agent. I recognize the many challenges of working in the social enterprise space but I am choosing to believe in the possibilities it offers. I am choosing to be optimistic because even if the change is small at least we are attempting. After being deeply immersed in the field of social entrepreneurship from an intellectual and experiential standpoint, I feel a shift from wondering about my role in this world to knowing my role in this world.
Empower Women. So much heart and soul.
My heart and head are in the same place.
For me it’s a pull and gravitation towards working with people and projects related to social change and marginalized people. It’s a spiritual imagination to work with people from diverse backgrounds and diverse places connecting on aspects of life that draw us the closest to one another, human nature and love. Everyone deserves to be empowered and I want to find a way to empower people who possess skills and talents but lack support. It is inspirational to meet people in this field and see the passion behind there work. I want that for myself too because that’s when I am pushed to my full potential. The next step in my life I will carry forward these ideals and goals and guiding principles that I have developed: Am I empowering someone, am I helping preserve this planet, and is the reward of the challenge worth the risk. Social entrepreneurship is a risky field for many reasons but if there is no discovery without risk, and risks is what you value. Then I am willing to continue on this as long as I believe and know I am empowering humanity.