Desmond Tutu was in Denver last night as part of the Insight Speaker Series. Thanks to the organizer Elizabeth Weiland I was able to score a front row seat and access to the reception after the event.
Mr. Tutu appeared still very dynamic and energetic at the age of 76. Stil a force to reckon with. Mayor Hickenlooper introduced him as one of the most inspirational speakers of the 20th century. Read More…

Posted under Everything Else

Doing research on South Africa in support of my wonderful husband, Klaus’ vision, I came across the following:

In the United States, women have led most efforts to prevent domestic violence, this despite men playing
a critical role in setting social norms for other men and thereby being in a unique position
to influence subsequent generations. They have researched men’s views, feelings and
experiences about gender based violence and while most had been affected by it in some way, men only
showed a real willingness to intervene when it came to communicating with children –
perhaps finding them less intimidating. Read More…

Posted under Everything Else

I little recap for all the one who couldn’t make it to BarCamp Africa last weekend.

Most of the attendees were from the greater Bay Area Area but it was a very diverse crowd and some visitors came from as far a South Africa.

I arrived when everyone was standing in line to share what they wanted to talk about. Many interesting topics were presented stretching from IT development to female empowerment. I was pretty much last in line and choose “How to to use the 2010 Soccer World Cup for cause marketing projects in order to make a difference in South Africa”. There were quite some soccer fans in the crowd and the topic was well received.
Read More…

Posted under Everything Else

Tomorrow will be my first trip to Silicone Valley - ever! I just had to wait for a valid enough reason - BarCamp Africa seems to be an event not to be missed. Attendance is limited to 175 people and the event is hosted at the Googleplex.

I have received numerous requests from people that can’t make the event to send them pictures and tell them all about it. So I will try to play reporter as good as I can. But fortunately the organizer have already published many ways how to follow the event. Read More…

Posted under Everything Else, Project Progress

In order for you to know what to expect when following @saproject on Twitter we decided to publish a brief “Guide to Twitter”. Everyone uses Twitter their own way.

Here is how we are using it for @saproject: Read More…

Posted under Everything Else

I am excited about the progress of South Africa Project so far. We just started and are still in the infant stage.

Regardless of that I’d like to share a few things that have happened so far:

1. We’ve had our first board meeting of Ubuntu Now last week (Ubuntu Now is the non-profit that runs South Africa Project). You can check out our directors here.
2. We are in the process of doing a ton of research. My wife Rashin has been digging out a ton of material and started to share links on an account at delicious.
3. We are hoping to finish all our paperwork for our 501(c)(3) filing this week. Unfortunately the IRS will take some time to grant us tax exempt status.
4. I also had a great meeting with Eugene Cho a few days ago. He is on an amazing path trying to make a difference. More people like him and we’d be all set in this world.
5. Our Facebook Group is at 88 members already and we haven’t even begun to promote it. Thanks Everyone to your support. We also started a fan page that you can join as well. I know that sounds a bit confusing (double whammy?) but Facebook allows us to be more interactive with our group page and the “fan page” has the advantage of better Google visibility.

What’s next?
I am excited about Archbishop Desmond Tutu coming to town as part of the Insight Speaker Series on October 22nd. He will be very busy in Denver but I am hoping to have a little personal exchange with him.

Before that I’ll be heading to BarCamp Africa on October 11th. It will be a great event to connect with like-minded people. After all we are in this together.

But before these two events we still have a ton of work to do:

• Making it easier to interact with us via our website (big no-brainer!)
• Creating the first small fundraising programs
• Reaching out to more local organizations in South Africa
• Reaching out to markers / agencies interested in cause marketing projects
• Finding therapists willing to contribute to the program development
• And so on and so on…

Bottom line:
The more I write the less time I have for what I should be doing now. Rest assured, our team will keep you posted about our progress and the connections we’ll make.

Posted under Everything Else, Meeting South Africa