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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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