My father is from a small village in India.  He couldn’t read or write until he was 17 years old and through great teachers, mentors, determination, ambition, luck and a dream was able to graduate from Michigan State University with a Phd in Philosophy at the age of 29.  With this education, he was able to bring his brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces to the United States, educate them and send them into life with all the tools to succeed. 

I also have been so blessed throughout my life. Supportive family and mentors, a world class education both in the classroom and professional arena and the opportunity to have traveled extensively inspire me to pay it forward to individuals with less opportunities and give back to society. Recognizing this passion and life mission, I began to get involved with many charities throughout the world about fifteen years ago. It was important to me to understand NGO and charity operations in order to one day operate one myself.  I built houses in Uganda, built water wells in Burundi, mentored in orphanages in India, and built schools and community centers in South Africa and Nicaragua. These projects and second jobs fulfill my love of philanthropy, travel, empathy and enable me to enjoy the almost selfish fulfillment of giving.

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In 2016, Donna Gunn from Africa Promise Village, approached our organization, Privilege to Serve, and requested that we build a school for a project she has been working on for over ten years for the Maasai Tribe in Tanzania.  A school consists of not only bricks and mortar but more importantly, land, water, teachers, books, a curriculum and community participation and ownership. Dr. Gunn had all the components except for the brick and mortar.  This seemed to be an opportunity to good to be true. Last March, we travelled to Tanzania, verified the land, water source, community ownership and began our design and development with a local architect/engineer.  The Maasai people recognize the need to educate their youth because due to climate change, living only of the land is not feasible anymore.

 

We have partnered with both the Africa Promise Village and The University of Texas at Austin and have completed our primary school for grades K-3 and
plan to be opened in June 2019.  This will be one of the few English schools in a Maasai community and change the direction of their lives forever.  We are hoping this school will give these children the tools to follow the steps of my father and many others who used the sole tool of education to elevate their economic and social status.   We envision a community where we pay it forward and work together so that poverty is no longer dictating destiny for these children.  We believe that education is the catalyst to making this a reality.

 

We were looking for a way to combine out efforts and make an impact in the world.  We believe it is a privilege to be able to pay it forward and use our time, energy and resources to give the most underprivileged individuals opportunities like those we were blessed with. We are humbled by the
privilege to serve.