Taking Back Lives - Blog

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
1 Week

ONE week from today I will be touching down in Lilongwe, Malawi. It seems too surreal. After two years of pouring our blood, sweat and tears into our fundraising efforts to help some of the poorest people in the world, I am about to embark on a 3 month journey to construct a school for their children to have a better tomorrow. I sit here amazed at the efforts of all those who have made this trip possible. First to Kay Yoder, our executive director at Taking Back Lives, no one will ever know how much she has sacrificed to see this dream become a reality. To Cassandra, our founder, who has spent endless hours researching how to best help these kids. To all the students who came out to our events. To the walkers who raised nearly $10,000. To the campers who raised nearly $5,000. To the ball persons who have helped raise $12,000. Thank you! You will never know how much hope you have given to these children and their parents. Through your efforts, Taking Back Lives is able to provide a fully equipped classroom block to enable the students who attend the Mazembe Primary School to better their own lives.

I'm excited to be able to partake in this journey and honored to oversee this process. I do not take my responsibility lightly. I owe it to all of you to keep you up to date on the results of your hard work. I intend to post weekly updates, however due to the unreliable nature of the internet and electricity in Malawi, I can only promise to post bi-weekly at best. Please subscribe to this blog if you'd like to receive these updates. I will also be bringing a video camera, laptop, and lots and lots of film to do my best to capture this pinnacle moment in our efforts.

Thanks to you, the bricks have been made, the timber's been cut, and the concrete has been ordered.
The only thing left is to construct the school.

the "classroom" we're replacing