01/12/2012, 18:59

This January has been an exciting time here, as we've been in contact with many, many new people who heard about SCALEAfrica through the cover story in the Smith College Quarterly and Erinn's involvement with the Women in Public Service Project at the US Department of State. The enthusiasm generated has been incredibly motivating and we hope that people will continue to write in with their ideas for collaboration on our upcoming projects and ways we might assist in the work of other organizations.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Global Giving Challenge and helped to secure SCALEAfrica a permanent spot on the Global Giving site. Besides the contributions you made to our upcoming project at Chitempha School, this relationship works to spread the word on what we do and get us in front of new supporters - which is instrumental to SCALEAfrica continuing our work and building our community of supporters, so thank you!

The teacher housing is very close to completion, with plans for the teachers to move in in February. It has been an exciting project and one that will provide safe and humane housing on the school grounds for the teachers. The close proximity to the school means teachers won't be walking three miles to school everyday and their presence at Chiutika will continue to build their influence and participation within the village and larger community. The houses have been wired for solar electricity, allowing teachers to plan lessons in the evening and sanitation blocks are in the works that include a rainwater collection system for the supplying the sinks and showers.

Finally, we are planning two free screenings of our short documentary, Building Futures, in late March along with our friend Turk Pipkin's documentary film, Building Hope! Turk has been working building schools in Kenya and his film portrays the odyssey that is building in rural Africa and the importance of education for all. We're excited to put these two pieces together and create a fun event to bring our organizations together. Stay tuned for details. 

Happy January to you all, check back soon to see the updates on our work and a rousing thank you for your continuing support of SCALEAfrica!

Best wishes, Erinn and Guy