It was the realization of a crazy idea. And it's now a game-changer.
If you've followed this blog for a while you know that our new Adopt-a-Village program has focused on finding local groups like businesses, churches and civic orgs to partner with villages. It's off to a great start! They are amazing partners and we're strongly building that effort.
But for two years we've ALSO been working on the idea that a "virtual group", an online group, could also adopt a village. I've said it this way: A mom with her kids and her laptop ought to be able to adopt a village from her kitchen table.
Well, it just happened. An entire village program in Kenya was fully adopted online, in 3 hours and 10 minutes, by a bunch of amazing moms.
Meet Jennifer McKinney (pictured). Jennifer is one of a huge number of "mommy-bloggers" who blog about life as a mother. Her blog, www.MckMama.com, has a BIG following. Thousands of women read her blog daily (she's also a photographer... the pics in this post are hers).
Jennifer & I were introduced late last year. I shared our vision for how online groups ought to be able to adopt specific villages to help in the developing world. She loved the idea (she's as crazy as I am)... and we began scheming!
Jennifer shared the idea with her readers and immediately received overwhelmingly positive feedback. "I want in!" many wrote. "When will this happen?" others asked. Her answer: Soon!
So... Jennifer traveled with me to east Africa. And we we gave it a shot.
For three days Jennifer posted pics and stories on her blog about one of our new Kenyan villages: Ola Nagele. She shared how the village wanted to transform themselves with GHNI's program of Transformational Community Development (TCD). She showed pictures of how hard the village was working to dig a 1.1-kilometer trench to bring clean water to their village. And she shared how our program needed 100 people to commit $12/month each to fully Adopt Ola Nagele and our TCD program there. Then it would be their village effort together.
Then, at the end of the third day, back at the guest house, Jennifer posted the signup link for anyone who wanted to join with Ola Nagele.
We were on pins and needles, wondering what would happen. Two years of thought were now on the line.
Jennifer posted the link at 9:10pm (lunchtime back in the US). She was sitting in front of her open laptop, fingers poised to add names to her blog. I was sitting with my laptop, watching our Paypal account to see if anyone would sign up. I had a pad of paper next to me, pre-numbered from 1-100, hoping to add that many names.
And... the names began appearing.
Quickly.
In fact, we could hardly keep up. It was crazy... I would write down four or five names, then turn the paper so Jennifer could read it and add those names to her blog. Then she would shove the paper back at me to write down more names, and I would refresh my Paypal screen and more names would appear.
We were delirious. Dumbfounded and thrilled and bewildered and grinning.
And just after midnight, at 12:20am, I wrote down the 100th name. We then posted the exciting message, "This Village is Full" and turned off the link.
Jennifer's amazingly kind readers had eagerly adopted Ola Nagele village, fully funding our work there, in 3 hours and 10 minutes. (And more readers went on to adopt yet another village with her the next week in Ethiopia :)
That little scene will forever play vividly in my mind. It was the literal birthing of an idea of how to help connect the world in one more compelling way. And since then we've received a lot of enthusiasm around the internet. Articles have been written. Other groups are eager to have their turn at adopting a village. Opportunities to speak at internet conferences have been presented.
And what was once just a crazy idea is now turning into a reality that may soon connect thousands of caring people here with hundreds of developing villages there.
Crazy, isn't it? The world just keeps getting smaller. And helping the world just keeps getting more and more exciting.
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