This is the final article in a four-part series about the Student Movement for Real Change (SMRC) and its Kenya Water Project, a plan to build a 17.4 mile water pipeline in Kayafungo, Kenya (previous parts here, here and here). When complete, it will bring clean water to 35,000 individuals and 8 schools. I described the story of three young people, Saul Garlick, Lily Muldoon, and Ryan Knight, who have each contributed to the project in unique and inspirational ways. The core belief of SMRC is that the youth have the power to make change in the world if they are willing to work for it. As another young person hoping to make a difference, I asked each of them to give some advice to their peers who want to improve the lives of people anywhere in the world. This post is a compilation of their answers.
Saul Garlick: First, it is not as daunting to get an idea off the ground as it may seem. Young people see established institutions and assume somebody else is suited to creating big things, and that it has already been done before, or worse, that they cannot do it. The reality is the opposite. I recently read a great quote that summed it up in my mind. The person said, "I was once reading about a tragedy occurring somewhere around the world, and asked, 'why isn't somebody doing anything?' and then I realized that I was somebody." The idea that we are all able to do something significant is more than an abstraction, it is proven every day!
The best way to get something started, though, is to follow your passion and be willing to take a risk. Gather a group of friends to talk about an issue of great importance to you, let's say hunger, and discuss what can be done to solve that problem. Become an expert of sorts on the issue. Read what you can about it, find out what solutions exist, ask people for ideas. People love to share their ideas. And then formalize whatever ideas you have in mind by setting short term goals. Work with a few early ideas: host an informational event, one fundraiser, or even identify a group you would like to financial support. Perhaps put together a petition to mobilize your peers around an issue, and begin walking! The truth to this work is that it is not easy, but it is the most rewarding and exciting thing you can do. So I tell people who want to get something started to find others who also do, and be ready to work hard, fail, try again, and ultimately, change the world.
SK: What lessons have you learned about grassroots organizing in communities in developing countries?
SG: Grassroots organizing in rural communities is a complicated question, and not something that has really been mastered by anyone. I think the most important thing is that one must understand the local hierarchy or political structure, before moving forward. Politics can pervade communities with seemingly zero resources and can be extremely disheartening. A few guideposts, however, would be: work with women when possible, they are more tied to the land and typically more responsible. Make sure that whatever you do in a developing community is not condescending or arrogant. People can smell that from a mile away, and nobody likes it. Rather, go in with an interest to learn as much (probably more) from the local community than they will learn from you. Also understand how much cultures vary, and they will be tied with incentives. Try to organize with local populations by working with their framework, not with American constructs. That is, don't expect to understand local incentive structures at the outset. They will only reveal themselves over time – keep an open mind!
SK: Is there anything else you want to be sure to get across?
SG: The final thing to consider in development is this: does the work you are doing address a pressing need as stated by the local community, and is the approach you are taking as efficient as it could be? If it does, you are on the right path and should never look back. But as you work, you must maintain an open mind, welcome partnerships and develop relationships. International development is as complicated as the human brain. Nobody really gets it, there is not silver bullet. The only thing you can do is work hard to make someone's life better, and in the end, you will probably do a lot more than that.
Shayle Kann: How can you explain the success of this project, given the extremely limited resources that you started with?
Ryan Knight: Limited resources is the name of the game in development. There are trade-offs involved in every aspect of a development intervention. I remember on my first conference call with the Executive Director of the Student Movement, Saul Garlick, I was telling him about all my ideas for research and sanitation interventions. But Saul, ever a realist, kept harping on the limited resources we face. I think every other sentence was, "that sounds great, but I can't stress enough that we face limited resources in this project."
I think that we had some great advantages to start. This project started while we were all in college, and we got a lot of help from our friends and professors. A lot of really great people put in a lot of work at a critical stage in the project. Another advantage is that, since the Student Movement is a national organization with its own operating budget, we don't have to fundraise as much for our planning phase. That allows us to put in the time needed to think critically about every phase of the project—a luxury most NGOs don't have, and a big reasons that our project is going to be successful where so many others were not.
It's another example of why young people can do the best interventions. The [Kenya Water] Project is extremely entrepreneurial. As young people, we have the freedom to take the risks and put our all into the project, without requiring much of an operating budget at all.
To learn more about the Kenya Water Project, join the Student Movement for Real Change, or donate, please visit www.studentmovementusa.org
Shayle Kann: What is the lesson here for students undertaking ambitious projects like the Kenya Water Project? In other words, what would you tell a young person who wants to do something big, but doesn't know how to start?
Lily Muldoon: If you have the passion to start a project, take it on! Just because we are young does not mean that we do not have power. Join the Student Movement for Real Change. The Student Movement provides a vehicle for you to make change. This organization will give you education in the form of newsletters, conferences and awareness weeks. It can also connect you to people, not just all over the United States but all over the world, who share a similar passion and are willing to collaborate to make change.
