Zambia refuses to die
A couple weeks ago, the lamps were extinguished on the 26th African Cup of Nations football tournament where spectators witnessed the success of the Zambian team. Beyond the game, this Zambian victory is full of lessons that we Africans should use as seed for real development. According to Christine Maillard, Professor of German literature and […]
Leap Years Are Cool
Wow- what a difference four years makes. Four years ago today I would have been just beginning my second semester of college with all intentions of attending medical school following my spring 2011 graduation. Instead I find myself slowly overcoming reverse culture shock ater spending the past 4 months in Tanzania and constantly thinking about, […]
Does the development of Africa lie in traditional education?
By Serge Tiendrebeogo Not a day goes by that the media does not focus on Africa’s development. Indeed, the continent remains at the heart of the debate on development fifty years after its independence. But what kind of development are we talking about? Is it based on growth and wealth? Or perhaps the improvement of […]
Karibuni!
This week marked a momentous occasion in the life of Africa Volunteer Corps. On Saturday, January 14, 2012 the pilot group of Tanzanian volunteers arrived in Moshi. They spent the weekend settling in and exploring Rau, the area of Moshi where the AVC office is located. On Monday, January 16 they began their orientation, which […]
The Mindset of Progress
Building on our post from last week, Success Stories: Positive News and African Development, we are sharing here a post from the Africa Good News blog. How do you think mindsets about Africa affect development? Share your thoughts! Hope for Africa: The power of positive thinking Friday, 08 October 2010 Imagine Africa – only better. […]
Success Stories: Positive News and African Development
The media seems to be waking up and taking notice of the positive trends happening across Africa. Suddenly we are seeing articles with titles like “African Successes”, “Africa Rising”, and “10 Biggest Positive Africa Stories of 2011”. While journalists like Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Rosalind Kilkenny-McLymont have been talking about the trends for years, most of […]
The power of local volunteers
Tracy Young is a blogger based in New York City who writes about things that nourish her heart and soul, including (we are proud to say) Africa Volunteer Corps. Her life adventures can be found at The HeSo Project. Last Spring I went to Kenya with Cross Cultural Thresholds (CCR), an organization which brings international volunteers […]
Freedom
To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. –Nelson Mandela This week mainland Tanzania celebrates 50 years of independence from colonial rule. On December 9th, 1961, Tanganyika (as it was then called) became free from rule by the […]
A message from Desmond Tutu
As some of you know, I just got back from South Africa, where I attended Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 80th birthday party in Cape Town. The festivities included a glorious service at St. George’s Cathedral (the center of Archbishop Tutu’s struggle against apartheid), a beautiful party at a winery in Stellenbosch, and a discussion between […]
A Leg Up Versus A Hand Out
Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul. -Martin Luther King, Jr. A nation’ s strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own, and not in what it can borrow […]