My Remaining Challenge
My original goal was to raise $50,000 to build a four room school builing in Waku Kungo, Angola. I am immensely grateful to the hundreds of people who helped me successfully reach that goal! We officially went over the $50,000 mark on December 8, 2009.
There is, however, a remaining challenge. Long after we first set the $50,000 goal, and long after this whole adventure began, the Angolan government changed their policy toward organizations that build schools. Our church partners in Angola must now build a six room school building (rather than the original four rooms) in order for the government to provide teachers for the school. That means the school will now cost $70,000 rather than the original $50,000.
The increase in size, of course, means that the larger school will be able to serve 50% more students: 630 rather than 420! But it also means that I have to continue my fundraising efforts for the sake of the kids in Waku Kungo.
If you can help reach the new goal of $70,000, just find the "donate" button, make a nice contribution, and help give hundreds of kids in Angola the tools they need to thrive.
Below is the original version of the "my purpose" page from before the swim, kept here for "historical" reference.
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Swimming the English Channel is a difficult challenge. But it is nothing compared to the challenges that the vast majority of people in Angola face on a daily basis. I will be swimming not only for myself, but for the church and the children in Waku Kungo.
It is, admittedly, something of an indulgence to attempt a Channel swim. It will take hundreds of hours of training and thousands of dollars. That is time, energy and treasure that could well be directed toward something that is a little (or a lot) less about me. It is important to me to put that time, energy and treasure to good use - thus the connection of my swim to building a school in Waku Kungo. So, while I don't discount the "indulgence" aspect of this, I see my Channel swim more as a "gift" that I am receiving and giving back to others.
I first visited Angola in 2005 as part of a "relationship building" trip with the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ (our regional grouping of UCC churches). We have an ongoing partnership with the Evangelical Congregational Church of Angola (or IECA, pronounced YAY-ka). During that trip I saw first hand what amazing faith and joy the people of IECA have in the midst of economic and social challenges that most of us cannot imagine.
Angola suffered through a horrific civil war (what other kind of civil war is there?) from 1975-2002. It was based in an internal fight for power as colonial Portuguese rule came to an end, and inflamed by the involvement of the Soviet Union and the United States. It was a hot-spot in the euphemistically named "Cold War." It may have been "cold" for us. But millions of people died because of it.
In 2002 the civil war ended. Since then the country has begun to make economic progress, but the vast majority of people live in what we would call "poverty." For them, it is just everyday life, and nearly everyone around them faces the same situation. The average family income (which is skewed because of a wide gap between rich and poor and a very small middle class) is about $3000 U.S. dollars (that's actual purchasing power). And that is with no government social support. Just try to imagine meeting every need of a family on $3000.
Because of my 2005 trip I knew I wanted to help the Angolans further some of their goals, and education is their top priority. In conversation with IECA leaders, and following their lead, we decided that the funds I raise would go to build a school in Waku Kungo. Children in Waku Kungo now learn in a "building" of mud blocks and a thatch roof. They have no educational materials: no books, desks, paper, pencils. And the kids who face these conditions are the lucky ones. Many, many children get no schooling at all. By building a new building, of better materials and larger size, the church will be able to accommodate many more children and provide a much more positive environment for learning for these children who eagerly long to learn.
You can help make their dream of a new school building a reality by clicking on the "donate" link above, and making a generous contribution. Thanks!