Monday, November 11, 2013

I'm Going to Senegal!

Finally! I'm off to Africa again!

This time, I will be working for two weeks as an InStove consultant in Senegal, located in Western Africa. I am going with InStove's Executive Director, and we will be working with PERACOD and GIZ. PERACOD is an organization in Senegal working to improve access in rural areas to renewable energy. GIZ is a Germany-based group that does a lot of impacting work throughout Africa to build sustainable development. Our goal is to illustrate how our 100 Liter Stoves could be integrated into cooking for hundreds of thousands of people during national celebrations - as well as in schools, clinics, and the like. 

We will be in Senegal over Christmas for the Gamou Celebration; I will report on that when I get back to the States! It is wonderful to be getting a chance to illustrate my use in the field, and I'm excited for (hopefully) more trips in the future! I cover all shipping and travel logistics in the office, so I got to pick our flights! Fred and I have a short layover at IAD on the way there, and only two layovers on the way back; I'm pretty proud of finding those tickets at a reasonable price during the holidays.

As a side-note, the team at InStove has been working around the clock on our Indiegogo campaign. My main tasks have included fundraising research, social media strategies, and formatting the campaign. Please take a look: Indiegogo Campaign.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Delving into the World of Nonprofits


As it is the beginning of a new year, I find it a great time to share some of my own reflections. I am in awe of how fortunate I am. Truly! A lovely apartment with a great roommate, a supportive family and boyfriend, and friends who are understanding of how hectic my schedule is! I have a job at Institutional Stove Solutions (InStove) that is rewarding, frustrating, thrilling, and overall helping the exact demographic I have wished to serve. I have been able to delve into every area of the organization from development to manufacturing, finances to operations. 

A few months ago, I went to my alma mater to recruit possible interns and raise awareness. I was honored to have some of my past professors ask me to share on my professional development and the organization. It was a wonderful way to share with current students that determination, excess consumption of coffee, and networking really does pay off! 

Note: For me, it has always helped to be able to identify long-term goals and short-term actions. What can I do to make my 1 year goal a reality? What about my 5 year goal? I tend to write my goals down and plan out how I can achieve them. 

In other news, InStove has a few proposals out to partner agencies that include me acting as a consultant abroad! If all goes well, I will be serving in Uganda and Kenya this year! Working at InStove has really peaked my interest in nonprofit management. I’ve been perusing online certificate programs in the subject and might start taking a few classes. Still, one of my goals is to get my master’s degree.