Monday, 25 Jan 10 - 12:00Self-Confidence - The Remarkable Truth...

Chapter 1 of Support Crew by Chris Grieves

"Don't look at the size of the mountain. Simply focus on the next part of your journey."

I first met Paul McGee at an Act4Africa team building session back in 2003. We were training the new team for a trip to Tanzania and equiping them with knowledge and physical skills to help them in the project. This included drama, music, African culture, knowledge of HIV / AIDs and, at that time, we had a 'circus skills' session.
It was my task to show everyone (in the shortest time possible) how to safely stilt-walk as we would often use it in dramas and sketches that would draw crowds around us in African towns and villages. Now, balancing at some ridiculously un-natural height from the ground on two pieces of home-made wooden stick is not easy.
The fear I felt the first time I tried it was over-whelming.
The thing I remember most about Paul was, despite being perhaps one of the older members of a fairly young team (as I was when I went to Africa in 2001) he was ethusiastic and prepared to face his fears and have a go. He gained my respect that day. I also know, that what Paul achieved with his team on that particular trip was pioneering and lives on in Act4Africa memory as one of the foundational trips in the Act4Africa journey.

Paul and his wife Helen are still connected, still supportive and full of the spirit that takes Act4Africa forward on a day-to-day basis. I wholeheartedly recommend his book to you, but here's a sneak preview, courtesy of Paul himself. Enjoy.

Chris Grieves
Trustee, Act4Africa

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Martin and Kathy's Story.

In 2003 I went to Tanzania with an organisation called Act4Africa. They are a charity who through education and drama help people in Africa understand and fight against the spread of HIV AIDS.
The founders of the charity are Martin and Kathy Smedley. Martin's a part-time actor and engineer and Kathy's a teacher. They have teenage kids and a mortgage and seem just like any normal couple.

In fact they are. Except for one thing.

They have an overwhelming desire to help prevent the spread of HIV AIDS in Africa.
That's a tall order. For an ordinary couple.
But they had a belief in themselves that together they could make a difference.
Martin says, "The need is so great we felt we just had to do something – no matter how small. Kathy and I make a good team – our skills compliment each other."

Did they possess unshakeable confidence and belief in themselves that they could do something?

"Absolutely not" replied Martin. "We often feel so out of our depth. But if we'd waited until we felt totally confident in our abilities, we'd still be waiting. The crucial thing is just deciding to do something – to take action. Don't let the scale of the problem or your own self-doubt distract you."

Martin and Kathy moved out of their comfortable and safe world in a suburb of Manchester into a world of bureaucracy, red tape and unchartered territory in Africa. They started with no money and no staff, but a belief that together they could do something.

It's been quite a journey.
They once found themselves in the Prime Minister's office in Tanzania and have discovered skills they never thought they had. Marketing, PR, fund raising and now being seen by others as health experts in the area of HIV AIDS. They battle constantly with a need for finances to fund their work, and sometimes wonder if they're really making a difference to such a huge problem.

The facts would suggest they are.
So far one million people in Africa have been educated through the Act4Africa programme working in schools, churches and with local community leaders. Their creative approach to tackling the problem is beginning to make a difference.
They have twenty staff – the majority being Africans, working long-term with their communities. Over 200 people have so far worked with the charity on a short-term basis lasting anywhere from two weeks to a year.

This is not rhetoric. It's reality.
Their goal was never about how they personally could gain from the experience. It wasn't a strategy to raise their self-esteem and boost their self-confidence.
They simply saw a need and decided to do something about it.
But there have been some additional pay-offs to what Martin and Kathy have started.

"It's made me realise just how much people are capable of. I'd never have dreamt I could do all the things we've done. Both of us have moved way way out of our comfort zone – and yet we're still standing. I guess our confidence and belief have grown through this whole experience."
So too have the people working with them on a short-term basis.

Martin elaborates,
"I think it's fair to say we've had some interesting characters join up – and I'm not just thinking of you Paul! We've had a couple of people with deep psychological problems who'd heard of our work. We took a risk with them. But it's not like we were giving them a full-time job. They've had to raise their own funds to come out and join us on a short-term basis. And they have."

"What's more the work has provided these people with an outward focus. Rather than always looking inward at their own issues they've been confronted with other people's problems. We've put some trust in people; given them responsibility, and it's paid off."

One girl who'd been on the team recently qualified as a nurse. She had all sorts of issues when she went out to Tanzania with Martin, and was unemployed at the time.

"Yeah, I guess Act4Africa played some part in her recovery" adds Martin.

What triggered this amazing work?
Desire was definitely at the top of the list. Martin and Kathy felt almost a calling to do something.
But did confidence play a part?

Absolutely.

Without some degree of self-belief nothing would have ever happened.
They knew they had some abilities. They knew they were a good team together. And they knew that the biggest obstacle to overcome was simply to start the work.
Martin and Kathy are remarkable people who continue to face many challenging situations. They've opted out of the kingdom of comfort and decided to make a difference.
And that's exactly what they've done.
Not just to a million people in Africa.
Not just to 200 people in the UK.
But also to themselves.

The truth is....
"When we make a difference to others, we also make a difference to ourselves"

Over to you
So you've heard Beth's, Martin's and Kathy's story, and how they're seeking to make a difference.
The question is,

what's your story going to be?

I'm not suggesting that you start a charity or move to Africa, but I am suggesting you take some action.

Do something where you're not the focus – but someone or something else is.

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Extract from Paul McGee's new book exclusively for Act4Africa care of Paul and Helen McGee. January 2010.
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You can find Paul McGee's new book on Amazon and you can even preview it and watch videos.
Click the link >>HERE<<


To find out more about Paul himself go to his website via our Support Crew
page here on the Act4Africa site.

Read more chapters from 'Support Crew'

Tuesday, 05 Jan 10 - 12:15Fruit and Flowers

Chapter 8 of Destination Malawi by Charis Baker

I am sure you are wondering where on earth we have been?

I must start by offering a BIG apology for our complete lack of blogging over the last few months. I have written a number of articles but never had a strong enough internet signal to upload them, so have had to stick to email updates. However, a restaurant in town has started to offer free wireless access, so I am making the most of such an opportunity, with a coffee and a cool breeze I will fill you in on what's been happening in our lives since our last update.

July saw the arrival of Clare to the Act4Africa team. A real asset as work began to hot up. We started to adapt and rewrite the Training of Trainers manuals ready for the launch of Level One. At the end of the month we began our training over three different weeks and in three very different locations around Lilongwe. The training went really well, we had a great response from the trainees and it was great to begin to establish ourselves as a team and to see just how well we work together.

August and September saw us carrying out the observations of all the people we had trained in July, writing the Level 2 manual and putting on a 'Recognition Evening' . A very busy month interspersed with a trip to the lake for our 4th wedding anniversary (it's gone so quickly!)

The observations were really encouraging, it was really exciting to see the trainees empowered to teach people in their own communities with the information and knowledge they had learnt from the training. Writing Level 2 was a refreshingly different kind of challenge, it was great to use our writing and research skills to draw together a great manual.

It took a lot of work, but was worth it.

We decided to do a 'Recognition Evening' for all the people out here who have had a hand in building A4A Malawi. Relationships are very important here. David always says that, 'In Malawi, relationships are currency' and it's so true. If you make an effort to get to know a person, their family, where they live, their mother's health etc, then it could guarantee you a queue jump at the bank, access to a much speedier visa processing or connection to a 'great mechanic' who can give you 4x4 a once over.

As Act4Africa Malawi we have really sought to build relationships with the pastors and churches that we are working with and it is these people who have made things happen. We therefore thought it would be a good idea to have an evening to acknowledge the work that these people have done. It was a really successful evening with great food, great speeches and a lot of blessed people - in spite of the power cut that hit an hour before hand!

We had a very welcome break away in Mangochi, near the lake, and Zomba in the mountains for our wedding anniversary. It was great to get some time away from A4A to be together as husband and wife and not 'work partners'. We had some good rest, walks and sun bathing!

October, we "crash, bang, walloped" back into work. October was by far our busiest month so far, by the end of it we were like walking zombies! We were finishing off our Level One observations, beginning Level Two training and hosting some friends from the UK and Bobby (a student writing a gender programme for A4A).

Level 2 began well, we had the expected number of drop-offs and were able to hone down the groups to discover the people who were genuinely committed to the training.
It was also good to see the manual in action and to be able to adapt it accordingly.
We were also able to start training up one of the trainees to work alongside us which was exciting and great to have a fourth person on board. It was great to have Bobby too, refreshing to see his enthusiasm about the training and Malawi itself... to be reminded of what it's like to see the country for the first time.

Perhaps the highlight of our year has been the visit of our friends Andy and Becky from the UK. David and I were so ready to have some good friends come out, bringing messages from friends back home and generally bringing fun and refreshment back to us. The timing was perfect and we were so blessed to be able to pray and talk with them, as well as be generally very silly and playful as we took them to some lovely places around Malawi. We were also blessed to be able to borrow a vehicle from some friends here so that we could have a comfortable, air conditioned experience of driving across the country.

Speaking of cars... October also saw the arrival of the Pajero! A surplus Act4Africa car that has travelled to us all the way from Uganda. It needed a little work along the way, but it was so great to get our own car, and just at the start of the rains!

So that's a bit of a low down of the last few months. Hopefully, with our greater internet access, we will be able to keep you better informed from now on!

Charis (and David) xxx

Read more chapters from 'Destination Malawi '

Friday, 01 Jan 10 - 12:45Rwenzori Mountain Extreme Trek

Chapter 17 of Crazy Fundraising Ideas! by Chris Grieves

For our TENTH year Act4Africa wanted to do something quite exceptional.
So we thought we would have the faith to stretch our belief in what we do and offer the trip of a lifetime.

Our Extreme Trek is therefore a celebration of the strength and determination of spirit what has marked the Act4Africa journey over the past 10 years.
Click the link on our homepage to get more details, but for now read this article from Exposed Planet.com >>HERE<<

Better still if you think you are up for it .. look at joining by downloading the application form from our Short Term Expeditions page >HERE<

Still not convinced this will be a phenomenal experience..? Then take a look at this glorious archive of photos from the Rwenzoris: Click Here

Read more chapters from 'Crazy Fundraising Ideas!'