GSGC’s Transformative Power
- GSGC
- Mar 24, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 29
The story of a traveler turned devoted GSGC supporter and volunteer, Suzanne Firth.
I have lived abroad, but never set foot in Africa. Curious, I used a giant atlas and Google Maps to follow a friend’s trip to Namibia with Global Sojourns, an American-based boutique safari company. I traveled local roads, flew over Namibian deserts, and marveled at the Skeleton Coast. I was hooked.
I called Global Sojourns’ founder, Priscilla Plummer. I told her my motivations and hopes for a first visit to Africa, clarifying and reaffirming them as the conversation went on. Priscilla customizes trips for small groups, and it became clear that I would benefit most from traveling with others who had the same desires and goals. I’d have to wait until they appeared.
Disappointed but not discouraged, I took a different tack. I asked about the “charity for girls” Priscilla founded in conjunction with her travel business. Her response was inspiring. Her drive and accomplishments were remarkable. I admired the vitality of this woman. I wanted this type of connection to Africa. No need to wait. Within months, I was a volunteer member of the Global Sojourns Giving Circle communications team.
“Clearly, a human-centered approach.”
Before signing up, I took GSGC 101. What struck me early on was the organization’s unique focus on qualitative evaluation measures, not the quotas donors to similar organizations expect. I was taken by the respectful wisdom of the mantra: I see you. I hear you. I believe in you. Clearly, a human-centered approach focusing on individuals, not the top-down approach I had associated with similar nongovernmental organizations. I concluded I’d be comfortable working with GSGC.
Mentorship is the foundation on which this passionate group’s remarkable success rests. GSGC’s approach to Mentorship is unique among international aid organizations, I learned. At its heart is the belief that Mentors “in the field” know what is best for their respective communities and how to achieve it. GSGC emphasizes careful screening of such prospective Mentors, thoughtful consideration of their hopes and plans for their communities, and finally, rigorous attention to the impact their programs are having on the young women and men they serve.
“To start, simply listen. Take time to understand an individual’s contexts. Build a relationship. Value nuances,” Priscilla told me. “Make every effort to fully understand not just the individual’s needs, but also her views on how best to meet those needs. And finally, commit to an ongoing dialogue, all the while working together with her as an equal.”
Kintsugi
This was the start of a journey that is changing my life.
Having lived in Japan, I knew of kintsugi, the Japanese art of putting broken pottery back together using lacquer mixed with gold. The idea behind this practice is that embracing flaws and imperfections creates an even more beautiful piece of art than the original. Priscilla’s mentorship is my personal kintsugi.
When I made that first call about a safari in Namibia, I was hurting, broken, but determined to finally make my own way in the world on my terms. The Monarch butterfly tattoo on my right arm is a constant reminder of that commitment. Like the GSGC Mentors, Priscilla “saw me, heard me and believed in me.” She applied the same steps to our relationship that Mentors apply to their relationships with their youth.
Life with a Scrappy Little Outlier
In his 2008 book, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell defines the term “outlier” as “Something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body.” This aptly describes GSGC’s status within the realm of international aid organizations in general and those that focus on gender equality in particular.
To their credit, dominant organizations in the world’s “Girl Effect” galaxy — CAMFED, The Girls Opportunity Alliance, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Malala Fund — have raised both awareness and money to support girls’ education and empowerment around the world. GSGC is a tiny planet at the outer edges of this galaxy. Its goals overlap those of the dominant organizations, but its method and approach are in a different solar system.
“A future where anything and everything is possible.”
Like the others, GSGC believes the empowerment of girls and women must begin with education. But in some regions, education alone is not enough to ensure a girl can reach her full potential. In areas where men are still valued over women, it is imperative that girls be inspired to think beyond traditional societal roles and look to a future where anything and everything is possible.
GSGC Mentors provide this inspiration. Mentors develop after-school programs for girls and boys, tailoring them to the needs of their communities but sharing overlapping goals. They seek to: encourage academic excellence; promote gender equality; reduce poverty and abuse; build life skills; develop self-esteem; provide a support network; and respect each person’s dignity. Individual lives are changed as a result. In turn, young people influence their families and communities, creating a ripple effect with ever widening circles of influence.
Early in my work with the GSGC Communications Committee, I transcribed an interview with a senior Mentor. She repeated time and again that GSGC had succeeded in embracing three key goals: to Connect, to Empower, to Transform. The process is organic, not top-down. Another important point she made was that GSGC measures success in qualitative, not merely quantitative, terms. GSGC’s grass roots, African-centric model is working. School-leaving statistics have improved. Graduates are enrolling in post-secondary study. Second generation participants have become Mentors themselves. Pregnancies have been avoided. Violence against girls has diminished. Attitudes have changed. The seemingly impossible is becoming possible.
ExpectationsExceeded
All volunteers have expectations. Upon joining GSGC, mine were modest: Offer my experience heading a business school’s communications unit. I had no idea my life would be so enriched by working with members of a specialized communications team with diverse talents, skills, experience, interests and goodwill toward their work. I have had numerous learning opportunities to master new software and social media tools essential to continually improving the creative process. And on top of all this, GSGC has encouraged me to realize my dream of learning to tell stories.
But the greatest gift volunteering has given me is the joy of “meeting” GSGC Mentors through WhatsApp. Perhaps the most rewarding assignment to date was working with each Mentor to create a personal profile for the website. I began to feel I was part of a family. And Mentors Sfe, Gloria, Shorai, Pestrida, Kangwa, Thokozile — they became real to me, friends, as I learned about their pasts, hopes, dreams and commitments. How different from those nameless girls and boys smiling at me from the fundraising brochures of my past.
Reading the organization’s monthly newsletter to donors has deepened my understanding of the challenges faced by all in Southern Africa, particularly in the past year. But amazingly, GSGC is busier than ever. Its Mentors have been shining examples of hope, ingenuity and dedication during the pandemic. They have earned even greater respect from parents, educators and village elders. And proof of GSGC’s growing influence can be seen in its numbers: 52 clubs this year compared with 20 last year; 870 youth being served in 2021 compared with 470 in 2020.
GSGC is donor-driven. It is volunteer-driven. As a member of both groups, my ongoing commitment to the organization gets stronger every day. The GSGC model and approach are replicable. They are sustainable. Communities in Southern Africa are eager for GSGC programs.
Like all members of the GSGC family — volunteers, Mentors, girls and boys — I continue to grow, nurtured by those around me. Because of this, I have finally been able to internalize the beautiful words of the poem Invictus, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” Thank you, GSGC, from the bottom of my heart.
