Nairobi There’s no way to tell the founding story of building ACORN or even my experiences with the National Welfare Rights Organization before that without offering some thanks to the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program and the leg up it gave fledgling organizing efforts in staffing or providing “slots” that might pay organizers …
Month: October 2015
African Internet Barriers Dropping for Commerce not People
Nairobi My first visit to Nairobi was more than a decade ago. Where I stayed claimed access to the internet on a dial-up modem so slow that each email would take fifteen minutes or more to send, if it didn’t timeout before completion. Doing the least amount after a day of work meant staying up …
Fighting “Insecurity” in Korogocho
Nairobi From after midnight until sometime after 2 AM, sleeping didn’t come easily at Shalom House. Somewhere behind me was an extremely enthusiastic church service amplified with shouts, singing, and applause and undoubtedly a joyous rendering unto the Lord undampened by rain and unintimidated by the hopes of many, including myself, still trying to sleep. …