I’m heading to Jacaranda School in Malawi, Africa, for most of January to experience the school’s local leadership for sustainable living. Jacaranda educates over 400 AIDS orphans — from early childhood to high school — every day. But this isn’t enough for the school’s founder, Marie Da Silva. Marie and Jacaranda also seek to improve the living conditions of their students and surrounding communities. I’ll be collaborating with Jacaranda’s community of students, teachers, and staff to experience, learn about, document and share their work for sustainable living.
There’s a lot of talk in places like the UN about the necessity of including local leaders when making decisions about our environmental future, but decision making is still pretty top down. I believe we need to do a lot more listening and ensure a seat at the table and a voice for those taking action on the ground. Sharing Jacaranda’s story globally is an important step in this direction, and I’m excited to call attention to their work.
Learn more about Jacaranda School here!