There are few things as fulfilling as making a difference in someone‘s life.
Whether it is bringing a smile to a sad face, building a dream, saying an encouraging word, giving a scholarship, extending a helping hand or just being a friend.
All these count to something.
That place for difference makers is for all of us, because it is what we all are capable of doing.
That is why when organizations do good they speak to us at a personal level.
Their good deeds trigger something in us to want to do the same.
Pencils of Promise is one such remarkable organization which understands the power of creating a difference in the lives of others.
This international nonprofit organization was born out of the one man, Adam Braun’s backpacking through more than 50 countries.
While travelling he witnessed a need to build this non-profit organization led by local staff to work with communities dedicated to educating their children.
Pencils of Promise pump their heart and soul into education.
Just like any worthy course education needs organizations like these to speak for it.
I couldn’t help after talking so much for education but connect with them.
I wanted to share their story.
Yes I talked about them briefly in my recent post, about how what they stand for inspires me and I was not joking when I said when I grow up I want to be just like them.
But still their story is too big and deserves more than just a mention.
So I got an incredible opportunity to have a conversation to Alexandra White; the Marketing Coordinator of Pencils of Promise to get an insight on their story
-what they stand for
-how they started
-the challenges they faced
-and how they forged forward
And here is my conversation with Alexandra White:
What inspired Adam Braun to start Pencils of Promise?
It all started with one boy in India.
When Adam Braun the founder had asked him what he wanted most in the world, the boy replied “a pencil.”
Adam reached into his backpack, handed him his pencil and watched as a wave of possibility washed over him.
A smile erupted and his eyes brightened.
Adam saw the profound power and promise brought through something as small as a giving a pencil to just one child.
During an extensive backpacking trip, Adam distributed pencils and interacted with parents and children of many cultures and languages, discussing with them the importance of education.
It was through these conversations and his interaction with that boy in India led him to create Pencils of Promise.
Starting is not easy on any of us at the start. It can be messy, with us being unsure. Was it the same for Pencils of Promise? What were the challenges they faced and how did you overcome them?
In PoP’s first few years, we didn’t have any major donors — all of the money we raised came from individual donations of $100 or less. This was definitely a challenge.
But, contrary to common practice, PoP committed to a model of cause-marketing through social media, to engage a community of PoP followers who would be dedicated to the success of our organization.
We’re proud to have built a strong network of people interested in our organization and have developed partnerships and marketing campaigns with some of the world’s top companies over the past eight years.
When I first read about Pencils of Promise I was truly touched about how you are giving a chance to many who may never have thought a chance to education was possible. I talk as an African because I know the education dream is not always possible for many African communities. Pencils of Promise has made notable progress in building schools across the world, Africa included. Can you tell us about your projects in Africa and how they have impacted the African communities?
Pencils of Promise currently works in over 90 communities in Ghana.
As an organization, we’ve impacted over 150,000 people in the country through our Teacher Support Program, school builds, WASH (Water & Sanitation Hygiene) program and scholarships.
Last year, we trained 280 teachers in Ghana, providing them with methodologies and strategies to enhance learning in their classrooms.
After evaluating our Teacher Support Program in 2015, we saw an 18.7% increase in literacy proficiency in PoP 6th grade students in Ghana as compared to control students. These positive results give us the confidence to continue expanding our programs to more and more schools across the region.
In sunrise moments we have recently focused on the theme “education as a passport to fulfilling the dreams of the African child”. What is your take on that?
At Pencils of Promise, we truly believe that an education is the gateway, or passport, to a better future.
It creates endless opportunities for these children and their communities; a quality education opens doors that so many children didn’t even know existed.
We actually have a monthly giving program at PoP called PASSPORT, which is a way for donors to invest in our work on an ongoing basis. The name also represents our belief that with quality education, a child can take flight.
We believe that winged dreams will fly. You work tireless to wing the dreams of others, who has been instrumental in helping your dreams take flight?
One of the most instrumental people in Adam’s journey to create Pencils of Promise was his grandmother, Ma.
A Holocaust survivor, she served as the inspiration for the first school that PoP built in Laos and when it was completed, he dedicated it in Ma’s honor. Adam’s desire to give back to Ma guided the creation of the organization.
Can you share one experience that stand out where as an organization you witnessed and felt the amazing rewards of changing someone’s life.
Adam once said: “For me personally, breaking ground on our first school in Laos is an experience I’ll never forget. Building that school felt like an impossible dream came true.”
To find more about Pencils of Promise visit their website here and while you are at it they have an amazing book “The Promise of a Pencil; How an Ordinary can create Extraordinary Change”
Your turn and my turn
PoP story isn’t just about education it is about following a worthy course.
It is without doubt we need shakers and movers, the ones who can make amazing contributions in this world.
What is your contribution in this world?
It is easier to think that such missions are too big for us, far from our own reach.
But the beginning of Pencil of Promises reminds us that we all can make a difference where we are.
What is beautiful is that noble work did not start when they were building schools, nobility started with the handing of a pencil.
Something beautiful and profound grew from that simple moment.
The boy and the pencil were enough to speak to Adam.
I think when we learn to see beyond simple encounters amazing things can happen.
Whilst you are moving towards bigger things what you do in between is just as important.
Are you waiting for big breaks?
The bigger dreams ought to find you doing smaller acts.
Touch one person before you touch millions.
Don’t wait to do bigger things, start where you are, with what you have, maybe someday an opportunity to do more will come.
And if it does not, still that single that small act will count to something.
In the words of Edmund Burke, Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.
Let us not make that mistake of doing nothing just because we can only do little.
While you are at it remember the interesting part is that when you make a difference it is your life too that begins to transform.
When you give meaning to others, your life too finds some meaning.
This is best expressed through this Chinese proverb that “a bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives the rose.”
So why not pick a rose in the backyard or in the wild or pick a pencil and give it to someone, okay may be not literally.
Now let’s go do what we can with what we have.