I don't know how I missed it. I guess it did come out during high school, which were my pre-saving the world days. Lately I have been reading books that lead to me to other books, which lead me to other more amazing books. This was no exception. Out of curiosity, I picked up the book "Twitter for Good" by Claire Diaz-Ortiz mainly because the subtitle read "Change the World One Tweet at a Time." Up until probably a month ago I disdained the idea of Twitter (really I just didn't understand all aspects of it); who really cares what some celebrity ate for breakfast? I certainly did not need up to the minute updates on what all my friends. Always one for being proven wrong (true half of the time, I can be pretty headstrong too), I read the book cover to cover, initiated my Twitter account, and attempted to find my voice. I'm still working on it; it is a challenge for me to Tweet every day or every other day, but I can try harder. Side note: how is anyone supposed to keep up with blog posting (especially when they are mini novels for each post), Tweeting, Facebooking, Linking In...the list continues and function in a real life.
So back to the point, my Twitter book kept referencing this non-proft called Room to Read that they did some work with and used to test their Promoted Tweets for Good program. Intrigued by a non-profit by that name I did some further research to find it was a pretty amazing organization and even better the Founder and CEO, John Wood, had written a book called "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World." Two minutes later I had the book on hold under my name at my local library to be picked up that afternoon.
Joining the line of 4 or 5 books I already had lined up to read (the library might take away my library card, thank goodness I just got a Kindle), I had sort of forgotten about it until a few days ago when it was finally its turn to be read. After just the first chapter I was hooked. Everything he was saying, I understood; he was speaking my language. When you are an alien like I am that can be a rarity. In fact, some of the same discussions I had just recently referenced in a blog showed up in the book. I especially understand all the stories of the people he has met traveling and the impact they have on him.
I have faces burned into my brain from every country in the world of people that in some capacity have managed to affect my life. He talks about a boy named Vu he met in Vietnam and his tenacity, audacity, and any other word ending in -city about learning, education, responsibility for himself and his family that is just awe-inspiring. For me, Vu's face was replaced with the Nepali boy, Shiva, I met in India who worked at the hotel I was staying in. Every morning after we returned from hours of trainings, I would sit in the lobby with a coffee, some toast, fruit, and a banana milkshake (he had my breakfast order memorized), my journal and a book, while Shiva would tell me all about his journey to India from Nepal, his family that was still there and how he was working in India to send money back to them. He would give me travel advice for while I was in India and if I ever got the chance to go to Nepal (it is on my list). His eyes would just light up when I came in the room because he knew he got to practice his English (he already spoke his local Nepali language and Hindi) and share his stories about his homeland. One day when we were headed to the markets of Old Delhi, we asked Shiva to come along and act as our tour guide to which he agreed. He had worked all morning serving people in the hotel, came out to the markets as a tour guide with us during his afternoon off, and returned just in time to start work again. He was the nicest, sweetest, most appreciative person I have ever met. These are the reasons that we travel, it is so we may have these amazing interactions with fascinating people as we go. They really make you see the good in the world.
Anyways, so back to the book (I am getting off on a lot of random tangents this morning). I carry it everywhere in hopes someone will ask me about it, just like I wear one Nike Red lace and one regular lace because people will ask me why I have mismatched laces and I can tell them about the "Lace Up To Save Lives" program and product (RED). I am loving the story, the mix of business and entrepreneurship with international development, which is exactly what I am interested in. From what I have learned Room to Read's programs focus on girl's education, building schools and school libraries. They started out generating most of their capital from individual donors funding individual projects, which most impressive, supplementing with a few grants, the rare unrestricted sort, to cover the overhead costs. This was when they were working primarily in Nepal, Vietnam, and Cambodia; however, now they have a few more partners and are working in ten countries throughout Africa and Asia, including my beloved South Africa!
As you all know I could drone on and on, or you could, if your interested, check out the book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World and/or the organization's website Room to Read. I am primarily writing this as a call to arms. I saw this video below through Twitter and it asks each person to pass it on to five people, so I am passing it along to ten, my ten subscribers and maybe more who will randomly come across my page. Individually and together we can make a difference and we will change the world!
http://youtu.be/ZNnc61JDJmQ
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