A Fairy Tale? No! The Ripples of the Pulse AGAIN and AGAIN!

My dear Pulse sisters,

This beautiful story is a reminder of the power of the Pulse.

The story started April 17 2009, ONE YEAR ago today, when through the PulseWire I contacted Lin from Project Africa announcing my trip to Uganda and Kenya and the possibility of meeting my Rafiki Mariamu in Lingalunga. The trip to Lungalunga did happen and what came afterwards has been a succession of almost uncontrollable events, the ripples of the Pulse, that have shaped and reshaped my personal and professional life. My bold idea of bringing “health by motorbike” to the villages that Project Africa serve in rural Kenya has grown to the point of shaking not only Project Africa but my University as well. I wrote letters, grants, requests, presentations… The result? In June 2010, I am taking three of my students and my 16-year-old daughter to organize a summer health camp for women and adolescent girls in Lungalunga, Godo, and Perani. We will also distribute mosquito nets for pregnant women and children under five, and will launch the “Mama-Toto Mobile Clinic” that will work during the year serving the three communities with basic equipment and basic medications.

Although it sounds like a fairy tale, in reality this is a direct result of what communication can achieve through the WorldPulse. I used the PulseWire to feel the pulse of women, the pulse of my sisters around the world (those who can reach the Pulse and those whose pulse is still awaiting), and I allowed the ripples of the pulse to take my bold idea and turn it into a fairly tale.

I am grateful to the World Pulse for being the bridge towards a healthier future for women and girls. I am grateful to sister Lin from Project Africa because everything she touches blooms in beauty. I am grateful to the Davis Foundation for Peace Projects, to the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship, to the Wisconsin Idea Grant, and to the future donors for believing in my fairy tales.

Love to all of you.
Ara