Surgance Central: Africa

The Almus Project has become part of Surgance, Inc.

Founded in 2008, The Almus Project exists to address the life-threatening issue of malnutrition that currently a f fects millions of people throughout the world. According t o the project's founder, Andy Milligan, "The Almus Project is based on the concept of thinking globally and acting locally. We are committed to bringing to bear the financial and technological resources of the western world in partnership with local communities, beginning in the Sub-Saharan African nation of Zambia, to address the threat of malnutrition.

"Almus is a Latin word," Andy explains. "It means kind, generous, and nourishing." Through the use of peanut-based Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), the Almus Project is working to bring life-saving nourishment to thousands of malnourished children throughout the world.

"This partnership is a striking example of the power that the Surgance platform brings to social entrepreneurial ventures," says Brian Audia, Surgance, Inc.'s CEO. "We're excited about the possibilities of affecting community transformation throughout the world and The Almus Project is a perfect opportunity for Surgance and it's partners to do just that."

If you would like to make a contribution to enable Surgance to continue to lead community transforming projects like this all around the world, we would greatly appreciate your tax-deductible donation of any size through Network for Good:

Bishop Ndholu I had a most unusual lunch today. Not that the food was unusual, rather the company. Recently I had heard that a bishop from Zambia was coming to Las Vegas. This morning, our pastor who's a huge supporter of The Almus Project invited me to have lunch with them. As I spoke with Bishop Peter Ndhlovu I learned that 8 years ago in Lusaka, Zambia's capital, he started a small church in a tavern. In the last 8 years that 1 church has planted 236 churches in 12 countries and oversees 92 community schools that serve 13,000 orphans. I shared our vision to nourish children with Ready to Use Theraputic Foods as well as to reach out to vulnerable children with new supplemental formulas designed to fend off malnutrition as well as new formulas to support ARV drug regimens for adults living with HIV/AIDS. I told him that we are planning to make an extended trip this summer to lay the foundation to begin manufacturing RUTF in Kabwe as well as to spend time with African farmers who grow peanuts, make connections with various aid organizations and to see if we could meet with officials of the US embassy in Zambia as well as Zambian government officials. After hearing the vision, the bishop said, "When you come to Lusaka I will arrange for you to meet with the Minsiter of Information who is the spokesman for the Cabinet to the President. That meeting could lead to a meeting with the President of Zambia to present the vision you've shared with me." I was blown away.

Come to find out, Bishop Ndhlovu has served as the pastor of the previous and current President of Zambia and currently serves as a spiritual advisor to President Rupiah Banda. When I woke up this morning I had no idea that today I would be dining with a close personal friend of the President of Zambia. Seriously, what are the odds (Vegas pun intended) that I would have lunch on a Sunday afternoon with the spiritual advisor of the leader of the country where the Almus Project is working?

I gave him several copies of our program DVD to share with officials in Zambia, and we had an amazing time talking about The Almus Project and what a difference it can make in the lives of the people of Zambia. Particularly orphans. With an average life expectancy in Zambia of less than 40 years, because of the devestation of HIV/AIDS, there is an entire generation missing. 45% of Zambia's population of 12 million people are under the age of 14. 10% of Zambia's population are orphans... that's 1.2 million orphans. He shared a poem with me that poigniantly describes the lives of the children in Zambia they are reaching .

The Cry of an Orphan
By Judith Mungaila

Orphan's cry

My heart bleeds when I see an adult passing by.

I look in their face hoping to see

my lost father and mother.

Hoping to hear their comforting voices;

Hoping for a hug but no body has time

for me since my parents died.

I’ve become a scavenger.

I have nowhere to sleep.

I cannot go to school.

When I make a mistake

I must be beaten because I am naughty.

I must be given a little food to eat

because I eat too much.

I must do all the work because I am lazy.

If I laugh I am making noise.

If I cry I am not grateful.

When I become a parent one day

for the sake of my children,

I’ll protect myself from AIDS.

Oh God Oh God,

it is terrible to be an orphan!

As Bishop Ndhlovu and I were discussing the problems so many orphans face in Zambia, he commented that the problem is so vast that it can be overwhelming. I was reminded of and shared with him a story that one of our parnters in Zambia and South Africa, Coen Scholtz, tells that so beautifully illustrates why we do what we do:

The Parable of the Starfish.

There was a man who was walking by the sea when he noticed that the beach was covered with thousands of starfish. Standing in the middle of these starfish was a man who slowly and methodically bent over, picked up a starfish and threw it into the sea. The man who was passing by called out to the man on the beach and said, "Why are you doing this? There are thousands of these starfish. You can't possibly save them all. What difference does this make?" The man on the beach replied, "but it is making a differnce for this one." And he reached down, picked up another starfish and flung it back into the sea.

Thanks for making a difference,
Andy Milligan
Director
The Almus Project

Photos by Jess Koehler
www.curiositysavedthehuman.com