The journey of a 1000 miles, begins with ....?

Friends ... my friends.

Hope y'all are good.
This week and half has been the Mother of crazies for me. Topsy-turvy, emotional, trying, fulfilling ... exhausting.

I went to Odumase-Krobo this Friday. Went to Cedi Beads ... y'all heard of him? Just Google him, and you'll land him in a nanosecond! like, really ... guy is so popular, and his family is legendary.

I went to ask him in board the Greenfoot Campaign ... not only does he do great beads, but he recycles glass ... intentionally uses un-needed glass bottles and such for his beads.
It's a notion we will dearly enjoy partnering him in ... and also to work on getting more of his beads into daily use and fashionale accessories ... so it goes everywhere, faster.
Recycle the glass, darn it! Keep the line moving ... yep, that's it! lol!!!!

We have another date with him next weekend. Can't wait to go ... cus this trip in particular, I did in a hurry, and I didn't really get to feel the entire experience well.
This time around, I'm going prepared.

I took the pictures of him, and his bead-makers at work myself oooo! Not from internet, so copyright first, joh! lol.

And oh! What lushness! What fresh green-ness! What coolness! I am definitely going to move out of Accra when I can afford it! Beautiful and idyllic ... blow your mind, it does!!

So Cedi Beads will be repping at the Fair on the 17th October! Mark that down.

Now we are still in several talks with sooooo many companies, but if these ones, we have confirmed SUPPORT of varying forms and levels ... and with some, we have a working understanding. You are likely to see them or their reps on the field on the fair day as well (both officially, incognito, or just there to have fun!):

USAID
CEDI BEADS
NKYEA Twi Primer TEAM
E + CO
SOLAR LIGHT
NET 2, CAMPUS FILE team
TRASHY BAGS
WELLNEZ CENTRE
MIM & LEA
CREATIVE WRITERS WITHOUT BORDERS
ENCOL GH. Ltd
WILKINS ENGINEERING
ZENITH BANK ENERGY DESK reps

We are still in talks with interested groups, but we will only confirm them when they confirm.
So watch out for the next blog update for these support and participatory groups!

We met with part of our volunteer group on Saturday (yesterday) as well. This was at Legon with the legon reps, and a few wonderful reps from Ashesi (although theirs will be held soon on their campus, they still came over!).

As you can see from the pictures, I went along with my son a.k.a Tasmanian Devil! He is never still, so all you see is the blur, yurp! What? How old is he? Will be 2 in December ... rather on the tall side, eh?! Boy can only babble baby talk, yet he is already up in there!

Mercy is the one at the far left in the group picture ... she's a trim 5 ' 1 feet.
I am at the far right in the group picture with the blur of a son ... i'm a round 5 ' 6 feet.
We are like: Santa and one of his elves!

We had a wonderful hour and half chat with them, wherein we spoke about ESF, why ... like food and drink, energy was also important, and had to be diversified and made efficient for the future, why the power lay in their hands to take up this opportunity. We spoke about what responsibilities they would be given on the day, we emphasized the need for a learning and fun-loving spirit for this event, and the measures we had in place to take care of them throughout their voluntary assignments.

Most of them were very happy to have gotten frequent emails from us, before the meeting. They shared a wish to spend their vacations attached to our outfit ... especially in terms of training, travelling, assignments,jobs, etc.

They wanted to know how we started, our founding members, and our long-term dreams for the outfit.

At the end of it all, we also asked them why, deep down, they offered to volunteer.

Astoundingly, most of them responded that the energy situation was a disturbing aspect for them as well, and they agreed with the point we made about the rural areas being paradise ... BUT FOR LACK of electricity, hence their wish to also join a pioneering movement such as ESF.
They also stated that they were taking the opportunity to upgrade their CVs, as well as build up on a marketable and career-enhanced future.

We ended it up with a group picture, distribution of directions to Lincoln C. School, as well as a reminder of a final volunteer meeting before the D-Day.

After this came a fast flow of discussions, meetings, and deliberations with our media supporters and publicity aides. Then, of course, a meeting between myself and Mercy.

We have one last set of ads to place on paper and radio-TV, andafter that, we raise our faces to Mawu, the Most High God.
Money issues be tight, mehn! REAL tight! But we believe it will be well.

I have left out so many petty details, cus my heart is full to bursting with them, and I know not which to talk about, but when we meet, I shall spill all to you! ;-0

Before I go, though, share this good news with us:

WE have gotten our first CONSULTATION! And we have already started working on it. It is so perfectly in line with our objectives ... nothing could be more perfect. When the revenue pulls through, hola! to our raise funds for rural-renewable energy-grid campaign! We just got hold of the Energy Bill draft from government as well. Probably should update you on that soon as I can. Hmmmmmmm!

2 other jobs also popped up just 2 days ago as well, and we hope to put pen to paper on these as well!

So share the good news. Tell people ESF is still growing ... we value our standards, and we keep them!

Share our countdown with us on FACEBOOK (we have a Greenfoot Campaign funpage, specially for the Fair and the Charity Ball, then an ESF fan page ... join us on there if you can. 70 members and counting so far!!)

Buy a Charity ball ticket!
Or a Reggie Rockstone and Friends "Take the Mic" ticket.
Buy for you and a friend. A partner. Family.
Share this with us!!!
More updates of support groups for fair next update!

People.
We have seen the future ... and it belongs to us.

Don't let nobody tell you different!