Hey Echoers!
Another year and another group of graduates from the Women in Action Development Project in Sierra Leone! 60 more women have an opportunity for better lives because of your help and support. I couldn’t be more proud. Especially this year!
2023 Graduating Class from the Women in Action Development Program
We had a super charged fundraising year this year thanks to the support of the Star Trek Community fundraiser for Esther’s Echo. As some of you know, one of my other hats is in space science communication. My day job is working at a Planetarium in Vancouver, Canada. I also grew up as a Star Trek fan. Star Trek, is a television show that depicts a future Earth where war, poverty, and hunger have been abolished and humans explore the stars. I think of that future often when reflecting on my experiences in Sierra Leone which, when I first arrived, was designated a post conflict warzone. What would it take to get from this world to that one?
Many fans of the show went on to become engineers, or go into the film industry. My path was different. I wanted to see how I could take that inspiration from the future and apply it in the real-world present. So I studied International Development which is how I came to meet Esther Kanu way back in 2004 now.
This past June, the 2023 graduation ceremony was held. This marks over 600 students who have graduated from Women in Action since Esther’s Echo was founded in 2012. Linked below is a video I sent to the Star Trek donor community for their support which includes footage from this year’s graduation as well as special thanks from the students and Esther herself!
Thank you all very much!
Also! Today (Aug 6th) I’ll be co-hosting another TREKtivism (Star Trek Activism) panel at the Las Vegas Star Trek Convention. I’m on stage in just a few hours! We’ll be talking about the success of the fundraiser and generating momentum for a new fundraising push.
Panel at Star Trek: Las Vegas
And here it is! The video with footage from the graduation!
We always are in need of more donations to keep the school’s doors open. So if you can pitch in now for the 2024 year of students, please do so below!