Fishing Rod


Sitting on the edge of my seat, filled with anticipation, the sounds of a heartbeat filled the dark room. Suddenly, a spotlight shined on the stage, revealing children, clothed in vibrant African prints, reflective of their tribal heritage. They sang in thick Ugandan accents perfectly attuned to the songs. The profound dynamic of the African Children's Choir concert made it hard to imagine the extreme poverty in which these talented, orphaned children had lived.

Experiences like this inspired me to aspire to create a NGO that serves impoverished children in developing countries by emphasizing education. According to lifewater.org, “of all the children living in extreme poverty, 75 percent live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.” Despite the growth of many industries abroad, “over 63 million children” of primary school age remain uneducated. There is much work to be done, despite the sometimes seeming abundance of NGOs. Basic needs, such as food, clean water, and shelter, supersede education.

I plan to serve as a catalyst for children. The Fishing Rod organization will first begin by providing uniquely tailored programs to already established schools in Subsaharan Africa. The initial focus would be to help students that are currently enrolled to stay in school and not leave because of outside circumstances. The programs will be specialized to cater to the individual needs of each student and their family. Whether they can't pursues arts or certain academic subjects based on the lack of resources. By focus on established schools initially, it will allow the founders of the NGO to understand cultural values and see the blindspots that exist in education system in the specific country. In the future, the NGO will become more expansive in terms of building schools, elaborate support systems, incorporating study abroad programs, and creating new jobs for the local communities.

Why Fishing Rod? In the book Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, he talk about how he would cell illegal CD's because he was given a CD Writer. He then said, “People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” My organization will be the fishing rod that provides children with opportunities that lead them to be catalysts for change within and beyond their community. Helping communities, help themselves.

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