A current project of the Nana Foundation... (2007)

Wayne & Gaia met Andry (aka Andriniaina Falimanantsoa) while on their honeymoon in Madagascar in 2007. They hired a tour company to arrange part of their visit and Andry was their guide.

Andry has been guiding tourists in Madagascar for 7 years. He has a degree in tourism, speaks fluent English, French and Malagasy, and is extremely knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, culture and history of Madagascar. He took a lengthy course on the birds of his country, and not only can identify them from about a mile away, but knows their names in all three of his own languages and latin as well!

This year during the rainy season, Andry plans to take Italian courses so he can converse with tourists in yet another language. He is always trying to learn more - he takes notes constantly regarding new English words and grammar corrections and actively seeks out new knowledge about every aspect of his job.

Andry was unhappy with his work situation and felt undervalued and underpaid. He wanted to start his own guide service, but without credit cards, bank accounts and capital it seemed a daunting task. Along with other former clients and friends, the Nana Foundation is helping Andry realize his dream by arranging and paying for his website domain name and hosting service, and assisting him with internet marketing and advertising.

One of the remarkable things about Andry is his ability to communicate with Malagasy and western tourists in ways that make sense to them and to encorporate both Malagasy and western values into his life. We are encouraging Andry to continue to develop these skills by hiring the best people to work for and with him (not just his family and tribesmen) and by talking with both tourists and his fellow Malagasy about the value of preserving what is left of the natural beauty and wildlife habitat in their remarkable country.

Our good friend and past client Greg Boyd traveled to Cambodia this past winter and has been working with the Center for Children's Happiness (CCH). This organization takes children from a local dump who work 12 hour days collecting materials out of the trash just to survive. Many of these kids are orphans that also live at the dump. Greg visited the dump himself and found the conditions sad and disturbing. CCH takes these children and gives them a place to live, feeds them, and sends them to school for vocational training. Greg spent three weeks teaching art classes and playing games with the kids, but his brief experience inspired him to do more.

On March 19th, Greg will be running in the Thai Temple Run, a marathon which takes place just outside of Bangkok. His goal is to “run for the kids” and raise money for CCH. They operate on a shoestring, so any little bit can help. If you would like to make a donation, please visit Groundspring.org . The website is used for several different organizations, so be sure to select CCH as the project. If you do make a donation and send us your name and address, we’ll have Greg send you a postcard from Thailand as a small thank you.

If you are interested in more information on CCH, visit their website at www.CCHCambodia.org

Ivan first caught Wayne’s attention during a discussion of business in Africa. Ivan said that he believed the problem with African businessmen (as well as politicians), was their blind loyalty to their tribes. Ivan felt strongly that one should hire the best workers, regardless of what tribe they belonged to. “Nunsebuga [a female co-worker of Ivan’s] is the first person I would hire. Why? Because she is a good worker! Period.” This is a very telling statement, first because Nunsebuga is Bugali whereas Ivan is Bugandan (two very different tribes), but equally as important is Ivan’s openness and even eagerness to hire a woman, considering that very little value is placed upon women in East African society. It is important to note Ivan’s gut level response is to judge people for who they are, not what they are.

If all goes according to plan, Ivan will be working for St. Elias Alpine Guides, LLC in the summer of 2005. After months of paperwork and jumping through hoops (including “smuggling” $100 bills to Ivan in paperback books), it looks as though Ivan will be able to procure a work visa and come to the US. “This is not an offer I would have made to anyone,” Wayne observes, “The vast majority of Africans would have a very difficult time traveling to the US, but Ivan is very unique in that he has an incredible worldview and a solid grasp of the differences between Western culture and African culture.” Bringing Ivan over to the US will certainly cost more than hiring a young person from the lower 48 to help run the office, but we consider it an investment in humanity.

The Nana Foundation is the brainchild of St. Elias Alpine Guides, LLC owner, Wayne Marrs, and is named in honor of his grandmother, who was plain and simple a wonderful person. It is run by Wayne and his wife, Gaia, partners in business and in life.