Support Billy and Bungu, a 2Seeds Network Project

I have some big news: I'm heading to Tanzania in August for a year!

I was selected for a competitive leadership program in international development and will be co-managing a project for the 2Seeds Network, which helps those in severe, debilitating poverty.

THE BUNGU PROJECT

My project is the Bungu Project, where together with a group of farmers I will be developing a business growing and selling high-quality produce to contracted buyers like hotels, restaurants and high-end markets.

With the investment, training and guidance 2Seeds has provided so far on the project, these farmers are just about ready to fully take control of the business. They just need one more year of support.

Together we can help them take this last step and escape from severe, debilitating poverty for good.

OUR APPROACH

While managing the Bungu Project, I'll be taking a business-like approach to helping others, maximizing the number of lives improved or saved for every dollar spent. We will:

Create long-term solutions

We will be helping farmers develop steady income and skills now to set them up for success for the rest of their lives. It's an investment, an investment in these farmers. We expect that the returns, in terms of improved income and well-being over their lifetimes, will be great.

The 2Seeds' approach, a variation of the "graduation approach", is proven and is one of the very few ways shown to help the poor escape from debilitating poverty for good. Read more here, here and here.  

2. Focus on one of the poorest regions in the world

The dollar now is stronger than it has been in a long time. This means that vacations to Europe are cheap, but this also means that in the poorest regions of the world like Tanzania in sub-Saharan Africa your dollar will go far, much farther than in the U.S. or even Europe.

In general helping the global poor has the potential to be more efficient and improve lives to a greater extent than helping the poor in the U.S. or in other developed countries. For more information, see here.

3. Be transparent and accountable

Supporters of the Bungu project will be treated as partners or investors. I will be providing transparent, in-depth reporting and metrics so you'll know exactly what effect your support is having. Our strongest supporters will receive privileged access to information on the project.

HOW WILL YOUR SUPPORT BE USED?

All contributions go directly to the project and will be allocated by me and my co-manager Antal Neville.

For 2Seeds Network projects, the majority of the funds usually go towards providing counsel, support and training. A smaller portion is used to invest directly in the business and purchase necessary equipment and supplies, such as seeds and farming tools.

This year, we are also planning to go one step further by exploring ways to make the Bungu Project more efficient and impactful. Once we are on the ground, we will be in a better position to provide a detailed plan and a  breakdown of projected expenses.

ABOUT BILLY

I'm joining 2Seeds Network from the global communications firm APCO Worldwide, where I was involved with both government relations and multinational communications projects, the majority of which focused on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. While continuing — and hopefully accelerating — the progress of the Bungu Project, I plan to draw on my communications background to maintain close ties with project donors and transparently communicate the impact their support is having.

Prior to APCO, I worked in Moscow for KPMG, an accounting and business consulting firm, and in Washington, D.C. for the U.S-Russia Business Council as Manager of Membership Relations. I studied comparative politics in the former Soviet Union at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in graduate school and have a degree in Russian language from Goucher College, where I was a defenseman on the lacrosse team.

I'm excited to gain experience in a new region of the world and to be involved with a project that can have such a strong impact.