By Julia Mericle
Assistant News Editor
Zachary Rodriguez, a graduate student in the MBA program and Bonaventure class of ’09, gave a presentation on Thursday titled “Embrace It Africa: Development as a Work in Progress.” His speech covered the history, goals and future outlook for Embrace It Africa (EIA).
EIA was started in 2007 by Rodriguez and two classmates as a student club. It has since expanded into a not-for-profit organization focused on community development in southern Uganda, specifically the Rakai district.
EIA concentrates on poverty, public health, and education. According to Rodriguez, the title of the presentation explains the constantly changing and growing nature of the organization.
“I want people to understand the complexity of international development and disrupt notions of simple fixes,” Rodriguez said.
EIA student sponsorship initiative currently manages 105 sponsorships of students in primary and secondary school.
The Rakai Wellness Organization, the EIA HIV/AIDS initiative, offers counseling, agricultural projects, and medicine to a group of widows and widowers.
According to Rodriguez, one of the challenges of working with EIA was determining on what scale the organization could change the world.
“One of the hardest things about working in the non-profit industry is having to overcome your naivety about how the world operates,” Rodriguez said.
In the past, the organization has been presented with opportunities to expand to other countries, but Rodriguez explained that the group chose to decline these opportunities and focus on creating sustainable change in one area before expanding.
Rodriguez listed the lessons EIA has taught him, including listening and patience, insight into why people give, and American goals vs. Ugandan goals.
“What we see for the country and what the country sees for itself are two totally different things,” Rodriguez said.
