Why Africa?
A Woman's Personal Safari

... an excerpt from Dr. Lea's upcoming book ...

Introduction

Women always busy before the rain

Elders face the fleeing sun

Herds of cattle head home, warriors watch

When heardsmens chores are done, they hope for many golden dawns.

--Maasai Tepilit Olesaitoti

Africa looms like a dark chasm in my past and as a brilliant light showing me the way into my future. Its energy flows in my blood and I can’t seem to free myself from the grip it has on my soul. I am witness to the desperation of its people, the yearning for a single glimpse of hope and a reason to live. Survival, one day at a time,  moving toward the dark of night, children often hungry until sunrise dawns and a new day begins.

My vision for women’s empowerment goes back a long way, when I declared myself a vehicle to end illiteracy in the world. This declaration was birthed in my dissertation for my doctorate in writing literacy. Thus it is no accident that my education, and my work for equal education for all children came together in the mysterious and magical continent of Africa.

 The following words tumble onto the page with both joy and sorrow. Joy for the life altering experiences I have had and sorrow for the struggle that is a part every day life there. This book is dedicated to the young women of E. Africa, struggling to find their voices and for the courage and determination they exhibit, in a land where there is little agreement for women to evolve as leaders of their own lives. 

Please contact me if you would like to be notified when the book is published.