Calabash, LLC is a start-up birthed at Emory University with the hopes of improving the water drinking and sanitation conditions in rural parts of Sub-Saharan Africa while also supporting the initiative of "Africans building Africa". I got the chance to listen in as co-founders Kwame Wireko and Cole Holan discussed their start up while the prototypes sitting between them bring their ideas and words to life.
"The origins of Calabash lie in my childhood. As a child, I went everywhere with my grandmother. We often went to the vibrant local market. My favorite place to go was the fried plantain seller because he always added an extra plantain because I could speak the local dialect," Kwame shared. "One day on one of our many trips we passed by a group of school kids who were drinking what looked like coffee from a small calabash which they passed around. My grandmother always gave me grief whenever I even looked at caffeinated beverages and seeing that these kids were around my age, I asked her why they were allowed to drink coffee and I wasn’t. She dragged me along and replied, 'It’s not coffee, it’s water.'"
A calabash is a traditional wooden gourd used to carry water in most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. For Kwame, that day, it began symbolizing so much more.
"The images of Africa that are displayed in Western media are a reality, but only a portion of it. I lived through those images. But I also lived through the beautiful African print displayed in the local market, the plantain seller who also engineered local transformers, and the school children who walked miles just to educate themselves each day."
"It was not until I came to America that the gravity of the former began to be something I recognized, as I only considered the latter as a child. You could say that my patriotism blinded me from seeing and admitting that the negative aspects of the continent are real, and I believe that now the only way that we can truly solve our problems is by addressing the issue and investing in solutions to the system ourselves," Kwame explained.
Calabash hopes to be a beacon in that direction, as they have decided to pair up with Lifewater, to help move their vision in the right direction.
"Choosing to work with Lifewater was an easy decision, as Lifewater has worked for over 50 years to provide clean water to people all around the world. They are well-established, experienced, and will help us to accomplish our goals. Although as an NGO Lifewater was not started by people of African descent, they have incorporated them into the process along the way, and now 65 of their 92 employees are people of color. This demonstrates their passion of incorporating the people from these communities into their efforts, and is a step in the right direction." Cole added.
Mayunge, Uganda specifically is a very poor region in eastern Uganda and the water sources have depleted exponentially. Water-borne diseases infect them at a very high rate, and children's distended bellies tell the story of their need as well as their resilience. Lifewater's current program profile projects the hopes of serving 25,000 people with 50 water projects including 6 school latrines. As of September 22, 2017, 0 of those goals had been met.
Calabash hopes to aid them by donating at least $3,000 of proceeds to the people of Uganda and their Lifewater goals. The bottles hold 500 milliliters, come in colors gold, space gray, white, cyan, and pink, and can be bought by sharing and contributing to their Kickstarter page (coming soon). You can also help by liking, following, and sharing their Facebook and Instagram pages and sharing their informational video on social media platforms.
Kwame and Cole hope to diversify the definition of Calabash, by turning it into a vessel of change and prosperity for people who carry both types: bottle or gourd. They are students Emory students showing the world what we are about, and they, and the people of Uganda, deserve our support.
