http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/evangelalu_7727.mp3
A Springfield man will be speaking at Evangel University this week about his experience in establishing a nongovernmental relief organization in Kenya. KSMU’s Ryan Welch has this report.
Students of an International Relations class at Evangel will be listening to an Evangel alum, Nate Kaunley, on Thursday. Kaunley graduated from Evangel in 2006 with a degree in sociology, and he’s a 2002 graduate of Hillcrest High School. He’s also the executive director for the NGO known as Dusty Feet.
Dusty Feet’s mission is to be an advocate for those oppressed by poverty without creating a sense of dependency. It focuses on community development and education for people whom society has dismissed, particularly in east Africa.
I caught him on his cell phone at the airport in Houston, and as he was waiting for his flight home to Springfield, he told me a little about Dusty Feet.
“Every day, I guess, from the very beginning, what we said was, ‘You know what, if we accomplish one thing that benefits someone today, then we’ve met our goal,’” said Kaunley.
Dusty Feet brings change to the community by using social entrepreneurship. Kaunley says the most common way this is put into practice is by way of small businesses. Each business will set up its mission and core values to help a particular cause, such as ending domestic violence.
Kaunley says Dusty Feet uses people from all over Africa and the United States to gather research and to lead the community centers in Africa.
“Dusty Feet is successful because of the people on the ground, and that’s one of the most important things that the public knows,” said Kaunley.
He says he himself is based in Springfield, and works out of wherever he can get a reliable internet connection.
For more information on Dusty Feet, you can go to our website, ksmu.org. For KSMU News, I’m Ryan Welch.
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