Following an inspirational humanitarian trip to Tanzania, Africa, I was compelled to offer programs, in schools to teach about the beauty of the Barabaig tribe's culture, as well as, to inform about the scarcity of basic needs for most in the world. I wanted to inform too about the need for clean water-that we had provided in the form of an earth dam. I also sought to punctuate our shared humanity that we are the human family as well as, having a heart of service to others. This tribe had much to teach us about the beauty of knowing, how to simply be. They were emotionally available, loving, grateful, peaceful and harmonious people, living simply, in a village. 
    First, I taught about the tribe, in schools for four years. Next, I found myself compelled to write a children's book offering a unique, fictional main character to interest and ignite student's imaginations. My hope was that this book could more effectively teach empathy in general, as well as, how it relates to caring about the plight of all people, to a wide age range. I featured the tribe in the book. I included the earth dam in the illustrations and culturally, specific details to the Barabaig tribe, for further reinforcement of the messages. 
I believe there is profound healing potential for the developed and developing world in learning from and helping one another. It offers wholeness through connection. Encouraging and  implementing a heart of service offers the potential for so much growth.  We are sitting on such abundance in the developed world and yet often our youth and adults don’t feel whole or fulfilled. We have resources and knowledge to share with those in the world who don’t have the abundance we have, nor even basic needs met. No people should be without, there are enough resources for all. In turn, we have much to gain in learning another way of being, to be exposed to deep gratitude, to simply be, to being alive, that I experienced with the Barabaig tribe. The joyfulness among those in the tribe was comforting and beautiful to behold. There is a connection and a beauty to being that we in the developed world would benefit from processing and then emulating. My existence made sense to me, as my heart felt more whole and one with mankind, in Africa. I actually found myself in culture shock when I came home to  the developed world. The love here did not feel readily available among people as compared to how it felt being, among the emotionally available, deeply loving people in the Barabaig tribe and in Tanzania. 

 I am confident that if youth could get on a band wagon about recycling, we need only inform them about the needs in our world for them to “spring into compassionate action.” “Empowering youth with empathy” brings about this compassionate action! 
I also believe the messages, about the power of love and kindness are universal and of paramount importance to reinforce! I believe that where we teach love, kindness, empathy and that we are one in humanity, there is tolerance and acceptance. In teaching if we hurt someone else, we are really hurting ourselves, how could a person choose violence who understands this? How could someone not love and accept every human being who, really understands, we are all part of the human family, we are one?