As Stacey Monk toured Africa on vacation in 2007, she wasn’t aware of what was about to happen. A successful management consultant with a master’s degree from the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University, she left the U.S. for some relaxation and returned with a new life purpose.

In the middle of her Africa trip, she and her travel partner spent time volunteering in Tanzania. That’s how she met Mama Lucy Kamptoni, a savvy and passionate local woman, who founded a school using income from her poultry business. The school was in danger of closing, since Mama Lucy did not have access to the capital required to relocate it when a developer bought the rental land it was on at the time.

Inspired by the spirit and drive of Mama Lucy, Stacey put her education and experience to work in crafting what has become Epic Change, a non-profit social enterprise helping provide capital to innovative people in developing countries. They use donations to provide loans that fund locally led social change efforts. Working with the loan recipients, the Epic Change team helps generate new sources of income from commercial products and marketing partnerships.

Together, Epic Change and Mama Lucy have worked together to rebuild and expand Shepherds Junior, a small primary school in Arush, Tanzania at which Monk and her partner first volunteered in during their 2007 trip. Having proved the concept works, Epic Change is beginning to broaden its operations and help other local change agents in other areas of the world.  

Not only is Stacey have a track record of professional success, she’s a successful Savvy Auntie, too.  We had the pleasure of sitting down to visit with her to learn more about the epic work she is doing.

How did you come to launch your own charity?

I started Epic Change after meeting Mama Lucy Kamptoni in Arusha, Tanzania on a trip from Capetown to Cairo in early 2007. It was a vacation, and I had every intention of returning to my work as a management consultant. When I couldn't find an alternate funder to help her expand the incredible work she was doing to educate children in her village, I started Epic Change. She built this school, which now has over 400 students & ranks at the top of her district on national exams, with money she made selling chickens. I figured if she could do that, I could find a way to amplify her voice and vision. I left my for-profit career in September 2007 to create Epic Change and haven't looked back.

What is Epic Change and what's its interest in Africa?

Epic Change is a nonprofit that helps grassroots changemakers share their "epic" stories to amplify their visibility & impact. So far, we're most widely known for our work using social media on projects like TweetsGiving and the TwitterKids of Tanzania.

For the record, we're not only interested in Africa. Epic Change seeks to create a world where power and potential aren't limited by privilege, where changemakers have the resources and visibility they need to transform their communities from the ground up regardless of where they come from or how much money they have. I'm interested in living in the remarkable world we could co-create if each of us had what we needed to reach our full potential and thrive.

For the record, too, Africa is an immense continent: 53 very diverse countries and an estimated 2000 languages. Our current project focuses on the story of one woman in one village - and over 400 students at a school she originally founded with money she made selling chickens. I think it's a problem when people generalize and say they're trying to "help Africa". What does that even mean?

Why do people give to charities helping Africa? What are the reasons to care?

I get this question all the time and it still makes me wince a little. That said, it's a question many people have, so I'm appreciative every time I get to share my perspective.

A dear friend, a mother with a small child of her own, once asked me if the children I work with in Tanzania really need flushable toilets, implying that functional plumbing was an unnecessary luxury. I'm certain she'd never have asked the same question if the children we worked with lived in the US - or if she was speaking about her own child.  I wonder why so many of us make arbitrary distinctions about what's acceptable, and the causes we support, based on geography. To too many, it seems "normal" for people in certain parts of the world not to have access to basic necessities, and therefore somehow tolerable.

Why care? Because we're all connected. Because when every human is able to reach their greatest potential, the entire planet benefits. Because our common humanity isn't aware of arbitrary geographic boundaries. Because we are one.

What are the lessons you've learned along the way?

Gosh. So much. I think the biggest lesson I've learned, though, is that the very most important step I can take toward changing the world is surrendering power. Ironically, we're taught to lead & to innovate to create change. In fact, I think some of the most effective solutions aren't new (like education), aren't my idea (remarkable, I know), and the biggest contribution I can make is not to lead, but to serve by amplifying the voice of someone who might otherwise be unheard.

If a Savvy Auntie wanted to make a difference in Africa, what could she do? How could she help Epic Change?

I'm an aunt myself, and because I can't resist, here's a video of my niece and what she's done to support our efforts. What can you do to make a difference not just in Africa, but anywhere? Find someone who inspires you, fall a little bit in love, amplify their voice and invest the very best parts of yourself in making your shared vision for the future a reality.

I hesitate to mention anyone specific, because it's like a "thank you" - someone great will always be left out.  That said, if you're inspired by Mama Lucy's story in particular, and would like to help amplify her voice, we'd love your help at Epic Change. Hit me up on Twitter at @StaceyMonk - you can also follow @MamaLucy directly, and her sixth grade class, the TwitterKids of Tanzania, at http://twitter.com/EpicChange/TwitterKids.