I am Guinea
Get to know WHO you are helping!
* We are led by leaders in regenerative agriculture, business sustainability, and
non-profit governance.
Dan Krull
Dan Krull spent his youth raising animals and vegetables on father's small farm where he learned many of the techniques that he still uses today. In college he pursued a degree in Animal Science, culminating in a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine in 1994. Following college, Dan got involved in the food industry by working in numerous restaurants and family farms across the country.
Dan holds a Bachelors of Science Veterinary Medicine, 1994, University of Illinois, and is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Guinea, 2014), and a Returned Peace Corps Response Volunteer (Senegal, 2016-2017)
Laura Rhodes
Laura is founder and president, Do Good Consulting, a company she started in 2003 after working with local nonprofits.
Laura currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for I am Guinea.
Jane Anderson
Jane has built 3 successful restaurants over the course of her career that provided jobs and training for members of her community.
Jane currently serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for I am Guinea
Nayerah Ghoreishi
Nayerah is an immigrant from Iran and has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 30 years. She brings a unique and necessary perspective to the organization from her upbringing in an oppressed region of the world, Iran.
Nayerah currently serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for I am Guinea.
Our Beliefs
These core beliefs guide all activities of the project.
1. Global poverty is a “distribution” problem. It is not an “enough” problem. There is already enough money to allow everyone to live a happy, healthy, and productive life. More money given indiscriminately to the poor without neutralizing the conflicts of interest that encourage the concentration of wealth through unfair power arrangements will do little to change the dynamics of poverty in the long term.
2. In order to change farming practices, you need better tools and better techniques. The types of machines that you have determine what you can do. So if you don’t have a machine that’s needed to do the “new “ technique, then you cannot change. Improved techniques and improved machines go together. It is not just the technique that is important, but it is the machines that you are using as well.
3. Our goal and purpose is to help communities prosper, and not necessarily individuals alone. All efforts will be concentrated into projects that scale for the masses. Efforts to assist one individual at the expense or neglect of others in the community will not be pursued.
4. We believe in the positive force that successive incremental changes have in a world where all activities are synergistically linked. We look to help small segments of the population to become better at work/activities that provide financial support to them and their families. Help them become experts and masters in their craft. Help them work together to market their skills and talents to wherever the buyer of the products may reside.
5. Improving problem solving capacities and critical thinking skills are essential to build vibrant economies supported by strong businesses. We will guide people and provide resources when available to help them develop these essential soft skills.
6. No one individual has a monopoly on information and best practices for every situation. Best results can be obtained and maintained only when we are open to new ideas and intentionally change when it is prudent to do so.
7. Modern economies are based on technology dependent processes that guarantee effectiveness, improve efficiency, and ensure consistency. The adoption of technology in all areas of a society must be a priority for nations struggling to keep pace with global development.
8. Multimedia is an essential tool in education and training. It engages the audience and is the best tool to the reach illiterate populations.
9. Everyone wants and needs to be heard.
10. People must adapt to the language in which knowledge is written in order to acquire the knowledge contained therein. Moreover, people must also adapt to the language of the regions in which they choose to associate.
11. It is not an American who must tell the story of Guinea, it must be a Guinean who tells the story of Guinea.
-
We employ local Africans whenever possible for all job positions.
-
We do not degrade, criticize and compare our project with other organizations as a way of lifting ourselves up. What we do should stand on its own without degrading someone else.
-
We are honest about the root causes of poverty and what the project can accomplish. We do not make promises and claims not based in development and economic reality. Making everyone a farmer is neither a goal nor a solution to eradicating poverty.
-
We aim to build the capacity for people to do it themselves. Though it is powerful to give someone a pair of “shoes”, it is exponentially more powerful to teach someone how to make their own “shoes.”
-
We are willing and have the courage to speak the unpopular and go where no one else is going.
-
We collaborate with other non-profits to provide assistance and to fortify achievements that have been made by I am Guinea. Increasing incomes with no plan for long-term solutions to one’s problems will only lead to discouragement among the participants and eventual failure of our intervention. We do not believe we can solve everyone’s problems at the same time with one project.
-
We work only with those who are willing to learn, take the risk, and make the commitment. Participation by villagers is completely voluntary. We do not convince and teach others farming techniques who have no interest in improving their farming practices.
-
We do things in a way that gets a desired result, creates value, or facilitates work. We don’t do things in a way just because other people do it that way, or because that’s the way it’s been done before.
-
We will never become so dependent on one source of income that we sacrifice our values or act in opposition to our beliefs.
-
We will promote and push for a change in international values to better embrace all human values, regardless of the country of nationality, even if it means sacrificing funding sources from governments or private individuals.
-
-
We will support community capitalism in our corporate partnerships; we will not accept non-anonymous or conditional funding from private capitalist corporations.
-
We will be honest about the benefits that can be achieved with our system (Advanced Syntropic Agriculture), and we will emphasize the difficulties and sacrifices one will have to make in order to achieve the success that is possible. We pledge to resist exaggerated enthusiasm and excessive expectations.
-
We will remain frugal in all of our financial matters to prevent waste and maximize the results achieved from the investments made in the project. Most importantly, the growth of the company will be guided by a dedication to create outcomes that are both significant and resilient for the participating population, irrespective of the amount of funding received in any given year.
-
Our definition of success is strictly defined and measured. We measure success not in the number of people we subjectively classify as “impacted,” but in those who meet defined objective targets
-
We promote the exclusive use of natural nutrient sources for soil improvement of gardens and fields. We prohibit the use of industrial herbicides and insecticides.
-
We place particular emphasis on developing the essential soft skills necessary for high achievement. These include curiosity, creativity, honesty, and patience.
-
We value listening above all else. When people are heard, they tell us all that we need to know.
-
We embrace the recipients of our programs as our work partners.
-
We maintain a commitment to transparency in all of our communication with our partners and supporters.
-
We work with local communities in a way that fosters trust and respect.
-
We promote only ecologically sustainable agriculture practices that build soil vitality and enhance biodiversity.
-
We believe learning never ends. Thus, we will always learn how to better serve our beneficiaries.
-
We believe that there is not always one right answer. Thus, we have the humility to embrace other opinions.
-
We embrace technology when it enhances the sustainable impact that we can make.
-
We protect the sovereignty of the African farmer to be the primary beneficiary of his or her efforts.
-
We believe in promoting systems of fairness and just rewards. Allowing one individual to profit immensely almost always results in the exploitation of other people.
-
We measure success in terms of quality, and continual improvement,
-
We believe that community is as important as the individual.
-
It is through this commitment that sustainable economies are developed and sustained.
-
Our ego is not important. We minimize time and experience promoting ourselves in traditional media. Our best advertisement is with the farmers and individuals who have benefited from our model.
Cookies & Privacy
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience during your visit.
Confirm
Decline
