Over Thanksgiving break, the Periclean Class of 2017 received some difficult news from the University of Namibia (UNAM). According to our university contacts, UNAM is no longer able to provide their previously designated portion of financial support for the conference. This means that as a class, we would be responsible for raising an additional US$10,000, a fundraising task that we are simply unable to fulfill.

Bearing such heavy news, we devoted the entirety of our class to debriefing our sentiments and searching for an answer to the question, “so what now?”

As members of the Periclean Scholars program, we are strongly opposed to merely giving money to a charity or cause; this is against the principles and ethics of aid that we have spent so many years studying. It would be both unsustainable and uninvolved, to an extent.

Together, we discussed the current relationships with individuals in Namibia that we already have, as well as options for connections that could be made in the future. Ideas include working with an Elon graduate at N.U.S.T., contacting the First Lady of Namibia since her agenda involves food security, and utilizing other viable contacts.

So, this post does not provide answers, conclusions, or finite plans in moving forward. We cannot say what the next days, weeks, and months will hold as a cohort. However, we will work hard to turn this obstacle into an opportunity.